Dominant Warfare Pt. 08

April was very cheerful seeing Steve and grabbed his hand as he opened the door. Her eyes were very glad to see him and sparkled brightly as their hands touched. Her face however, was screwed up in a quizzical, questioning look. She confirmed that she asked, "What's going on? Why did my father just ignore me? What's the tension between my dad and Sheriff? What in the hell is going on?"

Steve was not sure how much he should tell April, because most of it was still speculation. However, one way or another, her father was somehow involved. It could be something as innocent as finding out about Peter, but not saying anything. It could also be that April's father had actually hired Peter to recover the quicksilver report. The Sheriff's investigation would definitely reveal that. Steve thought she needed to know something.

Steve knew he was not going to tell her about Peter being the Ship Channel Rapist. That knowledge would only make matters worse, but he needed to let her know about her father. He gathered her in his arms and softly said, "Both the Sheriff and I feel like your father was somehow involved."

April's face first registered shock, but that quickly morphed into hurt and betrayal. She took a shuttering breath and as the tears leaked from her eyes, she inquired, "What made you think he's involved?"

Steve looked her in the eyes, kissed her on the tip of her nose as he gently answered, "He called the kidnapper Peter. Therefore, he knew who he was and that he was involved in your kidnapping. Also he seems more intent on getting my report out of my backpack than taking care of his daughter."

Steve could see the betrayal and pain etched deep in her face. She held on tightly to Steve and buried her face deep in his shoulder. Steve felt her shoulders shake as he wrapped her tightly in his arms. Her heart was breaking with her father's betrayal and all he could do was let her know that he was there for her. He heard her murmur, "Why? Why would he do that?"

She jerked in his arms and fiercely whispered, "No, No! He wouldn't do that!" Then she softened and breathlessly whispered, "Why is he acting the way he is?"

Steve held April tight as she wrestled with her feelings for her father. Mr. Hunt had always been a bit distant, but April had always thought he was just preoccupied with business affairs. She knew that he loved her, but did he love his businesses even more? Was he scared about losing everything or the fines from the EPA? Surely, all of that would be secondary to his only daughter.

Steve lifted April out of the SUV and with her in his arms, he sat in the passenger side of the Sheriff's SUV. April snuggled in his lap still wrestling with the hurt and betrayal. Steve was the only person that seemed to care about her right now. Steve wanted to get her out of this circus ASAP. With one hand wrapped around April, he grabbed the pad of paper April had been using for her statement and on a new page quickly began jotting down an outline of the events. He could fill in the finer details later. Right now, April was his priority, no one except the Sheriff and Steve seemed to care about her and she needed to be out of here.

Steve kept glancing up to see what was going on with the Sheriff and Mr. Hunt. For the most part, they were both on the phone. Steve was just wrapping up his statement outline when everything changed. Mr. Hunt pulled the phone from his ear, gave a sideways glance at the Sheriff and began jogging towards his helicopter. He had only taken about two steps when the Sheriff pulled the phone from his face and went after him in hot pursuit.

The Sheriff was running hard and Mr. Hunt didn't stand a chance. He wasn't even halfway to his helicopter before the Sheriff tackled him. The Sheriff roughly pulled his hands behind his back and snapped on the handcuffs. The Sheriff hauled him roughly to his feet turned him around so that they were face-to-face and began yelling at him. From where Steve was he could only catch about every other word, but he heard the words; "How could you ... Report ... Rapist ... Betrayal ... April ... Over money."

Steve's worst fears about April's father seemed to be coming true. He looked down at her and she was watching the scene as well. At first, her pain was evident on her face, but as the Sheriff, continued berating her father her face hardened. As she watched the scene in front of her she realized that whenever she needed somebody the Sheriff had always been there for her.

Parent-teacher nights at the school, father-daughter dances, and even her beauty pageants, he had always been there. As she watched the Sheriff, she realized he loved her more like a daughter than her father did. She had always assumed he had been just doing what her father wanted, but now she realized that he really cared for her. Even now, he was being more of a father to her than her own flesh and blood.

