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Lady Hideaway Ch. 01

By: Blulady



This story is not like my other work, this chapter is basically character introduction, mostly because these characters you can’t just throw into bed together. Anyways, this isn’t a quick fix kind of thing; I’m going for something with a little more depth. (Even if this was inspired by the hot roofer that’s been working on my building all week.) Feedback and constructive criticism is always appreciated, thanks

* * *

Conner Desway looked at the thermometer he kept hung on the rear view mirror of his old Chevy work truck. One hundred and nine degrees. Well, at least it wasn't as hot as last week, when the air conditioner in his vehicle had stopped working. He had been meaning to get it fixed, but lately he had no time for it, and if he did, he just didn't feel like it.

In the small Arizona community Conner was the well known 'Mr. Fix it.' He owned the local pool service business. At twenty-eight years old, it had been his life for the past nine years, after he had happened to stumble across the idea of opening his own business rather than going to college with everyone else. He had thought that high school had been school enough, and even without further education he had discovered he had quite the head for business, at least his business. It was quite successful, considering that just about every house in the neighborhood had a pool. It had started in his parent's garage, and nine years later he had his own small shop and four guys working for him. Of course, Conner was still working with the rest of them, however, not always servicing swimming pools and spas.

He had established a good reputation with many locals in the area, and soon after he had started his business he was also being called to do odd jobs, painting, yard work, and sometimes a few old women would even call him over to change out their old light bulbs. Conner never sent a bill for most of the smaller jobs, unless he detested the person he was working for, which was a rarity; he was well liked and often liked others. He was an outgoing man, although some of the gossipers would think he was too outgoing, considering a good portion of his business came from lonely housewives who saw him as a good looking man with a friendly smile and as the object of their fantasies. He was somewhat popular in his looks, he was tall, handsome, short dark hair and even darker eyes, and when he smiled it was very difficult to say no to him; not that Conner ever took advantage of his gifts.

He had been wanting a vacation for a long while now, not that he didn't like his work, he was simply craving some quiet time. Even as he stepped out of his truck with the paper bag full of groceries the women down the block were flaunting themselves from their yards, giving him small waves and calling out his name. He in turn, gave them his usual charming smile, that often could look sly or sexy even, and then preceded to walk towards the two-story house of the lot he had parked in front of.

This house was not Conner's. In fact, he had never even been here before. He had passed by it several times, it looked like every other brick house in the neighborhood, except the lawn was overgrown and the curtains were always drawn shut. He had heard rumors about a crazy cat woman who lived here, so he was somewhat relieved when there was no potent smell of cat flooding his nostrils. 

The only reason he was here now was because his dentist had asked him an odd favor during his last cleaning. Apparently, the woman who lived here was unable to leave her home, and the dentist, Dr. Formike had been helping her out. The doctor would tend to her lawn once a month, not enough, Conner thought, even in this dry heat. 

The doctor had also been doing the woman's grocery shopping for some time now, but apparently Conner's dentist was going to be getting a vacation before Conner, because during their conversation Dr. Formike had somehow managed to talk Conner into taking over the job while he was away in Barbados. The bastard. Anyways, it had been difficult for Conner to say no to the job, especially with the latex covered fingers in his mouth. Besides, there could be a possibility with these chores he had agreed to. The dentist was paying him, and apparently the woman Conner was catering to needed her house painted, so he felt less foolish after purchasing a bag of mixed fruit and vegetables, along with a lady shaver and tampons at the local market, knowing he was doing this for a potential job.

He had imagined the woman to be old and senile, especially after the rumors about the cats, but she couldn't be to old, he decided, if she required tampons and other items he had been somewhat uncomfortable about buying. And she seemed to be a healthy eater, no meat he noticed, except fish, but to Conner fish wasn't meat. Conner had added a carton of chocolate ice cream to the list on his own. Everyone needed ice cream; Conner didn't care who they were.

He came to the door and fished the key the dentist had given him from his pocket, but he knocked first, not wanting to take anyone by surprise. After an appropriate amount of waiting he slid the key into the door and opened it easily, taking a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness when he stepped in.

"Hello? Ms. Aarons?" He called; remembering the name the dentist had given him.

He nearly tripped over the stand in the dark entryway; catching the falling vase before it broke on the floor, and deciding no one was there, he searched out the kitchen as he had been instructed to do. He found it fairly easily, the house was very simple. He couldn't see much of the furniture, but the air smelled like flowers, and it was quite cool. When he found the kitchen he was able to flick on a light, revealing a kitchen that was too clean to be used, the walls a grayish color that matched the table and chairs. It seemed sanitary yet gloomy, and he could see why someone might want it repainted. 

Conner felt somewhat anomalous opening someone else's refrigerator. The dentist had suggested Ms. Aarons was unable to leave her home, yet she wasn't there. Oh well, maybe she had a doctor's appointment or something.

He reached into the bag to put away the groceries, but when the first thing that he picked up was the box of tampons, he hastily dropped it back into the bag and shoved the entire bag into the refrigerator, of course after removing the ice cream and placing it in the freezer. It wasn't that Conner was a prude, but his father and older brothers had instilled their family's male pride into him while growing up, and he had never in his life purchased woman's products at the store, not even when he had been married. 

He shook his keys at his side as he made his way back through the house, opening the door and squinting against the sun, ready to get out of the unfamiliar house. He felt something shift above his work boot as he stepped outside and when he saw it was an envelope, 'Mr. Desway' written on it, he picked it up and placed it in his shirt pocket. It must have fallen from the stand when he had run into it.

He closed the door and used the key to lock it. He had just started to walk towards his truck when a sound caught his ear and he looked back. The sound came from the other side of the door as someone secured at least three deadbolts, and then a chain. Conner was curious. Part of him wanted to go back and knock again, see who was on the other side of the door, but he was on a schedule, he still had pools to service for the day, and Conner was never one to let down his customers.

............

That night Conner was exhausted when he came home. He collapsed on his couch, hardly able to close the door after entering his house. It was a nice place, much like the other homes in the area, but a bachelors home no less. The house was just about all he had left from his divorce a few years earlier, the ex wife had taken most of the furniture and he hadn't bothered to replace much of it. So he had a couch, his big screen television, and the cactus in the corner that he usually forgot to water, but hell, it was a cactus. 

He knew he needed to shower and get the chemicals he had used that day off his skin, and the heat had caused him to sweat, so he swore that there was just as much sweat as shirt on his back, but he needed to rest first. Thank god the air conditioning in his home worked. He let himself cool off as he pulled off his shirt first, the envelope from the strange house dropping at his feet.

He forced himself to pick it up and tear it open. Likely it was the money for the groceries, and he was right, cash payment, and a tip. Nice. He shoved the cash into his dirty jeans and pulled out the rest of the contents. A work order, it seemed the homeowner needed her house painted after all, the entire first floor. She had even included paint samples and directions, and a check.

Conner lifted the check and his eyes widened. He hadn't seen the house very well in the dark, so he wasn't sure what he was dealing with, but the check was for double what he usually charged, and even after supplies he was going to make quite a bit off the job. Maybe he could have his vacation after all. 

He almost immediately decided to take the job; after all, he'd been paid up front. He spent the next hour working out a schedule. Apparently Ms. Aarons wanted the job done quickly as stated in the work order, and if he was going to do it alone, he would have to turn over his business to his employees for a while, not something he would normally do, but painting a house in an air conditioned environment sounded like vacation enough, at least for the moment.

Conner had no way to reach Ms. Aarons, but she had been good enough to leave instructions. She wanted him to start almost right away, so he made the proper arrangements and the day he was going to start the job he drove away from his house with a truck full of paint supplies rather than his usual pool equipment. 

He was half way to the house when his cell phone rang and he tiredly lifted it from the passenger side seat, it was early, and he never liked early calls, but he answered as politely as always.

"Conner Desway."

"Conner, it's doctor Formike." The dentist said cheerily, he was obviously enjoying his vacation, and Conner wanted to be happy for him, but crap, he was not a morning person, and he would have rather been the one on vacation.

"What can I do for you?" Conner asked.

"Tessa tells me she's decided to hire you." Dr. Formike replied.

"Tessa?"

"Ms. Aarons."

"Right." Conner shook his head; he hadn't even bothered to get her first name. "I haven't been able to get a hold of her, but I've got the supplies, I'm supposed to start today, so if all goes well the job should only take a few days."

"Well that's why I'm calling Conner, Tessa likes her privacy, and she doesn't speak to many people, so I've agreed to communicate with you for her."

Odd. Conner thought.

"That sounds fine doctor Formike." He said out loud.

"Anyways, just use the key when you go over, but the thing is, you can't be there before ten a.m. and you need to finish every day before two."

Maybe this job wasn't going to be finished as soon as Conner thought. Four hours a day, unless he was able to leave all the equipment he needed at the house, he wouldn't be finished anywhere as fast as he had hoped to be."

"Do you understand Conner?" Doctor Formike asked.

"Yea." Conner sighed.

He said goodbye and hung up as he stared at the clock in his truck. It was only six in the morning. He had wanted to argue but this job was paying way too much for him to be picky. He obviously had time to kill so he spent a few hours at his office catching up on paper work and another in his favorite diner eating a large breakfast. By ten o'clock he was sliding the key into the strange house, after knocking of course, and he began to bring in his supplies.

He looked around briefly, and knowing that Tessa Aarons must be somewhere in the house, he felt awkward being there. He quickly pushed any uneasiness aside and took a quick look around. 

There were two furnished bedrooms downstairs, both looked unused, and he decided that once he was able to move the furniture he could finish both fairly quickly. The bathroom would also be simple enough, it was the living room that would take the longest, and he immediately decided to do it last. He would have to move three matching sofas, the entertainment center against the wall, and take down a few hung paintings.

It didn't take long for Conner to get set up, starting with the smaller of the two bedrooms. He only ran into trouble when he discovered that the heavy mahogany bed frame and dresser weren't entirely simple to move. Conner was generally a strong man, but it still took more time than he had wanted. By the time he had covered the carpeting and started painting he had wasted an hour. It was another hour before he had painted the dreary dark blue walls white, and then he moved onto the ceiling, having to stop for small periods when calls came in for his business, and just as he had started moving the furniture in the second bedroom he realized it was dangerously close to two o'clock. He quickly gathered what he could, and moved most of his supplies out of the way before he left the house on schedule. Just like before, after he locked the door he heard the sounds from within again, as someone secured the deadbolts. 

Conner was able to move more quickly the next day, with most of his supplies being inside, he finished the second bedroom and then the bathroom, and as he worked he began to hear creeks above him, someone moving upstairs. 

It severely bothered him that Tessa Aarons refused to introduce herself. It also made him curious. He wondered what kind of person she was, and it was strange she had her dentist communicating with her painter. At least, he assumed Dr. Formike was her dentist. The only type of contact Conner had with her was when she was locking the door every day as he left.

The third day Conner had put the furniture in the bedrooms back in place and he moved onto the kitchen, moving his supplies and deciding where to start. The kitchen was also to be painted white; everything was to be painted white. Conner thought it seemed boring, but whatever worked, at least things were brightening up.

He checked his watch just after he had started painting. It was only noon. He had another two hours but his stomach was rumbling. He had skipped breakfast that morning and when he remembered that he had left a bag of chips in his truck he went to get it.

He decided to sit in his truck for a few minutes to eat and then drink a soda he had forgotten earlier, now hot from the sun. He knew he could have gone back inside but the idea of eating inside didn't set right with him for some reason, after all, he was on a job. He decided a ten-minute break wouldn't hurt though. He finished the chips, crinkled the bag and dropped it on the floor of his truck, and then he washed the chips down with the hot soda.

He made his way back into the house, lifting a brush as he entered the kitchen. He was so busy concentrating on getting back to his work that he didn't even notice he wasn't alone as he silently whistled to himself. He had a habit of whistling when he was in 'work mode,' but he often didn't notice it himself, only the few times his friends and coworkers had pointed it out.

It must have been his whistling now, that had startled his unknown company, and when he heard a glass break he immediately spun around, noticing the spilled juice and broken glass on the floor before he noticed the young woman.

She was small, maybe even petite, but she wore thick sweats that made her look somewhat pudgy. Sweats in this heat? Conner wondered over the wardrobe, another oddity. 

She had pale skin and wide blue eyes surrounded by thick lashes. Her wavy hair was a color of strawberry blonde and it trailed over the baggy shoulders of her sweatshirt, nearly reaching her waste. She had a pretty face, small nose, but not too small, and full, pink lips. It was clear that he had startled her more than she had startled him, but he didn't seem bothered by it as he immediately gave his usual friendly smile and quickly lifted a towel to help clean up the mess.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I wasn't expecting to run into anyone, I'm the painter, Conner. Are you Ms. Aarons's... daughter?" assuming she had a daughter...

He extended his hand before he planned to clean up the mess, but he was entirely shocked when the woman lunged back, shaking the refrigerator behind her, even with her small frame. She was entirely terrified, that was easy for anyone to see. Conner could almost hear her heart pounding and he quickly lowered his hand when he realized that he was causing her such fear. It was confusing for him. He had never seen a woman so terrified, and the idea that he was causing it nearly sickened him.

He stared blankly for a moment and then he realized something. He was surprised he had realized it so quickly with all the questions flooding his mind. He immediately took a step back, trying to show he was not a threat as he watched her painfully watch him.

"Ms. Aarons." He shook his head, realizing this frightened creature was in fact Tessa Aarons, not her daughter, "I'm so sorry, I just went out for a break, I didn't realize..."

He instinctively stepped forward again. He had meant to convince her that his apology was sincere, but the movement was a mistake and sent her into another panic and he immediately backed off.

Tessa Aarons. She was twenty-four years old, and everything scared her, especially the intimidating man in her kitchen, tall, strong looking, and covered in paint. A very attractive man she noted, it had been a while since she had been so close to a man like him, he was definitely attractive, but intimidating nonetheless, and she could do nothing but stare, surrounded in her fear.

"I'm sorry." He said in a lower voice than before, "I'm... I'll take another break."

That was all he said. He began to move for the nearest exit but stopped when she suddenly ran past him, running through the living room and up the stairs until he heard a door slam shut from above him. She had run away from him in her own home. Conner stood for only a moment before he continued his retreat, and he sat in his truck, in the scorching heat for the longest time, at a complete loss over what had happened.

Conner had no idea what he should do. Part of him knew he had done nothing wrong, it wasn't two o'clock yet. But the other part of him told him that he had frightened his customer, a woman no less. He was still a firm believer in chivalry.

This was a first for him. She was obviously not normal, she looked normal, but she wasn't, and as he began to piece things together he realized he had put the wrong picture of her together in his head. She was not an older woman with some mysterious illness who couldn't leave her house; she was a young woman who didn't leave because she was afraid. He had truly never seen anything like it. He had heard stories about people like her, who never left their homes because they were so afraid, but she seemed so young.

Conner began to wonder if he should quit now. He could charge the supplies and return the rest of the money to Dr. Formike. He would explain he couldn't finish the job; Tessa Aarons probably didn't want him to finish now anyways. There was only one problem; he had foolishly left his wallet on the kitchen table. He had to go back in.

Conner began to think about how he could replace his driver's license, credit cards, there was only about twenty bucks in cash, he could live without that. He entertained the thought for a while before he realized how incredibly foolish it was. He was a grown man. He would have to go back in, so after a good twenty minutes had passed he decided the chances of running into her again were unlikely. 


Lady Hideaway Ch. 01



He left the truck, dripping with sweat now, and not only from the heat. He made his way back to the house and knocked. He wasn't surprised that no one answered, and so he hurried inside, grabbed his wallet, and was about to leave again when he realized that he couldn't leave things the way they were. He began to clean up, closing the bucket of paint and taking the time to wash the brushes and rollers. 

He knelt down to pick up the old newspapers lining the floors beneath the walls when he noticed he wasn't alone again, this time looking twice and standing cautiously as he spotted Tessa Aarons standing in the sloped entryway. This time he made sure not to make any sudden movements; after all, she had jumped even as he noticed her.

She looked different now, mildly more composed. She had put on a pair of jeans that gently hugged her longish legs and curvy hips, she wasn't pudgy after all, but she still wore the unflattering baggy sweatshirt. She had tied her hair up, giving Conner the impression that she was attempting to look more presentable. But it didn't seem to matter what she was wearing, her innocent face was attractive either way.

"I'm just packing up." He said, "If you want I can leave a recommendation for someone who can finish this up for you."

Tessa cleared her throat, trying not to choke on her own soft voice as it came out. She spoke quietly, and was nearly difficult to hear.

"Mr. Desway." She said.

"Conner, please." He insisted.

She gave a small nod but couldn't meet his eyes as she continued, she had gone from looking utterly panicked to simply afraid and troubled.

"I'm sorry." Tessa said, "I guess you startled me, I didn't mean to... please, continue with you're work. I like the way it's looking."

Conner smiled again. It wasn't the best compliment, but it was still a compliment. 

There was something about his smile that seemed warm to Tessa. Although she didn't feel entirely comfortable, she felt oddly safe. She never felt safe, especially with a stranger.

"Good." He nodded, glancing at his watch, "But it's almost two o'clock. I'll finish up and be back tomorrow... I should be done within the week."

"Do you have another appointment?" Tessa asked, surprised with herself that she was making conversation at all.

"No, but Dr. Formike mentioned that you need me out of here by two o'clock."

"Oh, um, that's not necessary. I mean, if it helps I don't mind if you need to stay..."

"Really? That would be great." Conner smiled, "With a few extra hours a day I can have it finished in no time."

Conner was suddenly back to his confident, outgoing self again, even if she was still jumpy. He was just relieved that he wouldn't have to quit this job. Despite first impressions, he thought Tessa Aarons was actually pretty nice.

"Alright." She nodded.

Conner's glance suddenly fell over the spilled juice and broken glass on the ground, that Tessa had not yet cleaned up. She seemed to notice the mess the same time he did, and they had both moved to clean it up, keeping a careful distance. She did not object when he lifted a towel to soak up the juice, and when he saw her reach for a piece of glass he quickly reached for it first. The movement startled her, but he decided it was for the best, not trusting her shaky hands against the sharp glass.

"Let me." He insisted, keeping his smile friendly.

"Thanks." She said quietly.

Conner dropped the towel as he picked up the pieces of glass, and she retrieved it to clean up the juice. There was a gap between them, she was not at all crowding Conner's personal space, but obviously he was too close for her comfort, even if they could fit two people between them. She kept her gaze low but her eyes still on him, as if she were waiting for him to attack and she wanted to be ready for it.

He was curious about her again. He wanted to ask what she was so afraid of, what was wrong with her, but there was no way to ask without sounding rude. The silence was awkward, and if there was one thing Conner couldn't stand was that. He never liked such a dreary silence.

"So you've been the one moving around upstairs?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Tessa nodded.

"Yea. I work up there." Tessa was surprised with herself again, giving more information than he had asked for.

"Really, what do you do?" He asked.

"I'm an accountant." She replied, "I work online."

Conner let out a chuckle, startling her to look up with confusion in her bright eyes.

"Sorry." He sighed, "You just don't look like an accountant to me. Mine is fat, loud, and I'm pretty sure I'm paying him more than he's worth."

"Oh."

Conner sensed her withdrawal again. He could have let her slip back into silence, he could force himself to tolerate the awkwardness, but it just wasn't him.

"I hope you don't mind me leaving all the paint crap here overnight." He said, "It's just easier to get a good start when it's already set up."

"I don't mind." She replied. 

With the mess cleaned up Tessa brought the rag to the sink and ran water over it to clean the sticky substance off. She saw Conner drop the broken glass into the garbage. He really did seem nice enough, and Dr. Formark would not have recommended him if he couldn't be trusted. She wanted to relax, but just couldn't bring herself to do it. She needed to get away. 

"Stay as long as you need to." She managed, "I have to go."

"Thanks." Conner smiled.

He was almost disappointed to see her go. He had wanted to know more about her, but he decided that would never happen anyways. Besides, he had work to do. With being able to stay longer, he was able to get quite a bit done before he called it a day. He even could have stayed longer than he had, but he was constantly hearing the creaks from upstairs and thought maybe Tessa Aarons was becoming restless, so he left earlier to get out of her way, and just like every day, he heard her locking the door after he was gone.

.........

Tessa heard the sound of a lawn mower as she sat in front of her office computer. She curiously slid on her chair, letting it roll to the narrow window where she drew back the curtain and peeked outside. She didn't often look outside. The bright sun usually frightened her, she often felt like she was being attacked by it. But today she looked.

Outside she saw Conner pushing a mower across her yellowish lawn. Apparently he was filling in for Dr. Formike again. The sight of him in his task brought Tessa to look out the window longer than she usually would have. Conner was much more interesting to watch than anyone else who had ever mowed her lawn. Tessa even caught herself staring, but she couldn't bring herself to stop.

Conner was definitely handsome, more so than most, and the only men she had set eyes on in a long while were the actors she saw on television. She wondered if her lack of contact with the outside world was why she was so taken with him, but then again he was as easy to look at as any man on T.V. His white shirt was off and hanging from the back pocket of his jeans, and the defined image of his torso was displayed. The heavy work belt around his waist pulled at his pants, dropping the jeans enough to bring his tan line into view.

Tessa realized she wasn't the only one looking; neighboring women were out staring as well. She dropped the blind and looked at the clock. Nine o'clock. In another hour Conner would be painting again. 

Tessa felt nervous. She had every day, knowing a stranger was in her house, but now even more so. She had dressed in another pair of jeans again, and yet another baggy sweater. She usually wore all sweats, comfortable in them more than anything, but not today. She had braided her hair and had even put a gloss on her lips to make them shiny; the only form of makeup she ever wore. She didn't know why she had bothered; she wouldn't go downstairs, not until he was gone. It had occurred to Tessa that she was trying to look more presentable for Conner, a thought that distracted her from her work.

A few hours later she was opening a can of tomato juice from the mini fridge she kept in her office. She could hear movement downstairs. He was probably moving furniture again, which meant he was moving on to the living room. She knew he would be finished soon, and part of her was glad about it, but there was another part that was growing accustomed to the sounds in her usually silent home, and the constant whistling between the hours of ten and twelve. 

Every day, for two hours there was constant whistling. It almost made her laugh. She wondered if he knew he did it. It was no particular tune, at least not one she recognized, but she enjoyed listening anyways.

Tessa wasn't sure what brought her down the stairs that afternoon, but the moment she reached the bottom and saw Conner brushing a roller over the living room wall her stomach turned and she thought she should run upstairs and hide again, but it was too late.

Conner spotted her, and trying not to look too surprised to see her, he smiled as she lifted her gaze to him. She noticed he was covered in paint again, more than before, and the windows were open, airing out the house. She never opened the windows. She knew he had opened them before in the bedrooms, but she had not actually been present for that. Something about an opened window was frightening. At least he left the curtains closed.

"Good afternoon Ms. Aarons." Conner smiled, "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

Tessa shook her head.

"No, I was just... just..." She had no idea what she was 'just' doing.

Conner checked his watch before he smiled at her again.

"Did you need me out of here early again?" He asked, trying to help her get whatever she was trying to say out.

"No." Tessa replied, "It just, it looks good."

"I'm glad you think so." He replied, "And don't worry, I'll put your living room back together when I'm finished up for the day."

"There's no hurry, I don't really use it."

"Never?" He asked, she couldn't possibly spend all her time hiding away upstairs, could she?

"I work a lot." She stated, decided to go to the kitchen in an attempt to look as if she had come down for a reason. "Would you like something to drink Mr. Desway? I have lemonade."

"That would be great." He grinned, noticing she had called him Mr. Desway again, no one did that, he wasn't sure he even liked it.

Tessa felt a little thrown as he followed her to the kitchen; she had not expected him to follow her, but she kept going anyways and felt him behind her as she retrieved the pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator and then two glasses.

"So if you never use the living room why have it painted?" He asked

"It was Dr. Formike's idea." She responded.

"Do you always take advice from your dentist, I mean, is he a friend of yours or something?" Conner had been curious over the matter, and he had no problem taking advantage of the opportunity to ask about it, but the answer surprised him.

"He's my father." Tessa replied, "Well, my step father."

She placed Conner's glass at the edge of the table, not able to actually hand it to him.

"Thank you." He smiled, entirely grateful for the cold drink.

Tessa sipped hers and as they stood across from each other the awkward silence returned, but this time Conner was surprised when she was the one who broke it.

"How long have you been a painter Mr. Desway?"

"Conner, please." He reminded her.

"Conner." She repeated softly.

"I'm not a painter, I mean, I take jobs like this, but I have a pool business... actually when I was mowing your lawn I noticed you have a pool in the back, if you want I can clean it up for you."

Conner had wanted to make the offer. He had noticed the pool and it was entirely run down, the water was murky and he imagined that no one had taken a swim in it for years.

"I don't use the pool." She replied.

"Alright, well, if you change your mind it's no problem." He insisted.

Conner quickly finished his drink and placed the glass on the counter.

"I should get back." He smiled, "If I keep taking breaks I'll never finish, and I'm sure you want your house put back together."

Tessa gave a small nod and he went back to the living room to continue with his work. He was surprised again when he heard her voice behind him.

"Mr. Desway... Conner, would you..."

She stopped when he turned again and gave her his friendly smile.

"Can I help?" She asked, not at all knowing what had gotten into her.

"Help?" He repeated.

"Paint." She explained, "I don't have anymore work to do, and if I won't be in your way..."

"Sure." He said, somewhat nervously, this was also a first. "But I don't know that I'd feel right about it, I mean you're paying me for a job Ms. Aarons."

"I don't mind." She stated, "I'd like to help."

Conner reluctantly nodded and pointed to the paint he had placed in the corner. He didn't know how to say no to her request, so all he could do was humor her. He was about to show her how to use the rollers but she lifted a brush and started painting on another wall, with no need for assistance.

They were silent after that, and the silence wasn't entirely awkward anymore. Conner caught himself working slower than usual, as if to match her pace. He sort of liked her silent company. He had started to whistle again without realizing it until he heard a second tune and glanced back. Tessa had started to whistle along with him and they both noticed it at the same time. He saw her pale face blush and she quickly turned away as he smiled at her. He was going to say something but his cell phone began to ring, a sound that made Tessa jump.

"Excuse me," Conner smiled, and then answered his phone, "Conner Desway... Now? No, it's just that... all right, try to calm Mrs. Grady down and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Tessa listened but continued to paint until Conner hung up.

"Sorry," Conner sighed, "I'm going to have to quit for the day Ms. Aarons."

"Sure." She nodded, "Is everything alright?"

"Yea, it's just another customer, she asked us to drain her pool last week because she was afraid her new puppy might drown, but she doesn't always remember things, and well, she was sort of surprised when she tried to take a swim in an empty pool."

Tessa felt herself giggle and quickly covered her mouth. She didn't laugh very often, in fact she didn't know what she had found to be funny and immediately felt foolish, but Conner just smiled at her, finding her laughter pleasant.

"I'll start cleaning up." He insisted.

"You can leave it." Tessa stated, still feeling foolish, "Please, go help your customer."

"Are you sure?"

Tessa nodded.

"Thanks." He grinned, "I'll make it up to you, really." He continued to talk as he gathered what he could, not paying attention to the way Tessa made circles around him, constantly keeping her comfortable distance. "I never do this, it's just that Mrs. Grady is a friend of my mothers... do you mind if I come by about an hour earlier tomorrow? I can make up the work then."

He had looked at her so suddenly from what he was doing that all she could do was nod. She had managed to keep her eyes from his practically all day. She still had no idea what she had been doing associating with him in the first place, but even silently helping him put paint on the walls had felt good to her. Now that he was looking her head-on she felt fright swelling in her chest again. His smile was so kind, so attractive. It was difficult to think she could be so attracted to anyone, especially someone she didn't even know. It occurred to her that he was the only one she had had in her home in years; at least, he was the only one who wasn't somehow related to her, and that also felt nice.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled as he went to the door, Tessa kept her distance from that door, she would let him close it. "Or maybe I won't see you." He added, "But I think the job should be finished soon... think about what I said about the pool Ms. Aarons, it really wouldn't be a problem."

Tessa nodded again before he gave a last wave and closed the door. She waited a few seconds before she ran to the door and quickly secured the locks. She felt winded all of a sudden, maybe faint, and then she noticed he had left the windows open and her fear turned to panic as she quickly began to slam the windows shut, moving through the thick curtains to do it.

She heard the truck leaving as she reached the last window and reached to close it, but as soon as she held the curtain back to do so a bird landed abruptly on the windowsill and she lunged back. It wasn't that Tessa disliked birds, but she did dislike anything that could surprise her like that. She quickly gathered enough courage to slam the window shut and she ran upstairs to the safety of her bedroom.

Tessa took the time to change from her paint stained clothes and take a shower, and when she was finished she spent the rest of the afternoon working in her office. The truth was she had had plenty of work to do but had been unable to concentrate on it. She had wandered downstairs, wanting to get a glimpse of the man working in her house, only it had never came to mind that he would have spotted her. The next thing she knew she was offering to help him, wanting to spend more time in his company. Tessa wondered what was wrong with her, but the voice in her head told her that everything she felt was wrong was completely natural.

But Tessa knew she wasn't normal. She decided that when Conner came early the next day, she would make sure the deadbolts were unlocked, but she would not go downstairs. She would let him finish the job he had been hired to do and once Dr. Formike was back, she would never see Conner again. It was for the best, besides, she was used to being alone, spending one afternoon in silence alongside a man, friendly or not, was nothing to dwell on.

Tessa was dwelling on it. She had unlocked the door early the next morning, so all he had to do was use his key. Instead of getting her work done she was pacing in her office, listening to the sounds as Conner moved through her house working. He had been whistling again, and it had made her smile. But she did not go down the stairs; she hadn't worked up the courage yet. She wondered if she ever would.

After a few hours she was finally able to sit down and do some work, and she let business flood her mind until the sounds below sounded familiar and normal to her, but then the sounds stopped. She looked up from her desk blankly and saw the clock. Five o'clock already? There was suddenly a knot in her stomach as she stared at the beige wall of her office. She felt frozen but her mind was racing. She knew Conner would be finished today, he would be finished and he would be gone. She suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. She didn't want him to be finished, she didn't want the muffled sounds in her house to go away. This was nothing she had experienced before, and for a moment she realized just how lonely she had been.

Strange. She had never felt lonely before, well maybe just a little, but for the last six years she had been very content in her seclusion. At least she thought she had been, but not now, now she was staring at the wall thinking if there was only a way the stranger could stay a little longer... the wall...

Tessa suddenly got up and ran to the door, struggling to unlock it; she had locks for every door. The moment she managed to move into the hall she heard the door downstairs as it closed, and for a moment she paused. Was he gone? She felt her heart sink as she slowly made her way down the stairs to lock the door, but at the end of stairs she stopped and tried to take in what she saw.

Her living room was finished, the furniture perfectly in its place, and the white paint on the walls and ceiling seemed to open up the room. But that wasn't all; there were patterns of flowers circling the room that matched the paintings she kept. She continued to stare, trying to figure out how he had done it, stencils, she ultimately decided. It really did look beautiful to her.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 01



The colors brightened the room, and for the first time in what must have been months she sat down in her living room alone, the feel of her own sofa hardly familiar against her back. It was strange really, but as she sat there looking around the room she began to feel relaxed, the knot that constantly tightened in her chest had started to fade... and then she remembered the door. She had to lock the door.

Tessa stood up and moved towards the front entrance. Every time she neared the front door she felt nauseous. It was what was outside the door that frightened her, but the door itself was still intimidating, and she thought her heart was going to stop as the knob turned before she even reached it, and she lunged back as it swung open, nearly hitting her.

Her scream was caught in her throat as Conner Desway came face to face with her, obviously just as surprised to see her, but then his surprise turned to concern. He had managed to frighten her again and he was scolding himself for it as he watched her back up. She was going to run into the same stand he had run into his first day there, and without thinking about it he reached out and grabbed her hand to pull her away from the stand.

His strong hand over her own brought Tessa back to reality and she quickly caught herself and pulled away. The feel of his worked hands could still be felt on her fingers and she held it for a moment.

"I'm sorry Ms. Aarons." His smile had returned, "I didn't mean to frighten you... I'm finished, I just wanted to bring these in..."

He held up the small bouquet of flowers he had with him and Tessa found herself doing little more than staring again. 

"For your vase." Conner smiled, pointing to the stand behind her, "I thought you'd like something to put in it."

"Thank you." Tessa managed as he offered her the flowers, but she couldn't reach for them, fortunately he was kind enough to set them on the table rather than force them into her hands.

"I'm sort of glad I ran into you." Conner said as he walked towards the living room and looked at his work, "I know I should have asked you first, but I wasn't sure how to get a hold of you, and I didn't want to bother you... I thought the room could use some color. If you don't like it I can come back tomorrow and paint it the way you asked me to in the first place."

It took Tessa a moment to figure out what he meant. The flower pattern, that's what he meant, she realized.

"Yes." She said, "I mean, I like it."

"Good." He sighed, sounding relieved. 

Conner didn't know what had provoked him to add to her decorating, but he had, and had been somewhat worried about it after it was finished. After a moment of staring into the room he realized he was lingering. He had already frightened her, and he should leave, but now that his job was finished he would likely not see her again unless he happened to see her when he picked up more groceries next week before the dentist came back. He probably wouldn't see her then though, not the way she hid away upstairs. He didn't even know why he wanted to see her. He normally didn't have a fondness for people who were too quiet, or too shy, but for some reason, he liked Tessa Aarons. 

Conner turned and stared at her the way she was staring at him. He did not notice that either one of them were staring the way Tessa noticed. He was noticing that she looked very pretty today. Her hair was braided again, but there were loose strands around her face. She was wearing lighter colored jeans that were incredibly flattering against her curves, and a white blouse had replaced her usual sweatshirt. She was thinner than he would have thought, her bare arms were feminine and fragile, and the way her blouse hugged her flattened belly highlighted the round curves of her breasts, very nice breasts, Conner thought.

