by Karen Booth
The caterer’s van was in the driveway when they got to the house and a woman with short, spiky blonde hair and a white chef’s coat waved to him before she disappeared through the side door that led to the kitchen.
“You hired a caterer? For just the two of us? I figured we were ordering pizza or Chinese.”
He pulled into the garage and turned off the ignition. “That’s not much of a date. I want us to enjoy ourselves and I don’t want to have to worry about the creepy delivery guy from Mr. Chu’s.”
Alex laughed before she reached over and drew a line down his forearm with the tip of her finger. “That’s sweet.”
Now David wondered if the caterers would be horrified if he and Alex had sex in the garage while they prepared dinner inside. “It’s my pleasure.”
He dropped his head, reading her cues, relieved when she moved closer and raised her mouth to his. The kiss was soft, but one hundred times more electric than the first two. Alex gently sucked his lower lip into her mouth and he couldn’t even fathom what might be in store later.
He rested his forehead against hers, breathless from that brief blast of heat. “If we don’t go inside right now, we’re not going to make it to dinner.”
“I think you might be right.”
The blonde, Meg, was busy in the kitchen. “Mr. Callahan.” She pulled David aside and wiped her hands on a dishtowel before slinging it over her shoulder. “We should be ready to start in about twenty minutes. Out by the pool still okay?”
“Perfect.”
David looked at Alex. “Should I put on some music? Do you want a glass of wine?”
“Yes and yes.” She looked down at herself and grimaced. “I might change. If that’s okay.”
“I think you look perfect, but you have time if you want to.” Just don’t put on anything with too many buttons or zippers.
“Maybe I’ll just go freshen up.”
David opened a bottle of Bugey Cerdon and took a pair of champagne flutes outside. The weather was incredible—mid 70s, light breeze. He couldn’t imagine a better scenario, and yet his stomach was tied up in knots. Maybe Alex would want to take this slowly, maybe there would only be kissing tonight. He could be happy with any amount of Alex. He remembered the way she had rocked her hips against him in the kitchen. Maybe more was going to happen.
The pressure was enormous—seventeen years in the waiting, fantasies and imagined scenarios not even beginning to fill the chasm David felt inside. What if he didn’t measure up to Glenn? In general, he didn’t question his ability to kick Glenn’s ass at anything, but this was different. He rarely had performance anxiety; he’d taken the stage in front of tens of thousands of fans every night for years without a problem. He’d been with countless women and never had a failure to launch. I don’t even want to think about that.
Alex traipsed through the French doors and it was as if every negative thought he’d ever had simply vanished. Her smile, more beautiful with every step closer, made him feel like the luckiest bastard on the planet. With dinner mere minutes away, food was the very last thing on his mind.
“Decided not to change?”
“Yeah. I like this skirt and it’s comfortable. I just did some primping.” She smiled again and wagged her hips, giving David another reason to wish he’d chosen roomier pants.
They sat down to dinner when the sun had nearly set, starting with a spinach salad with pears, Gorgonzola and candied walnuts. It was one of his favorites, he always ordered it at a restaurant, but by the time Meg took his plate away, he didn’t even remember eating it. The next course was NY strip steak crusted in herbs with a drizzle of olive oil and sautéed green beans.
Alex leaned forward, closing her eyes and inhaling the steam rising from her plate. “Oh, my God. I don’t think anything has ever smelled as good as this.”
Finishing his second glass of wine, David finally felt himself unwind. “I’m pretty sure you smell better than this every day.”
Her cheeks became colored in a gorgeous blend of gold and pink, from the candlelight and rush of blood to her skin. “I do?” She smelled her shoulder. “Not bad, but I still think I’m going with the steak.” She took a bite and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. “Wow.”
He watched her eat, glad she was enjoying herself, hoping he might be able to make her eyes do that again later.
To finish the meal, Meg served a flourless chocolate cake with caramel sauce and whipped cream. David had chosen it—with Alex’s sweet tooth, he knew he had better have a damn good dessert. Meg offered to make them espresso, but he didn’t think his heart could take any extra stimulation. He was having a hard enough time keeping his cool.
They stayed at the table and drank wine after Meg had cleared the dishes. Cleaning the kitchen was taking forever—David considered telling them to leave, but he’d never convince Alex to go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink.
When the caterers were finally gone, David was stumped. Where do I start? He didn’t want Alex to think that physical contact was all he wanted from her. This carrot had been dangling in front of him for a long time, but sitting and sharing a meal with her was part of what he’d waited for, too.
His head was packed with thoughts and questions and doubts. A single step forward seemed like the only way to clear it. “Should we finish our wine on the big lounge chair? That would be more comfortable.”
They walked to the other side of the pool and Alex shivered when a strong breeze blew. She sat on the two-person chaise and stretched out her legs. David kicked off his flip-flops and joined her.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“A little.”
“Come here. Let me warm you up.”
She scooted closer and curled into him, setting her head against his chest. “That’s better.”
“Yes, it is.” Relief washed over him. She wants to be close.
