Sandcastles

by Suzie Carr

  She wagged her tail, and then kissed Dean’s face all over again.

  “Let me get a picture,” my aunt said, pulling out her cell.

  I swung my arm around Lia’s waist to get us all in the picture, and then, the room blurred around me. I closed my eyes, trying to ward off the upcoming vision.

  I opened my eyes, and stood at the beach watching two shadows digging in the sand. They kneeled in front of a sandcastle, molding grand towers as they laughed and tossed sand at each other. They worked and hummed songs, creating one of the tallest sandcastles I’d ever seen. I moved in closer to get a better look on its intricate design, and that’s when I saw their faces; Dean and Lia.

  The two stood and stared out at the sea, watching as the high tide rolled in off the coast and began to slowly eat away at their masterpiece. Peace surrounded them.

  I closed my eyes and relaxed along with them, enjoying the splash of the ocean mist and the smell of salt water. Then, when I opened my eyes, I landed back in the kitchen watching Brandy lick Lia’s face now. She bent her head back and laughed. “This dog is a mess.”

  I leaned into her, wanting to savor that moment when nothing else in the world mattered more than Brandy welcoming her into our world, and her being thrilled over that.

  # #

  A little while later, after we drank some punch and ate cookies, the mechanic called to let Aunt Lola know her tires were fixed. “I need a ride.”

  “Say,” Dean said, “Why don’t me, you and the kiddos, go for a ride to get it? Willow can teach Lia a few yoga moves while we’re gone.”

  Aunt Lola looked at me.

  “That sounds perfect,” I said without a blink of hesitation.

  Aunt Lola and Dean shared a secret smile, before gathering up the kids and ushering them out of the house, leaving Lia and me alone to fill in the silence left in their wake.

  She leaned against the wall and washed me over with her eyes.

  God, she was sexy and mysterious. She filled the space between us with a sense of rawness, just barely hidden under the quiet cover of desire.

  “Want to see the rest of the house?” I asked, riding on the fumes of my earlier confidence.

  “I’d love to.” She walked toward me.

  I offered her my hand, and she slid it in mine, warming my skin.

  “You’ve seen most of the main level, and the top is just bedrooms. You’ve got to see the basement. They threw no stops at it.”

  She followed closely behind me, so closely I could smell the honeysuckle on her and feel her breath on the back of my neck. I led her down the stairs and into the basement game room. My body lightened in contrast to the weight of knowing my hand touched Lia Stone’s; her fingers cradled my fingers and heated my skin.

  I led her into the main room that housed a pool table. The walls were decorated in old movie posters from the fifties, and classic theatre red draped walls. We walked past the popcorn machine and the candy counter. “Hungry still?” I asked over my shoulder.

  Her eyes, half-opened and dreamy, teemed with a hunger, but not for popcorn and candy. My stomach flipped, and my legs turned soft and weak.

  I turned forward again, leading her past the pinball machines and the Mrs. Pac-Man game, and straight through to the theatre room. “This is where we have movie nights. My aunt will stand up front and announce the movie pick, telling us details of the filming and the history behind the actors and settings. She is eccentric, if you haven’t noticed,” I said, turning back to catch her expression.

  She looked only at me. The fancy movie chairs and the large movie screen did nothing to attract her attention. She focused on my eyes, watching me with a reverence I had only dreamed of.

  I turned back to face the big movie screen. She leaned in closer, placing her chin on my shoulder and clasping her arms around my waist. I closed my eyes to steady the flutter of my heart.

  We stood in that embrace for a few long moments before I braved around to face her.

  She lifted the corner of her mouth into a smile. I loved her lips; they aroused me, those pouty lips with their wide v shape and plump curves. And her eyes. Oh, I adored her eyes, and could stare into them for hours without ever tiring or taking a break to blink if ever humanly possible. Her dark eyes sparkled, highlighting her golden flecks. As a teen, I had dreamed of her features, of brushing them with my lips in soft, romantic sweeps. I had known every line, curve, freckle and expression on her face. I’d never thought I’d actually be standing less than two feet from her. She had followed me into that basement knowing full well it would become quiet with our intimate desires and inner arguments to either stave off the hunger and the temptations or just embrace that moment when we were alone to do whatever the hell we pleased.

