by Elias Taylor
“I know I’m supposed to wait ‘till the end of the night,” he said, “but I really want to kiss you now.”
A slow smile spread across Beth’s face. Instead of answering, she leaned forward and touched her lips to his. It was a perfect kiss. It started slow and gentle, but Christian leaned forward to deepen it. As Beth’s lips parted, he felt her hand lift to touch his chest. Christian moved so that she was pressed against his chest.
When they parted, Christian looked at her for a moment. Her blue eyes were wide and sparkled in the darkness. “You’re beautiful.”
She smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for the rest of the movie. When it was over, Christian knew he didn’t want the date to end. He suggested they go to a local diner for something to eat, and Beth agreed instantly.
At the diner, they both ordered burgers, fries, and shakes, and their conversation flowed with ease. Christian told her about the crazy wedding he had done earlier in the summer, where the bride had thrown a cocktail at a bridesmaid, who had shown up with the wrong hairstyle. Beth told him about how Mel would put on funny voices at work when she got bored while spreading soil or potting plants.
After they had finished eating, Christian had paid the bill. He wanted to invite her over, but he knew that was too forward for a first date. He wanted a repeat of their first night together, but he wanted to treat Beth like a lady.
“I can take you back to your place if you want.” Christian tried to keep his tone even in order to hide his unhappiness at the thought of parting ways.
Beth stared at the counter for a second, her brow furrowed in thought. Then she seemed to make a decision. “Or we could go to yours for a drink or two,” she said. “If you want. No pressure.”
Christian reached forward and grabbed her hand. “That sounds amazing.”
Back at his place, Christian opened up a bottle of wine since his brothers had depleted his beer supply. When he came into the living room with the drinks in hand, he saw that Beth had plucked an old high-school yearbook from his shelf.
“I can not believe you still have this,” she said. “I lost mine ages ago.”
“Not to brag, but I did take like half the photos in there,” he said. “I was the MVP of the yearbook committee.”
Beth laughed. “Really?”
“Yeah, I wasn’t an official member, but I was always taking photos, and I showed them at the end of the year.”
Beth flipped through the sporting events. Christian looked over her shoulder and was transported back to the sidelines of football games, where he had first learned to take action shots with the camera his mother gave him for his seventeenth birthday.
“Oh my God!” Beth cried. “I haven’t seen these volleyball photos in years.”
She pointed at a team photo where she was crouching near the front. Christian sat down on the couch, and Beth joined him, the yearbook still in her lap. She took a sip of wine and shook her head as she recalled her high school days.
“The coach told me I would be good because I was so tall,” Beth said. “But I was awful.”
“You couldn’t have been that bad,” Christian said.
“Oh, no, I was bad,” Beth said, laughing. “I was so uncoordinated, and I never recovered from a time the ball hit me full in the face. After that, I was always terrified.”
Christian laughed, and Beth continued to flip through the book. They chuckled over the funny styles and exclaimed over people and events they had forgotten about. Then Beth turned a page and froze.
Christian fell silent when he saw the big photo of him and Tisha, arms around each other, smiling at a Homecoming dance. Tisha was wearing a skintight sparkling number. He remembered how badly she had wanted to outshine everyone else. She was crowned Homecoming Queen that night.
“Sorry,” Beth said. “I guess I shouldn’t have grabbed this. I forgot.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Christian said.
Beth looked at him with wide eyes.
“I don’t know how I forgot when you were with her for so long,” Beth said. “I guess I was enjoying tonight so much, it slipped my mind.”
“That’s a good thing,” Christian said. “Because I haven’t thought of her once tonight.”
Beth shut the yearbook and set it aside. She looked up at him, and Christian reached over to push a lock of her hair behind her ear.
“It took me a while to get over her,” Christian said. “But I’m really glad I did.”
“I’m glad, too,” Beth said.
He leaned forward and kissed her. The soft, sensual touch of her lips was magnificent. It was like the other night. There was the same spark of attraction, but it burned with so much more passion. He knew Beth better now, and he craved every inch of her.
She leaned forward and deepened the kiss, and Christian automatically pulled her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and as he kissed her, she let out a little sigh of pleasure.
The sound made Christian shudder with desire. The first time they had kissed, he had wanted her body. He had wanted a fun night.
Now he wanted so much more. He wanted all of her for this night and for many more.
Chapter Nineteen: Beth
Christian ran his hands around her waist, and Beth shivered with delight. The entire night had been perfect. She worried that she and Christian wouldn’t have anything to talk about, but the conversation had flowed. She told him things about her business plans and landscape designs she hadn’t even told her parents about. She adored hearing about his photography, too. It was a new side to Christian she hadn’t known existed, but it fit with his personality so well. She wondered how she never noticed this side of him before.
She knew it had been forward to invite herself to his place, but she had wanted it so badly. Every time he looked at her, she had felt a hot rush of attraction from her head to her toes. For once, Beth didn’t want to overthink things. She just wanted to live.
She pressed her chest against his and savored the feel of his searching tongue. Every single cell in her body was alert and eager. It was as if she could feel everything so much more when she was with him.
