Wounds

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Author's Note:

Apologies, I had originally intended to finish "Wounds" in four parts. With the big gap between the last posting, I decided to split the last part into two. This is part 4 of 5 in "Wounds".

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CHAPTER 10

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Janelle looked around the large, vast space inside the museum. She walked slowly through the museum, admiring the wall of rifles, mannequins dressed in old uniforms, frames upon frames of black and white photos...

She was at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Museum in San Diego.

It had been two months since she and Mia moved down to San Diego with Ezra. After some discussion with Ezra, they both agreed that preschool was important for Mia's developing social skills.

Finding a satisfactory preschool was not a difficult task, but Ezra refused to let Janelle immediately jump back into work.

"It's not hard for me to find a waitressing job, like I did in Seaside!" Janelle protested.

Ezra was gentle but firm, "You need a break."

"I don't need a break." Janelle fought back, "I need money to pay for her school!"

"You don't need to pay rent, and I can pay for the preschool."

Janelle felt a rush of blood to her head. Words came out of her mouth before she could think, "I don't want your money!"

As soon as she said those words, she regretted them. She looked down at the floor and bit her lips. She didn't know how to express all the emotions that were welling up inside her.

She was grateful for Ezra's help, but she didn't want to be dependent on anyone. After Tom, she learned the valuable lesson that she needed to be financially independent.

"I'm sorry..." she stumbled, "It's not that - I don't mean to be sound so ungrateful - I don't know how to say it...I just don't...I don't want to owe you...I mean...owe is not the right word either. I just...oh god! please understand where I'm coming from."

She felt Ezra lean closer to her. She was staring at his jeans, knowing what was underneath them. She still marveled at how well he had adapted to his artificial limbs.

"Janelle, when was the last time you didn't work, either as a parent or as an employee?"

Janelle thought in her head. She had been working part-time or full-time jobs since college. She only stopped "working" as a paid employee for the few years after Mia was born, before she took up work again at Bright Horse.

"I guess never." Janelle replied.

"What do you want to do for work?"

Janelle looked up in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"If you have the freedom to find a job you love, what would it be?" Ezra asked, "Would it still be waitressing at a restaurant? Or at a bank like you did before Mia?"

Janelle's eyes were wide.

She did not know that was an option - to think of not just finding a job that pays the bills, but to actually do something she would...enjoy...?

"I...don't know." She felt her heart pumping. Something was stirring inside her.

She saw Ezra smile, "All I'm saying is you can afford to take a little break. Go explore San Diego for the few hours Mia is at school during the day. Make some friends. I know you will figure out what you want to do. You deserve a break."

Tears welled up in her eyes, "I don't deserve this." She sobbed.

I don't deserve to have someone be this nice to me. Not from someone who has suffered so much more than I did.

Ezra hugged her, "You deserve everything."

Two months had passed since then. She followed Ezra's advice and explored San Diego. Mia's preschool was only 3 hours a day, so between dropping of her at school, grocery shopping, running errands, and not getting lost, the three hours pass by surprisingly fast each day. She took walks at Balboa Park, hiked the trails at Point Loma, played tourist at Coronado, and by complete accident, began to take yoga classes at a nearby studio.

She had walked by the studio multiple times on her way to the grocery store in the mornings. She noticed the happy glow of the students leaving class, their cheeks flush from the exercise and their bodies toned and beautiful.

She looked down at her own body. She felt sluggish and unattractive.

One day, she finally struck up the courage and walked into the studio. The studio smelled good. The staff was friendly and handed her a rental mat. "Just follow along." She was told.

She stumbled in class. She didn't know what she was doing. The teacher came over several times and gently adjusted her posture.

Yet, she felt incredibly calm and happy.

Since then, she had been setting aside two days a week to go to class. With each class, she felt more and more confident with her body. She had even begun to make friends with the other regulars.

She heard footsteps behind her. Ezra waved at her. She smiled as he approached. They were having a lunch date at his work.

"Did you come from the yoga class?" Ezra asked as they sat down at a table in the Bay View restaurant, "How was it?"

