CRASH

by Pepper Pace

  Lucas looked up when she walked into the kitchen. He was standing in front of the stove scrambling eggs and grinned at her.

  “I thought I heard you get up. Good morning. Breakfast is officially…” He spooned the eggs into two plates. “…ready.”

  She looked at the prepared plate of bacon, eggs, fried potatoes and raisin toast. “You should have woke me up. I would have helped you cook,” she chided.

  He grinned as he took his seat. “You can do the dishes.”

  Breakfast was delicious and as he talked, Sophie didn’t think that he acted any differently after their cuddle session on the couch. She relaxed even more. He was talking about some of the ‘fun’ facts that he had discovered in the information packet they’d received when checking in. He informed her, in a very serious tone that they had to keep the garbage lid tightly secured because it would attract bears.

  “Bears?!” She almost choked.

  “Yeah. There are bears.”

  “Well, there goes hiking in the woods.”

  He nodded. “I agree. I don’t want to get mauled by a bear.”

  “Or even a little raccoon.” She prompted. “If I see something moving around on all fours, I’m running!”

  He grinned. “I’ll be right alongside of you.”

  After breakfast, Lucas didn’t allow Sophie to do the dishes alone. They made short work of getting everything cleaned up and Sophie sighed, preparing to get her day started. She almost felt like a soldier going into battle.

  “Okay, so what’s on the itinerary first?”

  “Oh, I want to check out the WII. Are you up for a game of tennis?”

  She beamed. “Hell yeah!”

  Video games! Now that was the way to go. They went upstairs to the loft where the game consoles were located. It was awesome up there with the picture window that overlooked the Great Smokeys, the French doors that led out to a private deck and the way that the queen sized bed lay nestled into one nook of the large room.

  Lucas got everything set up and he handed her a control. She’d never played WII before, but she had always wanted to try it.

  It only took her 5 minutes to realize that this was like playing real tennis! The ball whizzed past her on the large screen and she growled.

  “I hit that! This game is cheating!”

  “Sophie, you have to move your arm. You can’t just flick at it. Let me show you.” He chewed his lips and served perfectly.

  She scowled at the screen. “Okay, tennis is not my game. What else is there?”

  He chuckled and ejected that game. “Dance dance revolution?” He asked while giving her a doubtful look.

  She grinned. “Ah, what you don’t know is that I used to shake my groove thang in the clubs when I was about your age.”

  “’Groove thang?’” he frowned.

  “Just plug it in.”

  When Lucas went through the list of songs, Sophie got excited when he read; We Are Family by Sister Sledge. He set the game to easy and five minutes later she was collapsed on his bed panting and sweating. But Lucas was really good at shaking his ‘groove thang’ and he kept going through that song as well as Celebration by Kool and the Gang. She liked watching him shake his groove thang.

  She went to the bathroom and then got them bottled water and when she returned he was playing Guitar Hero.

  Ah, now this was more her speed. She could sit down and play it!

  They played video games for a couple of hours and then Lucas suggested that they relax before lunch. She smiled, liking the way he thought. They went out on the lower deck and got comfortable in the deck chairs overlooking the mountains. Lucas had turned on the stereo to play quietly. Sophie had brought her E-Reader and Lucas pulled out the laptop and together they sat quietly and at peace.

  Sophie napped for a while and when she awoke, Lucas had already made sandwiches for lunch. He had wrapped hers in plastic and was munching his while he pecked away on the computer.

  “Why are you working on your mini vacation?” She yawned. Lucas jumped and they both laughed.

  “Sorry,” she apologized.

  “Working in the Smokeys is about as good as working in the back yard. Besides, I want to finish up this one part while it’s stuck in my head.”

  “Yeah, I know that feeling. Did you want any help with it?”

  He went back to his typing. “No. I think I got it. Well…” He glanced at her. “…actually, if you wouldn’t mind reading it later, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Sure. Not a problem. What are you writing?”

  “Eric and Toya’s make up sex.”

  “Oh.” She reached for the sandwich. “You want to tackle the sex scene?” she asked a bit surprised. She usually wrote them.

  “Yeah.” He looked at her with a strange light in his eyes. “I want to try it but, if it sucks then tell me.”

  “I’m sure it won’t suck.”

  He offered her an appreciative smile before returning to his writing.

  It was strange watching Lucas write a love scene. Sophie discreetly watched him more than she watched her e-book. Sometimes he would have such an intense look of concentration and other times he would just stare out at the mountains in total peace. She was aching to see what he was writing.

  But then he just closed the laptop and gave her a smile. “Let’s go in and watch a movie.”