He realized he was putting way to much thought into what she looked like under her clothes when Tessa suddenly crossed her arms as if she could read his mind. He felt foolish and quickly looked away, but gave her a smile first.

"I should go." He said, "Anyways, I'm glad you like it. If you need anything here's my card."

He placed his business card on the stand next to the flowers and reached for the door.

"Mr. Desway... Conner..."

Her voice snapped him to attention as he turned to face her again.

"I was wondering," Tessa continued, "I really do like the way downstairs turned out, and if you're available, I'd like to hire you for another job. There are only two rooms upstairs, and the hallway. I know it's short notice and it's not something that needs to be done right away, but I could have a check for you tomorrow."

Tessa forced herself to look up to read his reaction. She knew he must be very busy, and he could turn the job down. She wished he wouldn't. As usual he was smiling, but this smile seemed different, it was more like a sly, half smile that made her feel like he could see right through her.

"I'd have to see it," He replied, "Upstairs."

"Of course." Tessa nodded.

"Alright Ms. Aarons, I have a few appointments tomorrow that I need to keep but afterwards... is three o'clock alright with you?"

Tessa opened her mouth to tell him that it was fine, but instead something else came out.

"Tessa." She said.

"What?"

"You can call me Tessa, if you want. Three o'clock is fine."

Conner's smile became wider and it almost sent her backwards again, but she stood her ground as he opened the door and stepped outside.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, Tessa." 



Lady Hideaway Ch. 02



It wasn’t like Conner to get overly excited about a job, but all day he had been thinking about seeing Tessa. He had been looking forward to it. There was something about her that made him want to know more. He had done a lot of thinking over the matter, and over why she hid away in that house. He knew he felt sorry for her; whatever fears may have kept her locked away saddened him. He wanted to know more, but it was none of his business. He was simply glad she had asked him to keep working, whether he would have the chance to get to know her or not, besides he wanted to see the place where she spent most of her time hiding.

He had knocked on the door, and this time waited until he heard the deadbolts sliding. Tessa didn’t open the door on her own but had called for him to come inside. She seemed fidgety today, but perhaps no more than usual. He immediately had noticed she was back to wearing the pudgy sweats, pants and shirt, and her hair was pinned tightly into a bun behind her head. He wondered if it had anything to do with the way he had been gawking at her the previous night. He almost regretted the way he had stared so openly, but hell, it wasn’t his fault that he was born with eyes.

Tessa had felt entirely intimidated, leading someone up her stairs. No one went up there. When her family came to visit it would be limited to downstairs, and Conner was a stranger. She was tempted to back out, tell him she had changed her mind. She hated that the idea of bringing him upstairs hadn’t concerned her when she had offered the job. She simply hadn’t been thinking, in fact, she hadn’t been feeling, at least not the apprehension and terror she should have felt over it.

So why wasn’t she backing out now? Why was she leading him up the stairs? He was keeping a cautious distance so she didn’t feel like he was stalking her. That was good, but it made her self conscious as she wondered what her loving but sometimes overbearing stepfather had told Conner about her. Obviously Conner was aware of her ‘condition’ she had made that clear enough, the way she couldn’t control herself when she became frightened. It was even embarrassing for Tessa; an emotion she had not felt over her situation in some while. She wanted to act brave around Conner; of course so far she had failed miserably at it.

She led him straight to her office, not even bothering to give him a tour, but he was looking on his own. He discovered the upstairs was much more homey than the downstairs had been when he first arrived. One of the doors was closed; he decided that must be her bedroom. The second door was a bathroom, a rather large one with potpourri piled into large bowls. He decided that was where the strong flower fragrance he had been noticing came from. The second door had led to her office, and he was rather impressed by it.

Tessa had taken the master bedroom as her office, in one corner there was a large oak desk, neatly organized with a desktop computer and a laptop folded not far from it. There was a sofa at another end of the room cradling in a second entertainment center, where there were shelves full of books and movies, in alphabetical order no less. The carpet was thick and clean and he was glad he hadn’t worn his work boots today. Other than the dingy wallpaper and old paint, the room was perfect. He imagined that Tessa spent most of her time here.

Conner could tell that she was entirely uneasy over bringing him up here, even if it was for a job, so he had been patient, he didn’t ask any questions, deciding he would let her do the talking. She had gone immediately to her desk and opened a drawer, and he waited patiently at least five feet behind her. Any closer and he feared he might scare her again.

Tessa lifted the check and turned to face him finally, surprised to find he looked nervous for once, but she was in no position to make him feel more comfortable as she fought her own nerves. She had noticed at the front door that he looked different today. For one thing, he wasn’t covered in paint. His cloths were quite clean, and his black t-shirt hung securely to his frame, sagging only a few inches over his jeans, and he smelled good. She could smell him even from across the room. She tried to ignore the male scent and held out the check as she took only a step forward, holding the thin piece of paper as far from her as she could.

“This should agree with you,” She said, and her tone took him by surprise, she was suddenly all business, he wondered if being in her office gave her a sense of confidence, “You can start whenever you want.”

Conner used the check she was holding out as an excuse to move closer without alarming her. He stopped when he came close enough so that all he had to do was lift his elbow to take the payment, but he didn’t reach for it.

“Actually,” He smiled, “I wanted to talk to you about that. The first check was enough for both jobs. You don’t need to pay me this time.”

Tessa suddenly looked confused. She had no problem paying him; in fact she would feel better about paying him, no matter what he said. She couldn’t help wondering if this gesture was being made because he pitied her. She hated it when people pitied her. She was perfectly capable of paying for his work. She was quite successful at her business and because she didn’t spend money the way other people did, she had worked up quite a savings account. 

“Please take it Mr. Desway.” Her tone had suddenly stiffened, “I can’t hire you if you don’t.”

Conner wanted to argue. He had never in his life come across a customer who had tried to get out of having something done for free, and this time it wasn’t exactly free, her first payment had been enough and he had no desire to take advantage of her. But he thought arguing would only make it worse, so he reluctantly took the check and folded it into his wallet before looked at her again.

“Can I take a look around?” He asked.

Tessa nodded and stood still as he began to circle the room and looked over the walls, mentally noting what he would have to move in order to complete his job.

“There’s one more room isn’t there?” he asked, not wanting to ask to see her bedroom outright. 

It seemed like a good choice, to be careful in his wording, as she reluctantly nodded and led him back through the hall to where her bedroom was. She didn’t go in with him; she waited outside as he took a quick look around. Her bedroom was smaller than her office, with a tall bed at the center, a simple dresser and more potpourri filled bowls. 

Conner didn’t stay in there for long, not the way he felt her bright eyes nervously glaring. He asked a few more questions, wondering how he was supposed to work and when, not wanting to disturb her. He had expected her to be hiding downstairs now that he would be working upstairs, and was curious to see how this would work, but she simply told him he could start whenever he wanted. 

Conner had decided to start in the next few days. Every morning was the same as before, he didn’t come too early and he had to use the doctor’s key to get in. He never saw Tessa initially; she was always hiding away in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. He had decided to start with the bedroom, deciding he could have it all put back together for her in one day, and was pleasantly surprised when he saw she had already packed most of the smaller things into the closet leaving only the furniture for him to move around.

By the middle of the day Tessa would end up in her office, and he was surprised again when he heard her talking on the phone several times, sounding just like everyone else. She was speaking to clients no doubt, the way she seemed so charming, and yet all business. Conner liked to listen to the conversations, not so much listening to the words as he did to the new tone in her voice. He wished he could talk to her like that, with no guards up, he wanted to ask for her number just so he could have a real conversation with her, but did not act on the impulse. 

He spent the next days painting the upstairs. He was pleased that she had chosen more colors this time. Her room he painted a pale blue, and he couldn’t help picturing her sleeping in the room. He thought she must look peaceful when she sleeps, not at all tense and withdrawn. The hall remained white, but the office was being painted a deep red color. 

The office was the most difficult to paint, mostly because Tessa was usually in it, but he liked her presence and moved around it. He noticed she didn’t take any calls when he was there, but that was all right. He was able to make the occasional conversation with her, not really talking about anything special. They had the same interest in some books, and even some movies. After a few days Tessa was hardly twitching when he entered the room. Progress, he thought. 

Conner found himself working slower than usual again. He knew he could finish on the third day, but he didn’t want to. He was drawing this out, wanting badly to ask her so many things, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He knew he would be finished by the next day, it would be a weekend, so technically he could draw this out a few more days, but it wasn’t worth it if he wouldn’t even be able to see her.

It was already past six thirty. Tessa had stopped working and was on one of the sofas reading her book and Conner was still working, knowing he should stop soon before she kicked him out. He had noticed the way she hadn’t retreated somewhere else with her book, so he had stayed longer than he had intended.

When he began to clean up for the night he noticed her look up from her book and he flashed her a small smile. He thought maybe she had almost smiled back, but she was difficult to read. He also thought she might have blushed, and wondered what kind of book she was reading.

“I’m out of here.” He grinned, “I’ll be back in the morning to finish up.”

Tessa nodded; apparently she had no objections to him coming on a Saturday. She put down her book to walk him out. He liked how she had started walking down the stairs with him, saying her goodbyes. Tonight was no different as she walked downstairs and kept her distance from the door.

Conner turned to say goodbye when a loud thud came into his ears and his eyes widened. Something had it the door and it had made Tessa jump. Conner looked at her, noticing she was timidly moving back towards the stairs, and then a second thud came. Conner curiously opened the door, even if it frightened her, and he was able to close it again just before a third raw egg splattered against the wood.

Tessa was about to run for the stairs, needing to get away, but her eyes were trapped on Conner as he glanced towards her again, and then she saw a side to him she had not seen before as his eyes narrowed angrily and he swung the door open, setting his eyes on the two juveniles hiding in the bushes. Two young boys who obviously liked to terrorize their ‘strange’ neighbor.

“Hey!” Conner shouted, lunging out the door and closing it behind him.

Tessa’s eyes widened as her heart began to race. Every part of her body urged her upstairs but her curiosity drove her to the window where she pulled the curtains back and looked out to where Conner was holding the two boys by their ears. She couldn’t tell what he was saying to them, but he looked angry and one boy was crying.

Tessa was stunned. She was used to being the occasional target for such juvenile activities, and it always frightened her. The youngest adolescents could send her into panic with their cruel jokes, and in one minute Conner had managed to turn the tables. She didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or run away crying.

She saw him heading back to the house, and she almost vomited, realizing that he was bringing the boys with him. She dropped the curtain and wanted to run. She needed to run. Certainly he wouldn’t bring them in here! He didn’t.

“Don’t move.” Conner told the boys as he opened the door to the house and came back inside, his look softening as his eyes fell on Tessa. “Are you alright?”

Tessa forced herself to nod. 

“I’ll be right back.” He told her.

She was at a loss, standing entirely still until he came back from the kitchen with some rags and a bucket of water. She watched him open the door and heard him as he handed the equipment to the boys.

“It better shine.” Conner warned, “And while you’re at it clean the windows.”

Tessa heard a ‘yes sir’ before the door closed again and Conner looked at her.

“I can stay until they’re finished.” Conner offered, “It shouldn’t take long… you know not all kids are so bad.”

Tessa tried not to look too frightened as she crossed her arms. Conner was there; apparently there was no need to be frightened; yet she was. She tried to mask her fear by responding.

“Do you have children?” She asked.

“No, my wife never wanted kids.” 

“Your married?” Tessa attempted not to look as surprised as she was.

“Happily divorced.” He laughed. “What about you?”

Conner knew it was a stupid question, but wanted to treat her like everyone else.

“I’ve never been married.” She replied, “No children either.”

Conner saw the concern return to her face as she listened to the boys work outside. He was annoyed that anyone could be so cruel. He knew Tessa wasn’t the crazy old woman everyone assumed lived here, and he wished they could all know that.

“Do they bother you a lot?” He asked.

“I’m sort of used to it.”

“No one should get used to that.” he stated, “They won’t bother you anymore Tessa.”

She heard the protective tone in his voice and something about it brought butterflies to her stomach and just for a moment she had lowered her shield enough to do something she wouldn’t normally have done. She seemed to be doing a lot of things that were unlike her around Conner.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?” She asked.

Conner was taken aback by the invitation. He wouldn’t have expected it, not in this lifetime. He felt a smile curl over his lips as he realized just how much he had wanted an invitation like this.

“Sure,” was all that he could manage.

Tessa gave him her shy nod and proceeded to the kitchen without him. She could hear him giving more orders to the boys and she couldn’t help smiling over it. She was beginning to believe that maybe now they wouldn’t be bothering her anymore.

She cooked fish, red potatoes, and some broccoli for supper. It had been a while since she had cooked for anyone other than herself, and she was feeling nervous over whether or not Conner would like her cooking, and that made her put an extra effort into it.

Tessa tried not to be too jumpy when Conner moved around her, helping to set the small table. It wasn’t really him who was making her jumpy at the moment. Conner had scolded the boys into not only cleaning the egg from her house but also raking the dried grass from the yard and weeding what used to be a flower garden, nothing grew in it but weeds now, so she wondered why he had made the boys do it. Either way, the sounds from outside where the boys worked were nerve-racking.

Conner wasn’t entirely fond of fish, but he liked the way Tessa cooked and he told her so. He had dealt with shy women before, but Tessa had barely managed to get a ‘thank you’ out when he complemented her, and as they ate she kept her eyes down on her plate. 

He was contemplating a way to get her to start talking to him when he realized that he was thinking of this as a date. Damn. He had no business thinking of her invitation as a date, or her as a woman he was interested in dating. But he definitely felt something there. Conner was no stranger to dating women, he had done a lot of it just after his divorce, and although he had slowed down a bit since then he never hesitated when he was interested in someone, but Tessa was different. He knew nothing about her other than what she did for a living and that she was afraid of her own shadow. 

He definitely couldn’t entertain the idea of getting involved with her… but it wasn’t so simple. Even when he was painting her house he had felt like he was being sucked into this lonely world of hers. It was like he lived in two different realities sometimes, the real world where he worked and went drinking with his friends, where he longed to get away for a quiet break, and Tessa’s world, where he realized he was already away from what he needed a break from. But when he was with Tessa, he found himself wishing that he could be away getting to know her, not just trapped as a silent presence beside her.

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he was suddenly wondering if he had looked bored, he wasn’t bored, and he didn’t want her to think that. Then again, he wasn’t exactly doing his best to make sure that she wasn’t bored either. He wondered if she was regretting inviting him to stay for dinner.

“Conner.”

He smiled, noticing she had not used his last name first.

“I think you left something here last week.” She said, “I was going to mention it before, but I didn’t remember until now.”

“Really, what?” He smiled, straining to remember what he could have left.

“In the freezer…” she pointed.

“Oh,” Conner smiled, already knowing what she was getting at, “The ice cream, no, I meant to leave that here… there was nothing involving sugar on your grocery list, so I added it.”

Tessa stared a moment, a little stunned. He had painted her walls how he saw fit, sure, she liked it, but he had also taken it upon himself to change her eating habits. What was with this guy? And why was she so drawn to him?

“But I don’t eat ice cream.” She stated, half expecting an apology, but instead he gave her that half grin that made her tummy do flip-flops. 

“Well you should start.” He stated, looking at her plate, seeing most of the food on it was gone, “Are you finished?”

Tessa glanced at her plate, realizing they had both been done with supper for several minutes. She began to lift it without answering and nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized he was over her, taking her plate.

“Sorry.” He chuckled, suddenly treating her fright like it was no big deal. 

What was going on here? Tessa wondered, watching him take his plate and hers to the sink. She knew she wasn’t imagining his caution before, but now he was in her kitchen, washing the dinner plates like he had passed the point of being a guest, like they were old friends even, and Tessa sort of liked it. She watched in silence as he opened the freezer and removed the carton of ice cream, still wrapped in the plastic market bag.

“Bowls?” He asked.

Tessa was so perplexed that all she could do was point. What the hell did he think he was doing? She jumped again when he placed the bowl of ice cream in front of her and took another back to his seat. She watched as he took a small bite and a satisfied smile curled his lips.

“Trust me.” He said, pointing at her bowl.

Trust him? Trust was the word that stuck out. Tessa did not trust people. She did not trust inanimate objects. She hardly trusted herself. Conner was a stranger, but nonetheless she was lifting her spoon and cautiously taking a bite of the dark chocolate ice cream in front of her. She had had ice cream before, but it must have been years since the last time, and even longer since she had tasted chocolate. She didn’t realize that she was smiling until she looked up at Conner and he was smiling back.

“Told you so.” He mused in a childish tone.

Conner wasn’t even sure what had gotten into him, he only knew he had decided moments ago to just be himself. He liked seeing her smile; it was a rarity and a treat. He hid the relief he felt, he had been worried she wouldn’t appreciate his change to her grocery list once she actually had mentioned it.

“So you’re a know-it-all.” Tessa remarked.

Conner raised his eyebrows at the playful tone in her voice. He had not expected it. He noticed she didn’t expect it either, as she blushed and her gaze drifted from him again. The innocence about her made her attractive, even with the oversized sweats. He couldn’t really control his staring again, everything about this woman made him curious. Usually people didn’t surprise Conner. He could read most well enough, but Tessa was so different. He wondered what she would be like if she ever let all her inhibitions down. Feisty was the only word he could think of. He decided she would be feisty if she weren’t so afraid.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 02



“You know I’ve been going to Dr. Formike for years.” Conner said, not wanting the silence to take over for too long, “He never mentioned he had a daughter, or a stepdaughter for that matter. I didn’t even realize he was married.”

“He’s not.” Tessa replied, “My mother passed away about a year after she married him, I was only three, and I never new my real father so Dr. Formike adopted me.”

“I’m sorry, about your mother I mean.”

“I don’t really remember her.” Tessa shrugged.

“Does Dr. Formike visit you often?” Conner asked.

“Once a week. So how long have you been in the pool business?”

Tessa had changed the subject because she was growing uncomfortable being the center of attention, so Conner humored her and explained how he had started his business after high school, and about the men who worked for him. Tessa kept asking questions, making certain that the conversation didn’t turn its attention on her. But she did like talking to Conner, listening to him talk. He told her about his four-year marriage and his divorce, he talked about his parents and his brothers and even some of his more interesting customers. 

Conner was not use to spending an entire night talking about himself. He would have loved to know more about Tessa, but he settled for her curious questions, and she made him feel like she was really interested in his life. Not many women wanted to talk about him when he took them out, and this was a rather nice switch. 

They finished their ice cream and Conner decided to go before he wore out his welcome. He made a point to send the still working boys away first, deciding if they stayed it would only upset Tessa. He said goodbye to her as she waited away from the door. He didn’t want to leave just then, and he thought maybe he saw the same feeling in her face as he left. He thought maybe tomorrow, he would try to talk to her more.

……….

Conner looked over the master bedroom that happened to be an office. He had questioned the choice of red paint at the beginning, but now that it was finished and he was packing up his supplies he thought it looked really nice, and Tessa seemed to think so too as she looked over the room.

She had told him that she liked it, and Conner was pleased, but he was also somewhat disgruntled that he had finished so early. He was taking his time gathering his things, not ready to say goodbye. He was nearly ecstatic when Tessa offered him a drink, but he tried to hide some of his enthusiasm over it.

He followed her down to the kitchen where Tessa poured the lemonade and they talked for a while longer. He noticed she wasn’t making circles around him, keeping her distance, so he comfortably leaned on the opposite end of the counter from her as he drank.

“Dr. Formike won’t be back for a few more weeks.” Conner said, “Mondays I’m supposed to go to the market for you, where can I get the list?”

“I leave it on the inside of the door.” Tessa explained.

“Alright.” He nodded, knowing he should stop there, but he couldn’t. He might not see her again, so suddenly he was ready to be brave. “When was the last time you went to the market?”

He had expected Tessa to become tense upon his asking, so he waited in the thick silence for her to answer. Tessa knew that eventually he would ask her something like this, and she knew the longer she waited to answer the harder it would be to change the subject. She couldn’t change the subject now. Why did she have to ask him to stay for a drink? Because she didn’t want him to leave, that’s why. This was exactly why she didn’t talk to people, they asked questions. She could ask him to leave. She had a right to do that, but she really didn’t want to.

“It’s been a while.” She replied. “Look, if you want I have a sister who can…”

“I don’t mind.” Conner stated, “I was just curious, that’s all.”

“Oh.” She sighed, thinking it was over. She had answered his question, he would be satisfied now, but she knew that wasn’t true.

“Don’t your clients ever want to meet with you?” He asked.

“No, I think they like things the way they are.” She stated.

“Do you?”

Tessa looked up at him suddenly. Her gaze was sharp, but not angry. Even so, it caused him to straighten himself and turn his eyes from her.

“I’m sorry,” Conner offered, “I was just wondering.”

“It’s alright.” Tessa replied, surprised that she was saying anything at all, “I’m just not used to talking about it… it probably seems pretty strange to you. It seems that way to a lot of people, but, staying here like this, it’s my choice.”

Conner nodded, but he wasn’t so sure that it was her choice. Who would choose a life of seclusion? It bothered him. There were so many things outside of this house that he could see Tessa enjoying. She had opened up to him in the last few weeks, why couldn’t she open up to the rest of the world?

“How long has it been?” He asked, “You couldn’t have been here forever.”

“Six years.” Tessa stated, watching as he tried to hide his look of surprise.

It must be difficult for him to understand, she thought. She knew she looked as young as she was. The last time she had willingly gone outside she was eighteen years old.

“Why?” He asked suddenly, “I mean, I don’t mean to pry, I don’t expect you to tell me, but… don’t you get lonely?”

“No.” Tessa stated, becoming somewhat defensive. He could here the change of tone in her voice and knew it was time to back off.

“I’m sorry.” He insisted, “I didn’t mean to… sorry.”

Tessa took a moment and then nodded.

“It really isn’t so bad, Mr. Desway, I am quite happy here.”

Uh-oh. She had called him Mr. Desway again. His welcome was officially worn out. He wished she wasn’t so reserved, he had really started to like her, and his attraction to her had only been growing every time he saw her. But now he told himself that any notion of attraction was ridiculous, he was chasing after something that was impossible for him to have. Hell, if she had any idea how he had been thinking of her she probably would have thrown him out long before.

“I should go.” He sighed, placing his glass on the shelf, “You have my card if anything comes up… I guess I’ll be back on Monday.”

Tessa nodded, but kept her eyes lowered. She was upset. She didn’t want him to leave, but she wanted him to leave at the same time. She knew this was her fault. She had let her guard down and then put it back up just as quickly to push him away. Why did she have to push a man like Conner away? Because she wasn’t normal, that’s why.

Tessa followed him to the door as if her feet were pulling her and she had no free will in it herself. She watched as he collected his things, along with half a bucket of left over paint from the stand near the door where the flowers he had brought her were still in the vase. She watched as he turned and the bucket of paint accidentally bumped against the vase and it began to tip over.

Tessa quickly reached for the vase but Conner reached it first, and all Tessa caught was his hand. She shyly gasped and immediately pulled away but Conner had decided just then to make his move, and he caught her fleeing hand just as fast as he had caught the vase. 

Tessa’s gaze lifted only to be trapped in his, and she stood frozen as his hand gently held the tips of her small fingers. He wasn’t sure what had provoked him exactly. He stared down at her small fingers in his hand as his paint-smudged thumb ran over her knuckles, feeling her soft skin against his calluses. He couldn’t look up now, fearing her reaction, but he slowly released his grip on her hand until the tips of her fingers rested atop his. And she didn’t pull away. She didn’t pull away! 

The only thought Conner had was that he couldn’t let this moment pass, not now. He could be risking scaring her to death but he was not going to let the moment pass, and before he knew it he had slowly closed the distance between them, only touching the small part of her hand, and with only the bucket of paint between them he lifted his eyes to meet her gaze as she looked up at him.

Tessa’s bright blue eyes were wide; she was trapped in place, smelling the mixture of paint and the pleasant masculine scent she noticed on him before. His eyes were intent on her, but soft and kind, and then she felt the soft swell of his lips as he leaned forward and his mouth brushed against hers.

Conner carefully explored her soft lips, not daring to touch anything other than her hand in the process. No sudden movements, he thought, she’s letting me do this. He applied more pressure with his mouth and gave her a soft but firm kiss, she still wasn’t reacting, but she wasn’t moving away either. 

Conner released his tongue against her lips and as a small gasp escaped her he flickered just a sample of his tongue against hers, and then brushed against her lips again experimentally, and when her mouth remained parted he intruded with his tongue again, tasting the same sweet lemonade he tasted in his own mouth. He began to slowly close his hand around hers again, continuing to lean towards her, making the kiss deeper and his tongue more aggressive. He felt her tongue press up against his own and watched as she closed her eyes and sank into the kiss.

Conner had kissed his share of women, maybe more. But this was soft and gentle, and probably the best kiss he had ever had. He took in the scent of her soap through his nostrils. She smelled sweet, she tasted sweet, and his grip on her finger’s stiffened. He wanted to drop what he was carrying and pull her body against him, but the idea of her pulling away kept him from it. He must have been pulling at her hand because she was leaning forward, against the bucket between them until her free hand pressed against his chest without pushing him away. 

He could feel her small fingers gripping at his shirt, digging at his hard chest as her nails slid gently against him, sending a chill down his body and he cooed softly against her mouth. 

Damn. Why did he have to make any sounds at all? Tessa’s eyes snapped open and she quickly pulled away, touching her mouth where he had just been and staring at him wide eyed.

“Tessa.” He started, but she was already backing away.

“I have to go.” She stated, looking more confused than ever, more with herself than with him. But it wasn’t the confusion that bothered him; it was the hint of anger in her expression.

Conner frowned as he watched her flee up the stairs; he wanted to go after her but knew better. It was too late. He had ruined it, but at least he hadn’t walked away without trying. Had he simply walked away, he likely wouldn’t have seen her again anyways. But now he knew, he knew exactly how it felt to have his mouth over hers in the simple kiss he could not have fathomed on his own.

………

Saturday night was like a blur for Conner. He had entirely forgotten about the date he had made earlier in the week with Misty Smith, the day manager at the local market. She had called him while he was still sulking at home, telling him that he was late to pick her up.

Conner had not cancelled, he felt being late was bad enough, and he had no reason to feel guilty, even if it had only been hours since he was so close to Tessa, kissing her and frightening her away for good. Why did he have to do that? He shook it out of his mind. Shit, he was on a date; it was time he started acting like it.

Misty was an attractive woman, Conner’s age and they had shared a mutual flirtation for months now. He had finally decided to ask her out and now he felt like a schmuck, he wasn’t exactly showing her the best time of her life, and Misty seemed to be trying hard.

Conner had taken her to a stake house and the whole time his date tried to get him to talk, but all he could do was keep up with her questions, watching blankly as she leaned over the table, purposely giving him a peek at her full milky breasts pushed together in a red bra that was visible under the low neckline of her black dress. Her finger’s kept toying with blonde curls hanging around her face. He had once been attracted to the way she liked to toy with her hair, but now he felt numb inside. He hardly even moved when he felt her foot come against his pants.

“Did you have a hard day honey?” Misty smiled.

It took Conner a moment before he realized she had asked him another question, and he forced himself to smile. Damn, there was a gorgeous woman coming on to him and it was about time he stopped thinking about Tessa. This was driving him crazy.

“Just long.” He replied.

“Well maybe we should get out of here.” Misty winked. 

Conner smiled and paid the bill, and soon they were driving through the neighborhoods. He hadn’t fixed the air conditioning in his truck yet so he was grateful it was a cooler night. It even looked like it might rain, so his date wasn’t too uncomfortable with the windows down. She wasn’t too cold either, but that didn’t stop her from scooting across the seat and snuggling up against Conner’s side.

He put his arm around her as she slid her hand over his thigh. There was no reason to feel guilty over this, he decided. But why the hell did he have to be thinking about Tessa? Maybe it was because they were driving through her neighborhood.

“You know we could go back to you’re place.” Misty smiled, her hand still working at his thigh.

“I have relatives staying over.” Conner lied. He had a strict policy when it came to bringing anyone to his house, he needed to have more than one date with them first, and they had to be special. So far there had been no one since his divorce, of course, that didn’t stop him from going to their place.

“Well why don’t you come over to my place for a while.” Misty suggested, “It’s still early.”

“Sure.” Conner agreed. Maybe spending a night with Misty would help him forget about Tessa.

Misty’s apartment was small but cozy. She had three cats that had covered Conner in hair just ten minutes after he sat down. Misty had offered to make coffee, but if she was taking longer than usual Conner didn’t notice. He was staring blankly at the small television that wasn’t turned on. When Misty returned he immediately noticed she had relieved herself of the red bra, and she didn’t have the coffee with her. Conner understood what would happen next so he gently lifted one of the cats from his lap as Misty came forward, her hands on his thighs again as she brought her mouth over his and sloppily kissed him, smearing her red lipstick over his lips.

Conner kissed her back as he pulled her into his lap. She was incredibly aggressive so he had no problem with resting his hand over one of her breasts; noticing it was firm, too firm… fake maybe? Oh well, it wasn’t what he usually liked, but he could work with it.

Conner leaned back into the over fluffed sofa and closed his eyes. He felt the tingle in his thighs as his organ became erect and groaned as his date unbuttoned his pants and slipped her hand down against his body until it came against his hardness. He groaned against her as she began to stroke him, allowing himself to get lost in the feeling. It was Misty’s voice that brought him back to reality.

“Impressive.” She giggled, holding his erection in her hand.

Conner’s eyes opened. Usually he would have been happy about the compliment, probably even turned on by it. But something was bothering him. Tessa. He had been thinking about her just then, with his eyes closed. He was beginning to grow angry with himself. There was nothing between him and Tessa. He needed to let it go. He heard a crack of thunder outside as he closed his eyes again and began to suckle at Misty’s long neck. There was more thunder, echoing the soft moans his date released.

“It sounds like we’re in for a storm.” Misty breathed, “I couldn’t possibly let you drive home in it.”

Conner knew what that meant. He wasn’t sure he wanted to spend the night, but right now he wanted to get Tessa Aarons out of his mind. He pulled Misty’s dress off her shoulders revealing her circular large breasts and tiny nipples. Definitely fake. He brought both breasts into his hands and kissed at her collarbone. He suddenly lifted her and she squealed as he dragged her under him on the sofa. Her hands were working his shirt and pants at the same time as he began to ravage her breasts with his mouth. Her legs wrapped around him and he reached up her dress, feeling the thin material of her thong. He began to tug at the thong when another crack of thunder came, this time causing him to jump. His eyes snapped open and he pulled away from Misty as she protested.

“Tessa.” He must have said it out loud because Misty was sitting up, fixing her dress and glaring at him with a sharp eye.

“I’m Misty!” She hissed.

Conner wasn’t really thinking of anything but the thunder. He had a bad feeling, wondering what kind of effect the storm would have on Tessa. Had he closed all the windows? Had she? Would the thunder be frightening her the same way the noises of the boys throwing eggs had? Would she be terrified and alone now? He had to find out. But first, he had to make amends with his date. It wasn’t her fault he was acting like such an ass.

“Misty, I know.” he assured her, “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Conner!” Misty shouted, standing as she watched him button up his pants, “Who is Tessa?”

“A customer.” Conner replied, not knowing how else to explain it, “I was doing some work over there today and I might have left a window open.”

“So?”

“She has some problems.” Conner frowned, “I should make sure she’s alright with the storm coming in.”

“Oh.” Misty’s look softened, assuming Tessa must be one of Conner’s more elderly customers, every one knew Conner took care of them. “Well I can go with you, we can make sure she’s alright, and then we can finish what we started.”

Conner opened his mouth to protest, but couldn’t when Misty’s tongue slipped into his mouth, and then she was already on her way to his truck. Conner didn’t feel like arguing. His bad feeling was increasing as he went out into the storm. 

This town rarely got a good shower, but sometimes at this time of year the storms could be quite bad. The wind had picked up and as it poured and the water began running down the streets along with a mixture of debris and fallen branches. Conner didn’t even notice he was speeding until Misty pointed it out to him. He didn’t care. Ten minutes later he was parked in front of Tessa’s house, letting the rain soak through his cloths, immediately noticing that a tree from the neighboring house had broken in the storm, and one of the branches had broken one of Tessa’s windows.

Normally this wouldn’t have been so alarming, but when it came to Tessa, Conner had no idea how he should be reacting. He ran to the door and pounded his fist against it. He tried his key but the deadbolts stopped him from entering.

“Tessa!” He shouted, “It’s Conner, Tessa!”

“Conner!” Misty shouted.

Conner glanced back and saw Misty getting out of the truck, he immediately warned her to stay inside as he ran to the broken window and moved the heavy branch so he could see inside. It was the window closest to the stairs and he immediately saw Tessa inside, but it was not a sight he had wanted to see. 

Tessa was huddled at the bottom of the stairs with her back to him. He could see her trembling, and worse, part of the banister leading down the stairs was broken. She must have fallen, and he saw a bit of blood against the splintered, broken railings. It was difficult in the dark, but he made out the dark substance of her blood running down her arm as she covered her head, trailing down and soaking into her white night shirt.

“Tessa.” He called, as gently as possible, “Tessa it’s Conner, you need to let me in.”

His voice only caused her to flinch. There was no way he could get to her the way she was. If he broke the already broken window enough to get in he might hit her with the glass. He tried to reach for the window lock but managed to cut his hand in the process.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 02



Misty called out to him again but he ignored it as he lifted a thick rock from the lawn and went to the next window down. This was going to scare Tessa, but he needed to get in there. He shielded himself with one arm as he slammed the rock into the window and heard the glass shatter. He heard Tessa scream as he smoothed the glass with his boot before he climbed through the window and faced the stairs, where she was now against the wall, her eyes wide and on him.

