Eye of the Beholder Ch. 03

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"Come in."

Barrett poked his head in slowly. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "It's beautiful. Thanks."

"I'm glad you like it. Mind if I bug you for a bit?"

"Nope." She moved some of her clutter from the bed. "What's up?"

"You know you're always welcome to come hang out with me. I know we work together and it might be overkill to see me so much but I don't mind. Just don't want you to stay cooped up in this room the whole time."

"I don't want to be in your hair," she insisted.

"Nah." he chuckled. He lied flat on his back, his head touching her folded lap and took her hand in his, her palm brushing against his mane. "I kinda like it."

Renee rolled her eyes and smirked, stroked it lightly. "I'll keep that in mind."

For a while they sat there together on the bed and listened to the crickets chirping, not talking to each other. Renee found herself slowly running her fingers between his silky, jet-black locks while he closed his eyes. For once, she didn't think about it or obsess. It just felt... good. No, better than good. It felt right.

"Remember the night of my party?" Barrett mumbled, relaxed.

"Yeah?" Renee felt her heart race a little.

"You were gonna tell me what brought you to Quentin. I'd love to hear it now if you want to say."

Renee took a moment to gather her thoughts and exhaled. She twirled her fingers around his hair and started.

"I was living with and engaged to someone I dated since my sophomore year of college. Terrell." Her lips trembled for a few moments at the sound of his name but she forced herself to go on. "We had this, this beautiful condo in Downtown Detroit. I decorated it myself," she said with a bittersweet smile. "Right around the time we started planning our wedding, he enrolled in graduate school and went to London to study abroad for a year. I missed him every day he was gone." Her voice wavered and her eyes stung with tears.

Barrett noticed and sat up, moved next to her.

"You don't have to finish."

"No," she nodded, dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her hands. "It's fine. I um.... I was ecstatic when he came back. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see him like I was that day. And then things just when downhill from there. For an entire year, he... he..."

This time she had to let go. The second she started sobbing Barrett pulled her to his chest and held her tight. Her tears stained his dark blue shirt but Renee couldn't stop. She tried to explain further but he hushed her.

"Shhh," he soothed, rubbed her shoulder. He leaned down and nuzzled his cheek against the side of her temple. "It's alright. You're alright." He cradled the back of her head with his hand. When she calmed down, her cheeks wet with tears, she grabbed tissues from the side table and wiped them away. She looked down and saw light brown color that stained the paper.

She'd taken all her makeup off. Right in front of him.

"Oh God." She covered her face with both hands. "Can you leave for a second? I need to freshen up."

"No you don't," he insisted. "It's just me."

"Yes, I do. Just... just leave. Please."

"Renee."

Barrett pried at her hands and made quick work of peeling them away from her face. A quiet breath escaped him and she could feel his thumb tracing over the prominent scarring on her cheeks.

"Fuck."

She jerked away from him. "Are you satisfied?" she said angrily. "You get to see how hideous I am without the makeup. Please leave," she repeated.

"Hideous?" Barrett's blue-green eyes studied her. "Are you nuts?"

"Please," she pleaded, looking at the floor.

Without another word, he closed the gap between them, moved close to her and put an arm around her waist. He brushed the curly tendrils from her face and rested his hand beneath her chin, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. His thumb caressed the scars once more and he said with passion:

"If you think a couple scars make you hideous you're sadly mistaken. Renee, you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen and you don't even fuckin' try. Do you know the lengths I have seen women go to look beautiful? Hours in the bathroom. Ridiculous amounts of money spent on expensive clothes. And here you are," he chuckled and shook his head, "in a pair of joggin' pants and a t-shirt and still beautiful as hell."

Renee's chest rose and fell at his words, her breath escaping in jagged spurts. The more he spoke, the closer he leaned into her.

"Even scars can't take away from such lovely brown skin," he swallowed, his breath hot on her skin. "And listen to me when I tell you that you just being you makes you the most gorgeous woman on Earth to me. How you look is just icin' on one hell of a cake," he rasped, the tip of his nose rubbing against hers, lips inches apart.

"Barrett," she breathed. "I..."

For a brief moment, his lips rubbed against hers. She closed her eyes in anticipation but opened them when she felt his mouth press against the side of her forehead.