He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her breath against his chest, a heat that quickly spread throughout his body. She unfurled her legs, shifting her hips closer to his. He dug his nose into her silky hair and she hummed—a sound that he’d long wanted to coax from her lips.
She hooked her foot around his ankle, reached up and pulled back his collar with a finger, kissing him at the base of his throat twice. The third time, she lingered with her lips, a hot puff of breath that sent tremors to his core.
With all the encouragement he’d ever need, he brushed her hair from her neck, sinking his lips into her tender and sweet smelling skin. He kissed her below her ear and she moaned softly, flattening her body against his. Smoothing his hand around her waist, he caught the hem of her top with his pinky. As she tilted her head upward, his mouth descended upon hers, his pent-up need for her boiling over as the kiss intensified. She snaked her leg around his and dug her hands into his hair. He caressed the impossibly soft skin of her back, his hand moving further north with every pass.
Each meeting of their skin was a new experience, testing him physically and mentally. He’d always imagined Alex having a bedroom personality that matched her sweet, yet often reserved exterior. Now he was getting a taste of just how much he might have underestimated her. There seemed to be a fire inside her that might be difficult to contain, not that he wanted to. Perhaps she was adept at tending this side of herself or perhaps he’d managed to stoke it.
He pulled his mouth from hers. “Do you want to go to my room?” He had a flash of himself as a teenager, longing to ask her that very question. “Or we could go to yours if that makes you more comfortable.”
She nuzzled his neck, making his hips instinctively draw even closer to hers. “I vote for your room.” She trailed a finger behind his ear, along his jaw, sweeping it across his lower lip before popping it into his mouth. A sly grin spread across her face when he sucked on it. She leaned closer to whisper in his ear. “You have a much bigger bed.”
Chapter Twenty-One
You have a much bigger bed? What would make me say that? Alex held David�
��s hand as they hurried down the hall to his bedroom. Her heart thumped with equal parts anticipation and anxiety. David had been with so many women, astounding women with perfect bodies and porn star boobs. Oh, my God. What if he’s been with a porn star? How am I supposed to compete with that? She really hoped what she lacked in the boob department or breadth of experience, she could make up for with enthusiasm.
As soon as he pulled her into his room, she stopped.
David was full speed ahead, yanking on her arm. “What’s wrong?”
She peered into his gorgeous, sweet brown eyes, filled with apprehension. How do you tell someone this? How do I say this and not sound like an idiotic teenager? Am I just in over my head?
“Alex, what?” He took her other hand. “We don’t have to do this if you aren’t ready.”
She shut her eyes, frustrated she couldn’t come out with it. “It’s just—” She sighed. “Glenn is the only man I have ever been with. Ever.”
“Oh.” He stepped closer. “I see.”
Alex winced at the pity-laden tone of his voice. “I know.”
“Were you worried that it would bother me? Because it doesn’t.”
She twisted her lips. “Don’t you think it makes this an even odder situation?”
“As far as I’m concerned, you and I are the only people on the planet right now.” He tugged her closer and kissed her forehead and then her cheek. “I’m not thinking about history. I’m only thinking about you.”
His lips, soft and hot, came down on hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, balancing on her tiptoes.
They rushed to the bed as they kissed, but David had apparently miscalculated the route. He steered them into the footboard and stubbed his toe.
“Fuck,” he mumbled between their lips, hopping while directing her backward along a new path.
“Are you okay?”
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her closer while she stood before him, his hands gripping her waist. “Never been better.” He pulled up her top and skimmed his mouth across her stomach, employing his tongue as he went, a dizzying performance that left Alex on the verge of fainting. His other hand crept under her skirt, caressing her thigh as a storm brewed in her. “But you’re wearing entirely too many clothes.”
She smiled, crossing her arms and wriggling her top over her head. David scooted farther back on the bed. She followed, her hands and knees sinking into the duvet. She stretched out alongside him before he playfully pushed her to her back. A thrill fluttered through her chest. He wants me. Heat rushed to the surface of her skin.
He hovered above her, hair flopping down onto his forehead. She hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt, feeling his eyes all over her, glancing up to see an irresistible grin across his face. With the final button undone, he sat back on his knees and rolled his shoulders out of the sleeves, leaving the shirt to slump to the floor. She’d always loved the twisting black tattoo on his upper arm, but it looked wonderfully dangerous now that they were undressing each other.
David lay down alongside her, slipping her bra strap off her shoulder with his thumb. His mouth grazed the spot where the strap had been as he unhooked it in one nearly imperceptible movement.
“Smooth,” she said.
He laughed quietly. “I practice.” He pulled the white lace away and hesitated, which made her heart gallop. “You’re perfect.”
He cupped one breast with his warm hand while his lips teased the other. Her mind lingered on his words—no man had ever told her she was perfect. Everything David did or said incited a riot in her body. She arched her neck and closed her eyes, giving in to the sensation of his tongue swirling around her taut and puckered skin.
He was everything at that moment—her friend, her protector, her confidant, about to become her lover. I hope this is the right thing to do. She couldn’t imagine stopping.
