Illusive

by Diana Nixon

  "What if it's just an illusion?"

  "No, Eden. I know it's real. I know you are real. As well as my love for you…"

  He brought my lips to his and almost kissed me, but I stopped him.

  "What did you say?"

  He smiled. "I said… I love you, Eden Shelton. With all my heart and my soul and every small part of my body and mind. Do you think it's a good enough reason to let your fears go and be with me? Share your life with me and be a part of my family?"

  I swallowed hard. "A part of your family?"

  "I don't want you to be Ariel's babysitter anymore. I want you to be my love, the woman I fall asleep and wake up with every day; the woman I share everything I have, bad and good."

  It sounded so much like a proposal, except the very words were not said.

  But I was dying to say 'yes' to whatever he meant by that. None of my boyfriends ever told me they loved me, or I wasn't listening, because it never meant as much as it did now, with this very man.

  So I leaned into him and touched his lips with mine, saying, "I'm in, for as long as you want me by your side."

  CHAPTER 15

  Blake

  Forever seemed to be too short to be with her.

  She ran in my veins, beat in my heart and lived inside my soul. She was my every thought and my every wish, coming true every time her eyes found mine.

  It was so easy to breathe her, love her and believe our fairytale would never end.

  I was a big boy and I didn't believe in fairytales anyone, but the one she and I were creating was something I wanted to keep in my life for as long as possible.

  "Come with me," I breathed in between my kisses.

  "Last time you said it, I left your room in the morning."

  "This time is not going to be any different. Except I'm not going to stop on kissing you."

  "What about the dishes?"

  "Mary will clean the table."

  "It's not very polite to leave the mess for her to clean up. After all, she thinks I'm working here too, and not sleeping with the boss."

  "We will fix it, right now."

  He wouldn't let me say another word. With my hand in his, we ran up the stairs, literally, and didn't stop until we were in his room, hidden from the rest of the world.

  "Are you sure Mary won't hear us?" I asked, breathless.

  Blake was dealing with the belt on my jeans, I – with the buttons of his shirt.

  "This room is secluded enough to scream whatever you wish. Including my name, for the rest of the night."

  "So you are sure you will make me scream your name?"

  "Yes, baby. Multiple times." He unzipped my jeans and pulled them down. Then helped me take off my sweater, and I stood in front of him in my lingerie only. "Still too overdressed." He reached for the bra snap on my back and unlocked it, removing the lacy piece he thought was not necessary anymore.

  "Better?" I asked, giggling.

  "Much better." He took off his shirt and got rid of his jeans and boxers. It was the first time that I saw him fully naked and I think I got scared for a moment.

  "Sure you can handle this?" He asked with a challenge in his velvet voice.

  Instead of responding to his question, I pulled him to the bed behind me and lay down on it, with Blake covering my body with his.

  "There will be no running away in the morning," he warned before crashing his demanding lips on mine. It didn't look like I had a voice in it.

  I couldn't remember the last time I made love. Well, whenever it was, it could hardly be called love. Anyway, it was so long ago, I hoped he wouldn't feel like I didn’t know what to do.

  "Relax," he breathed into the curve of my neck.

  And so I did.

  I let his lips take me away. I knew I would remember this night for the rest of my life, no matter how long or short it was gonna last.

  Blake's shallow breathes kissed my skin, followed by his lips, hot and soft. His fingers touched a scar where my heart was about to jump out of my chest, and then he kissed it, as if the kiss could cure the damaged skin and take away everything bad that went along with the cut.

  His palm fondled my belly, right over my panties. I barely felt his fingers remove the lacy fabric. He lowered his head and with his teeth pulled it down my legs.

  I watched him in awe, mesmerized by the intensity of his look. It promised pleasures and heights never known before, and I couldn't wait to get there, lose myself in the ocean of bliss and stay there for at least a little while.

  Still holding my stare, he pressed his lips to the heated skin of my vulva, then sucked on my clit.

