by Tia Siren
Chapter 28
Edward was up early for a Friday. With no classes, he usually tried to sleep in, mostly to rest up for his weekends. He loved spending them with Eva and this weekend was no different. He had a picnic planned at a park in the next town and hopefully some swimming if the water was warm enough. He was finally going to come clean and tell her who he really was. He had achieved what he had set out to do. He found Eva, connected with her and waited for their connection to strengthen. Continuing with the whole teacher role playing was no longer necessary. He just didn’t know how she was going to take the news of who he really was but he needed to tell her. It worried him, left him restless through most of the night and had him up early when he didn’t need to be.
He made coffee and sat at the breakfast table. Sipping on his morning java he looked at his watch. Eva was just walking into her western history class and would be finished for the day by noon.
“I need to keep busy,” he said rubbing his face. He went to his laptop and put some time in on the new business Joseph started. A couple of hours into reports and emails, a new email popped up and he answered it immediately when he saw Eva’s name.
I know I just had dinner with you last night but I miss the hell out of your face. I can’t wait to see you later today.
Edward replied back: It can’t come soon enough my sweet. Pick you up at the usual place?
I’ll be waiting.
As soon as Edward pulled up to the small bus stop on the corner just outside the university, Eva danced toward his car. She got in and leaned over to kiss his cheek.
“I didn’t think one o’clock was ever going to get here,” she said. “I’ve missed you.”
“I think I can get used to this.” He put the car in gear and drove out of town.
“What do you have planned?”
“An intimate picnic by the lake.”
“Sounds lovely,” she cooed.
When they pulled up into the park he shut his car off and quickly got out running to the other side to let Eva out.
“It doesn’t look very busy at all.”
“That’s a good thing. We’ll have the whole place to ourselves.”
“Pretty much.”
He opened the trunk and pulled out a large picnic basket and a blanket. They set up next to the lake, the sun shining in a big blue sky and not a cloud in sight. They enjoyed each other’s company as they dined on sandwiches and beer. Conversation flowed freely as it always did between the two, but what he really wanted to talk about played in the back of his mind and tightened his stomach. She smiled when he talked and he relished in the twinkle in her eyes. He was afraid his choice in conversation might change all of that and it made him procrastinate longer than he should.
“Do you read much?” she asked as her fingers played with a button on his shirt.
“I used to. I guess I have gotten so busy with life that I had forgotten how much I love it.”
“What do you like to read? Who are your favorites?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Charles Dickens, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe.”
“Edgar Allen Poe?” she grimaced.
“He is a brilliant writer.”
“If you like bad dreams, I guess.”
“What do you like to read?”
“I am a romantic at heart, so I love Emily Brontë and Shakespeare.”
“Ah, yes. Good old Shakespeare.”
“And Jane Austen. She was brilliant, such a romantic.”
“Who doesn’t love a good sappy love story, right?”
She put what was left of the food back into the basket and sprawled out on the blanket, resting her head on his lap. The sun soaked into her body as she closed her eyes.
He stroked her hair, his senses full of every part of her. He wanted to make love to her, to melt into her body, to drown in her hair. Her sigh was heaven to his ears. She was happy.
“Eva,” he heard himself say.
Her eyes remained closed and her lips still wore a smile.
“I want to talk to you about something.”
She hummed through another sigh, high on life and drunk on his touch.
“I have some things I need to tell you.”
Her eyes flew open and she sat up quickly. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, of course.”
“We are okay?”
“More than okay,” he smiled.
“Oh, good. You got so serious all of a sudden that it was starting to make me nervous.”
“Well, I want to get serious with you for a minute. I think our relationship….”
“Wait!” she yelled. She jumped up onto her feet and looked around and with a devious giggle she pulled her top off.
“Eva, what are you doing?”
“It’s too beautiful of a day for serious talk. Come on!” She grabbed his hand and pulled at him to stand up. When he complied, she pulled her skirt off and stood before him in just her underwear. She was giddy as she stampeded the ground with her feet. Without notice, she charged toward the lake and laughed when her feet hit the water.
He watched her as she ran further into the lake, water splashing everywhere until her body disappeared. He laughed and shed his body of his own clothes.
When he reached the water, she emerged laughing and yelling out “It’s so invigorating!”
He stepped into the water and the cold surrounded his feet. He jumped back out and shook his head.
“Oh, hell no! Are you crazy, girl? That water is freezing!”
“Oh, come on, you big baby. It’s stimulating!”
“You are not getting me in there.”
“No?” she asked, cocking her head. She slipped down into the water again and re-emerged holding her bra in her hand. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, now that is low. You’re not playing fair.”
She wiggled in the water again and pulled her other hand out that held her panties.
“Come here, my darling. I have something for you.” It was her turn to look serious and he knew if he stayed there much longer, she was going to see just what she was doing to him.
