Prison of Tides

Chapter 17 - Tell Me

Jacob’s Point of View

    The following week, I’d spent just as much time with Cherry, but had taken great care not to get too close to her the way I had the night we were at the bar. I almost let myself get carried away, wanting to drive her home and kiss every inch of her. Especially after that f*****g song, when she moved so seductively while looking me dead in the eyes. The whole time, I couldn’t stop thinking about what she might taste like, how her body would move if I ever did taste her.

     I knew I’d f****d up as soon as we rode home in silence. She still smiled when I joked with her, still gave that raspy giggle that I loved, still blushed when I called her babygirl. But she had put her walls back up, not revealing as much when I looked into her eyes now. It seemed like the very thing I’d done to protect her had ended up backfiring, and I couldn't figure out how to fix it.

     I decided that I’d take her out again, and this time, I wouldn’t stop myself from showing her how I felt. She looked amazing in her little black dress, her legs longer than ever in her red heels. I bought us both drinks, sitting with her at the table beside the bar.

     “Thanks, Jake.” She smiled and sipped her martini, looking around the room with her sharp eyes. “Another night out is just what I needed. I was beginning to feel a little cooped up with all the board games.” She smirked at me over her drink. It had been storming most of the week, and I hadn’t wanted to bring her out in the cold rain. That night, though, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to go back to the place I’d messed up and make it right, so we sat at the bar where we sang karaoke the previous week.

     I was about to ask her to dance with me, but a muscular blonde man beat me to it. She didn’t even look at me before taking his hand and letting him twirl her around, red hair flying and falling on her black dress. I didn’t like watching her move her hips under his hands, didn’t like how he looked at her like she was a piece of meat.

     I got another drink from the bar, not wanting to watch her dancing with another man. When I sat back down, sipping my whiskey, I noticed her eyes following me. I downed my drink for liquid courage and walked towards her, interrupting in the middle of the second song.

     “Hey Cherry, you mind if I cut in?”

     She blinked at me, as though she were surprised, but she took my hand and I pulled her close. She smelled as good as she always did, strawberries and sunshine.

     “Jake?” She said, uncertainty in her big blue eyes when she tilted her head up to me.

     “What is it, babygirl?” I moved slowly, despite the upbeat music.

     “What are you doing?” Her voice was quiet, and I heard her breath hitch for a moment.

     “I’m dancing with you.” A blush started to creep onto her face. “Is it so wrong to want to dance with the most beautiful woman here?”

     “Jake, I-”

     Before she could complete her thought, she was no longer in my arms. The blonde man had yanked her back towards him.

     “We weren’t finished, little red.” His hand gripped her arm tightly, and I saw her rip herself out of his grasp, cursing at him.

     I was in between them in a heartbeat. “Cherry, are you okay?”

     She didn’t say anything as the man’s hand reached towards her again. “You don’t think you can just dance with me like that and leave me hanging, do you?”

     “Don’t f*****g touch her.” Ice coursed through my veins while he glared at me. I kept Cherry behind my back, preventing him from grabbing at her again.

     When I turned to check on her, she was gone. I searched the bar, searched outside, only to see that our driver had left.

     s**t.

     I called for a ride, praying she’d gone home when she didn’t answer her phone.

     She wasn’t in her room, or anywhere in the castle, but I saw that our driver was there. He let me know she’d come back half an hour beforehand, and that he hadn’t seen her since.

     A sinking feeling hit my gut. Caspian had warned me before he left that it was bad, that he was worried about her being alone. I should have seen that asshole coming towards her, and now, she was panicking and alone.

     I made my way down to the beach, where the waves crashed violently against the shore and the rocks. Rain drenched me, and I squinted when I saw something on the sand. Cherry’s clothes.

     My heart pounded as I jumped into the water, looking everywhere for her. About a mile out, I saw a pale, thin body floating on the surface, red hair sprawled. Oh gods, let her be okay. The waves tossed her body around, and she didn’t try to swim or stay in place.

     I grabbed her hand, terrified that she had gotten hurt in the storm.

     “No! Let me go!” She was screaming, kicking and scratching at me in a frenzy.

