by Emily Snow
And just like that, I’m suddenly wide-awake.
Aiden grabs his jeans and removes a foil packet from his wallet. When he returns his attention to me, it’s to devour my body once more with his eyes. It’s as if he can’t look his fill of me.
Kneeling before me, Aiden unsnaps the plastic clasp of my bra, freeing my breasts from their lacy restraints. He also wastes no time getting rid of my panties. Rolling on the condom, he looks up at me once more. “Are you sure?”
“Very sure,” I tell him before his erection connects with my sensitive core.
“Don’t close your eyes,” he tells me as he lines his body up with mine.
As Aiden slowly pushes inside of me, it’s like coming home. The tightness and fullness of it fades away, leaving only my love for him. And I do. I love him. I know I do. I never stopped.
“Are you okay?” he whispers hoarsely, stopping when he’s halfway seated inside of me.
“I’m more than okay,” I confirm, wiggling my hips, encouraging him to continue.
Aiden pulls out slightly before pushing forward again. This Aiden is so much bigger than I remember, and I start to wonder if I’ll ever be able to take him all the way in.
“Relax, Rainbow,” he tells me as he gently pushes further in.
When he’s fully seated, I revel in the amazing fullness and eroticism of this moment. My breathing is harsh and jaded, and my body has thundered back to life in a tsunami of desire. How I could possibly want this man so fiercely after two amazing orgasms is beyond me.
“I gotta move, sweetheart,” Aiden says through ragged breath, sweat starting to break out on his brow.
“Then move.”
And holy shit, does he move. His strokes are long and deliberate as he moves his body within mine. He gently holds my legs, wrapping those long fingers around the outsides of my thighs. Aiden claims my body with his own, carefully driving me towards the finish line.
The closer I get, so does Aiden. His hips begin to move in a hurried, crazed sort of way, as if he can’t control his body’s need for release any further. The primal look in his eyes is my undoing. I grab his neck and pull him down, consuming his mouth in a blazing kiss, as he continues to pound into me. The friction of his body against my swollen clit sends me headlong into another, less intense, yet equally satisfying orgasm. “God, yes…” I groan, his name the only other word on my lips.
My internal muscles grip his shaft, pulling him tightly and triggering his own release. Our eyes remain open and locked on each other, our lips barely a whisper apart, and our moans of release filling the quiet night.
When the aftershocks of pleasure start to subside, Aiden places soft, sweet kisses on my swollen lips. Our breath mixes in short, labored pants and our bodies molding together from sweat. I could die right now and I’d go a happy woman. Being here, wrapped in Aiden’s arms, naked from amazing sex, is heaven.
And I don’t want to think about it ending. Again.
“Don’t do that. Don’t think about it,” he whispers. Aiden always had the ability to know exactly what I was thinking, sometimes even before I knew. It was part of the reason why we clicked so well together.
I can’t deny that I wasn’t thinking it, so I don’t. Keeping my arms firmly locked around his neck, Aiden lifts me, holding me tightly against his body. I realize as he walks me into his bedroom, over his sleeping dog, that he’s still completely seated inside of me. And that he’s unmistakably hard once more. The realization is both exhilarating and intimidating.
As Aiden starts to set me down on the bed, I latch onto him, not wanting to lose his body from within mine. “I need to grab you a washcloth,” he says, trying to move, but unable to eradicate his cock from my core.
“I need you to move,” I tell him boldly, working my internal muscles against him.
His groan fills the room. “Sweetheart, you’re going to be sore tomorrow if we do this again.”
“I need you, Aiden. Please,” I beg him, looking deep into those stunning golden eyes.
Never one to be able to refuse me, Aiden reaches over and grabs a fresh condom out of his bedside table. I let him pull free only long enough to sheath himself once more before I push his shoulder, sending him sprawling on the comforter.
Climbing on his body, I slowly kiss my way down his chest, licking and sucking on his nipples. I grind myself against his thick erection, coating his cock in my wetness, until his cock surges upward, filling me in one swift, fluid motion.
We both sigh in complete contentment, our bodies uniting again in a moment of pure bliss. I move up and down, riding him like a cowgirl at a rodeo until we’re both left satisfied and exhausted. And then I curl up into him, his warm body tucked protectively around mine.
I don’t know what the morning will bring or the next day or the next. But I do know that I’m completely happy right here, right now. I’m elated to be with Aiden, falling asleep in his arms. Wrapped up in the only man I’ve ever loved.
I’m finally at peace.
Chapter Six
Aiden
Sunshine blinding me through the windows is a rare occurrence. I’m usually up well before the sun, enjoying my second cup of coffee as I prepare for my day. It’s been a long damn time since I woke up with my arms wrapped around lush curves and soft skin. And an even longer time since that woman was Colbi Leigh.
My mind instantly returns to the night I spent with her. First, on the deck outside, then the two times we made love in this bed. A bed that has only ever held myself. Alone. Her scent of jasmine fills my being with familiarity and hope. Hope that maybe this won’t be the last time I wake with her in my arms.
But then reality starts to set in. I know she’s only here for another week, and then she returns to her life in New York. A life that doesn’t include me.
