He fell, coming to lie beside me, gasping. One hand was still tangled in my hair, the other now on my stomach.
“Dear God,” he said raggedly.
I managed a breathy laugh. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me against him into a tight embrace. I tried to relax against him, tried to ignore the throb of longing between my legs. I rested my head on his chest, the pounding of his heart a rapid drumbeat in my ear. It had been too long since my body had been loved and it was eager to remember it to the fullest extent.
We lay there quietly for a few minutes, his breathing slowing. “Sorry, Claire,” he whispered. His hands pulled my hair back, smoothing it over my shoulders so he could see me.
“For what?” I rolled, resting my chin on his chest to look at him.
“For being selfish.” He raked a shaky hand through his outrageously mussed hair with an air of self-disgust.
I rolled onto my back, trying to catch my ragged breath. I shook my head, aware of the heat on my cheeks and the tingles flowing throughout my rather expectant body. My voice was soft and breathy when I said, “Never apologize for passion.”
He trailed one finger across my left breast and down my stomach, making me shiver uncontrollably. There was little doubt that I was still on fire. His eyes traveled over my face and his breath quickened. He sat up and pulled me into his lap, kissing me thoroughly. I held him to me hungrily. I was trembling fiercely against him, a soft groan escaping as my need took over.
I could not restrain the moan that ripped from my throat as our bodies joined together again. I smiled against his mouth and felt his lips form an answering smile.
The fire, already burning brightly, rose within me as we moved together. His hands, his lips pushed me quickly to the edge. His breath was hot against my neck as my head fell back, giving in to pure sensation.
I felt the tightness in my stomach explode in that moment, my ragged breathing turning into a long broken moan. I saw his eyes widen as I cried out with the force of my release. I had no time to recover. He continued to move hungrily. My body was quick to reignite under his hands, his mouth.
When his body shook with release, mine followed, and our cries filled the room. We fell together on the bed, both of us gasping for breath.
He spoke softly moments later. “Much better.”
I nodded, but couldn’t speak. My heart was racing and my body was a throbbing mass of liquid warmth. I’d forgotten how this could feel. Every inch of me seemed to pulse sweetly with fulfillment.
“You all right, Claire?”
I peeked at him through my tangled hair. His hand brushed my hair away so he could see me. A huge smile covered my face. “Very,” I said breathlessly.
His smile mirrored mine.
As we lay, wrapped around each other, our breathing softened. The sound of the ocean, the crashing of the waves, and the occasional cry of a gull ricocheted off the room’s walls. He turned onto his side, humming softly, watching me with intense fascination. His finger started a leisurely journey across my collarbone, between my breasts, circling each one, then across my stomach. He seemed engrossed in his inspection, his eyes following the fluid movement of his finger. I let my hand stroke through his hair, fascinated by his exploration.
His eyes traveled over my cesarean scar, his fingers following. “Can I ask how you got that?”
“Um…” I chewed my lip, trying to decide if revealing my maternal status might be a mood killer. “Knife fight?” I giggled nervously, a teasing smile on my face.
“Must be a Texas thing.” He laughed, started humming again, continuing his inspection.
“You’ll find plenty to ask about if you look too closely.” I tried to sound nonchalant.
His brow furrowed. “You’re lovely.”
I laughed. “It’s dark. Really dark.” I watched my hand as it traveled over his side. “However, you would be a wonderful model. Your body is…” I blushed. “Well, there’s hours of sketching potential there.”
“You’re an artist? And a writer?” His eyes searched my face before turning back to my body, tracing my left nipple distractingly.
I looked at him, smiling as his eyes flickered between my breast and my face. “I guess I used to be.”
His hand stopped, splaying across my chest as he spoke. “Used to be? I didn’t realize you could stop being an artist.”
I shrugged, unsure what to say.
He pushed his hair back, leaving it standing on end. “Claire, are you trying to be an enigma?” His brow furrowed a bit before he laughed. “You don’t want to talk about you?” He touched my heart to emphasize his point.
