Impact on the Heart

I pull her to me.

"Well I feel the same way. Now come on. Get your clothes, I'll feed the fish. They may have to do without for a day."

"I know someone that can come by and feed them. I'll call them."

"Do it tomorrow. Clothes." The last word is given with the commanding tone I can give when needed. I see it again surprise her. She hurries off into the room at the corner of the apartment.

It takes me more than a few minutes to get all the fish fed. I find their food behind the tanks and give them all a pinch. Then I find the fourth tank in the kitchen. A beta tank with a red little feather of a fish in it.

I look up as she comes out with a gym bag over her shoulder.

Leading the way out the door and down to the stairs, I'll admit the walk out to my rental is a bit tense. I open the passenger door after putting the bag in the trunk.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

The ride to my house has me checking the rear view mirror but I don't ever see anyone even close.

I pull the rental around the side of my garage and into the backyard. I park it near the backdoor. Getting her bag I open the door.

A massive cat of cougar proportions pounces on me as I walk inside. Then in a classic lion like move his pride mate come in on her.

"Good lord these aren't house cats! These things should be hunting gazelle on the Serengeti!" she says her voice a bit panicky, the cats sudden appearance scared her a bit.

Grinning I reach down and pick up the fluffy bundle that's meowing by my feet.

"This is Ghost. The one brushing your legs is Darkness."

"So that's what happen after they ate Michael Douglas. The came here and moved in with you. What do you feed them on? White tail deer?" she asks bending down to pet Darkness. He stands up on her leg placing his paws nearly on her waist.

"No, but they can eat me out of house and home."

Hopping down Darkness bumps her and almost makes her stagger as she starts to cross the kitchen.

"What breed of cats are these? Mountain lion?"

"They're Maine Coons, although Ghost here may have a bit of Persian in her." I flip the big ball of white fur over and start to rock her in my arms like a big super harry baby. She's purring loudly enough to be heard across the room. After a moment I set her back down and go to the cabinet. Darkness all but opens it for me with his big head.

"Thank you Dark, but I've got it. Yes I know," I say to him when he meows up at me. "It's been a long day for me too."

Ghost leaps the three feet to the counter top like it's a step for her. She tilts her head when Casey starts to scratch her behind the ears.

The bowls of cat food however make both of them abandon us silly humans; our function is completed anyway.

Casey follows me through the dining room into my living room. I hit the lights and then cringe.

"Sorry about the mess. I wasn't expecting company."

"Oh my God!"

I grin as she takes in the Valentine's card the size of a pool table and the box of chocolate bigger than a car hood. Both have her name in gold lettering across the bright red front.

She slowly turns her head to look at me.

"Have you completely lost your mind, Jake?" she points to the card and chocolate. "That's insane!"

Chuckling I nod.

"I was going to have them delivered to your office tomorrow. I completely forgot about them really."

"Delivered, by who...a moving company?" she starts to laugh, then it turns to tears, then back to laughter. I fold her into my arms and hold her tight as she swing more to the tears side.

"I'm sorry." She says in a whisper.

"You should be. I'm going to have to have this shirt dry cleansed to get all the salt out of it." I say joking.

She looks from the wet tear-stain up to my smiling face and goes back to chuckling.

Leaning in I brush her lips with mine then hug her to me.

"I'm here for you, my lovely. For whatever need you have... be it bodyguard, fish feeder, boyfriend, or handkerchief. I'm here for you." I tell her then.

Her hands hold me tight and she leans her head into my chest.

"Friend to my heart, love given not pause, till fate take me or love break, Me." she says softly with a sniffle.

"That was beautiful. Yours?" I ask after a moment.

She nods a little.

I feel it then. It settles into me like a lock clicking into place. The warmth of her, the need from her to be held, the love of words of passion and love. All of that together bring it to a conviction stronger than the bonds of steel.

I'm in love.

I've known women in my life, more than a few I cared for very deeply, but this...this is that feeling I had only one before. The powerful building pressure I feel in my heart as love for Casey take its place as a part of me...it's almost frightening. I remember the pain when I lost Maria. That I have opened up enough to let myself feel that kind of hurt again is a shock to even me.

Something of what I'm feeling must have passed through my arms to her.

"What?" she asks softly looking up at me.