     The look in her eyes was foreign to me, complete and total fear. “Cherry,” I said, trying to calm her down. She stopped thrashing and started breathing, gasping when she saw it was me. My arms were slashed from her nails, but I didn’t care. All that I cared about was that she was safe.

     “Jacob. I’m so sorry. You scared me.” She was panting. Her body was luminescent in the water, and here, where she was nude, I could very clearly see scars lining the tops of her thighs, her crotch. My blood ran cold when I saw it. “What?” Her voice shook as she spoke, and I could hear the frailty in it, something I’d never heard from her. Not even that night on the roof.

     I kept looking at her for a moment, trying to find the words. “I’m sorry that I scared you. You disappeared after that guy grabbed you, and when I found your clothes on the shore, I thought…. I was worried about you. It appears you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself, though.”

     Panic had left her eyes, and numbness overtook them. She didn’t respond to me.

     “What are you doing out here in this weather, Cherry?”

     “Needed to clear my head.” Her voice was flat, held none of the life I was so used to from her.

     I nodded, recognizing that she was going through things I couldn’t begin to comprehend. I resisted the urge to drag her back to the palace and shove her into the shower, to get a cup of hot chocolate ready for her and warm her up. It was a cold night, and the instinct to protect her was screaming at me. “Do you want to talk about it?”

     She looked at me. “Stay here with me?”

     “Of course.”

     She swam to the surface and I joined her, floating in my soaked clothes while the rain pelted our skin.

     After a while, she spoke. “I’ll show you, if that’s okay.”

     “Okay.” I tried to keep calm. I knew I wasn’t going to like what she was about to show me, but she needed to, and I needed to see it to know how to best help her.

     She reached out and took my hand, and I was travelling through a whirlpool, carried back in time. I saw her walking home from a bar, nowhere near as thin as she was now. Raymond, grabbing her arm and dragging her into a van, raping her, raping her again and again on the boat and in the cave. I saw her laying in a hospital bed alone, told she would never have children. Saw her sister walk out, saw how badly her ex had damaged her when he rejected her, gawking at the painful reminder of her abuse.

     I shuddered as I came back to reality. My heart was breaking, and I was grateful that through the rain, she couldn’t see that I was crying.

     “Now do you see?” Her voice was hollow.

     “Yes,” I said. I held tightly to her hand, refusing to let her go, until thunder shook the water and lightning lit the sky. A giant wave was coming towards us, threatening to slam us into the rocks that lay to our left. ”Cherry, we have to go. We have to go now.” 

     She nodded and I pulled her under the waves, taking her to the dimly lit seabed where the chaotic surface was less of a threat. I pulled her along with me towards land. I knew she needed silence, the darkness of the ocean, but I needed her alive and unharmed from anything else.

     As we made our way closer to the shore, we came up, not wanting her to be slammed into the shells that had been crushed by the massive waves. As soon as we were on land, she ran towards her clothes and held them tightly to her body. Her hip and thigh were covered with blood.

     “Cherry!”

     She turned around. “What?”

     “Come here!” I waved my hand, beckoning her. She kept her front covered, grasping her black dress to her torso as she jogged towards me.

     “What is it?”

     I knelt beside her, pushing the dress away from her hip so I could see the wound. Lightning illuminated us, and I barely got a look at her wound before she backed away.

     “Stop that,” She whispered. I took her hand and pulled her back to me, pushing the fabric away again to try and see where the blood was coming from. She kept pulling the dress back down, and I didn’t understand what she was doing, why she was trying to hide this. I heard funny noises coming from her, and when I looked up, I saw that her chest was heaving. “Please, please don’t hurt me Jacob.”

     I realized then that she thought I was going to force myself onto her, was trying to expose her without her consent. I showed her my fingers, covered in blood, and took one of her hands in my clean one.

     “I’m sorry, Cherry. I promise that I will never do anything to hurt you. But this blood is coming from somewhere. I’m trying to see how bad it is before we get back to the palace.”

     She started shaking, unable to stop trembling as I looked at her, seeing that the blood was coming from a multitude of scrapes, more than likely from the shells.