I leaned over him then, smiling. “There’s not that much to know.”
He lay back and looked up at me, his hand coming to rest against my cheek. “I’d like to know you better.”
I shook my head, arching a wicked eyebrow to distract him. “You know me better than—”
“I mean in here.” His finger touched the middle of my forehead, shaking his head with exaggerated exasperation. He paused then, his eyebrows rising. “Hold on a minute. I know you better than how many?”
I blushed and shook my head, laughing a little. “Why would you want to know? Is that a male thing? To want to know your conquest ranking, I mean?”
He shrugged. “Probably.” He took a strand of my hair between his fingers. “I’ll tell you.”
I shook my head and tried to sound indignant. “I don’t think I want to know.” But I couldn’t stop smiling.
“Four. Including you.” His voice was rather detached. “First was a girl from school. We had several hot and messy encounters in the costume closet of the theatre. Second was at a party in a pile of coats. She wore horrible perfume and we were very drunk. And my last girlfriend, Fiona, who was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen… Well, we were together for almost three years but she never made a sound when we were in bed. I have no idea if she even liked sex.”
“I suppose I’m…more vocal.” I winced, embarrassment churning in my stomach as I rolled onto my back beside him.
He rose on his elbow over me. His hand cupped my face as he smiled a very satisfied smile. “Maybe a bit.” He kissed me. “Which was fantastic, actually.” He was dropping kisses along my neck and shoulder, his hand feather-light on my stomach. “You?”
“Um, yes…yes, I like sex. I imagine my response probably gave that away, though.” I blushed. He waited and then I realized what he was waiting for. “Oh. That question. Really?” I was suddenly embarrassed. His face was expectant in the shadows over me.
He laughed. “That many, eh?”
My mouth fell open and I spoke quickly, horrified at what he might think. “Two—you included.”
There was a long silence. I think I must have held my breath. His fingers froze in my hair and his face crumpled. “How should I feel about that?” His hand fell to my face, holding it as he stared intently into my eyes.
I considered his thoughtful expression. “I’m not expecting anything. I mean, you don’t need to freak out,” I said softly.
He shook his head. “That’s not it. I guess, well, I feel a bit…honored.”
Something stirred inside me at his words, at the look on his face. “I met my ex-husband before I could even drive.” I paused then, chewing the inside of my lip out of habit. “Would you rather I said I was some serial philanderer? Or I’d been easy in college? Or that I was some frigid, dried-up—”
“No worries there.” His laugh shook his entire frame, making our bodies brush in interesting ways. His eyes sparkled in the dim light.
“For the first time in a very long time, I felt wanted for me. And this—” My hand wandered leisurely over his chest and his stomach. “—was more than I’d imagined.” I touched his mouth with my fingertips, my stomach tightening as my mind replayed the last few minutes.
He kissed my fingertips. “Wanted is a bit of an understatement, Claire. It also implies past tense.” His eyes were warm as he le
aned down to kiss me gently. “Happy birthday,” he spoke against my lips. His mouth was soft on mine, growing more demanding as my hands began to explore. He was pulling me under him, his breath growing uneven against me as we gave in to each other again.
***
My hair hung wet over the back of the chair, my feet propped up on the wrought iron table before me. It was quiet; I was blissfully aware of that fact. The sun was rising slowly, barely over the horizon. I sighed, letting the steam from my coffee warm my face.
My cell phone vibrated in my lap. I smiled as I answered it.
“You’re awake? Hold on, hold on.” There was a slight ruckus and then Natalie counted, “One, two, three.” And three voices began to sing loudly.
“Happy birthday to you…” they sang, with Will adding silly sounds at the end of each line. I was laughing by the time they finished serenading me.
“We didn’t think you’d be up, so we were going to leave you a birthday message. But I’m so glad you’re awake because I can’t find my blue jacket and it’s really cold.” Natalie’s voice sounded relieved.
“Well, that was the best birthday serenade ever. I’m glad I was awake for it. Thank you.” I added, “I think you left it in the car; look in the very back.”