Her eyes are so beautiful, even the tear tracks add to it. They are red rimed and still I love them. Do I tell her? Do I make that step?

Would it feel like a trap in truth to her then? Would I be using her father's passing as a way of digging my need for her into her deeper than she might feel? What does she feel for me?

"What Jake?" She tilts her head and looks up at me with a puzzled look coming to her face. Her hand moves to my cheek and she wipes away a tear I did not know I had shed.

'I...I love you." I say softly so very unsure of what response I will get.

Watching her face I see a dozen emotions cross behind her eyes. Startling, puzzlement, a bit of inner conflict then a soft warm look that brings an easing to my worry.

"I love you." She swallows and looks down at my chest. 'I don't want you to feel like you are being dragged into loving me because of my loss today. I don't want you to feel like you have to be kind to me because of my father." She looks up at me.

For a second we both look into the other eyes. I think a part of the almost comical crisscrossing of emotional insecurities come to us then. I slowly smile as I see all my worries fade in he lovely pools of her eyes.

I receive an answering smile from her.

"You make me feel like an insecure teenager again." She says then.

I nod.

"You're doing the same for me. That's saying a lot since I'm ten years older than you are. I feel oh maybe twenty-three again. Hardly a child off apron strings really."

She purses her lips and light smacks my arm. Then she smiles and shakes her head.

"You're going to be the best relationship I've ever had. I can tell that already. You make me laugh." She reaches up and brushes hair back behind my ear. "I think I need that more than I even need romance." She gestures to the over-sized Valentine's gifts.

"But with me you get both. Romance and a laugh. You want to really chuckle wait till you get to see me undressed. That a laugh out loud moment."

She chuckles then catches my shirt in both hands. She pulls me down till our lips are just inches from each other. She softly places a kiss on my lips.

"Jake?"

"Yes my dear?" I look at her blinking.

She takes a deep breath.

"Where is your bathroom?" She laughs then. "I've really got to go."

Laughing I point down the hall to the door with the faint bluish light coming out from under it.

"Just follow the light." I tell her gesturing.

"That's what the mosquito said to his wife." She gives me a wink and with reluctance lets her fingers slip away from my hand.

I watch the curves of her ass as she goes down the short hall. The moment she closes the door I let myself relax.

"My god what are you doing?' I ask myself softly, I notice then that I'm shaking. "I need alcohol." I go to the bar and start to mix a drink. Reaching over I flip the switch and music start to softly drift through the living room.

I set out a second glass but wait to see what she would want.

Several minutes pass. Then a few more. I'm just starting to worry that she may have opened the window and fled screaming into the night to get away from me when I hear the toilet flush.

I take a sip and my teeth play with a chunk of ice. I see her open the door and step out hesitantly.

My eyes go to the dark blue covered book in her hand. When I look up at her face I see she is a brilliant shade of crimson!

"Did you like it?' I ask as a grin starts to come to my face.

"Oh my lord!"

Laughing I nod.

"Would you like a drink to calm your nerves a little, Casey?"

I lift mine and gesture towards the empty glass.

She gives a slow nod.

"What would you like?" I ask walking around the back of my bar and picking up the white cloth from the shelf under the top. I give the top a dusting and look to her with a grin.

"Well hello miss. Welcome to my club what can I get you?"

She giggles.

I watch her slowly walk towards me. I see she has a death grip on the little book. She sits it on the bar and tilts her head looking at me.

"What would you recommend?" she asks playing along.

"Well this is a fully stocked bar little lady...by the way I probably should ask to see some ID, you look hardly old enough to vote let alone drink."

"I'll have you know I'm more than old enough to be off my moms apron strings." She looks down at the book and blushes again. "My god what I read in here."

Chuckling I pull a bottle of bourbon and a bottle of vermouth from under the bar. I get out a glass of crushed ice. The little jar of cherries and the small bottle of bitters are almost frosty from the mini fridge. I start to work.

"I told you Mom wrote some racy stuff before she died. That's one of the milder ones. I have the original first draft packed away. That one of the pre-production volumes. They only printed about ten of them. The publisher wouldn't sell it without her 'toning it down' was how he put it. So she never got it published."

"Have you though of trying to do it now? Things are probably a bit more relaxed in the industry now. There have been some erotica even go mainstream lately."

