Take Me Away

by Elliott, Kelly

  “Linnzi,” I said as I reached up and placed my hand on the side of her face. She leaned into it and closed her eyes.

  She let out a soft sigh and smiled as she looked up into my eyes. “They weren’t dreams, Nolan. They were memories, and whenever I woke up I would feel such a loss. I knew you were out there. I knew it. God, how I longed for you. So much time has been wasted…”

  “I’m so sorry, Linz. I thought…”

  She lifted up on her toes and pressed her mouth to mine, stopping me from speaking. Then she started to walk, forcing me to move backward until my legs hit the bed and we tumbled onto it.

  I rolled her to her back and pushed my hand under her shirt. I found her nipple pressing against the soft fabric of her bra, and I wanted it in my mouth desperately.

  “Take it off.”

  “Your shirt?” I asked.

  “What did I say about wasting time?” she told me as she pushed me away. I watched as she sat up, pulled her shirt over her head and then went to work on her bra.

  I stared at her. “Um, I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to do that while touching and kissing you and telling you how beautiful you are.”

  Linnzi looked at me and winked. “I’m really a little too horny for much foreplay, Nolan. I want to feel you inside me. Maybe we can fast forward through some of the terribly romantic things that I know you want to do and save them for next time. I honestly won’t be offended if you don’t shower me with glitter and accolades.”

  Laughing, I stood up. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” I quickly stripped out of my boots and jeans as she undressed.

  “Wait, don’t take your panties off. Leave a little magic still in this moment, will ya?” I said as I watched her hop around, trying to get her jeans off of her foot.

  “I can’t…get…my damn jeans off!” she said, panting.

  “Let me help.”

  Somehow the girl’s pants were glued to her foot. Linnzi hopped on one foot as I tried to pull the jeans off her foot.

  “I’m going to fall!” she cried out, as she leaned over me. I picked her up and put her over my shoulder. “Nolan!” she yelped.

  One tug and they were gone. I gave her ass a smack and then tossed her onto the bed. She landed with an oomph.

  Then our eyes met, and her smile grew into a seductive grin.

  “I’m going to kiss every inch of your body right now,” I said, “so prepare yourself.”

  “Okay,” she whispered.

  I lifted her foot and pressed my fingers into the arch and massaged as she threw her head back and groaned, propping herself up on her elbows.

  “Does that feel good, baby?”

  “Yes.”

  I moved my hand slowly up her calf, stopping to kiss behind her knee, then over to the other one.

  “Oh my God,” she gasped as her entire body fell to the bed.

  My hands moved up her thighs, and I reached for her panties and slowly peeled them off while she lifted her hips to help. Her body was different, yet the same.

  “Nolan, I need—” her voice trailed off, and she grabbed at the comforter.

  “What do you need, Linz?” I asked as I placed my hands on her. I wanted to explore every damn inch of her.

  “You. More. Something, I don’t know what.”

  With a smile, I kissed up the inner part of her thigh. “Oh, I have an idea of what you need.”

  She lifted her head and licked her lips. “Wait,” she gasped and then giggled. “I feel like this is my first time all over again, Nolan. Did we, did we do this before?”

  I winked. “Lots of times.”

  “Thank God,” she said, dropping her head back. “They are memories.”

  Sliding up closer, I blew on her center as I pushed her legs open wider.

  “Wait!” she said again, her chest rising and falling with each heavy breath. “I haven’t been with anyone since the accident. I mean, no one. Not even kissed anyone.”

  “Neither have I, Linz. I’ve been waiting for you. Always you.”

  Her mouth formed the perfect little O, and then she sighed. “You said that before, but hearing it again right now, well, I might have had a mini orgasm from that confession.”

  “Babe, if all you do is sigh from an orgasm, then I’m not doing my job right.”

  She gave a few jerky nods and then asked, “Were you my first?”

  My heart nearly stopped in my chest. “Yes. And you were mine. I have never been with anyone but you, Linz.”