"I need to get some sleep. If you uh... if you want me for anything just remember I'm in the room next to you on the left. Night."

She stood in the middle of the room, mouth agape. Her entire body was on fire for him. She longed to feel them embrace like she had been fantasizing over for weeks now, just too scared to admit it to herself. Raw with emotion and lust and he'd left her by herself. She crawled into bed and spent many hours awake trying to make sense of things.

The next afternoon, Renee stared down at him from the hallway window. He was outside chucking bales of hay with an urgency she'd never seen before.

He avoided her all day long except to ask her if she was hungry. He wouldn't look her in the eyes and acted as if he didn't want to be in the same room with her. It wasn't like she didn't know why but it left her unsettled. If she was going to stay with him for two weeks they needed to at least comfortable in each other's presence. She slid a jacket over her arms and walked downstairs and outside. If he wasn't going to break the ice, she would.

Barrett saw her coming but kept tossing the hay bales.

"Hey," she said.

"Need somethin'?"

Renee's stomach twisted in knots. "Need some help?"

"You help me Monday through Friday from 8 to 6 Renee. Thanks but I can handle it. I'll be inside in a little while if you need somethin'."

He said nothing else as she stood across from him, sweat dripping from his temples, his thick bicep and forearm muscles bulging, a focused and slightly angry look on his face. She wasn't used to him being so...curt. Direct. It was exactly what she wanted to avoid. She had made him uncomfortable.

She turned away from him and walked back to the house, blinking back tears.

"Renee... fuck."

She didn't stop. Walking to the upstairs window ledge, she looked out of the glass once more. He had gone back to moving the hay bales.

Flustered and not paying attention to her actions, Renee opened the door to the wrong bedroom. Barrett's. She thought about turning around and leaving -- it would have been the smart thing to do -- but instead she walked forward and picked up one of his shirts. His scent lingered on the fabric and she put it against her cheek, closing her eyes. No words could accurately describe just how much she truly wanted him. Her softest place tingled from the combination of her thoughts and his shirt but soon progressed into throbbing.

She left the room with his shirt in hand, locked the door behind her and undressed, only to put the unbutton shirt on. Her bare skin rubbed against the cloth that been against him and it drove her insane. Months had gone by since she allowed herself physical release but the streak was so close to being broken. She collapsed on the bed, the valley of her heavy breasts exposed. Her hand trailed further down, over the softness of her stomach and settling just below her unshaved mound. Another thing she'd denied herself since she had been abstinent.

Her fingers plied over her slit and the tips of her fingers were damp with her wetness. She probed further and gasped. Never had she been this aroused, not even with Terrell. One slender finger found its way to her entrance and she mewed with pleasure as it made its way inside.

"Barrett," she called out in a whisper.

Her mind raced with thoughts of him and she picked up speed. Her moans elevated with the security of knowing the door was locked and he was outside. Another finger now, both pressed knuckle deep as she re-discovered her body. Her eyes shut tight and she gripped the sheets in her free hand, the cloth shirt rubbing over her chocolate, eraser-thick nipples. Her whimper drowned out the environment's sounds around her, including the squeaking hinges of the door opening.

"Renee, I was..."

Renee jolted upright and looked at him in bewilderment. Her naked breasts went up and down with each breath and she pulled her glistening fingers from her sex. The single most embarrassing moment of her life had happened right before her very eyes. Barrett stood with his mouth open, eyes draping over her body. And then the strangest thing happened. His eyes glazed over and he looked to be in the same trance-like state he slipped into when he fought Pete. But this was different. Not anger but...hunger.

"Bar..."

He walked over to her silently and laid next to her on the bed. He brushed her curly brown hair away from her neck and she could have melted when he kissed it with such tenderness that it made her cry out in pleasure. He puckered up her neck, up the side of her jaw and stopped at her ear. He flicked his tongue against her earlobe and tugged it with his teeth.

"Keep goin'."

Renee gasped and closed her eyes. Her hand shot back to her mound like it was magnetized and she picked up where she left off, slamming both fingers in down to the knuckle.