"I know. She did maybe about fifty stories that are along the lines of that one. Most are in notebooks, still hand written. I've though about it but never seem to find the time." I slide her drink across the bar. "A Manhattan for the little lady."

She eyes the drink with it's floating cherry.

"Um...okay. I don't think I've ever had one."

I watch her face as she takes a sip. I made it tight. I see the pucker then the mellow from the sweet. Then the slight inrush of breath as the alcohol takes her air.

"This is good."

"Well I'm glad you like it little miss. Now let go have a seat before I get you tipsy and start feeling like I'm contributing to a minor."

She gives a little huff and a stamp of her foot.

"I'm not that young!"

I have to smile seeing her doing something that child like while protesting her youth. Lowering my eyes all the way to her feet I let them slowly come back up her with long pauses at the enjoyable places. The color to her face is wonderful to see.

"What you are is absolutely gorgeous."

I love the smile that comes to her lips as she shyly looks down.

"Thank you."

I pick the book up off the bar and tuck it under my arm. I grab my drink in the same hand.

Walking around the bar I take her elbow and lead her into the living room. I sit down my drink on the end table then the book next to it. Guiding her I sit down first then have her sit next to me. Turning just a little I lean her back against my chest and side. I ignore the wince of pain from the bruise on my chest.

The remote on the end table turns on the logs in the fireplace.

She snuggles into my chest, as the warmth of fire and alcohol makes it's way into us to take away the last of the chill.

She slowly sips her drink

"I can see your Mom's influence on the place." She says after a moment "The little touches a guy wouldn't make."

I chuckle.

"More like you're seeing her influences on me. Most of this is my handiwork. Some of it is where she had it but ...no. This is mostly me."

She tilts her head a bit as I talk then nods.

"That explains a lot about you."

"Such as?" I ask running a hand down her side

"Well you...do things the way a woman would. You.... oh I can't explain it well."

Taking a sip of my drink I run my finger across the soft skin of her arm.

"Maybe that I don't rush things? That I take my time. That the long seduction is more enjoyable than the quick catch."

"Yea." She says with a nod. "That kind of thing."

She hands me her empty glass.

"Another?'

She gives her head a shake then settles into my arms more. She kicks her shoes off and turning stretches her legs out down the couch. My hand comes to rest on her stomach just to the left of her navel.

A large pile of white fur hops up onto the end of the couch and curls up around her feet.

"Oh she makes a good foot warmer." Casey says running her toes through Ghost's soft fur.

"They're a multi-use bred. Bed warmers, pillows, and foot warmers. Guard cats. Champion mousers."

Like the dark shadows he's named for Darkness comes into the room and goes to sit in front of the fire. His big tail curls up around his front paws and he sits with his head tilted watching the fire. He's like a silhouette against the flames

"And high end art decor." She says with a smile.

The days long events and left over pain from the wreck has taken a toll on us and we settle into one another's warmth. Me holding her, Her holding my arm. Comfortable in each others company. After a long time her head turns and she takes in the book sitting next to me.

"That is so different from what she wrote before."

I pick up Mom's book.

"Well she was writing what publishers would sell. So she wrote what she had to write to pay the bills. She enjoyed her romance novels but she said she always wanted to add more to each story. To make the women that read them so hot they went and attacked their husbands with their need."

She softly chuckles.

"Well she did that with that one. Whew. The laundry mat scene?"

Grinning I thumb the book open to where she's talking about. It opens easily as I've read that page many a time.

I read it out loud to her, my eyes barely skimming the page. Memory has most of the story already.

"Sandra Lee doesn't know he's there as she walks into the laundry mat. She places her basket by a washer and opening it begins to place her clothes inside. The smell of her own lingerie if a turn on to her. The men covered her in their passion sweat. The dried spots of cum on the black corset tell of other, wetter, things that splashed her skin than sweat. Sandra lifts a dark blue teddy to her face and breaths in her own scent and the deeper musk that sex left trapped in the silky fabric."

I notice that Casey is breathing a little harder. She leans her head back against my chest, her ear turned to listen.

"Sandra doesn't know he's there, she doesn't see him watching her. She doesn't know it when he walks slowly and quietly up behind her. Her first instinct that some one's behind her... comes to late!"

