Champagne Kisses: A Timeless Love Story

by Krista Lakes

  Dean removed one of his hands from my ass, bringing it up to my boobs. His strong fingers kneaded them. Every time his hand touched my nipple, I felt a surge of pleasure rush through my veins. I could feel the bulge in his shorts as our bodies rubbed together. I wanted it. I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything before. As our kisses grew more intense, I moaned loudly. I was working myself into a frenzy, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

  Dean wasn't much better off. My moaning seemed to be spurring him on, and he growled hungrily as he moved his lips to my jaw. As he moved his mouth farther down, his teeth grazed the skin of my neck before he nibbled my shoulder. My nails clawed at his back, and I meant to scream out "Dean!" but it came out as only a whisper. He heard me loud and clear, though, and he kissed across my neck to my other shoulder. He bit down on that one too, claiming me as his own.

  I had had enough and couldn't take any more. I moved my hands down, tugging on his shorts. I felt him pull his rod out, pushing it against the fabric of my bikini bottom. Without a second thought, I pulled the fabric to the side, allowing him access to my inner sanctum. He pressed against me...

  And then he pulled back. He looked at me very seriously. His blue eyes searched mine, asking for reassurance. "I don't have a condom," he said sheepishly, his mouth forming half a smile. An unanswered question lay behind those eyes. Are you okay with this?

  All thoughts of rejecting him were already out the window, but that last gesture was the moment I knew I was in love. To answer his non-question, I grabbed onto his manhood, guiding it into myself. A wave splashed on Dean's back, pushing him forward just as I felt him swell within me. His hands went to my ass, steadying me.

  As he regained his footing, he began to move me back and forth. I couldn't help myself as I began to moan loudly. I glanced down to see him biting his lip, admiring at my body up and down. I felt so sexy in front of him, completely unashamed of any flaws I might have. I could tell that he thought I was perfect, that I was everything he wanted in a woman.

  Despite wave after wave crashing over our bodies, Dean's pace remained constant. The friction against my body caused my own pleasure to rise and fall in waves, though it grew ever higher. Within another minute, I found myself hugging Dean's strong body tightly. Maybe if I held him close, he'd never stop admiring me, never stop causing me this pleasure.

  I felt a tidal wave of euphoria rising within me, and I knew that it would soon crash against my shore. I held on for dear life as Dean's speed increased gradually, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. I felt my levee break, felt my body open up as ecstasy swept me up in its power. As my orgasm hit, I pushed myself away from Dean's body. I wanted to see those blue eyes.

  Suddenly, Dean's fingers tightened on my ass. His face contorted but his eyes never left mine. I nodded fiercely, letting him know what I wanted. Do it, please. I was no longer thinking rationally, and as his mouth dropped with pleasure, I felt him fill my body with a tidal wave of his own. My own orgasm heightened, and I felt my muscles draw him in deeper. I wanted him. I wanted all of him, and I never wanted this moment to end.

  The moment did end, though, and soon his pace slowed down. He stared into my eyes, his face full of wonder. I probably had the same look on my face, and the thought on both of our minds was clear. How did we get so lucky?

  We kissed softly, tenderly, as the waves continued to crash over us. Eventually, he set me down. I fixed my bathing suit and he pulled his back up. He held my hand as he surveyed the beach for his surfboard. When he found it, he pointed it out to me, then squeezed my hand. He dove into the water and headed toward the beach. I followed close behind, realizing we hadn't said a word since our mutual orgasm. We didn't have to.

  ***

  Tony and Kim were still at the condo when we got back. Dean stayed in the front room and chatted with Tony as I changed out of my bathing suit. When I was naked, Dean entered my room. I began to cover up with my hands, but then smiled and relaxed. He still looked at me hungrily, as if he were seeing me naked for the first time.

  "Frontera and Kim are going to stay here tonight," he said. "Would you like to stay at my place again?"

  I smiled at him. "I'd love to."