“Tessa.” He said gently, but she jumped, as if she didn’t even recognize him.

Conner moved closer until he could see the deep gash in her wrist, bleeding more heavily than he was comfortable with. She closed her eyes tightly and turned her face away from him, hiding behind the thick locks of her hair. He hated to see her so frightened but he used the opportunity to approach her quickly.

He reached for her injured wrist but she violently flinched away from him. He reached again, more determined this time, tearing a piece away from the curtain and wrapping her injured arm with it as she struggled against him.

“Tessa.” He said gently, “Tessa I wont hurt you.”

Her watery eyes snapped open and she looked at him again, this time with more familiarity. He forced himself to smile at her, continuing to keep pressure on her wound, and with his free hand he slowly reached out and touched her fingers in an attempt to comfort her. 

Tessa let her hand slip into his and noticed he had cut himself, but she couldn’t say anything as she began to cry. Conner wanted hold her, but he was afraid that would only make things worse. She was still trying to grasp the situation.

“Tessa.”

Tessa looked up again, comprehending now that Conner was there and he was talking to her. She had not noticed that her blood was leaking through his makeshift bandage the way he did. She couldn’t even feel the pain, only the dizziness that came with the loss of blood.

“We need to get you some help.” Conner stated, “You need a doctor, is there someone in particular I should call?”

Tessa looked as if she might say something, but then her eyes turned wide with fear again and Conner could have lost his temper when he heard Misty’s voice as she climbed through the window.

“Fuck, Conner!” Misty cursed, “What the hell is going on here?”

“Get out of here Misty.” Conner warned, trying his best to remain calm.

Misty obviously wasn’t getting the message as her eyes slowly fixated on Tessa, and what came next even surprised Conner.

“Tess?” Misty called, “Tess Formike is that you?”

Conner felt Tessa suddenly stiffen against his grip as if something had awakened in her. She panicked, struggling to her feet, trying to get up the stairs and out of Conner’s grip.

“Tessa stop!” Conner stated, knowing that if she got away from him she could lock herself in a room and he would be unable to help her.

“What the hell is going on?” Misty demanded.

“Get out of here!” Conner shouted, but his voice rising the way it had caused Tessa to scream in shock, she pulled against his arm and tried to escape.

“No Tessa, you need help!” Conner stated.

Conner was unprepared for when Misty appeared to aid him. He could have killed her when she grabbed Tessa’s other arm violently, causing Tessa to lash out in sheer panic.

“Misty don’t!” Conner shouted, but it was just about too late as Tessa’s light body crashed into his chest in an attempt to get away from Misty. 

She was so light she practically bounced off him in the scuffle. Conner failed to catch her and he flinched as she fell towards the stairs, her head smacking against the wall on the way down. Misty stepped back, shocked as she and Conner stared at Tessa unconscious beneath them. 

Conner quickly knelt down and tried to see if her head was bleeding as he lifted his cell phone from his pocket and tossed it up to Misty.

“Call an ambulance.” Conner ordered.

That was the last thing Conner had said that he actually remembered outside of the haze his mind shifted into. He remembered straightening Tessa’s nightshirt for her. Her slender legs had been revealed and a small portion of her white panties. He wanted to keep her covered while she was unconscious. He remembered holding her hand, and trying stop her wrist from bleeding.

He remembered Misty’s voice demanding to know what was going on, but he wasn’t sure he actually responded, and when the ambulance arrived he remembered thoroughly objecting to the emergency medical team’s trying to take Tessa out of her house, where she felt the safest. Two of the men had to hold him off until he calmed down, and by then the ambulance had left, and the next thing Conner knew he was following behind it in his truck.



Lady Hideaway Ch. 03



Conner hadn’t noticed that Misty was in his truck with him on the way to the hospital, but she must have been because when he reached the front desk she was there with him, and he must have been out of it, because he didn’t hear the nurse ask what they needed. It was Misty who did the talking.

“We’re here for Tess Formike.” Misty stated.

“Aarons.” Conner heard himself say, his own voice bringing him back to reality, “Her name is Tessa Aarons.”

“Are you family?” The nurse asked.

“Yes.” Misty lied.

Conner looked up at her, baffled over why she would lie about that, but then he realized that they probably wouldn’t be able to see her if they weren’t family.

“Why don’t you sit down and wait.” The nurse insisted, “I’ll see what I can find out.”

Conner felt numb again, and then realized that Misty was leading him to his seat. They were silent for a long time, or what felt like a long time. At some point a nurse had come over and before Conner knew it he had six stitches binding his own cut hand, and after that he heard Misty again.

“Aarons huh?” Misty sighed, “She must have switched back to her mother’s name.”

Conner looked up, alert and curious again. That’s right, he thought, Misty acted like she knew Tessa. He was suddenly full of questions, even with the concern ringing in his ears.

“How do you know her?” Conner asked.

“She dated my younger brother in high school.” Misty smiled, “Actually they were together long before high school, that puppy love thing, you know?”

“Who’s your brother?” Conner asked.

“You wouldn’t know him, David has been dead for almost seven years now.”

“I’m sorry.” Conner said out loud, but his mind was racing. 

Tessa had been hiding for six years now, which would suggest her problem must have started sometime after Misty’s brother had died. Conner’s thoughts must have been clear enough on his face because Misty was giving him a soft smile.

“You don’t know, do you?” Misty sighed.

“What?” he choked, wondering if he even wanted to know.

“About Tess. Everyone knew when it happened. She was pretty popular in high school. She was planning on going to the prom with David when she suddenly broke it off. It was strange really, those two acted like they were made for each other. David was crushed, but, he wasn’t acting like a guy who got dumped. Something else was bothering him so I started to ask questions… turns out Tess had a stalker. It was pretty crazy, everyone loved her and this creepy guy was leaving her strange notes, some threats. I guess he threatened David so Tess broke it off to protect him. The police got involved, but they couldn’t figure out who the guy was so by the time prom came around David decided he wasn’t going to let some psycho scare him away from Tessa. He went to her house, they must have made up because they were seen together at the prom. But… they never made it home. David was found three days later, shot three times and left on a road leading out of town, and Tessa turned up missing. I’m really surprised you didn’t remember it from the news Conner.”

Conner shook his head; it was all he could do. He had figured something traumatic must have happened but this was not at all what he would have guessed.

“Anyways,” Misty continued, “About a month later Dr. Formike was planning Tess’s funeral when he got the call. She had been found somewhere in Nevada. She had gotten away from the freak that took her, but not before he stuck a six-inch switchblade through her chest. I don’t think I’ll ever know how she managed to get help. Apparently, where he was keeping her was pretty secluded and she was very lucky to find a family camping in the area.”

Conner held his head. This was all very difficult to understand, why anyone would ever want to hurt Tessa. He didn’t know whether to be sad or angry or both.

“I guess that explains why she’s the way she is.” He sighed.

“Oh no.” Misty shook her head, “That girl tonight, that was not Tess Formike.”

“What do you mean?”

“When she got back she was a damned hero.” Misty explained, “She was speaking out publicly, going to survival meetings, and the fact that they never caught the guy didn’t stop her. Tess was always tough, you know. The only time I ever saw her cry was when she found out what had happened to David. She was convinced that it was all her fault. We used to have lunch every week for a couple of months, and then one day she didn’t show. I talked to her sister and she told me that Tess had to get out of town, but wouldn’t say why. I was pretty surprised to see her tonight… shit.”

“What?”

“We should probably call her real family.” Misty pointed out.

“Dr. Formike is out of town.”

“I think her sister still lives close.” Misty sighed, “I’ll go see if she’s listed.”

Conner nodded. 

He hadn’t been too happy about Misty being there. It felt awkward to him, but now he was glad to have her there. Not all of his questions had been answered, but at least now he could understand some of Tessa’s fear. And Misty was being understanding to say the least. He had ruined their date, she likely knew that there wouldn’t be another one, and she was still waiting with him. She was the one who kept bothering the nurses about Tessa’s condition, demanding to know what was taking so long.

Misty had gone for a coffee run when a tall doctor with a balding head approached Conner. He stood nervously, wondering what was about to transpire.

“Desway?” the doctor had recognized him, and Conner had equally recognized the doctor as one of his customers. The customer who called everyone by their last name the way his old football coach did.

“Dr. Arnold.” Conner shook his hand.

“You know Tessa?” Dr. Arnold asked.

“Dr. Formike is out of town, he asked me to check in on her.” Conner explained, “I take it you know her as well?”

Dr. Arnold sighed and motioned for Conner to follow him, so he did, not bothering to wait for Misty.

“I’m not supposed to discuss this with anyone other than her father or sister, but Formike’s a friend of mine and I believe he would ask someone like you to look in on her. Tessa’s been here before, usually I go to her for regular check ups but every once in a while, something like this happens, she’ll have a breakdown and hurt herself.”

“It was an accident.” Conner stated, suddenly feeling like he needed to defend her.

“Even so, I spoke to Tessa’s sister and we agreed it would be best to keep her here for a few days. Obviously Tessa wasn’t happy about the decision and we had to sedate her before she injured herself again, or this time someone else… has she spoken to you Conner, at all?”

“I had dinner with her.” Conner replied.

The doctor looked impressed with that, and Conner hoped now he would be allowed to see her.

“For someone like Tessa it can help to see a friendly face in this situation.” Dr. Arnold explained, “But Desway, no matter how you feel right now you need to think about her. Now honestly, do you think she would want to see you?”

Conner felt sick again. He wanted to see her, but her wanting to see him was a different matter. He thought about how she must feel, alone in an unfamiliar hospital room and he couldn’t stand it.

“Let me see her.” Conner stated.

Dr. Arnold hesitantly nodded and Conner was unaware of his surroundings again until they reached the small room. There were two beds but Tessa didn’t have a roommate, which was good. Conner saw her lying on her back with her head turned from him. He waited until the doctor had left before he silently closed the door and nervously approached the bed. 

As he grew closer he could see her wrist was tightly bandaged. The blow to her head must not have been too bad, but her hair was messy and down, tangled under her body, likely from whatever struggle she had put up when she had regained consciousness. What really caught his attention were the leather restraints that held her ankles and wrists to the bed, likely so she couldn’t rip out the IV that was no doubt feeding her whatever made her so calm.

He pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and debated how he should approach her. He didn’t even stop to think that she could be asleep. He decided to gently touch the tips of her fingers. She had been comfortable with that before, and he smiled when her fingers wiggled against his. 

She slowly turned her head until her half closed eyes met with his. She had been crying and had obviously been unable to wipe the tears away. But she was calm; the drugs were definitely doing their job. Conner held her hand and reached for a tissue next to the bed with the other. He made sure to show it to her before he gently lifted the soft cloth to her face. He didn’t know if she didn’t flinch away because she couldn’t or because she didn’t want to, but she let him wipe the tears away, staring at him the whole time.

“Misty Smith.” Tessa whispered.

“Huh?” Conner was so surprised to hear her voice that he had no idea what she had said.

“Misty Smith.” Tessa repeated, “I didn’t know you knew her.”

Tessa obviously remembered what had happened, or at least seeing Misty with him. He knew she might be looking for an explanation and there was only one he could give her.

“We we’re on a date.” He admitted, looking for any sign that this news might be upsetting to Tessa, and admittedly, he hoped she would be bothered by it. It was hard to tell though, with the drug the doctors had given to her. 

“I’m sorry.” She replied.

Conner wasn’t use to her being so calm. He wished to God he knew whether it was the drugs or not. He smiled anyways; the friendly smile that he thought would put her at ease.

“It was a first date.” he explained, “I made it before…”

He wanted to bring up their kiss, but after the way she had run away from him he didn’t think it was a good idea. Tessa seemed to understand what he meant because she squeezed his hand, and he knew he didn’t imagine that. 

He glanced down at the restraints and touched one.

“Should we get these off?” he asked.

Tessa weakly nodded and watched as he gently removed the first restraint, but she was too weak to move her hand even after it was free. He worked his way around the bed, releasing her ankles and covering her exposed feet with the thin hospital blanket. They seemed so small, like a child’s feet. He released her second wrist and then made his way back to his chair but looked down at her before he sat down. 

Tessa was looking at him with bright eyes, somewhat more awake now. She wanted to think being in the hospital was just a nightmare, but Conner was there, so it couldn’t have been a nightmare. She knew the drug was taking its toll on her, but she knew better than to believe it was the same reason why she felt so calm inside, as well as out. She had felt more relaxed the moment Conner had touched her hand. She also knew that if anyone else had removed her restraints she would be throwing a tantrum right now, demanding to go home. But it wasn’t someone else, it was Conner, and she was glad he was there. She refused to let herself run away again, not like before; not that she could run away at the moment.

She saw his hand moving towards her face and she fought her body’s urge to flinch. She closed her eyes as his fingers brushed against her cheek, but then his hand left her face and found her own hand again, and his lips brushed over hers. 

Tessa took in a breath as his mouth hovered just against hers. She opened her eyes and they locked onto his and then closed again while he gently kissed her. She felt his warm tongue against her lips and parted them just enough for him to taste her. 

He explored for a few moments and then her hesitant tongue pressed against his and he deepened the kiss, using everything he had to keep from joining her in the bed. He held her hand, trying not to squeeze too hard because it was the same arm her wound was on.

Tessa took in another breath as he broke the kiss and she turned slightly towards him as he took his seat and surrounded her hand with both of his, kissing the tips of her fingers. The corners of her mouth hinted at a smile. The gesture made him smile and it put him at ease. He wanted to ask her so many things just then, but instead he gave her hand a firm kiss and leaned into the bed just slightly.

“Get some sleep Tessa.” He said, “You’ll be safe here, I promise.”

Conner watched her until she satisfied him by closing her eyes, and then he just watched her. He had been right. She was peaceful when she slept, even in a hospital. Conner wasn’t overly fond of hospitals, so he tried not to think about it as he held her hand, hoping that whatever she had just been feeling towards him would still be in her in the morning. 

He must have fallen asleep at some point, because he woke up to the sound of a door opening early in the morning. He hated mornings. He hated waking up. But this one was different, he had lost no recollection in his sleep and his first instinct was to make sure whoever had intruded had not upset Tessa. He smiled when he found she was still asleep, and he was still holding her hand.

His smile faded however, when someone’s sharp nails flicked his ear from behind. Damn, he knew some nurses were brutal, but shit… he glanced back and his eyes narrowed on the young woman standing there, hands on her hips and her foot tapping impatiently. 


It took Conner a moment to realize that she was not a nurse, and she looked an awful lot like Tessa, except her hair was darker and she was younger, college student judging by her school t-shirt. Conner didn’t really care who she was, he did not appreciate the attack on his ear, but when she impatiently motioned towards the door and stomped out, he gently released Tessa’s hand, placing it on the bed and followed the obnoxious little twit he was disliking by the second.

The only thing Conner seemed to have in common with this girl was that neither one of them wanted Tessa to wake up. He gently closed the door when he reached the hall and looked at the girl expectantly, only, she was looking at him the same way.

“Who are you?” She demanded, “Overgrown boy scout? Do you have any idea what would happen if she woke up with you there?”

“Tessa knows I was there.” Conner frowned, too tired to be patient, “She’s a friend of mine.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?” The girl demanded, “Tessa doesn’t have friends.”

“Who are you?” Conner groaned.

“Katrina, Tessa’s sister.”

Conner had suspected as much. What he hadn’t expected was how rude this girl was acting. He was fully ready to argue with her further, but the idea of what Tessa would think of that kept him from it, so he held out his hand for her.

“I’m Conner.”

She gave him a firm handshake and nodded.

“The handy man.” She sighed, “My father told me about you. He’ll be on the next flight, go ahead and send him the bill.”

Conner frowned as she began to pass him and quickly stepped in front of her before she could enter Tessa’s room.

“I don’t want money.” Conner retorted.

“Then what do you want?” Katrina demanded.

Conner glanced back into the room and let out a breath.

“I want her to be okay.” He stated.

Katrina seemed to study him for a moment, but then she shook her head.

“You have to leave.” She stated.

“I’m not leaving.” He insisted.

“You have to!” She stammered, doing her best not to outright scream at him. “I will have you escorted out of here if you don’t leave. Now, I appreciate what you did for Tessa. Dr. Arnold said she could have bled to death if you hadn’t called, and I’m sure you think you care about her but…”

“Think?” Conner demanded.

“Yes, think. You have no idea what you’re getting into. My sister has problems, and I have been around a lot longer than you. I know what’s best for her and it’s not you, now go away before you end up hurting her worse than she already has been.”

Conner was furious now, but he did his best to hold it back. Who the hell did she think she was? He would never do anything to hurt Tessa. Unfortunately, that alone meant he had to get out of there before Tessa heard them fighting.

“I’ll go.” Conner agreed, “but before I do, let me just say; you may think you’re helping her by keeping her here, by pushing someone who cares about her away, but you’re wrong. I get that Tessa’s had it rough, but not all people are bad, and instead of shielding her from life maybe you should let her experience some of it. Let her make her own choices. She doesn’t belong in a hospital.”

Katrina glared at him but didn’t respond as she turned on her heel and pushed into the room. Conner frowned as he leaned against the wall. He was going to leave but not yet. He peeked through the narrow window on the door and watched as the woman who had made such a bad impression as she suddenly became soft and leaned over Tessa’s sleeping form, hugging her gently and placing soft kisses on her cheek. 

What the hell are you doing? Conner wondered as he watched Katrina gently place a hand over Tessa’s eyes while she stirred in her sleep. He heard Katrina’s muffled voice through the door and listened.

“It’s okay Tess.” She cooed softly, “Don’t open your eyes yet, alright? There’s something I need to explain to you. You’re in the hospital.”

Conner listened to a few more things Katrina said, most he couldn’t understand through the door. He saw Tessa wrap her arms around Katrina’s neck and the siblings hugged, but it was Tessa he heard bursting into tears. Hell. He wanted to be the one Tessa woke up to, and if it had been him, she never would have cried. The entire scene broke his heart, especially when Tessa begged to go home and Katrina told her she would have to wait.

Well, Tessa may have to wait, he thought, but when she went home he would make damn sure that everything was perfect. He was tired, but he was also on a mission, and as he moved to leave the hospital he noticed Misty sleeping in a chair near the waiting room. Conner gently shook her shoulder and her eyes snapped open.

“You’re still here?” He sighed.

“You’re my ride.” She pointed out.

Conner took Misty home. He tried to explain to her why he had been such a lousy date but she would hear nothing of it. She completely understood, and he appreciated it. After leaving Misty’s, Conner could have gone home, but he didn’t, instead he went to Tessa’s empty house to see the mess. He put himself to work cleaning it up, all the blood and broken glass, and by the end of the day the windows were prepared as well.

Conner tried to visit Tessa at the hospital, but this time Katrina had instructed the nurses to keep him away. He could have killed her. He thought if only Tessa knew he was there…

He would have to wait. He had no idea when she was going to be home again, and he spent the next days waiting and working. He spoke to one of his friends in the landscaping business and after calling in a few favors he had workers all over her property, fixing her lawn and putting down fresh sod. Even the two boys he had punished were there helping, planting flowers in the planters on Conner’s instruction, and last he spent an entire day cleaning the pool in the back yard. By the time he left that night he could hardly recognize the house, and he topped it off by placing a new carton of chocolate ice cream in her freezer and new flowers in the vase near the entrance.

………

Conner was beginning to wonder what was taking so long. It had been a week and Tessa still hadn’t been released from the hospital. Every day he went there, and every day he was turned away. It was driving him out of his mind.

He thought maybe that if Tessa wanted to see him then they would let her, but because he was always turned away he began to worry that she had changed her mind again. Maybe she saw him as some jerk off that took advantage while she was all drugged up. No. She couldn’t think that. He had seen that look in her eyes and he wasn’t imagining it, she must want to see him. This was all he could accept.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 03



Finally on Sunday morning he went to the hospital and was ecstatic to hear she had been released. He had tried not to speed the whole way to her house, and when he parked outside he noticed that the garage was open for the first time since he had been there, and a black car with tinted windows was parked in it.

Conner became nervous. Tessa wasn’t alone and he couldn’t bare being unable to see her again. He wiped the sweat from his forehead; his body’s effort to fight the heat. He lifted the bouquet of roses from the passenger side seat and gathered the courage to go to the door. When he knocked he waited for several minutes before he heard the click of the lock, and he hoped to God that it wasn’t going to be Katrina there as the door opened. It wasn’t.

Conner was looking at Dr. Formike. The man was in his early fifties, just a few inches shorter than Conner with thick glasses and a head of gray hair. Today his skin looked extra red, he was sunburned from his vacation, and it almost seemed comical. Conner stared at his dentist and then didn’t give him a chance to speak.

“I know what you’re going to say.” Conner stated, “And maybe I should have waited until Tessa had a chance to settle in, but I want to see her. It would only be fair to warn you that I’ll wait out here until I do.”

Conner watched a small smile curl over Dr. Formike’s lips. This smile confused Conner, but he could live with it. He followed the dentist’s gaze to the fresh sod on the front yard and the sprinklers splashing over it.

“You did all this?” Dr. Formike asked. “And the back yard too?”

Conner nodded.

“I had some help.” He admitted. “I wanted her to come home to something. I know she doesn’t go outside, but…”

“Come in Conner.”

Conner had expected to do a lot more begging before being allowed in, and it must have shown on his face because Dr. Formike chuckled.

“Tessa knows you’ve been to the hospital every day.” Dr. Formike explained, “You know, she’s never warmed up to anyone before, and well Katrina, Katrina is just a bit overprotective. When my girls were kids Tessa was always looking out for Kat, so I think Katrina is just trying to return the favor.”

“I know what happened to Tessa, Dr. Formike.” Conner confessed.

“Did she tell you?” He asked.

“I had a conversation with Misty Smith.”

“Ah, well, it’s probably best that you don’t bring it up around Tessa. She doesn’t like to talk about it… come in Conner.”

Conner followed Dr. Formike into the house and into the living room where he saw Tessa. She actually looked surprised to see him. She was on the sofa, her arms around Katrina as the younger sister leaned against her. It seemed they really were close.

Conner was looking right past Katrina, like she wasn’t even there, his gaze falling over Tessa. He couldn’t help noticing how pretty she looked today. Other than the bandaged wrist, her hair was down and the waviness had been turned into curls, and she was wearing a pink dress that made her look younger, and her soft, slender legs were exposed below her knees, and she was wearing ankle high white socks on her feet that didn’t look right but somehow seemed adorable. He wondered where this change in wardrobe came from, probably from Katrina. So maybe Katrina was good for something.

Conner approached cautiously, and although Katrina was scowling at him she left the couch and took the flowers Conner was holding. He hadn’t wanted to give them to Katrina, but if it meant he could see Tessa he could deal with it.

“At least you’re a gentleman.” Katrina remarked, and then she went to join her father as he went to the kitchen.

Conner was glad that they were gone, but he wasn’t sure Tessa was as he cautiously approached her. She moved further against the arm of the couch and brought her knees up, crossing her arms over them as she looked up at him.

“Can I sit down?” he asked.

Tessa nodded so he sat, leaving a gap between them. He had wanted to see her so badly, but now that he was here he had no idea what to say.

“How are you?” He asked.

“I’m better.” She nodded, “Sort of tired… I didn’t see all of what you did around here Conner, but my father tells me it’s very nice… thank you.”

“You're welcome.” He smiled, happy he wasn’t ‘Mr. Desway’ again. “Tessa, I came to see you every day...”

“I know.”

“I thought maybe you had changed your mind.” He sighed.

“Changed my mind, about what?”

Conner felt glum. Certainly she hadn't forgotten…

“We kissed. I thought there was something there… unless I was imagining the ‘we’ part in it.”

“You weren’t imagining it.” Tessa replied after a moment, words that he wanted to hear again.

Conner noticed her blush as she looked away from him again. She was shy, but calm, not at all timid. He hoped it wasn’t solely because she knew her family was in the next room. He looked at her hand. Her wrist was still bandaged. He wondered if it was painful for her. His own stitches had started to itch, and they only actually hurt when he was working.

Conner snaked his hand across the couch and settled it over Tessa’s. She didn’t pull away, and he waited for her to flip her palm up and take hold of his hand before he leaned forward and gently kissed her. He let her lean into him, and this time there was no hesitation from Tessa as their tongues met. He let her shyly experiment, brushing her lips over his, carefully flickering her tongue into his mouth and tasting him. It felt nice.

When she pulled away Conner was afraid she would run off like before, but instead she just stared at him with the red flush in her cheeks. He wanted her to be comfortable with him, but he had to admit that the bashfulness turned him on. He almost had to pinch himself to remember that her family was still there.

He lifted her hand and began to kiss her palm, watching her watch him from under thick lashes and heavy eyelids. She really did look tired. He wondered if it was because the drugs hadn't worn off yet. He assumed they had to sedate her before bringing her home. He also knew he should go soon and let her rest, but he really didn’t want to.

“I want to see you Tessa.” He sighed, “Soon. Let me take you to dinner.”

She shifted a bit and her hand left his grasp. She was looking uneasy again.

“I can’t go…”

“I’ll bring it here.” He smiled, “If that’s alright with you. How long will your family be here?”

“Not too long. They don’t like to crowd me after something like this happens.” She explained.

“Oh, am I… am I crowding you?”

“No.” She smiled, “I’m glad you came. Do you still have the key you’ve been using?”

“Yea, I’ll give it back to Dr. Formike.”

“Don’t.” Tessa insisted, “I mean, keep it, if you want to.”

“Okay.” He smiled, “Can I use it tomorrow night? Dinner, at around, seven thirty?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

Conner wanted to kiss her again, but Dr. Formike and Katrina returned. He hardly even noticed them though. He was wrapped in his own feelings, and he stayed for a few more minutes until he had convinced himself that he had not imagined Tessa’s change towards him. When he did leave he wasn’t even bothered by the fact that Katrina had offered to walk him out and she was probably going to say something less than kind to him. They were halfway to the door when he heard Tessa’s voice, but it wasn’t passive like it usually was, there was an assertive tone in it.

“Kat.” Tessa called, “don’t be a bitch.”

Conner was nearly thrown. It dawned on him that she was being protective of him, but he wanted to laugh. He had never imagined Tessa could talk like that. Katrina stuck out her tongue in retaliation. It seemed Tessa had a different relationship with her sister than she did with everyone else. He gave a last wave to Tessa and Dr. Formike and didn’t object when Katrina walked outside with him. He was entirely prepared to ignore her, but he did look back when she spoke.

“Hey.” She called, “don’t hurt her, alright?”

Conner nodded. Maybe he even smiled at her, he wasn’t sure. He began moving towards his truck but suddenly stopped and turned back, remembering something he had been wanting to ask.

“Katrina, wait.” He insisted, “Look, I know you don’t like me, but I like Tessa.”

“Who said I don’t like you?” Katrina crossed her arms, “I just don’t want my sister hurt more than she already has been.”

“Neither do I.” Conner stated, “That’s why I don’t know if I want to ask her this…Misty Smith said that after what happened to Tessa she was fine, or at least she seemed alright… why did she start living like this?”

Katrina looked the way anyone who remembered a painful memory looked. For a moment Conner didn’t think she was going to tell him.

“That guy who took her,” Katrina frowned, “he came back.”

“What?”

“Yea. Tessa was living at home then. She was taking a jog around the block when he showed up in a van. He pulled her inside and he had her for several hours. Tessa was brutalized, again, and we still don’t know why he let her live. The second time she wouldn’t talk about it. She was even afraid to talk to the police, and he got away, again. She kept saying, if only she hadn't gone out for that jog… anyways, a week later she talked dad into buying this house until she could pay him back, and I guess you could say she doesn’t go jogging anymore.”

Conner opened his mouth to say something but Katrina suddenly looked like she might cry and retreated into the house. Conner stood for a moment and then slowly went to his truck, this new information weighing his thoughts.



Lady Hideaway Ch. 04



Part four

Tessa sat on her bed, her body wrapped in her nightshirt. The light in her room was the only one on in her house. It was late, she knew she should be getting to bed, but she was not having one of her better nights. Her family had left hours ago, and part of her was grateful for that. She hated it when they babied her, but now, she wished she wasn’t alone.

She stared at the lock on her bedroom door. She had secured it, but she was looking at it as if she couldn’t remember doing it, and maybe her eyes were just playing tricks on her. The fear prompted her to get up and go to the door. She slid the lock out, and then back into place a few times as if to check it, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She unlocked the door completely and opened it, peering nervously into the dark hallway.

She hated being away from her house. When she returned she never felt quite safe, because she didn’t know what had gone on while she was away. She was like a little kid checking under the bed for monsters as she moved into the dark hallway, shutting the door behind her. 

She went to her office first, opening the door and peering into the room as she flicked on a light. The shadows haunted her as she glanced to every corner, looking for signs of danger before she proceeded into the room to check the window, making sure it was properly locked.

Tessa wandered the entire house like this, checking every lock, closing doors behind her. When she felt she had checked everything twice over, she made a cup of tea in an attempt to relax, but instead of bringing it to her room, she sat in the living room with the light on, looking over her newly painted walls. Conner’s handiwork, and Conner certainly was a piece of work.

Tessa wondered why he was so nice to her. She couldn’t deny that each time he had kissed her it had been incredible, then again, she didn’t have a lot to compare it to, considering that she had not been kissed like that in years. She also knew that he didn’t have to be kissing her to feel the sparks that were between them. 

All sparks aside, Tessa felt very confused. She was drawn to Conner; there was no denying that. She was certain she would be unable to sleep, knowing that tomorrow night he would be there, with her. She wanted to see him. She wanted to explore the possibilities of having him close to her. But she also felt regret.

Tessa never should have kissed him. That’s what she told herself. She should not have allowed herself to feel anything, and she certainly shouldn’t have agreed to see him. This was not in any way because she disliked him; it was because she wasn’t like other girls. There was a good reason why Tessa didn’t get close to anyone. She even kept her own family at a certain distance, she loved them, but that was exactly why she didn’t let them get close. It was too dangerous to let anyone get close, and now Tessa was afraid, because although she had not known Conner all that long, she could feel herself slipping, letting him in. ………….

Conner approached Tessa’s house slowly, carrying a heavy tin tray that was burning his hands and torturing his stitches. His stomach was in knots upon reaching the door. He already had the key ready, and he was more than ready to open the door. He should be happy. So why was he so damned nervous?

This was a date, that’s why. Conner Desway had a date with Tessa Aarons. A week ago the idea was ridiculous, but now he was standing in front of her door, and not because he had a job to do. He was happy, he knew it, but he had never been so nervous before over a single date. He knew he was worried because Tessa was special, and he was fearful that he’d manage to do something to mess this up.

He didn’t know how long he stood there staring at the door, but he eventually forced himself to knock. He waited; he wanted to hear her voice before he continued. He needed to hear it; because he was worried she had already changed her mind. He was about to knock again, but then he heard her muffled voice, he couldn’t make out the words because the door was between them, and because Tessa was so nervous that her voice caught in her throat, but the sound was enough.

Conner turned the key and opened the door, knowing that Tessa wouldn’t do it herself. He mentally noted that eventually she would have to get her over that. He understood that she had issues, and quite frankly, he couldn’t blame her for them, but even this being a first date, Conner wanted more. He was well aware that maybe Tessa didn’t necessarily feel the same way, but after seeing her as he walked into the house, he was determined to make more than one date with her.

Any nervousness Conner had, had faded upon seeing her. She was wearing a blue skirt and a matching blouse. She was beautiful, and sweet and shy, and the sight of her reminded him exactly what he wanted. He was smiling before he even realized it.

Tessa had been wondering how to tell Conner that after tonight there would be nothing more between them. She had meant to do it right away, before it was too late, now it already was. The way he smiled at her made her crazy, and if that wasn’t enough, tonight, he looked better than a man should be allowed. It was the first time she had seen him in something other than jeans, instead, beige slacks covered his legs and his button-down shirt was just begging to be ripped off. His hair seemed to be neatly in place without any use of product and the clean scent of him mixed with the food was in the air, daring her to get closer. Tessa may have been shy, but it wasn’t like she didn’t have thoughts that any woman would, especially one so alone. Her eyes fell over what he was carrying as she watched him close the door with his back. Instead of telling him what she had planned to tell him, ending this before it started, he was already speaking to her.

“Am I late?” he asked.

Tessa shook her head.

“Can I help?” Tessa asked shyly, her eyes falling over the load in his arms again.

“No.” Conner smiled, “I told you, I’m taking you out to dinner tonight… but this is sort of hot.”

“Oh!” Tessa’s eyes widened as she pointed him towards the kitchen, and realizing that she had been standing in his path, she stepped aside.

Conner winked at her as he passed and Tessa nearly fell backwards with the thrill of it. This was crazy, she told herself. Since when did she get so worked up over the opposite sex? But all doubts aside, she had to admit that the other feelings nagging her were nice to have.

She watched him go towards her kitchen before she securely locked the front door and followed after him, where he was already unloading the contents of the tray onto the kitchen table, everything was wrapped in tin foil, and there seemed to be a lot of everything. 

Conner kept glancing at Tessa as he unloaded the meal; her eyes were wide as she watched curiously. The contents of the tray seemed never ending. He had stake, baked potatoes, beans, biscuits, salad, and grilled corn on the cob, among other hot vegetables.

“Did you cook?” Tessa asked.

“I don’t cook.” Conner scoffed, “I barbeque… now, please tell me that you eat more than fish.”

“Not recently.” She admitted.

He’d train her yet. Conner planned to give her a taste of everything she had been missing, not to mention cure that sweet tooth of hers, or lack there-of.

