Tied Up In Knots

 

I let the plush silver towel drop to the floor and crawled into the tub settling between Duncan's soapy thighs. After my horrible day, I wanted to go home, go to bed and cry myself to sleep. Duncan wouldn't hear of it though. He wound his arm around me holding me tightly against him and said, "There's no way I'm leaving you alone. You're coming home with me, and I'm taking care of you."  How could I resist that man?
 
I pressed my back into his chest and let myself relax into him and the bubbles. I could feel the hardness between his legs pressed into my back. With Duncan, his erection was not something one could easily miss. Despite his apparent arousal, sex didn't seem to be what he was looking for. His arms settled around me under my breasts holding me to him while the warmth of his body and the water seeping into my skin settled my nerves a bit.
 
"Are you OK?" he asked sweetly.
 
I made a heavy sigh. "We should be celebrating right now Duncan. We should be opening a bottle of Champaign and celebrating that I'm free that I'm free to be with you. It should be just us now, no Patrick to get in the way."
 
"Just because you aren't officially divorced does not mean that you are not free to be with me Lydie. He has a hold on you, and It's up to you to let that go, to sever those ties. Divorce papers are just that, papers."
 
I sat quietly pondering Duncan's words. He was right. I let Patrick do this to me, affect me this way. We were getting a divorce and I shouldn't let him have that power over me. I'd never really paid attention to it, and I wondered how badly it bothered Duncan, since it's something he obviously noticed. Him having to stand by and see how my husband, ex-husband, could make me angry or sad or distraught, well it wasn't fair for him to have to go through that.

"Thank you." I whispered and nuzzled into his neck over my shoulder.
 
"Why are you thanking me?" he asked placing a kiss on my forehead.
 
For putting up with me, for dealing with my ex, for being amazing, for giving me multiple orgasms, for loving me, all viable answers to his question, all truths. "For this," I moved my hand like a Price Is Right model over the bubbles and the tub.  "For calming me. You have a very calming effect on me Duncan Keith."
 
"Mmm," he purred and his thumb rubbed the valley between my breasts. "I'm glad. I want to see you happy. To see your gorgeous brown eyes light up. I'd do anything for you Lydia, anything." I tilted my head up and his lips met mine in a kiss that was hotter than I expected. It was so hot that I felt like a torch had been lit between my legs and I pressed my thighs together and wiggled trying to contain the rush of excitement that was taking over my body from a mere kiss.
 
 
**** Duncan's POV
 
All I could think of was making her happy, stripping the pain from her eyes. The pain caused by her son of a bitch husband, who should be her ex-husband right now. There was no way I was going to let her spend the night alone. Under normal circumstances I wanted her with me, but like this, there was no way I was letting her go home alone. I offered to take her to lunch which she declined and then to make her lunch when we got back to my place.  She declined again. I watched her, arms crossed around her body, hip leaning against the counter of my kitchen, like she was ready to lose it. That's when it dawned on me. "Come on," I said taking her by the hand and not really offering her an option to refuse. I moved her though the kitchen and living room, through my bedroom to the bathroom.  She looked up at me with those big brown eyes. They held almost a childlike innocence, wondering what was going on. I pointed to the tub so she'd understand my plan.
 
There was something about Lydia and baths. She adored baths, so much so that I had filled a shelf with scented bath oils, salts and bubbles to encourage her to use my tub at will, in hopes it would make her a frequent visitor. Some of my favorite moments between us took place in the bath, both sexual and otherwise. I wondered if all women were this crazy about bath's or if it was an exclusive feature of the beautiful woman standing behind me. I stripped off my clothes and ran the bath adjusting the temperature and adding bubbles, then turned to see her wrapped in nothing but a towel with the slightest hint of a smile tugging at her lips. I was glad to see she liked the idea as much as I thought she would.
 
Seeing her like that, her hair tucked behind her ears and her lips puckered blowing a single strand out of her eyes, her creamy white legs almost completely exposed and knowing by memory the curves that hid behind the silver terry cloth gave me a familiar twinge. I wanted her. I always wanted her, but not now. This wasn't about me or relieving the ache in my groin. It was about Lydia, relaxing her, soothing her, making her forget the pain thrust on her without warning this morning.
 
I slipped into the tub trying to keep my hardening erection from becoming the topic of conversation. Watching her drop the towel and then feeling her pressed against me made keeping things non-sexual difficult, painfully difficult. I'm sure she noticed my hard cock pressed into her back, but she just settled into my neck without drawing attention to it.
 
"We should be celebrating right now Duncan. We should be opening a bottle of Champaign and celebrating that I'm free that I'm free to be with you. It should be just us now, no Patrick to get in the way."
 
