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The kidnapper's threat had been neutralized and the policemen had gone after the right person.  Ellie turned and quickly ran towards to put her arms around Henry's collapsed form. She kissed his shocked lips as she curled her body around him.  His whole body was shaking from adreniline as she couldn't help tightening her body around his. "That was amazing, I'm so glad you're with me."

Henry couldn't gain control of his hands so he felt fear run through him as he tried to make his body work.  He tightened his muscles around her and tried to breathe evenly as the gun was taken out of his reach. Henry had gone through military schools all his life.  His butler was a hardened World War II veteran and he had grown up surrounded by stories of how bad Japanese violations of war had cost his family. He had dated and drank with his guards with little regard for why they had such a high alcohol tolerance.  Even his mid morning drills had not prepared him for Ellie. He couldn't believe how quickly someone trained in martial art and security could move with such tactical single mindedness. It had shocked him as he saw Ellie's physicality. It put her in a new light that his angel who tried to patiently understand him and cared for him was also an Amazon, she could move with the precision and thought of his own hardened Michael.  She was like a hellhound in action--beautiful, graceful, deadly.

She was a firecracker, which was a new image of her.  He couldn't believe that she had taken initiative to help him.  No one really ever wanted to help a CEO, everyone wanted to see him fall.  He turned his face into her neck as he felt the warmth of her begin to seep into him.  Henry couldn't help his tremor when he recalled that the photographer had almost turned murderer when he had tried to gain control of the situation by putting his hand around Ellie's neck.  Her neck was so small, like a swan's. It would have been easy to snap in the brute's huge arms. The moment that his abusers had turned to the one he had never wanted hurt, his inability to move had abated.  His mind mad moved so quickly that he had been surprised to find the weapon in his hand. He couldn't believe his luck that he had neutralized the problem. He couldn't get the picture out of his head of Ellie as a broken swan on the ground, never smiling at him made his blood boil.

Ellie brushed some liquid off the corner of his mouth.  "I didn't know you even knew how to use a weapon. I don't understand how you got an officer to lend you his sniper rifle to take the shot."

"I went to military boarding schools so I learned how to shoot long distance air rifles for sport.  These types of guns are something I know. This one was unmanned. I was just lucky." Henry breathed roughly.  "I doubt I could have sprang into action at all if you weren't in trouble. The thought of losing you is--"

Ellie's arms around him grew unbearably tight.  "I feel the same. I didn't think you could do more than you did.  I'm so happy this time to be proved wrong. Thank you."

He closed his eyes as her cool hands ran through his hair, soothing the aching beating that had come from not wearing protection after he shot such a powerful gun.  The recoil still hurt his whole shoulder joint. As she moved, Henry couldn't help wondering why he still reacted this way as if a smoking fire had started deep in his pelvis and was slowing warming him up from the inside.  He opened his eyes to look at her and felt hungry. Ellie was beautiful in this moment. He wanted to keep her bound to him and make her feel as amazing as she was making him--a kissing that would start at her mouth before dipping down . . .

Feeling himself react, he felt a lightning bolt run through him with the realization that there were true feelings burning here.  Slowly the flame had been built up with kindling inside of him until it had burst forth in full roaring hunger. Henry wanted his wife with an urgency that was different than the lust that he had for any other.

His tongue naked out to moisten his chapped hips as he looked up from where his prone body lay in her lap.  Her eyes met his before Ellie became like a statue with conflicting emotions in her eyes. She seemed caught.

Henry pushed his head up and put a hand on her hand to pull it down as he very carefully put his mouth to hers.

Ellie's lips opened as he moved closer.  He felt like a live wire was running through his veins forcing static electricity to spark all around to jostle up his thoughts and make his senses dance.  She had made out with him when she had been detoxing from her drug addiction. Sometimes when he was alone he had wondered what it would be like to have her full attention when she was conscious.  At present, he knew. Knowing was better than he had considered.

He let his eyes close and let himself be swept.  He didn't have to plan, worry . . . what a world where the simpler things had their beauty.  He had finally found someone whom he could hold like a home . . .

If only . . . if only . . .

. . . home came with crying and leaving.  Abruptly, his eyes opened as he remembered all he had worked so hard to change.  He couldn't tie himself down to the binding feeling that her hold was bringing him.

Feeling that his passion was fading, Ellie pulled away from him and looked at him with questions in her eyes.  Henry didn't know what the expression in his face conveyed, but she extricated herself from him and moved back, her face was the perfect mask of civility and practiced kindness.