     “Hey. Look at me. Look at me, babygirl. It’s okay.” I kissed her hand, but she didn’t respond, her shaking becoming more intense. She was so thin, staring at me, terrified. I stood and pulled her to me, wrapping her in my arms. She leaned into me, sobbing as I rubbed her back, careful not to touch any scars or anywhere that may trigger her further.

     “I’m sorry, Jake. I’m sorry. I don’t… I don’t know… I’m sorry.” Her face was buried in my chest, and I couldn’t stand hearing her broken cries out here in this storm.

     I pet her hair for a moment. “It’s okay, Cherry. No one is going to hurt you. Let’s get you inside and warmed up now, okay?”

     She nodded, and didn’t argue as I took the dress from her and slipped it on her form, helping her pull her arms through. I held her hand and took her through the back door of the palace, not wanting anyone to see her like this, and when we got to my room, I turned the water of the shower on, warming it up for her. I found that my arms were around her again, needing her to know that she was safe, that I would never let anything happen to her. After a few minutes, I left her a t-shirt to put on when she was done, granting her privacy and shutting the bathroom door behind me.

     While she showered, I changed into dry clothes and went down to the kitchen, where I made two steaming mugs of hot chocolate and grabbed the chips I always saw her munching on. When I got back up to the room, I heard the water turn off, and after a few minutes, she came out of the bathroom, steam pouring into the bedroom. She wasn’t crying or shaking anymore, but she was still pale. I could see she wasn’t entirely out of that dark place she’d shown me.

     She sat on the bed while I put the food and drinks down and made my own way to the bathroom, grabbing some peroxide, antibacterial ointment and bandages. When I came back out, I knelt beside her again.

     “I’m going to make sure that your hip and thigh are taken care of, okay?”

     She nodded, and I cleaned the area with peroxide, glad to see nothing was too deep. I put the ointment on and bandaged her up, looking up at her to make sure I didn’t scare her again.

     When I finished, I handed her the hot chocolate, and she brought it to her lips.

     “I’m sorry, Jake.”  She set the mug down on the nightstand and looked at me. “I didn’t mean to freak out. It just comes out of nowhere sometimes, and sometimes there’s a trigger, like that guy grabbing me. The only thing that helps is the night sea.”

     “It’s okay, Cherry.” My hand was on her face then, thumb grazing the outline of it, and I leaned over to kiss her forehead. “You aren’t staying alone tonight. I’ll sleep on the couch, and you are going to take the bed.”

     She blushed and opened her mouth to protest, but I shook my head.

     We chomped on the chips in bed together and drank our cocoa. The color was returning to her cheeks, and she started to sound a little more like herself. Following her eyes, I saw her looking at the picture she’d drawn of us - framed and hanging on the wall. I kissed her forehead again and told her goodnight before going to the couch and turning off the lights.

     I lay down, unable to shake the images and sounds of what she’d shown me from my mind.

     In the darkness, I heard her voice call out. “Jacob?”

     I turned on the lights and sat beside her on the bed. “What’s up, babygirl?”

     “Stay here with me?” She looked so vulnerable, as though preparing herself for my refusal. How could she not know that I would never refuse her?

     I nodded and got under the covers, her head finding my chest and my arm curling around her shoulders. I ran my fingers through her soft, silky hair, cherishing this moment.

     “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

     She took a deep breath, her hand coming to rest on my chest beside her head. I felt my heart skip a beat once more at her touch. “It was so bad, Jake. I don’t see how anyone could want me. Even you, laying here and holding me, you want kids. You want a family. And even before you knew I could never…” She paused for a minute. “Before you knew I couldn’t do that, it felt like there was something going on here. Between us. But that night, I was so sure you were going to kiss me. And then you didn’t. And all I can think is, no one is ever going to want to be with me, because of what happened to me.”

     I rubbed her back as she spoke. “There is something happening here.” Guilt crashed over me. I should have never listened to Caspian.

     I felt her hand tense on my chest. “Then why did you pull away from me?”

