“Get out of here Mr. Barrett!” Shannon finally laughed as she playfully pushed at his chest from where she sat on the bed. Her smile didn’t fade a whit when Nick rumbled a deep chortle of delight while he let her push him back a step. He put his big hands over hers where they pushed against him holding them tight against his body.
Her smile wavered slightly and he could feel her fingers where he held them tight as they flexed against his chest. She gave as good as she got however and he watched her with undisguised approval as she pushed against him again only this time with something that felt more like a caress.
“Don’t make me hurt you.” Shannon laughed with an endearing, coquettish inflection to her voice and tilt of her chin. “You know I can!”
At that Nick threw back his head and laughed like he hadn’t done in a very, very long time. My god, he thought, she was….perfection.
“Alright you saucy wench,” he teased while releasing her hands before reaching to grab up the nightgown lying across the pillow. “Stop your antics woman before I take you in hand and tame that naughty mouth of yours!”
Shannon grinned some more as her cowboy pirate watched her with unabashed delight. “Put this ugly thing on.” Nick told her as he held up the pathetic Disney princess nightgown she’d decided to wear. The disaster that morning with the tantalizing baby doll sleepwear had made choosing more modest sleepwear a no-brainer.
Giggling because she knew he realized the reason why she’d chosen the prim, baggy nightgown, Shannon grabbed it from his hands exclaiming “Hey! Don’t make fun of the Princesses. They’re probably scared to death of you anyway.”
“Oh, I see,” Nick smiled back, “they’re afraid I have designs on the luscious woman hiding behind them!” Grabbing her by the shoulders while he planted a forceful kiss to her forehead Nick moved his mouth and rumbled low next to her ear, “They’re absolutely correct in that.” he said.
Without hesitating he continued on, whispering in a sexy growl each and every thing he wanted to do to her trembling body, making her squirm with awareness and pleasure. Shannon’s breathing became labored as she listened silently; totally in thrall to the sound of his deep, evocative voice and the suggestively erotic words he spoke.
When he was finished he put his finger under her chin and made her look up into his lowered face. What Nick saw was a trembling woman on the brink of complete seduction.
“That’s a promise.” he whispered against her parted lips a second before he pressed a short, wet kiss there. “Sweet dreams my little one.”
And then he was gone leaving Shannon motionless where she sat. Oh my, was her only coherent thought.
How she got undressed or into the hideous nightgown she didn’t know but that’s how she found herself the next morning when she finally left behind a sleepless night filled with restless erotic imagery and woke to a brand new day.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Shannon’s head felt like it was stuffed full of feathers and her body was exploding with unspent nervous energy as she emerged from her bed to meet the day.
Luckily she was now able to get around some on her own, although awkwardly, as she fumbled along clumsily through her morning ablutions. “I need to find my Zen.” she said out loud to no one except the fuzzy brained blonde staring grumpily back at her from the vanity mirror.
Mind set on what she needed, five minutes later Shannon was making her way slowly on crutches, which made her feel gawky and unsteady, to the terrace where she planned to start her day as she normally did with some early morning yoga followed by some nice hot tea.
Dressed in soft and stretchy yoga pants which outlined her figure perfectly and a sleeveless ladies t-shirt with an Om symbol, she started her morning stretches using the garden bench to modify the familiar postures in deference to her injury. Almost instantly she started to feel calmer and less scattered.
Shannon had been doing yoga since her early teens and considered this quiet, focused ritual as necessary to her overall well-being. On any normal day life was hectic and non-stop; personal yoga practice forced her to concentrate on physical and emotional balance. Considering the imbalance in both those areas of her life from the events of the last few days, Shannon truly needed to take steps to find some sort of steadiness to what was going on.
Luckily her foot felt a million times better today and though she used the bench to keep from putting it down, she was glad to know that the injury was improving. Only her eagerness to heal fully and completely in as short a time as possible kept her from trying to put any weight on it. The doctor had said two full days of no pressure to the foot so the swelling and bruising could run their course.