April looked up at Steve with pain in her watery eyes and choked, "Steve, please take me home. I can't stand this and need to get out of here."

Steve saw the look on her face and knew she needed to be away from this scene of betrayal. He kissed her forehead, nose and lips, before he gently murmured, "Absolutely."

Steve slid out the door with April still in his arms. He set her on her feet and told her to go sit in the Jeep. Steve walked over to the Sheriff and Mr. Hunt, clenching his fists the whole way. The Sheriff saw him coming out of the corner of his eyes and swung Mr. Hunt behind him so that Steve couldn't get to him. He held up his hand and said, "Steve, as long as he is in my custody I can't let you hit him."

Steve nodded his head in understanding. Between gritted teeth, he growled, "If he should ever escape and needs subduing please let me help you ... find him." He turned his look of hostility towards Mr. Hunt and said, "As far as I'm concerned you no longer deserve the title of father. I didn't know they actually stacked shit as a high as you are. I know you don't care, but you have betrayed everything good in your daughter and as long as I'm around you will never see her again."

Steve turned to look at the Sheriff and in a much softer conciliatory tone said, "Sheriff, if it's okay with you I need to get April out of here. Between Peter and her father's abuse she has seen and heard more than she ever wanted to. If it's okay with you I'm taking her back to the ranch."

The Sheriff looked gratefully at Steve as he nodded his head in assent.

Chapter 22

The drive back was much more sedate than the breakneck speeds when he was chasing after April. Steve glanced away from the road into April's eyes and it was difficult for him to bring his eyes back to the road. Her face and eyes said it all. Everyone had betrayed her, except for him. He was her white knight and she was devotedly in love with him. He could see her open heart through her eyes and her endless love was plainly visible. Her gaze was hypnotic, full of innocent splendor, boundless desire, and the pledge of staggeringly pure devotion.

All the wealth a man could ever want was hidden in her eyes. There was the promise of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or the treasure of the Sierra Madre, but it wasn't money. The brightest points of blue light shining in her eyes were promises just for him. In her eyes was the kind of promise every man dreamed of, with limitless love at your fingertips. With her, he felt strong, powerful and invincible, because he knew he would never have to face anything alone ever again.

Her love was like being in the eye of a hurricane. Everything around him swirled with thunder or lightning in the midst of complete chaos. In the eye of the storm, he was with her in an island of tranquility that filled him with a quiet contentment that he had never known. She was compassionate, patient, and generous with her love being unconditional and pure. He wanted to just pull over, stop and hold her in his arms until the rest of the world went away.

Steve grabbed April's tiny hand in his and their fingers wove together perfectly. It was as if their fingers were acting out the joining of their hearts. April lifted his hand and held it lovingly against her cheek. Neither one of them wanted to break the spell, but April sensuously kissed the back of his hand. She stretched out between the two bucket seats and laid her head in his lap.

For April, there was something about tactile contact with Steve. She could be content with his warmth or in his scent, but she really needed to feel him touching her skin. Whenever she felt him touching her she felt beautiful, she felt safe, but most importantly she felt loved, desired and wanted. There was something very sensual with her head in his lap. She could feel the muscles of his legs moving as he drove. She could feel herself through him. It was as if her body only existed when he touched her.

Throughout the drive back to the ranch, April relished the heat of his body and his scent holding her captive. His hand that was not holding the steering wheel held her so she wouldn't bounce out of the seat. She wished she wasn't wearing his coat, because she desperately wanted to have his hands on her skin. After last night, all she could think of was Steve, holding her and making love to her. Especially now with her father's betrayal, she needed Steve to hold her and let her know that he was there. Nothing else in her life seemed to matter anymore and she needed to feel the safety of his arms around her.

