Her Anchor by Viva Fox Page B

teeth bared against her shoulder. Her orgasm rippled through her body, tensing her underneath him and tightening her sheath around his erection. The rumbles of a groan vibrated against her shoulder, Dylan’s hoarse cry of relief echoing her own.
    His arms buckled and he lay atop of her, both spent and breathing heavily. Slowly he caught his breath and lazily pulled from her, pressing a kiss to the marks he had bit into her shoulder before rolling to her side.
    She wasn’t sure what to expect afterwards, but he pulled her in close to him, her body molding to his again.
    “I guess I should apologize.” He said against the shell of her ear. “But I really did have your best intentions in mind when I asked if you wanted a ride.”
    “Turns out having them ignored wasn’t such a bad thing.”
    “Yeah? Well in that case I might have to ignore those intentions again before San Antonio.” Dylan said, his hands wandering their way down her body again.
    The remaining hours before they arrived in San Antonio was spent in bed with Dylan, the words and sex coming easily to them now. And when the bus pulled to a stop outside of her sister’s place she felt like a whole new woman.
    She had left her old life behind and there wasn’t an ounce of sadness left in her. Whatever had sprung up when she dropped everything that morning had been washed away in Dylan’s bed. She could start her life with a clean slate and a clear head.
    *****
    18 Months Later
    The sun was still high in the sky when Emily drove home from work and she smiled at her reflection in the rear view mirror. There wasn’t much better than a perfect Texas summer day. She loved living here, loved that it was so different from Colorado. Her life resembled nothing that it once was and all the work it took to get there was worth it.
    The first thing she had done after arriving at Marin’s, once the fact had sunk in that she had made it and she was safe, was to get rid of anything that was part of her old life. Anything that was Shane’s. She hadn’t brought much, so she made quick work of trashing almost everything in her possession. Emily didn’t regret it and hadn’t looked back. And she figured Shane had done the same because a year and a half later she still hadn’t heard from him.
    The weeks had flown by after Emily settled into Marin’s house. Her sister was just as happy to have her there as she was to be there. Family filled a void in both of them. The weeks turned into months and the disappointment of the life she left behind began to fade. She felt in control of her life for the first time.
    Even with everything going on she spent more time than she ever admitted thinking about her night of freedom all those months ago. She figured it was only natural to fixate on the first person to show her kindness in so long, but the gentleness of Dylan’s touch and the way he allowed her the space to choose was as clear to her now as it was then.
    She didn’t mind so much when the memories flooded back at night, when the house was quiet and her mind would travel over every touch and every press of his body against hers. It was during the day, doing the dishes or even in a room full of friends, when something he had told her would pop into her head and cause a stirring in her. A mundane detail that would resurface and bring a smile to her lips.
    There was rarely any time to dwell, though. Those long summer days after she moved were filled with endless errands and interviews, planning and creating a life separate from anyone else. With each day that passed, each decision she made, she felt empowered, stronger. She even managed to get a decent job with her little experience.
    It wasn’t until she had been living there for a few months that she found out she was pregnant. She knew immediately that the baby was Dylan’s, and found herself relieved that it was. Carrying a reminder of Shane would have been a clutching kind of torture, a way for him to exert his