     “Caspian and I had a conversation, before he left, about how I have a history of playing the field. He told me that you were off limits. It’s been killing me. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. What I told you that first day we met, about what Talun told me, it’s true. The minute I danced with you at the wedding, I realized I wanted to be with you. Not have a fling, like I usually do, but be with you. Protect you. Take care of you. Give you the world. But that night, after karaoke, all I could think of was Caspian telling me that I could hurt you emotionally if I did anything, and I didn’t want to do that. You deserve so much more than that.”

     She pressed her face into my chest. “I can’t give you what you want from life.”

     “Hey, look at me babygirl.” She shook her head. “Cherry, please look at me.”

     She finally did.

     “Come here.” She scooted closer towards me, and my hand was on her face once more, wanting to take away the fear that reflected in her deep blue eyes. “I hate that you can’t have children. Not because I hate that about you, but because I hate that someone took that from you. I hate that it causes you pain. It doesn’t make me feel any differently about you, though. There are other ways to have a family.”

     “You promise?” She whispered, her eyes searching mine.

     “I promise. And I also promise that as long as I’m around, no one will hurt you.”

     “You’re sure this doesn’t mean nothing?”

     “It means everything, Cherry. I promise.”

     This time, when I leaned towards her, seeing her eyelashes flutter, I didn’t stop myself. I pulled her closer to me and cradled the back of her head when my lips brushed hers. Her hands cupped my face, and I found myself melting into her touch, into her lips during our slow kiss.

     After what felt like an eternity of our lips meeting, she slid back down to my chest, holding onto me tightly. I turned off the light. With her this close to me and safe, I could finally relax, breathing in her presence.

Jasmine's Point of View 

     The mountains surrounding the cottage were beautiful. I'd never seen so much snow before. Caspian suggested that we walk the stream that ran along the property. I eagerly agreed, happy to enjoy more of the scenery with him.

     The stream had a light layer of ice on it, but the water flowed beneath, revealing the fish that lived inside.

     "You'll have to bring me here when it's warmer, so that we can swim."

     From behind me, he put his arms around my waist and kissed my cheek. "Absolutely. We'll come back in the summer."

     Hand in hand, we walked through the leafless trees that grew around our path, through the hills until we reached the wooden gate. The view took my breath away, and I squeezed my husband's hand. He squeezed it back.

     The past few days here had been magnificent. We'd gone on a day cruise through the glaciers, spotting the whales and polar bears, watching the penguins. We'd hiked the mountain trails, admiring the frigid waterfalls. Caspian had even taught me how to ski. There was, however, one thing we had yet to do.

     Making our way back to the cottage, I let go of his hand, bending down.

     "Jasmine? You okay back th-"

     His words were cut short as the snowball I threw hit him right in the face.

     "Oh, it is on, Jasmine!" He ran towards me and I squealed, ducking and grabbing more handfuls of snow to toss at him. He was throwing it back at me, and before long, we were taking this fight seriously. Snow forts were built and scores were kept.

     He sank behind his wall of snow, surely making another weapon to throw at me. I emerged from my own, planning a sneak attack, when I found myself on the ground, Caspian on top of me.

     "Now princess," He tsked, shaking his head with a smile. "That's not playing fair."

     A giggle escaped me as I dumped the snow in my hands over his head. He shook his hair and it fell on me.

     He gave me a long kiss, his eyes playful when he pulled back. "Are you cold, my love?"

     "Just a little."

     "Alright, let's head back inside before you turn into an icicle." He helped me up and held my hand as we raced back to the stone house, shutting the cold air out behind us.

     "I'm going to start a fire. Why don't you change out of those wet clothes, yeah? Maybe we can put on some tea or something, help us warm up." He kissed my cheek and disappeared into the den.

     I set the kettle on the stove before heading to the bedroom, stripping my snow drenched clothing and looking for something to wear. Nothing suited my mood at that moment.

     Looking around, I spotted the large, brown blanket that covered the bed. I wrapped it over my shoulders, heading back to the den where Caspian crouched, tending the fire.

     He didn't notice me when I came in. He had taken off most of his clothes, but was still wearing his damp jeans.

    I stretched out on the couch, still covered by the blanket. Eventually, he noticed me sitting there and joined me, putting my feet on his lap and rubbing them.

