Hope Falls_Giving a Little

by Frances Elliot

  At last everyone began to make time-to-get-ready-for-bed noises and drifted away. Joe reached across the table for her hand and covered it lightly with his own. He smiled at her like someone with a toothache. “Doesn’t feel quite…uh, doable,” he said.

  “When I was upstairs, Abby was walking the hall with the baby. It’s like there’s a sentinel on duty up there,” she said.

  The current running between them had changed – the connection had deepened, so it seemed more dangerous now. She wondered if he heard the same warning bells she did, the bells that signaled they were becoming more deeply involved than either had intended.

  In a little more than one day, they had become friends. Friends with an explosive sexual chemistry, a combination that usually spelled “relationship.” The idea that all this was about to end – abruptly and forever – suddenly seemed ridiculous and Emily felt frightened. She didn’t have room in her life for something like this. And besides, he’d made his feelings perfectly clear. Sex was just sex, that’s all.

  She been staring down at their hands, lost in thought, but she could feel his eyes on her. When she forced herself to look up and meet his gaze, she almost gasped. He was staring at her with an intense longing mixed with regret; she thought of a child at a store window, yearning for something he knew he could never have.

  Emily waited for his face to change, for the passion and feeling in his warm brown eyes to disappear, the way it always did. Instead, his expression seemed to deepen and she felt the hand that covered her own grow warmer. Her body responded instantly to that tiny change – her heart thumped hard just once and hesitated before resuming; her breathing slowed; her eyelids fluttered and closed.

  Unconsciously, she moistened her lips and heard him whisper “Oh, don’t.”

  His hand was withdrawn; he pushed his chair away from the table and stood. When Emily opened her eyes and looked across the table, she found herself staring directly at the unmistakable bulge of his erection. This time she did gasp. He came around the table in three steps, pulled her to her feet and slid one arm around her waist, powerfully pulling her into his embrace.

  His other hand was at the back of her neck; she felt his fingers glide up to clasp her hair. He kissed her, their lips meeting with even more intensity than before. “Tomorrow,” he was murmuring, “tomorrow I will find somewhere we can go.”

  Emily felt so fragile, almost helpless in his grasp, but she knew she could trust him, that as long as he held her, everything would be all right. And then he released her, stepping back hastily. Without thinking, she lifted her arms in entreaty, willing him back to her. She saw him hesitate, then turn to walk away. “Tomorrow,” he said, his voice raspy.

  The sound of his footsteps almost running up the stairs stopped for a moment and Emily caught and held her breath. Then the footsteps began again, now measured and slow. She sat back down and stared blankly at the kitchen around her, thinking what a long night it was going to be. Maybe another piece of pie, she thought. Or better yet, two.

  Chapter Five – Friday Morning

  Joe stood at the attic window watching with enormous satisfaction as assorted vehicles carried away assorted Elmores. He looked down to Flash, who sat sedately on the desk in front of him. “Alone at last,” he said.

  How long should I wait, he wondered. Because surely someone had forgotten something – a list, a cellphone, a “Take an Extra 10% Off!” coupon, hat, gloves, muffler, baby blanket. Twenty minutes, he decided. After twenty minutes, he could assume the forgetful would decide to do without.

  He’d gone downstairs at seven and been shocked by the crowd in the kitchen, already dressed and fed. He’d declined – gracefully, he hoped – a series of remarkably unappealing invitations. Well, no, he didn’t think he’d want to drive to Sacramento with the girls, do a little Christmas shopping. And thanks, but hanging out with the husbands who’d agreed to baby-sit wasn’t exactly up his alley, either. Looking at new cars and lunch in town with Mr. and Mrs. Elmore sure was tempting, but he’d passed on that option, too.

  What he’d planned to do was sit at the computer and check every Airbnb listing within a fifty-mile radius. He would find a place to take Emily if it took the last dollar he had. Very gradually, it dawned on him that everyone was going out – and going out for a considerable length of time. He could hardly believe his luck. But…where was Emily? For all he knew, she’d already left the house at this ungodly hour. He couldn’t ask; his voice would betray something, no matter how casually he tried to put the question.