  A breathed out a moan of pleasure. No one had ever touched me like that.

  His knowing fingers found their way to my entrance, and he pushed them in, slowly, as if trying the ground and waiting for my reaction. He didn't need me to say anything, my face and my eyes said it all for me – I wanted more. More of him and everything the fire in his gaze warned me about.

  Finally, he stopped torturing me and pressed another hot kiss right beneath my earlobe.

  In a raspy whisper, he said, "I can't get enough of touching you, Eden. You are my sweet addiction, my best dream coming true."

  I never felt hotter than right now, with this very man, showing me just how much I meant to him, loving me the way no one else ever did and making my most secret fantasies about him real.

  With every new kiss he gave me, my resistance crumbled. His delicate touches made every thought in my head stop. Now there was only the desire, the anticipation of what I knew was about to happen between us, the need to feel him closer, much closer. So that I didn't remember where I ended and he started.

  We both knew it was just a matter of time, and Blake wasn't going to make me wait forever.

  With a brush of his lips over mine, he pressed himself harder against me and I felt his urge to touch me in the most sensual way. His hands grabbed my hips and he made me wrap my legs around him.

  My wet and ready pussy met his cock and he didn't hesitate, not even for a second, before he flushed it through my walls, filling every inch of my body and mind with himself, his scent and his desire to make me his.

  The sounds of pleasure flew all around the room, as if chasing the silence that had become a permanent guest of Blake's 'lair'.

  With his manhood perfectly embraced by me, I raised my hips to meet more of his thrusts, long and deep. I wrapped my arms around him, as if afraid to lose him.

  He hid his head in the curve of my neck and licked a line up my ear, then bit my earlobe with his teeth and pushed himself harder inside me.

  I yelped a little, not from the pain, but from how good it was to feel him like that.

  His fingers moved down my side and then he gripped my ass and sped up his movements.

  Faster became the only thought to fill our minds. The rhyme our bodies found was perfect. His hips bumped into mine, sending shivers up my spine. I could feel his muscles start to tense; my pulse accelerated.

  Heat ran through my body and I knew climax was short to come. Blake's body started to shake – he was waiting for me to feel it first. His moves became rougher, uncontrollable.

  One, two, three…

  I exploded like fireworks in the night sky, melting in the waves of my satisfaction, joined by the sounds of Blake's orgasm. His shoulders shuddered and he pressed his mouth to mine, to share this moment of ecstasy with me.

  "Are you okay?" He asked, after a few moments.

  I laid on my back, with my eyes closed. I could feel the smile on my lips.

  "Never been better."

  His sweet, joyful laughter rang through the room. He rolled off me and laid down next to me, with his hand drawing circles on my heated skin.

  "I think I'm gonna get used to seeing you like this."

  I giggled. "Like what?"

  "Freshly fucked and delighted."

  I hid my face in a pillow, feeling both shy and sexy. Because what he saw in me made me feel myself l
oved and cherished, and as beautiful as ever.

  "I'm so glad you stayed, Eden…"

  I looked at him and saw worry filled his eyes.

  "Really? And here I thought you hated me for being such a pain."

  His lips curved in a soft smile. He touched my cheek with the back of his palm and said, "You are still a pain. But of a different kind… Are you sure you are okay?"

  I made a face. "Yes! If you are worried I may faint or something you shouldn't have made me come to your bedroom, nor should you have seduced me, making my blood pressure rise a few points up."

  "You feel like your blood pressure is high?"

  I chuckled. "Yes, but there's nothing to worry about. It's because I never thought I would make love again. Good news – I was so wrong about it."

  He exhaled slowly. "Please, if you don't feel well – and I don't mean right now – but ever, tell me everything about it."

  "Blake, I'm fine. Except I feel like I need to take a shower. Wanna join me in there?"

  His smiling eyes looked at me with unhidden lust. "Are you sure?"

