by Kelly Myers
At last, I grab my purse and head to the wine bar.
David is waiting outside, and he’s wearing the same outfit, and it’s almost like we spent the whole day together. As if we left the festival together, had dinner with the kids, and now we’re having some quality time with just us two.
I’m surprised to realize that such a day seems so perfect to me.
He greets me by kissing my cheek, and he keeps his hand on my back as he leads me to a table and we order some wine.
“Are you hungry?” David asks.
“No, I had dinner,” I say.
We sit in silence for a beat, and I know it’s time to bring up a tricky topic. I let myself go on this date, but only because I vowed to not avoid the issues David presents.
“I don’t want you to think I’m fickle.” I blurt out my most pressing thought with absolutely no eloquent lead-up, and David raises his brows. “I mean, because I said no to a second date, and then I said yes. I’m not usually so wishy-washy, it’s just the situation.”
David’s face softens, and he leans forward. “I don’t think you’re fickle, I think you’re wise to be cautious.”
I blink. No one has ever called me wise. I get called sweet and practical. Never wise.
“I have reservations too,” David says. “And I want to be direct with you: I have not had a serious relationship since my wife died.”
I’m touched by his frankness, especially since I was wondering about that. When I first met him, I assumed he had remarried. Then after our date, I began to suspect that he engaged in hook-ups and flings, nothing more. By this point, I have decided that my guesses are based on ridiculous rationale, and I’m glad to have David just clarify things for me.
“Have you dated at all?” I ask. I know I don’t want to be the first woman he’s dated after his wife died; that kind of pressure is insane.
“Yes.” David sighs. “My wife – she had cancer, and before she passed, she told me that she didn’t want me to be alone, and I always knew I shouldn’t be, so after two years, I tried to get back out there.”
I commiserate with the way he utters the phrase “get back out there” with a hint of irony and bitterness. It’s what I’ve been trying to force myself to do since Logan, and it hasn’t been easy. Until David, that is.
“I’ve dated a few women, but nothing ever got serious or lasted more than a few months.” David places his hands on the table. He lets out a self-deprecating chuckle. “I’m not an ideal partner between my hospital schedule and being a single parent.”
I think he’s wrong. I think he’s amazing, and his impressive career and his fathering skills are both part of how great he is.
“I want to be upfront with you,” David says. “Because I think there’s something here, and I don’t want to just casually date you. I guess it’s not in style to say this on a second date, but I want to get serious with you.”
I look up at him, and I know my eyes are filled with genuine emotion as I speak. “I wish it was in style because I can’t even pretend to want to do casual.”
“I sense that in you.” David smiles. “It’s endearing.”
“Most guys think I’m clingy and too much, too soon,” I mutter.
“They’re idiots,” David says.
I flush at his words, and he leans forward and grips my hands. My entire body yearns to be held by him again.
“In a month, the school year is over,” David says. “Amy will be in the eighth grade, and you won’t be her teacher anymore. I’m not saying you should brush off all your reservations, or that it will be easy, but I want us to at least give this a try.”
I can see why he’s a man of science. The way he stacks up logical arguments and presents them with such clarity is masterful. All my hesitancy is being driven back by his rational points. Amy will be out of my classroom soon. That’s not my only concern though.
“Have you talked to your daughters about dating?” I ask. “Not about me specifically but about it in general. I know it can be hard for kids to see a parent dating.”
“I have, along with their therapist,” David says. “The therapist recommends honesty, so I do tell them when I have a date with a woman, but I never introduce them to her unless it gets serious. So far, no one has been serious about them.”
I nod. Of course, David handles such a difficult topic with adroitness. “And, are they ok with you dating?”
“Kate is on board.” David’s expression makes it clear how much it means to him that his youngest daughter is so enthusiastic about him finding someone. “It’s harder for Amy, which is understandable. She remembers her mother much more than Kate.”
“That makes sense.” I pick at my napkin. It’s good that the girls are used to the idea of David dating, but I can’t imagine them embracing me right off the bat.
“I wouldn’t introduce you until after a few months,” David says. “But they adore you, Elena, they really do. Amy never stops raving about you, and even Kate said you were pretty and stylish after today.”
The praise of a second-grader makes me inordinately happy, but I still think David is being overly-optimistic. “Amy likes me as her teacher. I don’t think she would be as gung-ho about me as her dad’s girlfriend.”
“You’re right, it wouldn’t be easy,” David admits. “I still want to try though. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in regret over missing a chance with you.”
He leans back after his impassioned words, and I widen my eyes. His sentiment is so similar to what I thought earlier: I don’t want him to be the one that got away, and apparently he feels the same about me.
“I agree.” I hesitate for a second before deciding that he has been so honest with me, I should give him the same courtesy. “And you’re not the only one with baggage.”
I clear my throat and fiddle with my wine glass. It feels like oversharing to talk about my ex on a second date, but I don’t want to hide anything from David. “My serious boyfriend of three years broke up with me in November, and it’s been a rough road getting over it.”