He took a big breath and quickly ran into the water, letting it consume him and take over his body heat. He lunged toward her as she turned to swim away from him, squealing and laughing. When he finally got to her, they were barely touching the bottom, the water lapping against their bodies and splashing up into their faces. He guided his hands to her naked body and let them flow over her curves. Her playfulness and laughter had retired into a smoldering look of desire. His hands cupped her breasts, his eyes waiting for the water to be generous enough to allow him a glimpse of what he held.
She moved closer to him, their bodies touching. He felt the heat from her through the cold of the water.
“Love me, Eddie,” she whispered.
He guided her a little closer to shore so they weren’t so submerged, pulling his hands out of the water he cupped her neck and pulled her to him. His kiss deepened as soon as their lips touched. He picked her up in the water and fed her legs around his waist careful to stay private from their surroundings and possible passersby. Her tongue searched for his and her fingers locked themselves around him. Within moments he was inside her, loving her, claiming her, consuming her. Everything he wanted to say to her had vanished from his thoughts.
She moved on his body with the flow of the water around them, their bodies heated and moving together. As their arousal increased, they were less careful and concealed. Eva’s breathing grew heavier every time Edward moved her body up and down against him. She hugged his head into her breasts now exposed out of the water as he pushed into her deeper. Her breaths turned into delightful grunts that turned into yelps until she grabbed him and pulled him into her, her body stiffening and her cries not so hushed. Her orgasm overtook her while he still fucked her, his own climax threatening to do the same to him. When it finally surfaced, it teased him until he couldn’t take it any longer and he thrust into her, a guttural groan coming
from deep within him and exploding out of his mouth as his orgasm exploded into pulsating spasms of pleasure.
They clung onto each other, their breathing out of control until they realized they had to have drawn the attention of anyone who might have wandered close by the lake with the show they just put on. Eva quickly submerged her body into the water and looked around as Edward grabbed their undergarments still floating close by.
“Eddie? Look.”
He looked at her then toward their picnic set up she was pointing at. A white Audi hatchback had pulled in front of his car and close to where they were picnicking.
“Who is that?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“What if it’s someone we know?”
“It’s probably just some perv trying to get his kicks watching us.” He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “I wouldn’t worry. Why don’t you stay here just in case?”
He handed her clothes to her and slipped his on the best he could. When he began swimming back toward their things, the car backed out and pulled away. He stopped when he got his feet on the bottom of the lake and looked back at her. They both shrugged and brushed it off as someone trying to get an eyeful.
Eva caught up to him and they sprawled out on the blanket to dry themselves under the warm sun. Their bodies intertwined themselves and they held each other as the sun went down. The sunset wasn’t the most spectacular of sunsets, but as long as he was with her he would have stayed there in an all out thunderstorm if she wanted to.
“I have something for you,” he said not moving from his spot.
She pulled her head off his chest and looked at him with a smile. “You do?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“What is it?” She quickly sat up.
He chuckled at her inability to keep her patience about her when gifts were involved. He reached over and pulled a small jewelry box from the picnic basket. Before he could hand it to her, she snatched it out of his grasp and tore the top off.
“Oh, Eddie. It’s adorable.” She pulled a small pendant from the box and held it up to get a better look.
“It isn’t much but I thought you could add it to your charm bracelet. It’s a small cup of coffee to signify the first place we met.”
“I love it.” She hugged him tightly and admired the charm again. “Thank you so much.” She rolled off him and sat up. “Actually, I have something for you too.”
He smiled and watched as she leapt up and ran to his car. A few moments later she sat back down and held a woven rope bracelet in front of him. “I made it.”
“I love it.” He tried to take it but she swooped it up in the air before he was able to. “Playing games are we?” He tackled her to the blanket and kissed her neck.
“No,” she giggled. “I wanted to explain something before I gave it to you.”
“Oh, sorry.” He sat back up and let her continue after pulling herself back up.
“I made this for you a few days ago.” She watched his eyes intently, her words weighted down with a sort of sexual prowess. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he had a feeling he was going to like it.
“So why did you wait to give it to me?”
“Because it didn’t cost only a very small amount to make.” Her eyes stayed focused on him. “I wanted to do something to make it special, just for you.”
“What did you do to make it special for me, Eva?”
“I wore it,” she said, hesitating. “I tied it to the inside of my panties. Right here.” She pointed to the side of her stomach by her hip where the elastic of her panties sat on her skin.
“You… did?”
She nodded a small nod, her eyes still glued to his. She held the bracelet out to him and as soon as she opened her hand he quickly took it from her and put it on his wrist. He looked at her and raised his wrist to his nose, inhaling deeply and closing his eyes as a hint of the scent of her body teased his senses. When he opened his eyes, and looked at her again, she was smiling in a way that told him she was worried how he would react to her gift and at that moment she was thrilled that he was pleased with her.