  "Yes." I got out of the bed and walked to the bathroom, feeling his gaze follow my every step. "Are you coming or not?"

  "If coming is why you want me to join you in the shower, then I'm all in."

  ***

  One week later

  "Eden, are you awake?"

  Shoot…

  "Blake, get up!" I whispered, shaking him by the shoulder.

  "What is it?"

  "Ariel's outside the door, you need to hide somewhere."

  "Ugh, I told you we needed to tell her the truth." He lazily pushed the blanket away and sat down in my bed.

  "Go to the bathroom," I said, pushing him off the bed.

  "Thank God, you are not sending me to the wardrobe."

  "Wait a second, Ari!" I called out. "I'm getting dressed!"

  Blake turned around, gave my naked body a dirty look and said quietly, "Undressing you has become my favorite game."

  "Shush!" I smiled and put on a robe.

  "Are you done?" Ari asked impatiently.

  I never locked the door to my room, but now that Blake insisted on spending nights in my bed and I didn't want Ari to know about us, I made sure she wouldn't see anything that she was not ready to see.

  "I am," I said, opening the door.

  She looked frustrated.

  "What happened?" I asked.

  She walked into the room, sat down on my bed and crossed her arms.

  "You lied to me."

  "About what?" My first thought was she somehow knew about Blake and me.

  "You said we would put up a tree this weekend and Reggie just said we don't have it yet."

  "It's because Blake forgot to buy it," I said loud enough for him to hear my words. I told him about the tree a few days ago, but he was obviously too busy thinking about something else. "I swear we will put up a tree tomorrow. Okay?"

  "K." She stood up and was about to leave, when she heard the sound of running water, coming from my bathroom. "Who's there?" She asked, pointing at the closed door.

  Well, thank you, Blake!

  "Oh, it's just the shower. It's broken, I guess. It starts running whenever it wants."

  "You'd better have it fixed or it will wake you up at night."

  "Good idea. I'll ask Reggie to call the plumber."

  Ariel seemed to believe my lies. She went out of the room and I had to lock it again.

  Then I rushed to the bathroom and found Blake standing in the shower cabin.

  "Couldn't you do it in your room?"

  He made the most innocent face ever. "Why can't I take a shower here?"

  "Because I'm the only one who's supposed to use it. Ari heard you turning the water on."

  "Oh…"

  "Or did you do it on purpose?" Unlike me, he was sure Ariel deserved to know the truth.

  "No, I swear there was no hidden intention in taking a shower in your bathroom. I simply needed something to wake up, since you obviously are not going to do it with a good-morning kiss."

  "Take a shower and get out. You are punished for not bringing us a tree."

  "Damn it, I forgot about it."

  "That's what Ari and I have figured by now."

  We didn't have time to decorate it before Thanksgiving, so naturally, Ariel was disappointed.

  It was the beginning of December and everyone in the city seemed to go crazy getting ready for Christmas. It was time for us to decorate the house too.

  After Blake was done with taking a shower, I made sure the hall was empty before I let him leave my room.

  "You should move into my room," he said.

  "No." Was the only thing I kept telling him in response to his words. "I like my bed more than yours."

  "Fine. I’ll move the bed too."

  "The answer is still 'no'."

  "Do you always need to be so stubborn?"

  "Yes."

  "I know how to make you change your mind." He winked at me and walked down the hall to where his room was.

  Why couldn't I resist him?

  I shook my head and went back to my room to get dressed. But the moment I opened my wardrobe, my cell phone rang.

  I didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway.

  "Hello?"

  "Eden, it's Mason."

  "Mason?" I tried to remember the moment I gave him my number, but failed.

  "I wanted to take Ariel to the skating rink on Sunday. And I thought… Would you like to go with us?"

  Well, it was unexpected.

  "I think you should call Blake and ask for his permission to take Ariel out."

  "Hope I'm not supposed to ask for his permission to take you out as well."