  I moved into her space, commanding it as my own, reaching out for that moment when I led the dance, controlled the pace, and decided what I wanted and actually went for it.

  Keeping company only with the shadows on the wall and the melodic hums of our heartbeats, my mouth watered, impulsed to taste her again, enjoy her softness, and inhale her light musk as it seeped into my lungs and embedded itself in the tiniest of nooks and crannies for safekeeping.

  In the distance, I blocked out the sound of Brandy’s nails hitting the floor, as she undoubtedly chased a toy around the living room, and zeroed in on only Lia and her mesmerizing pull on my heart.

  Lia reached her hand out for me, and I slipped mine in it. She pulled me with a force that told me I had little choice in escaping that room, with its dim lights and hotter than hell temperature, without her first getting a chance to express the origin of that sly smile on her face.

  She placed her finger on my bottom lip and circled it back and forth until my insides melted away all the residue of years of worrying if anyone would ever look at me with the kind of adoring look she gifted me with at that moment.

  The lights from the movie projector room above peeked into the dim room, creating soft shadows on her face. I grazed her cheek with my fingers, sealing into its supple, comforting touch. My eyes closed, and she kissed my left eyelid, then swept across the bridge of my nose to my right one. I stiffened, afraid to somehow move and ruin the effect of her energy mixing with mine.

  She cupped my face, teasing me closer, baiting me with the thrill of her. “I don’t want to learn any of Dean’s prescribed yoga moves,” she said, hoarsely.

  Her voice excited me, rounding up every last emotion my body could handle, landing me in that place of longing and desperation, and waiting for a witty comeback to emerge and carry us off to one of the quiet corners of the movie room where I could absorb the intensity of making love to a woman as beautiful as Lia Stone.

  "I’ve had enough yoga for the day anyway,” I whispered.

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page,” she said in a low voice that turned me into a puddle at her feet.

  Was I reading her signal properly? Did she want me to kiss her? Did she yearn for even more? My entire body softened and the most wonderful buzz drifted around inside of me, creating a sexy pulse in my heart, in my temples, along my shoulders, in my core, and far down into the lonely space between my legs. I was wet and excited, and about to burst if something didn’t happen – and fast.

  “What page are you on?” I asked.

  Lia’s chest rose and fell in quick beats. “I want to kiss you again,” she whispered.

  I swallowed past the always present fear of touching someone, especially in such an intimate way, and cradled my hands against hers, sinking into her loving gaze. “What are you waiting for, then?”

  She eased closer and brushed her lips ever so softly against mine, bringing me into a state of absolute bliss. I kissed her back with a passion that was well over a decade and a half in the making.

  She tangled her fingers around a strand of my hair as I proved with my curious tongue that, yes indeed, we were on the same page.

  I leaned against her beating chest, gasping as she threaded her arms beneath m
y arms and lifted me toward the back wall of the movie room. She kicked the door shut, and leaned us up against it as she locked it. Then, she looked into my eyes. “So no to yoga,” she whispered, nuzzling up against my cheek as she hugged me.

  “Yoga is the farthest thing from my mind.”

  She eased into a subtle smile, looking very much like the young Lia I had first fallen in love with as a teenager, as she gazed down at me. “Does this have anything to do with the fact that I have zero self-control?”

  “God, I hope so.” I pushed her down to the ground and kissed her like I would die if I kissed her any less, free-falling into the comfort of normalcy for the first time in my life since sitting in that church pew so many years ago.

