Wild Afflictions

Chapter 5: Memory

Ian POV

"She'll be so happy to see you guys. It's been too long since a famous RZB sleepover."

The girls giggled at the name I'd given their get togethers when I was a kid.

"What? It's your initials."

"It's just funny you still call it that." My sister bonked me on the nose. "It's cute."

I groaned, pushing her away. "Hey, don't boop me!"

She booped my nose again. "I'm your big sister. I'll boop you when I want to."

I let out another groan. "Ugh! Why must you be so annoying?"

"As I said, I'm your big sister. It's my job to be annoying." She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Ugh! Can't you take a day off for once?"

"Nope! Not a chance." Bri giggled, looking over to Rose. "So, what'd ya say, Rosebud? Ready for a RZB get together?"

The strawberry blonde smiled widely, giggling. "Hell ya!"

I smiled myself, hoping deep down this sort of thing would help cheer my fianceè up.

* * *

Sitting at the bar, my brother in law, Tommy, to my right, and my best friend, Johnny, to the left of me, I showed them the photo Zoey had received, along with the horrid letter that had come along with it.

"You don't really think it could be her, do you Ian?" Johnny chugged down some of his beer, sitting it down hard on the bar counter, making a loud noise as he did so. "That psycho bitch is locked away far from here."

"I'm not sure, but it's got me on edge. If it isn't her, then I'd like to know who did it. I want to just put it aside and forget about the past and move on, but I have a feeling it won't be the last time something like this will happen." I tapped my fingers across the counter, my leg bouncing up and down nervously on my chair. "With the wedding only a few months away, I don't want anything to ruin it."

My brother in law touched a hand to my shoulder. "Hey, calm down a little. Everything will be perfect. Zoey has your sister helping out. The wedding will be perfect. Remember mine and Bri's wedding? She did all that. And it ran smoothly. It's going to be fine. Here. Drink this."

The brunette male slid a bottle of my favorite beer towards me. I assumed he must've ordered it when I was talking about the photo and letter.

I sighed, but took it and unscrewed the top of it, downing a long swig.

"And even if that psycho was the one behind the photo, I would handle it. You forget Zoey is like my little sister and I'd jump through hoops for her. Not only that, Bri would kill me if I didn't help protect her best friend." Tommy remarked with determination.

I downed another swig, slamming the bottle onto the counter. "You're right. But for the record, I'd handle the bitch myself if she ever step foot near my Zoey again."

"You really love that woman, don't you, Ian?" Johnny slurred, on his third or fourth beer.

"Well hell yeah, I do. That's why I asked her to marry me."

The blonde laughed drunkenly. "Oh right! Well, you better lock it down! Not gonna lie, if you hadn't I would've!"

Hearing him say this, I clenched my fingers against the beer bottle. "The hell you would! Zoey is and always will be MINE!"

Johnny burst out laughing again. "Woah! Woah! Calm down, man! I was only kidding. I know how much that woman means to you. You forget I had to listen to you whine about her for years before y'all finally got together!"

"Same here! Remember when Bri would force me to talk to you about it so she didn't have to anymore. She kept saying you were such a pussy for not admitting it. But really, man, I'm surprised it took that long for y'all to get together. Especially after that time in High School." Tommy patted my back, his words triggering a memory in my brain.

Brunette waves of hair draped across a pillow, silky skin soft and warm under my fingers. Luscious lips soft against my mouth, wild desires igniting like an inferno under the surface.

Her moans were music to my ears, her movements graceful caresses of pleasure.

The wild woman had been tamed under my touch, a puddle in my arms.

"That had been the first and only time we ever did anything. . . I was such a coward for leaving her that night. . . And I thought I could just bury it down and forget it ever happened, but when we kissed the first time again at the club, it brought it back. She was engaged then, though. . . To someone else. I hadn't wanted to stop and had planned to go further as we went to my car, but just when we were about to. . . Daniel Franklyn, her fianceè. . . Had called. . . My heart shattered to pieces almost in that moment, but I knew better. . ." I let out a very audible sigh, running a hand through my hair. "It's kind of my fault Zoey broke things off with that guy. Not that I'm complaining much since she's mine now, but still. . . I wonder if she remembers that night. . ."

Tommy and Johnny exchanged a look.

"Wow, Ian. We're not drunk enough for this deep of a talk." Johnny joked, motioning for the bartender to send over more beers. "We gotta have at least two more before we have that talk."

"Oh, whatever. You don't understand because you're single." I downed the rest of my bottle and then snatched one of the new ones up and began downing it.

***

I devoured her lips hungrily, savoring her sweet taste.

Her hands wrapped gently around my neck, her fingers tangling into my hair as I backed her up against the wall.

My lips trailed down her neck, marking every inch of skin I could.

That night she was all mine and I wasn't going to let her forget it.

Her moans grew louder, each one sounding more and more like buzz in my mind.

Buzz. . . Buzz. . . Buzz. . . wait. That's not a moan-

I woke from my wonderful dream, groaning.

"Dammit! It was getting to the good part." I reached for my phone on the nightstand, tapping the alarm off.

Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and stretched my limbs, automatically realizing I was alone in the room.

A slight loneliness filled me, Zoey's sleeping form having not been cuddled up to me when I woke up.

"I wonder how things went last night." I muttered to myself, stifling a yawn as I crawled out of the bed, sunlight streaming in through the window greeting me as I did so. "Ah, such a beautiful day. I wonder if Zoey would be up to a picnic later on. . ."

I pulled back the blinds, my mind already planning the picnic when I felt warmth wrap around me, followed by a nuzzle against my back.