Knowing that Colbi didn’t return to Pleasureville but a few times in her eight-year absence because of her fears, still heckles me. I let her go so she could follow her dreams. I never would have pressured her to stay with me during any of her return visits. She knows that, and now I know that she wasn’t worried about me convincing her to stay: she was worried about her own convictions.
So as I snuggle against the woman of my dreams, her back to my front, I grasp onto that little sliver of hope. That maybe, someday, Colbi will return to Pleasureville and to me. Chances are I’m still going to be left heartbroken and alone when she leaves in a week, but at least I know it’s not anything I can’t handle. She left before and I survived. I’ll survive this time, too.
Colbi wriggles her perfect ass against my dick, causing my morning wood to surge to life. “Vixen, you better watch it, or you’re going to find yourself flat on your back with my dick buried inside of you again,” I whisper heatedly in her ear as I move her until she’s beneath me, grabbing two handfuls of that lush ass.
“That doesn’t sound like much of a threat,” she sasses, my dick rigid and raring to go once more as I rub it against her slick pussy.
“If you want to be able to walk today, I suggest you keep it PG. I have no problem keeping you here, bending to my every whim for the rest of the day.”
“See, I still don’t see the threat. That sounds like a great day to me,” she says, wiggling against my cock once more. She’s two seconds away from being ravished.
“Unfortunately, I’m late for work. I should’ve been up at the barn a half hour ago,” I say as I playfully bite her shoulder. Her gasp goes straight to my throbbing dick. I’m going to need a long, cold shower before I’ll be able to function today.
As if reading my mind, Colbi says, “Well, forgive me for causing you to be late, but you do need to shower before you go, correct? And I need to shower.” The look she gives me is down right scandalous. “See where I’m going with this, slugger?”
“Oh, I know exactly where you’re going with this,” I say moments before I stand up and throw her over my shoulder, carting her naked ass off towards the bathroom. “And I know exactly what you
’re going to get when we get there,” I add, playfully slapping her ass as I step into the adjoining bathroom.
* * *
Three. That’s how many nights I’ve spent meeting Colbi down at the pond to enjoy stargazing before we find ourselves tangled up together in my bed. We instantly fell into a comfortable routine that involves plenty of laughs, talks, and sex.
As that ominous deadline draws closer, I find myself more agitated and restless than ever. It’s Thursday night and I’m anxious to see her. As I do every other night, I sense her presence before she makes herself known.
“Tell me about your job,” I say, pulling her tightly against me. I feel her tense instantly. “We’ve been skirting around it the entire time you’ve been here, but I want to know. I need to know about that part of your life.”
Colbi sighs deeply. “My senior year, I was chosen for an elite internship with one of the top designers in New York. I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to finally get some real experience under my belt. My first day with Alana Kensington, I knew I was doing what I always wanted to do. And at the end of the internship, a position opened up. She offered me a job as her assistant.”
“That’s amazing, Colbi.”
“I guess. I mean, I was excited and all, but something was missing.”
“What?”
“Designing. I am basically her gopher. She has me running copies, making calls, and getting her coffee, but I have yet to work on a real wedding dress with her. I basically hold the pins while she works the material into the bride’s dream dress. I tried to show her some of my designs on several occasions, but she brushes me off like I’m not worth her time. To this day, she has yet to look at any of the drawings I’ve offered. I’ve been very explicitly reminded, on more than one occasion, that I work for her. That my designs have no place in her company.”
“Quit. She clearly doesn’t know talent when she sees it.”
“I can’t just quit, Aiden. Alana Kensington is an amazing resource and a true trendsetter in the business.”
“But how is she any resource of yours if all you’re doing is fetching her coffee or ordering her lunch? If you want to make it in that industry, you need to be known in the industry. You need to show your designs and work firsthand on dresses. If she won’t look at your ideas, find someone who will,” I tell her, my words full of passion. It sickens me that she’s spent all this time in New York only to never reach the dreams she set out to achieve.
“You make it sound so easy,” she whispers.
“It can be that easy. If Alana doesn’t want to see your brilliance, then find someone who will. Go door to door if you have to. Knock on the door of every custom wedding designer in New York until someone recognizes your talent and begs you to work with them.”
Her laughter casts off the water. “You have so much faith in me and you haven’t even seen my work. I could suck.”
“There’s no way you suck. You wouldn’t have received that fancy shmancy internship with that high flutin’ woman if you sucked.”
“If you say so,” she chuckles.
“I say so,” I say, running my hand over her bare shoulder. “Will you show me sometime? Your drawings and stuff?”
“Okay. If you really want to see them,” she says, gazing up at me. Those big blue eyes filled with so much wonder and excitement.
“I want to. And I want you to seriously think about finding another place to work. I’m not trying to bully you or anything, but if you’re not doin’ what you’ve always dreamed about doin’, well, then it’s time to find someplace where you can do it.”
We’re both quiet for quite some time afterwards. It bothers me that she went off to New York to do her thing, only to have some bitch from hell boss hold her back. The concept makes my blood boil and my pulse race. I know it wasn’t going to be easy for her–no dream worth having is easy–but it seems like any real role model would be more interested in teaching than hindering. My gut tells me that her boss is holding her back, and I don’t like it.