  A brilliant smile appeared on her face. “Carry on then, soldier.”

  I smiled and kept my eyes on hers as I licked through her folds and then flicked her clit. She gasped, then dropped back to the bed and arched her back. “More!”

  With a light chuckle, I gave her more. She tasted exactly like how I remembered. Exactly.

  I groaned as she dug her fingers into my hair and pulled me closer to her. Her hips moved against my mouth. “Oh God, Nolan. Nolan! Oh God!”

  I slipped two fingers inside her as I covered her clit with my mouth and sucked.

  She nearly flew off the bed, crying out my name. Christ, she was so tight. So fucking tight.

  “I’m going to come!” she shouted. Her hand covered her mouth, and she rode out her orgasm. I could feel her body pulling at my fingers as she came for what felt like forever.

  She frantically started to push me away, gasping for air. “I can’t. Oh my God. Oh…my…gracious.”

  I couldn’t help but smile as I moved up her body and pressed against her still-throbbing core. Linnzi gasped and grabbed onto my ass. “Inside me. Now!”

  Drawing back, I looked at her. Her face was flushed, and her eyes seemed to be sparkling. “You really are bossy, aren’t you?”

  “Please!” She didn’t wait for me to respond as she started to pull my boxer briefs off.

  It wasn’t until that moment that I remembered condoms. We hadn’t used them before, so I knew I didn’t have any in the house.

  “Linnz, I don’t have any condoms.”

  Her eyes were still dazed, and she swallowed. “Did we use them before the accident?”

  I felt my heart drop to my stomach. “No.”

  “I’m on the pill. My periods started to get heavy a couple of years ago, and I went on it to settle them out.”

  “Thank fuck,” I whispered as I moved back against her.

  She opened her legs wider as I kissed along her neck and then up her jawline until my lips found hers. The kiss felt so right. Hell, all of it felt so right. I was finally going to have her again. Hold her after I made love to her, tell her how much I loved her.

  I slipped my hand between us and played with her clit as she bucked underneath me. When my fingers slipped back inside, she was more than ready.

  “It might be uncomfortable since it’s been so long. I’ll try to go slow, but I’ve got to be honest, Linz, I may lose what little control I have left. I’ll try my best not to.”

  She nodded and wrapped her legs around me, drawing me closer to her.

  Her hand came up to my face, and she gave me the sweetest smile. “I love you, Nolan.”

  I closed my eyes and slowly pushed inside of her. She gasped, and I quickly opened my eyes and met her gaze.

  “Don’t stop. Keep going,” she gasped.

  I did as she said. Inch by inch, I pushed into her. My breathing grew rapid, and I fought with all my might not to lose myself in those first few minutes.

  Linnzi dug her nails into my back. “Jesus, I hate to think what our first time was like. You’re huge!”

  I couldn’t help but bury my face in her neck and laugh.

  Before long, she was laughing too. “Damn it, Nolan! Are you in yet?”

  “Stop making me laugh!”

  She made a serious face and nodded. Then her smile faded as I pushed farther into her. Her eyes clouded over with a look of utter desire. “Oh my,” she gasped when I buried myself all the way in and stilled.

  “Linnzi,” I
whispered, kissing along her neck and slowly moving in and out. “You feel like heaven.”

  Her legs wrapped around my body, and she arched up into me. “It feels so good.”

  I wanted to make this moment last forever. She felt so right. It all felt so damn right. The feeling of being inside her again was almost too much to bear.

  She whispered my name as I lifted my head and looked down at her. I pressed my mouth to hers in a searing kiss that nearly left me dizzy. Not even flying at Mach speed could make me feel the way Linnzi did when I made love to her.

  Her hands came up and laced through my hair as our bodies moved faster. The rhythm was a perfect dance as we went from slow and sweet to faster and more passionate. “More, Nolan.”

  I pushed up and took her legs, lifting her into a sharper angle.

  “Oh yes!” she cried out as I went harder.

