by Phoebe Lane
"I really want to hear all about why that is the case, but I'm walking into a meeting. Can I call you tonight?"
Jace’s mind was all caught up with thoughts of Aislynn during his five-hour flight home. He craved her; he wanted to touch her skin, hear her laugh, kiss her lips, and smell her. He wanted to ask her questions, learn to read the expressions on her face, and get to know her likes and dislikes. He wanted to become an Aislynn scholar.
Things felt very new and different with Aislynn, although he couldn’t quite explain what it was about her that continued to reel him in. It definitely went beyond Evan’s nudging at giving the relationship a try, and the fact she was unpretentiously beautiful. She had an energy around her that pulled him in and made him want to trust her, something he had not been able to do with a woman in a really long time. The "relationships" he tried after things ended with his last serious girlfriend had not progressed beyond a couple of outings and an uncomfortable morning-after "I’ll call you" being delivered by either him or his date at the door.
He could tell Aislynn had her secrets, of course. He now knew she had been in a pretty serious relationship before she left Texas, and although he was incredibly curious about what had happened, he didn't feel comfortable prying. He was also afraid it would lead to him having to answer questions about his own failed relationships, which he wasn’t ready to do.
"What the hell?" he said as he walked into his house, rolling his luggage into the foyer and scanning the room. It looked like a completely different house than the one he had before he'd left for New York.
"Before I freak out about your reaction, please tell me you have a marvelous follow-up compliment," Ellie said from the kitchen.
"Hell, yeah! I have lots of compliments. Should I start now?"
"No, not yet. Let me show you around first," she said excitedly.
Ellie gave Jace a tour of his new home. The design was definitely contemporary, but not ultra-modern.
"I wanted to keep the color manly, but neutral. I used a lot of blue, grey and white tones throughout the great room and the master bedroom. I think they go really well with the rich, dark brown in the hardwood floors."
"I agree. I really love it. And the light…"
"Yes, I wanted to take advantage of all the light coming in through this side of the house," she said pointing to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, and spanning the whole back of the house. "I avoided adding too many beach themed details to the décor. People don’t need to be reminded they’re at the beach by having starfish plastered in every corner."
"Good call. Glad I won’t find little seashell shaped soaps in the bathroom, then."
"Okay, now your bedroom," she said, and pulled him down the hallway to show him his space.
"I don't know how you do it. This place looks spectacular, Rainbow Brite!" Jace said as he checked out his new furniture.
"Cute. Like I've never heard that one before," she said with a smile. "Now, let's hear the compliments. Ready? Go!"
They went over a few more details of things that Ellie had meant to add to the design, but hadn't had time to complete. "I still need to work on the guest bedroom, and we need to bring in some of the items you have in storage that you wanted to incorporate here."
"Okay, great."
"And we should do that before the housewarming party," Ellie said with conviction.
"Umm, what party?"
"Okay, okay. Before you start huffing and puffing and say no to the idea, let me tell you that it must be done. It would be a crime not to show off this place," she argued, and after a few minutes of groveling, Jace agreed.
Saying no to this girl is damn near impossible.
"Great! I'll plan everything. It's going to be fantastic."
Jace anticipated the party would also be a great opportunity for Ellie to meet new prospective clients. This in turn could lead to having her around often, which was sure to make Evan a very happy man. The guy was a goner. All he did was talk about Ellie.
I'm starting to understand the feeling, he thought, as his phone chirped with a new text message from Aislynn.
On my way. ETA 5 minutes. I got the food. Where are we going, anyway?
Can't wait to show you the place. Not telling. See you soon.
"Wow, that's quite a smile you've got there, Romeo," Ellie said.
"Drop it, Jem," he jibed.
Jace watched Aislynn get out of her car, her face lighting up with a gorgeous smile as soon they locked eyes with each other.
God, I missed her, he thought.
Jace welcomed her with a hug and softly caressed her lips with the tips of his fingers before kissing her. If he could describe her taste as a texture, it had to be the feeling of cotton candy as it melts in your mouth. It was sweet, comforting, but disappeared too fast and left you desperate for more.
"Your hair is up," Jace said, running his fingers through a few loose strands.
"It's a bit warm out today, and you won't tell me where we're going."
"Fair enough. Okay, let me show you around the house. Hurricane Ellie passed through and turned this place upside down," he said with a smirk.
"Wow. Ellie, you really outdid yourself," she said after they toured the house, and then turned to Jace. "Your house is amazing, and that view is spectacular," she said, pointing to the deck in the back of the house. It overlooked the water, which was only a couple of hundred feet away. There was a short flight of stairs on the side of the deck that led directly down to the beach.
"So, where are you guys off to?" Ellie asked casually.
"Yes, where are we off to?" Aislynn repeated, smiling mischievously at Jace.
"I'm taking you to Balboa Park. Time for you to fall in love with this city," he answered.
Fall in love. Interesting choice of words.
Aislynn decided to go for a walk on the beach while Jace took a shower and got ready for their date. The sand felt warm on her feet, and the saltiness of the breeze reminded her of childhood trips to the coast with her dad.