Christian murmured something, and Beth drew back to look down at him. Her lips were swollen from kissing.
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
Beth’s heart beat out a frantic rhythm. She wanted this man so much. The first night had been about raw attraction, but this was so much more.
She leaned down and kissed his neck, tracing a line of kisses inside the collar of his shirt. Christian moved his hands down her back and to her bottom slowly as if he was trying to memorize every curve of her body.
Beth pulled back and stood up, taking Christian with her. Without hesitation, she pulled the buttons of his shirt apart. He tore it the rest of the way off and closed the distance between them. He clutched Beth to his bare chest, and she inhaled sharply at the feel of his skin against her hands. She kicked off her shoes and rose up on her toes to kiss him.
With a soft grunt, Christian grabbed her bottom and pulled her up against him so that her toes dangled above the floor. He walked toward his bedroom, Beth giggling the whole time.
He tossed her on the bed. Beth leaned on her elbows and watched him take his jeans off. She reached for the drawstring of her pants, but Christian shook his head.
“No,” he said. “I wanna undress you tonight.”
Beth’s core throbbed. He approached the bed and leaned over her. She sucked in her breath as his eyes roamed over her entire body, as if she was a present, and he was deciding how best to unwrap her.
He slid his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt and pushed it up until his palm. His touch was firm and warm when he pressed his hand against her stomach. Even such a simple touch made Beth sigh with desire. Inch by inch, Christian moved his hand up until his fingers slipped beneath her bra and fondled her nipple.
“Oh, Christian,” Beth moaned.
He flashed her a devio
us grin, and she knew he was going to take his time. She was already in a frenzy just from his touch, but she could tell he wanted to enjoy this.
He leaned down and kissed her neck while pulling her shirt up. He lifted himself just enough to allow him to pull the shirt over her head and drop it on the floor. Then, he set to work unclasping her bra until her breasts were exposed. He sucked at one nipple while pinching the other with his fingers.
His mouth was so wet and wicked that Beth had to grip his back just to keep herself from screaming. He moved down, abandoning her breasts, trailing kisses over her stomach until his mouth stopped at her waistband. He untied her drawstrings. She looked up at him through dazed eyes, and she knew he was going slow on purpose. He wanted to tantalize her. She opened her legs and pushed her hips toward him to show him how much she wanted him. Christian inhaled sharply before he pulled her pants off.
He leaned down and kissed her again while slipping a finger between her legs. His touch was light and clearly meant to tease her through the cloth of her underwear. Beth squirmed and moaned at his touch.
“I want you,” she whispered in his ear.
“Good,” he said.
Beth smiled at his confident tone. There was no stress or self-consciousness with Christian. They both knew how much they enjoyed each other.
Christian pulled his mouth away and gently removed her underwear.
Beth lay naked before him. He stood and raked his eyes along every curve of her body. He skimmed his hand over her breasts, still damp from where his mouth had been, then down over her stomach until they came to a rest at her thighs.
He knelt between her legs, and she gasped at his closeness. Beth cried out when his tongue licked her folds. She was already wet for him, and his mouth made her even wetter. She could barely contain herself when sucked at her most sensitive parts.
Beth moaned in pleasure as he explored her with his mouth. His tongue flicked her clit, and she cried out in pure ecstasy. She heard Christian hum in faint amusement at her pleasure. When he slid his finger inside her and stroked her inner walls while licking and suckling with enthusiasm, she nearly lost herself.
“Oh, Christian,” Beth moaned. “Oh, yes.”
Her stomach tingled as her climax threatened to escape. She buried her fingers in his hair to keep from floating away entirely. Her hips bucked as blissful sensations rolled through her entire body.
Her orgasm was soul-shattering. Christian sent her farther over the edge of pleasure than she had ever been, and as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her, she lost herself in the feeling of pure satisfaction. As she came back down, she smiled. He had taken such care of her. She propped herself up as Christian moved over her. She pulled his head toward her and kissed him hard.
She wanted to give him everything he had given her. She reached down and found his erection, hard and massive, with her hand and began to stroke.
Christian’s eyes widened, and he hissed as she touched him. It was Beth’s turn to grin as he moaned with pleasure.
“I want you inside me,” she whispered. “Where’s the condom?”
“Here.” He handed it to her. She held her eyes on his as she ripped it open and sheathed his cock for him. “God, I love how you touch me.”
Christian closed his eyes and kissed her deeply as he positioned his cock at her entrance.
With one firm thrust, he entered her, and Beth gasped as he filled her. She gripped his shoulders and pushed herself against him as he began to move inside her, pleasuring her in a deep and sensuous place.
“You feel so good,” Christian murmured. “So good.”
Beth smiled with confidence as she lifted her hips and pushed his chest. As if he could read her thoughts, he rolled onto his back so that she could straddle him. She lowered herself onto his erection and let it sink into her up to the hilt.
She rode him hard with her back arched and her hair falling over her shoulders. Christian looked up at her as if she were a goddess, and his fingers held her hips in a firm grip.
Beth screamed with joy when another climax rose from her core.