"Oh, I love it!" Janelle beamed, "And I made a friend today! This woman - Beatrice - has been going to the same class that I go to. She told me she's worked as a recruiter in several companies and is willing to take a look at my resume and give me some career advice! Next time I see her, I am going to invite her out for coffee and have my resume ready."

"That's awesome. I'm glad the yoga class is working out for you."

"Yeah, and I feel so much stronger now, too!" Janelle could not conceal her excitement, "Like, I actually managed to hold a side plank in class today. Even though it was for, like, three seconds, I still felt like it was an accomplishment."

"Well, I definitely have to agree with that." Ezra said smoothly as he took a bite of his food, "You were already pretty, Janelle, now I have to say you are just fucking hot."

Janelle's face turned red hot. "Uhm...thanks..." She stuttered.

"You're not used to it."

"What?" Janelle looked at him in confusion.

"To have someone tell you you're hot."

Janelle smiled embarrassingly, "I guess not...or...at least, it's been a while."

A long while.

"Well, you'll have to get used to it." Ezra smiled, "Because I'm going to say it a lot."

Janelle felt herself in a daze. She barely remembered what they talked about for the rest of the lunch. Ezra had to remind her that Mia's preschool was ending at 1PM and she probably needed to get going.

He walked her to her car.

He hugged her, then kissed her just long enough for her to feel her body heat rise and her legs getting rubbery.

She couldn't tell if Ezra could tell she was turned on. He just smiled and said "I'll see you later." then walked away.

Janelle sat in her car but didn't move for a while. Her heart was pumping wildly.

She had not been this turned on for a long time.

Her phone alarm sounded. It was a reminder that wherever she was, it was time to head towards preschool.

Crap, I'm acting like a horny teenager!

As she drove away, her mind began to wander.

She wondered if Ezra felt the same way for her physically, as she did for him.

It's been two months. Yet...

Ezra had not touched her since they moved to San Diego. They had been busy with the move; Mia had not been adjusting well to the new environment and demanded that Janelle sleep with her at night. As a result, Ezra had not been in the same bed with her.

Maybe...he doesn't have sexual desires anymore?

She never asked if he still kept his parts, or that if he still had them, whether they worked. It would not change one bit her mind about living with him. She was, as Ezra had described, a selfless caring woman with an infinite capacity to love. There were many ways she could fulfill her sexual needs as a young woman, and many of them could still involve Ezra, whether or not he still had a working cock.

Over the past weeks, Janelle came to understand Ezra to be much like his mother when it came to certain domestic issues. He was reserved and gentle when it came to intimacy. He was generous in giving her hugs and kisses but had thus far not pushed her beyond that.

Maybe the injury had caused him to lose all sexual appetite?

Janelle wasn't sure, but now she was certainly curious.

She was too timid to ask Ezra the question directly. Instead, she decided to test him.

That night, she put Mia to sleep by lying in bed with her. After making sure Mia was sound asleep, she quietly slipped out of the room.

Ezra was reading on his phone in bed. "You managed to slip out without waking her up?"

Janelle gave him her victorious smile, "Yup."

She got into bed and snuggled next to him. Ezra put his phone away and caressed her face. "You are so beautiful, Janelle."

Janelle moved her face up to kiss him. Ezra responded to her kiss gently. His body felt warm and strong. Janelle could feel moisture gathering between her legs. Her body, which had been denied pleasure - pure, physical pleasure - for so long, was now awakening to primitive desires.

Janelle was now determined to get a reaction - or confirmation of a non-reaction - from him. She put her hands on his chest, then moved down to his stomach, but was afraid to go down further.

Ezra, with his sensitive mind, got the hint. "Janelle, are you sure?"

Janelle wasn't quite sure how to interpret his question, "What do you mean?"

Ezra gazed at her lovingly, "You told me Tom forced himself on you...I don't want to make you feel like you need to sleep with me. I'm happy to support you and Mia without you doing anything in return."

Janelle felt her heart melt upon hearing his words. He was the complete opposite of Tom. He was too caring...to a fault.

Janelle gave him an assuring kiss and whispered in his ear, "But what if I want to sleep with you?"

She saw Ezra's gaze change. There was now a fire burning in his eyes. She also felt...a physical confirmation. Her body tingled at the sensation of feeling him pressed against her.

