34. Desperation

**Jodie**

"I love you," I blurt out my word the second he joins me in the kitchen after putting my things away in his room.

"Oh, Jodie... I love you too." He rests his hand on my waist and kisses the top of my hair. The gentle kiss soothes me better than any of his other kisses. The man knew how to make me feel better, and right now he was making me feel cherished.

"You do?"

"Yes, the last time you were in my bed, I realized that I was gone for you. I love you and I will do anything in my power to protect you." His fingers curl under my chin, tilting me to face him before he leans in for another kiss. This time it's sweet and full of passion making me grow pliant in his arms.

"I just...between everything that's going on in my life, I never thought that I would feel this way. And now you say that you love me too. Doug, I don't know why...I don't have anything to offer you aside from my problems." I try to explain but his face shows me that he doesn't like what I'm trying to convey.

"Jodie, don't do this...I love you. I don't want you to think less of yourself. It's me who wonders what makes you fall in love with me. I'm just me, I offered you what I'm capable of and to me, that's still not much of a thing to offer to someone as beautiful as you. Cause to me you are, on the outside and very much so on the inside, baby." He wraps his arms around my body, before pulling me close for his warm fuzzy kisses. He breaks our kiss when his phone buzzes with an incoming call. He kisses my temple before stepping back to answer his phone while one of his hands entwines mine and his thumb rubs small circles on the inside of my wrist.

"Hi Dad, yes, we're at mine. Hold on I'm putting you on speaker. Do you have any news? You're on speaker with Jodie." I watch as he rests his phone on the kitchen counter and drapes his arm around my back. He gives me a quick peck on the side of my head before he concentrates back on his conversation with his Dad.

"Hi, Jodie. I'm glad that you're both safe. Son, I want to advise you to stay home tonight, at least until I find out what is going on." His dad pauses until he hears confirmation that Doug is going to follow his instructions. Honestly, I don't think I can function if I go to work. So I am glad when Doug easily says yes to his dad, promising him that we'll stay at home.

"I'm in contact with some people." His dad continues as we both listen. "I'm running a check on the Colbert, we're working on a timeline for your mother and sister's disappearance. Right now, I have nothing to offer you, but Jodie, try to rest. We're going to find them, you alerted their disappearance within a couple of hours and that is the best thing you can do for their search." His dad talks about more technical stuff with Doug and I start tuning off the conversation and let myself be held by my boyfriend.

While shutting down my brain, a sliver of thought in the back of my mind wonders how the hell Doug's dad is going to do to help me. Maybe he's working in private security, maybe he even owned one. But one thing I know is that I am getting tired. I have cried and am currently frustrated and now feel the need to lie down. I am suddenly beyond exhausted.

"Come on, let me get to bed. You need to rest." I hear Doug whisper softly in my ear. He had ended the call with his dad and I can see that his focus is back on me again. Maybe it's the adrenaline finally crashing down on me, but I let him ushered me to his room. He helps me out of my clothes and puts his t-shirt over my underwear before he settles beside me.

"Why are you still fully clothed?" I ask when my hand feels the button-down shirt and my bare legs feel the rough material of his jeans.

"I need to go talk to Lester later. He's around the area somewhere, but first, you need to rest. Lester will still be around afterward." His last words remind me that the mustache guy is there, that his dad had me tailed knowing something can happen to me. I just wish he had extended that same concern to my mom and sister. But then again, the man didn't know them and truthfully, even I didn't think that I was in that serious of danger.

"Stop thinking, sleep." Doug holds me closer and kisses the top of my head. So I do just that, letting my eyes close and trying to relax my mind and go to sleep. I try...and I try so hard, but after minutes of tossing in turning, moving away and back into his arms...I finally give up and open my eyes, admitting my defeat.

"I can't, I can't stop thinking about them. I should've gone with them. Mom asked again before she left and I told her I wanted to nap before my shift." I sniffle, feeling like the total failure that I am. "What if...what if I was there, maybe I can help them. Maybe, I can do something and get all of us back to our home."

"Or maybe you will get yourself in trouble and I never forgive myself for losing you." Doug kisses the top of my nose while he rubs my arm gently. "Yes, I'm that selfish. But baby, please trust that my Dad will help you. You need to rest..."

"I can't, my mind won't keep quiet. I..."

"Ssh...let me," Doug whispers and I gasp when I feel his lips over my nipples seconds after he easily lifted his t-shirt that I was wearing and unclasped my bra throwing them to join the rest of my clothes on his bedroom floor.

"Doug,"

"Let your mind go, baby, I want you to relax and let me take care of the burden for you for the next couple of hours."

"Y-yes..." I whimper the second his fingers slipping between my legs. I don't even know when he takes off my panties. But before I start thinking of anything else my brain short-circuited when I feel his tongue inside me and he starts licking and sucking me off.

His hands are holding my thighs apart. I can feel myself blushing from the overexposure. I am revealing my most intimate part and I'm still not used to him having me like this. But when his eyes look at me and wink, I lose myself and let him do what he wants with me. His mouth on me is sinfully good, so debouched that I won't ever dream of even in my wildest dreams.

When his fingers join in and his lips keep on sucking me, my feet were flat against the muscles of his back. I am opening my most intimate part and he was enjoying me like he can't get enough of me. When his hands move to my ass cheeks, Doug starts to squeeze them before giving them a hard slap and that was when I finally lose it. I climaxed hard inside his mouth and still, he didn't let go of me. Not until I am spent and my limbs are like boiled spaghetti.

"Sleep...I'll be in the living room."

I am barely listening to his words but I nod anyway and let the darkness consume me and the sleep takes me under in a matter of seconds.