“I hope you’re hungry.” Conner said, “Did you want to eat now?”

“Sure.” Tessa nodded, moving to her cupboards for some plates.

Conner smiled at her again as she began to set the table. It was obvious that she was nervous, but he didn’t get the feeling that he was the one causing it, even if she was awfully quiet and avoiding his eyes. 

Okay, so Tessa was always quiet, and this wasn’t the first time she had avoided looking directly at him, but this time Conner was almost taking offense. Would the entire night be like this? Hell no, he wouldn’t allow it, not when he finally had her alone, and he was there, with her, for no other reason other than that he wanted her company, although, he had hoped that she would want his as well.

“How are you feeling?” Conner asked, refusing to let the night pass in utter silence.

“I’m fine.” Tessa replied, glancing up only for a moment.

“That’s good.” He said, “But I meant, how are you feeling about this? My being here?”

Conner could tell he had taken her off guard, and she seemed to be searching for a response. She was also starting to blush, and he took that as a good enough sign. He had never intended to make her uncomfortable, but after weeks of working in her home and longing to get closer to her, then another week of waiting for her to leave the hospital, and thinking about kissing her every other minute, he was quite ready to make his intentions clear from the beginning. This was a date, and he already wanted another one.

“I… I’m glad you’re here.” Tessa stammered, still avoiding his eyes.

So her response wasn’t full of enthusiasm, but Conner wasn’t going to let that get to him. She was still blushing, fidgeting with the strawberry-blonde locks hanging down her shoulders, and her eyes were stealing glances at him from under thick lashes. She was happier that he was there than she wanted to say, he decided. He smiled.

“Tessa, this is a date.” he said slowly, calmly, it was not a question, and it was not even hinting at a question, it was proclamation. 

Tessa’s eyes seemed to snap up to his and he just smiled at her, watching the blank expression and her wide eyes take him and his words in. 

Tessa didn’t have to be out in the real world to know what a date was, it wasn’t as if she hadn't been on one before. She wondered why he felt it necessary to point out the obvious to her, but her curvy lips hinted at a smile anyways before she went back to setting the table.

“I know, Conner.” She replied softly. 

“Tessa.”

She looked up to meet his eyes again, but she didn’t say anything, she just nervously bit her.

“At the end of the night,” Conner said, “I’m going to kiss you, and then, I’m going to ask for another date.”

Okay, Tessa knew what a date was, but she had never exactly been on a date quite like this. She knew she was out of practice, but this was much different than she remembered, she was accustomed to the man stating his intentions at the end of the evening, or better (or worse) yet, showing them. The fact that he said he was going to kiss her had her heart jumping to her throat. How was she ever going to tell him that this was a bad idea? She couldn’t do this. She also couldn’t stop herself from smiling.

“You’ve already decided have you?” Tessa asked, he could hear a small amount of confidence growing in her voice.

“If that’s alright with you,” he smiled.

He watched her carefully, trying to determine what she was thinking. He wondered if it was a mistake to be so forward. He decided that no matter what, he wanted her to know that he was interested, he only wished she would give him a response.

“Maybe we should just get through dinner first.” Tessa said after a short while.

Conner nodded, and then they sat down for supper. There were several questions Conner wanted to ask, beginning with what had happened the night she ended up in the hospital, and how she had injured herself, but he decided to keep conversation light. He asked about her job, and her father, not exactly prepared to enter the subject of bitchy Katrina.

Tessa had started off eating slowly, but with a little encouragement he had her cleaning her plate, and he strayed into the subject of food she liked, but never actually ate, obviously taking notes for the next time he wanted to feed her.

When they were finished, Conner cleaned up on his own, not allowing her to help and dragging out the time because he knew it was getting late. When he finished he smiled back at Tessa, still sitting at the table and obviously uncomfortable about being unable to help.

Tessa had been unable to think clearly all night, thinking nervously over his promised kiss. Usually, she wouldn’t have liked the situation at all, it would have frightened her, but Conner excited her.

Conner was staring at her, not needing words to explain that he was intently admiring her. A smile curled his lips when he saw that Tessa was staring right back at him. She left the table suddenly however, breaking their eye contact and looking nervous again. 

“Would you like something to drink?” Tessa asked, moving to the refrigerator to look as if she had gotten up for a perfectly reasonable reason.

“Sure.” He smiled.

Conner watched as Tessa turned from the refrigerator and placed a beer on the counter near him. He smiled when he saw her open a second bottle and take a sip. Beer huh? She was just full of surprises.

“I didn’t think you were the type.” He remarked, holding up the bottle, “You know, this isn’t exactly healthy for you.”

“Neither was most of what we just ate.” She replied. “But I think we’ll live through it… and I don’t usually drink. Every once in a while Katrina comes by with this stuff, this was just left over.”

“Your sister seems like a bad influence.” He teased.

Tessa smiled and shrugged.

“She really gave you a hard time, huh?”

“She’s not so bad.” Conner replied, “But I’d be lying if I said she was the most pleasant person I’ve ever met.”

Tessa laughed, he was surprised by the almost foreign sound coming from her throat, but he liked it, a lot. Her laugh was just as beautiful as she was.

“I’m sorry about her.” Tessa sighed, “I told her that I wanted to see you when I was in the hospital, but as the younger sister she can be sort of a brat, and she usually gets her way. She really isn’t so bad.”

“You wanted to see me?” Conner smiled, as if it were the only thing he had heard.

Tessa froze. She knew it was true, she had wanted to see Conner, but now she felt guilty for it. She liked him, and she thought it would be difficult to end things, even this early. She slowly lowered her eyes again, unsure of how to respond.

Conner decided to test the waters a bit, moving to close the distance between them as he watched her put down her beer bottle. Tessa stiffened, but he saw no signs that she might reject him as he reached her, and gently reached for her hand, enclosing it in his own and gently brushing his thumb over her fingers, until she finally lifted her eyes to meet his again. He wasn’t sure what he saw in her expression, uncertainty maybe? 

“Conner,” Tessa suddenly looked away, but he didn’t release her hand, “Look, I don’t think that…”

“Tessa,” Conner interrupted, refusing to let her finish. He could guess what she intended to say, and he didn’t like it. He wasn’t ready for her to dismiss him so easily. He had a lot to say, but he wasn’t about to argue with her, instead he tugged at her hand until she was looking at him again. “You look very pretty tonight.” He told her. Hell, compliments couldn’t hurt, and it wasn’t as if it he didn’t mean it. Pretty felt like an understatement.

Tessa blushed again, and everything she had wanted to say seemed to be momentarily forgotten. She wasn’t used to compliments, and as silly as it was, Conner had managed to make her feel like a schoolgirl again as she attempted to speak.

“So are you,” she got out, but suddenly rethought her words, “I mean, you’re not pretty… I mean you are, but in a manly…”

Conner laughed as Tessa covered her face with the hand that he wasn’t holding captive and turned away from him. She didn’t seem upset though, she was almost smiling, so he gently turned her back towards him and waited for her to look at him again.

Tessa wondered if it had always been so difficult to receive or give a compliment. It had been a while, but she remembered a time when moments like this were generally simple for her. She almost wished she could have met Conner six years ago. Back then; the way he was looking at her would have been easy for her to deal with.

Tessa’s thoughts were interrupted when Conner brought his mouth to hers. Tessa knew she shouldn’t, but she parted her lips and let him in. Her tongue met his and she allowed herself to sink into the gentle yet mind-boggling kiss. She closed her eyes, not realizing that she was giving more than she intended to.

Conner was momentarily surprised at the way Tessa was leaning up, into his chest, dominating the kiss that he had started. He let her explore, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Her hand left his and rested on his chest, while her other hand found his face. Conner leaned into her palm, wanting to feel her touching him. He had been cautious before, not wanting to frighten her away, but at the moment it didn’t seem to matter. His hands went to her hips and rested there for a moment, experimentally. He wanted to see if she was going to push him away, and when she continued to kiss him, his arms went around her and he pulled her against his body. 

Conner had wanted to hold her for a long while now, and the moment he felt her against him, he almost regretted waiting. It felt perfect and warm with her hands on him, and her lips assaulting his, and her breasts heaving against him as her breathing grew deeper.

It was quite suddenly when Tessa realized how close she was to Conner. She liked it, but it startled her. More startling to Tessa, was that even as she broke the kiss, her hands refused to leave him. She must have looked as surprised as she felt because Conner looked concerned for a moment, and then smiled at her.

“No one’s ever called me pretty before.” He remarked, wanting to lighten the mood a little.

His efforts seemed to work as Tessa blushed and tried not to laugh. She was avoiding his eyes again, but he could tell she was still with him, she was making no attempt to get away, or maybe she was and he didn’t notice because his arms were around her, refusing to let her go.

“I’m sorry,” Tessa sighed, “I just… I guess I’m new at this.”

“I think you’re doing fine.” He replied, “And, if you need more practice, I’d be happy to help you with that.”

God, Tessa thought, why was it, that everything out of his mouth gave her ‘butterflies?’ she nervously bit her lip and stared at him, as if expecting him to say something else, but instead he brought his lips to hers again, giving her a short but efficient kiss, and Tessa surprised herself and probably Conner as well again, as she wrapped her hand around his head and kept him where he was so she could continue to kiss him.

Conner had absolutely no objections to her sudden demands, and although he knew every moment, that it was in fact Tessa he was kissing, the thought of frightening her had faded, as did all of his earlier caution. His hands seemed to grip her hips and he pulled her closer, she was so small that he probably could have lifted her up if he wanted to, but he decided her feet were better left on the ground for now.

His hands moved higher, grazing her sides, but as he neared her breasts she seemed to become tense in his arms, reminding him that she was not like the other women he had dated. Even if she didn’t break their kiss, Conner retreated some, running his hands up her arms instead, tracing her shoulders and gently feeling the line of her smooth neck before he ran his thumb over her cheek, his hand tilting her chin towards his lips as he deepened the kiss, and his other hand made contact with the thick waves of her hair, appreciating how soft it was between his fingers.

Conner had forgotten about everything except for the way Tessa felt, and the way she tasted. He would have been content with kissing her in her kitchen for the rest of the night, and the way she seemed welcoming gave him the impression that she wouldn’t mind that either. Unfortunately, the rest of the world had different ideas. Their kiss was interrupted as a car backfired somewhere outside. Conner thought nothing of it, it was just a noise, but it was a noise that caused Tessa to jump, and it was then Conner who released a disgruntled growl as her tooth nicked his bottom lip, drawing blood.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 04



Conner was in no way angry, the small and immediate pain had surprised him, that’s all, but the way Tessa moved away from him with a horrified look on her face told him that she believed otherwise as she watched him touch a drop of blood on his lip.

“I’m sorry.” She stammered.

Shit. Conner tried not to frown as she began backing away from him. He wasn’t about to let her get away now, but he let her put her own comfortable distance between them… for the moment. He lifted a napkin from the table and held it to his lip. It didn’t take much to stop the bleeding. He was also quick to smile at her. The thought of being the one scaring her, hurt more now more than ever.

“Don’t worry about it.” He insisted.

Tessa stared at him for a moment, he could see the fear and uncertainty returning to her, the noise outside had frightened her, and she was probably upset over the fact that she had bit him, and then, she was turning and walking away. Conner frowned.

“Tessa, wait.” He insisted, following her into the living room, he imagined that she was about to retreat upstairs, and he wanted to get to her before that happened.

Conner cautiously grabbed her hand from behind, he cringed at the fact that she flinched, but as he turned her towards him, she seemed to relax again.

“Conner, look,” she sighed, “I can’t do this. I’m not exactly like other girls, and…”

“I don’t want you to be like other girls.” He stated, “Tessa, I like you, and if you bite me a hundred times it isn’t going to change anything. It’s really not a big deal.”

She met his eyes again, but he couldn’t read her. She seemed troubled, but she also looked like she wanted to smile. 

“Conner, there are things you don’t know about me.” She said softly, “I don’t want to…”

“I know everything I need to know.” Conner interrupted again, he wasn’t about to let her end their relationship on the first date. He guided her to sit on the sofa with him, this time leaving less of a gap between them as he squeezed her hand and turned to face her. “Look, Tessa, I’m going to level with you, ever since I met you, you’re practically all I think about. I don’t care if you’re different, and I want you to be comfortable with me. I didn’t come here for just one date, I want to see you again and often, and I don’t want to see anyone else. Normally I wouldn’t be so forward. I just want you to understand my intentions. I don’t expect anything from you; I just want to see you. If you want me to go because you don’t feel the same way, I can live with that, but if you’re just afraid, then I’m not going anywhere.”

Conner let out a breath, he had never said so much so fast, but he meant it all. He felt sort of pathetic really, he had nearly said ‘I’m not going anywhere--and you can’t make me.’ 

Even when he had seriously dated in the past he had never told a woman just how much he wanted to stick around, that way, if he was rejected he could pass it off as no big deal. But Tessa was different, and he wanted her to know exactly where he stood.

“I like you Conner.” Her voice was so soft that he felt his ears straining to hear her and his eyes attentively trying to read her lips, “But this is a bad idea. There are things you wouldn’t understand.”

“Give me a chance to understand.” Conner insisted, “You don’t have to tell me anything unless you want to… but I feel like there is something between us and you do too, and if it’s a bad idea, then it’s a bad idea that feels right.”

Tessa looked like she was going to speak but he brought his mouth to hers and kissed her before she could. He pulled back again.

“If you don’t feel the same, tell me now.” he said, “I’ll go, and there will be no hard feelings.”

Tessa once again looked like she was going to argue, and not give him the simple ‘yes or no’ answer he desired, so he kissed her again, this time a little longer and deeper than before.

“Don’t push me away if it’s just fear, Tessa.” Conner sighed, “I’m afraid too, I’ve never felt this way before.”

He kissed her again and seemed to get his answer as she touched his face and kissed him back. He leaned closer, gripping her waist, as she turned into him. He didn’t want to let go of her lips now, just in case she decided to change her mind. When Tessa pulled back and looked at him he leaned his forehead against hers. He no longer wanted her to answer his question; he didn’t want to deal with an answer that he wouldn’t like.

“It’s getting late.” He said, “I think I should go home before I get myself into trouble. I want to see you again, tomorrow night maybe? Are you listed? I can call first. You can let me know how you feel then.”

Tessa was staring again, and again he couldn’t read her, but as she moved forward a few inches to meet his lips he closed his eyes and concentrated on feeling her gentle kiss that told him exactly how she felt. When she suddenly broke away and left the sofa, Conner bit his sore lip to keep from whining out in protest.

He stood up and watched as she went to the kitchen, wondering if he should follow, but a moment later she had returned and held out a pink post-it for him. He took it and smiled down at the phone number written in her hand righting before he tucked it into his pocket.

“It’s not listed.” She said quietly, “I mean I am, in the business section, but…”

He cut off her off with another kiss, pulling her against his chest once more before he pried himself away and smiled down at her.

“I’ll call.” He promised.

Tessa nodded and he stole one more kiss from her forehead, imprinting the sweet smell of whatever soap she used into his memory before he headed for the door. He didn’t say anything else as he opened the door and stepped out while she watched from her comfortable distance, he just smiled at her, and before he closed the door, he thought that maybe she smiled back. ………

Conner listened to every sound as he pressed the phone against his ear. He listened to four rings, long, agonizing rings, and then he heard it, Tessa’s voice, not passive and frightened, but confident, annoyed, and rushed.

“Hello?”

Conner smiled, even with this new tone he was hearing from her, it was good to know that she could be just as grumpy as he could get.

“Rough day at the office?” he remarked.

There was a pause; he tried to imagine what her face was looking like as she realized it was him.

“Conner?” Her voice had suddenly softened, and he detected the nervousness there, but it didn’t seem to bother him as he glanced at the clock in his office. It was only noon and he was covered in sweat from working all morning, but when he came to the office to refill some of his supplies, he couldn’t resist sitting down to call her. He had had his cell phone all day, but he had forgotten to charge it the night before, and he was terrified that if he called her on it instead of a landline his phone might go dead and he might lose the call...more importantly, Tessa.

“Yea, I hope I’m not bothering you.” he said.

“No, you’re not,” Tessa insisted, “I’m sorry, it’s just that I was dealing with this client, and anyways…”

She stopped talking, and he sat for a moment waiting to see if she was going to say anymore, but when she didn’t, he did.

“I want to see you tonight.” He blabbed, “I was wondering if you’ve thought about what I said.”

“Conner…”

“Wait, don’t answer that.” he rethought it, “You can think about it and I’ll call back later, I guess I called now because I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Conner…”

“You’re probably busy, I’ll call back later and we can talk about tonight. When should I call…”

“Conner!”

Her voice raised enough to silence him, he was nervous for a moment, and then he heard the rare but sweet laughter coming through the phone.

“Seven o'clock.” Tessa said, her voice returning to soft and normal, “I’ll cook.”

Conner bit his lip to keep from beaming, as if she could see the excitement on his face through the phone. He calmed himself enough to respond.

“Alright.” He replied, “I’ll bring a movie?” it was a question; he didn’t want to push her into having him stay longer than she was comfortable with.

“Okay.” She replied after a moment.

“I’ll see you then.” 

“Conner?”

“Yes?”

“I hate chick-flicks.” She said.

He heard the click of the phone hanging up on her end. He hung up and stopped trying to hide his smile as he spun once in his office chair, laughing to himself. He realized that he was past happy and just plain ‘giddy.’ This was not a normal reaction for Conner. Never in his life had he felt both relieved and excited over a date. He had been in love with his ex wife, he was certain of it, but the thought of another date with Tessa filled him with more excitement than his entire marriage ever had. He suddenly felt foolish, carrying on to himself, and he looked around his small office, as if he had been expecting someone to be watching.

Maybe Conner should have paid attention to that feeling of being watched, because he froze in his chair when he noticed the man leaning against his office door, softly chuckling to himself. Conner scowled and the man immediately stopped laughing, but his smile didn’t fade, and a moment later Conner was smiling too, attempting not to look so obvious.

The man happened to be one of those who worked for Conner. He had obviously been out all morning, because like Conner, he reeked of chemicals, his t-shirt was stained with sweat and his cut-off shorts were dirty too. 

Mike was the youngest member of Conner’s team, although he looked older with his scraggly beard. Mike was also the employee who had worked for Conner the longest, he had started out working around the office as an after school job and right after he graduated, he had started going out to clean pools. He also had the honor of sometimes taking Conner’s task in helping the old widows when it came to changing out their light bulbs.

“So who is she?” Mike inquired.

“Shut up Mike.”

“Oh come on,” he laughed, “That’s two nights in a row. Do I know her?”

“No, you don’t know her.” Conner replied, “Don’t you have work to do?”

“Twelve more for the day.” Mike smiled.

“Jesus Mike, twelve? What have you been doing all morning?”

“How many do you have left, Romeo?” Mike retorted.

Not one of Conner’s employees treated him like the boss, and that’s exactly how he wanted it, except for the few times he was forced to be an asshole if someone wasn’t getting their work done. Not that Mike was in that situation now, Mike always finished last.

“Four.” Conner replied.

“Wanna team up for the rest of the day?” Mike laughed.

“My four and your twelve? No thanks.” Conner rolled his eyes.

“So seriously, tell me about this girl, it’s not Misty Smith, is it? Didn’t you have a date with her last week?”

“It’s not Misty.” Conner stated.

Mike looked thoughtful, obviously trying to figure it out, and then his eyes suddenly widened and he went to the desk to lean over it.

“It’s not that customer that had you going crazy last week is it?” Mike asked, “The one that was in the hospital. Shit Conner, don’t tell me that you’ve fallen for someone’s grandma.”

“She’s not old Mike.” Conner frowned, he was beginning to feel defensive, even if Mike was joking, “She’s just… special.” Conner seemed to smile to himself upon saying this out loud. “And I don’t want to screw it up by introducing her to you.” he added.

Mike studied him for a moment and then he laughed again.

“Wow, two dates in the same week, I guess she must be really great.”

“She is.” Conner grinned.

“So when do the rest of us get to meet her?” Mike asked, “After all, it’s not everyday that the boss-man gets all hot and bothered over one woman.”

Conner smiled, despite his last remark, he would have loved to introduce Tessa to his friends, and he was about to tell Mike that he would ask her, when the realization came over him and he suddenly stopped. Conner’s smile faded, and as if to avoid the question he turned to his desk, faking that he had work to do there.

“You can’t meet her.” Conner said dryly.

“Oh come on, I swear I won’t scare her off.” Mike laughed, but his laughter faded when Conner looked at him seriously.

“It’s not that.” Conner shook his head, “She’s just not exactly like other women.”

Conner knew that Mike could have made some sort of joke or chauvinistic remark, or he could have even made a humorous suggestion that Tessa was some sort of monstrosity, but he seemed to pick up on Conner’s sudden seriousness and he didn’t. Conner was grateful, because if Mike had insulted Tessa somehow, joking or not, Conner probably wouldn’t have taken it very well. Instead Mike pulled up a chair and sat across the desk, looking curious but serious.

“What’s going on with you?” Mike asked, “Is this girl sick or something? Is that why she was in the hospital?”

“Nothing like that.” Conner shook his head, “She’s just different, Tessa doesn’t leave her house. She has some kind of condition. Something bad happened to her and…”

Conner normally wouldn’t have spoken of Tessa’s ‘condition’ or given her name for that matter, but he trusted Mike, they were friends, and hell, he wanted to share this with someone. He was going to explain to Mike what Misty had told him but Mike was already speaking.

“Tessa?” Mike repeated, seemingly racking his brain for something, “She doesn’t have a sister named Katrina does she?”

Conner scowled.

“Christ, did everyone in this town know about Tessa before I did?” He frowned. Conner remembered what Misty had said about Tessa’s story being all over the news.

“What are you talking about?” Mike asked.

Conner realized that he had given Mike’s knowledge over the situation too much credit and quickly shook his head.

“Never mind, how do you know Katrina?”

Mike smiled.

“So it is Katrina’s sister. I dated Katrina for a while last year, remember? She was the one who handcuffed me to my bed and left me there, I had to call you at three a.m. to bring the bolt cutters.” Mike smiled at the memory but Conner rolled his eyes and groaned.

“I take it she rubbed you the wrong way?” Mike laughed, “That’s definitely Katrina. I couldn’t stand her, but goddamn she made things interesting when we were dating. The only time I remember her ever being nice was when she was on the phone with her sister, she mentioned that Tessa had some sort of condition and couldn’t leave her house, so when you mentioned the same situation and name, well… hey, I sure hope Tessa is a lot kinder than Katrina, for your sake.”

Mike laughed again and Conner shook his head.

“Tessa is nothing like Katrina.” Conner smiled, “I can’t believe Katrina was the one that did that to you… didn’t you see her again after that?”

“Yep, and it was well worth it.” Mike grinned, “Hey, if you see her again, tell her to give me a call.”

Conner shook his head and stood up.

“Come on.” Conner called, “If I’m going to help you with twelve pools and still be on time for my date we’d better get started.”

“Excellent.” Mike beamed, although he had never had a doubt that Conner would decide to team up with him for the day, “So Conner, since things seem to be working for you with Tessa, do you mind if I give Misty Smith a call?”

“Go ahead, but I don’t think Misty associates with little boys.” Conner teased, roughly messing Mike’s hair as they left. 

Conner really wasn’t planning to help Mike today, he had really wanted to finish early so he would have enough time to clean up before going to Tessa’s, but now Mike’s connection with Katrina had Conner wondering, what else his friend knew about Tessa. Even if Conner already had heard most of Tessa’s story, he wanted every single detail he could get. …………..

Conner was trying not to run to Tessa’s door after he had pulled up in front of her house. He was fifteen minutes late and when he had tried to call her she never answered the phone. He already regretted teaming up with Mike this afternoon, for one thing, Mike had fourteen pools left, not twelve, and for another, he had no more information about Tessa. After work Conner had rushed home to get cleaned up, but he felt it hadn't been fast enough. Now Conner was late and disgruntled over it as he knocked on the door.

He heard Tessa’s muffled, ‘come in’ and he turned the key and entered, at first confused because she wasn’t in view of the door. He looked around briefly and found her standing at the base of the stairs. Once again the sole sight of her brought a smile to his face. She was wearing another dress, modest yet comfortable, she was barefoot, and her hair was braided back, it looked a little damp, like she had recently taken a shower, which would explain why she hadn't answered the phone when he called.

“Sorry I’m late,” was the first thing out of his mouth. 

Tessa nodded, he was surprised she didn’t ask for an explanation, any other woman he knew would.

“That’s alright.” She nodded, “I thought you said you were going to bring a movie.”

Conner smiled and lifted the movie tucked into the back of his pants. He had no idea what movie to bring, he really wasn’t entirely sure what a ‘chick flick’ was, and he was certain that ‘Die Hard’ didn’t qualify, but now he was concerned that he should have made another choice, he wasn’t sure if his selection would be too violent for Tessa.

“Is this alright?” he asked, moving into the living room to get closer.

A smile hinted the corners of her soft lips and she nodded.

“Good.” He sighed. “Should we eat first?”

Conner could smell the food, and he was starving for it, fish or not.

“During.” She replied.

Conner raised an eyebrow, assuming she wanted to eat in the living room but when she gave him a suggestive nod and headed up the stairs he stood there for a moment, stupidly wondering what he should do. He had never expected to be invited upstairs after he had finished his job, but that was clearly where he was going, so before she got too far ahead of him he cautiously followed until they were in her office, where she already had dinner set up on a narrow coffee table. Conner smiled at her as she pointed him towards the entertainment center, and he put in the movie before he joined her on the sofa.

“I really am sorry for being late.” He said, “You look beautiful.”

He smiled as she blushed and averted her eyes from him. Sooner or later, he thought, she would have to get used to him complimenting her.

“It’s alright,” she replied, as if ignoring his compliment completely, “I’m… I’m glad you’re here.”

Conner wanted to respond as she sank back into the sofa and lifted her plate into her lap, but he decided against it for now. He smiled to himself as they started to eat and the movie began, but the movie was the last thing on his mind as he continually stole glances at Tessa. When they had finished eating his looking grew more frequent as he tried not to outright stare at her. Inwardly he cursed himself for suggesting a movie in the first place. He wanted to talk to her. He didn’t really care what they could have been talking about, but he wanted her voice and not the sound of gunfire, explosions and ‘yippy-kye-aye-mother-fuckers’ coming from the television. He also wanted to move closer to her, but had no idea how to do that. He wasn’t paying attention to the movie, so the silence between them felt awkward, up until the point when he glanced at Tessa and caught her looking at him. He smiled to himself; maybe she wasn’t paying attention to the movie either.

Conner became brave then, spotting her hand was to her side rather than in her lap, and he reached out of gently took hold off it. Tessa jumped at first, but she relaxed as she looked at him, and a soft smile filled her lips.

“Conner.” She said.

He had no idea why, but her voice prompted him to grab the remote and mute the television. He wanted her to know that she had his undivided attention, even if she was going to simply ask him to pass the pitcher of water on the coffee table.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 04



“Yea?” he smiled.

“About last night,” Tessa let out a breath, she seemed to be concentrating a little too hard on what she wanted to say and it made Conner nervous.

“Tessa, we don’t have to talk about that now.” He replied, even though he desperately wanted to, he was arguing only because he was afraid of what she had to say. He had made his intentions clear enough, and now it was her turn. 

“Yes we do.” she replied, telling him what he already knew. “Conner, what I said, I meant it. I don’t know if this is a good idea. I like you, but there is a reason why… I can’t get close to people. There are things you wouldn’t understand, I… I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Conner found it strange that she was afraid for him rather than herself. He would have expected her to tell him that she was the one who didn’t want to be hurt. 

“You couldn’t hurt me.” He smiled.

“Conner, it isn’t that I would hurt you, but…” she started to argue, but didn’t have a chance to finish as he leaned in and warmed her lips with his own. He really had a bad habit of interrupting her like this.

“I’m not worried.” He said when he finally parted from her lips, “If you want me here, that’s all I need to know.”

Tessa seemed to study him for a moment, like there was something she needed to tell him but couldn’t. She looked concerned and doubtful at first, but the expression slowly faded and her hand reached out, her fingers gently moving against his recently shaved chin. Conner leaned into her touch, his eyes locking with hers as he enjoyed the feel of her. He didn’t lean forward when she moved towards him. He let her come to him, her kiss landing on his bottom lip, and then her kiss was planted directly on his mouth, her tongue shyly touching his lips before he opened for her, bringing his tongue to feel out hers.

Tessa leaned forward again, bringing her hand to his chest, just as she had before. He leaned into her, feeling the pressure of her fingers against his chest, but she didn’t push him away as his hands moved down her arms and then rested on her waist. He kissed her harder then, their weight falling back until Tessa was against the arm of the sofa, and Conner was leaning into her. 

Conner was lost in the feeling, he was excited and there was a definite pressure in his jeans as his male organ pressed against his pants. He fought to keep from becoming aggressive as his hands found a will of their own and one moved to her side, his thumb resting just beneath her breast and the other moving down her thigh, down her leg and up again. He felt the soft skin of her thigh, realizing that he had inadvertently pushed the skirt of her dress up. He was about to smooth her cloths back down, but the way her soft skin felt against his wandering hand kept him from it. He let his hand rest on her bare leg, his fingers sinking down against her inner thigh, this was enough to cause her body to arch, and as a soft sound escaped her throat he plunged his tongue deeper into her mouth. 

He let his thumb run over her ribs, grazing the underside of her breast as his other hand moved further up her dress, stopping when he felt her panty line. His thumb moved further as well, tracing the curve of her breast and then moving over it, stopping briefly at the tight knot against her shirt that was her nipple. 

Tessa suddenly stiffened then, her hand on his chest gave more pressure, and he quickly backed off. He hadn't meant to go this far in the first place, and he immediately worried that it was a mistake, especially now that Tessa was looking apologetic and troubled.

“Sorry.” She mumbled.

Conner quickly brought his arm around her, lifting her chin so she would look at him and he softly kissed her lips. He would hate it if her reaction was causing her to feel guilty.

“Don’t be sorry.” He stated, “I don’t want anything from you that you’re not willing to give.”

Tessa wasn’t sure that she believed him. It was difficult to believe men could be patient and undemanding. It wasn’t that Tessa didn’t like the way Conner had been touching her, but it was frightening. She never let anyone touch her. She was constantly surprising herself with Conner, the way that she slowly trusted him. Maybe that was what frightened her most of all. She wanted to give him more than she was, and the fact that she still couldn’t made her feel guilty. As much as she wanted to deny it, she wanted him around, dangerous or not. She was beginning to fear that if she continued to be frightened he would give up and leave.

“Conner, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to…” she stopped and nervously looked away, but he quickly tilted her chin back towards him.

“It’s alright.” He insisted, “We don’t have to do anything. I told you, I’m not going anywhere. There is plenty of time.”

Conner smiled at her as he felt her relaxing again. He was suddenly holding his breath as she leaned into him, resting her head against his chest, her arm drawn around him and her fingers resting on his ribs. He wanted so much to just hold her then.

Slowly, Conner allowed himself to relax. He reluctantly returned the sound to the television and his hand found the soft strands of her hair and he let his fingers run through it again. He closed his eyes, taking in the feel of her against him. Holding her was enough for now, and he hoped that she understood that.



Lady Hideaway Ch. 05



Part five

Tessa opened her eyes and stared at the television. It had been turned off and she was momentarily confused in the dimly lit room. A look towards the light coming through the curtains told her that it was morning. She felt the weight of someone’s arm around her and took in the masculine scent of the body she was snuggled against, and she panicked.

She sat up quite suddenly, taking in her surroundings, seeing Conner against the sofa as she desperately tried to bring back the memories of the night before. His heavy eyes were open, and he sat up a bit, giving her room to get away from him. He noticed her discomfort and gently reached for her hand, his small attempt to assure her that everything was all right.

When Tessa had fallen asleep on him before the movie ended, Conner had been surprised. For a long time he had debated if he should wake her or carry her to her bed. He had not wanted to frighten her by doing either, and the idea of snuggling with her all night felt too good, so he had decided to close his eyes and rest with her. His neck and back regretted it of course, but waking up with her was well worth a little discomfort. Now Tessa was looking confused, so he did his best to explain.

“You fell asleep.” He said gently, “I didn’t want to wake you, are you alright?”

Tessa took a moment, realizing that she had been with him all night and he had made no move to hurt her. She felt herself smile as she gave him a nod, looking at his hand holding hers.

“Sorry.” She replied.

“I didn’t mind.” He smiled.

Tessa suddenly withdrew her hand and stood up.

“I’m going to make some coffee.” She explained.

Conner watched her leave, she obviously needed her space and he was going to give it to her. He waited for a few minutes and slowly tried to remove the kink from his neck, noticing that his skin felt extra-soft where Tessa had cuddled up to him.

It was difficult to pry himself from the sofa, he was sore, and he was definitely not a morning person. But he made his way downstairs anyways, where Tessa poured him a cup of coffee and disappeared again. When she returned she had cleaned up from sleeping and she had changed into jeans and a t-shirt. He knew that he should get home and clean up too. He needed to get to work.

“I’m really sorry I fell asleep on you.” she finally said, it had been silent until now, Conner had been waiting for her to feel comfortable again. “I guess I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

Conner smiled, he wanted to tell her how much he truly didn’t mind, but she continued to speak, and this time he didn’t interrupt her. What she was saying had his heart jumping.

“Conner, I had a nice time last night.” She explained, biting at her bottom lip. “I was wondering, if you’re not busy, do you want to come over again? Tonight maybe?”

Conner did his best to hide his excitement. He managed to give her a nod.

“Definitely.” He smiled.

He must have looked more enthusiastic than he had meant to, because Tessa blushed and then averted her eyes shyly. Conner loved when she looked like that, and he loved it more that she had managed to make the next move. Of course, if she hadn't he most definitely would have.