She screamed his name and he groaned in response, turned her head with a soft roughness and kissed her deeply. Her walls contracted around her fingers and she reached out for his palm with her free hand, which he found instantly. He squeezed it affectionately and continued, his voice sending infinite shivers through her as she reached her peak.

"You can't imagine how many nights I spent thinkin' about this, about you," he rasped, his tongue trailing across her neck. "It's why I got so angry yesterday. You have no idea not just how beautiful you are but how goddamn hard you make me. How much I care about you."

Her eyes, still heavy with lust and satisfaction, opened and gazed into his. "I... I didn't know."

"You know now. I don't know if that's such a good thing," he confessed. "I'm not the best when it comes to relationships Renee. I'm not sure you're ready for one. Hell, I'm not sure I'm ready for one. A two-week span from one to another is a record, even for me."

With her hormones stabilized now she had to admit he had a point, at least about being ready for a relationship. God knows if she was it would be him, she didn't have to question that. But there were still some loose ends to tie up: with herself and with Terrell. She didn't want to move on until both were dealt with and she had no idea how long it would take for either of those to happen.

Her look of confusion made him laugh.

"Don't think about it right now," he urged. "Just enjoy and... know that I'm willin' to wait as long as you need. When you're ready I'll be downstairs cookin' dinner. Never been so fuckin' hungry in my life." He reached between her legs and grabbed her hand by the wrist, stared incredulously at her soaked fingers.

"Can I?"

Before she could answer his tongue lashed out against them and he devoured her fingers in his mouth with an animalistic need that turned her on all over again. One last kiss on her forehead was the last act of affection before he left the room. The euphoria swept her away and led to the best sleep she had in ages.

*

Barrett cringed when the faucet handle squeaked obnoxiously loud. He whipped his head to the bathroom door, listening for movement. It was six a.m. and Renee was still sleeping peacefully across the hall. He didn't want to wake her before she was ready to get up.

A stream of steamy hot water immersed from the shower head and pit-pattered against the tub's porcelain floor. He yanked his t-shirt over his head, slid down his boxers and tossed both in the nearby clothes hamper. He stepped one foot at a time into the shower and groaned in approval at the hot water pulsing against his skin.

Last night.

He had to remind himself that it wasn't a figment of his imagination. The night before, it took all the strength he could muster to not give Renee what she thought she wanted. That desperate look of need in her eyes just about drove him off the deep end, but he knew it wasn't what she needed. What Renee needed was compassion and understanding, not a night of wild, ambiguous sex

He leaned his head back and rubbed the bar of soap in his hand across his olive skin. While his mind remained steadfast in his thoughts, his body betrayed him. And why wouldn't it? It was almost impossible not to think about it. He felt a stirring down below and leaned forward, letting the water flow freely against his hair. His hand barely enclosed around his thick member and he sighed, letting the visual manifest in his mind for the hundredth time.

The thought of her exposed, radiant brown skin alone made his hand travel slowly from head to base. Her thick thighs spread open, legs parted and stretched at both ends of the bed. Her hand buried deep inside of her, mound covered in an unruly mass of curls. Soft cups peaking from underneath her shirt. His shirt.

The sound of hand against flesh echoed in the bathroom when he sped up still surprised at his bold decision to lie down next to her. Truth be told, no other choice had occurred to him. He wanted to be there with her, nibble and peck her from behind and spur her own to a much-deserved climax. As much as he wanted to turn her soft whimpers into full-fledged screams, it wasn't about him. He was more than willing to deny himself pleasure for her.

He tensed up and panted hard, water dripping from the bridge of his nose. He wouldn't last much longer.

What pushed him over the edge wasn't the thought of her screaming his name or writhing around next to him.

It was the taste of her.

From the first lap of his tongue, her taste, her scent was insatiable. Getting head was all well and fine but Barrett enjoyed yanking a pair of soft, rounded hips to the edge of the bed and feasting until he was satisfied. It was something he'd done sparingly with significant others; Sarah never wanted him to and most of the girls he was with were too occupied with his cock to want oral pleasure. If there was anyone he wanted on the receiving end of his tongue for hours, it was Renee.

He gasped, leaned against the shower wall and froze as he came, his seed spurting from his head and over his clenched fist.