I tried not to let her feel my body tense up. Lydie had a way of reading my reactions to things, reactions I could usually hide by not verbalizing them. Before Lydia I used to pride myself on being able to hide behind my silence. She just got me in a way no one else ever had. I wanted to kill Patrick rip him limb from limb for what he'd done, but she was still spending so many nights crying over him, going apartment hunting with him, taking his calls. I wasn't sure what the drama of the day was entirely his fault. "Just because you aren't officially divorced does not mean that you are not free to be with me Lydie. He has a hold on you, and It's up to you to let that go, to sever those ties. Divorce papers are just that, papers."
 
Our lips came together in a searing kiss and all the lust I was trying to keep bottling up poured into it. I wasn't trying to get her hot for me, but it had happened. The way she squirmed between my legs and pressed her knees together, there was no hiding it.
 
**** Lydia's POV
 
Duncan's hungry mouth continued making love to mine. When our kiss ended, my lips felt raw and abandoned and I had one of those looks like a girl who had never been kissed and was caught off guard by the passion of it all. His blue eyes had deepened and a flame burned behind them. "Put your head back. Put it back and shut your eyes," he instructed. His tone was rough and sexy, and I did what he said letting my head fall back on to his shoulder. "I'm going to make you forget it all baby." His hands traveled downward spreading my legs between my knees. "Just relax." I wasn’t sure relaxing was even possible as his hand traveled up my inner thigh. “Let me take care of you. You deserve that Lydia.” One of his hands wandered from my thigh to my sweet spot, and when he found it my back arched. His free hand came up cupping my breast and pressing me softly back into him. He rubbed me softly and slowly between my legs until my moans gave him permission to move faster and harder. “I want to make you feel so good baby,” he cooed into my ear and started kissing down my neck and pinching my hardened nipple. Two of his fingers that were pumping inside me were joined by a third while his thumb played with my aching clit. I’m not sure I even knew how my moans filled the room. “Duncan!” I yelled out.  “Not yet baby, hold on for me.” His finger curled inside me, and there was no holding back. “That’s it let it go.” I practically rode his fingers into the toe curling, mind numbing, seeing spots, bliss. My breathing was still labored as he removed his hand from between my legs and went back to cradling me in his arms.
 
“You are so beautiful. You’re amazing and smart. I want you to be happy Lyd. I want you to be happy with me.”
 
I looked up at him stretching my neck upward so my lips met his. “I am happy. You take it all away Duncan. All the crap that was my life. Being with you makes it all go away.” I closed my eyes and nuzzled into his neck again. We were quiet and he held me for awhile until I interrupted the silence. “Duncan, tell me about you.”
 
“What?”
 
I guessed the request caught him off guard. “I want to know more about you. Tell me about your family. Tell me about growing up. You never talk about yourself.”
 
“You know the stuff that matters Lydia.”
 
“What do I know Duncan? I know that you play for the Blackhawks, you’re the best D-man in the NHL, and I thought that even before you started giving me orgasms.” I smiled when I felt his chest move in time with his laugh. “I know your best friend is Brent Seabrook and that you chose to spend the summer here taking care of me instead of going home. Thank you for that by the way, but I don’t even know where home is for you.”
 
“First of all, I didn’t stay in Chicago to take care of you. I stayed because I wanted to be with you, and before you ask…yes there is a difference.” He placed a soft kiss on the top of my head. “Home for me seems to be wherever I am, I guess. We moved around a lot when I was a kid, but my parents live in Penticton now which is Western Canada. I’m not going to lie. I don’t like to talk about myself, but I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
 
And he did. He told me he was a middle child with an older brother and younger sister, which explained a lot about his quiet laid back personality. He talked about moving around as a kid and how his parents did everything they could to keep him in hockey and get him the training and coaching he needed. I found out he was a Boston Bruins fan growing up, and that while he liked chocolate just fine, his favorite flavor of ice cream was strawberry, the kind with chunks of frozen berries. He talked about his college days at Michigan State and his decision to leave university for Major Juniors, feeling if he was going to make a career out of the game he loved so much, Juniors gave him the better opportunity. His parents were not happy with the decision, but they were supportive. He may not have liked talking about himself, but I know I saw his eyes sparkle with pride as he talked about his sister Rebecca and her two children, and his brother's naval career.
 
At some point it became obvious that talking about himself was exhausting for him. I turned around in his arms under the water that was starting to cool. “I think it’s adorable that you can spend over twenty five minutes on the ice during any given game, but talking about yourself for ten minutes wears you out.”
 
He laughed, “I’m not much of a talker.”
 