     "Better now that you're dry, my love?"

     "Yes, but I'll be even better when you're dried off, as well." I scooted towards him on the couch, making sure to keep covered.

     I took off his bottoms before wrapping the blanket around his shoulder, snuggling underneath it with him. I greatly enjoyed the look on his face when he realized I was naked and pressed so closely to him.

     I picked up the remote control, turning on a scary movie. All the more reason to get closer to him when the scary parts came on. His arm came around me as he rubbed my shoulder, the opening credits rolling.

     A few minutes in, the kettle began to whistle, and I got up, taking the blanket with me. The quaint tea cups fit perfectly on the tray as I brought them into the den, letting the blanket fall as soon as I set them down.

     "Oops."

     I turned around and bent down to pick it up.

     While gathering the soft cloth, I glanced discreetly at Caspian, who was biting his lip, aroused. Pleased with myself, I discarded the blanket and lay on the bearskin rug in front of the fire, draping my arm over my front to beckon him.

     Within a moment, he was on the ground in front of me, his hands on my waist as he kissed me, my fingers running down his stomach. I guided him onto his back and kissed his lips, his neck, his chest, his stomach, his balls and finally his member, kissing the tip as he groaned and tangled his fingers in my hair.

     I took him into my mouth then, placing my hand on the bottom of his shaft and stroking him as I sucked on him, flicking my tongue over his head. He pressed up, pushing himself further into my throat.

     "Oh, Jasmine," He sighed, his eyes rolling back as I lapped up some of his precum.

     He pulled me up and I straddled him, his hands bringing my face down to meet his. I kissed him and he bit my lip, moaning into my mouth as he slipped into me, pressing in a little before pulling out, pushing in further, then pulling out again. As he filled me, his nails tracing my back, I sighed into his mouth. It was my turn to bite his lip.

     He flipped us over so he was on top of me, holding onto me as he kept his pace. After a minute, he slowed down, teasing me.

     I tried to kiss him but he held my hair, keeping me down. He continued slowing down until he was completely still inside of me. I tried again, but he refused to give me anymore, leaving me in need.

     I moved my hands across into his hair, running my fingers through his light brown locks as he looked down at me, panting. He started moving inside of me again, taking his time.

     "I love you, Jasmine." His forehead rested on mine as he held my hands by my head.

     I looked into his eyes. "Oh, Caspian, I love you, too." I moaned as he picked up the rhythm a little. He let go of my hands and ran his hands down my sides, making me hotter than ever. When he reached my thighs, he caressed them for a minute, kissing my neck before bringing my legs up against his chest.

     He began to move faster, taking care to still be gentle. I felt him in places he'd never been before. My toes were curling above his shoulders, and as he kissed my leg, my back was arching, my knees bending as I started to orgasm 

     "Caspian!"

     "Oh, Jasmine, f**k, say my name while you come for me, my love."

     "Caspian.. oh, gods!" As I clenched around him, my head thrown back, he kept going, holding me in place. "Oh, Caspian!"

     He slowed down again, still having not finished, giving me a minute to recover.

     "Jasmine, can I try something?"

     "Mmmhm," I nodded, out of breath.

     He pulled out and flipped me over, kissing my back. "Remember the safe word, okay?"

     I nodded. I knew what he was about to do, and I wanted him to. Needed him to claim that part of me we had been working so diligently to prepare for this moment.

     He put some lube on my back entrance, as well as on himself. So carefully, he began to push inside of me. I cried out, and he immediately stopped moving.

     "Are you okay?"

     I nodded. "Just keep going slow until you're all the way in."

     He kissed my neck. "Of course, my love."

     He pressed in a bit at a time, so carefully. The buttplugs had done their job, stretching me out so that it was only a little sore at first, subsiding into pleasure within moments.

     Finally, he was all the way inside of me. I was twitching, ready for him to claim me in this new way.

     "Gods, Jasmine, you're so tight, oh s**t… are you ready?" He groaned, his hands on my rear.

     I nodded, my voice a whine. "It feels good, Caspian. Take me."