Conner was back that night, and the next. Eating upstairs had seemed to become some sort of routine. He never really paid any attention to the movies they played, and the third night they didn’t even watch what was playing. He spent his nights kissing and holding her, and days were spent missing her.

Conner had discovered that despite Tessa’s uncertainty most of the time, she was very affectionate, and he loved every second of it. She had stopped flinching every time he touched her, so he had used less caution. Although, she had managed to bite him three more times, every time she heard a sound outside or within her house, but he always assured her that it was alright, and he was more than willing to comfort her fears after she was finished with her apologizing.

He had also managed to get her to talk to him more. She had nervously explained that the night of the storm she had heard something outside while she was in the kitchen. She was running up the stairs when the branch had come through the window and the shock had caused her to fall. Her arm had caught the railing and that was how she had injured herself.

“When I get like that I don’t really think clearly,” she had explained, “When you showed up, I knew it was you, but at the same time I wasn’t sure… I guess it’s hard to explain. I’m sorry if I was difficult.”

Conner had assured her that it was no trouble at all. She wouldn’t explain her reaction to Misty, and Conner didn’t push her to. He assumed that Tessa figured Misty had explained things to him, but Tessa never brought it up, and he decided not to ask about the past until she was ready. That was one thing that she would have to bring up on her own, in the meantime, he just wanted to get to know her.

…………

Friday night Conner had managed to finish work early. He called Tessa in the middle of the day and told her so, and he ended up at her house well before dinnertime. They had a late lunch together and he learned more about her life. 

Other than the tragedy she had been forced to live through she seemed to have had a relatively happy childhood. She was young enough when her mother had died that it never really had an effect on her. Dr. Formike loved her like his own daughter, and Katrina was her half sister, only a few years younger than Tessa.

Tessa seemed to like talking about her sister. They didn’t see each other very often lately, but it was clear that they were close, and Conner had ultimately decided that if Katrina was important to Tessa, he would do his best to like her.

Tessa seemed equally interested in Conner’s life. He explained that his family only lived a few blocks from him, but he only saw them once a month. His brothers were busy with their families, Conner had two nephews and one niece, and he loved them all, even if he hardly ever saw them. He also loved his parents, but part of the reason that he hadn't seen them recently was because they had never been entirely fond of his ex-wife, and even after the divorce he had never actually reestablished a bond with them.

Talking about his divorce was one subject that was difficult for Conner. He would admit to being divorced, and he would even give small details, but he never actually talked about it. It took him off guard when Tessa asked for more information, he was tempted to change the subject, but he decided that if he ever expected her to open up to him, he would have to make an equal effort.

“Does she still live in town?” Tessa had asked, as they made themselves comfortable in her office, which served as more of a living room lately.

“No, she moved away last year.” Conner explained, “I’m not sure where she is now. I think she left because we both got tired of running into each other. If she hadn't left first I probably would have.”

Tessa was watching him as he spoke, trying to understand. She had only been in love once, but she was certain that if she had ever had the chance to marry David, and if something had happened between them, she would have never wanted to fully get away from him.

She had been thinking about David a lot lately. She found it strange that she wasn’t comparing Conner to David. In the months of her recovery after the first time she was abducted; she had found herself comparing every man she met to David. She tried not to think about it too much. Remembering David, depressed and frightened her, and she knew that if she put too much thought into it, she would probably end up pushing Conner away.

“What happened?” Tessa asked, “I mean, it sounds like you were happy.” She bit her lip, realizing his expression had suddenly darkened, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

Conner forced himself to smile. This was not the time to shut down, he wanted her to trust him, and for that to happen, she had to know that he trusted her. 

“It’s alright.” He insisted, “I was happy. I loved her since high school. I guess we never actually wanted the same things. I wanted a family, and she didn’t. She had never really been into kids, too much of a commitment for her I guess. I had eventually decided that she could be enough, I didn’t need the rest of it… and then I came home one day and she told me she was pregnant.”

“I thought you said that you didn’t have children.” Tessa replied softly.

Conner winced for a moment and then looked at her again.

“I don’t.” he frowned, “It wasn’t mine. She had been sleeping with one of my best friends. I wanted to think that maybe it could have been mine, but I had been working a lot, and the timing just didn’t add up. I won’t lie to you, it was hard Tessa, and I did some stupid things. When my friend tried to apologize to me I accepted his apology by sending him to the emergency room.”

Tessa looked surprised, but she just nodded, obviously this information didn’t frighten her the way Conner had thought it might, but that didn’t keep him from being concerned. The last thing he needed was for Tessa to think he was some kind of monster. He shook his head, shaking away the memory.

“He never pressed charges,” Conner explained, “and after that, my wife moved out. She never did have the baby; I’m not sure exactly what happened and she left town before I worked up the nerve to ask. I will admit, knowing that I’m not going to run into her makes it easier to go to work every morning, but I guess I still wonder sometimes. There’s always that question in the back of my head, what if we were wrong? What if the baby was mine?”

“I’m sorry.” Tessa said.

Conner looked in her direction again and smiled, trying to ease some of the tension suddenly filling the room as he noticed that Tessa seemed uncomfortable. 

“I didn’t mean to drop that on you.” Conner shook his head, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” She insisted, “I guess I’m just surprised.”

“Look Tessa, I don’t get in fights.” Conner suddenly felt like he needed to defend himself, “My friend had just decided to apologize to me at a bad time. I’m not violent, I swear, that’s the first and last time that I ever hit anyone other than my brothers, but even then we were just playing around.”

“Not that.” Tessa replied, “I’m not surprised that you reacted the way you did; you were betrayed by your best friend. I was talking about your wife. I mean, I know people cheat, but with your best friend? No offense, but I don’t think I would have liked your wife very much.”

Conner stared at her for a moment and when she looked at him again she blushed. 

“You’re right.” He smiled, “You wouldn’t have liked her. I guess I should be happy that I don’t have to worry about introducing you.”

Tessa leaned back into the sofa and he watched her for a few minutes in silence. She seemed to be thinking over something. She seemed distant, but Conner didn’t feel that it was in a bad way.

“What about you?” Conner asked.

“What?”

“You must have been in love.” He said it without thinking first. He had been so careful not to bring up anything that might make Tessa uncomfortable and as he watched the mixed emotions of sadness and uncertainty cross her face he suddenly felt sick. He had breached a silent agreement that said Tessa’s past was off limits. “I’m sorry,” Conner quickly corrected himself, “I don’t expect you to answer that.”

Conner did all he could to keep from hitting himself upside the head. There was an uncomfortable silence broken as Tessa let out a long breath.

“Misty Smith told you about David?” Tessa spoke softly.

Conner met her eyes and nodded.

“Oh.” Was Tessa’s only response, “then she told you…”

Conner felt like he was slowly drowning now. He didn’t need Tessa to finish asking the question. He already knew exactly what she was asking, and he gave her another nod.

“I’m sorry Tessa, I assumed that you would figure out that I knew. If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to.”

Tessa closed her eyes for a moment. She tried to calm her nerves. She suspected that Conner knew what had happened, but until now she had managed to convince herself that it was all right that he did. She wanted to ask him what he knew, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. The verbal revelation brought her back to the constant feeling of doubt that had been festering ever since their first date. She had planned to end her relationship with him, every day since the first night, she had known it was the right thing to do, but every time she had worked up the nerve to go through with it, Conner had said something or done something that made her want it to last longer.

Tessa knew that it was wrong, selfish, but she wasn’t ready to let Conner go. Every night he had come over, and every night she felt closer to him. Tessa didn’t get close to anyone. Conner did something to her though; he left her wanting more every time he walked out her front door. He had also shared personal aspects of his life with her, and she felt like she at least owed him something, more than that, she felt like she could trust him enough to open up more than she had. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her gaze on him.

“David was sweet.” Tessa said, deciding she would rather talk about him other than anything else that happened to her, “I have no complaints.”

Conner smiled. She was giving him an opening. This was his opportunity to talk to her about her past. Of course, a discussion over a deceased boyfriend who Tessa was probably still in love with was not Conner’s first choice when it came to conversation, but he took what he could get.

“How long were you together?” he asked, vaguely remembering the information that Misty had already given him.

“We grew up together.” Tessa replied, “We started dating in high school, but before that, he was my best friend. He was one of those people you could always count on. He went out of his way to make people happy. He even let Katrina beat him up once when she was going through her ‘I’m tougher than everyone’ phase.”

Conner continued to watch as Tessa seemed to drift off in thought. He didn’t think she looked sad, in fact she seemed peaceful. He smiled more to himself than her, because Tessa didn’t seem to be paying attention. He reached for her hand. She jumped a little when he touched her, but when she looked at him she allowed herself to smile.

“Sorry.” She sighed.

“Don’t be. I didn’t know him, but what I’ve heard, it sounds like he was a good guy… Tessa, I know that maybe I should have brought up what Misty told me sooner, but I wasn’t sure…”

“No.” Tessa shook her head, “It’s fine. I don’t like to talk about it, but I know other people do. It’s fine.”

“Still, I don’t really care about what other people have to say, I’d rather hear it from you.”

“Conner…” Tessa frowned, she did not like where this conversation was going and it was obvious. Conner was quick to bring her hand to his mouth, gently kissing her knuckles even as she tried to pull away from him.

“I don’t mean now.” he insisted, “I don’t expect you to talk about it. If you never want to talk about it that’s all right too. But Tessa, if you ever do, I want to listen.”

Tessa almost looked suspicious for a moment as she stared at him, but then she relaxed and gave him a nod. Conner was able to smile again and he pulled her hand against his chest, holding it as he leaned back again, guiding her back with him as he rested.


Tessa didn’t pull away from him and he felt the familiarity of her almost non-existent weight against his shoulder. He glanced down at her, her hair seemed to cover her from his view the way it was worn down today, and he couldn’t resist running his hand over her head, pushing it back so he could see her face, prompting her to look up at him. He leaned down to kiss her, eager for her soft lips to meet his, but it was a desire that was quickly disrupted when a doorbell rang through the house.

Conner quickly pulled back, mostly because he had learned his lesson when it came to Tessa and startling noises. His lip was still sore from the last time her tooth had nicked him. Another reason for the pause in his action was because a doorbell was an unfamiliar sound in this house.

Tessa, surprisingly, didn’t seem startled by it. It had only momentarily caused her to jump, but she wasn’t shaking over it. Too bad, Conner had been prepared to comfort her the way he did every time that something upset her.

“Do you need me to get that?” he offered.

Tessa shook her head, looking somewhat confused as they left the sofa and he followed her.

“I didn’t know you had a doorbell.” Conner said, if he had noticed, he had never used it.

“I don’t.” Tessa replied, “I mean, I do, but it’s on a remote control. Only my family uses it, sometimes they stop by unexpectedly, and I don’t open the door unless I hear the bell.”

Conner frowned as he followed her down the stairs. If her family was there he should probably leave, an undesirable scenario considering he had planned to spend his day with Tessa, having no work to do. 

He watched as Tessa unlocked the deadbolts and waited, and in another moment he heard a key in the door. He wondered why Tessa didn’t unlock the last lock on her own but decided that she must have her reasons. The door opened and his mood more or less darkened upon seeing Katrina.

Katrina stepped in with a smile that abruptly faded upon seeing Conner. She looked surprised to see him, and no more disgruntled than he was. She closed and locked the door and then hugged her sister anyways.

“I didn’t know you had company.” Katrina said.

“What are you doing here Kat?” Tessa asked.

“I had a job interview at the bank down the block.” Katrina explained, “I was in the area so I thought I’d stop by.”

“I should get going.” Conner interrupted.

The sisters looked at him. Katrina looked satisfied that he was leaving but Tessa looked confused. He hoped that she didn’t think he was trying to get away from her. He decided to ignore Katrina’s presence for a moment as he smiled at Tessa.

“I can call later.” Conner insisted, “You can tell me if you still want to get together tonight then.”

Tessa and Conner seemed to stare at each other for a moment as Katrina looked between them and then rolled her eyes.

“Don’t leave on my account, boy scout.” Katrina remarked, “I’m not staying long.”

Conner looked at Tessa, waiting for her response. He got the feeling that she didn’t want him to leave, but if he was going to stay he needed her to do more than just stare at him.

“Your welcome to stay Conner.” Tessa finally said, “If you don’t have somewhere to be.”

Somehow her invitation felt awkward, and Conner thought it might be best to go now.

“It’s alright.” He said, “I’ll call you later?”

Tessa nodded. Conner wanted to kiss her goodbye, but suddenly felt uncomfortable about it. It only took him a whole two seconds to decide that he wasn’t going to leave the house without feeling Tessa’s lips, and as he moved past Katrina he gave her a look just daring her to stop him. Tessa was obviously not expecting it, but she didn’t seem to mind at all as he closed the distance between them. She tilted her head back to meet him as he brought his lips down. Conner only meant to give a small kiss, but it didn’t take long before he was craving more, tasting her lips with his tongue until she opened and gave him access to her mouth.

Katrina made a gagging sound that pulled them apart and both Conner and Tessa shot her a look of disapproval.

“I’ll call.” He promised Tessa.

Tessa rewarded him with a small smile and then he was gone. Conner was definitely disappointed, but he would call her later, and with any luck, be back to pick up where they had left off. He decided to take the rest of the day for chores he had been meaning to get around to, starting with taking his truck to the shop to have the air conditioning fixed. 




Lady Hideaway Ch. 05



It was nearly suppertime when he reached his house. He took the time to shower and put on fresh cloths, and he barely had his shirt on before he picked up the phone and called Tessa. Katrina had left (thank god) and in another hour he was back at the quiet house, curled up on a sofa with the quiet girl upstairs, and the way it felt was definitely worth the wait.

…………..

It had been three weeks since their first date. Conner had never expected to feel something so strong so fast, but every time he thought about Tessa during the day he hated that he couldn’t be with her every moment. Three weeks ago he would have started his workday, easing his way through it and not bothering to care about the time he got finished. Now, he wanted to be finished as early as possible, and refused to stay out past five. He deserved a vacation, why not cut his hours short to make up for it?

Conner had just reached his office, the small building downtown. It was small, but well organized; he had his office, and enough room to keep his equipment. He started his day’s paperwork and sank into it, wondering if Tessa was stuck with similar work at the moment. He reached for the phone to call her but at the last second decided against it. The last time he had called her during work hours, neither of them could hang up the phone and no one got any work done. It was probably best that he didn’t call anyways, because he was suddenly interrupted by a knock on his opened office door.

Needless to say, Misty Smith was the last person Conner expected to see. She had never been in his office before, and living in an apartment with no pool, she definitely wasn’t here on business.

“Hi.” Misty smiled.

“Hi… what are you doing here?”

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“Of course.” Conner insisted, leaving his desk to close his office door as he escorted her in, and when they were both seated again he studied her curiously. She looked somewhat nervous and that made him nervous.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked.

“Actually, I was hoping we could talk.” Misty explained

“Talk?” Conner didn’t like that word, especially when it came from a woman whose date he’d wrecked. His concern must have been obvious on his face because Misty began to laugh.

“Relax Conner.” Misty giggled, “I told you, no hard feelings. Besides, you and I wouldn’t have lasted more than one night… it would have been a hell of a night, but I think it’s safe to say it doesn’t matter now.”

“Right.” Conner sighed, “So what are you doing here?”

“I had lunch with Katrina Formike.” Misty explained, “She says that you and Tess have been seeing each other.”

“Yea,” Conner frowned, unsure of where this was going if Katrina was involved.

“That’s good.” Misty nodded, “So how is she, Tessa I mean?”

“Better.”

“Good. I don’t mean to pry Conner; it’s just that, after that night, I started thinking about her. When she disappeared I guess I was worried, but I never would have thought… Katrina told me why Tessa disappeared, I’m so sorry.”

“Tessa hasn’t told me anything about it.” Conner admitted, “and I’m not going to push her, so if you’re curious Misty…”

“No.” Misty insisted, “That’s not why I’m here. Look Conner, I know that I probably didn’t make the best impression on Tessa that night, and considering I was your date to her rescue…. Anyways, the thing is, I’ve always liked Tessa. I think she deserves to be happy. Katrina might not like the idea of you being around her sister, but it seems pretty obvious that you care about her. I thought maybe, I could help you.”

“Help me?”

Misty opened her purse and lifted out a thin binder. Conner leaned forward as Misty passed it to him, and before even asking what it was he opened the book to the first page and found a picture of Tessa, she was younger, and wearing a cheerleader’s outfit, more importantly, she was outside and she was happy. The boy with his arm around her had the same blonde hair that Misty had. The boy was looking at Tessa the same way Conner imagined that he did, and Conner didn’t have to guess to know it was David.

“It was my brother’s.” Misty explained, “I thought you might like to know who Tessa used to be. I’m sorry if this is none of my business, it’s just that Katrina said something to me that I thought you should know. She said that ever since she went into hiding, Tessa keeps everyone at arms length. Tessa seems to think that anyone she gets close to will end up getting hurt. I guess Katrina doesn’t have a problem with you Conner; she’s just afraid Tessa is going to push you away and break her own heart over it in the process. I don’t know if any of this helps, I just thought…”

“Thank you, Misty.” Conner nodded.

He didn’t exactly want to hear that Tessa would eventually end up pushing him away. He had not been with Tessa for very long, and so far it seemed wonderful, but even Conner had to admit that somewhere in the back of his mind he was always wondering how long it would last. He couldn’t let her push him away.

“Misty, you said that Tessa blamed herself for David’s death… did you ever talk to her about it?”

“That’s all we ever talked about.” Misty replied, “She was so certain that if she hadn't gone out with him that night he’d still be alive. You see, the creep that hurt her was sending her warnings, telling her that if she went near David she would regret it. I admit, that sometimes I wonder if my brother made the right decision, going to Tess that night, if he hadn't, maybe he’d still be alive… but I’ve never once blamed Tess… Conner, if you really are getting close to her, the way that Katrina seems to think you are, there’s something else.”

“What?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to be selfish, but, David was my brother, and his murderer is still out there. We don’t know anything about him. When he kidnapped Tessa he was wearing a mask, every time she saw him he was wearing the mask, at least that’s what she told the police. There were a few other details, but nothing that really helped us find him.”

Misty took a moment, and Conner waited, she seemed agitated and he decided it was best to just listen.

“Maybe I don’t have a right to ask you this Conner,” Misty continued, “but, if she does talk to you… Katrina said that she thinks Tess still has some of the letters, some things she never turned over to the police, hidden in her house. I don’t know why she wouldn’t hand them over, but if she really does have something, anything that might help find this guy…” Misty stopped, looking momentarily frustrated before she continued, “I’m sorry, but I just found out that my brother’s murderer took Tessa a second time, and I can’t understand why she wouldn’t go to the police. If she is hiding something…Conner, I know that you might not be the best person to ask, but according to Katrina, Tessa doesn’t even let her family upstairs in her house. If you’ve been there, maybe…”

“Misty, I can’t just go through her things.” Conner stated.

“I know that. But, if she does talk to you, maybe you could ask her.”

Conner didn’t know that he did want to ask. It was creepy enough to think that Tessa had kept anything from that experience. He also didn’t want to ask because he was afraid Tessa would push him away for it. But he did feel sorry for Misty, who looked rather desperate. 

“Alright.” Conner nodded, “but only if she talks to me.”

…………..

Conner didn’t get any work done after Misty left his office, he didn’t even get out to any of his customers. He was entirely consumed with the book Misty had left him. It was full of pictures of Tessa and David, mostly just Tessa though. It was clear that David had loved her; he had even kept old love letters from Tessa and silly mementos like ticket stubs and other objects from their dates. Conner only skimmed through the letters, he felt wrong reading them, but he got the idea that Tessa loved David too.


The hardest thing was looking at the pictures. It was Tessa, and she was beautiful in every one, but so different. In the pictures she was confident, feisty. There were some from a camping trip where she was surrounded by friends. In another she was wearing boxing gloves and a comical ‘mean’ face. In others she just looked peaceful, and not afraid. Conner was not a man who often let emotions get the better of him, but thinking over what life Tessa could have had if the psycho would have just left her alone made him want to cry. 

Conner cared about Tessa, he cared about her so much that he would trade in their relationship in a heartbeat if it meant that he could take back her past. She would probably have a life with David now, but at least she’d be happy, he thought. He wished he could give it to her, but since he couldn’t take back her past, he swore he would do everything he could to give her a future worth living.

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. He probably was, but lately, Tessa had been the only thing he had been interested in, everything about her, every moment spent with her. He felt something other than excitement for their new relationship now, he felt concern. He didn’t want to believe for a moment that Misty’s suspicions were true. But what if they were? Was Tessa hiding something? And if she was, why would hide something that could protect the monster that hurt her?



Lady Hideaway Ch. 06



Conner kept David’s old picture book in his office. At least once a day he would stop to look at it. He loved seeing Tessa the way she looked in those pictures. But he felt guilty about having the book. What would Tessa think if she knew he had something of David’s, and the love letters she had written him? He felt like he was lying to her by not telling, but he never brought it up. He never brought any of it up. He wanted to wait until Tessa wanted to talk about her past before he decided to go asking her if she just so happened to have something that could lead to a psychopath hidden in her home.

Three days later and Conner already wished that Misty had never come to his office. He wished she had never shown him the book, and he wished that she had never mentioned anything else. Conner was beginning to feel guilty around Tessa. Maybe Tessa didn’t like to talk about her past, and maybe she was good at keeping secrets, but Conner wasn’t. He believed in being honest, and even if he didn’t believe in it, he would likely still be honest most of the time. Conner had never been a good liar. He wondered if not telling Tessa about his meeting with Misty was a lie. It certainly felt like one.

Conner seemed to be lost in thought as he looked at the five playing cards in his hand. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Tessa laugh. He quickly looked up and smiled, remembering that they were in her office, this time on the floor playing a game. The only problem was, he had forgotten which game they were playing. 

“Sorry.” He sighed, “Did you say something?”

That was a first; Conner was usually hanging on Tessa’s every word, no matter how insignificant. Even now he was annoyed to think he had missed something.

Tessa smiled and he watched her fold the cards in her hands and place them on the deck before reaching out for his cards to do the same. He felt warm when her fingers grazed his just briefly, but then he realized she was tired of playing cards, especially with someone who had no idea what game they were playing. She may have been smiling, but Conner quickly spotted the uncertainty in her expression. Crap. He had offended her.

“Are you alright?” Tessa asked.

Conner saw her question as an opening and quickly took advantage, if anything to reassure her. He reached for her hand and brought it to his mouth for a gentle kiss.

“I’m sorry.” He insisted, “I guess I’m just tired. I hope I’m not boring you.”

She gave his hand a squeeze before withdrawing. He watched as she went to put the cards away before she rejoined him on the floor. She still seemed concerned, but Conner noticed that she was trying to hide it. He decided to let her think she was doing a good job at it for the moment.

“I’m not bored.” Tessa shrugged, “But I can’t say the same thing about you.”

“Tessa, I’m not. I promise. I’m sorry, it’s just been a rough day at work.” Conner stated, he decided that he still wasn’t ready to bring up his visit with Misty, and it wasn’t a complete lie. He did have a few difficult tasks over the course of the day when it came to work.

He waited for a moment, and when Tessa seemed satisfied with his explanation he was able to relax.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

Conner smiled. That was just like Tessa. It didn’t matter how boring his life was, she was always interested in the details. It’s not like he hadn't had a bad day before, and every time he wanted to talk she was there to listen. Only this time, work wasn’t entirely what was bothering him. What was bothering was something that he wasn’t prepared to bring up. 

“That’s alright, and I swear, you have my undivided attention now.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead, “I’m sorry I’ve been such a drag tonight.”

“You know Conner, it’s alright if you’re tired of me.”

Conner was on red alert now. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What was she getting at? Why would she think he was tired of her? He shook his head; deciding he should ask rather than sitting there with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“Why would you say that?” he frowned.

“I’m just saying,” she sighed, “I know I’m different Conner. It’s alright if you’re sick of me.”

Tessa had the doubtful feeling as she said it, the same doubt she felt the night before their first date. She wasn’t looking for compliments, or an argument for that matter. She had known that this couldn’t last from the beginning, and she believed it was better that way for both of them. When Conner had been distant tonight she simply decided that it was time let him go. She would rather have the few weeks they had spent together as a good memory other than the downhill slide their relationship would eventually take if he stuck around. She was expecting a simple goodbye, not the surprise of being pulled against his chest and having his arms wrapped tightly around her. On instinct she stiffened for a moment but eventually allowed herself to relax. He wasn’t attacking her; he was hugging her.

“I’ll never get tired of you,” he informed her. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be, Tessa.”

She pushed off his chest and drew back to look at him. He let her but grabbed her hands again, not wanting her to get away completely.

“I believe you.” she nodded, “But, I told you at the beginning, I don’t think this is a good idea. It’s not that I don’t like you, I do. And I care about you Conner, but you’ve been here every night for weeks. I can’t help thinking that you’re missing something to be here with me. I don’t want that for you.”

“I’d be missing something if I wasn’t here.” He gave her that sly grin of his and Tessa had to force back her own smile.

“I just don’t… want you to get hurt.” she sighed.

“Then don’t push me away.”

Tessa seemed to think long and hard for a few minutes. She knew pushing him away was the exact right thing to do, but if it was so right, then why did it feel so wrong? When Conner was around she wanted to shove all of her fears and insecurities into the back of the closet. She wanted a normal life, and it was becoming harder and harder for her to convince herself that such normalcy was impossible. 

She sat staring at the way he securely held her hands and she had the sudden urge to break down and tell him everything; why she was so afraid, why she could never truly be with him. She couldn’t do it though, she couldn’t tell him the truth because he would hate her if he knew her secrets. But she couldn’t send him away either.

Tessa held back the tears forcing to erupt from her eyes and she forced a smile before she gently withdrew her hands from his and moved around him. Conner glanced back curiously as she knelt down behind him.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Tessa thought a change of subject was in order so she smiled at him as she brought her hands to his shoulders and gently kissed his cheek.

“You had a hard day.” She said, “I thought I’d help you relax, and you can tell me about it.”

Conner was nowhere near ready to change the subject. He was far from finished when it came to letting her know that he wouldn’t let her push him away so easily. But now she wasn’t pushing him away anyways, was she? Somehow the tension of the previous moments was melted away and Conner was lost the moment she started to massage his shoulders. For such small hands, Tessa’s sure had talent. She moved up to his neck and a few moments later his head felt like it was floating as she removed a kink he had been trying to get rid of all week.

“God,” he sighed, “Where did you learn how to do that?”

Tessa giggled somewhere from behind him and he smiled, wanting to look back at her but she didn’t seem to want to let him.

“It’s a gift.” She replied, “So, you were going to tell me about your day…”

Conner told her a few things that had happened over the course of the day, but never actually quite finished every topic. His brain seemed to be melting along with his body, and it was difficult to concentrate on conversation the way her hands were all over his back. She had definitely helped him relax. He felt she was exploring him. There was not an inch of his back that she hadn't managed to touch, and at the moment he was glad his back was to her because otherwise she might notice the erect muscle in his pants that wanted a massage of its own. 

Conner almost wanted to tell her to stop but didn’t have the heart. Somehow he felt like she was enjoying the contact as much as he was. He had just finished telling her about one of his more difficult customers; an older woman who was mostly deaf and shouted out things as if it were the other way around, when Tessa had reached his lower back. By now Conner was lucky if he could speak at all. 

He nearly had to grind himself into the floor to stay seated when Tessa surprised him again. Her hands slipped up the back of his shirt and made contact with his skin. Her hands were warm from massaging him, and now it felt so good, but it was also shocking. As small as the gesture might seem, Conner had not expected it. He stopped with his story in mid sentence and turned his head to look back at Tessa.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

Tessa blushed.

“You don’t like it?” she asked, continuing her massage without pausing.

“I like it very much.”

Tessa blushed again and turned her eyes shyly, but looked back when he spoke again.

“So no pushing me away?” he smiled, he couldn’t help bringing back their earlier conversation, or teasing her about her sudden need to be friendly.

She looked like she was going to say something, but he couldn’t tell if it would be good or bad. Conner decided good, because the next moment she leaned forward and brought her lips to his, in an expressive yet gentle kiss. 

Conner’s body was already in a relaxed state, all except for one body part that he was trying desperately to ignore. He felt like she was pulling him into that kiss and he turned to face her, giving her all of his attention. When her hands remained at his sides, tucked under his shirt, he deepened the kiss and suddenly reached out for her, pulling her closer.

Tessa’s hands moved around to his chest, exploring the skin beneath his t-shirt and grazing his nipple, the action caused Conner to release a muffled groan into her mouth and she felt his hips arch as she straddled him. She wasn’t thinking about fear as she brought her fingers to both of his nipples. All that seemed to make sense to her was that he liked it and she wanted to do it again. 

She traced the contours of his chest, every muscle and every rib and rolled his nipples against her thumbs again. He wrapped his arms around her and she felt a warm feeling growing low in her belly. It was a shock to her system as she let the feeling take over, and it was the first time in a long time that she would admit to herself that she wanted a man to actually touch her, she wanted Conner to touch her.

Conner ran his fingers down her back and then up into her hair, he felt Tessa’s warm body press into his jeans beneath her skirt. Once again the idea of slowing down seeped into his brain, but then he realized that her kiss had become just as passionate as his, and then it turned into a hot lust as they ran their hands over each other. Conner didn’t prepare himself for Tessa to pull away when he reached her breasts, and this time she didn’t. She leaned into his hands and her kiss landed on his chin as he tilted his head back to take a breath.

“Tessa.” He muttered.

He wanted to ask where this was going, he wanted to ask if they should slow down but before he could her mouth was over his and his tongue was melting against hers. He ran his hands over her breasts and then around to her back again. She withdrew her own hands from his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her even closer against him until there was practically no space between them. 

Conner moved his hands over her back in what seemed like soothing motions; his fingers reached her skin where her shirt met her blouse. Just the tips of his fingers slipped up the back of her shirt. That was as far as they got.

Tessa stiffened as if he had just hit her. He could feel the tension everywhere in her body and Conner froze. It didn’t even feel like she was breathing. She started to struggle off of him and Conner loosened his grip to let her, but when he heard the sudden sob escape her his actions changed quickly. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him again, hugging her and gently rubbing her neck. Before he could ask what was wrong the tears came and he held her trembling form to his chest, letting her cry it out.

“Shh,” Conner whispered, “It’s alright.”

His attempts to comfort her only had her crying harder. Conner was confused, but not as confused as Tessa. She was furious with herself. She had wanted everything he was doing to her, and hell, she had started it. But the moment his hands had touched her back she had been pulled back to reality. What the hell was she doing? She hated herself. She didn’t want to face him so her small fingers clutched his shoulders and she cried. She had had breakdowns before but it had been so long since she had cried like this.

Tessa let Conner hold her, it felt nice to let him hold her, but it was also frightening. She couldn’t stop crying, she wanted to, but she couldn’t. The tears kept coming until they were pouring out because of pure frustration over being unable to stop crying. As she cried harder Conner tried to sooth her even more. He was gentle and calm and simply waiting. She felt his breath against her ear as his hand ran caringly through her hair.

“I’m sorry Tessa.” He murmured, “I want to take it slow, I’m sorry I got carried away. Shh… it’s alright, I’m sorry.”

The fact that he was blaming this on himself made Tessa cry even harder. She felt terrible, and she began to choke out words through her tears.

“It’s not your fault.” She said, he had to listen carefully to understand her. “I’m sorry Conner, I didn’t mean… I wanted to but… I’m so sorry.”

“Shh, there’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s alright.”

Conner wasn’t sure why, but what he said seemed to upset her more. He held her tightly against his chest as her body shook from crying, and he listened as the words suddenly poured out of her.

“There’s everything to be sorry for! I can’t do this Conner. You deserve so much more, I’m so sorry…you shouldn’t be with me Conner. I’m nothing. I can’t give you anything.”

“Hey.” Conner heard his own voice raise as he suddenly cut her off, “Tessa, that’s not true. I don’t want to be anywhere else. I told you, we can take this as slow as you want, I’m not going anywhere.”

“But I can’t…” she was cut off by another sob.

Conner drew back and cradled her head as he rested his forehead against hers. Her eyes were closed and swollen and her face was red and streaked with tears. He took in a deep breath and gently kissed a rolling tear from her cheek.

“You can’t what?” he asked gently.

Without opening her eyes her hand found his face and he leaned into it.

“It’s not fair,” she said in a shaky whisper, “You’re so beautiful, and I’m…I’m not. You shouldn’t be with me, you deserve someone better.”

Conner pulled back from her so fast that it was probably a mistake, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to reach out to her as she turned away from him but he was too busy thinking about what she had said. 

Is that what this is about? He wondered. She’s not beautiful? Honestly, the comment made about as much sense as it would if she had told him hell had frozen over and the devil had decided to hand out free Popsicle sticks. He knew she was shy, and maybe insecure, but he never would have thought in a million years that she actually believed she wasn’t good enough for him.

Conner shook his head and reached for Tessa again, guiding her face until her eyes were directed at him. When she finally opened her eyes her lashes were thick with tears, but at least she was looking at him. He wanted her to see that he was sincere before he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips over hers.

“But you are beautiful.” He smiled.

“No Conner.” Tessa shook her head, “You don’t understand…”

He touched a finger to her lips to stop her.

“You’re perfect.” He insisted, “I don’t want to be anywhere else, and I don’t want anyone else. Please don’t push me away Tessa.”

He couldn’t help noticing the suspicion in her eyes. He wondered why she didn’t believe him. It was heartbreaking to see her like this. She seemed so lost, and worst, she seemed to believe that she really wasn’t worth his time or anyone else's. He wanted to tell her how wrong she was, how beautiful she was to him, but before he could find the words he saw Tessa reaching for her blouse with shaky hands. She had lowered her eyes and she was in the process of unbuttoning the first button on her blouse. Conner quickly reached for her hands and stopped her.

