“That was strange,” she commented. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen him – I know he must be working hard.” When I didn’t answer, she kept talking: “I know this sounds a little silly, but for a while I was worried that I’d done something to offend him. He kept away for so long!”
I still didn’t reply – what the heck was I supposed to say? Furthermore, I hoped Elliot wouldn’t keep coming around ... at least, not when my mom was home. The more time she spent around him and Lilah, the more obvious it would be that Elliot was the father of my child. My mom wasn’t stupid, and even though she’d never asked explicitly who Lilah’s father was, I knew that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious.
Mom looked at me expectantly. “Well, would you like something to eat? Why not go outside and get Lilah and have her wash up for dinner.”
I nodded. “Sure,” I said. “Yeah. That sounds good.”
After dinner that night, Mom went to bed early and I read Lilah one of my favorite books from my own childhood, about a cocker spaniel named Taffy. Lilah was dozing before the end of the book, and I tucked her into bed. After pulling the covers up to her chin and kissing her forehead, I tiptoed out of the room and left the door open just a crack.
Back in my own room, I sat on the bed, breathing hard. I knew that I should try to sleep – it was late, after all – especially because I was so tired.
I was tired, but I wasn’t sleepy.
I was restless.
I got to my feet and paced back and forth for a moment, then went to the window and pulled the curtain to the side. Elliot’s house, so close and yet so far, was a blur through the trees but I could tell that there were at least three lights on inside.
That, seemingly, was all I needed. It was like a sign from the universe telling me to go ahead, telling me to listen to my own gut feelings and intuition. I grabbed a pair of sandals from the closet and tiptoed downstairs as quietly as I could. Bracing myself with one hand on the door, I hopped into my sandals and then let myself outside into the warm, humid night. There was a breeze that ruffled my blonde curls and I closed my eyes, breathing in the jasmine-and-grass-scented air. It smelled fresh and clean, like a new beginning, and I took another deep breath before crossing the yard and knocking on Elliot’s front door.
It opened almost immediately. Elliot, framed by soft yellow light in the background, looked sexier than I had ever seen him. He’d taken off his belt and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, exposing his lean, muscular chest that I’d loved kissed and touching.
It was like he’d been waiting for me.
“Hi,” I said, looking up at him from underneath my lashes. Elliot stepped back, allowing me inside, then closed the door behind me.
For a moment, all we could do was stare at each other. The air between us turned to smoke and lusty fire and then, in the flash of a second, Elliot pulled me into his arms and pressed his mouth to mine in a deep, passionate kiss.
In a matter of mere seconds, I was his again. Moaning softly, I wrapped my arms around his neck and whimpered as he held me close, running his hands all over my body and squeezing my curves. It had been so long, so desperately long, since I’d been touched like this and it was every bit as delicious as I remembered, if not even better. Elliot’s hands slid down my back and cupped my ass, squeezing and toying with me, sending bursts of spastic pleasure through my entire body. It was all I could do not to rip my dress off and push him down to the carpet right then, but I didn’t want it to be over so quickly. I wanted to savor Elliot, to remember everything about him that I had loved and missed so much over the last few years.
“I missed you,” Elliot groaned into my mouth, breaking the kiss and resting his forehead against mine. We were both breathing hard as I ran my hands through his silky brown hair, tugging at his scalp until his eyes rolled back in his head with obvious pleasure. His body against mine was the most exquisite sensation that I’d ever felt and I arched my back and moaned as Elliot’s hands roamed my curves. His fingers slid down to my thighs and toyed with the hem of my dress, then lifted it up and over my head, throwing the material down to the floor and leaving my clad only in a pair of panties.
“Elliot,” I whimpered softly as he nudged my head up, exposing my neck, and began sucking my shoulder and collarbone. Fiery lust raced through my body and hot shivers ran down my spine as I felt his warm lips and tongue and teeth, sucking and nibbling and pleasuring me. Just having his mouth on me felt so damn good that my knees buckled and threatened to give way, and Elliot tightened his grip on me.