Not one bit.
Later that night, while we’re nestled together, naked, beneath a blanket on the floor in front of the roaring fireplace, I fixate on the fact that we’re down to a few nights. Colbi fell asleep hours ago, but I haven’t found the ability to close my eyes. It’s well after midnight now, the date officially Friday. And Colbi leaves on Sunday. She leaves in just two short days.
Our time is coming to an end, and as exhaustion finally starts to take hold, I grab on to every ounce of strength I possess, every bit of fortitude I can find. Because when it’s all said and done, I’m going to need that strength, that fortitude, to get up and keep going come Monday morning. The morning after she leaves again. When I wake up alone.
* * *
“What are you doing here so late?” Mom asks as I slip into her kitchen to find her sitting at the table, head engrossed in a crossword puzzle. Even though it’s Friday night, I knew exactly where I’d find her.
“I was getting ready to head to the house and thought I’d check to see if you had any manicotti left.”
Mom gives me a warm smile before she gets up to retrieve a plastic container of cheese-stuffed noodles. “Sit down and let me fix you some.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m a big boy,” I remind her as I take the opposite seat to the one she vacated.
“I know you are, but a mother never minds waiting on her son.”
I laugh, incredulously. “If I recall correctly, you constantly reminded me when I was younger that you weren’t put on this earth to wait on me hand and foot.”
Mom waves off my statement. “That was when you were a boy and I was teaching you how to be self-sufficient. Now that you know, I don’t mind helping.” She places three large noodles on a plate, covers them with sauce, and places it in the microwave. “Why aren’t you with Colbi tonight?”
“She went to dinner with her parents, and then she was going to help them plan a Memorial Day gathering on Monday at Marcus’s grave.”
“Scott mentioned that she’s not staying for the service on Monday,” Mom says as she retrieves the plate from the microwave and places it in front of me.
“No, she has to be to work on Monday morning, so her flight leaves Sunday.” The thought causes the bite I just ate to turn to lead in my gut. Just the thought of her leaving on Sunday and possibly never returning again is enough to do me in.
“What are you going to do about telling that girl that you’re still in love with her?” she says as she sits down across from me.
“Wow, Mom, don’t hold back any. And who says I’m still in love with her?”
“Oh, please, boy. I’ve been watching you two for the past week. You love her the same as you did before she left. In fact, I’d bet money on the fact that you never stopped. Am I right?”
I just look at her, refusing to give the answer she’s rooting for. But I also know she doesn’t need my confirmation to know it’s true. “Whether I’m in love with Colbi or not doesn’t matter. She’s leaving the day after tomorrow to fly home.”
“You could ask her to stay,” Mom gently prods.
I set my fork down, all thoughts of food abandoned the moment Mom started talking about love and Colbi. “I won’t do that. I won’t ask her to stay. Not for me, Mom. She has to want to stay for herself. Otherwise, it’ll never work. She’ll be miserable and I can’t stand the thought of that. I’d rather have her happy in New York City than sad here with me.”
“Maybe she won’t be miserable here, Aiden. Maybe she needs to be reminded of what is here waiting for her.”
“You don’t think I haven’t wanted to get down on my knees and beg her to stay? You don’t think that the thought of her getting on that plane isn’t tearing me up inside? The thought of never holding her again or kissing her? It kills me to think about it, but I won’t ask her to stay, Mom. I won’t be the reason she’s unhappy.”
“What makes you think she would be unhappy?”
“I
don’t know, but I do know that she would always wonder ‘what if.’ I want her to stay because she loves me. I want her to stay because she can’t live without me. I want her to stay because it’s the only place she belongs. But I want her to come to that realization on her own. I won’t encourage or sway her either way. I will support whatever decision she makes.”
“Even if that decision takes her back to New York?”
I swallow hard before I answer. “Yes.”
Because at the end of the day, I will let her go. I will let her go the same way I let her go eight years ago. And this time, when she boards that plane, she’ll take what’s left of my heart with her.
Chapter Seven
Colbi
“You’re sure we can’t talk you into staying until after the service on Monday? It’s Memorial Day.” Mom has asked this question no less than four times since our evening began with dinner at the café a few hours ago.
“I can’t, Mom. Alana has been very lenient these past few days, but I think her patience is wearing thin. She called me, again, this morning to confirm my return for Monday.”
“But, your brother passed away, for God’s sake. I would think she could grant you one extra day to be with your family. Who makes their employees work on Memorial Day, anyway?” Her words are like daggers straight to my chest. I want to be here with my parents on Monday to honor and celebrate Marcus’ life, but Alana made it very clear on the phone this morning: be in the office at eight o’clock Monday morning or find a new job.
“She can’t stay, Karen. Quit badgering the poor girl,” my dad says from his seat across from me. “I’m just glad she’s here with us now.” Dad’s smile is warm and genuine as he winks over his glass of sweet tea.
“I know. I just hate the thought of her returning to New York. It’s so far away,” she says, her eyes misting with unshed tears.
“What if I don’t return to New York?” I ask, the words flying from my lips before I have a chance to reel them back or consider their meaning.