Even with the modifications she was deep into her practice and so totally focused on what she was doing that she didn’t notice at first when Nick stepped on to the patio from the kitchen.
He’d been standing at the sink admiring the gorgeous bougainvillea flowers surrounding the terrace while he waited for his coffee to brew when she had appeared from the bathroom doors making her way slowly to a low wooden bench that ran along a corner of the enclosed patio. She had a colorful, plush looking towel slung around her neck which she placed on the seat before laying the crutches down and leaning the knee of her injured foot against the bench for stability.
It was quite early to be up, nothing unusual for Nick since he’d always been an early riser. His first thought when she appeared was that here again was yet another way that they were totally compatible. Nick made the most of his early mornings, preferring to putter aimlessly while enjoying several cups of whatever coffee he could get his hands on; sometimes indulging in the quiet concentration needed for the NY Times Crossword puzzle.
Mornings to him were little pods of untouched calm not yet sucked into the dynamics of a busy day; still softly infused with dreamy remnants of the night just passed. This morning had started off with a raging case of morning wood when he’d awaken after an all-too vibrant dream of him and the soft beauty out on the patio sweating and grunting through a wildly erotic coupling that left him unfulfilled and frustrated the minute his eyes opened.
He’d dragged his still aroused body to the kitchen dressed only in a pair of grey sweatpants which had seen better days. Hanging low on his hips the loose pants showed a lot of abdomen and he’d shaken his head in bemusement when he’d pulled them on over his nakedness because apparently the only thing holding them up today was the jutting erection that the soft sweats did little to hide.
When Shannon began cautiously limbering up, Nick’s already precarious state was further strained by the sight of her bending and flexing that incredibly voluptuous body of hers in ways that caused his brain to vapor lock.
Reaching arms high overhead and then gently arching her back, Shannon’s seductively beautiful breasts were brought into sharp relief against her flimsy t-shirt. Nick’s lips tingled with the desire to wrap them around the plump globes and suck her sensitive pink tinged nipples into his ravenous mouth.
The coffee maker finished brewing his coffee but Nick wasn’t aware of anything except the enticing visual he was devouring with a dangerously heated gaze while his breathing deepened and his heart began thumping in his chest.
As if it couldn’t get any worse, when she bent over and flexed her back up and down like a cat, he started counting backwards from one hundred to distract from the intensifying desire to have her under him arching and writhing just like that as he surged inside her and pumped them both to a thunderous orgasm.
He wasn’t kidding last night when he told her she’d be the death of him. He was only a man after all and in the face of such provocative beauty how could he hope to survive and retain his sanity?
Impulses, raw and primal invaded his conscious mind. He wanted to drown in her scent made sweeter and more alluring with arousal. The primitive man he was losing the battle to control needed to claim this woman as his own.
With his turgid manhood leading the way as if being drawn to the lure of her
heated femininity, Nick abandoned the coffee machine and prowled his way on to the terrace like a beast circling and stalking its prey. He stood in rapt fascination as she continued her graceful, feminine movements allowing his senses to take in the full effect of her presence.
Shannon was deep in concentration, naturally flowing from one pose to the next; letting her mind empty of all thoughts. It felt good to use her body after several days of enforced inactivity. She could feel energy invading her senses, washing over her frazzled nerves until that energy morphed into something seductive and primitive. She didn’t need to open her eyes to know he was watching her; the shift she was experiencing in awareness was due to his being there.
Instead of stopping Shannon continued on although the poses she initiated were suddenly pulsating with an edge of enticement that her female self half-hoped would invade his senses and steal his breath. She wanted him to want her; she needed him to understand what he’d turned his back on. Not out of a sense of revenge or for pay-back purposes but because she needed him to see her as a fully formed woman and not some teenage version from yesterday who let him sweep her away in a torrent of young love.
