“Stephan, please.”
“There’s been no one in particular since you left me. I’m not a saint and won’t pretend that nothing happened here and there, but no one touched my heart but you.”
“This was supposed to be a friend date, not a get-back-together date. It may have been a mistake.” I stopped dancing and fought the urge to look at him and found a place on the floor in which to stare.
“No. You asked a question and I answered it. I’m not putting on the pressure. I just thought you deserved a lovely night after everything you’ve been through.” His arms held me, obviously his heart did too.
“It is a lovely night. Thank you.”
At midnight, I was shocked he only held me, swaying to the music and didn’t even try to kiss me. It was as if I was subconsciously wanting it to happen and afraid what would happen when he did. Oh my God, the ups and downs and back and forth was driving me insane.
After the cruise was over, we walked out to the truck, and he opened my door. I went to step up into the truck and missed the sideboard in my heels, sending me straight into his waiting arms. Once again, our lips clashed together, and this time we didn’t stop ourselves. Our breaths heated, flaming each other’s desire. He slid his hand up my thigh under my dress, gripped my ass, pulling our bodies together, grinding his arousal into me, and making our passion almost indecent to the public.
He broke the kiss, leaving me breathless and handed me the seat belt before getting in the driver’s seat. He didn’t ask where to go, he drove straight to his house, holding my hand against his lips the entire way. When he parked, he came around to my side and carried me into the house and straight to the bedroom. I buried my head in his neck and inhaled him. All of those years mastering his pheromones to memory…came back to me.
I could see desire irradiating from his eyes. Pure hunger. He wanted me, I desired him, and nothing I tried kept me from craving him.
But was it wrong to start something I couldn’t finish?
The bed kept me propped, but I didn’t need it for courage. My body was overheated and stinging with tantalized nerves as we stood by it and slowly undressed one another. Stephan didn’t rush me, if anything, I think I was the one that pushed things along in getting us both naked. My breaths were choppy and raspy with anticipation.
His hands trembled as he trailed his fingertips up my arms. He nipped at my shoulder and trailed his tongue up my flesh to leave a teasing bite at my neck’s pulse-point. When his mouth made contact with mine, desire was all consuming. I bit and sucked his lower lip, remembering it was something he loved. Our tongues tangled, a familiar dance with a new twist.
When we were both fully nude, he pulled back the bedding and laid me down slowly, my body weightless in the cloud of sexual euphoria.
Our bodies entangled, we rolled back and forth kissing, touching and exploring in delicate moments of pleasure. He was drawing the night out slowly, taking every available second to new heights.
When he was on top of me with his hands in my hair, I caught a glimpse of his eyes in the lamplight, asking the question, but he waited on me.
“Make love to me.” My plea was quiet from a voice just above a whisper.
His answer caught me by surprise. “Why?”
“Because I want to remember how great we were together. Only the good times for a new year.”
“But not because you love me?”
“I’ll always love you.”
He left me for a moment, returning with a condom. At first it seemed strange because I’d been on the pill since the first time we’d made love back in high school, but then I decided maybe he just wanted me to feel sure.
When he first entered me, it was as if I’d never had a physical relationship before, but the initial discomfort gave way to beautiful pleasure. I loved the pressure of his body pushing me into the mattress. The predatory look in his eyes, the way he held my hand while he took me to new heights was animalistic and delicate in every way.
Our night was a magical rekindling of something old and a discovering of much new.
The first day of the new year, I woke in Stephan’s arms with a sense of happiness and encouragement I hadn’t known before. I was loved, and I truly felt it, but more than that, I knew my heart was safe with him. He would never hurt me again.
I listened as the birds sang their song to each other and wondered if they were as happy as I was at that very moment.
Stephan’s breathing was slow and rhythmic; I figured he was still asleep. Trying to be still, I looked around the room and saw a photo on the nightstand of his sister, Analina, and her husband, Eric. It had been years since I’d seen them. Stephan was three years older than me and Analina was five years older than him. I was curious if Eric was still in the Army and where they were living.
“Morning, beautiful,” he mumbled against my neck.
I rolled over to face him. “Hi.”
His lips slowly descended to my neck. That was all it took for us to become consumed with desire again. After we’d made love, I raced him to the tub for the hot water.
“Don’t you use all of it,” he teasingly threatened.
“Then get in with me.”
“I don’t do baths. Besides, even if that thing is oversized, I don’t fit. I tried once and liked to have killed myself getting out of it.”
“Wish I’d been here to see it.” I caught the veil of instant sadness come over his face.
“I do too.”
Reluctantly, I didn’t fill the tub to the brim, so he could shower without having to wait on the tank to reheat. The glass door on the shower provided me a great view of him. His body was beautiful with olive-toned skin and nicely developed muscles. His mother had been Italian, and he got her skin, but he and his sister were both blonds, and those genetics must’ve come from his dad, whom I’d never met, nor seen a picture of. It was a painful topic for Stephan.
