Champagne Toast

by Melissa Brown

  “Oh my god, Ev, don’t stop.”

  Quickly unbuttoning her blouse, I plant kisses on her breasts as I stroke the hot pink cotton bra beneath her shirt. Her breasts are swollen and her nipples have risen to greet my thumbs as I caress them forcefully. Kate digs her hands into the back pockets of my jeans, pulling me closer and squeezing my ass with her fingers. Pushing her shirt past her shoulders, it stays on her forearms as she pulls my mouth towards hers once again. Her tongue caresses mine fervently, pushing me to the point where I can’t stand it any longer. I need to be inside her. Kate senses my urgency and begins pulling at my belt and unzipping my fly. I push her skirt up to her hips and yank her panties off. They are hot pink, just like her bra. God, this girl drives me insane.

  I push into her as gently as I can, and she sighs loudly, throwing her head back slightly as I enter. Her teeth pull at my earlobe as I tug at her neck with my tongue and teeth. She feels just as eager as I do as she pumps her hips into mine, her hands grasping the sink and her heels digging into my back. With each thrust, Kate cries out, louder and louder with each movement. She screams my name as she comes, which pushes me to the point of no return. I sink into her shoulder as I groan. My release is strong, almost primal. Kate does things to me I never knew were possible. We stand there as one for several minutes, neither of us moving, still clutching each other tightly. Just as I’m about to pull away to look her in the eyes, Kate speaks.

  “I love you, Ev,” she whispers into my ear before kissing me softly on my neck. I feel drops of warm liquid on my skin and know they’re tears.

  “Kate, baby, you’re crying,” I say, concerned about her tears but elated that the woman I love, loves me in return. I don’t have to be afraid to tell her. Not anymore.

  “I’ve been trying to think of the best way to say those words to you. For days, I’ve been thinking of what to say and how to say it. My God, you have to know that I’m hopelessly in love with you.” I smile, wiping the tears from her cheek. She laughs, covering her mouth with her hand. She’s embarrassed, but I don’t want her to be.

  “Look at me, please, and hear what I’m telling you. I love you. You’re everything to me, Kate, everything. You’ve completely captured me. Don’t let go. Please, don’t let go.”

  Kate takes a deep breath, wipes the rest of her tears away and swallows hard, shaking her head violently. “I won’t, I promise. God, I love you,” she says as we relax into one another’s embrace.

  Chapter 8

  Kate

  December 22, 2008

  “It’s really cold for a football game, Ev,” I say, pulling on another sweater, trying my best to layer for the cold, windy Chicago air.

  “I know, but my parents sent me the tickets for Christmas and I wanted to introduce you to my beloved. The Pack.” Evan grins his signature smile and a tiny dimple shows in his cheek. It doesn’t always show itself, but today it’s prominent.

  “I’m shocked your dad sent you Bears tickets. Why not tickets for a game at Lambeau Field?” I say, trying on Bears caps while looking in my mirror. Evan stands behind me, his hands running up and down my sides.

  “Well, here’s the thing. There’s nothing like Soldier Field. I love the Packers and I love Green Bay, it’s a place all its own. But, when I was a kid and we had moved here, I wanted desperately to go to a Bears Game, but money was too tight. My dad remembers how much that meant to me, so it’s, I don’t know, just an unspoken thing between us. Every year, he sends me Bears tickets for Christmas. And every year, I go and I lose myself in the stadium, in the atmosphere that is Chicago football.” His eyes are glistening slightly. This means a lot to him. I had no idea.

  “Wow, and you’re bringing me with you?” I ask, turning around and placing my hands on his chest. I pull slightly on the strings of his Packers hooded sweatshirt.

  “And, I’m bringing you with me,” he says with a satisfied smile.

  “Well, I’m honored,” I say, patting him lightly on his strong bicep muscles, solid through the soft fabric of his sweatshirt.

  “You should be,” he laughs before getting a crafty look on his face. When Evan looks like that, I get suspicious. And this time, just like every time, I’m right. Evan grabs me just below my ass and hoists me over his shoulder, running me around my apartment.