When she bent forward to stretch her back, placing her palms carefully on the towel covered bench, Shannon let her backside writhe to and fro as she settled into a comfortable posture. Unless she missed her call, no red blooded male in his right mind could ignore the blatant carnality of such an impudent wiggle. Her intuition proved correct when he swiftly appeared at her side from the morning shadows and appreciatively stroked her bobbing backside in their skin tight stretch pants.
Instead of being shocked or jerking upright in alarm, Shannon enjoyed the feeling of his big hands touching and caressing her bottom and found that she was involuntarily thrusting back towards his heat.
“Now that’s what I call an early morning wake-up call.” Nick groaned into the morning silence causing Shannon’s senses to go into instant overdrive. God damnit! He sounded so sexy and turned on that Shannon had to struggle to stay on her feet.
No need for pretense since he knew exactly what she’d been saying to him with her body, Shannon came upright and in a hoarse and sexy rumble turned toward him saying simply, “I’m glad you heard me.”
When she leaned into him he grabbed her derrière in his strong hands and hauled her forcefully against his half naked form so she could feel his arousal and judge for herself how well he’d heard her. With an erection of impressive size and hardness pressed against her quivering belly he had no doubt his little one was getting exactly the message he wanted to send.
Always the gentleman Shannon thought when he grunted out a hasty, “Good Morning.” before plunging them both into the kind of open mouth kiss that left them struggling for air and shaking in the other’s embrace.
Shannon had wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on for dear life as he probed deep with his voracious tongue; only stopping the oral plundering to kiss and lick her lips, neck and ears.
When they backed off to suck in some much needed oxygen she whispered back through kiss swollen lips a decidedly breath, “Good Morning to you too” which made Nick’s heart soar. This was going to be a very good day.
Releasing her bottom with one final, reluctant-to-let-go squeeze, Nick stayed pressed up against her as Shannon fought to dampen the carnal after-effects of their intimate good morning salutation.
Even though she knew she should unwind her arms from around his neck and take a step back, she stayed plastered against him enjoying the feel of his rock hard body and the way his impressively jutting staff nestled against her lower belly causing a flood of hot, wet arousal to pool in her pulsing core.
“Do I smell coffee?” she eventually questioned as she let her kiss ravaged lips sweep along his jawline with her tongue leaving a trail of wet, suckling kisses in its wake.
“Mmmmm.” was all he replied as he angled his head to give her total access to his neck, reveling in the touch of her tongue and lips.
Just then a small bird appeared and perched weightlessly in a cluster of deep red blooms, twittering at them as though bestowing a message of great importance.
They both paused at the exact same moment and watched, sheltered in each other’s tight embrace, as the little bird sang a sweet melodic song. When at last she finished, the tiny bird cocked her head first one way and then the next as if considering the image the two of them made locked together in perfect harmony.
When the bird lifted and fluttered in space for a long moment still watching them and then took off toward the brightening sky, neither Nick nor Shannon had lost the symbolism of the moment. Nick slid his hand down to the rounded cheek on her bottom where the tiny tattoo which had fueled their reunion was placed, while Shannon did the same in return, letting her small hand sweep across his perfect butt where his own bird tattoo was.
The passions which had exploded seconds earlier calmed instantly at the sight of that perfectly timed reminder of what had started all of this. Reaching down to grab her hand, Nick entwined his fingers with hers and then raised their joined hands to his lips for a gentle kiss of remembrance which flooded Shannon’s heart with happiness.
“C’mon you, that’s enough of the standing.” he muttered and with that the crutches which lay right next to where they stood were completely forgotten as Nick hoisted her into his arms and made for the patio table and chairs nearby.
After settling her comfortably Nick hurried inside to make the coffee he had forgotten and to brew his lady love’s favorite pot of tea. The day, as far as he was concerned, had started off most auspiciously and he all but whistled a happy tune as he set about the kitchen tasks at hand.