David regards me with an appraising eye. “I’m sorry it’s been difficult. And if you feel like you’re not ready for anything serious, I understand.”
“That’s the thing.” I lean forward, desperate to make him comprehend. “I wasn’t ready at all until I met you. Things with you feel so – good and promising and hopeful, even though there is all this baggage.”
I shrug and give him a small smile. “I want to try too.”
It feels like a burden has been lifted off my shoulders. We’ve both admitted our concerns, but agreed that we want to try this. It’s a new and unfamiliar land, but we’re exploring it together.
We sip our wine and discuss the day. As the conversation flows, David leans closer and his tone turns even more flirtatious as he plays with my fingers.
I tell David about my friends and how they all encouraged me to date him.
“They didn’t say I was too old for you?” David asks.
“They did until they saw your photo,” I joke.
When we leave the wine bar, we drift down the sidewalk and pause at the corner. David lifts his hand and touches one of the curls handing just over my ear. “I’ve been wanting to do that all evening.”
I slip my hand into his as he cups my cheek. I want him to kiss me again, more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
“My place is just around the corner,” David says. “The girls will be asleep.”
Fear creeps through my heart. To go to his house where he lives with his family – it’s a big step. But we agreed to try this, so I nod.
Without pausing, and without releasing my hand, David turns and leads me down the sidewalk.
Chapter Sixteen
His house is big but not over-the-top. It has big windows with pretty blue shutters, and a wide porch. It’s like many of the family homes in Lake View: strangely rustic and cute for being in the middle of a city.
David leads me in, and we w
alk through a dark hall to the kitchen.
“The girls rooms are on the third floor, so they won’t hear us,” David says. “My neighbor’s daughter is babysitting, and she texted that they went to sleep an hour ago.”
I nod but my nervousness must shine through my eyes, because David grips my head and leans his forehead against mine. “It will be ok, I want you here.”
“Ok.”
“I don’t want you to feel like we’re sneaking around,” he says.
I lift my hand and place it against his chest. He’s so kind and thoughtful. I’ve never been with anyone who cared for my needs and emotions so well. Is it because he’s older or is David just built this way?
Before I can think of an answer, he leans down and kisses me. All worries float out of my head, and David pulls me close, and I open my lips for him.
The kitchen is quiet and peaceful, and I almost feel as if I’m in a dream. His hands caress my back and his tongue slowly explores my mouth, as if we have all the time in the world.
David pulls away and looks down at me. “Elena.”
I press my chest against his and wrap my arms around his neck, inhaling his crisp minty scent.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” I whisper. I’m tired of denying my feelings or trying to explain them away. I want to be honest with myself and with him. It feels too good to say the truth aloud.
David grips my back tighter and recaptures my mouth with his. This time, he kisses with more urgency, and one large hand slides to my bottom and holds my hips firmly against his.
Just as it did last time, heat and desire rushes through me at a rapid speed. Just his kiss has my knees shaking, and I know if he let go of me, I would fall right to the ground in a trembling puddle.
Without pulling his lips away from my face, David scoops me up below my bottom, and on instinct I wrap my legs around his hips. He’s not a man of hulking muscles, it’s true, but every inch of him is strong and firm, and he lifts me with total ease.
I inhale sharply as he turns and places me against the counter so he can better work his tongue down my neck and behind my ear with slithering licks and kisses.
I croon as he finds a sensitive spot and I run my hands over his broad shoulders and down to his chest. I lower them further until I’m tugging his shirt out of his jeans and slipping my fingers across his bare skin.
David moans at my touch, and I feel a rush of wicked satisfaction. Every woman at the Spring Festival couldn’t take her eyes off him. They all wanted to touch him like this, but I’m the one who gets to do it. I’m the one who makes him this wild with desire.
With a soft grunt, David hitches me against him and starts to walk towards the stairs, my legs and arms wrapped tightly around him.
“I’m taking you to my bedroom,” he says. “Is that ok.”
“Yes.” I bury my face in his neck and plant a line of kisses against his salty skin as I run my fingers through his thick hair.
When we reach his bedroom, I only have a few seconds to look around and note the neat appearance. He has a large bed with a wooden frame, but it’s not over-fancy or anything. He’s got a closet and a bureau with nothing on top.
It’s simple but high quality. I consider all the bedrooms of guys my age. A mattress on the floor, roommates who have no sense of boundaries, dirty clothes heaped in a corner.
I giggle as David sets me down on the bed and reaches to turn on the bedside lamp.
“What?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I whisper. “I’m just excited.”
I wince at my words. I sound like some over-eager girl, but David doesn’t seem to judge. His face flushes and he leans over me and kisses me again.
I realize that I like that he turned the light on. In the past, I’ve advocated for lights off or dim lighting, but I want to see David, and I want him to see me.
I twist out from underneath him and slide to the floor. David sits up, and his tousled hair makes my heart ache with need.
I stand before him, my thighs brushing against his knees.
I reach up to the little string at the top of my blouse and begin to untie it, David tracking my every move.