“No Tessa. You don’t have to…”

“Please.” It was one simple word, and she sounded so desperate that he didn’t know how to stop her. “Please, I need to show you.”

Conner reluctantly released her hands. He didn’t know what she was doing, but if she needed to do this he wasn’t going to stop her. He was afraid stopping her would make things worse. He kept his eyes locked on her face, feeling incredibly troubled as she slowly released the buttons leading down her shirt, slowly revealing the curve of her breasts and smooth skin. 

When her shirt was unbuttoned she opened it, revealing the thin material of her white bra. Her darker nipples were slightly visible beneath, but when Conner willed himself to look there was only one thing that stood out to him. It was the thin scar that led between her breasts and into her bra. He immediately remembered that she had been stabbed. There were less noticeable scars on the visible parts of her breasts and over her flat belly. He recognized these scars as burns, they were all different in size and so he guessed both cigarettes and cigars had done this to her. Some sick psycho had used Tessa as an ashtray. He tried to hide his disgusted reaction, because it had nothing to do with the way she looked. He didn’t want her to misunderstand.

His eyes snapped up to hers and he knew that she was watching him. She looked frightened. Conner only looked serious. He lifted his hands slowly, he saw her shaking but he kept going, and when his fingers carefully landed on the scar between her breasts he felt her shivering. More silent tears came from her eyes as he leaned into her again, this time bringing his lips alongside the scar on her chest, gently kissing her. He kissed up her neck and felt her body responding to him in gentle trembling waves. He ran his hand over her bra and made contact with her stomach, sending chills through Tessa as she let him touch her.

Tessa closed her eyes and took in the feeling of the way he touched her. He seemed so caring, and his hands were as kind as his lips as they found her mouth again. She wanted to feel this; she needed to.

“You are beautiful Tessa.” He whispered between kisses. 

Tessa blinked more tears from her eyes and let them fall down her face, right before she pulled away from him. Conner frowned as she got up and left in silence. He wanted to call after her but he wasn’t sure it would do any good. He sat there on the floor for a few minutes before he forced himself to get up. He left the office and made his way down the hall, stopping when he noticed that the door to her room was open. It had always been closed before now. He stopped in the hallway and looked in.

Tessa was standing in the room with her back to him. He had reached the room just in time to watch her ease her shirt from her shoulders. He didn’t feel like he was spying on her; she had obviously wanted him to see. She had left her door open and her hair was pulled around her shoulder so that her back was visible to him. So this is why she doesn’t think she’s beautiful, Conner thought as he looked. He held back the sigh that was threatening to escape him, along with a hundred emotions as he took in what he was seeing.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 06



Her back was covered in angry red scars, all thin lines. They weren’t entirely bad, in fact, some were not so noticeable. He was more in shock over the idea that someone had actually whipped her. The entire idea disgusted and upset him to no end. 

Conner stepped into the room, making enough noise with his feet to let her know that he was there. She jumped when she heard him and her shoulders started to shake as she crossed her arms over her chest and lowered her head, but she would not look back at him.

Tessa flinched as his hand touched her back. He ran his hand over her, feeling the subtle difference between her scars and her skin. He took a moment to slowly trace a few of them as he let out a breath, wondering over the pain she must have felt when this had happened to her. He dipped his head down, smelling the sweet scent in her hair before he brought his mouth over her shoulder and gave her a sensual kiss, letting his tongue taste her skin as he wrapped his arms around her, crossing his over hers as he cradled her body to his chest. He found her ear and kissed that too.

“You are beautiful Tessa.”

He felt her body take in a deep breath, expressing how nervous she was. Her eyes were swollen with tears but she was calm. His fingers traced her arms up to her shoulders and then back down her back as she shivered under his touch. He carefully unhooked her bra, wanting no barrier between his eyes and her back. Her head seemed to turn a bit at this, but he wasn’t concerned. He lowered himself and kissed her neck, working his way down her back as his hands ran over her skin. When her breathing began to quicken he slowly took her shoulders and turned her to face him. Her expression was a mask of confusion and pain, but more importantly, he saw a shy trust.

He brought his mouth over hers and she hesitantly responded. When Conner glanced down he saw that she was hugging her unfastened bra to her body, the straps were hanging down her shoulders, and she really was beautiful, he had meant that. 

The scars were nothing compared to her beautifully proportioned body. Her breasts were just enough for his hands, and every part of her seemed delicate. He wanted to explore all of her. He could look at her forever, and in some ways he felt like this was the first time he had ever looked at a woman. He felt like this was the first time a woman was really looking at him, and he was glad it was Tessa.

His fingers hooked her bra straps and he gently began to ease them from her shoulders, continuing to keep his eyes locked with hers. She began to loosen the hold on her bra but then her eyes became uncertain again and she tightened her grip. Conner leaned down and kissed her again.

“Please.” He murmured, “Let me show you.”

Conner bit his lip as he watched the curiosity claim her expression, and then her eyes fell as she dropped her arms. He slowly continued, easing the bra from her shoulders until it had dropped to the floor. He took in the sight of her soft round breasts and the perfectly shaped nipples that reacted to the air of the room. He ran his hands down her chest and cupped them both in his hands. She flinched for a moment but then seemed to relax as he stepped closer to her, placing a kiss on her forehead before his arms went around her and he slowly led her back to her bed. Her head snapped up at him and she opened her mouth to speak but he smiled and shook his head.

“Please Tessa, let me show you.”

She didn’t know exactly what he wanted to show her but she wanted to trust him. She felt self-conscious over the way her body looked but something about the way he looked at her made her want to forget about her insecurities. She wanted to believe that he could want her. She didn’t know how far she was ready for this to go, but when he eased her head against the pillows she tried to relax, and when he kissed her the thought of being half naked hardly occurred to her.

Tessa couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her when he lifted his knees onto the bed and suddenly removed his shirt. Somehow seeing the nude half of his body was comforting. He gave her a reassuring smile and then made sure to keep his weight off her as he kissed her again, first quickly on the mouth and then his lips wandered down her neck, stopping to pay the scar between her breasts attention again. He wanted her to know how attractive she was, and if she didn’t believe him when he told her, she could consult the painful erection trapped in his pants. He was so aroused that he thought the accumulating moisture escaping his male organ was going to come right through his pants, but he ignored it. This was about Tessa.

Conner felt her body arch as he kissed over one breast, gently suckling the nipple and then the other before kissing further down her naval. His fingers hooked into her skirt and she lifted her head.

“Conner…” there was uncertainly ringing in her voice, but he just smiled at her.

“Please, let me. I need to show you.”

Tessa obviously wasn’t sure about this, but when he began to tug at her skirt she found herself lifting her hips to assist him. He removed her skirt along with her white panties, carefully easing them down her legs and off of her. 

He quickly took in the sight of her. Her breasts were rising and falling with each breath, and her shapely legs were slender and soft as he took a moment to run his hands up them. He looked over her slightly curved hips and the smooth mound between them. He wanted to touch her so badly, but he took his time. 

He kissed her naval, letting his tongue taste her skin. He kissed down the path to her mound as he positioned himself in front of her, gently easing her legs apart, as she became shaky beneath him. He could smell her arousal and knew that was part of the reason why she seemed so restless at the moment, but he still took his time, lifting her knees and kissing down one thigh and then the other.

Tessa took in a long breath and closed her eyes. She was definitely afraid, but of what? She felt herself reaching out; touching Conner’s hands as her body took over and let her relax. Everywhere he touched her felt like it was burning. She felt her body reacting, the juices pooling between her thighs as her faced flushed, and the feeling of him touching her. She felt his breath against her soft mound and her eyes snapped open.

“Conner.” She muttered.

His mouth pressed against the soft fold of her member and she gasped.

“Beautiful.” He whispered.

Tessa wanted to sit up but before she could she felt his tongue move over her entrance, coaxing her to open as his hands ran over her legs, encouraging her knees to bend. His tongue gently licked and teased and Tessa felt like her mind was suddenly trapped in a fog. 

She had never felt anything like this before and she had no idea what to think of it. It felt strange but pleasant, and then as his tongue found her soft nub before entering her the pleasure part sparked through her and she was suddenly more restless than ever. She didn’t know how to stay still and she found him lifting her knees, guiding her legs over his shoulders as he took advantage of better access. Tessa bit her lip as a soft sound escaped her throat and she glanced down at him at the exact moment that he looked up at her, locking onto her eyes. 

Tessa suddenly understood what he was doing. She could see herself reflected in his dark eyes and for a moment she did feel beautiful, and cared for and loved. Conner would never hurt her, she had always known that, but she realized that she had been blocking out her own feelings ever since she first met him. This was not a fling; her feelings for him were real. Truth be told, it scared the hell out of her, but pushing him away scared her more.

Tessa’s entire body suddenly felt hot as she let the sensations take over. Her back arched as she let the feeling explode. Conner tasted her release and took a few moments to savor it before he kissed his way up her body. His weight hovered over her as he found her mouth with his, while her arms moved around his neck and she kissed him, tasting everything that he did. 

Tessa suddenly remembered David, and there was a slight feeling of guilt. She felt like she was betraying him, but at the same time being with Conner was not at all like being with David. The feelings were different, but in a good way. She felt close to Conner at the moment, she wanted to be close to him. She ran her hands over his back, encouraging his weight to come down on her.

Conner eased down slowly as they broke the kiss to breathe and his face rested contently against her neck for a moment. He wanted to tell her so many things but couldn’t find the words. He felt Tessa shifting beneath him as her hands moved down his sides and he realized that she must feel the bulge pressing between their bodies, confined to his jeans.

Tessa had noticed, and she suddenly realized that he must expect more. She was uncertain for a few moments but ultimately reached for his jeans. Her uncertainty did not go unnoticed by Conner and he quickly propped himself up and took her hands.

“No Tessa.”

“But…”

“It’s alright.” He smiled, “You’re not ready yet.”

Conner knew he was right, and he had no intention of taking her body unless she was ready, he preferred more than ready, and now simply wasn’t the time. He kissed her again to reassure her but suddenly felt worried when he saw fresh tears in her eyes. He worried that he had offended her and was going to explain when she spoke first.

“Stay with me tonight?”

Conner studied her for a minute, trying to determine if it was something that she really wanted before he gave her a gentle smile and lifted himself from her body. She began to sit up, looking confused, but before she could say anything Conner was holding his own shirt over her head, dressing her in it before he eased back the covers and helped Tessa under them. He pushed a strand of her hair back and kissed her forehead.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

Tessa nodded. Conner smiled at her and she watched him fixedly as he kicked off his shoes and then knelt down to remove his socks. As he opened his jeans and eased them from his body he kept his eyes on her, enjoying the way her eyes appreciated him. He left his boxers on, but there was little imagination left for what they were covering. He looked to Tessa again, asking a silent question, wanting to make sure this was what she really wanted. She responded by pulling the covers back so he crawled under them and wrapped his arm around her. 

She snuggled against his chest and facing each other, they closed their eyes. The fact that it was still earlier than either of them usually went to bed didn’t seem to matter. Conner was suddenly as emotionally drained as Tessa seemed to be, and he had no trouble falling asleep with her. …………..

Tessa sat in her closet, the door was slightly cracked open and through her dark bedroom she could see the lump in her bed; Conner. He didn’t snore, but even from where she was she could hear his breathing, the comforting sounds of sleep. He seemed so peaceful, unlike Tessa, who rocked herself back and forth on the closet floor. 

She couldn’t seem to stop the tears pouring down her face, silent tears connected to the way her body was shaking uncontrollably. She held an old white shoebox in her hands, her knuckles turning white the way she was gripping it, and she mindlessly whispered to something that only she understood.

“Don’t come back. Don’t come back. Please, leave him alone. Don’t come back.”

The sound from her bed interrupted her as a groan escaped Conner somewhere in his sleep. The sound caused Tessa to jump and she struggled to her feet. She quickly shoved the box into place in the top shelf of her closet and silently moved back into the room as she wiped the tears from her eyes. On her way to the bed the lock to her door caught the corner of her eye. She had locked it when she had woken up, but she went to check it once more before returning to bed where she carefully climbed back under the sheets.

Conner turned as she settled next to him again. His eyes opened only slightly from the movement. He was never any good at waking up and now was no exception, but seeing that Tessa’s eyes were open made him somewhat coherent as he glanced at the glowing numbers on the clock behind her. It was four o'clock in the morning. Conner reached out and found her hand with his own, locking his fingers with hers. He could hardly make out her face in the dark and he was too tired to know that anything seemed to be wrong. He smiled slightly and when she returned it he felt everything was perfect.

“Everything all right?” he whispered.

Tessa silently nodded and snuggled to his chest again. He moved his arm around her and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of her breathing as sleep overtook him again. ………….

Tessa stood in the laundry room connected to her kitchen. The back door was securely locked, and she tentatively reached out and pulled back the curtain blocking the window. The sun poured through the window, blinding her for a moment as she fearfully shielded herself from it. She fought the urge to pull the curtain back into place, and when her eyes adjusted she took a few deep breaths before allowing her eyes to wander out to the back yard, nervously at first, until she was certain that no one was hiding in the bushes, and then, she let herself really look. 

Conner had been taking care of the yard and the pool she often forgot was there. She didn’t have much of an idea when it came to what her yard looked like before Conner got a hold of it, but now the green grass and small garden of cactuses and bushes surrounding her private yard made her lips curl into smile. It really was beautiful, and it was a beautiful day. She could feel the ridiculous heat of an Arizona summer through her door as the sun bathed her, and for once she liked the feeling.

She wondered what the air outside would feel like on her skin, what kind of smells were mixed in it. She missed going outside. She never would have admitted that to herself a month ago, but now, she knew she missed it. She missed feeling the grass under her bare feet, and she missed the way it felt to be caught off guard when it rained, with no umbrella or coat. She missed the way it felt to come inside after being outside all day.

Tessa heard something behind her and jumped, she had been so wrapped up in thought that she hadn't heard the front door open. She had unlocked the deadbolts because Conner was coming over, but she had temporarily forgotten until she smelled the pizza, and she still flinched when his arms came around her waist from behind, but she slowly relaxed again when she felt his lips on her neck.

“Sorry.” Conner whispered, “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.”

Tessa smiled and turned to meet his kiss, not really noticing the way his eyes had wandered to the window she had been looking out until he gently turned her back to it and continued to hold her from behind.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” Tessa shrugged, “Just thinking I guess. I meant to be at the door when you got here. How was work?”

“Fine.” Conner said briefly, never turning his attention from the window, “Tessa, do you ever think about going out there?”

He swore every muscle in her body tightened against him when he asked, but he tried to ignore it as he caringly rubbed her shoulders.

“No.” she stated, somewhat harshly.

Conner turned her to face him and looked into the blue eyes that seemed particularly stubborn today.

“Why not?” he asked.

Tessa pushed away from him and he followed her to the kitchen where he had left the pizza. He loved bringing her junk food and he loved watching her eat it, even if she put up a fight about it most of the time.

“You know I don’t go outside Conner, if that’s a problem for you, then…”

“Don’t.” he interrupted, gently yet firmly, “You know I’m not trying to push you Tessa, and we’ve been over this, I won’t let you push me away every time you get scared.”

They had had several conversations about it since Conner had spent the night. The next few days afterwards had been difficult ones; Tessa had suddenly become more defensive and somewhat more adamant about pushing him away from her, but every time he had seen right through her fear and they had managed to get through it. He continued to reassure her and it seemed to work.

“I’m sorry.” Tessa sighed, “I just don’t want to talk about it.”

“Alright.” He smiled, leaning over the table as she stood on the other side, “Let’s not talk about it; let’s do it.”

Tessa’s eyes widened.

“Do what?” she demanded.

“Let’s eat outside tonight.” He smiled.

“What? No. I can’t.”

“Why not?” he replied, “Your yard is private enough, it’s a nice night. What are you afraid of?” 

That was obviously the wrong question. Tessa became obviously agitated and Conner mentally scolded himself. He wasn’t trying to push her, he really wasn’t. He had just been so excited about the idea that he had forgotten not to push. He had seen her staring out that window and the images from all of the pictures kept in his office came back to him. Tessa had been happy once, he wanted to see her look like that again, for real, not just in an old photograph.

“I just can’t.” Tessa argued.

Conner walked around the table and hugged her before she could decide to run away from him.

“I’m sorry.” He sighed, “I’m not trying to force you to do anything. We don’t have to talk about it.”

“You don’t understand.” Tessa frowned.

Conner raised an eyebrow. Usually after he’d apologized she’d change the subject. Did she want to talk about it? God he hoped so.

He pulled her closer and rested his chin over her head.

“I want to understand.” He uttered.

There was a long silence and Conner waited, trying to read Tessa’s body language. She wasn’t trying to pull away, her arms were still loosely around him, and she didn’t seem entirely stressed out. When she finally looked up at him he could read her better. She looked worried, and sad and maybe even angry, but if there was any anger he didn’t feel that it was directed towards him. And then she spoke in such a soft voice that he could hardly even hear her.

“I want you to understand.”

Conner started to smile, but held it back. Somehow Tessa seemed too serious for a smile to be in order, so he gently kissed her lips and then nodded.

“Help me understand.” He nodded again.

“I don’t know how.” Her fingers seemed to twist in his shirt, desperate and frustrated.

“Talk to me.” He suggested.

Tessa wanted to talk to him, but she had no idea what she wanted to say, or what she could say. She slowly parted from him and sat down at the table where she folded her hands and stared at them. Conner followed her lead, pulling his chosen chair closer to Tessa before he sat down and touched her hands.

“Tessa?”

“Sorry.” She sighed, “I guess I don’t really know how to do this.”

“Talk?”

She nodded without lifting her eyes.

“Why don’t you ever go outside?” Conner asked, wondering if she simply needed a little assistance with getting her words out.

“That’s a complicated question, Conner.”

“No it’s not.” He smiled.

Tessa’s eyes snapped up and she looked confused to see that he was smiling. She almost felt angry. He had no idea just how complicated the question was, complicated because there was no way she could give him a completely honest answer to it. 

Conner at this point; was good at noticing when she was going to become defensive. He let out a breath and lifted her hand to kiss it.

“Alright Tessa, look. I’m not forcing you to talk to me, but I am here if you want to. If you decide you want to talk, we can, but only if you know that you’re in control. You tell me what you’re comfortable with, and we’ll take it from there.”




Lady Hideaway Ch. 06



Conner gave her another reassuring smile and leaned to kiss her, but her lips thwarted him as she pulled her face back. Conner jerked his head back, not knowing whether or not to be offended. She was now holding his hand rather tightly. It was the suspicious expression on her face that made him nervous.

“What did Misty tell you?” Tessa asked, her voice was shaky and he could tell that she was trying to remain calm. “Obviously you know what happened to me Conner. We’ve already established that.”

Conner nodded in agreement.

“I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk about that.” he replied.

“I don’t… but I need to know. How much did Misty tell you?”

Conner glanced at their joined hands. Her fingers were turning white; she was gripping his hand so hard. He was almost afraid that if he said the wrong thing she might accidentally break his hand. When he met her eyes again she looked expectant, and afraid of what he might say. Conner knew he had to say something. He had been waiting for this moment to speak to her but now he had no idea how to start.

“She told me about David,” Conner explained after a few moments, “and how you never came home from the prom. She told me about the stalker, and she told me that when you came home you were very brave.”

Tessa closed her eyes for a second, refusing to let herself cry. She didn’t want to cry around Conner. She wanted to be happy.

“And?” she whispered.

“She didn’t go into detail Tessa. She told me how you escaped, and how hard it was for you when you found out about David.” Tessa nodded, and when she didn’t speak Conner forced himself to continue. “It was Katrina who told me how he… I know he came back Tessa. I guess you haven't told anyone much about the second time, and that’s all right, I don’t expect you to tell me either. I won’t pretend to understand what it was like for you, but I can guess… Tessa, it’s all right to be afraid. The man who did those things to you is still out there, and you have every right to feel the way you do… is that why you’re afraid to go outside? You’re afraid he’ll come back again?”

Tessa took in one panicked breath and then let it out, forcing herself to be calm as the first few tears were blinked away from her eyes. She couldn’t look at him at this point; she could only stare at her hands, refusing to look into his eyes.

“I don’t know what happened to me.” She breathed, shaking her head, “It wasn’t always like this, it really wasn’t… At first I stayed in my house because I thought I needed time. I thought that if I stayed in here I would forget. I couldn’t even look out the windows because I thought he could see me, he was always watching.”

Conner frowned, her last statement bothered him. He was always watching? Or, it felt like he was watching?

“I don’t know how, or when it happened,” she continued, “but one day I woke up and I realized that I had been in here so long that I could hardly remember the rest of the world. The only thing I could remember was the one thing that I wanted to forget. I guess I was cut off for so long that everything outside of my house started to feel so far away, and scary.”

The tears were falling down her face and she made no effort to stop them, so Conner lifted a napkin from the table and gently wiped her tears away. She turned her eyes on him but only briefly. He hated that she couldn’t look at him.

“You’re not alone Tessa.” he said softly, “and if you want to go outside, you won’t be alone then either.”

Tessa looked up quickly and shook her head.

“Conner I can’t go…”

“I know.” he insisted, “I meant, when you’re ready to go out, I’ll be there.”

“And what if I never am?”

Tessa was obviously afraid of his answer, but Conner was ready to assure her that it would be alright, even if there was no doubt in his mind that Tessa would eventually be able to go out again. He leaned forward and wrapped her in his arms. She let him do it and rested her head on his shoulder.

“It doesn’t matter.” Conner whispered, “You have to do what is right for you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“You don’t hate me?”

Conner pulled himself back and studied her again, wondering where the hell she came up with these asinine questions. He wanted to tell her to knock it off, but when he saw how serious she was he just wanted to hold her.

“For not going outside?” he asked, trying to determine a reason for the question.

“No,” Tessa shook her head. “You know what happened to me. You don’t hate me? I’m… I’m dirty, Conner.”

Conner quickly wiped more tears from her face as he cradled her head and then pulled her into his chest, closing his eyes and trying to keep his own emotions in check. He gently rocked her, hating that she seemed so broken.

“Never.” He whispered, “You’re not dirty Tessa. You had no control over what happened, it’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.” He continued to pull at her, lifting her from her chair until she was in his lap, and although she seemed relatively calm except for the tears, he rocked her in his arms, caringly running his fingers through her hair. It almost seemed like Conner was suddenly more upset than Tessa was. “Jesus Tessa, it’s not you’re fault. Why do you think it’s you’re fault?”

Conner seemed to be thinking out loud, not really asking a question, but he still wanted an answer, and when she didn’t respond he touched her face and tilted her teary eyes towards him.

“Why do you think it’s your fault?” he asked again. Tessa’s eyes fell and her frown seemed to control her entire face, “There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Conner insisted, “Please tell me.”

“The things he did to me…I didn’t stop him, Conner.”

“You couldn’t.” Conner frowned, “and I think you know that Tessa. It wasn’t your fault. He hurt you. You didn’t ask for it, and you didn’t want it. The only one to blame is that psycho.”

Conner seemed to be glaring at her, waiting for a response and after a few minutes she reluctantly nodded in agreement. He tried to smile at her, but by now he could hardly do that. He decided to kiss her again, holding her as his tongue slowly explored her mouth. He took his time, holding her as her arms held tight to his neck and she almost desperately accepted his kiss before she pulled away to breathe. 

Tessa rested her head on his shoulder and listened to the sound of his heart through his warm body. Conner had stopped rocking her and now he seemed to be calmly stroking her hair. He was silent, and she could only imagine what he was thinking. She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them when she heard Conner’s voice again.

“Tessa, why didn’t you tell anyone about the second time? Why didn’t you talk to the police?”

Conner expected her to pull away but instead she hugged him tighter.

“I couldn’t.” she whispered, “I still cant, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” He sighed, “I just want to understand.”

Tessa leaned back and wiped the lingering tears from her eyes as she looked at him. He looked so concerned that she felt momentarily foolish. She hadn't meant to upset Conner, but when she realized that all of his concern was for her she was touched by it. It was true, he never tried to push her, he was willing to stop a conversation if she wasn’t comfortable, and he was giving her time that no one else would. If Tessa had even brought up half of the things she told Conner with her family, they would be pushing her for answers until they got them. It was no wonder why Tessa felt like Conner understood her on a level that no one else could. He was probably the best friend she could have ever asked for.

“Thank you, Conner.”

Tessa knew that he probably didn’t know everything that she was thanking him for, but he smiled so she leaned in and kissed him again. The soft sound of his stomach growling broke them apart and they started to laugh, breaking whatever tension was left in the room.

“Are you always hungry?” Tessa laughed.

Conner gave her an innocent face and a sheepish grin.

“Yes.” He nodded.

Tessa quickly kissed his cheek and they turned their attention to the pizza as Conner opened the box and Tessa went to get some plates. She sat down in her own chair and looked up when Conner suddenly left his seat.

“Just, one thing first.” He smiled.

Tessa looked suspicious as he walked to the nearest window, and she seemed to grip the table as she froze and watched him open the curtains, bringing an unfamiliar light into the room along with the view of the empty street outside. Tessa immediately wanted to object but as he returned he gave her a reassuring smile and they both stared at each other for a moment in silence as Conner waited to see if Tessa was going to say something. Eventually she passed him a plate and gave him a small smile, and that was the best reaction that he could have asked for.

Tessa didn’t look towards the window through dinner, in fact, she seemed to avoid it, except for a few times when a car would drive by and put her on edge, but she was dealing with it rather well. As the sun lit up the room she seemed to have a peaceful glow about her. Conner smiled. She looked perfect, and he wondered what she would look like outside. They ate in silence, but it was a comfortable one, comfortable for both of them. ………….

Conner wrapped a towel around his waist as he stepped out of the shower and made his way downstairs to where someone was pounding on his door. There was only one person he knew who would knock until the door caved in. He reached the door and swung it open coming face to face with Mike, who was juggling a cardboard box in his arms.

“Well if I would have known you answered your door naked I would have invited my sisters over.” Mike teased, “They would have loved this.”

“Shut up.” Conner frowned, stepping aside and ushering Mike in, “You got it?”

Mike lifted the box and grinned before placing it on the sofa. He stepped aside and Conner smiled as he quickly went to the box and peeked in before closing it again and looking at Mike.

“Thanks.” Conner smiled, “it’s perfect.”

“Yea, yea,” Mike waved, “Thank my mom… so are you going to see Tessa tonight?”

“No, I’m going over this morning.” Conner replied, “I don’t think I can wait until tonight.”

It was Saturday, and Conner was ready to take advantage of his day off. He still had a few things to do but seeing Tessa came first.

“You really do have it bad.” Mike remarked as Conner ran up the stairs to find some cloths.

“Yep,” Conner was man enough to admit it. He laughed to himself as he called back down from his room, “So Mike, did you ever call Misty?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Mike retorted.

Conner returned a few minutes later, dressed and barefoot. His hair was still damp from his shower but neatly combed back and he immediately went to the box, smiling as he looked in again.

“So you did call her?” Conner asked.

Mike smiled.

“We’re going out tonight.” Mike admitted, “You don’t mind?”

Conner shook his head.

“Nope, have fun.” He grinned. “and good luck.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Mike asked suspiciously.

“Nothing.” Conner shrugged, “I just thought you might be a little intimidated, that’s all.”

“Why?”

“Misty’s older,” Conner teased, “More experienced, but don’t worry Mikey, I’m sure she’ll go easy on you.”

“I’m not worried.” Mike scowled, “And I’m not the one so wrapped up in a girl that I forget to zip up my fly.”

Conner glanced down; he was in fact zipped up and glared at Mike as his friend laughed.

“Thank your mom for me, alright?” Conner smiled.

“Sure.” Mike nodded, “You’ll have to come over for dinner some time.”

“Yea,” Conner nodded, although he wasn’t sure that he wanted to have dinner anywhere except with Tessa.

Conner walked his friend to the door and then quickly finished getting dressed before picking up the phone and dialing Tessa’s number. She wasn’t expecting him until later so he asked if it was all right if he stopped by for a few minutes before he moved on to his errands, he had something to show her. Tessa obviously agreed and ten minutes later he was on his way to her house.

Conner stood outside of her door holding the box securely in his arms as he took a moment to knock. He heard the sounds from within as Tessa unlatched the deadbolts and Conner quickly used his key and came inside. Tessa smiled as he quickly kissed her cheek and then moved into the house as she took the time to lock the door.

“I thought you had errands to run today.” Tessa said as she followed him into the living room.

“I do.” he replied, “but I wanted to stop by first, I have a present for you.”

Tessa eyed the box suspiciously as he placed it on her sofa and curiously stepped forward.

“Why?” she asked.

Conner looked up and shook his head.

“Do you want you’re present or not?” he smiled.

Tessa smiled and took a step forward, but paused when he lifted a small bag of dog chow from the box and placed it on the ground. She was momentarily confused, but her eyes seemed to widen as he lifted the German shepherd puppy next and cradled the pup to his chest as it set about licking his face. Conner smiled as he moved towards Tessa.

“I hope you’re not allergic.” He said.

Tessa shook her head and reached for the animal as Conner offered it to her. Her affection for it was almost immediate, the fact that she had not held a puppy in years had a lot to do with it, and the fact that this one was licking her face like crazy also helped. 

Conner watched as Tessa fumbled back onto the sofa with the puppy and tried to fend off his insistent wet tongue. She laughed as she became acquainted with her gift and Conner plopped down next to her, cradling both Tessa and the dog with his arm.

“Do you like your present?” he asked.

Tessa blushed and responded by bringing her mouth to his. Conner cupped her face with his hand and closed his eyes as she thanked him in her own way, and they laughed again when the puppy decided to join in their kiss. They both whipped their mouths free of puppy drool and then Tessa smiled at Conner again as she snuggled the dog close.

“Thank you, he’s beautiful. What’s his name?”

“Doesn’t have one yet.” Conner shrugged, “I thought you could think of one today. I should really get going, errands and all. I’ll see tonight?”

Tessa nodded, but she wasn’t looking at him. He watched her and the satisfaction washed over him. She was wrapped up in the puppy and she really did look happy, just like in the pictures he kept in his office. Conner would have loved to stay to just watch her, but he knew he couldn’t, and it had nothing to do with his errands. He had a plan, and he had to get out of there before Tessa began to ask the obvious questions when it came to owning a puppy.

Conner quickly kissed her goodbye, but didn’t escape until Tessa pulled him into a more efficient kiss. He kissed the puppy too before he went on his way, promising to call when he had the chance. Conner didn’t know if this would work, he knew it could backfire and he’d be the one stuck with a new puppy and no time for it, but he had to try.

He finished his errands early and fought off the urge to call Tessa. He wanted to give her a few more hours, but a few hours only turned into one hour when he realized that he didn’t have the patience to wait that long. All seemed to be well when he spoke to Tessa on the phone, and when he reached her house again he was glad to find that she hadn't separated from the puppy. They were playing in the kitchen when he entered and Conner was quick to join them.

Tessa had found an old sock that the puppy seemed to take an interest in and he was sliding back and forth across the kitchen floor as he whipped the sock back and forth in his mouth. And then when the puppy stopped abruptly and dropped the sock, Conner watched as the little fur ball decided to make use of the bathroom, right there, on the kitchen floor.

Conner heard Tessa gasp and he waited for the obvious realization to come over her, but instead she scolded the puppy as she went to it.

“Desy!” 

“Desy?” Conner repeated, raising an eyebrow at her.

Tessa blushed as she retrieved some paper towels and lifted Desy up from his mess.

“I couldn’t call him Conner junior.” Tessa laughed, “So I went for the last name instead.”

“You named your dog after me?” he laughed as he watched her clean up the mess.

“Do you mind?” Tessa asked shyly.

“No, as long as we both agree that I’m the better kisser.”

Tessa raised an eyebrow and a sly smile appeared over her own lips as she picked up Desy and gently kissed his nose. Conner smiled as Tessa pretended to think about it for a moment, and then she made her way over to Conner where she gripped his shirt and pulled him down for a kiss. 

“Yea,” Tessa blushed, “You’re definitely the better kisser.”

Conner smiled as he watched her hold the puppy. He was still waiting for the inevitable, and when Tessa suddenly turned and headed for the back door his breath caught in his throat for a moment as he silently followed her, keeping enough distance between them as they went. She was lost in her own world, and at the moment, Conner wanted to keep it that way.

Tessa had had a puppy before, when she and Katrina were young. It wasn’t housebroken, and obviously Desy was no different. It all happened so quickly, Tessa was thinking of nothing other than the fact that the puppy needed to learn where it was and wasn’t allowed to go to the bathroom. She didn’t even give it a second thought as she unlocked the back door and swung it open, smiling as she placed the Puppy on the ground. It was when she watched Desy run off to explore the yard that the realization hit Tessa. Heart pounding, she quickly backpedaled into the house only to be caught in Conner’s readied arms. She gasped and spun around to face him, only to find his welcoming smile and questioning eyes. Tessa suddenly understood the nature of his gift, and he was obviously waiting for her reaction. Unfortunately she was too speechless to give him one.

Tessa just stared at Conner for a few minutes, and strangely, she realized that she wasn’t shaking. Her back door was wide open, the warm air was on her skin and she was entirely exposed to what was behind the forbidden door of her home, and she wasn’t shaking.

Tessa slowly turned her gaze to look out into her yard, she watched Desy explore and make himself at home, and slowly she felt herself reach for Conner. He was there, and came closer so she could wrap her arms around him, and Conner did the same, holding her in the opened doorway, with only a few steps between Tessa and leaving the house she had turned into her own prison. 



