Free Willow by Kathi S. Barton Page B

him that he had rendered her unconscious. Using what little strength he had, he turned her face toward his with a finger to her cheek.
    Tears still rolled down her cheeks and blood was on her lip. Jared captured a tear on his finger as he said her name softly. She didn’t stir. Rolling to his side, he lay there on his back, looked up at the water stain on the ceiling, and tried to figure out what the hell he had just done.
    Before he could do anything that would hurt her more, he got up and went to the bathroom to flush the condom and noticed the streaks of blood on it and his leg. He sat down hard on the side of the tub and felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. A virgin. Willow was…no, she had been a virgin.
    Jared stood again, leaned on the ugly counter, and looked at the stranger reflected back at him. He decided that he didn’t like that man all that much. In fact, he was pretty sure he could hate him. The man in the mirror seemed to be saying, “She should have told you. It’s not your fault,” but Jared knew that it was.
    He had wanted her and went after her, refusing to see anything else but the picture someone else had painted of her. He was as bad, if not worse, than Talbor. Jared turned off the light and went into the bedroom to find Willow awake and talking on the phone with a sheet wrapped around her. When he sat on the edge of the bed, she turned away from him as she continued her call.
    “ Yes, please…Yes, I’ll…wait. Can you wait just one second? Thanks.” She put her hand over the receiver and looked over her shoulder toward him, but not at him. “I’m ordering a pizza. Would you like something other than Coke and a large meaty one?”
    He reached out to her and she moved away from his touch. “Willow, look at me. Please?” She turned her back to him again and huffed.
    “ Do you want anything to eat or not? I’m sure they want to close up sometime tonight.”
    Jared glanced down at his watch and saw it was only seven o’clock. He doubted that was an issue, but didn’t say anything. He decided to wait until later to talk to her about what they had done.
    “ That sounds good. Whatever you’re having is fine.”
    He got up as she told the person on the phone to double her order. He was slipping on his underwear when he heard the phone click closed. He turned and looked at her.
    “ Are you all right, Willow?” She mumbled something back and he was reasonably sure he didn’t want her to repeat it. But he was angry now and wanted her to speak to him or at least look at him.
    “ Willow, look at me, damn it. Did I hurt you?”
    She turned then and scooted herself up to the headboard. She adjusted the sheet several times, enough times that he wanted to jerk it off her and make her stop it. She looked up at him before she spoke.
    “ I’m fine. Just peachy, as a matter of fact. You know, we have about twenty-five minutes before the food arrives. Wanna have another go around?” The sheet ripped away. “You still have eleven condoms left and I want you to get your money’s worth.”
    Jared was tempted to shuck his pants again and do just what she had suggested. But he already hated himself and was sure if he gave into his baser needs, he’d never forgive himself. Leaning over, he picked up the discarded sheet, intending to cover her back up with it.
    “ We need to talk, Willow. We have to talk about—”
    He nearly fell over when she started cupping her breasts and tugging at her nipples. The sheet he’d picked up was now forgotten in his fingers.
    “ I didn’t realize that my nipples were so sensitive before. You rolling them in your mouth was wonderful.” She sat up on the bed and threw back her head as she continued to drive him over the edge. “Would you like to do that again, Jared?”
    Willow didn’t wait for his answer, not that he could talk around his tongue hanging out, but when she sat on the edge of the bed with him between her legs, he took a step forward and his