  I eased into her love under the shadows of the movie room lights, exploring her body like a piece of fine art, one exquisite curve after another, bringing her pleasure. Her body softened under my touch, and arched when my lips discovered her earthy treasure. I poured all my love into her, responding to each of her moans with a hunger that slipped through reality’s cracks and into a fantasy land all their own where the sweet taste of passion tested the strength of resistance and won, creating a ripple effect of gasps until she could no longer sustain any amount of self-control.

  She panted as I continued to plant soft kisses along her trembling inner thighs. I caressed her hips and enjoyed the taste of her wetness, well past the final rock of her hips. Then, I just stared up at her, at her relaxed gaze and loving touch. She sat up and pulled me to her, kissing me with renewed fervor. My whole body quivered, desperately wanting her love to permeate me now.

  She guided me down, and teasingly nibbled on my neck. I shivered with delight, eager for what was to come. She traveled around my body, taking in every square inch with a look of awe. I let myself go, surrendering all fears, and only leaving room for the sheer pleasure she created in me. She circled the outside of my breast with tenderness, and then heated my core with her tongue as she stroked the very tip of my nipple with it. She sent shockwaves through me with each slow, seductive pass across my sensitive skin.

  I caved into the moment, rocking gently as she dared lower and set me on fire. My body convulsed under her touch, bringing me to a point of no return when my soul opened up and reached out for the exhilaration waiting on me. I seized it, clinging to it, and enjoying its fiery pulse until it lit up every last fiber in my being.

  I panted just as hard as she had, riding the wild waves of a wake so powerful, I capsized. Arms spread out to my sides, I balanced against the residual trembles of Lia’s love.

  We laid back, cradling each other’s hands and staring up at the ceiling with huge smiles on our faces.

  “That was incredible,” Lia said, breaking the silence first.

  I could only respond with a light chuckle.

  I rested by her side, enjoying the silence and the new bond between us. We remained in comfortable silence for a few lingering minutes, calming our beating hearts and coming back down from our high.

  Then Lia asked. “How long do we have before everyone is back?”

  I looked up above the movie projector hole to see the time. “Considering the Dean I’ve just gotten to know is highly talkative and questions every last detail, I’d say at least another thirty to forty minutes.”

  She tossed my clothes at me, and began to dress herself. “Good. You’ve got to teach me at least one or two yoga moves because otherwise, Dean’s going to fish.”

  “Let him,” I said with a spunky edge.

  She put on her shirt and nuzzled up against me. “You don’t want Dean fishing. Trust me. He gets all over-dramatic and high-pitchy.”

  I leaped to my feet. “Fine, let’s move into the pool table room and do some downward dog poses.”

  Lia stood up and hugged me from behind. “You’re beautiful, Willow.” She nuzzled against my neck. “Absolutely delicate and beautiful.”

  I slipped into the comfort of her compliment, riding on the bliss of my newfound emotions.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dean followed Yvonne’s direction on holistic healing down to the last dotted I and crossed T. He was also becoming fast friends with Pat, who just like Dean, spent most every day at the center. When they weren’t healing, Pat would ask Dean to tag along to his construction site visits, take him for coffee, or help him work in his yard. Apparently, Pat’s wife baked the best chocolate chip cookies, which was the main reason Dean agreed to help.

  Dean and Lia were helping me stock some shelves at Yvonne’s one morning when he told us more about those cookies. “They’re the most delicious things in the world. I crave them. Pat must think I’m a nut because I’m practically begging him to put me to work in his yard. The fresh air is doing me wonders. I can think, breathe and relax so much better than I do when I’m cooped up all day.”

  “Go ahead and rub it in a little more,” Lia said.

  “Please, you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if you allowed a little time for fun.”

  Lia pointed her finger at him. “It’s a good thing I like this side of you.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” he said. “Or else you’d fire me. I know. I’ve heard it before.”

  She punched his arm.

  I loved watching them banter.

  “I don’t know how Pat’s wife’s handling his sickness,” Lia said.