  He sings as I wriggle in his arms, “Go, you Packers! Go and get ‘em! Go, you fighting fools, upset ‘em! Smash their line with all your might! A touchdown, Packers! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”

  Listening to him sing at the top of his lungs makes me lose myself in laughter, and before I know it, he’s flopping me down on my bed and climbing on top of me, panting from all his exertion.

  “You’d better get your head on straight, Green Bay boy or you’re gonna get your ass kicked by rabid Bears fans,” I pretend to sneer. Evan starts planting playful kisses along my neck and then looks me in the eyes.

  “You realize the Bears are playing the Packers and I will be cheering for my team.” He narrows his eyes at me before continuing. “And, you’d better not pretend that you don’t know me!” Tickling my sides, he continues to look in my eyes as I crack up. Evan knows exactly how to touch me whether it’s playful or sexy. And right now, I can barely catch my breath. My lungs feel like they’re about to burst from my laughter.

  “Just don’t wear that stupid piece of cheddar on your head!” I shout, throwing my head back.

  “I won’t,” Evan says. He stops tickling me all at once. Struggling to catch my breath, I look at him. He leans on his elbow and stares at me, making me feel naked. One gaze from this man, and I’m stripped down to my core, confused, aroused and frightened of never having moments like this again. Loving Evan is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Together for more than a year and it never feels like enough. I want a lifetime with him, and it scares the living shit out of me.

  “What is it?” Evan asks, narrowing his eyes and scrunching his brow together. I know he’s trying to read my thoughts, which is so impossible because my mind is always going in a million different directions. I love him, I need him, I’m scared, I’m blissful . . . it’s amazing I can even keep up. It’s overwhelming.

  Placing my hand on the side of his face, I open my mouth to tell him how I’m feeling, but instead I chicken out and say, “I’m just imagining you with a slice of sharp cheddar on top of your head.”

  Evan chuckles and asks, “Oh really?”

  “Yeah, I think you could probably pull it off,” I smirk, raising an eyebrow.

  “Man, I hope so. I wore that thing for years,” he says as he rolls over to lay on his back, putting his hand behind his head, his other laying on his chest as he stares up at the ceiling.

  “I hate to interrupt your walk down memory lane, but we’d better head into the city. The game starts soon,” I remind him, sitting up in the bed.

  “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s do this, sweets.” He hops out of bed and grabs his coat, scarf and hat. I add one more sweater to my already sweating body, knowing I’ll be happy for the warmth in just a few minutes when we leave the apartment and hop on the train.

  A train ride, followed by a cab ride later, we are entering Soldier Field along with thousands of other Bears and Packers fans. I’ve lived in the Chicagoland area my entire life, but this is my first game, and I love that Evan is with me. He’s grinning like a little boy and it’s the most charming thing I’ve ever seen. He holds my hand tight as we make our way to our seats, which are pretty decent.

  “Thank you, Dad,” Evan says as we sit down in our seats. A cool gust of evening air hits my cheeks and I pull my scarf up higher to shield my already chilled skin from the cold. “These seats are awesome. Right along the 40 yard line.”

  “I’ll be sure to thank him when we see your folks,” I reply.

  “Couple of days,” he says, rubbing his gloved hands together in front of him. “Can’t wait to have you all to myself for Christmas, baby. No bar, no classes, just you and me.”

  “And
your parents,” I add, a tinge of uneasiness in my voice.

  “Yeah, for a few hours, but mostly it’ll just be us. Aren’t you excited?”

  “Of course, Ev. Just nervous to meet your folks,” I admit.

  “You have nothing to worry about. They know I’m crazy about you and they’re gonna feel the same way, I know it.” He winks at me, wraps his arm around me and rubs my arms to keep me warm. My toes begin to feel the chill beneath my boots and I’m wishing I’d put on a couple more pairs of socks. But, it’s all worth it because Evan is sitting next to me, enamored by the game, the stadium, the people surrounding us in the stands. And I find myself completely caught up in his happiness. I think I’ve fallen even more in love with him tonight. I didn’t realize that was possible.

  Several hours later, our faces are bright red from the obscene amount of wind in the freezing air. The game went into overtime, which pissed me off. By the time the fourth quarter was winding down, I was so ready to get home to my warm apartment. Evan was a wreck, completely on the edge of his seat, determined to see his beloved Pack win the game. But, they didn’t and now he’s crabby as we arrive home.

