Before the Dawn

by Gail Chianese

  Moving on, they tried their hands at the rock wall, not as easy as it looked, and miniature golf, (hello, hole in one), before hitting the on-site restaurant for some much-needed food and drink.

  Sliding into the booth, all the muscles in her body sighed in happiness. Between laser tag and the laughing, all the stress had disappeared. “Thank you,” she said.

  “For?”

  “This.” She waved her hand around indicating their surroundings. “I really needed some time away from it all—the case, work, the gossips in town.”

  Shawn reached for the menus, passing one her way. “I’ve heard small towns are pretty intimate. Is it really that bad?”

  “No, not at all.” She shook her head and perused the menu. “If you don’t mind the entire town knowing your personal business almost before you do.”

  At the look of disbelief on his face, she explained how it worked. “Suppose we’re in Elsie’s, and Courtney Thorley comes in to pick up her lunch. On her way back to the Irresistibly You Boutique, next door, she’ll remember she has to stop at the post office and pick up the mail. While there, she’ll mention to Ms. Green, the postmistress, that I was having lunch with a man from out of town.”

  “Is that a crime?”

  “You’d think. Now, as she leaves the post office, she’ll remember she needs to have her hair cut and will stop in at Sheer Illusions Salon. While there, she’ll mention that I was having an intimate conversation with a good-looking guy. Not of Camden Point. At this point, she could simply walk across the village green and go back to work, but she’ll have decided she needs something sweet to finish off her lunch.”

  “What happens there?” His voice was filled with curiosity and a bit a disbelief, maybe even a touch of awe.

  “Oh, that’s where it’ll get really good. She’ll mention us to her BFF. By the time the two are done, you’ll be a sailor who’s pulled into the sub base and is just in town for the week and we’ll be having a mad affair. Rumor has it we’re eloping.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “The fact that I’ve been away with you for, what, eight hours?” She looked down to her watch for confirmation. “That’s just fuel for the fire. By the time I get home there’ll be a half a dozen messages from various acquaintances trying to confirm the story and my mother demanding to know who you are.”

  The waitress came and took their orders. Shawn’s brow had been drawn down in concentration the whole time.

  “We could have even more fun. Really stoke the fires, give them plenty to talk about. You could come back to my apartment with me and spend the weekend,” Shawn said.

  “Yeah, right. I can see it now.” Boy could she, and it would be better than the taste and feel of chocolate cream pie sliding across her tongue.

  His eyes smoldered with passion, growing dark and intense. “So can I. Monday, I’ll drop you back at the office, in the same clothes you left in today. Of course, they’ll still be clean, since you won’t have worn them for two days.”

  Holy crap! He’s serious. Or is he?

  She had no idea what to say. There was a part of her—the part that was tired of being the good girl, the responsible one, always doing what everyone expected of her—that wanted to say yes. Take him up on his offer and spend the next forty-eight hours naked, in bed with this gorgeous, funny, kind man. Why not? They were both adults and both single. So what if he was moving? She knew the relationship could never be more than a fling. He knew it too. How hurt could either of them get if they went into this with their eyes wide open and no expectations?

  “Are you serious?”

  “I want nothing more than to spend the weekend in bed with you, but it won’t change the fact that I’m leaving in a couple of weeks.”

  “I’m not looking for a gold ring, Shawn.”

  “Then what do you say?”

  Kat thought about what Miss Elsie had said to her: life was short, there were no guarantees—and anything worthwhile came with a price. True, Kat wasn’t getting any younger. She’d never asked for promises that couldn’t be kept. But would a whirlwind affair with Shawn be worth the probable heartbreak? With the way her body and heart responded to him, there was no way she’d walk away with her heart intact. But everyone knew the first relationship after a breakup was just a rebound thing and it never lasted. What was the harm? At least she’d know up front what she’d be getting into.

  “I’ll tell you what. You beat me at air hockey, I come home with you for the weekend.”

  “What if you win?”

  “You come home with me.”

  “Game on.”

  The food arrived, saving her from making small talk or, worse, trying to find something interesting and intelligent to say. Her mind whirled in total disbelief over what she’d committed herself to. Throughout the meal she stole glances in Shawn’s direction, wondering what was going on in his mind. Duh! He’s a guy. No doubt he’s plotting out how fast he can end the game and drive to whoever’s house and get naked.

  Truth be told, she was kind of thinking the same thing.

  Neither seemed to be able to get through their dinner fast enough. He took the last bite of his burger as Kat pushed her half-eaten salad away. Shawn peeled off the money to pay their bill, tossing the twenties on the table as they left. Striding through the arcade with a sense of purpose, they found the air hockey tables only to come to a standstill—both were occupied. She stole a glance at Shawn’s profile: jaw set, mouth clamped shut, eyes following the plastic puck as it made its way across the table.

  The game was just a formality. They could leave, flip a coin to decide whose house to go to, and the end game would be the same either way. But the match was part of the foreplay, part of the dance, and she didn’t want to miss one step.