Lady Hideaway Ch. 07



Part seven 

Conner wasn’t sure how long he held Tessa in the doorway. Her wide blue eyes were locked onto the yard. Desy had come in some time ago and was curled up and sleeping against Conner’s shoe. Conner had been paying attention to Tessa the whole time, looking for signs of panic. So far, she had been oddly calm.

Conner finally lifted his hand and carefully pushed a strand of Tessa’s hair behind her ear, drawing her attention towards him. When their eyes locked he smiled and then took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. Tessa just stared at him, until he took a step out the door, drawing her hand with him, at which point she planted her feet and held back.

“Conner wait!”

Conner stopped, and as requested, waited. The sound of Tessa’s voice also got Desy’s attention and the pup made his way back outside again, anxious to be followed. But Tessa and Conner seemed to notice nothing but one another at the moment. Conner was waiting for Tessa to say something, and even if she pulled away now and ran back into her house it wouldn’t bother him. He had her standing in an opened doorway. Definitely progress. Of course, leading her into a private backyard was nothing compared to leading her out the front door, but it was still something.

“This is why you gave me a puppy?” Tessa asked, her voice was low again, but Conner could hear her, “Conner…you tricked me.”

Conner smiled. He couldn’t help it, she had a baffled innocence about her that seemed amusing to him, but he decided now was definitely not the time to laugh at her, even if it was good natured.

“I didn’t mean to.” Conner replied, “I will admit that when I got the dog I was hoping it would help you…hoping. Honestly, I thought you’d figure it out sooner and ask me to take him back. So…are you angry?”

Tessa shook her head.

“Surprised.” She uttered.

Conner watched as her eyes roamed the yard again, her nervousness was present, but there was something else too. She looked like a woman about to go to war. Conner supposed, in many ways she was. He squeezed her hand without pulling her and brought her attention back to him.

“We can go back in if you want.” Conner offered, “But, if you’d like to come out here with me, I swear that nothing bad will happen.”

Tessa closed her eyes. She knew her hand was already outside. The only thing holding her in the house was her feet planted into the floor, that, and the fears that had been plaguing her for six years. If she stepped outside now would it all be over? No, of course not, that would be wishful thinking. Did she want to do this? Yes, she wanted it. She wanted to make Conner happy and she wanted to do this for herself too. She wanted to prove to herself that she didn’t have to be afraid of everything; she had a rite to be happy, just like everyone else. Conner had shown her that. But, was she still afraid of the consequences that would come with living her life out in the open, was she afraid of the past coming back to haunt her and everyone she loved? Most definitely.

For Tessa, it all came down to the moment. What she wanted, right then, with Conner. All that mattered was that second, if she let anything else get in the way she would be lost, she would send Conner away and she would be alone, the way she had forced herself to be alone for years. She wasn’t ready to go back to that. She was almost equally uncertain if she wanted to move forward, but one feeling outweighed the other, and with eyes closed she stepped forward, feeling the cement steps under her bare feet and the sun beating down on her, she took another step, straight into Conner’s arms.

Tessa heard the sharp intake of a relieved breath come from Conner and she wrapped her arms around him a little tighter, suddenly wanting to reassure him. Reassure Conner? Tessa almost laughed at herself. She was outside; trying to face her fears and all she could think about were Conner’s nerves. She wondered if he was feeling more nervous than she was. The thought was completely wonderful. Maybe she wasn’t as weak as she believed herself to be.

Tessa slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Conner, finding that yes, he was in fact nervous. He was waiting for the worst, waiting for her to run back inside and blame every insecurity on him. That just wasn’t going to happen, and Tessa forced herself to smile to say so. She snuggled close to him in the process of reaching for his hand; she didn’t want a single moment to pass without touching some part of him while she took in this familiar yet foreign experience. 

Very cautiously, she allowed her gaze to drift from Conner again, taking in deep breaths as her eyes wandered over her back yard. Guarded instincts took over first, as she looked for any sign of danger. There were no doors to lock out here and the only security she seemed to have at the moment was Conner’s hand. She began to take in the sounds around her: the birds, the passing cars from the street, the distant sound of children playing, and someone mowing their lawn. It all seemed too close for comfort at first. 

Desy’s little yippy bark drew her attention and she watched him play for a moment, and focusing on that, she began to move forward, trying to get accustomed to sounds and feelings that had been forgotten. She stepped carefully over the grass, as if she didn’t want for it to make any sound under her feet as she took a tour of her back yard.

Conner followed closely, silently. There was no need for words as he watched Tessa explore, and he felt special, knowing that he was the one she had chosen to do this with. It may seem like such a simple thing to do, but Conner knew better. For Tessa, this was a big step. It wasn’t exactly a miracle, but it was special for both of them nonetheless.

He followed her over the grass, around the pool, which he noticed she kept a shy distance from, the kind that told him she didn’t accidentally want to fall in. She touched a few cactus thorns and it made him nervous, but she never drew her own blood, and she even took the time to touch the brick wall surrounding her yard, as if checking for some sort of weaknesses.

They circled everything twice before Tessa stopped. Conner waited for a few moments before he realized that she wasn’t exactly sure what to do now. He smiled to himself as he gave her hand a tug and pulled her back to the grass. Tessa followed, completely trusting of him as he pulled her down to sit with him. She held tight to his hand with one of hers and pet the grass with the other, and when Desy came for attention she began to pet him as he rolled in the grass next to her.

“Conner.” Tessa said softly.

Conner didn’t have to look at her when she spoke; he already was looking, even if she wasn’t looking at him. When he failed to vocally answer Tessa turned her gaze in his direction and he smiled. He noticed the look of satisfaction in her eyes and the way he was looking at her caused her to blush.

“I like my gift.” She said, running her fingers through the course yet soft hair of the puppy, “Both of them.”

Conner smiled and reached out to touch her face. He felt like he needed to touch it because the way she looked was better than in the pictures he had seen, and much to his liking, she leaned into his palm and for the first time released his hand only to grip his shirt and pull him towards her. Conner met her lips openly and took the time to feel every sensation she brought to his mouth, letting her explore while he simply responded to it. He had thought that nothing could top the first kiss that they shared, but he was not beyond admitting that he was wrong. 

Conner could have stayed like that all day, but one neglected puppy had other ideas, and Desy interrupted them again by jumping up and licking at their joined faces. They laughed and separated, but Conner continued to gently caress her face with his thumb.

“I’m so proud of you.” he smiled.

Tessa blushed and averted her eyes, but they were back on him within a second. He smiled and opened his arms for her and she happily leaned into his chest as Conner let his body fall back. They lay in the grass for a while, and Tessa closed her eyes and simply felt the sun and the air drifting over her body. Desy restlessly bounded around them and sometimes over them, trying to get their attention, but eventually the puppy gave up and found a place to nap not far from their feet.

“It’s not so bad out here.” Tessa sighed, “Hot though.”

“Yea.” Conner smiled, “but it’s worth it, right?”

Tessa nodded.

“I don’t think I could do this with anyone else Conner. I don’t think I’d want to. Ever.”

There was only one way Conner knew how to respond to that. He propped himself up on his elbow and kissed her.

They didn’t stay outside for too long, Tessa wasn’t ready for it. When they went back inside there was a comfortable calm, but Conner noticed that when Tessa locked the door she almost looked regretful. He felt a moment of concern and it must have shown because she gave him a reassuring smile before she moved into the kitchen and fished a clean washcloth from one of the drawers. Dampening it, she brought it over her face and neck, washing away some of the heat of the dry weather. When she turned she saw Conner sitting at the table, contently holding Desy in his arms and watching her.

Tessa smiled as she approached and Conner loosened his grip on the puppy, letting the animal move from his lap as Tessa gently brought the washcloth to his face, and he closed his eyes and felt the refreshing tingle on his skin as she traced his features with the damp cloth. When her fingers replaced the cloth he opened his eyes and smiled, obviously enjoying the attention.

“Are you alright?” he asked, even if he already knew that she was.

“Yes.” She nodded, allowing him to pull her forward as his hands went to her hips. She settled on his lap and wrapped her arms around him as he kissed her.

Tessa felt tired. Maybe it was the heat or maybe it was the mixed emotions that stirred from going outside. Either way, she felt like she needed to be refreshed and the washcloth just didn’t do it. She rested her head against Conner’s shoulder and gently nuzzled his neck, noticing that his skin felt even hotter than hers did.

“Will you stay for dinner tonight?” Tessa asked.

“Love to.” he smiled.

“I think I need a shower first.” 

Conner tilted her chin in his direction and kissed her nose.

“Go ahead.” He insisted, “I can go pick something up and be back by the time you’re finished. Pizza?”

Tessa let him kiss her again, and as he did, she reached for his hand and then pulled back a little, her eyes shyly planted on his chest as she spoke.

“Or you could forget about pizza and come with me.” She said, hardly audible over the silence of the room.

Moments passed, and Conner seemed to have frozen in his seat. Tessa braved looking at him, and needless to say he looked surprised. He seemed to be searching for his voice and when he found it, he tried to use it.

“Tessa…”

She was looking at him so intently that he had to stop and stare. What exactly was she asking for? He wondered. If she was trying to seduce him, it was working. And as if she could read his mind, she answered the question that he was asking himself.

“You’ve seen me.” She whispered, “I want to see you, Conner.”

Conner swallowed, suddenly uncharacteristically nervous as he closed his eyes and felt her kissing him. With anyone else, Conner probably wouldn’t have hesitated, but with Tessa he wanted every single moment to mean something. It had been a long day and he was afraid that her emotions were getting the better of her, but was that really such a bad thing?

“Please.”

Shit, how could he say no to that? The sweet tone in her voice, the sincerity in her eyes. Hell, she had had him the moment that she said ‘shower’ and he had started to picture her naked with the water running over her body. Conner felt his twitching organ demanding to come out just thinking about it. He parted his lips to say something but closed his mouth when he realized that it had mysteriously gone dry. He squeezed her hand, trying to give her his answer silently and she seemed to understand, as she got up and pulled him along with her.

When they reached the stairs Conner seemed to have found some of his bearings and he suddenly pulled her back into his arms, bringing his mouth down and softly kissing her. Tessa smiled at him and they silently traveled up the stairs with Desy at their heals, and then closed the door on the disappointed puppy after entering the bathroom.

Conner didn’t hesitate to kick off his shoes as he watched Tessa turn on the water, using her wrist to check the temperature before she adjusted it. When the water was at a preferable temperature she turned back to see Conner was smiling at her and she felt herself blush again.

“I’ve never done this with another person before.” Tessa admitted.

Conner took a step forward and kissed her forehead.

“Neither have I.” He smiled.

Tessa did nothing to hide her surprise as she stared at him questioningly.

“Never? But you were married, Conner.”

“My ex wife never liked company in the shower.” He shrugged.

“Oh…so what should we do?”

Conner smiled at her again and she watched as he gripped the bottom of his shirt and began to lift it, stopping when he heard her voice.

“Conner, can I do that?” she asked shyly.

He released his shirt and looked at her, nodding slowly.

Tessa began to chew her lip as she reached out with timid hands, watching his chest heave with a long breath as she took hold of his shirt and gently lifted it. Conner raised his arms for her and bent his knees to duck down as she pulled the fabric over his head, and then he laughed as he watched her fold his shirt and neatly place it on the counter. He smiled when she was finished and stepped forward, keeping his dark eyes on Tessa’s expectant ones. She didn’t object as he carefully lifted her shirt, allowing his thumbs to graze her breasts as he slipped it over her head, and then he mockingly folded her shirt to imitate her actions.

Tessa shook her head at him and stepped forward again. He watched her hands as they found the button on his jeans and she carefully opened his pants, easing the zipper down as she pulled the material away from his body with care. He never had to ask her to be careful, his erection had not gone unnoticed by Tessa. She stepped even closer as she began to ease the jeans over his narrow hips and muscular flanks. She looked up at him. Conner dipped his head down and kissed her as his hands wound around her back and unhooked her bra. 

Tessa shifted to remove the only piece of material separating his eager hands from her breasts and Conner stepped out of his jeans, pushing them back with his foot before Tessa could decide that she wanted to fold them too. He pulled her bra from her arms and disregarded it in the same manner. His hands were warm when they cupped her breasts and she leaned into him, gently sighing as he rolled her nipples between his fingers. She brought her hands to wander his chest. Her mouth kissed his neck, working up to his ear where she gently nibbled his lobe.

Conner reached for Tessa’s jeans, expertly opening them and pushing them from her hips. He got them down to her knees before he lost patience and pushed down her panties, causing Tessa to nearly trip in the process. She gripped his shoulders for support and laughed as she regained her balance. Conner looked at her with an apologetic grin as he decided to slow down, carefully helping her out of her jeans and then panties. 

Her nudity didn’t seem to bother her now, she didn’t try to hide any part of her from him and Conner appreciated it. He let his hands roam over her skin, tracing the undersides of her breasts with his thumbs and wandering to her back, no longer noticing scars while pulling her firmly against him as he cupped her bottom. 

He touched her everywhere he could, and then slowly ran his fingers down the path between her breasts, down her navel and over her soft mound, feeling her shiver as he cupped her member, and pleased because there was already the wetness of her arousal.

Tessa leaned into him for a moment, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling, but then pushed him back. Conner looked disappointed and almost worried for a moment. He obviously didn’t understand her motives until her eyes fell over his boxers. He was then taken aback by the mischievous look on her face as her fingers hooked in his underwear.

“Fairs fair.” She whispered, and then blushed over her own lack of coyness.

Conner smiled and decided to stand perfectly still. It was her turn to explore him and that was what she had wanted in the first place. The least he could do was be patient. Besides, at the moment he was feeling somewhat nervous, and the nervousness over Tessa seeing him was unexpected, but like she had said, it was only fair. Although, the look of seriousness crossing her face as she went about unwrapping him only added to Conner’s jumbled nerves. He was suddenly worried about what she would think of him. Tessa didn’t seem to notice his concern as she went about her task, causing him to shutter as she carefully eased his boxers over his throbbing member. 

There was absolutely nothing he could do to hide his arousal and all he could do was hope that he wasn’t blushing as her eyes fixated an his most private part, standing erect against his belly as she eased it’s confines down.

Tessa took in the sight of Conner’s bare hips, and what was between them. His skin there was lighter than the rest of him, and she found him oddly attractive. Oddly, because she would never have thought of a man’s organ as attractive, but Conner’s was, long and hard, and even the dark curls surrounding it seemed beautiful in their own way.

Conner shivered as she bent slightly in front of him, working his boxers down. He felt her soft breath on his male appendage and clenched his fists for a moment, keeping control as he stepped out of the remainder of his clothes. He straightened himself and waited, watching as Tessa took the time to look him over. She suddenly drew closer to him, and he wrapped her in his arms, their bodies pressing together tightly, and the feeling of skin on skin was nearly intoxicating as she pressed her body into his organ, holding it between them as Conner lowered his head and kissed her again until she took his hand and led him towards the shower.

Conner watched Tessa step in first, her hair swaying at her waist and her pale bottom as she moved. She released Conner’s hand to reach for the soap as he stepped in, and she made sure that he had enough room to fit under the mist of water that they shared.

Conner wasn’t sure what to expect now, but he wasn’t expecting it when she poured soap into her hands and turned to wash him. She didn’t use a sponge, just her hands, hands he was happy to have on his body. He brought his hands to her sides and let his fingers slide gently over her wet skin as she began to lather him, running her hands down his sides, stepping closer as her hands found their way around him and her nails gently pressed against his ass, causing Conner to writhe in surprise, inhaling a gasp and bringing a smile to Tessa’s lips because she knew that he liked it. He kissed her before she could laugh at him, his hands working through her hair until she stepped back, forcing his hands away.

Tessa continued to let her lathered hands roam; still shy of his male sex, she avoided it, driving him insane while she eagerly touched everything else, running her hands down his legs, between his thighs and sending shivers through him every time her nails teased his skin.

Conner reached for her but she gently pushed his arms back down, guiding his body around her to place him directly under the water to rinse away the soap she had applied. She ran her hands over his body just as she had when she applied the soap, and when he tried to touch her again she led his arms back to his sides for the second time.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 07



Conner took the hint and kept his hands to himself. It was torture, not touching her, but he understood what she wanted, she wanted to touch him and he was all too willing to oblige. Still, keeping his hands to himself was easier said than done. She was stunning as the shower drenched her, her hair stuck to her skin in long strands and he wanted to lick every tiny drop of water from her skin. Obviously, Tessa had the same thoughts as he did because as she moved in closer, her tongue fluttered over his nipple, and then the other.

Conner let out a soft groan and closed his eyes as she pushed him further under the water, it poured over his head and ran down his face, the drops tickling his skin as Tessa kissed and licked at his chest, gently teasing his nipple between her teeth as her hands moved over his ass, drawing their bodies together as his organ rubbed against her belly.

Conner inadvertently shifted his hips, pressing his member against her skin, letting it softly rub, and it was all he could do to keep from reaching for his own body and pounding himself into relief, or better yet, her body. And almost on cue, Tessa’s small fingers wrapped around his shaft and he groaned in approval as his eyes snapped open, not minding the water pouring over them. He loved the way she was touching him as she stroked the length of his shaft, feeling the velvety texture of his erection, but what really got his attention was the way she was looking at him, drinking him in and adoring his body with her eyes.

“Your making me crazy.” He informed her after another thwarted attempt to touch her.

“Good.” She smiled.

Conner couldn’t help it; he lifted his hands and cradled her face, tilting her eyes until they locked on him. Her blue frames seemed hazy yet intent, like she was seeing right through him. He felt a warm tingle deep in his chest, filling him and drawing his attention to a place that he didn’t realize had been empty up until this moment. His own feelings seemed to come crashing down on him. He had known that he wanted Tessa in every way, but even with his heart leading him, he hadn't been ready to say it. He had been fearful of her response. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. ‘I love you Tessa.’ that is what he wanted to say, but to say it now would be a mistake, he didn’t want her to mistake it for lust, he wanted her to know that he meant it.

“No one has ever looked at me like that before.” He murmured.

“I’ve never…” Tessa responded in a shaky voice, “I’ve never looked at anyone like this.”

Conner brought his lips over hers, feeling her tongue on his lips before he even reached her. He gave her a hot, wet kiss, closing his eyes as she licked the water cascading down his face. He brought his hands to her waist but she guided them back to his sides again and he didn’t fight it. She needed the control and he was willing to give it to her. He closed his eyes and allowed her to take over his body, stroking his length again as he controlled his hips from thrusting into her hand. 

“Tessa.” he sighed as she ran her thumb over the head of his erection, sending shivers through his body. 

Her hands began to wander again, touching every part of him as she bestowed wet kisses over his body, tasting the water on his freshly cleansed skin. She began to move down along his abdomen, kissing at each of his hips, driving him wild with her teasing. He closed his eyes again but they snapped open as he felt her tongue come in contact with his member, running up his length as her hands gripped his hips and pulled him closer.

Tessa had never felt so close to anyone in her entire life, and suddenly she had wanted to touch and taste every inch of Conner. She opened her mouth and fitted her lips tightly around the head of his erection and began to slowly suckle. 

He reached for her again but stopped, remembering her silent wishes, as she licked and suckled his aching erection. Her hands moved around him again, gripping his ass as his muscles flexed. He resisted the urge not to thrust into her mouth. She brought her lips only another inch down his shaft, her tongue fluttered around the head and it was enough as Conner’s head fell back and his breathing began to quicken. His hips shifted but he kept control of his own actions, letting Tessa lead.

She found it a pleasant feeling to have him in her mouth as she slowly settled on her knees. She didn’t feel threatened that he might loose control, so she let her mouth and her tongue stroke him as she pleased. She could hear his breathing as it became heavier, and his hand in her hair, his fingers only gently touching her in encouragement.

Tessa lifted her mouth from his organ as he groaned a muffled protest. She began to lick and gently nip at his body again; showering him with attention that he only wanted more of. He wanted to touch her, he needed to touch her, and finally he did, pulling her close and running his hands over her body as he greedily brought his mouth to hers, kissing the air out of her. She welcomed his touching this time, holding his hand momentarily over her breast when he found it, understanding what he wanted.

Tessa let him explore her body as she found her way around his, sinking into him as his hand trailed between her thighs, cupping her aroused sex and gently inserting a finger as she, in turn, stroked his velvety shaft. Tessa moaned against him as he sensually kissed her face, with eyes closed, he missed her mouth a few times before he found it and she slowly kissed him back, nipping at his bottom lip but not in a harmful way.

Conner groaned as she tightened her grip on his organ and stroked him again as her free arm snaked around his back. As she guided his body to turn, he followed her lead, turning his back to her and giving her the control she wanted, still objecting though, as she released his erection. 

A strong trembling overtook him as her fingers raked down his back and his ass, and as his already shaking legs began to give, he braced himself on the shower wall, holding himself up as he felt her naked body press into his back and her arms came around him, nails sending chills up his sides before her fingers moved to his chest and worked their way down until she had gripped his shaft again with one hand, using the other to curiously massage his balls. 

Conner released a whimpered moan as he lost the resistance he had; his ass flexed as he thrust forward into her hand and he felt her hot, careful mouth on his back, kissing and licking him. His arms flexed and pushed against the wall and he fought his hips to remain still as she began to stroke his length a little faster. He wanted to remain in her control, give his body over to her and enjoy the feeling for as long as he could.

“Tessa…” Conner wasn’t sure what he had planned to say; it all came out in a muffled groan as her grip tightened and her teeth gently nipped at his side. “Shit.”

Tessa closed her eyes and smiled as she leaned harder against him, teasing his balls as she stroked him, and gently nuzzling her face against his back, every once in a while opening her mouth to taste him as the water washed over them both. Her efforts to please him seemed to increase as he finally lost control and thrust into her hand, she felt her own breathing growing heavier as the velvety organ slid against her slippery fingers, and as she listened to the soft mewling escaping Conner’s throat. 

Something about feeling his breathing and his body’s reaction to her brought excitement, she found herself pushing her own hips forward, tightening her hold on him as if it could release her own ache. Conner’s hand came down to meet hers over his erection, rubbing her hand until their finger’s laced and teased together. She let her hand sink under his as he guided her hand against his body.

The sounds coming from Conner turned into a long groan as she felt his body tighten. She held closely to him as his head fell back towards her and his organ twitched in her hand as it expelled his seed in hot bursts against the shower wall, his chest, and their hands. 

When Conner was spent he stood on shaky knees for a moment, his body trembling in a satisfied exhaustion and he listed to Tessa’s breathing and felt her body heaving against his back. When he regained his strength he slowly turned towards her with a relieved haze over his eyes and he quickly lowered his head to kiss her. He caught her tongue with his mouth and used the opportunity to touch what she denied him before, cupping her breasts as he brought his mouth down and drew one of the small marbles into his mouth, Tessa shivered and held onto him, afraid that she might suddenly loose her balance.

Tessa slowly pushed back as her hand touched a spot of seed on his chest and the desire to taste him overwhelmed her again. She tentatively leaned forward and licked the semen from his chest, working her tongue over his nipple again. Tessa was surprised that the taste of him did not at all seem unpleasant, and she assumed that Conner would agree, the way that he kissed her afterwards.

Tessa closed her eyes and submitted to his eager mouth, content that she had pleased him. She wasn’t at all expecting it when his hand made the trail down her body, over her breasts and then moving over the path to her soft mound. His finger carefully entered her, stroking her small nub and pushing into her member. Tessa gasped against his mouth as pleasure almost instantly tore through her, she had been aroused and now he was pushing her over the edge. She felt suddenly weak as she spent her own body, and he was quick to catch her in his arms as she finished, pulling her into another drawn out kiss.

Conner would have loved to think that he could explore her all day and night, but he was suddenly very tired, and Tessa seemed to be the same. They held and caressed each other in the shower for a while longer before leaving the comfort of the warm water and taking the time to dry one another.

Conner loved that Tessa seemed so much more alive now, as if some terrible burden had been lifted from her, but as alive as she seemed, the experiences of the day had worn her out, so once again he dressed her in his t-shirt and they went to bed for an afternoon nap, somewhat hungry for dinner but too tired to do anything about it.

Desy had not appreciated being left in the hall and the excited puppy followed them to the bedroom where Tessa locked everyone in. Being too small to climb onto the bed, Tessa helped the puppy up and Conner laughed at her for spoiling the dog, but he didn’t argue because Tessa pressed against him, refusing to let anything, including a cute German shepherd puppy get between them, even while they slept. ………….

Tessa heard something in her sleep, the piercing sound of an obnoxious ring. Her alarm clock? No. The phone. She opened her eyes into the dark room, noticing Conner’s warm arm around her. She turned into him, holding him closer as if his body against hers could comfort and make the obnoxious sound stop.

She was about to close her eyes again, after all, if Conner could sleep through the noise, why couldn’t she? Okay, so she couldn’t, and when Desy started to lick her face she forced herself to wake up.

Pushing the puppy away, she carefully eased herself away from Conner, tucking him in again and taking the time to kiss his face, not really caring if the phone wasn’t still ringing by the time she got to it. Conner smiled in his sleep when she kissed him, but he looked far from being able to wake up with her.

Tessa went to her door, feeling Desy at her feet. For such a small creature, his presence was a comfort as she unlocked the bedroom door and peered out into the dark hallway. She moved into the hall, heading towards her office, the ring of the telephone getting louder as she drew closer.

It was still ringing when she flicked on the office light and noticed the clock. It was one o'clock in the morning. Tessa was suddenly alarmed. Who called this late? She reached the phone, wishing that she were downstairs where she had caller I.D. she cleared the sleep from her voice as she lifted the phone and then tiredly answered.

“Hello.”

Silence. Desy panted at her feet, and she found her ear straining to listen into the phone, waiting, waiting for any response. It was taking too long, and then, it sounded like someone was exhaling, smoke maybe? Tessa felt rattled, and without saying another word she slammed the phone onto the receiver. 

She sank into her office chair, trying to calm her nerves. It was late, dark outside, of course she was feeling a little bothered by a late night phone call, she thought. But everything was fine. Maybe it was a wrong number, or a bad connection. It shouldn’t matter, her doors were locked, she was safe, and Conner was in her bed. She would feel better when she got back to him.

Another ring. This one louder, making her jump. When Tessa lifted the phone she heard the panic in her own voice.

“Hello?”

“Tess?”

Tessa felt the panic fall from her body. Her heartbeat slowed and she sank into the chair with the phone to her ear.

“Kat?” she responded, “What…God, never mind. Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Sorry.” Katrina laughed, “You okay? You sound a little stressed out.”

“Hmm, what do you want Kat?”

“Well, I’m sort of in the neighborhood, I’m just leaving this party, and since I’m so close, I thought I could stop by.”

“No.”

“Oh come on Tessa, we could have some girl time. Besides, I’m starving, I’ll even stop and get the bacon.”

“I hate bacon.” Tessa frowned.

“But you’re good at cooking it.” Katrina chirped, “So what do you think, can I come over?”

“So I can cook you breakfast?” 

“Uh-huh.”

Tessa ran her fingers through her hair and closed her eyes for a moment. Leave it to her sister to find a way to be annoying any time, night or day.

“Look, I’m not exactly… I have company Katrina.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone and Tessa tried to picture her sister’s bewildered expression as she processed that information.

“I’m coming over.” Katrina stated, “I’ll bring the bacon.”

Before Tessa could protest her sister had hung up the phone. God she hated it when her family had to butt in. No doubt that an interrogation was coming when Katrina got there. Oh well, maybe they could keep it quiet enough to keep Conner from waking up.

………….. Conner felt conscious enough, but he couldn’t seem to open his eyes, they still had the heavy filling of sleep covering them. He wanted to roll over, block out all feeling of consciousness, but he had awakened for a reason. His stomach ached and there was the scent of food in the air, which right away, told him that he was not in his own bed.

He smiled to himself, even before he opened his eyes as the recent memories of Tessa came back. The scent of food told him that she was no longer in bed with him, but he still reached for her and he still felt disappointed when her place on the bed was found vacant. Not finding her there was also enough to get him to open his eyes.

A moment of confusion came over him when he saw the clock and found that it was two o'clock in the morning. He had been almost certain that it was well after sunrise, but instead it was the middle of the night.

As he sat up, still half expecting to Tessa in the room. He noticed that the door was open and a dim light was coming somewhere from downstairs. He staggered out of bed and headed for the door, turning back when he remembered that he hadn't put on any cloths since their shower. He decided his boxers were enough; chances were, the moment he found Tessa he would be going right back to sleep, hopefully with her next to him.

He made his way down the stairs, slowly finding his way to the kitchen as he rubbed his eyes and tried to adjust to the oncoming light. He smiled down as Desy came running towards him and he continued on his way until he stopped in the kitchen and smiled as he watched Tessa flip some bacon in the pan over the stove. Her back was to him and she was still wearing his t-shirt along with a pair of sweat pants. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Tessa spoke first, without bothering to look.

“You know, if you’re going to ask for breakfast in the middle of the night you could have asked for pancakes.” She sighed, “It would have saved you a trip to the store and I wouldn’t have to gag while I watch you eat this stuff.”

Conner arched his brow, wondering what the hell she was talking about. 

“Unless I started talking in my sleep, I don’t think I asked you to abandon me at two in the morning to come down here and make bacon.” He smiled.

Tessa nearly jumped out of her skin as she spun around, dropping the spatula and nearly pulling the frying pan from the stove, and then she jumped to avoid the spattering grease. She was definitely surprised to see him, but what Conner wanted to know, was why? He quickly closed the distance between them and steadied the pan, urging Tessa away from the stove before she burned herself.

“Conner?”

“Jesus, are you alright?” he asked, “I didn’t mean to scare you. What are you doing?”

Tessa groaned as she lifted the spatula away from Desy, who was already lapping the grease from it. 

“Sorry,” she sighed, “I thought you were…”

“Ah, so that’s the attraction.” Katrina’s voice came, causing even Conner to jump as he spun around and glared at the younger sister, who was shamelessly looking him over and reminding him that he was walking around in his underwear, “Well Tessa has always had good taste in men. You certainly are as pretty as she likes them, handy man.”

“Shut up Kat.” Tessa scolded, and then gave Conner an apologetic smile. “Katrina called a few hours ago, she was in the area, so…” Tessa shrugged and then smiled at Conner, “You know, you can sleep through anything. You didn’t even wake up when the phone rang.”

Conner forced a smile and shook his head.

“I’m going to go put pants on.” He announced.

“Please, don’t bother on my account.” Katrina teased, “It’s not like you have anything I haven't seen.”

“You haven't seen anything that I have.” Conner retorted.

They turned to Tessa as she released a frustrated groan.

“Well since everyone’s up I might as well make a real breakfast.” She sighed, and then looked suddenly concerned as her eyes fell on Conner. “You’re not leaving, are you? It’s late, and…”

Conner smiled and gently kissed her cheek.

“I’ll be right back.” he told her, “And if you’re still offering pancakes, I’ll be back even sooner.”

Tessa smiled back, and as if completely oblivious to the fact that they had an audience, she wrapped her arms around him as he kissed her.

Katrina rolled her eyes as she watched, gently lifting the mysterious new puppy from the ground as she took a seat at the table. She gave them a few seconds before making her gagging sound, effectively separating her sister from the overnight guest that Katrina was surprised to see here in the first place.

“Whose puppy?” Katrina asked. “You never did say, Tess.”

“Conner’s.” Tessa said a little too quickly.

Conner glanced at her, and vaguely understood what she was doing. It seemed Tessa didn’t want her family to know what she had been up to. He found it strange, he thought that they’d be ecstatic to discover she had gone outside. But obviously Tessa had her reasons for not wanting them to know, so he decided to play along.

“Yea, mine.” He agreed, giving Tessa another quick kiss before retreating to find his pants.

Katrina held Desy for another moment and then put him down as she watched Conner disappear, and then she turned to Tessa, lowering her voice.

“What’s going on with you?” Katrina demanded.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Tessa shrugged, turning to gather the items needed for a more efficient breakfast than just the bacon.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 07



“You know what I mean.” Katrina insisted, “How long has he been staying over here? I know you said you were dating but…”

“Kat, just drop it, please? We took a nap this afternoon and we never woke up, that’s all.”

“And why did you need a nap in the first place?” Katrina smiled.

“Kat! Jesus! Isn’t it supposed to be the older sister’s job to torment the younger one? Not the other way around!”

“You did torment me.” Katrina laughed and then left her seat to help Tessa with the cooking. “This is payback.”

“Well I’m not talking.” Tessa huffed, “It’s none of your business.”

“Fine.” Katrina sighed, “I’ll just ask Conner when he comes back.”

“Don’t you dare!”

Katrina smiled at Tessa and reached out to briefly touch her older sister’s face.

“God, look at you, Tess.”

“What?” Tessa demanded.

“You’re happy.” Katrina shrugged. “So I guess…Conner, he’s pretty great huh?”

Tessa didn’t have to answer; her smile was answer enough. Katrina shook her head and released an exaggerated sigh, but turned serious when Tessa seemed to.

“He really is, Kat.”

Katrina watched as Tessa stared straight ahead, becoming lost in her own thought. Katrina also recognized the look of self-doubt that crossed her sister’s face and she quickly reached out and put an arm around Tessa.

“Hey,” Katrina smiled, “It’s alright to be happy, you know. And… I’m happy if you are. But seriously Tessa, if you really like him, it’s okay to be happy. You know that, right?”

Tessa let out a breath and slowly turned her blank gaze on her sister.

“I am happy Kat.” She admitted, “I am. I like Conner and I’m happy. But isn’t this about the time, when things start to go wrong? When I’m happy?”

Katrina opened her mouth to protest but never got the chance as Conner returned and Tessa quickly turned back to her cooking. Katrina lifted some eggs to help, bringing her own work back to the table as she watched Conner stalking Tessa as he attempted to help her with the pancakes. At least the way he looked at Tessa was sincere enough. And he could make Tessa laugh. God, Katrina sighed to herself, he could make her laugh. She only hoped that it would last, for Tessa’s sake.



