by MJ Masucci
The flight and two romantic sessions had taken a lot out of Ava. She dozed off with her head still on his chest. When she awoke, the room was partially darkened by the drawn curtains. Xander was no longer in bed, and she was worried that he had left. Then she heard the shower and the sounds of him whistling.
She stretched her arms above her head and smiled to herself. At this moment she was content. She wasn’t paying attention when Xander approached the bed with a towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets from his chest dripped onto her, and she looked up at him. His blond hair was slicked back and off his face. In the few hours since he was here, she noticed that stubble had sprouted on his face. She didn’t remember his hair growing that quickly. He sat on the bed next to her and tenderly kissed her lips, then held her chin in his hand looking into her green eyes.
“Do you know how much I needed this?”
She smiled and corrected him. “I think we both needed it. Have you talked to Janelle?”
“I did. I told her that I would only be coming back to collect my things. She understands that I need to be with you. Her father-in-law was not so happy. He was hoping I would take over the lumberyard. My future is in law, and that is where I need to be. I was foolish to think I could deny myself what I loved, starting with you.”
The sheet around her had slipped down, and his calloused hands began rubbing her breasts. They seemed less rough since he hadn’t been working at the yard for the last four weeks. He stood up and took off his towel. His cock was semi-rigid.
“And you call me insatiable,” she said as she chuckled.
“I just can’t resist you. I’ll take you any way I can get you.”
“I know you have already taken a shower but would you mind joining me?”
He sucked at her nipples and kissed her taut stomach before he answered. “Are you sure you want to take a shower?” He continued to kiss and suck.
She hesitated because her core was starting to heat up and that heat was beginning to spread over her.
“Ava? Are you sure you want to go right now?”
She shook her head as he kneeled in between her legs. His cock was now fully erect, and she shivered with anticipation. He took it in his hand and rubbed it between her velvety folds. She shifted her hips to get closer to him, but he held her to the bed with his hand.
“Be patient,” he whispered.
He spread her legs and placed himself at her opening. She bent her knees, so she was fully open for him, and he used them to brace his hands. In one quick motion, he thrust his length into her, hard. He lay on top of her as he pounded her, grinding his base against her pubic bone. Then he pushed himself back to a kneeling position and pulled her up. Without removing his cock from her, he leaned back, and she was on top of him. He stretched his legs out under her, and she lay on his chest. They stayed that way for a several minutes. She could feel his heat inside of her and wished they could stay this way forever.
“Do you want to try another position?” Xander asked. He wanted to come inside her in the worst way. His balls were aching for release.
“I want to ride you.” She sat up and placed her hands on his chest. His cock was buried deep inside her, and she began to move her hips. He used his to meet her thrusting motion. His thumb worked her clit as she rode him. He felt her squeeze him with each thrust, and he was quickly losing control.
“I can’t hold it anymore.”
“Come for me, Xander,” and she didn’t have to ask twice. He thrust his hips up to her as he filled her with his cum. His thumb fell away from her clit, and she finished herself off as he was coming down from his orgasm.
Awhile later after showers and room service, they were still laying in bed. She curled herself around him with her leg over his.
“Xander, I don’t want this to end. Can we just stay here and shut the world out?”
“I wish we could do that, but I think we would be tired from being in bed all day, don’t you?”
“I think I could get used to it. We could just live off my inheritance.”
Xander looked at her seriously. “I could never do that. I need to support you, not the other way around. I never want you to have to do that.”
“I was only kidding. I hope when we are married you won’t give me a fight if we need to use that money for something. Maybe a vacation home of our own?”
“Ava, I don’t want you to spend that money on anything but yourself. That is your money for you to do whatever you want with it.”
“But…”
“No. I don’t want to use your money. If we can’t afford it with our salaries, then we won’t buy it. I’m sorry, but if you’re my wife, I want to be the one to buy you what you need.”
“Lidia is right. You are a stubborn mule!”
That night, they both fell into a deep content sleep. In recent memory, Ava didn’t remember sleeping so well.
The next morning they ordered a big breakfast from room service but not before he made love to her. Xander had tried to seduce her again, but they were interrupted by the waiter knocking on the door. They lounged around eating, dressed in hotel-provided terry cloth robes. What was the point of getting dressed?
After breakfast, Xander pushed the cart out into the hallway and put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door. He had no intention of being interrupted by the maid. He made love to her again then she suggested they take a bath. She hadn’t had one with him for years, and she was looking forward to it. He made her wait while he prepared it for her.
The tub was brimming with so many bubbles that when they got in they were hidden from each other. Ava swam through them until she grasped onto Xander’s arm and he pulled her onto his lap. She leaned her back against his chest, and he wrapped her in his arms. He leaned close to her ear and told her that he wanted her for always.
He held her that way, and twenty minutes later the water in the tub had started to cool. Xander suggested that they take a shower to wash off the bubbles and then go back to bed. He said there was something he wanted to do to her that he had desperately missed. She had a feeling she knew what that was and despite the hot water of the shower, she felt chills. They dried each other off, and he worked on her hair with a separate towel until it was no longer dripping. She, in turn, worked on his.