  “She’s very matter-of-fact with it. They’ve just accepted the fate and are embracing the rest of their time together. When he snuck out to get us some frozen Del’s lemonade, she confided in me that he’s now the husband she’s always wanted him to be. He’s attentive, nurturing, and even let’s her watch Lifetime movies, which was a big no-no before he discovered he had three baseball-sized tumors in his liver.”

  “And the daughter? How is she taking it?” Lia asked.

  “She’s quiet. I’ve seen her maybe three times since I’ve been helping him out. He tries to joke around with her, but she’s angry. She shoots him dirty looks and slams her door.”

  “She’s going to regret that,” I said.

  “He said the same thing. He feels bad about that. So, he’s eased up on her the past few days. He says he isn’t going to push her anymore. That worked because just yesterday, she came out to the backyard and offered us cookies.”

  “Being around them must depress the hell out of you,” Lia said.

  “Quite the opposite. I’ve never felt so alive.”

  # #

  Dean embraced the whole healing practice. He learned and practiced the techniques of Ayurveda healing, Yvonne’s area of specialty. A few weeks into his treatments, he asked if I could bring Brandy to the center.

  “Yvonne would kiss your feet if you could figure out a way. She’s too worried that the State Board of Health will walk in and find her here.”

  “Do they show up often?”

  “I’ve worked here for years, and so far I’ve never seen them step foot in here.”

  “I suppose it would be that one day when Little Bugger will be sitting in my lap, helping me overcome my fear of dogs, when they would walk in with their notebooks and glasses pulled halfway down the bridge of their noses.” He shrugged.

  “You can always swing by and take her for a walk. She loves being outdoors.”

  And so began Dean and Pat’s arrival at my aunt’s house every morning at seven a.m. to take Brandy to Lincoln Woods and get in their morning therapy of leash walking, sunshine, and fresh air.

  “He’s like a different person altogether,” Lia said to me as she dug into her bowl of linguini and mussels at The Coast Guard House restaurant, about a month into Dean’s holistic journey.

  I sipped some Merlot. “I can’t believe he ever had a fear of dogs.”

  “I have to give him lots of credit. He’s been focusing on his bucket list since he found out about needing surgery. Getting over his fear of dogs topped that list.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he knows I want to adopt one, and he knows I won’t
because of him. He tends to carry guilt around like a piece of garment.”

  “What else is on his list?”

  “Simple things, really,” Lia said.

  “So, no climbing Mount Everest?”

  She laughed. “Dean enjoys his pillow-top mattress and foot massager too much to part with them on such a trek.” She stirred her linguini. “He listed very basic things like tour a winery, see Brandi Carlile in concert, go dance at a club, and enjoy tea and crumpets at an actual teahouse. The only big one as far as I’m concerned is his desire to become a certified scuba diver. If only he’d add ‘getting over his fear of falling in love’ to that list.”

  “He fears love?” I reached for a piece of bread.

  She handed me the oil and herb dish. “He has told me the color of his bedroom walls as a child and the way fresh avocados from his tree tasted as a little boy in India, but he has never gone into great detail about his love life. He told me only a little. He fell in love with someone from India, and that guy moved to the States to complete his master’s degree. He promised to return to Dean. Apparently, they kept in touch via Skype and Facebook, but then as Dean got further into studying for his civil servant exam, the guy fell in love with some Irish dude studying Electrical Engineering. Dean says he still loves the guy, and can’t move on.”

  “Was that recent?”

  “Years ago. But, to him it was yesterday.”

  I wiped my mouth. I once had a vision of him when I first dropped by Lia’s office. In my vision, he flirted with a blonde man at the park. “Some people never get over that first love.”

  “Who was your first love?” Lia asked.

  You were. I could only imagine how creepy that would sound. “Maybe I’ve never been in love, yet,” I teased.

  She smiled uneasily, and fidgeted with her linguine. “Hmm.”

  I didn’t mean to change the vibe. I wanted spirited Lia back. I put down my fork. “I’m stuffed.” I leaned in. “You’re spoiling me rotten with all of this rich food.”