She gave him a final nudge, "Love me, Ezra. I want you."

Her words ignited the flames in him. They kissed passionately and removed each other's clothing.

He lowered himself down to her overflowing valley and buried himself into her. Janelle screamed. She had not been pleasured orally for a long time. Too long.

And he took his time. He was in no hurry to fulfill his own needs. She had never been able to come from pure oral sex; it took too long to build up. Ezra, however, seemed like he was going to stay there for as long as she was still screaming, moaning, and writhing while he used his tongue to tease her sensitive pearl. His tongue traced her labia; then he sucked on her soft folds. Janelle looked up into the ceiling and her body shivered uncontrollably.

"Oh, Ezra...that felt so good!" She gasped.

"Tell me what makes you feel good." Ezra said, "I want to do everything I can to make you feel loved."

Janelle sighed and smiled at him, "I love everything you are doing to me!" She held his face in her hands, "I want you to feel good too."

Janelle took the lead. She lowered her hand to caress his hard cock, feeling it pulsate in her warm hands. The excitement building up within her was overwhelming.

Ezra breathed heavily as she squeezed his cock. He stared down with amazement as she knelt between his thighs and began to milk him, first with her hands, then, without hesitation, her mouth. He leaned back his head and fought heavily the urge to cum almost immediately.

Fuck...this feels so good

! Janelle thought to herself, her own body a hot, wet mess, as she sucked his cock, remembering all the youthful years when she was free, playful, and wild. Remembering how she was as a woman.

Sex then was great. But now - at that moment - it was even better.

She felt Ezra pull her hair gently to nudge her up so they could be face to face. Her red lips swollen with desire, she whispered to him, "I want you inside me, love."

She guided his cock into her wet, hot hole. The sensation of feeling him enter her, ever so slowly, while looking into her eyes with pure admiration, filled her heart with joy and burned her soul with desire. It was not possible to feel more loved.

To Janelle, sex had always been more than just carnal pleasure. It was her way of bonding. She could not spread her legs for just any man. She was too emphatic to dissociate primitive pleasure from the symbolic submission of her female body. To allow a man to enter her, pleasure her, then deposit the result of his lust inside her, which in both planned and unplanned circumstances, could result in an offspring — no, she would not do that with just anyone. She had loved Tom when she bore Mia. Now she would offer herself to Ezra.

When she did offer herself to a loving partner - oh, the indescribable pleasure it brought her! The friction between their sexual organs sent shockwaves through her body. He reached into places she didn't know existed. She didn't know she had so many hot spots inside her.

"There...that feels good...oh yes, please don't stop...!" She used her words to guide him. He dutifully followed her command.

She rewarded him with the sweetest sighs and the tightening of her interior muscles. Her pussy milked his cock like a maid on fire. Her eyes half closed and her lips murmuring bliss, she possessed the mind of a devout pilgrim and the bodily response of an unabashed whore. Her hips moved along with his strokes to get him deeper into her.

"Janelle, you feel incredible." Ezra sighed as he plunged himself deep into her, "And I don't say that to make you feel good...I remember what sex was like, and it wasn't as good. You have an amazing body."

Janelle let out a small laugh, "It's because you have an amazing cock, my love."

Her response was met with a loving kiss. He took her body away from the memory of abuse, neglect, and replaced it with fiery pleasure. Slowly, her body remembered what it was like to be in love with itself again. She was grateful for his patience. In return, he was rewarded with the spectacle of her enjoying a long, breathtaking series of intense orgasms. Her brows knit tightly together, her breathing labored, her body rode the waves of the highs and lows.

She lost track of time. Her sense of how long she went from being under him, to rolling over and riding him, experiencing another extended high, to laying on top of him, her head resting on his chest, feeling his erection inside her canal while his hands caressed her back.

She heard her own breathing, rising and lowering in a rhythm, in sync with his breath, like a perfect duet. His hands slid up her back, awakening nerves along the spine, causing her body to tingle and her pussy to contract. She moaned. She did not know she could get stimulated from having her back massaged.