“Have you decided if you are going to cut this?” She tugged at his long hair.
“I think so. My father is always complaining about it being too long. He was thrilled that I shaved my beard. Of course, he has no idea that I did it for you. I’ll decide when I get home. Would you rather talk about my hair or do something else?”
Silently, he led her to the bed and gently pushed her down, spreading her legs, he bent his head down to lick her. They spent most of Friday in bed, but it was more about the closeness than the sex.
On Saturday morning, Ava was up before Xander. She put on the robe and sat at the small table not far from the bed. She watched as he slept and wondered if this was how it would always be. She was on the beginnings of her new career, and finally with the man she loved. But somewhere in the back of her mind, something niggled at her. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it scared her. Maybe it was because she was worried her bubble of bliss could all come crashing down. Until Xander was back in New York, she wouldn’t be able to let it go.
“Are you watching me sleep?” Xander said as he yawned widely.
“Yes. I’m allowed aren’t I?”
“I would prefer watching you sleep.”
“Then wake up before me and you can.”
“Maybe I would have if someone didn’t keep waking me up.”
Ava came to the bed and dove on top of him. He turned her over onto her back and pushed the top of the robe open to reveal one of her breasts. He kissed it and slipped his hand under the soft cloth to cup it.
“Do you want to do anything today? Lidia will love to see you if you don’t mind going over there.”
“Oh. I thought we were going to stay in today?”<
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“We can do anything you like.”
Ava didn’t want Lidia to think her rude especially since she had been injured. She hadn’t seen the woman in years and was a young girl the last time it was. It would make sense to see her since she would eventually be her sister-in- law.
“I would love to see Lidia and meet Brett.”
“I want to check on them. They would not intrude even if they needed something.”
They went about preparing for the day. Taking separate showers because taking one together meant another round of love making. If they did that, they might never leave. Xander dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top that Ava had seen when she was with him in Saratoga.
“Can I take you clothes shopping after we leave Lidia’s?
“Why, this stuff is perfectly fine.”
Ava laughed. “This from a man that lived in designer clothing when he was in the city. You need some new clothes and I want to buy them for you as a birthday gift.”
He knitted his eyebrows, “I don’t want you spending your money on me.”
“It’s a gift, Xander. Stop being difficult.”
He didn’t want to fight with her, so he agreed to let her take him shopping. He held her hand as he drove her back to Lidia and Brett’s home. The traffic was heavy at this time of the morning. It took them over forty minutes to drive the fifteen miles. He pulled up to a nice home not far from the beach. He led her to the front door and kissed her. Then he unlocked the door and took her inside. Lidia was in her wheelchair, and Brett sat at his desk in the corner of the living room. Lidia’s face brightened as she saw her brother and Ava enter the home. Ava went to her to hug her, and Xander introduced her to Brett.
“Ava, you’ve grown into a beautiful young woman. I haven’t seen you since you were a kid,” she managed to say through her wired jaw.
“Thank you. How are you feeling?”
“Much better. I can’t wait to get this thing off,” she said as she knocked on the cast that went from foot to thigh.
“Another week and the doctor said I might be able to get the wiring off my jaw. I’ve been craving a burger like you won’t believe. The only good thing is that it helped me knock off the ten pounds I had been trying to lose. It’s not the best way to lose weight, but I wasn’t given much of a choice.”
Ava sat down and talked with Lidia and Brett while Xander went around the house checking to see if anything needed to be done. When he was finished, he joined them in the living room.
“Ava wants to take me shopping for my birthday. You don’t think I need new clothes, do you?”
“Brother, those clothes are so old and ratty. You really should let her.”
Ava laughed. “We are going to hit all the trendy shops so he can have a decent wardrobe when he gets back to New York.”
“My clothes are fine just for hanging around. I don’t need much.”
Ava frowned at him. “You promised to let me take you shopping.”
He acquiesced because there was no way he was going to win an argument with both Lidia and Ava together. He kissed Lidia goodbye and said they would be back later. Ava wanted to go down to the beach. She didn’t bring a bathing suit with her, but she could buy one when they were out. Xander drove them into Los Angeles, and she made him take her to the fashion district.
They stopped in several shops, and he modeled clothing for her that he thought was way too expensive. In the end, they purchased several pairs of shorts, polo shirts, a couple of pairs of slacks and some underwear. She found an aqua blue bikini that he couldn’t wait to see her wear. They ate lunch at a small restaurant and then headed back to Lidia’s.
Both Brett and Lidia were napping when they entered the home, and they tiptoed past them. She followed Xander up to the master bedroom so they could change for the beach. He couldn’t resist fondling her breasts as she changed into her bikini.
“Stop that, or we will never get out of here,” she said as he pushed his lips away from her nipples. He scowled at her and changed into a pair of board shorts, which she learned was the LA term for the long swim trunks that surfers wore on their surfboards. No need for them in either New York or Georgia; she thought the low-riding shorts made his abs look great. Then he got towels, bottles of water and they took off to the beach a couple of blocks away. Even with his long t-shirt covering her body, Ava got plenty of looks. He didn’t seem to realize that he had his own set of gawkers.
