Then he stilled, his mouth tense, his green eyes piercing as he stared directly at her. The only thing moving was his dick as it pulsed inside, filling the condom with streams of come, the rhythm of his orgasm matched by the
intensity of his groans.
Jesus, they were a mess. A sweaty, exhausted mess. The sun was peeping through the curtains when she finally collapsed against him, feeling him circle her body in his strong arms. She let herself fall into his embrace, knowing she’d had the best fuck of her life with a man who seemed to like her enough to take a risk.
Chapter Six
A shaft of light pushed its way through the gap in the curtain. It crept across the floor to the bed, where it shone in Rachel’s eyes. She turned her head, moaning in her half-sleep, flinging an arm across her face in a futile attempt to block it out. Murphy was still slumbering when she woke. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, coupled with his loud, regular breaths, told her he was deeply under. She lay there for a minute, her head on his chest, and listened to his heart thumping against his ribs. It was strange to be alone with her thoughts, but calming too. Everything that happened in the past twenty-four hours seemed to push down on her chest, the fear mixed up with the exhilaration and the lust, until she wasn’t sure anymore what she was supposed to think.
She looked at his sleeping face. His expression was soft, making him appear young and vulnerable. His lips were slightly open, the heavy bottom lip pouting a little, and she had to stop herself from reaching out to touch him. If she moved, would she wake him? She wasn’t sure if she was ready for that. When he finally woke up, the day would have officially begun, and one way or another she knew she’d be leaving the bar. Her stomach contracted at the thought of it. This place was like her shield and her armor. It had made her feel safe for the past fourteen months, enough to think she might be able to make it alone.
Then Murphy came along and everything was all fucked up.
His lips trembled in his sleep, like he was trying to say something, silent words she was never supposed to hear. He turned on his side and curled his body around until he faced her, his eyes still tightly closed. She sensed he was close to waking, enough that a gentle push from her would tip him over the edge into lucidity.
She wasn’t sure she was ready for that.
There was a part of her that still wanted to make a run for it. Last night, she’d decided it wasn’t her first choice, but today, seeing him sleeping beside her, she began to second guess herself. It was hard to tell if she’d won him over, though God knew he’d managed to win her. She wanted to think he was going to look after her, and after everything that happened, he wasn’t going to give her up to David. The question was, did she trust him enough to believe in him? The sex had been amazing, and frightening, and completely destabilizing. She wasn’t sure she understood her own reactions. If she was sensible she would escape now, while he was asleep. She could grab some clothes and run, maybe to Buddy and Marianne’s or perhaps farther. Just hitch until she found herself somewhere new.
Somewhere David couldn’t find her.
She sighed heavily, the thought of leaving Murphy making her throat contract. She felt safe here, safer than she had for the past six years. If she had to leave the protection of this man, she needed to be pretty sure she was doing the right thing.
She had thought she was over it, that escaping from David was enough, but now the wound was gaping again. Her emotions were raw and made it hard for her to think. Her perceptions of Murphy were still wavering; one minute she saw him as her captor, the next as a protector.
Did she trust him enough to stay?
Did she trust herself enough not to run?
She’d made some bad decisions in her time. She had faith David would treat her like a gentleman, and that hadn’t turned out well. Last night, when she’d asked him to stay over, she’d trusted Murphy, right up to the moment he’d used her real name. Right up until he brought “Lucy” back to life.
So what was the right choice: stay or go?
Her decision was made before she had time to process her final thought. She knew she could make it out there alone if she was forced to. But this time, she didn’t have to do it on her own. The thought of having him help her was too good to ignore.
She reached out and shook his shoulder. “Murphy, wake up.”
He moaned in his sleep and rolled on to his side, his back to her. Rachel sat up, rolling to the other side of his body so she was facing him again.
“Hey, Murphy, wake up.” She slapped his cheek, gently at first, then harder until his eyelids flew open.
A furious expression pulled at his facial muscles. “What the—”
“It’s morning. We need to talk.”
“We talked last night.” He moaned and rolled onto his back, covering his eyes with his arm. “Let me sleep.”
“We fucked last night, and had a little chat. Now we need to talk.” She was firm, poking him in the cheek when he closed his eyes.
He groaned again, lifting his palms to his face, capturing her hand with his palm. She tried to withdraw but he tightened his grip. “Hey, are you busting my balls already?”
She clambered closer. “Next time it’s a jug of cold water. The day’s half gone already.”
“Shit.” Murphy dropped her hand and twisted his wrist to check his watch. He blinked a couple of times, as if he was trying to focus on the numbers. His eyes widened and he let out a sigh. “It’s six o’clock in the fucking morning. Practically dawn.”
“I get up this early every day.” Rachel replied. “Some of us have to work for a living.” She poked him again, this time in the stomach, and he pulled her hand up to his lips, pressing them against the inside of her wrist. She closed her eyes, feeling the gentle burn of his kiss against her tender flesh.
After a few moments, he sat up, the sleep leaving his face. Looking down at Rachel, a grin pulled at his lips. “Hey, you didn’t try to run.”