Page 31 of Forgive Me Father: For I Have Sinned

The property was surrounded by huge evergreens, giving it a sense of privacy like it was set back in a dense forest, tucked away from civilization. Which I guess in a sense it was, at least the forest part that is. “Wow,” I mumbled as we caught up to Butch. “It’s like a scene out of a fairy tale,” I said, staring up towards the tops of the trees while spinning around.

“Come on Snow White,” he said, grinning. “Follow me. There’s a creek nearby where seven dwarfs live in a little shack that I want you to see.”

“Well, hopefully, they found my prince charming,” I bantered back.

“I’ve got your prince charming alright,” he winked over his shoulder at me, “come on Princess.”

“Jackass,” I mumbled. He stopped so suddenly I ran into his backside.

“What was that?” he teased.

“I think I stepped in ash.” I knew he’d heard me, but I felt compelled to be a smart ass.

Butch playfully smacked my ass. “Let’s go,” he took off, trotting backward until he saw me break into a sprint. “Oh, game on!”

I chased him through the brush, our laughter echoed throughout, bouncing from tree to tree until we reached the creek. My sides hurt so badly, but the carefree playfulness overrode the pain. He swung around, picking me up one armed like I weighed next to nothing. “Butch, what are you doing?”

“Taking you to my favorite spot.”

He carried me across the creek, and when we reached the edge, I was in awe of the beauty the scene in front of us held. Through the dense foliage not only lie an adorable little creek that spanned the width of the back of the property but at the top of the hill through a clearing in the brush you had a birds-eye view of the sound. “Whoa,” I said as he stood me up in front of him.

“Whoa is right,” he wrapped his arms around me, holding my back to his front, one of my favorite places to me.

“I understand why you love this place so much. You could literally get lost here while doing absolutely nothing at all.” We continued to peruse the displays, I was bound and determined to find something commemorating the trip to bring home with us when finally I spotted it. It was a glass ornament depicting the glorious red barn I spotted first from the main road. Below the structure in small black letters were the words, “Whidbey Island.” Butch insisted on paying for it, said my face lit up when I spotted it among the thousands of items on display and he wanted to be the one to give me that treasure I sought so long for.

“Let’s head back, we’ve been here a couple of hours already, and Mom probably has dinner waiting.” He took me by the hand, leading Duke and I back through the brush. Stealing kisses and embedding himself even further into my heart.

Dinner was surprisingly comfortable. His parents shared with me embarrassing stories from his childhood. I tried not to laugh because each time I did my ribs reminded me why I shouldn’t. When Butch saw the pain on my face, he asked them to stop. His mom felt horrible which in turn made me feel awful.

“Hey Mom, I’ll be right back. Come with me,” Butch said, easing me out of my chair. “Leave your plate, I’ll get it in a minute.” We went into our room where he proceeded to run a bath for me. “Soak while I help Mom clean up.” He kissed the top of my head, closing the door behind him and leaving me once again wondering if this fantasy was real.Would I ever get used to having someone take care of me?

Sinking down in the tub, the warm water first made me tense up which only elevated the pain. Once I was fully submerged and allowed my muscles to relax, it was a whole new ballgame. By the time Butch returned, I was starting to nod off.

“Hey babe,” he said, knocking on the half-open bathroom door. “Do you need anything?”

This was getting ridiculous. He was going out of his way to take care of me, yet we lived like a couple of virginswhich neither of us was. “You can come in.”

“You sure?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t.” I hoped his insecurity wasn’t my doing. He sat on the toilet lid, the muscles in his jaw constricting as he assessed the damages to my body. “Butch, I’m okay,” I tried to reassure him.

“He’s lucky I didn’t fucking kill him,” he ground through clenched teeth.

“We’re lucky you didn’t kill him, or it would be you going to jail. At this point in my life, I don’t think I’d be able to live without you.” Speaking from the heart garnered his attention as his gaze shifted from my bruises to my eyes. “If I felt better, I’d ask you to join me.”

“Really?” The surprise in his question struck a chord with me. I’d waited long enough to show this man how much he meant to me. While mentally I wasn’t ready to accept him inside me, there were other things we could do in the interim while I worked through my issues.

“Do me a favor.”

“Anything,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine.

This was the first time he’d seen me naked, and it was high time I got to see the same of him. “Take your clothes off.”

“Really?”

“You sound like a parrot, yes really,” I laughed which was quickly replaced with lustful hues as the man of my dreams stood naked before me, and he was mine, all mine. The need to memorize every inch of this human piece of art standing in front of me consumed me on an obsessive level. He far superseded any of the works we’d seen in the galleries earlier in the day. My eyes scanned the canvas, those hazel eyes that saw right into the depths of my soul. The Marine insignia with an eagle soaring above it was tattooed on his upper right arm, a viper wound around his left bicep. Those abs… Jesus, the man, was cut. As my eyes scanned lower, my face flushed as desire coursed through me. This man was hard, for me, and I’d done absolutely nothing to him physically to warrant that reaction.

“Does my body meet with your approval, sir?” he asked, stroking himself.

---