He finished up, wrapped a towel around his waist and cautiously opened the bathroom door. He saw Renee's sheets and blanket bunched in the middle of the bed but no Renee. Damn. He tried so hard not to wake her up. He turned the corner but stopped when he heard a soft voice call behind him.

"Barrett."

He faced the other way. Renee was still wearing his shirt, only this time it was buttoned. Her hair was disheveled and she had on no makeup but she looked comfortable, content.

"Mornin'. How'd you sleep?" A small pool of water gathered at his feet. He was still soaking wet from the shower.

"Best I've had in a while."

They stared at each other with the same glimmer of desire as yesterday. Barrett felt his cock stiffen all over again, awkwardly holding the towel around his waist with a hand at his lower back. He tried his best to divert attention from it by excusing himself.

"Well I gotta... get dressed. I'll be down in a few minutes."

Renee stepped forward and looked up at him, nibbled at her lower lip. She rested her head against his wet chest and slipped an arm around his waist, hugging him.

"Thank you."

Barrett nervously reciprocated, rested his arm around her shoulder and stroked her hair. "Aw, I don't need you to..."

"I mean it." Renee stepped back to look him in the eyes. "For everything. For giving me a place to stay, for hiring me. For... caring about me," she said bashfully.

Barrett swallowed and smiled. "I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat," he declared.

"I know." She closed the gap between them and stretched her arm up, put her hand on the back of his neck. "I know you would."

"Renee," he cautioned.

"Kiss me."

In a matter of seconds, Barrett lowered his mouth on her and pinned her to the wall. He nudged his leg against her thighs and she opened them willingly. His erection pressed against her cotton panties through his towel as his tongue parted her lips, exploring her. He parted from her only to kiss the hollow of her neck and ripped open his shirt, causing the buttons to scatter all over the floor.

Renee cried out when his soft lips covered her nipples, suckling and nibbling on them momentarily before continuing on his journey, down her stomach and stopping just shy of her pussy. He locked eyes with her for a moment and lifted one of her legs, put it over his shoulder. He kissed the side of her calf, up her thigh and against her panties. He'd slipped his hands in the waistband of her underwear, about to pull them down when he realized he wasn't keeping his word.

Renee's fingers were tangled in his hair. "What's wrong?"

"This. Honey, I... I want you but I think you should think about things. You were uncertain yesterday for a reason. You got some things to sort out and I don't wanna distract you."

"But... I..." she stuttered.

"Tell you what." He kissed her on the hand. "Let's not rush into things, alright? I can't believe I'm doin' this," he laughed. "Will you go out on a date with me tonight? No funny business, just... me gettin' to know you. "

"Of course," she said with a smile.

They embraced in a hug before parting ways and Barrett's mind ran rampant with thoughts. Once his libido was under control, he got dressed and pondered where they would go. He didn't want to take her to some dive bar or a pretentious restaurant an hour away. He wanted her all to himself but what could he do?

An idea slowly crept into his thoughts and while part of him thought it was the lamest idea in the world, the old, romantic side of him that had been resurrected thought Renee would enjoy it. It would take a lot of work and keeping her away from the house most of the day but with help, it was possible. He took his cell phone from the dresser, hit speed dial and waited for the other party to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hey darlin'. I need your help with somethin' really important."

*

Renee stumbled clumsily, her hands outstretched in front of her.

"Where exactly are we going?" she asked for the third time. Surprises excited her and made her anxious, especially when no one would tell her a thing. Her sundress rustled in the night breeze and she felt free and comfortable with braided hair and an au natural face. Barrett insisted that she didn't wear makeup and she agreed. Both of his hands were covering her eyes and he guided her with each step to this mystery location.

"You are an impatient little thing," he said in her ear. "We're almost there."

A few more moments of blind walking ended when Barrett grabbed her by the waist and stopped her.

"Alright. Open your eyes now."

Renee's mouth opened in surprise as she scanned the surrounding area. A small wooded area with a long, winding path was lit with tea candles and led to a brightly lit clearing. A picnic basket, a bottle of wine and two glasses sat on top of a blue blanket and fireflies illuminated the area even more. It was so beautiful that it didn't even look real.