I miss you so much, Daddy.
She sat down on a large piece of driftwood that was close to the water and enjoyed the solitude. It was the most peaceful she'd felt in a long time. She imagined Jace sitting next to her, planting soft kisses on her neck, and his warm body embracing her. She immediately felt a rush of both exhilaration and panic. The instinct to shut down was overwhelming, but she forced herself to feel the emotions. Aislynn knew it was an important step she needed to take in order to start moving on.
"Aislynn?"
That is not the voice I want to hear, she thought in horror.
"Christopher? What the hell are you doing here?" she tried to cry out, but her voice failed her, coming out as a whisper instead. The peace that had filled her just a few minutes before was now long gone. "What are you doing here?" she asked again, sternly this time.
"Pure coincidence, I swear. I was just as surprised to see you walk by. I’m actually staying for a few days in a house nearby," he said, pointing in the direction of where the clusters of houses were. Thankfully, Jace's house was no longer visible from her spot.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm in town for business again, I guess," he said, staring straight ahead to the water. Aislynn once again noticed Christopher's hesitation in his answer. He had done the same thing the first time she'd seen him at the hotel. "How are you doing? Is this where you're living now? How's work?"
"You have a lot of questions, Christopher," she snapped but he failed to respond. "Are you ever going to have any answers for me?" she asked harshly.
"If you want answers, then you're going to have to ask the questions first."
Aislynn thought about what he had said for a while, and stared straight out toward the horizon. Just like in the elevator, she refused to look at him. Her hands were shaking, and she could feel her heartbeat in her ears.
Why did you leave me? Why did you end things just months before the wedding? Why didn't you talk to me? she screamed
at him in her head, and felt the anger invade her heart.
But he was right; she'd never had the strength to demand answers before and wondered if she ever would. It terrified her to think that his explanations would hurt much more than learning to live with all the unanswered questions.
"I don't think I'm ready for answers yet," she finally said.
"I can respect that," he whispered, looking down at her. "So, who's the guy?"
"Oh my God, Christopher, don't!" she said angrily, standing up to take a step away from him, and holding both of her palms up in a defensive stance. "Don't you dare go there."
"I'm sorry. I just…I want to know you're okay."
"You lost that right the moment you left me," Aislynn seethed, staring into his eyes, which were ridden with melancholy. They had lost their sparkle, there was no depth, and she could no longer read them like she could before. She walked away from him feeling some vindication in the fact that it was her turning her back on him, for once.
Deep breaths; slow your heart rate down, she thought as she walked back toward the house. She desperately tried to shake off the effect of the encounter before getting back to Jace. You're probably really pale; get that blood circulating back to your face. Your hands are still shaking; calm yourself down or he'll notice it.
"Aislynn, are you all right?" Jace asked, coming down the steps toward the beach.
"Yes, I'm fine. This place is so beautiful," she said, in an attempt to deflect.
"You've said that already, but you look troubled...scared even. Are you sure you're okay? Did something happen?"
Aislynn stared into his bright green eyes and lost herself in them for a moment. It warmed her heart to realize he was sincerely worried.
Now, these eyes I can read.
She reached for his hand, but surprised herself by snaking her arms around his waist and pulling him in for a hug instead. Everything slowed down at that point. She felt the calm she had lost a few minutes before overtake her once again. She loved the feeling of his warmth around her, his chin resting on her head, and the sound of his soft kisses in her hair.
"I'm great now. Thank you."
"Are you sure you’re okay?" he whispered and she nodded. "Are you ready to go?" Aislynn nodded once again, not wanting to let go of him. "My car or yours?"
"You drive like a maniac. I'm never letting you drive my car again," Jace said as they got their things out of the trunk of his Lotus Exige S Roadster.
"I'm pretty judicious about most things in life, but come on! That car has the power to be driven like that," she said, jumping up and down in excitement.
"I know that! That's why I bought it. But a hundred and ten miles per hour on the interstate at three in the afternoon is not…prudent."
"All right, old man. You'll drive from now on. But for the record, I love your car!" Aislynn said, almost squealing.
"You know what? If it's going to get you this excited every time, then you can drive it as much as you want. Just, please, don't kill me," he said, chuckling.
"Deal," she said while grinning up at him.
"I'm glad the drive got you back in a good mood. Whatever had you upset at the beach is now forgotten?"
"Yes, it is," she said with confidence but with a lingering burning in her chest. "What's going on here?" Aislynn asked, pointing to the crowd gathering around the park.
"It’s an outdoor concert series. Admittedly, this park is a little touristy, but it’s still one of my favorite things to do in the city," Jace said as they set up under a tree and unpacked the food Aislynn had brought. "Wine and cheese? We might as well be French," he added.
"The French got it right. Besides, the book says 'French Women Don't Get Fat.' Who am I to disagree with the lifestyle?" Aislynn had also packed fruit and crackers, and her favorite cuts of charcuterie—prosciutto, dry salami, and sopressata.
Jace stared at the display of meats and chuckled. "Oh, this reminds me—Marty sends his love."