  “Fuck,” I ground out through clenched teeth. “Linnzi, I can’t…”

  “Yes! Right there! Nolan!”

  And then she tumbled off the ledge once more, taking me right along with her. I cried out her name as I came so hard the room spun. I collapsed forward, barely able to keep my weight off her as I attempted to drag in air.

  “I do believe…that was…worth…the eight-year…wait,” Linnzi said between pants.

  Smiling, I rolled off her and pulled her to me. She lay snuggled against me, her head on my chest.

  “Your heart is beating so fast.”

  “It is,” I agreed.

  “Would it be bad if I fell asleep?”

  With a soft chuckle, I replied, “I can leave you here to rest, but I still need to run that errand for Paul.”

  She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “When do you have to leave Boerne?”

  I moved my fingers lightly over her bare back. “I’m flying out tomorrow morning.” I opened my mouth to tell her she could come with me but stopped myself.

  “When will you be able to come back to Texas?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure, but you could come out to California and stay with me there if you wanted to.”

  She moved and rested her chin on the back of her hand. “Really? You don’t live on base?”

  I shook my head. “No. I have my own place.”

  Chewing on her lower lip, she replied, “I think I’d like that. Can I go with you tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow?” I asked.

  She moved and sat up, drawing the sheet around her. “Nolan, I just found you. I don’t really want to let you slip through my fingers. And it’s not like you’re a stranger to me.”

  Laughing, I replied, “I was a stranger only two days ago.”

  “I may not remember the us before, but I feel it in my heart, and I don’t want to let that feeling go again.”

  I sat up and placed my hand on the side of her face. “I would throw you over my shoulder and haul your ass back with me in a heartbeat. But think about it, Linz, and we should probably talk more about…”

  She brought her finger up to my lips before she leaned over and kissed me. “No more talking about the past. All I care about is the future.”

  I could feel myself frowning. “There’s more I have to tell you. You need to know. All of it.”

  Linnzi quickly moved off the bed and walked across the room, completely naked and at ease. “Well, I don’t need to know about it right now. Let’s get dressed and run that errand, shall we? The quicker we get back, the more we can…” She glanced over her shoulder at me and winked. “Learn about each other again.”

  I had never moved so quickly in my entire life.

  Linnzi

  MY MOTHER AND father stood there with stunned expressions on their faces.

  “Are you going to say something?” I asked as my gaze bounced between the two of them.

  With a quick shake of his head, my father said, “You’re leaving with Nolan tomorrow?”

  “Yes. Not for good, but I feel like I just got him back. By the way, he told me about the plane accident.”

  Their faces went white as sheets.

  “Well, he told me as much as I would let him before I said I didn’t want to know anymore. If I’m meant to remember it, I will.”

  My mother’s mouth dropped open, then snapped shut.

  “I know he’s still carrying something with him, that you’re all carrying with you, but to be honest, I’m the happiest I’ve been in eight years. I’ve been waiting for him, and I’m tired of living in the past. I’m ready to move on. I’m thirty-three years old. I want to get married, I want to have a baby.”

  My mother pressed her fist to her mouth and then turned away from me. “I can’t do this,” she said, practically running from the living room.

  My father looked torn as he watched her leave and then faced me. “Linnzi, you don’t even know him!”

  I felt the anger boil up inside of me. “I’ve been having memories of him for months! Years! I may not remember how we met, or the first time he told me he loved me, but I feel it in my heart, in the very air I breathe, that Nolan is my everything. The moment I saw him in Saryn and Truitt’s kitchen I knew that he was the man I had been waiting for. The man my heart had been longing for. You don’t get to stand there and tell me what I should or shouldn’t do. Not when the two of you have kept things from me.”

  My father jerked back like I just slapped him. “He kept things from you as well, and Linnzi, you never even asked us about the accident. Not once!”