  "Bring some pajamas," he said. "I wouldn't want you to get cold."

  ***

  Dean and I laid on the roof of Tony's house. There wasn't much light pollution, so Dean told me about all the constellations he knew. He told me stories about being in the Army. I didn't care what he talked about. All I cared about was the fact that he was holding my hand.

  Beneath us, Jenny and Matt were going at it again, and Jenny couldn't help but be loud. I was glad she was having such a good time, because I had never had a better time in my life. A shooting star flared across the sky, and I knew what my wish was immediately. I wished that this week would never end, that Dean and I could stay up on this roof or hang out at the bar forever. I'd even spend forever surfing with him.

  If this vacation couldn't last forever, if life demanded that we move on, then I would be all right with that, as long as Dean was still a part of my life.

  Chapter 9

  Two and a half years ago

  I alternated between staring at the heavy wooden doors and glaring at my watch. A notepad with a new pen sat waiting at my fingertips, but I wasn't even tempted to doodle. Dean Sherman had my complete and utter attention, and he wasn't even in the room yet.

  What would I say to him? Hi, Dean. I sent you a letter every day for a month, but I never got one from you. That sounded too harsh. Especially since I knew he had never gotten a single one of my letters. I had sent them out religiously once I moved to New York to work for the Saunders family, but after a month of no replies, the postman had handed me a stack of unopened letters. Something in the address Dean had given me had made them undeliverable.

  You could have just told me you weren't interested. Instead I waited for you. I asked my landlord to forward all my mail, but I never got anything. Not even a postcard! No, that wasn't fair either. It was very possible that my landlord just was lazy and threw out all my mail instead of forwarding it. Maybe he wouldn't even remember me. Maybe he had simply wanted to forget me.

  Maybe I was just a stupid summer fling. That one hurt more than I wanted it to. Even after all this time, I still felt a connection. I hoped it wasn't just me.

  The heavy wooden door swung open, and Dean strode in. My heart jumped into my throat as I took him in. It was definitely my Dean. He was still tall and lean, with the grace of a hunting cat. His dark hair had a slight smattering of silver, but instead of making him look old, it made him look distinguished. His eyes were exactly how I remembered them, blue pools the color of a winter sky.

  He stopped for a moment as the door swung shut behind him. His eyes went wide for a moment, his cheeks going pale, but he regained his composure so quickly I wasn't one hundred percent sure I had even seen him hesitate.

  "Hello, Dean," I said, proud that my voice didn't shake. I wiped my hand on my skirt under the desk before rising and offering it to him. His hand enveloped mine, the touch sending electrified tingles down my spine. His face gave nothing away as he let go and took a seat across from me.

  "Rachel. I didn't know you worked for the Saunders family." He kept his voice neutral and professional, but I felt a thrill that he recognized me. I pushed my excitement down, though. Nothing good could come from it.

  "Yes. I've worked for them for over twenty years. I'm Jack Saunders' personal assistant. I see you brought a resume?" I hoped I sounded confident because my knees were shaking. Dean slid a professional-looking resume across the desk. I had its twin in front of me, but I read down the paper again.

  Joined the Army at seventeen. Selected for Special Forces and trained extensively. Deployments with Desert Storm and other classified missions. Released from the service and became a close protection officer in several diplomatic parties. His most recent position was with the young starlet.

  "What ma
de you choose this profession? It looks like you were a soldier," I said looking up at him over my glasses. He was sitting perfectly straight, his suit hanging in tailored clean lines off his lithe body.

  "I was injured. I took a bullet to the shoulder which makes using a rifle painful. I was released with full honors, and my commander recommended me to the protection detail for a visiting senator. My skill set transferred easily, and I have been a close protection officer ever since." His voice never fluctuated. He was the perfect example of calm. I prayed he didn't see how nervous I was.

  "I see. It appears as though you have ten years experience in this sector. Why are you looking for a new position?"

  Dean shifted slightly in his seat. His jaw tensed for a moment, but he answered matter-of-factly, "I was fired for breaking my client's associate's nose."