  “Ugh, that was ridiculous. We had that game,” Evan says, taking his coat off, shaking his bright red face.

  “Next year, babe. They’ll get ‘em next year,” I say, doing my best to sound reassuring. I don’t give a rat’s ass about football. But, it matters to Evan and I hate seeing him discouraged.

  The glow of the Christmas tree greets us as we walk into the living room. The tree is my favorite part of the holiday season. I like to have the white lights glowing all the time. My sensible boyfriend bought me a light timer so I won’t accidentally cause a fire in my place since I never remember to turn it off. I can’t help it. The lights soothe me and I can’t get enough. I keep my tree up for almost six weeks; it’s just so pretty. I dragged Evan with me to the tree farm. He pretended that it was a pain in the ass, but he kept serenading me with Christmas carols as we strapped the tree on top of my Honda and continued to sing to me as we drove back to my place and set it up. Since that night several weeks ago, we are constantly listening to Christmas carols on my parents’ old record player. When I moved out, I dug it out of their crawl space and took it with me simply to play the Christmas albums every year. They probably don’t even know I have it or the records. I doubt they even have a tree these days. But, the majority of my happy childhood memories revolve around Christmas traditions and songs, and I’m never going to let go of that, even if they have.

  Almost out of habit, I walk towards the record player and start my favorite album. The crackle of the needle touching the album is one of my favorite sounds in the world. Evan tilts his head to the side after taking off a couple layers of clothes. His cheeks are starting to return to their normal color.

  “Which album tonight? Dean Martin?”

  “You’ll just have to wait and find out,” I tease as I walk to the tree, lightly touching the glass ornaments glistening in the glow of the tiny white lights. Taking a deep breath, I bask in the delicious smell of pine.

  Dino begins to croon, and Evan gets a satisfied look on his face. We both love Dean Martin, which is kind of rare for people our age. We were both raised with his songs, Christmas and otherwise. It’s a nice thing to have in common.

  “Ahh, my favorite.” Evan stands behind me and pulls my hair out of its ponytail. He runs his fingers through it as it falls down past my shoulders. The crown of my scalp tingles with each pull of his fingers. My thawing skin begins to warm from his touch as I feel desire building within me. Evan hums along with Dino to ‘White Christmas’ as his fingers massage the back of my head and twirl through the curls of my hair. I sigh loudly, enjoying every touch. Evan blows lightly on the back of my neck bringing on a delicious shudder through my body. He drives me wild.

  “Let’s take off these layers, baby,” he says seductively into my ear as he begins to pull at my sweatshirt. Raising my arms above my head, I pull at the collar of the shirt to help Evan take it off of me. There are still three more layers to go. Evan chuckles to himself as each layer is pulled off, leaving me in my bra.

  “Well, that was an adventure,” Evan says, eyeing me up and down, “but, so worth it.”

  “Your turn,” I purr, turning to face my gorgeous boyfriend. Evan rips off layer after layer, looking at me intensely after he removes each one. His stare excites me and I can’t wait to see what will happen next. With Evan, it’s always different. I never quite know what to expect.

  Once he removes every last stitch of his clothing, he stares at me with a raised eyebrow. He looks so incredibly sexy, and all at once, I’m consumed with my desire for him. His biceps flex as he begins to unbutton the top button of my jeans. As he unzips them, I place my hands on his shoulders, feeling the muscles move beneath my fingertips. Evan continues to hum along with Dino as he lightly grazes my bra strap with the pads of his thumbs before pulling the straps down and kissing me lightly on my breasts. Quickly, I help him by removing the bra completely. He smiles to himself as he continues to kiss and stroke my breasts. I feel my nipples hardening as he touches them appreciatively. He hooks his fingers into the waistband of my panties and slowly pulls them down as his lips make their way down my torso, lightly kissing my skin, making every part of me tingle. I step out of my panties and Evan kisses me. It starts soft, his tongue slowly caressing mine, as his fingers glide through my hair. But, little by little, our kisses become more demanding and I feel Evan’s arousal on my bare stomach.