Lady Hideaway Ch. 08



Conner sat up straight in his usual chair across from Tessa at the dinner table. They had finished eating almost an hour ago, but the plates were still in front of them and Tessa was still poking at a piece of carrot with her fork, staring blankly at the glass of water in front of her. 

Her long locks of strawberry blonde hair was tied neatly behind her back, a few stray strands against her face, trailing down over her shoulders. The expression she wore was one that seemed unreadable to Conner, but he noticed that every once in a while her face would twist into a scowl- but only for a second before that blank look took over again. He wasn't really sure what to make of her current demeanor, or how to proceed. He was getting worried.

She had been like that for at least twenty minutes. 

Not a word, not a glance in his direction. He had tried to talk to her the first five minutes of this 'mood' she was in, but gave up when it seemed like everything he said irritated her. She seemed to stab into the carrot a little harder every time he spoke.

But she wasn't angry, although, all of her body language and the silent treatment may have said otherwise. Conner knew better. Tessa was struggling. He had learned early on that she tended to pull away when something upset her. At the moment, Tessa was trying to avoid just that. She was attempting to gain control of her emotions, and sort out what it was that had brought this on in the first place.

Tessa's current uneasiness was Conner's fault and he knew it. But he wasn't about to apologize for it. When he brought up the idea of spending a three-day weekend with Tessa he hadn't exactly been expecting her positive reaction, but that's exactly what he got. Tessa thought it was a great idea, so for a few moments Conner felt relived. They hadn't really spent so much time together before. He had slept over a few times, but eventually Conner would go home or go to work. He thought that three whole days, uninterrupted might have seemed like too much for Tessa. 

But it wasn't. Tessa had been looking forward to the idea, and even decided to take an extra day from her usual work on Monday so they could spend the time together. It was Conner's next suggestion that brought on the silent treatment, even if she wasn't purposely trying to block him out. Tessa just needed to think.

Conner had spent the last week thinking about his relationship with Tessa. It was a relationship, but not like the ones he had in the past. In some ways, that was a good thing. In other ways, it could be bothersome. He knew that Tessa had grown a lot since he had first encountered her, and maybe he shouldn't press the issue, but damn it, he was ready for more. 

Conner loved going to her house, sharing her secluded little world with her. He loved that he knew that she'd always be there, and he loved that when he was there, with Tessa, they shared their own private world, if he didn't count the surprise visits Katrina seemed to be making more frequently. But the younger sister was growing on Conner, if only a little bit. Conner considered Katrina the obnoxious sister he never wanted. Regardless of small setbacks, Conner was happy with Tessa, but it wasn't enough to just share her little world, he wanted her to share his life too.

The idea of asking Tessa to go away for a weekend seemed out of the question, although Conner could still use the vacation. But regardless, he knew he wanted to spend the time with her. Only, he wanted to do it somewhere else. He would have preferred somewhere where the weather wasn't over ninety degrees. Maybe a nice trip to the mountains. But obviously, mountains were out where Tessa was concerned. He'd managed to get her to go outside into her yard but he doubted that he could get her in his truck and on a road trip. So Conner suggested the next best thing, somewhere where he thought she'd be comfortable. He asked her to come home with him.

As far as Conner was concerned, it wasn't an unreasonable request. For Tessa, leaving her house at all was unreasonable. The moment Conner mentioned it her doubts about their relationship entered her mind again, but Conner had waved them away. He made it clear that he was only asking her to think about it. He also pointed out that he wasn't asking her to go cross-country, just over a few blocks. He insisted that he could bring her back any time she wanted, he just wanted her to see where he lived.

Tessa, for her part, had started to object at the beginning but he had cut her off to go into his speech. By the time he was finished she was abusing the carrot and was entirely non responsive when he spoke to her again. Conner decided that he would be patient. He probably would have rethought being patient if he had known he would be worriedly staring at her for twenty minutes while she seemed to shut down.

Conner finally sighed and cleared his plate from the table. By the time he washed his plate, filled Desy's water bowl and looked back, Tessa was still in the same position, only she was now just holding the fork, and had decided to have mercy on the leftovers. He decided that the silence had gone on long enough and as he moved back to the table he gently dropped his hand on her shoulder. Tessa startled and dropped the fork as she spun around to glare at him. She knew he was there but she hadn't been paying attention, and he still managed to surprise her. She more annoyed with herself than Conner for this.

"Sorry." Conner mumbled and began to pull his hand back, but before he could, Tessa placed her and over his and urged him to stay. She smiled, but it was somewhat forced, Conner could tell.

Tessa shook her head.

"I'm sorry Conner, I was just thinking."

"About what?" he asked as he helped her from her seat. Tessa glared at him again, because he knew full well 'about what.' 

"I just need more time Conner." She stated. "I told you before, I don't know if I'll ever be ready to leave here. It's become safe to me, not that I don't trust you, but...I guess I'm not so sure I'm ready to see what the rest of the world has turned into in the last five years."

"It's not the rest of the world Tessa." he laughed, "It's just my house."

"I know, and a big part of me wants to go with you...but another part, I guess I don't know if I'm ready, or if I ever will be. I don't expect you to wait Conner..."

He quickly cut her off with a finger on her lips and tried not to sound as frustrated as he felt.

"I'll wait." He said flatly. "If you're not ready, fine. I already told you that I'd be just as happy to spend this weekend here with you. But that doesn't mean that I'll stop asking. I want to take you home with me. There are so many things that I'm ready to share with you, including my home. I know you're scared, but I'm not. Whether you think so or not, you'll be ready Tessa, one day, you will, and I'll still be around when that happens."

Tessa's next smile was less forced, but she still seemed troubled. She believed that Conner believed he'd still be around, but she was less optimistic. She cared for him more than she ever thought possible, but she was well aware that their relationship could only go so far unless she started to give Conner more of what he needed. After all, she couldn't imagine putting up with her if she was in his position. 

It wasn't like he had made a huge request, Tessa thought. In fact, something as small as going to his house was completely reasonable, at least it would be in most situations. And Conner had already done so much for her by just being himself. She desperately wished that she could be there for him, just as he was for her. But she was afraid, and she hated that her fear could destroy the present most meaningful relationship in her life. If only she could give him this one thing, the only thing he had ever even asked her for...

Tessa was pulled out of her thoughts when Conner dropped both hands on her shoulders and slid them down her back as he pulled her closer. She sighed and leaned into him, burying her face against his chest. She felt safe every time he held her, so why was she so afraid?

"Let's not worry about it any more tonight." Conner insisted, "You'll let me know when you're ready."

After a few moments she tiredly nodded into his chest.

"Conner?"

"Hmm?"

"You'll still stay here tonight, wont you?"

He pushed her back slightly and smiled down at her before dropping his lips over hers and teasing her to open before his tongue gently explored her mouth. Slowly Tessa closed her eyes and Conner felt her begin to relax against him. He tightened his grip on her to hold her up, even though he was beginning to feel a little weak in the knees himself.

"You're stuck with me." Conner smiled as he gathered her close and hugged her again.

"Good." Tessa sighed, and then gently pushed off of him and grabbed his hand. "Lets go to bed."

Conner glanced towards the clock over the stove and laughed.

"It's only seven o'clock Tessa, I hope you don't want to sleep away the whole weekend."

Tessa briefly glanced over her shoulder as she led him from the kitchen, but it was long enough for Conner to notice the blush that had warmed her face.

"Who said anything about sleeping?" Tessa softly replied.

Conner swallowed and refrained from further comment. Tessa always seemed to surprise him when he least expected it. Maybe that was because so far he had allowed their relationship to progress at Tessa's pace. He didn't want to pressure her into anything that she wasn't ready for, and he felt slightly troubled as he wondered what she had planned and why. In no way did he want her to do something because she felt guilty about not wanting to go home with him.

Once Tessa had securely locked them in her room and turned to face Conner he was looking at her with a questioning gaze, but seemed to be debating whether or not to say anything. Tessa's smile slowly faded and she took a step forward.

"What?" she asked accusingly.

Conner looked momentarily surprised but then smiled.

"Sorry." He sighed, "I just want to make sure that you don't think you have to do anything that you're not ready..."

"Conner," Tessa interrupted, "I just got through telling you what I'm not ready for." She sounded frustrated, but caught herself and then smiled again, "Look Conner, what you said earlier...you don't care where we are, you just want to spend the weekend together, well, I want to spend it together too. I guess I'd just rather do it here. That doesn't mean I wont think about what you asked me. But right now, I don't want to think about it."

Conner studied her for a moment before he let out a breath and nodded. He decided that he was thinking way too much. He had Tessa for three days and he should be enjoying it. He held out his hand for her, letting her know that he wasn't about to argue and she happily took it and pulled him towards her bed.

Conner cleared his throat to get her attention and then smiled.

"What did you mean exactly, about not sleeping?" he asked.

Tessa blushed, causing his grin to widen, but she quickly recovered by rolling her eyes and commenting, "Do I need to write out directions for you?"

Conner's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something as she started to giggle, but instead he settled for tackling her onto the bed while his fingers mercilessly tickled her. As Tessa laughed and squirmed beneath him Conner decided that he would have to tickle her more often. He liked the effect. He liked it more when she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, and she continued kissing him until his tickling turned into soft caresses and relaxed cuddling. They only pulled away when it became essential to breathe again.

Conner caught himself staring at her as he lightly hovered. He realized that he stared a lot, but he didn't blame himself. Tessa really was beautiful, as far as Conner was concerned. He noticed more beauty in her every time he saw her, and at the moment she was looking at him just as intensely, her face was flushed and her hair had fallen loose, and the small smile curling her lips said a million things to Conner. He was so busy staring at her, thinking about how lucky he felt that he only half paid attention when she spoke again.

"I know I'm not ready for a lot of things Conner." Tessa said, "But, when I'm with you, I want to be. I love you."

Conner blinked, and then just stared again. For a second there he thought that he had imagined her words. He watched as Tessa chewed her lip, silently, and then as she shifted nervously and a concerned look crossed her face. It was about then that Conner realized his face had gone blank and he quickly shifted his weight and leaned on his elbow as Tessa sat up to face him.

"Sorry." He smiled, "You just surprised me."

"Oh." Tessa frowned. "Okay."

Conner shook his head and quickly grabbed her hand before she could make an escape, and it looked like she might do that at any moment. 

"I love you too." Conner blurted, sitting up with her, "I was surprised because I always figured that I would be the one to say it first, and even then, I didn't exactly expect you to say it back," Tessa frowned, so he quickly added, "not right away, at least."

Tessa studied him for a minute and then smiled and leaned forward to gently kiss his cheek.

"I love you Conner." She whispered to him.

Conner leaned his forehead against hers and felt himself melt. He had forgotten how it felt to hear those three words from someone who felt the same way he did.

"I love you, Tessa."

Tessa tilted her head and gently pressed her lips over his, it was a gentle but lingering kiss and Conner found himself wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer. He closed his eyes and when their lips parted their faces were still lightly touching. Tessa sighed and he shivered as her hands moved up his chest and rested on his shoulders.

"Then make love to me, please."

Conner pulled back briefly enough to look her in the eye, but that was all it took before he was kissing her again. His hands moved through her hair and down her back, resting on her bottom as they moved onto their knees. Conner gripped the bottom of Tessa's shirt and she helped him lift it over her head before he gathered her in his arms again.

Tessa leaned back on the mattress, pulling Conner with her as he sealed his mouth over hers again, lifting her thigh as he settled between her legs and his hands gently moved over the thin material of her bra. Her fingers wandered up his shirt and he shivered as her nails moved over his chest as she slowly worked the material up until Conner moved away to remove it completely as he shifted a bit and kicked off his shoes at the same time.

He caught Tessa's eyes and as if he had spoken, she quickly sat up and leaned into him, tilting her head and dropping light kisses over his jaw line to his ear as he unhooked her bra and slid it off her arms before gently cupping her breasts, rolling her nipples as they became firm between his fingers. 

Tessa sighed as his mouth found hers again and his tongue thrust into her, beginning another exploration. Her hands moved over his bare skin, tracing the contours of his chest and moved down his navel until she met the bulge in his jeans. She fondled him for a moment before reaching for the button, but by the time Tessa found the zipper Conner suddenly pulled back and grabbed her hands to stop her.

"Crap." he groaned.

"What?" Tessa frowned, obviously confused.

"Just...crap. Wait here." Conner insisted.

Tessa glared at him suspiciously, somewhat hurt as he pulled away. He saw the look on her face and quickly went back to her, kissing her hard as he guided her back to the pillows.

"I just need to get something." Conner explained, "Just stay right there." he smiled reassuringly and then after another quick kiss moved to the door, unlocked it, and disappeared down the hall.

Conner moved down the stairs two at a time, trying to ignore the pain his jeans were inflicting on his hard member as he quickly buttoned his pants again and went through the house. He made it out the front door and paused momentarily once outside. The sun hadn't quite set yet and there were people out. It just then occurred to him that he was shirtless, barefoot and obviously on display as a few of the neighbors and waved to him. At least two whistled. 

Instead of running back inside, Conner decided to put on his happy face, which wasn't very hard really, and he quickly moved to his truck where he dug through the glove compartment for a few minutes before realizing that what he was looking for wasn't there. He looked annoyed for a moment but after reaching under his seat, and finding the box he was looking for, he smiled and moved back to the house as fast as he could.

By the time Conner reached the bedroom again, he almost expected to find Tessa gone, why, he couldn't imagine. It was a senseless concern he discovered, when he found her sitting on the end of the bed wearing nothing but her white panties. He breathlessly smiled at her and dropped the unopened box of condoms on the bed as an explanation before he moved towards her, dropping and stepping out of his pants as he went.

Tessa smiled again and reached for his hand, pulling him back down over her again as she scooted further onto the bed until they were in their original positions and Conner kissed her as he comfortably settled between her legs. His hands moved slowly over her, teasing her skin. His fingers traced around her nipples, causing her to arch slightly towards him, throwing her head back as his mouth moved over her neck and her fingers moved through his hair, cradling the back of his head.

Conner moved his hand over her breasts again, down her naval and gently cupped her mound, coaxing her thighs to part further; he moved his index finger over her panties, tracing the moist folds of her member. Tessa took in a sharp breath and her hips arched towards him in encouragement as she cupped his face and drug his mouth back to hers, nibbling his lips until he opened and plunged his tongue into her mouth, continuing to trace her entrance through her underwear.

He felt her breathing as it quickened and buried his face into her neck, gently suckling as her arms moved around him and her body arched up, her breasts pressing against his chest as if she were attempting to somehow mold them together, her hips lifting, wanting more than his teasing hand.

Conner smiled at her again and gently kissed her mouth as he slid his hand into her panties, cupping her bare mound now as Tessa closed her eyes, willing herself to settle down as she softly moaned against his mouth and two of his fingers guided the lips of her member apart while he traced the slick line between her folds, fondling her sensitive nub between his fingers until she arched again. She gasped as he pushed one finger into her, slowly withdrawing and pushing in again, feeling her walls throb around him. His free hand hooked in her panties, guiding the material down as Tessa lifted her hips. Conner removed the unnecessary garment and tossed it aside.

Tessa sat up and watched as Conner's eyes drifted over her body. She didn't necessarily feel like she was being appraised, and it wasn't as if he had never seen her before, but something about the way he was looking at her now caused her to freeze in place. It felt different. Special. It felt like he didn't even see the scars that Tessa had to look at every day. Maybe it was because he had said he loved her. She felt loved. She knew that she really did love him, she had for a while. It was guilt that kept her from saying it before. David. David was the only other man she had ever really loved, but that was a different kind, although her heart still felt like she was trying to sort out the difference.




Lady Hideaway Ch. 08



Conner met her eyes again and she simply smiled and sat up. He opened his arms for her and Tessa sank against him as her arms wrapped around his neck while his hands traveled down her back. She felt his erection, hard and warm against her belly through his boxers and pressed her body against it, trapping his organ between their bodies. Conner responded by pulling her closer, kissing her face as he sought her mouth with his again.

Tessa kissed him back, her hands traveling down his sides. She felt him shiver as he deepened the kiss. Her hand moved between their bodies, her fingers working past the elastic band of his underwear and wrapping around his velvety shaft, her thumb sliding over the head of his organ as it twitched in her grip.

Tessa found herself pushing her hips forward, still feeling the pressure deep in her lower belly and the ache in her wet member as Conner cupped her breasts, rolling her erect nipples as he kissed and suckled her neck. Tessa squeezed his organ again, just gently as her other hand moved around him, down the back of his shorts as she urged them down to his thighs.

She started to push Conner back, and he followed her lead, kicking of his boxers as she straddled him, her mouth descending on his chest in soft kisses, just lightly grazing his nipples with her teeth while she continued to fondle his male appendage. She felt him shifting beneath her, bringing her the satisfaction that she was doing something that made him feel good.

Conner's hand made it's way back between her thighs, causing her to gasp as he found her tiny nub, rolling it against his thumb, causing her to wriggle above him. His finger entered her, nearly throwing her over the edge as he thrust it into her. She sat up as she felt her body clench around him in a small climax. It happened fast, she might have seen it coming, she wasn't sure. But for a small climax it felt wonderful, yet left her craving more.

Tessa looked surprised as she looked at Conner again, he looked amused and she blushed. Conner smiled, and then suddenly gripped her hips and pulled her up, placing his organ against her member, stretching her swollen lips as she slid up his shaft. 

Conner sat up, wrapping his arms around her, crushing her breasts against his chest as he attacked her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue against hers. He held her bottom and rocked her on his lap, coating his organ with her juices. His shaft brushed against her sensitive nub again, drawing soft sounds from Tessa's throat as she held onto him, her breathing becoming more strained. Tessa kissed his face, down his jaw line and up where her tongue briefly fluttered against his ear. She spotted the box of condoms just behind Conner and reached for them as his hand moved to her breast, pinching her nipples and sending a flurry of sensations through her again.

Tessa didn't remember the actual event of opening the box of condoms, but once she had one little packet in her hand she found herself staring at it as Conner's lips closed around her nipple and she arched her chest up. She could feel every tiny sensation he was sending through her body, and she loved it. But the condom seemed to be a distraction as she held onto it. 

The condom made things feel final. Real. Tessa knew she was ready, especially with Conner, but something suddenly felt frightening. She couldn't figure out what it was. She had trained herself to keep the attack out of her mind whenever Conner touched her. That's what she was doing now, so it wasn't that. She trusted Conner. He wouldn't hurt her. She loved him. Maybe that was it. She loved him, and somehow she knew that after this she would never survive if any of her doubts about his sticking around came to pass. She didn't want to lose him.

Conner drug her out of her thoughts as he kissed his way up her neck and his lips landed on her mouth. Tessa closed her eyes and kissed him back. Her fingers fumbled with the condom wrapper. She wondered if Conner knew that she even had it. Probably. While she was off in her own world he had been there with her the entire time, she could feel that much. She decided that from now on she'd try to stay in reality with Conner too, she'd feel guilty otherwise. 

Damn condom wrapper. 

She couldn't get it open. She needed it open. Her entire body felt warm, her member ached and she needed Conner. She needed to feel his hot organ which was now sliding against her member, inside of her. She wanted to feel him there. She wanted to feel him everywhere. But first she had to get the condom open.

Tessa broke the kiss and looked down at her fumbling hands. It was the first time she realized that she was trembling. But that didn't stop her from trying to tear the wrapper once again. She stopped when Conner's hand suddenly closed over both of hers. She lifted her eyes and looked at him, her face flushed, her eyes glassy. He smiled at her, and it almost immediately put her at ease.

She let him take the condom and her arms slipped over his shoulder as she leaned forward and gently kissed his mouth and a calm came over her as she rested his forehead against his. She looked down just as Conner removed the condom from the wrapper. Tessa moved slightly and watched as his erection sprang up between them. It shined with her juices and the very thought made her blush, it also made her feel rather giddy as she glanced at Conner and saw that he was looking at her. They both smiled before looking down again.

Tessa watched with curious fascination as Conner slid the clear rubber down his shaft. She wanted to touch, Help, something. But at the same time she just wanted to watch. She felt the anticipation rising in her again, and once she met Conner's eyes she could see the same thing there.

"Ready?" he asked. She noticed something different in his voice. It seemed deeper, huskier. She liked it. She felt like she wanted to hear it all the time. The sound sent a flutter through her chest and she bit into her bottom lip as she nodded. "We can take our time." Conner continued.

God he was sweet, Tessa thought. But she figured they had all weekend to take their time. She wanted to feel him. Now. So she responded by lifting his sheathed organ and guiding it to her entrance. Conner's arms wrapped around her, under her bottom as he helped her into position. He wasn't sure that having her straddling him the way that she was seemed like the best idea, she was tight, he knew that much. But something told him that this was the way Tessa needed it to be, and hell if he was about to complain.

Tessa began to move down as he slowly thrust upwards. She gripped his shoulders and closed her eyes as he kissed her again. She loved kissing him, she loved the way it felt. But at the moment, the kiss was not what was on her mind. She felt the head of his erection slide into her entrance, between her folds as they spread for him, the unmistakable feeling of just being slightly stretched as he began to enter her, her body soft and wet, welcoming him as he began to fill her. She slid down slow, wanting to feel all of it, wanting to remember every second. She heard a soft moan as he continued to fill her, but she wasn't sure whom it had come from, it didn't seem to matter, and then he was in. He had entered her. He had filled her. She felt like she was on the brink of her release again, and for a moment she stayed there with Conner.

Their arms were wrapped around each other tightly, her head rested on his shoulder and she could feel his ragged breathing on her neck. The thin layer of perspiration between them stung, and her back felt cold where his arms weren't touching; yet the room seemed twenty degrees warmer. She felt lightheaded. She wasn't sure how long they were there like that. Her breathing sounded loud in her ears compared to Conner's voice when he softly spoke to her.

"Tessa? Are you alright?"

She hugged him tighter and nodded against his neck.

"It feels good." Tessa sighed.

"Yeah." Conner agreed.

"I just want to stay like this for a minute." She whispered, "I never want to forget how this feels."

Conner kissed her head and rubbed her back caringly before he released a small chuckle.

"I can remind you any time." he replied. Tessa laughed and lifted her head to look at him. His features seemed slightly strained and that made her laugh more. "You're killing me here." He said with a sheepish grin, flexing his organ in her body. 

Tessa smiled and kissed his nose before resting her forehead against his again. She lifted herself up the length of his shaft and then moved down again, locking onto his eyes as he released a restrained groan. Conner's hands moved to her thighs and he held her as they began to slowly move together. Tessa's legs wrapped around him as he held her up and their hips rocked together. The friction in her member was only adding to her ache, yet reliving it at the same time. Her fingers wandered into Conner's hair, cupping the back of his head as she pulled him to her and his tongue plunged into her mouth, thrusting in the same slow manner which his organ repeatedly penetrated her.

Their bodies moved into a slow build, and then as they began to rock quicker, Conner suddenly braced Tessa and guided her back onto the mattress, holding her legs around him as he continued to thrust into her in longer strokes. His hands moved over her breasts and cupped her bottom as his thrusting tongue stifled her moans and she lifted her hips to meet every stroke. 

Tessa felt a familiar contracting in her muscles and she suddenly slid her hands down his body, gripping his ass and tightening her legs around him, urging him deeper. Conner arched his back and groaned as her body clenched around his member, her juices coating him, her cheeks flushed as her head dropped back onto the pillow with one last small cry. Conner looked down at her and with one last thrust he spent himself into the condom and avoided collapsing onto Tessa in fear of crushing her. But as he carefully settled over her, her arms were ready to pull him closer, holding him to her in an effort to keep them both warm while their skin cooled against the air conditioner and sent them both shivering.

After a few minutes had passed Conner carefully withdrew his soft organ and kissed Tessa slowly before leaving to the bathroom to clean up. He returned to find her under the covers, eyes closed and still. He smiled to himself as he climbed under the blanket with her. Without opening her eyes she rolled her body against his and he wrapped her in his arms again, closing his own eyes.

"I love you Tessa."

He felt her lips softly kiss his chest, and not long after he was asleep. ...............

Tessa glanced briefly at the clock on her nightstand. It was hardly five thirty in the morning. Saturday morning. She should still be asleep, but she couldn't sleep. But it wasn't for any of the normal reasons. No nightmares, nothing. She had simple awakened, full of energy. So much energy that she felt like she could get up and do some serious house cleaning, anything to get moving. But she didn't want to. That would mean leaving the bed, the one she was sharing with Conner. She didn't want to go anywhere.

Unfortunately her immobility combined with the rush of energy she had awakened with gave her little to do other than think. She never thought thinking could be so difficult, but her thoughts seemed to be rushing through her mind all at once, flooding her with mixed emotions. At the top of the list was a feeling of contentment. She felt closer to Conner than she had before, than she had to anyone before. All night long she knew that they had been touching in one way or another, and even now as she rested her head on his shoulder, her hand was lightly moving up and down his chest, lifting with every breath he took.

"I love you too Conner." She whispered. And she did. She loved him. What it meant frightened her. It meant that she had to make a choice. She couldn't just love Conner, it wouldn't be enough. She would have to show him.

Tessa trusted Conner, and she had to show him that too. She couldn't just trust him with her body, she would have to trust him with everything. Secrets. Fears. She had to talk to him, but not now. Then again, maybe now would be a good time, she thought. Conner could sleep through anything. Maybe if she could tell him everything while he couldn't hear her it would be easier, just to see how it felt. But she didn't. She would have to talk to Conner soon though, she knew that much.

There were other things that Tessa had to do too. She needed to give him more. Do more, and not just for Conner, for herself too. She needed to trust herself as much as she trusted Conner. She needed to push certain fears aside and she needed to move forward with her life. In her relationship with Conner. She wanted to move forward. Maybe she was ready.

Tessa propped her chin on his shoulder and just watched him sleep for a while through narrowed eyes. She wished that he'd wake up. But she let him sleep; it was early, after all. Conner wasn't a morning person, especially not a five thirty in the morning person. And besides, he looked so peaceful and content that she didn't have the heart to wake him. 

Tessa was just about to get up, maybe go downstairs and check on Desy. She hadn't seen him since dinner the night before, and he had been sleeping in the kitchen when she and Conner left for her room. He usually followed her up to bed, but wasn't around. She guessed that he was probably sleeping just outside the bedroom door now, which Conner had locked when he came back from the bathroom. Conner had developed Tessa's habit of locking doors when he was at her house.

Tessa began to push the covers back, but just as she began to sit up Conner turned and wrapped his arm around her, over her breasts and he pulled her back against him. Tessa sighed and didn't fight it. A few more minutes, she told herself, placing her hand over his and closing her eyes again. She felt his warm organ, somewhat hard and resting against her lower back. It wasn't threatening, it was just there, and she liked the feeling of Conner's naked skin against hers. Maybe more than a few minutes, she thought to herself, smiling as she slowly drifted back to sleep.

When Tessa opened her eyes again there were gentle fingers running through her hair, Conner's arm was around her and she was cuddled up to his chest again. She felt him kiss the top of her head and she smiled to herself before she glanced up and found his eyes were on her again. It was really nice to wake up to. She wondered if he watched her sleep, like she watched him.

"Good morning." He said.

"Morning." She yawned as she rolled towards him and stretched, kissing his shoulder, the closest part of him to her lips at the moment.

Conner smiled at her for a moment, and then raised an eyebrow.

"You snore." He accused.

Tessa's eyes widened for a moment as she stared at him, watching as he tried to fight a smile.

"I do not!"

Conner laughed and pulled her closer.

"You do." he argued, "Little squeaky snores. But I love you anyways."

Tessa fell silent for a moment and then looked up at him.

"I do too." she said softly. "Love you...you believe me, don't you?"

Conner was somewhat taken aback by the question. He wasn't sure where it came from. He also didn't know how to respond to it. He turned slightly so he was facing her a little better and stared into her blue eyes for a moment, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

"I believe you." he finally answered, not really finding any underlying questions to respond to. "Why would you ask me that?"

"It's what you said before." Tessa explained, "When I first told you. You said that you didn't expect me to say it. I guess I was wondering why. I thought maybe, I don't give you enough."

"Tessa, no." he frowned, running his fingers through her hair. "That's not it. Just being with you enough. You give me plenty, believe me. You have no idea how great it is to know you're there when I need to talk. I mean, I have friends, but with you, I guess no matter what, I know you always care. You do make me feel loved Tessa." he smiled and then kissed her mouth. "When I said I didn't think you'd say it, it had nothing to do with how I thought you felt about me. It was because I didn't know if you were ready for it. It is a little soon, I mean, sometimes it scares me, how much I care about you, how fast it's happening. I don't think I've ever felt like this before."

Tessa was silent for another minute and Conner waited, giving her time to do whatever thinking she needed to do.

"Me too." she finally said, "About being scared. But maybe not for the same reasons. Maybe you're right. Maybe if you had said it first I wouldn't be able too...but I did mean it. I still do. It's confusing though."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"David." She sighed, pausing for a reaction from Conner, but none came. He was just listening patiently. "I thought I loved David."

"You did."

"I know, but it was a different kind of love. What I feel for you seems, deeper. But it's hard, because when I think about David now I feel..."

"Guilty?"

"Guilty." Tessa nodded. "It was like I was betraying him by loving you. But then, at the same time, I feel like I'm betraying you, because I still love him."

"Tessa, you don't have to feel guilty. I mean, I know that I can't compete with him, and I'll never even try to. He'll always have a place in your heart, one that I can never fill. I don't want that place, Tessa. The place I have with you, in your heart, it's all I'll ever want."

Tessa was silent again. And then she buried her face against his chest and held onto him for a minute while he held her back.

"It's a big place, Conner." She whispered.

Conner let out a breath and closed his eyes again. He doubted that Tessa had close to any idea how much that meant to him. He had wanted more, but at the moment, what she was giving him seemed like enough for now. She loved him.

"Tessa." he said after a few minutes, "There's something I need to tell you."

Tessa moved back again and so did Conner. He wanted to see her face when he said what he needed to. He was nervous and she immediately picked up on it.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing." Conner insisted, "At least, I hope there isn't something wrong. But I do need to tell you something and I'm not exactly sure how you're going to react. If you're angry, I wont blame you."

"Just tell me Conner." She said more forcefully than she meant to.

"It's actually about David." He sighed, "A while back, Misty came to see me. She wanted to talk about her brother." He paused, waiting for Tessa to say something, but she only nodded, so he continued. "He kept this book, filled with stuff about you and...I sort of have it."

Still, nothing from Tessa. He hated when her face went blank like that. She was so hard to read sometimes. 

"Maybe I shouldn't have let her give it to me." Conner continued, "But I was curious. You never want to talk about your past Tessa. It's mostly just pictures, some letters too. I didn't read them though. But the pictures, I look at them a lot. You're beautiful in them...say something."

"I know."

"What?"

"I know you have the book." Tessa explained with a small shrug. "Katrina mentioned that Misty gave it to you a few weeks ago. They've been in touch with each other, you know?"

Conner shook his head.

"You're not angry?"

"Well, at first I was." Tessa admitted, "Not at you. I mean, I can't blame you for being curious. You said you didn't read the letters. I appreciate that, by the way. The rest, well I guess it would be the same as seeing my high school yearbook. But I was pretty annoyed with Misty. See, she tried to give me the book just after I found out about David. But I didn't want it. It just hurt too much. I told her to hang onto it. Maybe if I had known that she was going to pass it over to my boyfriend I would have acted a little differently."




Lady Hideaway Ch. 08



Conner couldn't help it. He smiled at the mention of being Tessa's boyfriend. She had never called him that before. She smiled right back.

"You're not angry then?" he asked again.

"No." she sighed. "I trust you with it Conner. I think that...David would have too. Is the book at your house?"

Conner shook his head.

"Office." He explained, "I can bring it to you if you want."

Tessa shook her head.

"Not yet. But maybe...you could hold onto it for a while, if you want to."

Conner pulled her back to him and kissed her, nearly dragging her under him as her arms wound tightly around his neck.

"Anything you want." He said.

Tessa grinned and wrapped her legs around him, pulling him down to her, his morning erection pressing against her member.

"Anything?" she repeated.

Conner let his hand run down her neck until it came to rest upon her breast, and thrust his hips slowly, his shaft massaging her entrance.

"Especially that." he smiled. Tessa cupped the back of his head and guided his mouth down over hers. .............

Noon came and went. It was past one o'clock when Tessa made breakfast. She tossed Desy a piece of toast and then went back to the frying pan to tend to the eggs as Conner came down, his hair dripping from his shower and a towel wrapped around his waist.

Tessa glanced back and smiled at him as he stood in the kitchen door and looked around suspiciously.

"What?" she laughed.

"Just making sure you're sister didn't stop by again." he said in mock annoyance.

"Nope." Tessa smiled, "we wont be seeing her at all this weekend."

Conner wrapped his arms around Tessa from behind and kissed her neck.

"I hope you're not teasing me." he said.

"No." she laughed, "And stop it, Kat's not that bad. You know you love her."

"I'll love her more if I don't see her this weekend." Conner remarked, "I want you all to myself. I don't care if I'm selfish." He tightened his grip possessively around her and Tessa struggled to turn and face him, spatula still in hand.

"That wont be a problem." She promised with a sly grin, "Besides, if Kat comes over, it won't matter anyways."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Tessa smiled, letting out a small breath, "Because we wont be here."

Conner stared for a minute, wondering exactly how they could hide from Katrina if she happened to stop by. God, he could be slow sometimes. But he eventually caught on and raised an eyebrow at Tessa, who let out another breath and leaned forward to rest her head on his chest.

"Take me home with you, Conner."