“I’m gonna come,” Christian said with a moan.
“Me too,” Beth gasped.
He shuddered as he hit his orgasm, and a moment later, she clenched around him as she rode her own wave of fulfillment.
Once they had come back down from the heightened pleasure, Beth collapsed on her back next to him. Christian pulled her against his chest and kissed the top of her head.
Beth smiled. It was such a gentle and caring gesture. She felt so comfortable in his arms. As if nothing could harm her. With past guys, she had always felt on the edge of danger. She had always resisted getting too close so she wouldn’t get hurt.
With Christian, she was so happy to just rest against him.
“Stay with me tonight?” Christian asked.
“Yes,” Beth said.
After a few more minutes of snuggling, they got up. Christian gave Beth a t-shirt to wear, and he pulled on a pair of sweatpants. It was still early, and Beth wasn’t tired at all.
“Wanna watch a movie?” Christian asked.
“Sure,” she said.
They curled up together under a blanket and watched an old film. Beth wasn’t paying too much attention to the plot. She was only thinking of how warm Christian’s arms were. In the movie, the characters traveled to Europe, and Beth smiled wistfully.
“I’d like to travel more,” she said. “I’ve never really left New London except for a few trips in the States.”
“Same,” Christian said. “I want to see the world, but I don’t know if I could live anywhere far from my family.”
Beth nodded. “I can’t imagine not being able to see my mom and stepdad every weekend,” she said. “You’re close with your parents, too?”
“With my mom, yeah,” Christian said. He smiled to himself. “She kind of spoils me, I think.”
Beth laughed. It was sweet that he was close to his mom.
“I’m close with my brothers, too, but things are tense with my dad,” Christian said. “Even so, I know he loves me.”
Beth hummed in sympathy and leaned her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t hold back the grin that covered her face. She liked this comfort she felt with him and snuggled closer. She would have to text Mel to update her, but she doubted her friend would be surprised. She had called it, after all.
The movie ended, and Beth looked over at him.
“I’m not really sleepy yet,” she said.
“No problem,” Christian said.
He stood up and walked over to a shelf. He pulled out a stack of board games. Beth smiled as she saw Monopoly, Clue, and Scrabble.
“Take your pick,” he said.
“Scrabble,” Beth said.
They settled down on the floor like kids and played game after game.
As Beth’s eyes finally started to droop and she looked forward to sleeping in Christian’s arms, she decided that it had been the perfect first date.
Chapter Twenty: Christian
Even long after Beth had said goodbye and headed home, Christian could feel her presence. As he showered and got dressed, he kept seeing her smiling face when he closed his eyes. When he walked into his bedroom, he could still smell her scent—soap mixed with lavender.
He had wanted her to stay longer, but he had lunch plans with Anthony, and she had said Mel would be dying to chat. She kissed him in his car when he drove her back. It had been sweet and wonderful, and when she smiled and waved goodbye, he felt his heart stir.
He was acting like a sap, but he didn’t care. The date and the night that followed had been too amazing for him to worry about being sappy.
When he arrived at the pizza place where he was meeting Anthony, he was still smiling from ear to ear like an idiot.
“So?” Anthony asked once Christian had sat down across from him. “Don’t keep me in suspense. How was it?”
“It was good,” Christian said. “Great,
actually.”
“Yes!” Anthony pumped his fist in the air. “I’m happy for you, man.”
“But what about you?” Christian said. “How are things going?”
“They’re good,” Anthony said. “Lyssa’s good.”
“Lyssa?” Christian asked. “Is that the girl you’ve been seeing?”
“Yeah,” Anthony said with a smile. “And since you don’t look like you’re about to bite my head off when I mention being happy with a woman, I can tell you that she’s amazing.”
Christian rolled his eyes. His brother knew he had been negative about relationships recently, but he hadn’t been that bad. Anthony told him about Lyssa and his job and other updates. Then, Anthony paused in his talking and chewing to give Christian a careful look.
“Dad’s cooled off a bit,” Anthony said.
“You sure about that?” Christian hadn’t spoken to his dad since the lecture about the fight and staying away from Beth. He had a feeling his dad wouldn’t be thrilled to hear that Christian had ignored his warning and taken Beth out anyway.
“I know dad can be stubborn,” Anthony said. “He does care, though, I promise you.”
“He’s gonna be pissed about Beth.” Christian sighed and crumbled his napkin in his hand. “He told me I wasn’t good enough for her.”
“He probably didn’t mean it that way,” Anthony said. “He was just worried you were going to hurt her, but now that I’ve heard you talk about her, I know you’ve got her best interest at heart, and I’ll tell dad that.”
“You don’t have to defend me to him,” Christian muttered. “I can take care of myself.”
“I’m your big brother,” Anthony said with a grin. “It’s my job.”
Anthony gave Christian a critical look. “Are you and her really as great as you say?”
Christian could tell it was a serious question. He nodded. “She’s amazing. We just fit together.”
“She’s a wonderful girl,” Anthony said. “I know she’s struggled with her dad’s death, but I think she deserves you. The best version of you, anyway.”