  “I know that, Daddy. He also told me the truth when I asked, just like I’m sure you and Mom would have done. But I’m tired of trying to figure out why I can’t remember that part of my life. I want a future, and I want it with Nolan.”

  He scrubbed his hands down his face. “Damn it, Linnzi. You don’t know everything! There’s so much more…”

  “And I don’t care! It doesn’t matter!” I cried out.

  With a slow shake of his head, he let out a defeated sigh. “Oh, baby girl, ask yourself one question. Why is it that your mind has blocked out that time in your life?”

  I lifted my chin and inhaled a slow, deep breath. “Whatever happened, I survived. And I’m ready to move on with my life.”

  “Linnzi, I think we all need to sit down and talk, because you survived by blocking out the very part of your life that would have hurt you the most.”

  “Daddy, I’ve been hiding for so long. I’m tired of running from a past that has dictated my life and made the people I love keep things from me. If my mind wants me to forget my past, then I’m going to let it forget and focus on making new memories. I think I deserve to make that decision. The three of you obviously already made it for me once. It’s my turn now.”

  All he did was stand there. He didn’t agree or disagree. He simply stood there and stared at me.

  “Daddy, please, can you be happy for me?”

  He closed his eyes and then looked at me. His arms opened for me to come to him. “Baby girl, that is all we’ve ever wanted. And your mother and I love Nolan like a son.”

  I snuggled into his warm body. “Then let me do this, please.”

  He rested his chin on top of my head. “We will support whatever you do, sweetheart.”

  I squeezed my arms around him tighter. I knew I had taken a cheap shot a moment ago, but I needed to move on with my life. “Thank you, Daddy!”

  He gave me a pat on my back, and I stepped away and glanced toward the back of the house.

  “I’ll go talk to her, don’t worry,” he said.

  With a smile, I nodded. “I’m going to go pack a small bag. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay, but it won’t be more than a couple of weeks.”

  “Good, we just got you back ourselves.” There was a bit of sadness etched in his voice.

  I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “I love you, Daddy.”

  “Love you too, sweetheart.”

  As I headed toward the steps, I glanced back at my father. He looked tired and worried. I hated that I was the cause of
it, but I was able to move on with my life now. I knew everyone else would be able to as well. It was high time everyone stopped worrying about the past and looked forward to the future. To my future.

  Flying in Nolan’s plane seemed like second nature to me. I didn’t remember doing it, but I somehow knew I had done it often. I felt at ease, even after Nolan told me about the plane accident. I had been so tempted to look up the details about the accident on the Internet, but I didn’t. There was more to the story, I knew that. Finding out on some search engine wasn’t really how I wanted to discover it.

  Nolan seemed to be worried at first about flying with me, so I did my best to make sure he knew I wasn’t afraid. His plane was amazing. And I had to admit, watching him fly it was very sexy. The moment we landed and he taxied his plane to the hangar he rented out, I promptly informed him that I was incredibly turned on by watching him fly. Nolan took my hand in his and nearly dragged me to his Honda Pilot that was parked at the airport. In California, he didn’t drive a truck but a smaller SUV.

  “We have a lot of time to make up for, and we’re going to start as soon as I get you home,” he said.

  It took us an hour to get from the airport to Nolan’s house. He pulled up to a brownstone and stucco one-story house. It was a corner house with grass so green it reminded me of the parks in France.

  “What a darling place!” I said.

  “It’s a rental,” he stated.

  I nodded and waited for him to pull into the garage.

  “You don’t have a house anywhere you own besides the ranch?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Nah, not when I was moving around and being stationed in different areas. Never really saw a reason to buy anywhere.”

  “Makes sense,” I replied.

  “This house is entirely too big, but I like it and it’s home for now.”

  He opened the door from the garage, and we walked into a small mud room. “Let me show you around,” Nolan said as he laced his fingers with mine. He certainly enjoyed holding my hand, and I wasn’t going to argue.

  “There are five bedrooms and three bathrooms. A living room, family room, and a small sitting room right off the family room.”