“I love you, Eddie.” Eva sat in front of him, her back straight, her hands folded in her lap and her words sounding like something read out of a text book.
It didn’t register with him at first, until he saw her eyes begin to sadden. He felt his heart tighten.
She loves me.
He searched her face and saw submission. He needed to tell her who he really was before this. He cupped her face and leaned in, kissing her lips tenderly. He kissed her cheek and then her jaw. His whisper was barely audible but sent goosebumps across her skin when he spoke.
“I love you, Eva.”
Chapter 29
“Hey, Joseph. How are things going?”
“Pretty damned good. The new company really took off. I can’t wait to show you the numbers and go over the new plans.”
“New plans already? Wow. If you want, I can meet up with you sometime this week.”
“Oh yeah? I actually get to see you in person for a change?”
“You do.”
“To what do I owe such a pleasure?”
“I’m resigning my position here this week. I’ve done what I wanted to do and now I just need to tell Eva the truth. There’s no sense in keeping the teacher’s position any longer.”
“Man, I can’t believe you even got away with it.”
“It’s not over yet. I still have to break it to Eva. I just hope she takes it well.”
“Yeah,” Joseph’s words dripped with sarcasm. “I can see where telling the woman of your dreams that you are actually loaded would be a problem.”
“You don’t know her. She’s different.”
“Edward?”
“Yeah.”
“Why do I sense a difference in you?”
“What do you mean?”
“No. Nooo, man are you kidding?”
“What the hell is wrong with you? What are you talking about?”
“You fell in love with her, didn’t you?”
“I, um, yeah. I guess I did.” Edward was smiling a big smile when he realized how hard he had fallen for her. “I’m in love with her,” he said more for his own pleasure.
“Oh, boy. Just don’t lose who you really are, huh?”
“I’m still me. Don’t worry.”
“Well, you go and enjoy your new romance. Don’t run off and get too serious before I get to meet this beauty.”
“You’ve got my word, bud.”
“I gotta jet. Hook up with me later on in the week.”
“You got it.”
He numbly hung up his phone and repeated the words again. “I’m in love with her.” He let the feeling take over his body.
Later in the day, he had called administration to set up an appointment to officially resign from his teaching position.
“I can schedule you to come in next Wednesday to meet with the Dean.”
“Nothing sooner?”
“Sorry, no. We are short staffed and back logged.”
“Okay. Wednesday it is.”
He hung up with them, scheduled his day for Wednesday and ventured out toward the local bookstore. His plan was to tell Eva about who he really was that evening during dinner. A gift involving her favorite author might soften the blow, or so he hoped.
Scouring the shelves for Jane Austen, he found the section he was looking for and pulled a few books that he thought Eva might like. He opened up the first one and silently read a few lines.
“In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Elizabeth's astonishment was beyond expression. She stared, coloured, doubted, and was silent. This he considered sufficient encouragement, and the avowal of all that he felt and had long felt for her immediately followed. He spoke well, but there were feelings besides those of the heart to be detailed, and he was no
t more eloquent on the subject of tenderness than of pride. His sense of her inferiority -- of its being a degradation -- of the family obstacles which judgment had always opposed to inclination, were dwelt on with a warmth which seemed due to the consequence he was wounding, but was very unlikely to recommend his suit.
He closed the book and looked at the cover.
“Very nice.”
He decided to purchase Pride and Prejudice as well as a couple of other Jane Austen books and when he walked to the end of the aisle and looked up to find the cashier, he saw Gracie standing outside the window of the bookstore. He quickly moved back between the shelves and kept his eyes on her until she left, but she stood there as if waiting for someone, occasionally looking back into the bookstore through the window.
“Damn.” He snuck to the back of the store hoping for another way out but each back door was alarmed if opened. The front door was his only way out and it was growing close to the time for his class. “Screw this,” he said, pulling his phone out. He dialed administration to cancel. He wasn’t going to deal with the sister of the guy who almost killed him. Just as his phone started to ring he felt a hand on his back. He jumped and turned quickly.
“Hello, Eddie.” Gracie stood in front of him with a smile on her face. “Fancy running into you here.”
“Gracie. Hello.” He quickly hung up his phone and shoved it into his pocket.
“Who were you calling?”
“No one. A friend of mine. He wasn’t there. What are you doing here?”
“Buying a book?” she said, looking at the shelves lined with books.
“Isn’t there a bookstore closer to campus?”
“This book is only available in this store,” she shrugged. “Why?”
“No reason. I know you must be quite busy. I didn’t know if you were aware of the other one closer.”
“I’m well aware of that one. It’s okay. It gets me away from the everyday life stuff I have to deal with. Plus, I got to run into you. Bonus.”
“Yes. It was nice seeing you again,” he said as he tried walking by her. “I have to get going.”
“Why?” She stepped in front of him.
“I have a class that starts in about twenty minutes.”