  When it was their turn, each took their respective place and grabbed a mallet. The puck shot down the table in her direction. She blocked. It ricocheted. Back and forth the puck went without a score. Done toying with him, she gave one warning . . . a half smile. With a quick flick of her wrist the puck slid across the glossy surface straight into the goal slot. A look of disbelief crossed Shawn’s face, followed by a gleam of forewarning in his eyes.

  A ding from the scoreboard brought her head up. He’d scored without her even realizing the puck was in play. The game continued, each matching score for score, six to six with thirty seconds left until the game timed out. The volley intensified, looking like it was going to be a tie, but then Kat’s hand slipped and she knocked the puck into her own goal, giving Shawn the winning point.

  What the—? Oh, who cares? Either way, I win.

  At the car, he backed her up against the passenger door. Pulse pounding in her ears, she wondered how they’d make it all the way back to Groton without spontaneously combusting. The air grew thick and hot as she forgot to breathe. His fingers trailed down the side of her neck and across her collarbone. A light kiss brushed her lips. Continuing on, more little kisses tickled her jaw and neck, following the path of his finger only to come back to her mouth. One moment his touch was like a whisper of air on her lips, then he took it deeper, sliding in to devour her.

  Time stood still. Nothing existed except for him and her and this moment. What had started out as a taste of better things to come turned into something much deeper, edging toward the most erotic kiss of her life. His hand slid down from her hair to twine his fingers with hers. The other teased her arm, stealing barely-there caresses across her breast, sending her nipples into tight buds and burning desire throughout her body.

  A gentle cough and young, feminine giggles nearby brought their surroundings back into focus. Shawn stepped back an inch or so and smiled down at her.

  She ran her thumb over his split lip. “Sorry, I forgot.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. Need anything in particular to get you through the weekend?”

  “A toothbrush, deodorant, and a change or two of clothes.”

  He shook his head. “Ther
e’s a drugstore next to the apartment building. I’ll stop in and get you the first two and you don’t need the last. I plan to keep you naked and chained to my bed all weekend long.”

  “We’ll need to eat.”

  “I can whip up eggs and cereal, and there’s a great pizza place and Chinese restaurant nearby who deliver.”

  Under normal conditions the drive back should have taken an hour and a half, but tonight they made it in half that time. True to his word, Shawn stopped at the drugstore, asked her for her brand preferences, and disappeared in the store. A few minutes later they were parked in his reserved spot and walking into his apartment. The earlier urgency had lent way to a nervous awkwardness between the two.

  He excused himself to put a few things away in the kitchen and she took the opportunity to look around. It was a standard apartment with the dining area connecting to the living room forming an L-shape and a small kitchen off that. What got her attention was the interior.

  Sparse. It wouldn’t take long for him to pack when the time came. The living room consisted of one couch—microfiber, dark brown—a coffee table that had seen better days, and a flat-screen television along with the required video game system.

  Talk about a bachelor pad.

  A pile of mail lay on the table, but otherwise it and the kitchen were clean. Too clean. The whole place was spotless and bare. There was nothing on the counters except a toaster and a coffeepot. The rooms were wall-to-wall white. No pictures, no knickknacks, nothing to clutter the place up or personalize the home. No, not a home. A place to crash for the night, maybe catch a flick on TV, and occasionally eat.

  He was already halfway out the door on his way to back to Washington and she doubted he even realized it.

  “Beer or wine?”

  “Whatever you’re having is fine.”

  Popping the tops off two bottles, he handed her one and leaned against the counter. “You’ll have to excuse the place. When Debi, my ex, left she took pretty much everything with her. I replaced the absolute necessities and haven’t gotten around to the rest.” His gaze traveled around the room. “I spend very little time here anyway.”

  “Should make the move to Seattle faster and cheaper.”

  “Yeah, I’ll keep the couch, television and bedroom stuff. Unless one of the guys at the station house wants to take them off my hands. Maybe I should start fresh.”

  She got it, understood that sometimes the only way to leave the bad memories behind was to ditch everything that had to do with that time in your life and replace it with the new and different.

  Is that what I’m doing with Shawn right now? Replacing all the memories I had of Paul? Shawn was definitely as different from her former fiancé as they came. Where Paul was all three-piece suits, a nine-to-five job, never getting dirty or even exerting himself and about as uptight as they came, Shawn tackled life full force with a c'est la vie attitude.

  Not to mention the whole jumping into an affair thing. Talk about different. Never in her life had she had an affair, or even a one-night-stand. Not her, never her, always the cautious one. Well she was sick of being so damn careful. She wasn’t living.

  Existing, that’s all she’d been doing up until this moment, and barely that.

  From now on she was tackling life full speed ahead. Taking what she wanted, when she wanted it. Starting with the man before her.

  Kat set her beer on the counter, stepped between his legs, and slid her palms across his stomach and up his chest, following the path of rigid muscles. The man had really nice abs and pecs. She snuggled closer, feeling the hard length of his erection pressed against her stomach. An inferno swept through her body, coursing through her veins, waking every nerve, every sense before zeroing in with a pleasure so strong, so sweet she had to suck in her breath to keep from moaning.

  “I was afraid you’d change your mind on the ride back here.” Hands on her hips, he pulled her closer as passion filled his eyes.

