Footsteps(117)

More than that—his need of her made her more than willing. When only moments ago she’d felt nothing more than tenderness and devotion, now she felt passion and a need of her own. When he turned and laid her back on the bed, his fingers clutching at the opening of her shorts and his mouth sucking and biting at her throat and shoulders, she helped him get her clothes off and then spread wide beneath him.





He didn’t undress. He only opened his jeans, and then he was on her, in her, harder and rougher than he’d been before with her, grunting in her ear with every thrust. He slid his hands under her and hooked them over her shoulders, holding her so that every surge into her was as deep and fierce as possible. The bedroom door was open; she hoped that both Trey and Carlo Sr. stayed asleep.





Beset by a tempest of sensations and emotions, Sabina knew she would not come. The part of her that still remembered her past life, that was trained to respond in certain ways, pushed her to pretend, made her worry that there might be repercussions if she did not appear to have had pleasure.





But this was not her past life, and Carlo was not Auberon. He was being rough; he was fucking her, not making love, not even really paying attention to her, but he was not Auberon, and this need came from a different place. She knew that she need not pretend.





It wasn’t that she was feeling no pleasure, or that he was hurting her. She felt passion for him; she wanted this. But she was too worried about him, about Trey, about the immediate and distant futures, too heartsick about Joey and even about Rosa, now, to be able to take the deep, rich, overpowering pleasure that sex with Carlo brought her. The pleasure she felt now was from being what he needed, giving him something that he clearly needed, being present for him. Being strong for him.





He came with a final, powerful thrust and a groan, and then he was quiet. Sabina brought her hands to his head and threaded her fingers into his wild hair again. She held him while he recovered his breath.





With a deep sigh, he lifted his head and looked down at her. “Fuck. Bina…I…I’m sorry. I don’t know what that was. I’m just…having control problems. I’m sorry.”





“Shhh. It’s all right. I know. I know what it was, and it’s all right. Are you better?”





She could see him considering that question. “I am. I feel like I can breathe. He withdrew from her and lay at her side, his hand trailing over her chest and belly. When he cupped her breast and rubbed his thumb over her nipple, she caught his hand to stop him.





His brow furrowed. “I want to do for you.”





“No.” She shook her head. “I think instead there are things to talk about, yes?”





He sat up and took a deep breath. “Yeah, there are.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “I really am sorry, Bina. I shouldn’t have gone at you like that.”





“Hush, Carlo.” She scooted off the bed and found her clothes. “Let’s talk.”





~oOo~





Not even an hour after their talk, they were sitting in the living room with Agents Darby and Kohl, and Carlo was repeating the story he’d shared with Sabina. He’d called them after she had the story down. Trey was still asleep; she had checked on him as Carlo went to answer the agents’ knock.





“I can’t tell you anything else. We were home. My brother is doing a little better, and we’re doing shifts now at the hospital. Sabina and I were up—we couldn’t sleep. Then she basically did a ring and run. She just dropped him off and left as soon as I opened the door.”





Darby didn’t look like she believed the story, but she didn’t challenge it. “Did you see what car she left in—if she was still with Mark Rand or the same car, anything?”





“Honestly, I didn’t care. I had Trey in my arms, and I didn’t go after her. You can’t see the street from the front door, so for all I know, she got sucked up into a spaceship and carted off to her home planet.”





“And you, Mrs. Auberon?”





She hated hearing herself referred to in that way. Hated it violently. But she smiled. “I’m sorry, I can’t add more than what Carlo has said. We were here. She came to the door and left Trey. I wasn’t at the door, so I saw less even than Carlo.”





Kohl asked, “You didn’t look out a window? Anything?”





“No, I apologize. I was in the hallway.”





Darby sighed. “We need to talk to Trey, Mr. Pagano.”





“Absolutely not. He was traumatized, but now it’s over. It’s over. For him, it is completely over. No discussion.”