"Who’s Mar—Oh my God! You went to the roast beef sandwich place?"
"Yes. I walked to the counter to order it just the way you told me to and the guy automatically asked me if it was for Lynny."
"No way! I can’t believe he remembered…He refused to call me anything but Lynny," she said with a smile. "Wow, I really need to go back. Maybe I can make a stop in New York, and keep going from there."
"Where to?"
"I don’t know," she said with a shrug. The world?"
"Those are big plans," Jace said and paused before asking his next question. "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but how do you support yourself now? I mean, I assume you won't get paid for the novel until it gets published, right?" he asked.
"Yeah, I haven't gotten that far with the book yet. The editor that I'm working with is actually a friend of a friend. She agreed to coach me kind of as a favor. I don't think it's customary to have an editor work with you this early in development process," she said and paused to take a sip of her wine.
"But to answer your question…I got a scholarship that paid my whole way through college, and I took out student loans to pay for med school. When my dad died, I got his life insurance money and used it to pay off the loans." Jace nodded along, taking in all the information.
Just tell him.
"I lived with my then boyfriend for a few years during residency, and he insisted on covering all of our living expenses. Most of my paychecks went into savings, so I've been basically living off of that."
"Oh. How long were you guys together?" Jace asked.
"Four and a half years." Aislynn was hoping the questions would stop, but she was also feeling the urge to ask some questions of her own. "How about you? Any long-term relationships you desperately don't want to talk about?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yes, two of them, actually. I apparently didn't learn my lesson the first time around," he said with a nervous laugh. "One lasted two years, the other lasted close to a year, and they both ended badly. What do you think all this says about us, babydoc?"
Aislynn thought long and hard about her answer, as he stared back at her with tender curiosity. "It says that we better learn to get it right this time."
Jace smiled and clicked his wine glass with hers. "Cheers to that."
It was still early evening by the time they left the park, but it became quite clear neither of them wanted the date to end. The conversation lingered, the ride home was driven way below the speed limit, and the goodbye at the door became a thirty minute conversation about Jace’s first camping trip and his unfortunate encounter with a sleeping bag loving skunk.
"Okay, this is ridiculous," Jace said.
"What is?" Aislynn asked, hoping his mind was in the same place as hers.
"I don’t want you to go yet. Come in and stay for a while. We can order a pizza and watch a movie?"
"I’d love to," Aislynn said with a smile and a million butterflies in her stomach.
The movie plan went out the window quicker than a teenager could say, "let's make out." Two seconds after sitting down on the sofa, his lips were on hers. Five seconds after that, she was straddling him. The feel of Jace's fingers softly caressing the back of her neck had her shuddering with need. A moan escaped her as he moved his lips down her neck, his hands wandering down to her lower back. No words were needed. It was obvious by their actions that he wanted her and she wanted him. But like she had told him before, Aislynn was pretty judicious about most things in life, and she was struggling with how far she should allow it to go. Things were definitely moving faster than she had anticipated.
She was fighting the desperate need to rub herself against him to get some relief, when he put both hands on her waist and pushed her down into his lap, making them both groan.
God, you feel so good. Keep going, don't stop, she thought, closing her eyes in pleasure.
"I don't plan to," he answered.
"I can't believe I said that out loud. I need to stop doing that," sh
e said, taking shallow breaths, and pulling at his hair to reach for his lips again.
"Please, don’t stop. I want to know what you're thinking. I need to know what you like," he said and kissed her hard, both of them moaning as their tongues touched.
"I love your sex lips. They’re going to be the end of me," she said, after coming up for a breath.
"Sex lips?" he asked, moving one hand up to touch the side of her breast while the other ran up her thigh.
"Oh, I like that too…" she whispered. It was getting hard to speak in coherent sentences. "Sex lips." Thrust. "You have them." Thrust and circling of hips. "Google it." Their movements increased in intensity with each passing second, and their breathing became labored.
"Just tell me when to stop, because I won't be able to," he said as his hands explored her backside and moved up under her shirt.
Aislynn was getting ready to give her answer when the doorbell rang, making them both sigh in frustration.
"It's probably the pizza," Aislynn said, collapsing into him and trying to slow down her breathing.
"I'm never ordering pizza again. The experience has been forever ruined," he said as he let Aislynn crawl off and into the seat next to him. He tried to stand up to go get the door, but Aislynn grabbed his hand to stop him.
"I know we both feel like killing the delivery guy for his impeccable timing, but maybe we shouldn't traumatize the poor boy," she said, motioning down to his crotch, where his erection was clearly visible. "Stay. I'll get it."
"Okay," he said, trying to adjust himself in his pants.
"So, tell me about this whole sex lips thing. I’m very curious," Jace said with a wicked smile as Aislynn set the pizza box and the drinks down on the coffee table.
"Okay, let me show you," Aislynn said as reached for her phone and typed the phrase on the search engine. "See that guy?" she asked, pointing at the screen. "Sex lips. Just like you."
"Huh…I don’t know how I feel about the fact the Rolling Stones logo is the next picture on that list."