  I raised my eyebrows. He continued.

  "My former client is currently, and publicly, seeking treatment for substance abuse. I believed the man in question was selling her said substance, and as per my contract, I stopped him. My client was not pleased and revoked the contract."

  His honest admission surprised me. You have been dealing with too many business sharks, I told myself. I liked the honest and straightforward tone of his voice; the way he spoke with authority and self-assurance. He had grown up from the cocky young man and replaced it with real confidence.

  "I see. If you take this job with Mr. Saunders, you will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, as well as have some strange hours. Mr. Saunders will need to have you at his disposal day and night. This is not conducive to a family life. Would this be a problem for you?" I hoped my attempt at finding out if he ever married wasn't too blatant.

  Dean cocked his head for a moment, then gave me a sly smile. I blushed, knowing he had figured me out.

  "I don't have any family. My parents died before I joined the service, and I've never been married." A sadness crept into his eyes. "I could never find anyone willing to put up with me. Do you find it hard to be in the Saunders' employ?"

  I shuffled the papers on the desk before answering. I wanted him to know I was still single, still waiting for someone, without being obvious. "No. The Saunders are the only family I have. I'm married to my work."

  A ghost of a smile crossed Dean's rugged features. The room was far too warm for my taste, and I felt a trickle of sweat run down my back. The electricity in the room was humming as though we had never been apart.

  "I see you were with the one-oh-one unit for another two years after..." my voice cracked slightly as I remembered that vacation we had together, " after your deployment for Desert Storm."

  "And?" Dean's eyes grew hard. I didn't know if it was from remembering our time together or what he had seen in the war.

  "What happened to you?" Why did you never write? Why didn't call me? You broke my heart!

  "I got shot. I watched my friend die in my arms and almost lost another. And the worse part was that we weren't even allowed to tell our families where we were. Frontera died and I didn't even get to tell his mother why," Dean said. His voice stayed quiet, but there was a hidden anger and silent pleading for me to understand. He didn't write me because he couldn't. It didn't take the pain away.

  "Tony died? What happened to Matt?" I couldn't help but ask. I wondered if Kimberly knew. She had always said she knew something bad happened to him.

  Dean's blue eyes met mine. There was a dark pain in their cerulean depths and I wished I could jump up and hug him, but I knew I couldn't. It had been a long time since we were lovers.

  "He's alive and well. He actually lives not too far from here in a little town on the coast." He watched me absorb the information. I waited for a moment to see if he would ask about Kimberly and Jenny, but he stayed silent.

  I cleared my throat. This interview was getting away from me. "Why would you like this job?"

  He flashed me a dashing smile and leaned back slightly in his chair. "I'm the perfect person to protect Jack Saunders. I'm subtle. I stop things before they happen. Mr. Saunders is the world's most eligible billionaire bachelor, and as a result he has the press's interest. His younger brother catches the media's attention on a regular basis, and thus thrusts Jack Saunders into the spotlight. He needs someone who can react and assess, and thus prevent a situation rather than smashing a reporter's camera."

  "And what makes you think that's what I want?" My voice came out far huskier than I intended and I hoped he didn't notice the blush threatening to consume me.

  Dean leaned forward, making my heart skip a beat as he came closer to me. "I know you want me because I'm here interviewing. If you didn't think I would be a good fit for this position, I wouldn't be here."

  I swallowed hard. I stammered and began to fuss with the documents in front of me. Dean gave me a smile and sat back, enjoying my fluster.

  "Would you have any trouble reporting to me as your supervisor?" I asked the question bluntly, trying to find a way to regain control of the heat coursing through my body. With him sitting within arms' reach, every memory of our time together was flooding through me. I hadn't expected it to be like this.

  "You are in charge, ma'am. I'll do anything you wish." He shot me a confident smile that made me unsure as to whether or not he intended the double meaning. The emotions of the past were threatening to overwhelm me, and I had to stop this before I lost control of the situation.