  As if she’d been reading his mind, Mrs. Elmore mentioned that Emily had protested loudly at attempts to rouse her for any of these expeditions and was still upstairs sleeping. Joe hoped he’d sounded convincing when he said he thought he might go back to bed himself, big day yesterday, etc. He’d sort of trailed off there, but everyone seemed too busy to notice.

  Now he gave Flash a final pat on the head, checked the driveway one more time, and went downstairs. At Emily’s door he paused, uncertain whether or not to knock. He tapped lightly, turning the knob at the same time, and poked his head inside the darkened room. Her deep, even breathing told him she slept; he began to close the door, then paused again.

  This was irresistible. Shutting the door behind him, he walked silently over to the bed, tossed his robe on the floor and carefully sat down. She was on her side, facing away from him; he lifted the fluffy comforter and slid close, fitting his body against her curves. With his hand, he brushed the hair back and away from her neck, then wrapped the arm around her waist.

  He lightly kissed the back of her neck, reveling in her sleep-warmed scent. She stirred slightly, stretching along the length of his body, relaxed again and snuggled even closer. Her beautiful ass pressed firmly against his erection – he enjoyed the sensation for just a moment before moving his hips an inch away. He wanted to make this last.

  Take your time, he told himself – give yourself something to remember for the long, cold winter nights ahead. Tomorrow she’ll be on the other side of the country, busy with her job, preoccupied, forgetting him – not right away, he flattered himself – but soon. Should have known better, he told himself. So much safer to stay away from women like this.

  But seriously, there was only so much he could ask of himself. He moved his hand down to her waist and tugging gently, untied the drawstring of the pajamas, then eased the soft fabric down to the tops of her legs. He ran his hand along the smooth roundness of her ass, sighing to himself. “Emily,” he said softly. “Emily.”

  She half-woke, murmured to herself and then, feeling him pressed against her, said “Mmm,” and settled back into sleep.

  Stealthily, enjoying himself, he reached around and slipped his hand under her pajama top, pressing his palm to the smooth, taut skin of her torso. Again she murmured to herself and then he felt her stiffen, flinch, and wriggle away from his embrace. She sat up, her eyes wide, and spoke in a stage whisper. “Are you crazy, we—”

  He turned onto his back and folded his arms behind his head. “We are all alone,” he said at a normal volume.

  “Really? For how long?” Looking slightly dazed, she added, “No, wait. I’ll be right back.”

  When she got out of bed, the pajama bottoms dropped to the floor; she looked puzzled for a moment, then seemed to dismiss the thought and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  Joe watched her crossing the room and suppressed a little moan – the pajama top just reached the top of her legs, exposing tantalizing glimpses of her backside as she walked. That was an image that would return to haunt him many times, he knew.

  In a few minutes she came back, stretched out beside him and propped her head on her arm. “Okay. I sort of remember Abby coming in and talking to me, but that’s about all. Where’d everybody go? When are they coming back?”

  “You tell me. Your sister went down to Sacramento, to go shopping with—”

  Emily snorted, interrupting him. “Back at five o’cl
ock, four at the earliest. Next?”

  “Your mom and dad went to look at new cars, then lunch in town.”

  “They’re getting a new car?”

  Joe looked mystified. “How should I know? Stay on track, babe.”

  Emily thought a moment. “They’ll eat early – home by twelve-thirty.”

  “And Aaron took the kids over to some other guy’s house.”

  “Hmm. He’ll bail as soon as soon as my mom comes home and he can hand them over to her.”

  “So?” Waggling his eyebrows, he reached over and one by one, undid the large buttons of the pajamas. “Can you think of anything you want to do while they’re gone?”

  Smiling, she scooted closer. “I’m a little hungry,” she said thoughtfully.

  “Let’s see if I can distract you,” he replied.

  Very slowly, he pushed one side of the pajama top away, exposing her breast. As he stroked it with his fingertips, he watched her face and saw her eyes change, grow dreamily faraway. He wanted to kiss her, but he hesitated. Something held him back; that old Don’t Get Involved warning light was flashing. Then he smiled at himself. All those “just sex” warnings? Those had been for you, buddy – not her.