  “Not a chance. You’ve been teasing me with your kisses. Whetting my appetite until I’m starving.” She nipped at his chin. “Feed me.”

  “Are you sure? I leave in a couple of weeks. I don’t want to hurt you, Kat.”

  “Let’s not worry about what happens in the future. Let’s enjoy and live for the now.” She reached up, wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, and pulled his head down. Emphasizing her point with a kiss meant to put his worries to rest and let him know there was no turning back.

  He slid his hands down from her hips to cup her butt, pulling her up tight against him. Instinctively, she linked her leg around his and sank deeper into the kiss. A part of her brain whispered to stop, pull back and run, because she knew, in the end, she’d get her heart broken again. While they hadn’t known each other long, she had come to care about him, was immensely attracted to him, not just physically, but mentally. His compassion for others, his passion for his job, his playfulness and sense of humor all together formed a connection she could not explain.

  And, honestly, right now, she didn’t care. The sensual pleasure his hands and mouth created overrode everything else.

  From this position his erection pressed directly against her center, sending waves of pleasure through her as her muscles clenched and she grew wet. She let her head fall back to expose her throat, issuing an open invitation, one Shawn didn’t pass on. His mouth trailed butterfly kisses down her neck. He nudged her shirt apart and she wondered how he’d managed to undo the buttons with just his mouth.

  Who cares!

  His fingertips skimmed down her ribs. Please, don’t notice. Don’t ask. They drew little circles on her skin until he landed back on the four diagonal scars running along her ribcage. He glanced down. Fingers traced each line.

  “What happened here? Don’t tell me, knife fight?”

  She wished. Laughing in spite of herself, she shook her head. “Yeah, with my surgeon.” She really didn’t want to talk about that day. Not ever again.

  “Appendix?”

  “Lost my spleen in a car accident. And this one,” she pointed to the one on the side of her right ribcage, “is from a collapsed lung. Let’s just say it wasn’t a fun day.”

  “Oh yeah? Check out this.” He pulled up his shirt to show a puckered scar on his back.

  “Bullet wound?” she guessed.

  “Stabbed by a pissed-off bull because I was a dumbass and didn’t get out of the way in time. At least yours is from an accident.”

  Yeah, because she’d been a dumbass and let her temper rule over her better judgement.

  “Got any other scars, tattoos, or superpowers I should know about?” she asked.

  “You’ll have to wait and find out.” He smirked, then twisted her hair around his hand and pulled her in tight.

  Kisses trailed further down until his mouth latched onto one bra-covered nipple, sucking and nibbling—and sending her straight over the top. Shawn spun her around, sliding her butt onto the counter and allowing his hands the freedom to roam. Quickly divesting her of shirt and bra, his hands cupped her breast while his thumbs drew little circles around her nipples. He nibbled his way back up her neck, paying extra attention to that little sweet spot by her ear.

  “Now. Please Shawn, you’re killing me,” she cried out as another wave of pleasure swept through her.

  “Tell me what you want.” He’d slid his hand up to her jaw, his thumb pad stroking her bottom lip, stoking the fire burning inside her, consuming all thoughts, leaving her nothing but a trembling mess of sensations.

  She sucked his thumb inside her mouth, letting the moist heat surround him, swirling her tongue around and around. The heat in his eyes flared up until it matched the feeling inside her. “I want you. Inside. Me. Now,” she panted out between breaths.

  His mouth came down hard on hers as he lifted her off the counter and strode across the room, a predator ready to devour his prey.

  She was ready. Wanted to feel him inside her. No, she amended, needed to feel him inside of
her. Needed to feel his touch, that connection that bound a man and a woman, even if only for this short time.

  Laying her on the bed, he stripped off his clothes before climbing on top of her.

  “Aren’t you forgetting something?” she nodded toward her own jeans and shoes.

  “Nope, not yet.”

  The man enjoyed torturing her, plain and simple. There was no other explanation. Her body moved of its own accord, grinding against him, returning the favor, begging him to hurry. His fingers intertwined with hers and he lifted her arms up, over her head, holding them there while his kiss tormented her mouth. Leaving it as quickly as he’d claimed her, working his way down to her collarbone, alternating between nips and kisses as soft as the air slipping over her skin. He worked his way down, taking a moment to play with her belly button, before unsnapping her pants and slowly working them down over her hips and legs. Each exposed inch of skin was caressed and kissed until she was completely naked.

  Thank God!

  For a moment he hesitated, looking down at her. Kat was afraid to ask what he saw, what he thought.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured as if he’d read her mind, “you’re simply beautiful.”

  As he made his way back up her body, scattering kisses in an irregular zigzag pattern, Kat traced her fingertips down his back, feeling the strong muscles flex and bunch under her touch. She breathed in his musky, masculine scent. Leaning forward, she sucked his coppery nipple into her mouth and circled it with her tongue before lightly grazing it with her teeth. Shawn sucked in his breath and lifted her hips. He’d already taken care of protection when he’d stripped. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she locked her ankles and pulled him in tight.

  “You have no idea how much I want you. It’s taking all my restraint not to just fuck you till you can’t breathe.”

  “Who’s stopping you?” she asked at the same time she pulled him forward into her, plunging him to her core.