When he was in his early teens, his father was on a drug and alcohol binge late one night and drove their car into a bridge. Stephan and his sister were in the backseat and not hurt, but his mother was killed and his father went to prison. Their family was living in Little Rock at the time, and he moved to Hatman to be raised by his grandmother, who had since passed.
“Is that right?” he asked, toweling off.
“What? Oh, I’m sorry. I was admiring your body and got lost in my fantasies.” I played with him.
“I love role play. Care to share.”
“You are a dirty boy. Go get dressed.”
“What’s on the agenda for today? Do you have plans with your mom?”
“No, she said she wanted to spend the day resting.”
He left me to myself, not saying what he was doing. I didn’t have an overnight bag, so once again I had to go to the box for clothes.
I found him in the kitchen, making a list. Something we both did all the time. At the top of the list was smoking patches. Aha, I remembered the last few days and didn’t recall that he had smoked, not even once.
“You’re quitting smoking?”
“Don’t get too excited. I’m trying. It’s hard as hell, but the patches are helping.”
“I’m proud of you. Hey, I saw the photo of Analina and Eric. How are they?”
“Great. They’re in Germany now, and he’s done well with his rank. Says he’s going five more years until he gets his twenty in for retirement.”
“Do they have kids?”
“Been tryin’ but the doctor told her years on the pill could be the problem. They’re thinking of adopting.” He was writing stuff down as he spoke.
“I’ve been taking them for seven years now. Hmmm.” I took a seat at the bar across from him.
He looked up at me. “I wondered if you were still on them. I used condoms because I wanted us to be safe, but Dr. Palmer ran tests last week, and I’m clear.”
“You went to see Dr. P? You were sure we would…”
“Hoping and preparing. I knew you would tr
ust him for the results and would go check for yourself if you had any doubt, but I always used condoms, except for you.”
“There’s been no one but you for me, Stephan.”
He smiled a big smile and gave me a great view of his beautiful white teeth surrounded by full and naturally rosy lips. For a second, my thoughts drifted to the talents he had with those lips and what he had done to me the night before. As if he was reading my mind, he stretched his torso over the counter, place a hand sweetly on each side of my face and ravaged my flesh with his. My mouth parted and made way for his tongue to enter—the dance delightful.
He was the first to pull away. “This is going to be the best year ever.”
To be continued…
Secrets and lies of the creek...
When escaping isn't enough...
Starting over means saying goodbye…
Closure seems impossible…
A chance meeting brings a fresh start in an unforeseen world, until tragedy strikes…
Fate deals Wrenn an unexpected hand. With a shattered heart, she must find the courage to forgive and move forward because the life of another is now counting on her. Happiness seems out of reach until the day it was staring her down and daring her to empower herself.
Meeting Mr. Lawrence at the Cancer Center turned sadness into sunshine. She never anticipated that the ailing billionaire would come to mean the world to her in so many ways.
All is well until Dane Lawrence, the billionaire’s grandson gets Wrenn caught up in a deadly game of corporate espionage, where once again Wrenn is involved in a tragic event in the same barn that changed her life when she was just 17 years old.
This time, the nightmares consume her.
Does Wrenn find the love she’s looking for and the forgiveness she needs to leave the past behind? Or perhaps life continues to send her down the black hole, an oblivion of hell that she struggles to fight her way out of, until the realization comes that it’s now life or death of her and her unborn child if she doesn’t fight the monsters holding her hostage…
Forgiveness Creek, Part Two of The Creek Series, a novel, available November 11th, 2014
More From Abbie
Thank you for reading the first installment of The Creek Series. Wrenn’s world is just starting to turn, but whether it’s turning in a direction that she wants, remains to be seen.
Here are links to more books from Abbie:
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About The Author
I'm a Texan through and through. While I've lived in various parts of the state, Houston is home now, but Dallas is my favorite part of the state and Austin runs a close second. Let's hear it for the HORNS! The hubs and I enjoy having friends over and our place is kind of a hangout...of sorts. We cook and entertain together, he’s a better chef than I am.
I want my stories to excite the reader. I love it when readers reach out to me.
2014 has started off with my stories of HOOK-UPS with Ace's Key, Booty Call, Christmas In July and Consolation Prize. I put the four of them in a collection, you’ll find it under All About The Heat.
This KISS ME (standalone novella series) is underway with Kiss Me-My Ass and Kiss Me-There already released. Kiss Me-Crazy and Kiss Me-The Love Shack coming soon.
Releasing in October, The Creek Series. Broken Creek, a novella, introduces you to Wrenn Cunningham and her estranged relationship with ex-boyfriend, Pro Fisherman, Stephan Hart.
Followed by Forgiveness Creek, a novel, and Redemption Creek, a novella, in November.
Stay tuned, FALL 2014 is going to be full of love in all the right places.
XOXO,
Abbie
PS: Follow me on Twitter and Facebook and feel free to email me! I love to hear from you!
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Broken Creek (The Creek #1) Page 7