  Together, we slowly ease ourselves down to lie beneath the Christmas tree. Evan places me on my back and he slowly pushes my legs apart as his mouth claims my breast. Following his lead, I open for him, so ready for him to be inside me. Deliberately, he enters and my muscles relax, inviting him in further. Evan moans as he begins to thrust in and out, taking his time, making love to me slowly. At times, I try to quicken the pace, but he just looks down at me with a cocky grin and shakes his head. It’s torture as I feel pressure building inside of me, delectable, wonderful, unbelievable pressure. Evan senses it and slowly picks up his pace, guiding me towards my release. He sucks gently on my earlobe, knowing that is my weakness and will push me completely over the edge. Just as Evan’s tongue strokes the rim of my ear, I lose it completely and my orgasm rushes through my body, sending me into a complete frenzy. Evan holds me tight as I thrash beneath him in complete ecstasy. He cries out above me as he falls apart in my arms, his head buried into the crook of my neck. His hot breath warms my shoulder as I run my fingers through his hair.

  I open my eyes and gaze up at the Christmas lights above my head as Evan lies down beside me, lightly stroking my stomach with his fingers. The soothing sound of Dean’s Martin’s voice flows throughout the room as a tear slips down my cheek. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy.

  Chapter 9

  Evan

  December 25, 2008

  “Merry Christmas,” I whisper softly into Kate’s ear. She moans a little bit and pulls her covers higher. Kate’s not an early riser at all, but I’m always excited to wake up on Christmas morning. I’m up at the crack of dawn and I can’t wait to get the day started. I have something very important for her under her tree and I’m dying to give it to her.

  “Ev, seriously,” she groans, looking at her clock, “6:45? Really? Go back to sleep, babe.”

  “I know, I know, but I want us to spend as much time as possible together before we head up to Green Bay. I can’t help it. I’m feeling selfish today. I want you all to myself.” I can’t stop the stupid grin on my face as I massage Kate’s shoulders, trying so hard to coax her out of bed.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” she says, smiling. I’ve got her. “Give me a few more minutes to pry my eyes open. You make us some coffee and as soon as this clock says 7:00, I promise I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

  “I’ll do you one better. I’ll make coffee and eggs.” I playfully raise my eyes up and down. Kate looks impressed. I
don’t cook for her often, but Christmas morning demands a proper meal.

  “Wow, you really do love Christmas morning,” Kate says, planting a kiss on my cheek.

  “I do. I’ll get started on breakfast. You take your time, sweets.”

  I hop out of bed, put my robe on and walk into the kitchen. Kate has no idea that I went shopping yesterday afternoon before we went out for dinner. She’s about to experience a Maxwell Christmas Morning Breakfast.

  The coffee begins to brew as I pull out the eggs, bacon, milk and orange juice. The bacon begins to sizzle as I scramble the eggs. The bakery down the street has the most delicious cinnamon rolls, Kate’s absolute favorite. Placing two rolls on a plate, I continue to prepare the meal.

  “Wow, Ev, it smells amazing in here,” Kate says, doe-eyed and gorgeous, wrapped up in her fleece robe. Beneath, she’s wearing a pair of my pajama pants. The sight of her in my clothes drives me crazy and I feel myself getting hard. Quickly, I think of the football game the other night to calm myself down. Works like a charm. This meal is too important and as much as I’d love to press her up against the fridge and let the bacon burn, I want this to be special for Kate — for us.

  Kate picks up the paper bag from the bakery and looks at me expectantly. “Is this what I think it is?”

  “You know it, your favorite cinnamon rolls.”

  “I’m starting to appreciate the way you do Christmas morning,” she says as she starts pulling plates out of the cabinets.

  “No, no, no,” I say, ushering her to the table, passing her a cup of steaming coffee. “I’ll take care of that. You sit, drink your coffee and give me something beautiful to look at while I work.” Giving her a peck on the cheek, I return to the bacon, which has finished cooking. Popping a piece in my mouth, I set the rest on a paper towel, just as Dad always does. Next, the eggs are scraped onto two plates, followed by several pieces of bacon and fresh strawberries.