“Did we wake you?” She was moving around. I could hear the regular morning routine in the background.
“Nope.” I sighed contentedly. “I went for a long run and now I’m watching the sunrise turn the ocean to liquid gold.”
“You know, it is your birthday. You could take a break and relax, Mom.”
“I am relaxing, Nat. I mean, a run on the beach at sunrise? Pretty sweet.”
She laughed. “I guess it does sound nice. Oh, I printed out your picture and put it on the fridge this morning!”
“Oh really?” I smiled.
She was in story mode. “Yeah, Grams and Will were all ‘Who is that?’ And I was all ‘Mom’ and they were all ‘No way!’ You so do not look like you.” She laughed. “Not that you look bad!”
“I know what you mean.” I laughed softly.
“Oh, hey, Will says he loves you, but he doesn’t want to talk on the phone. So here’s Grams. Love you, Mom!”
There was a bit of static as the phone changed hands. “You’re awake? Isn’t it a little early?” My mother sounded surprised.
“Watching the sun come up,” I replied. I could hear Natalie and Will in the background, along with the faint tune of their favorite show on the TV.
“I think Natalie e-mailed your picture to everyone in her address book and added it to her Facebook page.” She laughed. “You look like a celebrity, sweetie! And then Will said he saw you on the news this morning—”
“What?” I had closed my eyes to listen to her and the familiar home sounds. My eyes were wide open now. “What do you mean, on the news?”
“Oh, we didn’t get to hear it. The TV was muted. And then when Will yelled that you were there and Nat turned the volume on, you weren’t there anymore.” There was a pause. “Eat one more bite, Will, please.”
I relaxed. “It probably wasn’t me.”
“That’s what I said. Have a wonderful birthday, sweetie. Dr. Pratap is taking Natalie to school and I have to finish getting Will ready. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Have a wonderful day. Thanks so much, Mom. Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetheart. I hope you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Oh, I am.” I felt a smile on my face as I hung up.
That conversation was almost as effective as drinking three cups of coffee in a row. The quiet was too quiet now, and I felt a bit restless. I stretched and stood, leaning over the balcony as the sun broke over the horizon in full. The hotel faced the beach, so the sun was behind us, but its early morning rays sent iridescent ripples from the coastline to far out into the Pacific Ocean. I took in a deep breath, letting the sound of the sea fill my senses.
My entire body ached deliciously. Every nerve was softly tingling, a reminder of the night before. I felt alive and awake for the first time in so long, and I hadn’t slept for more than two hours. That also hadn’t happened in a long time. I smiled a little then let my hand shake through my hair, the last drops of water from my shower still hanging in my curls.
“You look like a Raphaelite angel.” His voice came from inside the room.
I looked over my shoulder into the room with a smile. I spoke softly. “Are you really awake?”
“I’m not sure.” He sighed faintly.
I waited for a few minutes then peeked inside the room. His eyes were closed, his limbs splayed across the bed, one long leg wrapped around the edge of the white sheet. His dark blond shock of wayward locks went every which way across his pillow. He looked totally at peace, and completely asleep.
I smiled and went to find my laptop. My mind was racing and I needed a place to put it all before it disappeared.
***
“Bloody hell, is that the time?” He sounded awake now. I heard movement from inside the room, the sound of him going into the bathroom and turning on the shower.
I had opened the balcony door, pulling the gauze curtains aside to let the natural light in the room, but ended up moving onto the balcony to write. I had no idea what time it was; time wasn’t important to me right now.
I glanced at the clock. It was nine-forty-seven. I stretched and made my way into the room and found his clothes, which trailed from the door to the bed.
He emerged from the bathroom five minutes later, his hair still dripping wet. “I’ve a meeting in less than fifteen minutes.” He was naked and I was staring.
I held out his clothes. “Can you make it?”