  Shifting his eyes away from hers, he leant his head, touched his lips to her nipple, and briefly swirled the tip of his tongue around the areola. He stopped after only a moment and began to kiss along her collarbone while trailing his fingertips down the side of her neck, across her shoulder, down her arm. Almost inaudibly, she sighed, then stretched, rolled onto her back and closed her eyes.

  Joe paused a moment, admiring her. “So beautiful,” he whispered.

  With his fingers, he traced a line down the center of her torso and back up to circle her breast before opening his hand to gently hold and cup it. His lips grazed her nipple again before he began to nuzzle and kiss the softness of the breast; he heard her take a long, deep breath.

  Oddly, he felt no urge to hurry – he knew he could happily do this all day. She was so open, so accepting, so responsive to him that he felt a new, strange desire to please her, make certain this was wonderful for her. He gave his head a tiny shake, knowing this desire was yet another dangerous breach in the walls that surrounded him. Women always seemed satisfied and that had been enough; he’d never wanted to think about them before.

  The sheet rustled as she twitched and moved her legs apart slightly. He ran his hand down the satiny skin of her body to the outside of her thigh, then up the inside, pausing just below her sex. He put his lips around her nipple and sucked as gently as he could. As it hardened in his mouth, he circled it with his tongue, took it lightly in his teeth and held it. She stirred again and he felt her hands, one on his shoulder, the other curled around the back of his head, her fingers gliding through his hair.

  “Touch me. Please, Joe. Move your hand, put it between my legs,” she murmured, her lips near his ear. She fidgeted, trying to edge her sex toward the hand on her thigh.

  An extraordinary surge of desire shot through him at the sound of her voice. His cock grew harder and it was all he could do not to roll over and ram himself inside her. He did as she asked, moving his hand, but resting it only lightly on the top of her sex. “Like this?” he asked, lifting his head from her breast and looking into her eyes. “Tell me. Tell me what else you want.”

  She gazed back at him, her eyes glimmering with lust, her lips parted. “Oh, move your fingers, go inside, touch me.”

  He slid two fingers into the deliciously slick, wet folds; touching her in one place, then another, avoiding her clitoris. Her hips lifted up to his hand, straining. In a voice not quite her own, she began to speak again, softly directing him, “there, there, no, up,” until she trailed off into a low, continuous moan.

  The hand at his shoulder moved away; she crooked it around her head, her fingertips touching her ear. Her eyelids fluttered closed. Joe felt the hand at the back of his head exert pressure, urging his mouth back to her breast. He sucked at the nipple again, more firmly this time, and nipped at her with his teeth.

  When he at last began to lightly stroke and move his fingers around her clit, she gasped and slid her hand down to cover his. Pressing his fingers, guiding his hand, she seemed unaware of anything beyond pleasure. Joe had never been with a woman quite so uninhibited – every time she spoke or directed him, he grew more aroused, more inflamed by her excitement.

  Panting now, she gasped out “Oh, don’t stop,” and then whimpered.

  The skin of her breast grew warmer under his lips; he raised his head to see the rosy flush covering her torso and watched her quiver once, twice and stop. For a moment he slowed his fingers, teasing her along, then resumed again and her shudder deeply all over her body. “Ah,” he said softly, his eyes on her face. “Here we go.”

  He felt the flesh beneath his hand swell and seem to blossom around his fingers, heard her cry out, watched as her hips jerked slightly. His own breath was shallow; his body quivered, too. As her spasms subsided, he moved his hand and rested it on her thigh. He lightly kissed his way down to her navel, then laid his head on her torso.

  It took several minutes for her breathing to slow; he felt her fingers running slowly, musingly through his hair. With the back his hand, he stroked down her thigh, then back up with the pads of his fingers. Her voice was low as she said, “I’m not usually…” There was a pause. “Do you think I’m too…never mind…” She trailed off as if unsure she wanted to hear the answer.

