by Jan Gordon
The tension was building again, low down in my abdomen. This time I knew what to expect and I embraced the pulsating waves when they came. Cole continued to thrust and then he began to come. The sensation of each pulsating burst, as it pumped into me, was the most amazing thing I’d ever experienced and I could swear he stretched me further as he came. I felt the muscles in his upper body bunch under my hands as Cole held himself up on his elbows to keep from crushing me. As soon as the tide subsided, and his breathing evened out a little, he turned us so we lay on our sides, still coupled.
“Wow!” It was about the only intelligent thing I could say.
“Mmm, I’ll second that.” His eyes were closed and he looked completely relaxed.
“Oh my God!”
His eyes flew open. “What Vic? What’s wrong?”
“I just realized, we didn’t use a... you know... a condom.” Despite having just had the most fantastic sex ever – not that I was much of a judge – I felt sick. “What if I get pregnant?”
“It’s okay, you can’t get pregnant and I don’t have any diseases.”
“How do you know I can’t get pregnant?”
“Trust me, you can’t. But if you’re worried, we’ll use condoms from now on.” He pulled me closer to kiss me, but I pulled away.
“There were probably millions of women around the world who were told exactly that, just nine months before they gave birth to a bouncing bundle of joy.” Sarcasm is not my forte but I was angry and I tried to pull away but he held me tight and he was still hard inside me as well. “Let me go.”
“Don’t be angry, Vic. I meant what I said, and I’ll explain everything in time.” I could finally feel him getting softer inside me and he very slowly pulled out.
“Explain what? Perhaps you’re going to tell me you’re sterile?” I sat up and pulled the sheet up to cover my breasts. “Like I believe that.”
Cole put a gentle hand on my arm. “Vic, listen to me. I’m not sterile, at least not as far as I know. But I can tell that you’re way past the fertile time in your cycle. Your period is due isn’t it? Tell me that’s not true.”
“How can you know that?” Even though we’d just had sex, really incredible, fantastic sex, it was not a subject that I wanted to discuss. My cycle was a very private thing, and it embarrassed the hell out of me that he even mentioned it.
“I have a very keen sense of smell and women smell different at different times of their cycle.”
“That’s... well that’s just...” Words failed me and I felt my face redden way past what could be explained away by post-coital flush.
“It’s not something I’m proud of knowing, but I do. You have to believe me; I’d never do anything to hurt you, Mouse.” He got out of bed and walked around to my side. At last I got my first look at him completely naked, my tactile sense had underestimated his size. He was still semi-erect and he looked enormous. I stared. If he was that big when he was at half-mast how big had he been when completely hard and inside me? I looked back up at him when he held out a hand to me. “Come on, Mouse, let’s take a shower and then I’ll make you breakfast.”
“You can cook?” The sudden change in subject plus my thoughts about his anatomy had me a little dazed.
“Yes I can cook. And if you would let me take you to my home, I’ll make you lunch and dinner. But we’re going to have to make a stop at the drugstore if you want me to make you breakfast tomorrow morning as well.” He winked at me. I was still angry with him but his charm was starting to work.
My wonderfully extravagant bathroom was put to good use that morning. Cole made sure I was very, very clean, even my hair got special treatment. I returned the compliment in kind and certain parts of Cole’s body ended up a lot cleaner than the rest. By the time we were wrapped in towels I was a pile of mush and ready to go back to sleep.
Cole got dressed quickly and went downstairs to make breakfast. I heard Mister yowling at him and hoped he would feed my pet. I dressed in a more leisurely fashion; I sat down on the chair next to the dresser to put my socks on and winced. I hadn’t noticed up until that moment that I was more than a little sore in certain areas. I guess after years of drought, even once was over doing it, especially with someone as well-built as Cole.