  "No, of course not." I would go with them anyway. I didn't want Ari to be alone with someone she barely knew.

  "Good. Then I'll call him right away."

  "Okay."

  I ended the call and mentally wished him good luck. Blake was gonna be furious, but he didn't have a choice but to let Mason see his daughter.

  "I don't want you to go with them." Blake was sitting at the table in the dining room, his breakfast was untouched.

  "It's not like you can stop me." I gave him a meaningful look and put more jam on my toast.

  He cursed quietly. "I'll go with them."

  I chuckled. "I'm sure you're gonna enjoy your time with Mason."

  He looked so angry, which made me want to laugh at him. But I told myself not to do it, or he would be even more pissed.

  "These meetings with Mason are going to finish me off soon."

  "Or you can simply give him and Ariel the time they need to get to know each other better. Then, we won't need to accompany them anywhere."

  He gave me a doubtful look.

  "Don't be so selfish, Blake. She's his daughter. And he seems to like her."

  "You know I will never stop worrying about her."

  "Even after she grows up and gets married?"

  "For that, her fiancé will need to get my approval first."

  I rolled my eyes. "You are incorrigible."

  "Not feeling guilty."

  "I know."

  "Hey, were not you supposed to play for my team?" He asked offended.

  "Play what?" Ariel asked, joining us for breakfast.

  "Hide and sick," I said. "Didn't you know Blake loves playing hide and sick?"

  "Really?" Her eyes lit up with excitement. "We need to play it after breakfast."

  Blake made the most helpless face ever. "I thought you wanted me to buy a tree," he mumbled.

  "And that too. But first, you will play with us."

  And so, our Saturday morning started with a game that everyone, including Blake found really funny. Especially, when he pulled me somewhere he could steal a kiss from me, while Ariel was trying to find us.

  We let her win the game and then the three of us went to the market to buy a tree. Blake chose one of the biggest ones we found. It would h
ardly fit into his car, so he paid for the delivery and there was nothing else to do but to wait for the tree to get home.

  Meanwhile, I decided to buy new decorations.

  "Eden, look!" Ariel cried out. "There are so many candies in that shop! Can I have one?"

  My eyes followed Ariel's and I saw a shop display full of sweets of all kinds.

  "Sure, why not?" We started walking to the shop, when something hit my head, hard.

  It wasn't a thing, but a vision.

  "Eden, you stay here and wait for me." Someone said. It was a girl, but I didn't see her face. I put a bag with the groceries on the bench and sat down to wait for her.

  "Eden, are you okay?" Ari shook my hand.

  I gasped for air, frantically looking for something to hold onto.

  Fortunately, Blake came to my rescue.

  "It's okay, I've got you." He helped me to the nearest bench and I sat down, trying to calm down.

  The vision was so vivid. I could swear it wasn't just a vision, but a memory.

  "How are you feeling? Shall I call the ambulance?"

  "No. I'm fine." My hands held the edges of the bench I was sitting on. I took a deep breath and looked around again. The moment my eyes found the shop display again, I knew it wasn't the first time I saw it.

  "I've been here before."

  "The market you mean?" Blake clarified.

  "Yes. I came here with a girl."

  "What girl?" Ariel asked.

  "I don't know." I looked at Blake, as if seeking for answers in his eyes.

  "You remembered something?"

  I shrugged. "Maybe…"

  "Do you want to go to the shop? Maybe you'll remember something else once you are inside?"

  I nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

  But I didn't recognize anything or anyone. I came to the floor-length window and looked at the bench that we left a few minutes ago. It looked familiar. I knew it wasn't the first time that I sat on it. I just needed to remember something else. It felt very important to me…

  CHAPTER 16

  Rachel

  My dear Mason,

  There are so many things I need to tell you…

  It's the third time I’ve tried to write a letter to you, and I'm still not sure if I'm doing the right thing by telling you something I have been hiding from you for so long.