  “Oh, you are definitely not too anything,” he said as he moved up to put his head on the pillow beside hers. “You are…I think you’re the most exciting woman I’ve ever been with.”

  She kept her eyes on the ceiling and he saw her begin to smile. She flipped onto her side, braced her head on her hand and looked down into his face, her eyes shining. “Really?”

  “Yes, my sweet patootie, really. Stop fishing.”

  Sliding her hand over his chest and abs and stopping just above his erect cock, she said, “Kind of funny you don’t fuck me, then.”

  He kept his eyes steadfastly away from hers. “Oh, I intend to fuck you,” he said, trying for, but not quite achieving, nonchalance. “I just haven’t decided how. Do you have a preference?”

  Her hand stretched down to close lightly around his erection. “I was giving some thought to sucking you senseless,” she said.

  “Oh my god, woman,” he groaned and pushed her onto her back again. “Not this time. Get your legs open,” he added as leaned over the edge of the bed and grabbed the condom from his robe pocket. Now he was in a hurry – the instant it was on, he rolled on top of her.

  Almost as soon as he entered her, gliding smoothly in, she moaned and wrapped her legs around his back, pulling him deeper. He tried to control himself, keep his thrusts slow, deep, even, but her excitement level already seemed so high it was difficult to do. She was meeting his thrusts with such urgency, the walls inside her clasping him so firmly.

  And then she looked up at him, licked her lips and said, “Joe, Joe, will you turn me over again? I loved it when you—”

  He groaned loudly, pulled out, flipped her onto her knees and pushed roughly inside her again. She arched her back, finding the angle that pleased her best, and let out a muffled scream. Her unrestrained delight overwhelmed him; he felt he could not get enough of her, could not go deeply enough inside her.

  Gripping her hips even more firmly, he forced her to accept a slower pace and she responded at once, moaning deep in her throat. He felt the muscles beneath his hands relax as she ceded control to him, became his, to use as he liked. The room around him seemed to fade away, his focus narrowing until he was aware of only his intense pleasure.

  He was prolonging each thrust, pulling almost all the way out, pausing, then gliding slowly back in, savoring each micro-millimeter of her. And then as he ever so gradually increased his speed, he became of her voice, low and slightly hoarse, murmuring in time with his strokes. “Oh, fuck me…fuck me…fuck me
.”

  Every nerve in his body lit up and he was lost, completely abandoned to sensation. Just as he realized he could wait no longer, he felt that distinctive shuddering tremor run through her and this time she did scream, the sound wild, untamed.

  They climaxed together and Joe felt almost frightened by the sudden onrush of emotion that engulfed him. He hardly knew this woman yet all at once it seemed she had become a part of him, as if she had reached inside and taken possession of him. For one terrifying moment, he felt the prick of tears in his eyes.

  Still breathing hard, his mind spinning, he flopped beside her and closed his eyes. Neither spoke for several minutes – Joe wondered, for perhaps the first time in his life, what the woman beside him was thinking. Then he heard her stir and opened his eyes. She drew her arms under her and propped herself on her elbows, turning her face to his. Her hair was tousled; her skin shone with effort; her eyes were wide and excited – she looked like someone who’d opened the perfect gift. “Why?” she said. “Why do you think we’re so impossibly great together? I don’t even know you.”

  Joe didn’t know what he’d expected, but it sure wasn’t this – this unabashed wonder, this sheer delight in their experience. He found he was matching her grin with his own. “Beats me,” he said and reached over to brush the hair from her face.

  Her face changed; he watched her eyes dart around for a moment before she bit her lip and looked at him again, her eyes still bright. “You know, it’s completely ridiculous to think we’re just going to walk away from this. I’m coming back at Christmas, say you will, too.”

  He stared back at her open-mouthed, dumbstruck. All at once she’d become so direct, so, so happily practical, that he couldn’t think of a reply. Of course he wasn’t coming back at Christmas – he was never coming back if he could help it. He didn’t belong here and he couldn’t even think about being surrounded by a happy family at Christmas.