I made it down to the kitchen in time for the first pancakes to come out of the pan. I sat down and Mister jumped up onto my lap. “Get off, cat. You’re getting between me and my breakfast and that is so not a good idea.” I rubbed his head and hugged him. “Where were you last night, anyway? Out with your girlfriends?”
Mister jumped down as I helped myself to some pancakes.
Cole put a steaming mug of coffee in front of me. “He was probably indulging in the same activity that we were this morning.”
“Yeah, there’s probably more than one lady cat around here with a very satisfied smile on her face.” I tried rather unsuccessfully to hide the satisfied smile on my own face, and changed the subject. “Were you serious about going to the homestead today?”
“Yes. I want to spend the day with you, show you what I’ve done so far, and what I intend to do with the place. Perhaps you can give me your input.”
I was astounded. He wanted my ‘input’? What did that mean? Did we have something that was more than a passing fling? God I hoped so, because I really liked this man.
After breakfast we did the dishes together, he washed and I dried. “Cole.” I waited until he looked up from the soapy dish he was cleaning. “We need to talk about Kincaid. We should tell the police about last night.”
“No, not yet. I’ve got some ideas on that, but I want to think about them for a bit longer.” He went back to washing the dishes. “In the meantime I don’t think you should be alone. You should be okay during the day at the shop, but I don’t want you to be alone when you close the store or when you’re at home at night.” He stopped and took a deep breath. “If it’s all right with you, either I’ll sleep here or you’ll sleep at my place. I want to be on hand if he tries anything.”
I thought about that for a moment or two. I couldn’t see anything wrong with his logic other than I thought the police ought to know about Kincaid’s visit the previous evening. “I’ll go pack an overnight bag to bring with us, but I still think we should tell the police about last night.”
“Yeah I guess you’re right.” He sighed. “We’ll call the Sheriff later and tell him what happened. But if you don’t mind I’d prefer not to tell him of my unwise chase through the dark. Let’s just say he ran off when he heard us enter the house. And that we don’t know if it was Kincaid or not.” He turned toward me and took the towel from my hands to wipe his own. “Go and pack, I’ll wait down here. Mister’ll keep me company.”
Fifteen minutes later I walked stiffly down the stairs, the soreness didn’t seem to be wearing off at all. I was discovering muscles I didn’t even know I had, and they were all stiff.
I found Cole in the living room with my grandmother’s photo album in his hands. I sat down next to him on the couch. “That belonged to my gran. I love looking at it. Some of the photos are so old; from the turn of the last century, I think. Here,” I took the album from his hands and rested it on my knees. The volume was bound in leather and weighed a ton, but it was almost a work of art, and certainly treasured by me.
I opened the album to the early pictures, to the photos of my great-grandparents. “See. That’s my great-grandmother with my grandmother. And here,” I flipped a page. “...is my great-grandfather when he was in the army. He fought in the First World War.” I turned another page and slid the book over onto Cole’s knees. “Here he is in France.” I pointed to my great-granddad in the group of uniformed men. “I think that was taken early in 1918. He never came home. My great-gran was apparently devastated. She was still quite young and never met anyone else. My gran always told me that her mom pined away until she gave up the will to live.” It was such a sad story. To love that deeply must be amazing.
Cole looked very
closely at the photo, touching it almost reverently with his fingers. I felt that way sometimes when I was looking at ancient and precious things. He carefully closed the album, taking care the pages stayed flat. Then he turned to me and held me close. He seemed to sniff at my neck, I could hear him making a kind of snuffling noise, and then I felt his lips. I arched my neck to give him better access; his tongue rasped over my skin and I shivered at the sensation his rough tongue produced. I had a sudden vision of his tongue licking another, more private, area and I squirmed slightly as I felt a sudden wetness between my legs.
“Umm, Cole. If we’re going to go we should go now, or I don’t think we’re going to get further than the rug.”