     He started to move, pulling almost all the way out before pushing all the way back into me again; kissing my shoulders, pulling my hair so that my head turned to face him. He stared at me, licking his lips as he squeezed one of my buttcheeks.

     He was driving me over the edge, taking me from behind the way that he was.

     "Oh… Caspian… don't stop, please, Caspian.." My voice was cracking under the intensity of the pleasure, and it made him press into me a little harder.

     "Jasmine, oh, I don't know how much longer I can keep going, you feel too good…"

     With that, I was through, my ass tightening around him while I squeaked out his name. One of his hands remained in my hair so that we were looking at one another, the other on my shoulder holding me in place so he could go deeper.

     Feeling me squeezing him, he was calling my name as his warmth filled me. He thrust a few more times until he was empty, beginning to soften as he pulled out and lay down beside me, holding me in his arms. Our sweat glistened in the light of the fire.

     "That was okay, right, my love?"

     I nodded, kissing him as he pet me. I was still coming, and finding it hard to speak.

     He grinned, seeing the look on my face.

     "I suppose it was more than okay then?"

     "Yes… Caspian, oh god…"

     With that, he kissed down my body before spreading my legs and licking my center.

     "I don't… I don't know how much more..  Please, Caspian… oh gods…"

     He looked up at me and wrapped my legs around his neck before licking me again, more slowly this time. My legs tightened around him, shaking.

     "I think I was too hard on you, not letting you finish for so long last weekend.  Now, I want you to come again for me, princess. Over and over again. I'll decide when you've had enough." He grinned as my back arched again at the feel of his breath on me. I loved when he took control of me, dominating what my body would and wouldn't do.

     "That's right, my love. Let me worship you, let me make you feel better than you've ever felt before."

     Right when I thought I was spent, his fingers found their way into me, and I gasped, moaning again. Every little thing was causing me to orgasm. His eyes stayed on my face as he played with me, practically torturing me with the pleasure of it all.

     He kissed my breast and my lips before standing, leaving me on the ground with my chest heaving.

     "I suppose I'll give you a break. Don't move, Jasmine. I'll be right back."

     He disappeared down the hallway, and I heard water running. When he came back, he had washed and was carrying the vibrator.

     He laid back down and kissed me again before sucking and biting my breasts, my stomach, my thighs, decorating my body in hickeys. He slid the waved vibrator between my legs and turned it on before slipping it into my rear.

     "Oh!" It felt so good sitting with his fluids.

     He slid himself into my p***y then and shuddered on top of me. "Oh…" He felt amazing pressed against my vibrating walls.

     "Oh, oh, oh!" I couldn't stop the orgasms. Every touch, every stroke, every kiss, every thrust had me cumming harder. Finally, my whole body was like a vice around him and I couldn't let go. I was clinging to him for dear life and crying into his chest, shaking as my ankles crossed around his back. Every muscle was tensed. I wasn't even touching the ground anymore, my body was attached to his.

     His arms held onto me tightly, holding me in place against his form. Finally, he finished, spilling into me, and he removed the vibrator. We lay there, tears streaming down my face, tears of exhilaration. I never knew I could take so much.

     "Jasmine," He breathed, rolling to hold me.

     I couldn't move, just panted.

     "Jasmine? What's wrong?"

     "Mmm…" I mumbled. I was on fire between my legs. Every touch was too much. His hand brushed my stomach and I shivered, whimpering as I started to come again.

     "Was it too much, my love?" His brow furrowed.

     I shook my head. "It's… good… just… everything… is…" I couldn't finish my sentence.

     He smirked, before kissing my neck. My body jolted again.

    "Do I need to help you back to the couch?"

     I nodded. "I can't even feel my legs." He kissed my forehead tenderly as he carried me in his arms to the couch, holding me in his lap and wrapping the blanket around us.

     I'd never been so satisfied in my life as he held me, petting my hair, whispering that he loved me.

     "I love you, Caspian. I didn't know that was possible, for it to feel that good, so many times."

     He kissed the back of my head. "I'll always do everything I can to make you feel good. You're my whole world. My beautiful, strong, amazing wife."

     I turned around and kissed him before tucking my head under his chin, focusing on the movie as his chest rose and fell against my side.