He looked at me, his eyes red and his chin covered with morning stubble. He looked absolutely gorgeous as he grinned. I felt the blush flood my cheeks as my eyes wandered over his body. He was too damn beautiful. My pulse began to pick up as my mind wandered…
He shook his head as he spoke. “Not if you keep that up.” He took a step toward me, his body willing to accommodate my line of thinking.
“No!” I put a hand out in front of me, feeling ridiculously out of control. “Go…go to your meeting. I’ll be here. You’re my ride, remember?”
He smiled as his hand cupped my chin, his thumb trailing my lower lip. “I could have great fun misinterpreting that statement.” He smiled again as a blush covered every inch of my exposed skin. “That’s the only reason I’ll go. You have no escape,” he said softly before kissing me.
I felt warmth pooling in the pit of my stomach, my limbs willing me to wrap myself around him again. Instead, I shoved his clothes at him, my heartbeat pounding in my ears as I stepped a bit away from him. “Do you have time to get there? Have a change of clothes?”
He shook his head as he stared at my mouth, smiling. “No worries. Rumpled clothes and dramatic entrances aren’t cause for alarm in Hollywood. All is right with the world.” He pulled his clothes on quickly, his wrinkled and unkempt appearance somehow dashing and chic. He sat, pulling on his shoes, singing something softly under his breath as my room phone rang.
“Yes?”
“Miss Collins, you have your first treatment at ten. Raul will be at your room in the next few minutes to accompany you to your mud bath. It’s your first spa treatment. Please wear the robe on the back of your bathroom door.”
“Mud bath?” It didn’t sound all that luxurious to me.
“Yes. Followed by a deep body massage, then lunch and yoga,” the chipper voice stated.
“Okay.” I sighed. Why not? “I’ll be ready.”
Josh’s arm slipped around my waist as he dropped a kiss on my neck. He whispered, “Happy birthday, Claire.” His breath was on my neck as I hung up the phone, a shiver shooting up my back as he added, “Enjoy your mud.”
Chapter Four
Encased in herbal-scented mud, I fell into a restoring sleep.
After a deep muscle massage, I dozed again when warm rocks were placed on my
back.
I ate lunch and enjoyed yoga. Though I’d never tried it before, there was something very controlled but leisurely about it, two things I didn’t often feel at home.
After yoga, I went back to my room to find it set to rights. There weren’t any physical reminders of the previous evening, but images of golden eyes and strong hands filled my mind and senses as I gathered my things. I packed my bag and had it taken to the front desk until I was ready to leave.
I’d dressed in some of my newly-acquired Shannon-approved clothes: jeans that fit like a glove, a white lace camisole, and silk shirt the color of tawny sand. I stared at this put-together version of myself in astonishment. Who knew I could be so fashionable?
My hair was another matter altogether. The ironing and heavy-duty conditioning of yesterday had disappeared. Thick auburn curls hung crazily down my back, the humidity making them impossibly bouncy.
I took my camera and decided to explore. I shot several photos, things I could take back and share with the kids. I’d been avoiding the fact that eventually leaving here was ending what was the most surreal and surprising experience of my life.
I felt a lump in my throat as I walked along the beach. I heard his voice echoing in my memory: I want to kiss you. Goose bumps covered my skin, my stomach tightened, and my pulse thumped wildly.
I sat cross-legged on the sand. Surrounded by the soothing sounds of the ocean, I let my thoughts wander. I didn’t know where my future was headed, but I realized something: my needs and wants were normal; they were important. I wanted to enjoy life, to live it. I wanted to…to start anew.
I saw Josh from the corner of my eye, walking toward my spot on the sand. He smiled at me, the wind catching his mussed hair and blowing it crazily.
My heart kicked up. I was thankful to him. Our time together had reminded me that there was more to life, if you were open to it. I hoped that our time together gave him something, too.
He sat beside me. “Find any answers?” His voice was soft.
“I’m considering possibilities.” I shrugged, trying to dismiss my giddiness. After last night, it seemed normal that he’d make me feel so warm and soft and desirable, right? I pondered this, chewing my lip.
Hollywood Ever After Page 5