I take a sip from my drink. I see Casey's nipples beginning to push up the front of her blouse. I let my hand shift up till my fingers can feel the bottom edge of her bra through her shirt. She gives a little squirm in the seat.

"The metal washer is hard and cold as he pushes her forward onto it, his hand has her by the back of the neck, his fingers tight in her hair. His other hand runs down across her ass squeezing the soft cheeks. 'I always knew you were a whore.' He says to her. 'I could hear you screaming, begging, for more cock the other night. The walls in these apartments are paper-thin. I imagine most of the people around here know you for what you are now. How many men were there? Four? Five? Answer me.' He demands. 'There were four.' she says breathless. His hand, hard as steel, closes on the back of her sweat pants! They are all but ripped down off her ass. Her thong rips away with hardly an effort, thought the black fabric pulls between her lips as he pulls it through her thighs.The cold metal of the washing machine makes her wince when her bare thighs touch the metal. She gasps at the sound of a zipper, then again as she feel his hard length of his cock part her ass cheeks. His hand comes up to her mouth."

Looking down I see Casey's eyes are half closed. She's imagining herself there in a laundry room with a strange man about to take her. Her breasts rise and fall with deep breaths. I lean into her ear.

"Does this story get you hot?" I ask my voice a soft breath by her ear.

"yes " she whispers.

"Did it make you wet when you read it earlier? In the bathroom?" I ask. I let my finger drift along the bottom edge of her bra.

"yes." Again her words are a soft hardly spoken whisper. She takes in a long slow breath that makes her breast rise just above my hand.

"Is it making you wet now? Hearing me read it to you?"

She nods this time, almost like she can't tell me that she is.

"If you were reading this alone...at home...in bed...would you touch yourself as you read?"

Again she tries to nod but I don't accept it this time.

"Would you touch yourself?" My voice is the firm tone she's heard a few times.

"yes." The word is hardly a breath.

"I want you to play with yourself as I read. Would you do that for me, Casey?"

The question startles her but after moment her breathing quickens and she gives a little nod. Her hand makes its way past mine, the fingertips brushing mine. Across her stomach her hand stops at the button and the top of her pants open. The zipper purrs it's way down. Softly her fingers move back up onto her bare skin and then disappear down the front of her panties. I smile when I hear the small moan from her as she touches herself. I go back to the story.

"His hand is hard as it covers her mouth silencing the scream that was about to make it's way out. Sandra gives a little pain filled huff as his cock finds that dark rose between her cheeks. His breath is hot next to her ear. 'I loved to hear you moaning last nigh I want to hear it again. Are you going to moan for me?' His hand leaves her hair and goes to her hip. With a quick thrust his cock is driven several inches into her ass."

I grin as Casey gives a little gasp. Her hand is moving under her the light pink fabric. I let my hand drift down her stomach then come back up under her shirt. The edge of her bra is warm when my fingers touch it.

"Still sore from the use last night Sandra moans in pain as he pushes even more of himself into her ass. Her hands clutch the washer. With a tear filled scream that's lost in the hot palm of his hand she leans forward as he goes all the way in. Slowly his hand moves from in front of her mouth. She hears him chuckle as she cries from the pain. 'Don't think I don't know this hole got used last night. With that many men someone had to do it. Am I right?' he asks. 'Am I right?' he demands driving harder into her."

'yes.'

Casey surprises me when she whispers the answer. I smile loving the effect I'm having on her with just my voice.

I bring my hand up and cover her breast Casey gives a little nod and a moan to show her approval. She leans herself back into me more. Her legs open slightly to give her better access to herself. I can hear a wet sound coming from her playing fingers.

"Are you enjoying the story Casey?" I ask as my fingers slowly caress her breast circling the hard nipple through the soft fabric.

"Oh, Jake, don't stop reading...please."

Smiling I lean my head a little till I'm right next to her ear.

" 'Yes' Sandra say then. Her words a gasp. His long cock pulls out till the flared head tugs her ass then he's driving it back into her. Moaning in continuous lust, she leans down onto the washing machine. The hard pounding of him bringing back memories of the night before. When the men finally forgot to be gentle and just putting her through her paces. Making her do what they wanted. It had been so intensive to be made to perform. She had loved it. Slowly despite the tearing pain she comes to love this as well. His cock isn't as long as some of the ones last night but its every bit as thick."