The Jeep suddenly screeched to a halt and as April looked up, she could see they were home. She turned her head, looked up at Steve and her heart ached in her chest. He was looking at her with committed and hungry love. The look in his eyes told her that he would do anything to keep her from harm, even from himself. His look was so loving and so intense she felt her eyes start to fill up with tears. He gently caressed her face and reverently whispered, "Baby, I think you are starting to drop. I need to get you inside."

Steve pulled her across the seat and into his arms and stepped out of the Jeep, carrying her inside. He first took her to the kitchen and gave her a small glass of orange juice. He told her he felt her blood sugar was low and she needed to get some food in her. After she drank the juice, he gathered her back up in his arms and took her up the stairs to her bedroom.

Of course, April knew all of this. April didn't say a word, just watched him pamper and take care of her as he stripped his jacket from her.

He tucked her under a warm blanket and sat down beside her. He caressed her face gently as he said, "Baby, last night you experienced an intense physical and emotional release. With it came a release of your body's chemical cocktail that gave you the euphoria you felt. Right now, you're showing all the symptoms of a drop and that means most chemicals are wearing off. So, I want you to rest while I go make you some food. You need to let me take care of you for the next several hours."

Steve leaned over, kissed her and started to get up. As he was turning away April whimpered, "Steve, could you tie me up please?" Steve looked at her softly and questioningly. April melted under his inquiring gaze and added, "It frees me to think and understand."

Steve nodded his head, smiled and said, "Anything for my baby." He grabbed two strips of leather out of this gym bag, tied her hands together and bound them to the headboard. Finally, he covered her with a blanket, kissed her gently and then went downstairs to make them breakfast.

When he walked out the door, April felt a moment of panic. Tears poured out of her eyes and her heart ached in her chest as she thought about Steve not coming back. However, the ache in her chest was only fleeting, because she knew he loved her unconditionally. She knew he would be back and she trusted him more than she did any other human being.

April had longed for the hug of the rope. She yearned to feel the freedom that being bound gave her. The freedom she needed to express and feel her emotions. Last night with the hug of the leather binding her, she had felt safe enough to let him in. With her bindings, she was free to give in to him sexually, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. It took the squeeze of her bindings to help Steve breach the walls around her heart. She needed desperately to feel tethered so she could feel free enough to feel and understand her wildly conflicting emotions.

For the first time in her life, she knew what it was truly like to love someone. She couldn't seem to focus on anything. She was distracted with no direction, yet she felt forever contented. It was as if, there was an itch inside her that she couldn't scratch. Only Steve could. Her brain was fuzzy, but her body was alive with an intensity that blocked everything else. She was starving, but unable to eat. She yearned for something, but she didn't know what. Only Steve seemed to know what she needed and when he was there, she was content.

April didn't know what to do, but she knew she loved him. She knew she craved his touch and didn't know if she could ever live without him. Yet she was conflicted with all the emotions swirling inside her. Could she spend her entire life craving the love of a dominant man? The more she thought about it, the answer was easy. She had experienced more love and passion in one night that she had her entire life.

The act of submitting to Steve had been full of love and devotion. She would give everything she had to have that love and trust returned to her. Steve had already proven that she could trust him. He had established that he would give his life to protect hers. She finally understood that belonging to Steve was what she was meant for. Nothing else in her life had ever come close to filling those voids in her heart.

Steve entered the room with a tray full of bacon, eggs, toast and juice. He sat on the bed with the tray in his lap and reached over to untie her hands from the headboard. He told her to sit up and as she did the blanket dropped into her lap uncovering her breasts. Her bound hands dropped in her lap as she looked down to see her breasts almost begging him to ravish them. As he looked into her eyes, he could tell she had made her decision and her pleading look said it all.

Steve knew she was his and now she was his responsibility. He took a spoonful of scrambled eggs and lovingly fed her. His gentle caring contrasted dramatically with his consuming passion the night before. The simple act of lovingly feeding her was the most heart enriching thing anyone had ever done for April. Tears of love and joy leaked from her eyes as he kept feeding her. For each bite she took, he took a bite as well and he kept feeding her until all the food was gone.