He asked her if he could go back on top of her, which she happily consented to. There, he began to thrust into her with more force, causing her to scream just a bit louder than she would have for fear of being heard. He was rapidly expanding inside her, signaling an imminent release. She pleaded for him to come inside her. He did just that.

As her own climax subsided, she could not stop tears from rolling down her eyes. She wasn't sad, but she was full of other emotions.

He hugged her and let her cry wordlessly. He waited patiently until she was no longer sniffing and the tears had stopped flowing.

At last, he asked her, "What are you thinking?"

Janelle's mind was numb, but she was able to express herself, "I'm thinking how foolish I had to be to have stayed with Tom for so long. When I should have realized, long before, that it was already over. That once I was no longer enjoying sex with him, I should have left him. Maybe...he would not have become the person he became, if I had not tolerated him."

Janelle remembered Tom's frustration with his work. Maybe it had all started from there. But she didn't know how to solve his work problems. She didn't know how to help him achieve what he wanted in life.

Her voice was full of sorrow, "Despite what he has done, I cannot hate him. I felt...he was just lost. Very lost, and unfortunately, I was not the right solution for his problems."

After those words, she was silent for a while.

Ezra spoke, "I'm not going to pass judgement on someone I didn't know much, but I don't think there was much you could have done. It was right for you to leave."

Janelle felt this was the right time to broach a question that had been lingering in her mind, "What did he say to you, when you came to the apartment that day?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Janelle's heart tightened, "Yes, I do."

Ezra recollected his memory, "When I got to the apartment door, I heard him yelling for Mia to come out from under the bed. So, I opened the door..."

"Wait, the door wasn't locked?"

"Oh, sorry, I missed the part where I ran into your apartment manager downstairs. She heard all the shouting and was considering calling 911. I told her to give me the keys to your apartment. She didn't want to follow me upstairs when she saw that I had a gun."

"You had good luck, I guess." Janelle thought out loud, "What were you going to do if the manager wasn't there?"

"I don't know, ring the doorbell and say I'm from FedEx?"

Janelle rolled her eyes, "How are you making something so serious this funny?"

"Hey, I don't want to be arrested for breaking open a door when the police were going to show up any minute." Ezra smiled, "So I opened the door and saw you on the ground."

"Did you think I was dead?"

"That did flash through my mind and it was not a good feeling. I went to check up on you and saw that you were still breathing. Then, I saw Tom come into the room with a knife in his hand. I guess I'm very recognizable, because he immediately called my mother a bitch. He also said something about sleeping with you, which at that time, was something I was hoping was reality but wasn't, so I wasn't sure where he got that idea from."

"Oh, that..." Janelle sighed, "I can explain. This all started because he saw the text you sent me. He used to read my phone all the time."

Ezra sighed, "Well, if I had known that I wouldn't have sent it."

"It's OK. I was also dumb for not deleting it. What happened next?"

"I told him the police were coming and asked where Mia was. He told me he was going to kill all of us before the police arrived."

Janelle shuddered with horror. "Oh my god!"

"I told him to stay where he was and that if he moved, I was going to shoot him. He told me I didn't have the guts to, then came at me. That was when I shot him in the left leg, just above the knee cap."

Janelle remembered the loud bang in her semi-conscious state. Then the whimpering.

"He cried, didn't he? I remember hearing it."

"Yes, he did. I think he did not think I would actually shoot him. He was pretty shocked."

"Did the police show up by then?"

"Almost. Probably not soon enough for him. I applied a tourniquet on him to stop the bleeding. The police arrived right around I was done securing it."

Janelle stared at him, "You shot him and then you saved him?"

"My intention was to prevent him from killing me, not to kill him." Ezra said, "It also helped to prove the point that I shot him in self-defense. I went to find Mia after the police arrived. She was still hiding under the bed."

Janelle's heart ached at the thought of Mia crouched under the bed, fearing for her life, "Was she frightened? Was she crying?"

"No, she wasn't crying. She was very calm. She heard everything. I took her out to see Tom being taken away and I explained to her what had happened, including the fact that I had shot him and then treated him. She understood." Ezra looked into her eyes, "She is lot stronger than you think, Janelle. She knows to remain calm under stressful situations. I almost think she only throws tantrums when she knows nothing is at stake, well, except for your sanity."