Her hands raked up and down David’s muscular back, fingers spread, ardent and craving. She bucked her hips against him as he kissed his way over the peaks and valleys of her chest to her other breast, sending shockwaves through her hips and stomach.
In an instant, her body decided thinking was a fool’s pursuit. She urged David to his back and spread her hand across his chest, running her fingers through his dark chest hair, trailing a finger down his stomach. He mumbled her name and she looked up to see his eyes shut, his mouth pursed in pleasure. She unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, and she suddenly became very curious.
He lifted his hips off the bed and she slid his pants off his legs. She circled her fingers around his belly button and he moaned as she kissed the mole beneath it. She derived just as much pleasure from it, having spent the last several weeks wishing she could leave a kiss there. She slipped her hand beneath the waistband of his black boxer briefs and heard his breath catch. There was a part of her that would’ve teased him, but the waiting games were over, so she peeled them away.
If anyone was perfect in her eyes, he was. Too bad the lights were dimmed because it looked as though he had another small tattoo on his hip, right where the contour of his pelvis was most enticing. She brushed her lips along the lowest spot on his belly and wrapped her hand around him. Her fingers rolled along his length, her palm pressing him against his stomach.
“Oh, God,” he said. “Alex, that feels amazing.”
She smiled to herself. “Good.” She continued, feeling more confident with every satisfied sound that came from his mouth.
David dug his hands into her hair. “Come here.” His hand slid beneath her chin and she tilted her head to kiss him. “Again, we have the problem with your clothes.”
He twisted her on to her back and she unzipped her skirt as he watched.
“Next time, I vote that we start this with you naked.” He gently rid her of the last of her clothes.
She giggled at his joke, but only for a second, as he pressed his body weight against hers and bodies conformed like two perfect-fitting puzzle pieces. Nothing stood between them. Trepidation was long gone. Body and soul exposed, Alex was surprised how little vulnerability was there. She felt cared for, desired, protected for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. David was about to move squarely into her heart and she welcomed it.
“David. I want you. Now.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
He scrambled to the other side of the bed, opening the bedside table drawer. Alex’s hand smoothed over his ass, sending waves of anticipation along his spine as he fumbled with the box of condoms. Settling on the enormity of what was about to happen while negotiating with the paper carton seemed impossible. Is this real? Are we really doing this?
He flipped to his back and handed her the foil package—she raised an eyebrow and tore it open. He wanted to watch her put it on, to have the visual confirmation that he wasn’t dreaming, but his head dropped onto the pillow as soon as she touched him again. It was as if her fingers conducted electricity out of thin air.
She toyed with him, drawing circles on his lower stomach, which felt unbelievable but also had him digging even further into conflicted thoughts. Is this okay? I’m betraying him. But he betrayed her. He lifted his head and watched as she eyed his body, her hair falling over her shoulders. As shadows shifted, he knew no creature could be more bewitching than Alex. That made it possible to breathe again.
He eased her to her back and she invited him. Once more his heart seized up in his chest. She trusts me. Only one other man has been here. She raised her knees and he sank slowly, closing his eyes, feeling every inch of her flesh as it yielded before enveloping him. It was as if reality was collapsing in on him. He’d gone for so long wishing and wanting and longing. Maybe this was a dream. Maybe his fantasies about this moment with Alex felt so real because he’d memorized every last detail. Maybe this would all go up in smoke.
He opened his eyes to see her looking back at him, her eyes dark with desire. She licked her lips, an intoxicating sight, and locked her legs behind him, urging him to match
her intensity as she swiveled her hips. The signal she’d sent was unmistakable, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. His thrusts felt mechanical, not the way he wanted them, fluid and in the moment. Just relax, dammit. Just relax. He tried harder to not try so hard, and that only made everything worse.
Alex reached up and touched his cheek. “Are you okay? Your face is all serious.”
He grunted before taking a deep cleansing breath. “Yes. Fine. Great.” Another stroke, deeper this time, and Alex closed her eyes, turning her head to the side.
“Good,” she murmured. “Because you feel amazing.”
He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. That’s it. The small reassurance allowed his legs and back to loosen, just as the pressure everywhere else below his waist began to build.
She gathered around him, her body pulling him in even further. He steadied himself and focused on her as the tension in his groin increased with every thrust and her blissful, begging noises told him she was close. Her hips and back rose, her head knocked forward and dropped back as she called out.
Her body clutched his, pushing him further to the brink, electricity buzzing through his belly and thighs. She opened her eyes and raised both arms above her head, granting him the perfect view of her small, round breasts. Using her hands to push back from the headboard, she bucked against him with surprising force. The heat spiked and the boil rolled over, pulsing out of him in steady beats. He buckled, his arms rubbery as he struggled to hold his own weight above her. She pulled him closer and he collapsed, both of them catching their breath.
“Wow,” Alex said.
David eased himself off her. “I get a “wow” on the first try? I got “nice” for the first kiss.”
She laughed. “That was definitely a wow.” She moved closer and brushed her mouth against his, her tongue gliding along his bottom lip.
He pulled her against him. This might be the shortest recovery time ever. “We can try for spectacular later.”