I kissed his nose and his chin, then each of his cheeks, settling finally on his lips, before I said, “Any chance you want to take a nap?”
 
“Are you tired?”  I nodded my response. “Let’s get you to bed then.”
 
I was tired, exhausted, and I could tell he was too. After toweling off we found our way into his bed and under the plush duvet and blue sateen sheets with large K’s monogrammed in block letters. He pulled me into him pressing his naked chest to mine. One hand rested in my hair while the other ran up and down the length of my bare back. He made me feel safe and adored and it was a feeling I could get used to. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep I heard him whisper, “I love you Lydie.”
 
I wanted to love him back. I wanted to let go of Patrick and fall head first in love with Duncan Keith.
 
**** Duncan’s POV
 
I peaked one eye open and looked at the clock, 4:00PM. I heard Lydie’s phone ringing but she didn’t budge. I cursed as I let go of the beautiful naked woman in my bed and headed toward the dresser where Lydia always seemed to keep her cell. As I made the short trip across the bedroom I swore to myself if this was Patrick I would answer and tell him never to call her again. Overstepping my bounds? Maybe, but it was time for him to move on. Lydia had obviously made her choice. To my relief it was not her ex – Robert Dunbar Esquire appeared across the screen. I was fairly certain that was her divorce attorney, and the call was going to be important.
 
“Lydie, Lydie. Wake up baby, I think it’s your lawyer.” I said, shaking her lightly by her shoulder.
 
Her eyes opened semi startled at first. “My lawyer? Oh Robert.” She reached out for the phone with one hand and rubbed sleep from her eyes with the other. 
 
I listened as she spoke to her attorney, giving him a series of “right”s and a few “OK”s. Then she sat straight up in bed. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! There is no way! No fucking way!” I jumped back a bit startled at her change in attitude and the language I wasn’t used to hearing from those sweet lips of hers. I made a mental note not to piss her off. She huffed into the phone and said, “I know Robert, but this was supposed to be over today. I’m supposed to be divorced now, not sitting across from some shrink trying to work on my marriage.” WHAT!?! My mind started reeling. “I know. I know. I’m sorry Robert, I’m sorry I lost my temper.” Her lip was starting to quiver and huge tears were forming in the corners of her eyes.

As soon as she hung up I scooped her up. "What is it? What did he tell you?" I didn't know if it was any of my business, but I couldn't just sit by and not ask. Before she even opened her mouth I knew what she was going to say, that Patrick was fucking things up again.

Tears were running down her cheeks now, but she had a different look in her eyes, one that I didn't recognize. "I can't do this. I won't. Duncan he's ruining everything." She pushed away from me and walked toward the bathroom. She made no attempt to cover up her gorgeous body and despite the anger in her voice and the apparent frustration she felt, I couldn't help taking in the normally modest woman that had stolen my heart. I followed her in to the bathroom where I almost laughed at her attempting to get her bra and panties on at the same time. I'm glad I held in the laugh cuz she was fuming, cursing but hopping around on one foot while doing so.

"Lydia, Lydia stop. Just stop." I grabbed her close and she struggled against me for a second before she gave in to my strength. I fastened her bra behind her and let her just melt into me. "Tell me."

"Counseling sessions. Ten. Ten counseling sessions with him."

"As in marriage counseling?" I asked, knowing from what I'd overheard earlier that I was probably right.

She sighed. "Kind of. It's something the court will sometimes when one of the parties is contesting the divorce."

All of a sudden I was concerned. Very concerned. "I don't know if this is a stupid question, but is it possible that they won't grant your divorce?"

She looked up into my eyes, put one hand on either side of my face and kissed me sweetly on the mouth. "No baby." It was such a simple thing, but her calling me baby made my heart swell in my chest. "Eventually it will happen. It's something the court does to ensure a divorce is really wanted. Lots of couples fight and end up in divorce court only to end up getting re-married. The counseling sessions are designed to make sure irreconcilable differences are actually irreconcilable. It's not a big deal really, but it's going to prolong things. There's usually one session per week so we're talking about at least ten weeks and with the season starting and Patrick's schedule, probably longer."

I held her out in front of me by the shoulders. "It's only time. It's just a waiting game, but you have to let go. You have to let him go Lydie."

"I'm ready for that Duncan. I'm ready." She moved away from me and began pulling her clothes on. "I'm not going to let him get away with this though. It's not right. I've been more than fair to him, and I refuse to let him off the hook and just give him ten more weeks to call me his wife."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going there. I'm going to see him, and I'm going to change his mind."

I couldn't help being filled with fear. She was going to change his mind or maybe he was going to change hers.