“Come on,” he whispered into my mouth before sucking my lower lip and licking at my tongue with his own. “Upstairs. I want you in my bed, Annie.”
The way he said my name made me weak and I shuddered with pleasure as Elliot twined his fingers with mine and led me upstairs. Walking behind him clad only in panties felt obscenely delicious and taboo and goose bumps broke out over my skin as Elliot led me down the hallway and into the same austere, masculine bedroom that I remembered from five years before.
Elliot stood behind me and put his hands on my belly, pawing at me, and moving his fingers up towards my breasts. He cupped them and rubbed my nipples between his fingers and thumbs, making me cry out and squeal as pleasure flooded my body. My nipples were so stiff and puckered that they almost ached and my clit was throbbing intensely as Elliot gave me a gentle push forward, towards the bed.
“Get on your hands and knees,” he growled in my ear from behind.
I felt so exposed, so vulnerable, as I obeyed. Crawling on the bed, I spread my legs and arched my back, sticking my ass in the air and wriggling it. The sensation of my wet panties brushing against my clit was heavenly and I whimpered and moaned softly, biting the inside of my lip to keep from shrieking.
“Good girl,” Elliot growled. I heard the sounds of him getting undressed – the whish of his shirt falling to the ground and the heavier sound of his pants dropping. When he climbed on the bed, I fought the urge to look at him over my shoulder as I squirmed in delicious anticipation of what he was going to do to me.
“God, Annie,” Elliot said. The heady desire in his voice sent a shiver down my spine and I bit my lip.
“Yes?” I asked softly.
“I’ve missed you so fucking much.”
19
Elliot
Annie on all fours, naked save for a flimsy pair of panties, was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. My cock was throbbing and pulsing with lust for her, but I wanted to tease her, wanted to pleasure her, wanted to make sure that she was absolutely soaking wet before plunging deep inside of her. I climbed onto the bed behind her and ran my hand down her bare back, loving the way Annie purred and moaned and arched her body against my hand. I teased the sweet, round cheeks of her ass with the tips of my fingers, brushing them against the crotch of her panties and loving the way she moaned and writhed.
“Oh my god, Elliot,” Annie whimpered. A low sound of pure, carnal lust emerged from her throat and she threw her head back, whipping her blonde curls through the air.
I hooked my fingers in the waistband of her panties and pulled them down, slowly, exposing her gorgeous pale ass, inch by inch. Instantly, the musky smell of her pussy hit me and I groaned with desire. With her panties tossed to the side, I put my hand on the inside of Annie’s thigh and pushed her legs further apart until I could see the glistening pink folds of her gorgeous pussy.
“I love teasing you,” I growled, sliding my fingers down the crack of her ass to the entrance of her wet cunt, teasing her with just the tip of my finger inside of her. Annie went wild, bucking and thrashing and moving her hips, shoving herself against my hand, impaling herself on my finger. She whimpered and howled and shook, grinding her body on my hand.
When I pulled my hand away, Annie cried out with frustrated lust. I grinned as I kneeled low behind her and spread the cheeks of her ass and the lips of her pussy with both hands. Her perfect little clit was hard and exposed and I licked my lips before
pushing my face to her pussy and flicking my tongue over her most sensitive surface. Annie moaned and wriggled her body, spreading her legs even wider and pushing back against my face. Instantly, I was drowning in her delicious nectar, breathing in her juices as I licked and sucked at her little clit. I’d never eaten her from behind like this and it made the entire experience feel both taboo and delicious. Knowing that her face was flushed red with excitement and pleasure and the knowledge that she was acting like such a good little slut filled me with powerful lust and as I slid a finger inside of her, my balls ached with the urge to plow her deeply.
“Elliot,” Annie called, leaning over and burying her face in the mattress. “Elliot,” she cried again, her voice muffled into the sheets and bedding.