All my clothes tend to lean towards the conservative style. Once Marianne complimented me I had a banging body and asked why I didn’t show it off some more. I told her I didn’t want to show it off like that. I don’t judge anyone for how they dress, I just prefer to keep some things hidden with layers of pretty and roomy fabric. In my mind, it makes it way sexier and intimate when I do choose to show my skin to someone.
Not everyone gets that, but I can tell David does. His eyes soak in the smooth skin of my breasts as I lower the lacy top. He even seems to relish the skin of my upper arm, as I slip the top up and over my head.
I stand still in my bra and let David skim his hand over my stomach and grip my breast. I press my hands into his thighs and savor the feel of his strong legs.
HIs fingers play with the waistline of my pants, but I gently shove them away. I want to undress for him, and I want him to just watch.
I want to tear my pants off, but I force myself to go slowly. It feels more sensual to slide the pants down my thighs as David’s eyes follow the movement and then, at last, let them pool at my feet.
This time, I did think about my underwear. I’m wearing a simple white bra, but it has a bit of lace at the edges and matching panties. I know the off-white makes my tan skin glow in contrast.
I’m suddenly shy, so I glance down. As soon as I do, I feel David’s fingers below my chin. He lifts my head until I’m looking him in the face, and the expression of raw desire in his eyes banishes all my residual shyness.
My breath catches in my chest, and I lean towards him as I reach to my back to unclasp my bra. My panties soon fall to the floor beside the bra.
There’s something delicious in standing completely naked before him while he is still dressed. In a strange way, I feel like I have the power.
David lifts his hand to my hip as I step between his legs. He touches me with such reverence that it makes me want him to be touching me all over. I place my hands on his shoulders and lean forward. I run my hands down over his chest and lift his shirt and tug it over his head.
After that, it’s as if David can no longer sit still, his need for me is too great. He lurches to his feet and spins me so my bottom is pressed against the edge of the bed. He kisses me hard on the mouth while massaging one breast and pinching my nipple until it’s erect. For a moment, I can feel his hardness against my hip, even through his pants, but then he moves back and slides his hand between my legs. I’m sopping wet, and I can tell he likes it that way by the way he sucks in his breath between his teeth.
He runs his fingers over me in long, swift strokes, and I keen with delight. I have to grip onto his shoulders to stay standing. His mouth leaves my lips to give attention to my breasts, and I gasp.
He lifts his head and looks at me, his eyes blazing with desire. “I want to enjoy every inch of you this time. I want to kiss you everywhere and take it slow, is that ok?”
I can only nod, I’m so overwhelmed with desire for him to possess me in any way he wants.
His hands move in a dizzying way. One continues to play with my nipple, while the other drifts to my bottom and up my back. All the while, he kisses me in random places: my shoulder, my clavicle, the inside of my elbow. As if he wants to know every part of me, not just the sensual parts. The fact is, every patch of skin feels sensual when David touches it.
I’m shaking with the sensations he stimulates in me, but he doesn’t let me lie back on the bed, he keeps me upright.
His fingers slip back in between my legs, and this time the sensation is magnified thanks to his careful work with the rest of me. When he nudges my clit with his finger, the surge of pleasure radiates from my core all the way to the tip of my toes and I let out a whimper.
He takes it slow though. I don’t have the patience, but he teases me into a frenzy,
alternating between kissing me hard and then gently, stroking me with firmness and then lightening to just a delicate touch.
By the time he drops to his knees, my eyes are closed with passion.
He spreads my thighs apart and begins to kiss me on my clit, his tongue worming its way across my sensitive flesh, while one finger pushes inside me. I moan and press myself closer against him, and I bury my fingers in his luscious hair.
He licks and fingers me right to the brink of an orgasm, and then he pulls away. He at last lets me fall back against the bed as he removes his pants. He grabs a condom from his bedside table, and then he is behind me, his long hardness pressed against my back.
I marvel at how he knows exactly what he’s doing. There’s no guesswork. He has enough experience to know how to please a woman.
He lifts my thigh so that my leg is propped up against his. Then he slowly enters me from behind, and I gasp as his erection presses deep inside me.
“Elena,” he whispers. “You feel so good.”
His breath tickles my ear, and I lean back into his chest, wanting his body to surround mine.
As if he reads my thoughts, David clasps my stomach with one arm and moves his fingers to my clit. Then he begins to thrust and stroke me in a steady rhythm until I can do nothing but gasp. He knew I was close to the edge, and he sent me over it in no time at all. I jerk my hips back against his, eager to take as much of him as I can as I cry out.
I feel my climax all over my body. I feel it in the yearning muscles inside me, and I feel it whooshing through my stomach and up into my chest. Every part of my body tingles with ecstasy as I ride out every inch of my pleasure.
Just as my climax is ending, David groans and tenses up as he reaches his own orgasm. I sigh and press myself against him as hard as I can, savoring the way his hands hold my hips in an iron grasp.
As we both gasp to catch our breath, my body relaxes against his. He slides out, and I remain on my side as I hear him pulling the condom off and disposing of it. Then he is spooning me, and my limbs hum with satisfaction as he pulls me tight against his chest.