When breakfast was done, he pulled back the covers and told April to lie on her stomach. He retied her hands to the headboard and brought out a bottle of lotion. Starting at her shoulders he methodically massaged all the kinks out of her back, butt and legs. For April, Steve's hands on her were a dream come true. While his magic fingers were digging out all the knots in her back and shoulders, her insides were smoldering. That's all it seemed to take now was Steve touching her and she was ready for him.

This time her body gave in to the fatigue. With a full stomach and the relaxing massage, April drifted into an exhausted sleep. Once he knew she was asleep, Steve kissed her on the head and covered her with a blanket.

Steve grabbed his blackberry and went out to the porch. His first call was to the Sheriff to see what they to do. The Sheriff was still working with the district attorney to try and figure out what kind of charges they would bring against Mr. Hunt. The Sheriff told Steve that tomorrow would be good enough for their interviews and final statements.

The Sheriff also mentioned that they had towed his car back to Alpine. The city would be paying the bill for fixing his windshield and all the bullet holes in his Cobra. Steve thanked him for all the consideration and hung up. He sat for a few minutes with his head in his hands trying to figure out what he could say to his prospective employer.

His next call was to the plant in California. He was supposed to be there in three days and if he left now he could make it. However, he still had lots of unfinished business here in Alpine. His car had to be repaired and they had the statements for the Sheriff. Then there was April. They had to figure out what they were going to do, because they were part of each other now. They had to be together, and they just had to figure out how.

His call to the plant in California solved one issue. When they heard, he had been involved in a kidnapping and murder they canceled his contract. They didn't want to be involved in any potential legal issues and the easiest thing was to cancel this contract. Steve told them to call the Sheriff and get his take on the matter. About fifteen minutes later, they called back and told him they were still on, but gave him a week's extension. That solved this timeline dilemma and he could stay to figure out his time with April.

With Steve's car paid for and the rental on his house paying for the house note, his expenses were minimal. He figured he could last at least six months on what he had in savings and if he were careful maybe more. However, he didn't want to wipe out his savings either, so he had to take the contract job.

He relaxed in the chair on the balcony for a few more minutes taking in the incredible view. Steve finally left his chair and went back inside, only to be stunned at the vision in front of him. April was awake, had kicked off all the covers and had turned over on her back. Her hands were still bound to the headboard and she was totally naked, looking at him expectantly.

Her voice was the sweetest sound he ever heard and his heart fluttered when he heard it, "Steve, I need to feel your hands on me and I need to feel you inside me. Please come and make love to me...Master!"

Steve slowly walked over and sat on the bed next to her. His eyes roamed lovingly over her silky skin and for April even the feathered caress of his eyes could not have been more stimulating. She had trouble catching her breath while her nipples hardened and her womanly folds were slick with anticipation. April whimpered and squirmed under his scorching eyes. Her rapid shallow breaths dried out her half parted lips and her tongue sneaked out to wet them.

Steve stood momentarily while he undressed, but his eyes never left the delectable buffet of April in front of him. When he was naked, he lay on the bed next to her and his hands began gentle fiery caresses over her sensitive skin. Steve gently leaned over and lightly kissed her lips. "This morning I am not your master. I'm just a man that loves you with all his heart. That's the way I am going to make love to you this morning. With my open heart, I'm going to coax every bit of passion from you. This will be totally different from last night, but in the end I will still claim you as mine."

April's eyes were filled with fiery embers of understanding. The fire was still burning in her heart and in her body. His fingers roamed over her nipples evoking an adoring gasp mixed in with her panting breaths. His fingers trailed down her belly leaving passionate goose bumps in their wake. Throughout it all, his eyes never left hers and he could see that she would do anything for him.

She couldn't help herself as she surrendered everything to him. Her surrender is complete and at that moment he could have anything he wanted. If he wanted her heart, her soul, her body or her sex, all were his for the taking. His hands roamed over her satiny skin, but he took what he really wanted: her lips. He bit, licked and devoured her lips, while taking in her sweet breath.