  "You should know that there is a strict no fraternization between employees policy."

  "That's not going to be a problem, Ms. Weber."

  The room suddenly dropped ten degrees. I wasn't hot anymore. His face regained a guarded expression, the teasing grin gone. It almost hurt to have the tension between us cut so quickly. I wanted to fix it, but I knew I couldn't. Not if we were going to work together. Our past was very much over, and there was no hope for our future.

  "Well, Mr. Sherman, you have all the necessary qualifications. This interview was merely a formality. The Saunders family had already decided to hire you. You start tomorrow morning. I'll have someone bring in the paperwork."

  I stood up, my heart alternating between pounding and freezing. I didn't know what to do with the mix of emotions running through my mind. Dean stood as well and shook my hand. I could still feel the current of electricity running through our touch, though it didn't match with his icy demeanor.

  Gathering my papers, I scurried out the door, afraid to even glance behind me. I needed to clear my head and hopefully figure out what I was going to do. Working with Dean was not going to be easy, and I only had until tomorrow morning to figure out how to do it. At least this time I wouldn't have the distraction of waking up in his bed, I thought.

  Chapter 10

  June 7th, 1990

  The sky was just beginning to glow with the promise of morning when I felt Dean slip out of bed. He padded quietly on the floor, picking up his clothes and dressing. I peeked one eye open to watch him wriggle into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, admiring the view. It was worth it to wake up a little to see his body move. His blue eyes caught me peeking and he came over and sat on the edge of the bed.

  "Go back to sleep," he whispered, leaning over to kiss my forehead. His lips were warm and soft, so soft that I never wanted them to leave.

  "Where are you going?" Sleep made my voice creak like an old door. Dean brushed the hair off my forehead, smiling down at me. He looked like an angel in the morning light.

  "Boy things today. Remember?" Dean's blue eyes twinkled with excitement. I nodded slowly, remembering that he had said something about going out with Matt and Tony today.

  "Have fun. When will you be back?" I asked, sitting up slightly.

  "Late afternoon." He kissed me again softly. "Go back to sleep."

  I mumbled an "Okay" and shifted to my side, finding a cool spot on the pillow. Dean made sure the sheet was tucked up around me before he quietly tip-toed out and shut the door.

  ***

  The roar of motorcycle engines
in the late afternoon made me look up. The growling rumble was loud enough to hurt my ears as three bikes powered up toward the house. Kimberly flashed me a big grin, practically flinging her book down on the sand in order to run to the front of the boys' house to greet them. I marked my place and grabbed my swimsuit cover. Then, I followed her at a more sedate pace. Jenny was already hot on Kimberly's heels.

  In the large driveway of the big beach house, the three men revved their engines and grinned at us girls coming to greet them. Jenny hopped on the back of Matt's bike and squealed with delight as he raced around the open street.

  Tony and Dean started doing dangerous-looking patterns with their bikes, obviously showing off their skills. The two of them made tight figure-eights around each other, eluding one another and certain death by mere inches. I wanted to cover my eyes, sure they were both going to crash and die. Then, they powered into a high-speed circle. They chased one another in such a tight spin that it looked as though their bikes were moving along the ground on their wheel rims. My breath caught in my throat, fear threatening to choke me.

  I wanted them to stop. I hated motorcycles. Something about them scared me. Maybe it was the noise, maybe it was that I liked some steel between me and a certain death, maybe it was the accident that put my cousin James in the hospital for three weeks. In any case, to me, they were just glorified death traps.

  Dean laughed as Tony pulled out of the circle-chase and over to where Kimberly stood, her hands on her face in total amazement at their daredevil antics. The manly testosterone effects of the bikes were certainly working on her and Jenny.

  "Wanna ride?" Tony asked Kimberly, her shy smile threatening to beam off her face. She nodded and he pulled her onto the back of his bike, revving the engine. He handed her his helmet, and she kissed his cheek before putting it on.