  “Okay.” Sophie glanced at the laptop curiously.

  This time Sophie scanned the movies until she saw something that interested her; Rocky. She beamed.

  “Oh, they have Rocky! I love Rocky. Let’s watch this.”

  “Oh man, yeah. That is a good movie,” he concurred and then went to the kitchen and retrieved snacks. When he returned he again took a pillow and propped it against her hip and got comfortable. He looked like he was perfectly at home there and Sophie chuckled inwardly and allowed her hand to smooth his hair before she folded it in her lap.

  Lucas peeked at her when it got to the part of the movie where Rocky seduces Adrian. He could see by Sophie’s expression that she was caught up in the scene where Rocky would not let her leave because he knows that she wants him every bit as much as he wants her. She was just afraid; she just needed him to show her.

  To Lucas, that is what this weekend represented; a way for him to show Sophie what she really wanted deep down.

  When the movie ended she got up happily. “That is a great love story.”

  Lucas picked up their snacks to return to the kitchen. “Most people don’t look at Rocky as a love story, but I agree with you. Oh, speaking of love stories, you want to read the love scene that I wrote?” He was placing the chips into the cabinet and tossing the empty bottles into the recycle bin for later disposal.

  “Oh. Sure,” he heard her say. He smiled to himself.

  Chapter 14

  Lucas and Sophie settled on the couch. He’d turned off the television and not even music was playing. There was absolutely no sound but Lucas’ fingers tapping along the keys as he retrieved the file. Sophie watched curiously. And then he placed the laptop on her lap.

  “Be honest, you won’t hurt my feelings,” he said. “I realize I’m new to this type of thing, but I’m really anxious.”

  Sophie nodded, her cheeks warming at the double meaning behind his words. He stood up. “I’m going to marinate the salmon so that we can grill it for dinner.” He disappeared into the kitchen to give her privacy. The Asian marinade would take a while to make, which would give her more than enough time to read.

  Sophie began to read. The scene began after Eric had discovered that Toya was planning to break up with him because of his mother. Eric had been secretly getting information from Toya’s best friend about how to get into her good graces and had discovered that she was coming over tonight to break it off once and for all.

  On her way to Eric's she prepared herself for the onslaught. She knew that he wouldn't willingly let her go. But she knew that it was no longer his choice. She was ending it tonight.
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  Toya used her key and let herself into his apartment.

  She froze at the flicker of what appeared to be a hundred candles! They ran the span of the entire room and set on every available surface.

  One of her favorite Maxwell tunes was drifting from the speakers and he was singing about a beautiful brown skinned woman. Toya looked around, she didn't see Eric. She dropped her purse on the floor at the door and walked softly through the apartment glancing into the empty kitchen.

  "No way," she said, feeling anger quickly envelope her. They’d been fighting like cats and dogs and she hoped that he was not lying naked in bed waiting for her, as if sex was the remedy to everything. Why couldn’t he understand that it had hurt her when his mother had pulled that stunt, and it hurt her when people looked at them together and seemed surprised and then confused. They were not the typical couple with his All-American good looks and her afro-centric ways.

  She stormed into the bedroom prepared to tell him then and there that she was fed up. Eric was indeed on the bed, but he was sitting cross-legged wearing athletic shorts and an old t-shirt and concentrating very intently on playing the Maxwell tune on his guitar. He put it down when he saw her and he smiled.

  "How do you like it?" There were more candles lighting his room. She tried not to feel anything. She closed that part of herself off.

  "It’s pretty," she said simply.

  He stood up. "Are you hungry?" He didn't wait for a response. "Come on." He walked past her and led the way into the living room. She followed.

  He stopped at the armchair and gestured for her to sit. When she did he hurried away. She relaxed, eyes closing momentarily. Work had been busy and planning this break up had definitely added more stress to her day. She heard him return a moment later. He knelt carefully beside her, balancing a tray. On it was a white rose (not red, she noted), a glass of Rhine wine (her very favorite), slices of cheese (the good kind), a perfect bunch of green seedless grapes, a peach sliced and skinned and her favorite gourmet crackers.

  Toya could feel her throat tighten as she took the tray from him. He leaned back on his haunches and quietly removed her shoes.

  “Eat, baby. I’m going to rub your feet.” She felt his fingers begin to gently move along her instep. Toya bit back a moan of pleasure and took a sip of wine and then ate a slice of cheese. She closed her eyes savoring the flavor. How did he know that wine, cheese and grapes were one of her favorite indulgences? How did he always know these little things about her that made her knees weaken, or her heart open?