I didn’t stop. How could I? She was too delicious, too sweet, too perfectly delectable to give up. I licked and sucked and buried my tongue inside of her pussy, fucking her with my mouth, until my jaw ached and my face was slick with her juices. Annie’s whole body was shaking and trembling and her loud moans told me that she was close, very close, to the edge.
Pulling away, I wiped my mouth on my arm and put my hands on Annie’s hips, flipping her over and onto her back. She looked up at me with pure, unadulterated lust and desire in her big blue eyes as I took her ankles in both hands and put them on my shoulders. Inching closer, I steadied myself with a hand on Annie’s round hip and plunged my cock deep inside of her.
Annie shrieked. She closed her eyes and moaned, whimpering and thrusting her curvy body towards me. With her ankles on my shoulders, I could thrust myself to the hilt in her sweet pussy and I began to fuck her in long, slow strokes. Annie bucked and shook as I leaned over, straining, and pressed my mouth to hers. As her tongue began licking and tasting her own juices on my lips, pleasure unlike anything I had ever felt took hold of my body. My veins were filled with liquid fire and I was helpless to stop it – being with Annie was the most delicious drug I had ever experienced, and I wanted her, needed her.
“Annie,” I growled into her mouth, nipping at her lower lip and bucking my hips faster. My cock plunged in and out of her faster than before, my balls slapping against her pussy lips with each thrust. Annie put her hands on my back and pulled me in deeper, screwing her eyes closed and holding her breath. I slid one of my hands between our bodies and reached for her clit, rubbing it frantically in time with the thrusting of my hips.
When she came, she screamed my name and arched beneath me, impossibly graceful. Annie buried her face in my neck and let out a muffled shriek as the waves of pleasure crashed over her head again and again. I felt her clit trembling and her pussy clenching my cock, draining me, milking me of my seed. My own orgasm hit me like a freight train and I rumbled and bellowed, groaned and grunted and bucked my hips as we came together in a sweaty frenzy of ecstasy and lust.
Gasping for air, I slid out of Annie and flopped down to the mattress beside her. She was breathing hard and soaked with sweat. The entire room smelled like our lovemaking and I breathed in deep, wanting my bedroom to smell like that forever.
“I missed you,” I said quietly as I reached for Annie and pulled her warm, soft body close to mine.
Annie smiled and nuzzled my nose with hers.
“I ... I don’t know what I was thinking,” she said softly. “Coming over here like that.”
I snorted. “You knew exactly what you were doing,” I told her. “You couldn’t resist.”
Annie bit her lip.
I rolled over onto my stomach and groaned. As my body began to cool, I pulled the sheet over both of us.
“Why did you leave?” I asked in a low voice.
Annie didn’t reply. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, her big blue eyes blinking slowly.
Her silence could only mean one thing – that she was still angry with me, and for good reason.
“I’m sorry,” I said. I propped myself up on one elbow and looked at her. Her beautiful round face, her pale curves, her tangles of blonde hair that still, miraculously, smelled like the exact same shampoo she used to use.
“For the fight we had years ago,” I continued when Annie didn’t reply. “I was an ass. I was being patronizing, thinking that I knew what was best for you. It’s clear that ... well, that you’re very mature and capable of deciding things for yourself.”
Annie turned and looked at me for a long time. In the depths of her blue eyes, I saw entire worlds that I’d never noticed before. Worlds of knowledge and hurt and pain. Clearly, the last five years had been harder on her than I’d imagined. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed her lips and cleared her throat. To my surprise, she started to sit up in bed and stretch.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Still, there was no reply. Annie slid out of bed, pulling the sheet back over me when she had done so, and reached for her panties. She pulled them up over herself with some effort, then gave me a long look before turning on her heel and leaving the bedroom. I heard her walking downstairs, through the living room and into the kitchen, where I assumed that she was getting dressed.
“I’ll come down with you,” I called. Getting out of bed, I pulled on my robe to cover my nakedness.
But by the time I’d begun making my way down the stairs, Annie had already left.