Cole lifted his head and looked at me, although it seemed like he wasn’t really seeing me. He had a faraway look in his eyes. But he shook himself, and I mean he shook all of himself. Like when a dog shakes water off its coat. And then he smiled and stood up. “Yep. The rug doesn’t look too comfortable. Luckily I’ve got a brand new king-size bed at home.” His smile slid into a smirk and I realized I was looking forward to seeing his bed.
“I just have to leave food and water for Mister and make sure he has his cat flap collar on, he sometimes manages to wriggle out of it.” Cole raised his eyebrows in question. “He has a special collar that allows him to open the cat flap. It’s electronic or something. I don’t understand how it works I just know that it does, and no other cat can come in and steal his food.”
Cole picked up my bag and took it out to the truck while I said goodbye to Mister, who purred loudly when I cuddled him. I checked all the windows and the back door, and went out the front, closing and double locking the door behind me.
Chapter Seven
My first glimpse of Cole’s home was impressive. From a distance the pale woodwork stood out against the brooding shadows of the woodland behind it. Closer inspection, after getting out of the vehicle, showed peeling paint and loose boards on the siding.
Cole collected my bag from the truck and with his other hand on the small of my back, he guided me up the steps and across the porch before opening the front door. The interior was cool and dark; while I looked around using the light filtering in from the still-open front door, he opened the blinds on the windows in the rooms to either side of where I stood.
Cole came back to me and gathered me to him, giving me a light kiss on my lips. “Welcome to my home, Vic. I’m going to bring the rest of the supplies in, take a look around, I’ll be back in a moment.”
The stairs to the upper floor were right in front of me, but I decided to leave my investigation of where they led until later. I turned to the left and walked through a large empty room. It had two big windows one of which was still shuttered. I noticed the shutters were wooden and made up of panels that were hinged and could be folded back to the sides on the inside of the windows. The floor was also made of wood and creaked as I walked across it to reach a doorway at the back of the room. This opened into a large L-shaped kitchen which was swathed in shadow. I went to the window and threw back the panels to let the light in. I looked around, Cole had obviously made a start on fixing this room; there were new stainless steel appliances which looked startlingly out of place amongst the old fashioned cabinets and work surfaces.
A sturdy new pine table and chairs stood in the ‘foot’ of the L and I walked past it to another door. This one led to another room slightly smaller than the empty one on the other side of the stairs. He had tried to make it habitable; extra large floor cushions where set against a wall and fur rugs were scattered on the floor. A book was lying on the floor by the cushions. This room ended at the front door and I looked up as Cole came back into the house closing the door behind him with the heel of his boot. He saw me and came over laden with bags. We’d stopped at WalMart on the way over and bought some food and other necessities. He allowed me to take one of the bags from him. I nodded at the cushions. “A bit minimalistic isn’t it?” I said with a grin.
“They’re just a stop-gap until I order furniture. But it’s comfortable enough for the time being.”
I followed him into the kitchen and set my burden down on the counter, leaning against it as he started to unpack the bags. A few minutes later he’d put everything away except for one item. When I saw what it was, I felt the heat rise in my cheeks. Cole had picked up the box but when he saw my embarrassment, the grin that had appeared on his face instantly died. He placed the box on the counter, came closer to me and took my hand. “Don’t Cole. Don’t say anything. It’ll just make it worse.”
He leaned forward and kissed my forehead. When he moved back I tried not to meet his eyes, but he tipped my chin up with a finger and what he said next forced me to look at him. “Vic, right now, you are the most important thing in the world to me. I would never intentionally do anything to hurt or embarrass you.” He caressed my cheek with his fingers. “Something about you hit me square in the face when I first saw you last week at the gas station. I knew instantly that I would do anything in my power to protect you. Today, I’m starting to understand why.”
I had no idea what to say in answer to that declaration. I felt humbled and blessed all at the same time. Once again my mouth didn’t engage my brain before it blurted out, “Perhaps it was fate.”
“I’m starting to believe it was. I think we were meant to meet that night. And I, for one, will be eternally grateful that the gods of fate interfered.”