  He watched her feet intently, not looking at her face as he worked magic on her. He brought her foot up to his lips and kissed each of her toes gently before placing it back onto his lap. Then he moved to her other foot and repeated the process.

  Toya sighed, feeling the warmth spread up from her loins, tingling at her wrists, making her heart pump, knowing that she was getting turned on. But sex was not the remedy, she reminded herself as she looked at the curve of his back, such a big man that could be so gentle with her.

  Eric moved his fingers from her foot and up her leg, gliding beneath her pants. His fingers gently kneaded her muscles as far as his hands could reach, which was only mid-calf.

  He stood up and took the tray from her and set it on the floor. "Take those off." He commanded. It surprised her because he never made demands.

  Slowly Toya stood and undid the button on her slacks. He took a step back to give her room and she lowered them and then removed them. He took her hand.

  "Sit down," he said gently. She did looking at him confused.

  Again he knelt before her feet and resumed his massage of her legs. He leaned forward, lifting her leg slightly as he added butterfly kisses along her calf, his fingers caressing her ankles.

  Toya swallowed, her breathing becoming heavy. She glanced at the door. It was time for her to go if she couldn’t break up with him today. But she absolutely could not allow him to make love to her. That would undo her.

  The flicker of the candles seemed to hypnotize her though, and the wine made her feel mellow, not to mention what the sound of Maxwell and the feel of Eric's lips was doing to her. Her eyes fluttered close as she felt his lips move up her leg. His tongue flicked out and left a moist trail along her inner leg from her ankle to her knee. He traced a line with his finger beneath her knee until she shivered with goose pimples.

  Carefully he placed her leg to the floor and firmly spread her knees apart. Toya gasped when she felt his lips again but this time on her inner thighs; first one and then the other. He leaned back on his hunches and firmly pulled her legs until her body slid down the length of the chair and her bottom was partially hanging off.

  Eric hooked his fingers into the waistband and pulled her panties off. He then wrapped an arm beneath of her legs and hefted each over his shoulders. Toya was so surprised by his uncharacteristic behavior that she just froze there on the spot, unmoving.

  Eric buried his head between her thighs and lapped at Toya’s moist crease, the wetness and the musky scent of warm sex more telling than words. He heard a rush of air escape her lungs when his tongue parted her flesh, swollen now due to her arousal. He teased around her nub and felt her arch forward when his tongue skitted away before making contact. His hands on her thighs tightened, not allowing her to move, not allowing her to force her clit against his mouth. He took control and teased, flicking the bundle of nerves only enough to make her moan in need.

  When he felt her legs trembling against his shoulders, only then did he allow himself to suck her clit. Toya cried out, her body seizing as an orgasm went crashing through her.

  Later, when they had both caught their breaths, Eric sat back on his haunches and watched her as she laid sprawled in the chair with eyes no more than sexy slits. He reached for the wine, took a sip and then offered her the glass.

  She sat up in the chair bringing her knees together almost primly and then took the offered glass. She finished the liquid and sat the empty glass back on the floor. Eric put his hands on her knees again and spread them.

  Toya gasped. What was he doing? He came up on his knees between her legs and while placing his hands gently on her hips Eric claimed her lips. He kissed her sensually and with every ounce of love that he had for her.

  Toya returned it unconsciously; their lips had always belonged together and it showed in the way that their tongues danced. Her arms came up to circle his neck and he possessively pulled her body against his with a soft moan. When she felt him pressing into her belly; hard like a steel rod, she felt her body contract as desire flamed within her anew.

  Eric moaned again, but then pushed himself away from her. He ran his fingers down the sides of her arms, but then stopped himself and stood up, backing away from her.

  Toya looked at him curiously. He was acting so odd, almost as if he knew what she had planned…

  "I want you so much, Toya. I can't let this be the last time I make love to you." He got down on his knees again and she gave him a shocked look. "I have so much I want to show you, so many places that I want to go with you." He looked at the ceiling. She saw his adams apple bob as he swallowed. "I haven't...ignored your color, or accepted your color. I love your color...because I love you. It’s just a part of loving you. I don't think to myself that I love Toya, and oh by the way, she's black. I love your short hair and the way it tapers down the back of your neck. I love placing my mouth on your beautiful full lips and your pretty round nose. I love the way your hands feel on me, but also the way it looks in contrast to my skin. I like when you get mad and your voice gets that tone--like you're not going to take any shit from me or anybody else. Mmmmm,” he groaned, “and the way you move when you're dancing across the room." He smiled more to himself than to her.