20
Annie
As I silently eased open the door to my mother’s house and let myself inside, I held my breath and moved as quietly as possible. My heart was racing and fluttering, a hummingbird inside of my chest, as I shut the door behind me and leaned against it with my eyes closed.
It had happened again. Even while walking over to Elliot’s, I hadn’t exactly known what I was doing.
As soon as he’d opened the door, though, that had all changed. The look in his eyes and the way he’d held me.
The way he’d apologized, when we’d been lying in bed, for that dumb fight we’d had so many years before. Now, looking back on it, I had completely overreacted at the same. Thinking about it made me feel almost ashamed – Elliot had been doing nothing but looking out for my best interest, and at the time, I’d acted like such a complete brat.
I wished I could have just admitted as much, but that wasn’t the biggest secret. Obviously, it was Lilah – and as much as Elliot deserved to know about her, I wasn’t sure that I was ready to tell him. Thinking about the entire matter made me feel so guilty and weird that my stomach churned.
Still holding my breath, I crept up the stairs and peeked into Lilah’s room. She was still snoring softly but she’d kicked off the blankets in the middle of the night and I gently pulled them over her chubby little body. In her sleep, Lilah wriggled happily and sighed and my heart swelled at the sight of her, contented and as snug as a bug in a rug.
“Sleep well, baby,” I whispered, stroking a hand over her unruly blonde curls before backing softly away from the bed and easing out of the room.
As soon as I was back in my own room, I flopped down on the bed, still clad in my sundress. Even though it appeared like I’d gotten away with it, my heart was still racing and my mind began spinning with irrational thoughts. Part of me was almost tempted to sneak back out of bed and creep across the yard to Elliot’s, to shiver in the cold as I waited for him to open the door so I could tell him about Lilah.
No, I thought before I could even swing my legs over the side of the bed and get to my feet. I can’t do that. Not now. I have to think of the right way to tell him – not just drop the news like an atomic bomb. After all, it’s not like something that can be changed.
Still, the thoughts weren’t enough to put me at ease, and it was nearly dawn before I finally fell into an exhausted sleep.
Over the next couple of days, I worked hard around the house with my mom. I got Lilah all settled in her new pre-school and after the first few mornings of tears, she began loving it even more than her last one. Mom and I methodically went through the house, cleaning and organizing and deciding what to do with c
ertain things of my father’s that she was iffy about keeping.
“Your father always loved this chair,” Mom said. “But it hurts my back. Don’t you think someone else would get better use out of it,” she continued, gesturing to the tall leather armchair with wings and a matching ottoman.
The thought of seeing her living room without my father’s chair in it was hurtful, and I pursed my lips.
“I don’t know,” I said finally. “Maybe.” Glancing down at my watch, I nearly cursed under my breath. “Don’t make any decisions right now, okay? Not until I get back.”
“Where are you going?”
“My job interview,” I called over my shoulder as I ran up the steps to get changed into something professional.
Upstairs, I changed into a pair of black slacks and a plain black button-down shirt with a fancy pashmina that Mom and Dad had brought me from Nepal back when I was in college. The day was humid and rainy and no matter what I did with my hair, the frizzy curls refused to cooperate. After struggling for ten minutes, I eventually groaned and twisted the whole mass into a knot on top of my head, hoping that messy-chic was a look I could get away with at Empire Events. After kissing Lilah and my mom good-bye, I hopped behind the wheel of my car and headed into the city.
The Empire offices were beautiful – spacious, with high ceilings and lots of natural light – and decorated in a minimalist, modern style that I appreciated it. Pam, the woman who had called to confirm my interview, met me in the lobby and walked with me down a large corridor, chatting a mile per minute.
“We’re a very fast-paced environment here,” Pam said, nodding and smiling at me as she showed me into a conference room. “But don’t be intimidated. Everyone can learn – the upper management knows that, and you’ll be paired with someone who can really show you the ropes.”
Forbidden First Times: A Contemporary Romance Collection Page 93