Their morning had unfolded slowly and casually. Coffee, tea and cranberry scones from her favorite market after which they’d moved to the living room and sat side-by-side watching a morning program, debating the news, laughing at the latest in absurd celebrity gossip and genuinely enjoying each other’s company.
When Shannon added tidbits of first-hand information to some of the celebrity gossip, Nick laughed along with her at the antics she’d dealt with in her Hollywood based business. The way she looked at life was refreshingly open. Nick found her unique ability to sense things others couldn’t to be completely enchanting.
He asked about her work. She seemed eager to tell him all about Belle Events and how doing something which she thought would make others happy had brought her so much joy and fulfillment. Tagging herself as a hopeless romantic, Shannon let her emotions fly explaining along the way that being able to put all of her senses to work in such a creative environment gave her tremendous satisfaction.
Shannon opened up to him without hesitation, sharing mishaps and dramas from various events which made them both laugh. She also told him about her special enjoyment of the many charity events she’d helped create and how deeply meaningful that area of her work was. Nick was moved by Shannon’s compassion and sense of moral duty as she told him about the work she and his sister Jules had done for an inner city organization which helped abused and neglected children. Her heart was enormous and Nick felt a sense of pride and admiration for the woman she had become.
“How did the hopelessly romantic daughter of university academicians end up on the left coast running a business selling fantasy and make-believe?” The delivery was casual but the inquiry was not. Eight years ago Shannon was a Bostonian, a brilliant college student with a promising future in economics or political science. Nick was curious to learn what path in her previous journey had taken her so far from home and in such a completely opposite direction.
Settling back into the sumptuous cushions, Shannon pulled a small sofa pillow across her middle and clutched it tight. A protective movement? Nick considered her body language as he waited for her reply.
Shannon smiled almost wistfully answering without hesitation, “Ahh… the ‘rents! Yes, well they certainly expected a buttoned-down, briefcase toting career for their only daughter but alas, such wa
s not the way I was made.” she chuckled.
“My folks are awesome.” she shrugged. “I had an unusual upbringing but hey, who doesn’t? By the time I came along my brother was already heading off to college making for an odd household to be sure. My mom would never, ever be considered a homemaker! My earliest memories of her are in a white lab coat, glasses perched on the edge of her nose, asking questions. That’s what mom does, she asks questions. It’s the research scientist in her. Now Dad, he’s another story altogether! Picture the quintessential absent minded professor and you have the perfect representation”
Warm childhood memories lit up Shannon’s face and Nick could see the love she had for her parents clearly shining in her eyes.
“My brother Ted has always been something of an enigma to me. We’re strangers who quite frankly don’t like each other very much! He was setting off on his academic journey just months after I was born. It must have been kinda’ weird for him to grow up an only child only to have his laid back and settled parents turn up pregnant with a late in life kid on the way! He’s the really serious type, with a face that would freakin’crack if an actual smile found daylight. His wife Jane is a piece of work too. She’s a lawyer from a family of lawyers and judges. Those two certainly fell in line when it came to living the life their parents envisioned for them”
“And you didn’t?” Nick queried. “Somehow Shannon, that doesn’t surprise me in the least. You see the world around us in a totally unique way. The girl I knew and the woman you’ve become have always been marching to a different drummer. You should be proud of that and I hope your parents are too”
“Oh, they are Nick! They are. Don’t get me wrong. My parents are great. They just didn’t know what to make of a little girl with an imagination overflowing with fairy tales and princesses. Ted was always so sensible and pragmatic about everything while I was emotional and intuitive in a way that wasn’t a good fit with my fact-based upbringing. Even so, they always supported whatever I did! Dad came to every dance recital and even remembered to bring me a corsage! We would go to Lenny’s Soda Shop after and eat coconut custard pie and drink root beer floats!” Shannon’s wistful smile punctuated her words.
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