I didn’t trust myself to talk; I knew I was very close to tears. I just put my arms around his waist, laid my head on his chest and hugged him tightly. In those emotionally charged moments I came to a decision and, lifting my head, I began to act on it. Bringing my hands up to his head I pulled him down for a kiss. I kissed him with every ounce of my limited experience and he accepted the gift I was offering. I needed to touch him, needed to feel his skin next to mine. I wanted to show him that in such a short space of time he had become as important to me as life itself. I burrowed my hands under his shirt and gripped his back, his skin hot and dry against my fingers.
His hands were busy on their own quest. He’d pushed under my top and found the clasp of my bra, it took him no more than a second to undo the hooks and bring his hands around to my chest, push up the cups and palm my breasts. I barely moved my mouth away from his when I suggested we lie down. We didn’t, instead he lowered his hands to my bottom and hoisted me up; I wrapped my legs around his waist and held on tightly as he easily carried me. He paused only briefly to scoop up the condom box off the counter before continuing into the other room and laying me down gently on the fur rug. I pulled my shirt and bra off while he quickly divested himself of his shirt and boots. He started working on the zipper of my jeans while I flicked open the buttons on his fly. We were both naked in seconds and to my surprise I felt no embarrassment.
My hands were everywhere; I couldn’t stop my journey of discovery. I needed to know every muscle and every ridge. Cole was just as impatient, he used his lips and tongue as well as his hands and I pressed myself against him as he took a nipple into his mouth. His exploration of my body peaked when he found the moist folds between my legs. I was expecting to feel the pulse of arousal when he started to slide one long finger into me; instead I jerked and moaned in pain instead of ecstasy. I almost sobbed with disappointment when he immediately removed his finger and cupped his palm on the outside of my core, applying slight reassuring pressure on the whole area.
Cole supported himself on his other elbow and looked down at me. “How long had it been?” He continued applying the comforting pressure.
“What?” I frowned in confusion; I had no idea what he was asking.
“Before this morning... when was the last time you made love?”
Oh boy, we were lying there on the floor, both of us stark naked, and he wanted me to talk about my previous sexual experiences? I was willing to ignore the pain to feel him again, why couldn’t he. I tried to push myself against his hand, tried to get him to move again.
But he stubbornly ignored my efforts; he was expecting an answer.
“More than nine years.” I mumbled; my tone more than a little sulky.
He leaned down to touch his lips to mine in a kiss as light as a feather then shook his head slightly. “My darling Mouse, why didn’t you tell me this morning? I would’ve gone slower, prepared you more.”
“You didn’t ask.” I felt incredibly guilty. My inexperience had spoiled the mood and now he was upset with me. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m the one who should be saying sorry, Vic, not you.” He removed his hand from my mound and sat up. “Come here.” He pulled me up into a sitting position and then across his lap where he just held me. “I said I wouldn’t intentionally hurt you, and I won’t. We’ll take a rain check on this and when I make love to you again, I promise it won’t hurt.” His voice, quiet and gentle, caressed my senses.
We sat there for a few minutes, his hands stroking my back, my stomach, my breasts, calming me. I loved him for his understanding, for his caring enough to stop. Love? I wasn’t so sure about that but I did know that he’d turned my world upside down. I shivered; it was quite cold without clothes and even Cole’s body heat wasn’t enough to keep me warm. With silent agreement we rose to get dressed.
Once we were fully clothed, Cole held out his hand to me. “Come, let’s take a walk.” I placed my hand in his and he led me outside, walking in the direction of the wooded area behind the house. We walked in silence until we entered the relative shade of the trees. I was so engrossed in analyzing my feelings for the man walking beside me that I hadn’t realized, at first, that he’d started speaking to me and had to ask him to repeat his question.
“I asked, who he was, the man who hurt you so much you didn’t have another intimate relationship for over nine years?”