They settled on their towels, and he slathered suntan lotion on Ava’s body, and she did his. He had been in California for several weeks and yet this was the first time he had been to the beach for anything but a run. As Ava lay on her towel soaking up some sun, he watched her through his sunglasses. She looked so sexy in the aqua blue that was offset by her ivory skin. Then he noticed it.
“Ava, where did you get that scar?”
She looked at him sheepishly, “I fell in the shower when I was sick and had to get a few stitches.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I knew you would worry. It was bad enough that I was sick. I didn’t need you freaking out because I cut myself, too.”
He leaned over and kissed the scar, “You’re right. I would have freaked out.”
As the day progressed, Ava suggested they go back to Lidia’s and change. She was beginning to burn even with the suntan lotion. There, they showered and put on new outfits. Ava insisted that Xander wear some of the new clothing that they had bought. He wanted to have sex with her, but she thought it would be rude to do it in his sister’s house. She wasn’t sure she could keep from moaning as he made love to her. It would have been embarrassing if Lidia and Brett heard them.
They bid their farewells to them and went back to Ava’s hotel room. The sexual tension had been building all day, and it was unleashed the minute Xander pushed the door closed. She tugged at his belt and clawed at the zipper on his shorts. They never made it to the bed, the first time she straddled him on one of the chairs from the dining table. It was reminiscent of when she seduced him in his office several years back. She liked to take control sometimes, but she liked when he controlled her, too.
Later that night, she started to feel melancholy. Xander could sense the change in her mood and asked her what was wrong.
“I have to leave tomorrow morning.”
“I don’t want you to go, but it will only be a few more weeks, and I will be back. Then we can decide what we want to do.”
“What do you mean what we want to do?”
“I was thinking about it, and maybe we should get a place together.”
She turned her head away from him.
“Look at me? Don’t you think that is a good idea?”
“I don’t think my father would like me living with a man, especially you.”
Xander threw his hands up. “Oh, God. Really, Ava? You’re a twenty-eight year old woman. He can’t control what you do in your personal life.”
“Yes, I know, but it’s going to be bad enough when he finds out that we are back together. I think us living together would be just too much for him to take.”
“I don’t want to keep living our lives based on what our parents want us to do. We might as well ask them every time we need to make a decision if that is how you want it to be.”
“Please don’t be upset with me. My family has expectations that I need to follow. I don’t want them to be disappointed.”
“How could they ever be? You turned out great. They should be proud of what you accomplished. I know I am.”
Before she could answer him, he pressed his lips to her mouth. They spent the rest of the night and some of the wee hours of the morning making love. Her phone alarm buzzed at 6:00 AM. She had a 9:00 AM flight from LAX. They slipped out of bed bleary-eyed and silently got ready to leave. Ava was lost in her thoughts as she sat on the bed and absentmindedly twisted her ring around her finger.
“Sweetheart? Do you have everything?”
“Yes.” Sh
e said with tears starting to well in her eyes.
“Don’t… Please.” He swiped his thumbs under her eyes to brush away the tears. He picked up her suitcase and held his hand out to her.
While he waited for the valet to pull the car around to the hotel’s front entrance, she checked out. She clung to his hand as he drove to the airport. The last time he did this for her it turned into a disaster, all their plans were dashed. Ava didn’t want to think about that happening again. Her anxiety was starting to escalate. She hadn’t had a panic attack in several years, but she felt her chest getting tight. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths hoping to ward it off.
“Are you okay?” Xander asked when he noticed her face getting flushed.
“Yes, I’m just a little nervous for my flight.”
“You’ll be fine. Text or call me when you get to New York.”
He pulled up to the terminal and went to the passenger side to help her out. He handed the skycap her bag, and then he kissed her passionately.
“It won’t be long until we are together again,” were his parting words to her.
“I love you, Xander Wilder.”
He mouthed he loved her as she disappeared into the terminal.
On the drive home, he felt despondent over the loss of her. He knew it was only temporary, but each time they were separated the wound became fresh.
Chapter 17
Ava arrived at JFK around 6:30 PM. She had tried to sleep on the plane, but she was too nervous. As soon as she got into baggage claim, she checked her messages. There were several from Tim, and she realized that she hadn’t paid attention to her phone most of the weekend. She immediately texted Xander to let him know that she had landed safely. After she had got into a cab, she texted Tim to let him know that she had been away for the weekend. He started to question her and tried to call, but she was so tired she didn’t have the energy to get involved. She would worry about it later.
Back at her apartment, she showered and called Gage’s cell phone to thank him for taking care of Boomer and Riley. They were thrilled to have her back and sat on the vanity in the bathroom while she showered. After she had fed them, she sat on the couch and flipped through her mail. They snuggled up next to her, and she gave them the attention they had missed while she was away. Again Tim tried to call her, and she let it go to voicemail. My, he is persistent.