Book Boyfriends Cafe Summer Lovin' Anthology 2015

by Melinda Curtis

  After they made their selections for the six course dinner, Kim disappeared and Aaron focused on Hannah.

  “So what do you want to know?” he asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You said you hardly know me. What do you want to know?”

  “Umm, ok.” She paused for a minute and he wondered if she was shifting her thoughts from something else. That thought evaporated as she continued talking and he focused on every syllable that came from her lips. “You told me at the ride that you lived in Lebanon? Is that where you’re from?”

  “I grew up in Sunapee. After I finished college, I got the job at the law firm in Leb and settled there for a few years.”

  “Where did you go to college?”

  “Plymouth State. Majored in English, as you might have guessed.”

  The interrogation continued. Though Aaron liked being the subject of her questions. “So what brought up this way?”

  “Do you want the long story or the short one?”

  “Long,” she said with a smile.

  Ok, she wasn’t just making small talk or playing twenty questions. She seemed genuinely interested. Maybe that would work in his favor when he made his next attempt at asking to see her again, because he wasn’t about to give up.

  “Well, my Dad died when I was in high school. And my mom while I was in college. I’m an only child, and so was my mom. My Dad had a brother, Bart, but he never married or had kids. When Uncle Bart died, he left me some land in Bath and some money. Initially, I put a small camper there. Then I built a little log cabin. It was my weekend escape for a few years.” He was happy she didn’t get that sympathetic head tilt or that her eyes didn’t sadden when he spoke of his parents. He hated that, but then, Hannah knew loss, so she probably knew the stigma that came with suffering a loss, too.

  “What were you escaping?” she asked.

  That question surprised him. His weekend escapes started when he was battling cancer. He didn’t think she would want to know that little detail. “Nothing really. Life, I guess. It’s just so peaceful up here. Life seems to happen at a slower pace. I really like that. Anyway, after a couple years, I realized this was where I wanted to be all the time, so I started looking for a job. I was lucky to get the gig at the paper. Or maybe it was just good timing.”

  “You were young when you lost your parents,” she said, very matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah. My Dad was in his seventies. I was a late-in-life child for him. For my mom, too, I guess. She was forty-three when I was born. Sixty-five when she died. She was diabetic. Her kidneys finally gave out on her. My dad died in his sleep. His heart just stopped tickin’.”

  A long sigh escaped on his next breath. He missed his parents. He was glad they didn’t have to see him battle cancer. Even though he had survived, the battle itself would have been heartbreaking for them. Now he was wanting them to meet Hannah.

  “You miss them,” she said as she touched his hand. Aaron felt her empathy, grateful it wasn’t sympathy.

  He wanted to offer her some sort of comfort, too. He turned his hand so he could hold hers. “Yeah, I miss them a lot.”

  It was tough not having any family. Lonely, but she knew that. He squeezed her hand, thinking it must be a thousand times worse for her. At least his parents had lived full lives. Steven was only in his twenties when he died.

  “But I love my life, and I do believe that everything happens for a reason. Moving up here was an easy decision because I had no real ties in the Upper Valley. A job is just that. It’s harder to leave family behind.”

  “So where in Bath is the cabin?”

  “It’s off Pettyboro Road, down near the river. I’ve got twelve acres, mostly wooded. It’s really quiet and secluded."

  Hannah continued to probe and he continued to answer. He hoped she would find him interesting enough to say yes to another date when he once again worked up the courage to ask. Being turned down struck a blow to his confidence, but her smile and laughter, the way she touched him, the way she held on to him when he kissed her, it all told him there was more longevity to them than just one date.

  God, she had even told him she liked him. She was serious, though when she’d said she wasn’t interested in dating. It could just be the concept that scared her. She had said she hadn’t dated anyone since Steven. That’s just semantics, he told himself. He could get around that.

  They were so wrapped up in conversation they missed the sunset just after eight o’clock. When their dinner was served, he took the opportunity to turn the conversation back to her. A couple times she paused after he asked a question, a sadness falling across her face. Aaron couldn’t help but wonder if she was thinking about Steven. And just as he was about to change the subject, she would snap herself out of the sadness and start talking again. There were times when they both laughed so hard it must have resonated throughout the entire inn. He loved the laugher. Hannah’s laugh was genuine, as was her smile. Two more things about her that had him longing to know when he would see her again.

  When they finally left the inn, Aaron took Pearl Lake Road again. The night was far from over, if Hannah was willing. And he hoped she was. After they passed Pearl Lake, he stopped the truck.

  “There’s a meteor shower tonight. It’s supposed to be visible starting around eleven o’clock. If you’re interested, I know a great spot in Landaff where we can watch. It’s a big open field on the side of a hill. No obstructions to the eastern sky.”

  “That sounds great,” she said without hesitation.

  Thank God. This gave him more time to work up the courage to ask her out again without sounding completely pathetic. He made the turn toward Landaff and ten minutes later they were parked in a big open field on the side of a hill. He grabbed a blanket from the back seat of the truck and said, “Let’s go.”

  After spreading the blanket on the ground, Aaron gestured for her to sit. He lay next to her, his head resting on his hands, his legs crossed. Hannah sat back, too, following his lead. It was about 10:30, so they had some time kill before the celestial event began.

  “The sky is amazing here. There’s not much light pollution at my house, but from here, it’s just amazing,” she said.

  You’re amazing, he thought. He turned on his side and watched her as she took inventory of the millions of stars in the sky.

  “Do you know the constellations?” he asked.

  “Only a couple. Orion, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor. Let me guess, you know them all.”

  “I’ve always been a bit of a stargazer. I took an astronomy class in college. Got science credits for my stargazing.”

  “And for wooing the girls, too, I bet.”

  He was hoping it would woo her. “Yeah, something like that,” he said with a chuckle. “So what’s your zodiac sign?”

  “Libra.”

  “Ah, the scales. That’s an easy one to find. And it’s the perfect time of year, too.”

  This was a great excuse to move closer to her. “Ok, can you find Ursa Major? She’s sitting almost directly overhead. Do you see her?”

  She looked around and then nodded when she seemed to spot the constellation.

  “Ok, point to her for me. I’m going to guide your hand to Libra.”

  Hannah complied. He got as close as he could without pressing his body against hers. He wanted to, but if he did, it was going to be difficult to keep himself from rolling on top of her and showing her just how badly he wanted her. Instead, Aaron lined up his vision with her hand, then took her hand in his and guided it lower in the sky toward the horizon.

  “The stars that make up Libra aren’t that bright, so you have to use your imagination a little bit. Did you ever draw a stick house. Just two sides and a triangle for the roof?”

  Hannah’s soft hair brushed his cheek as she nodded. It smelled good. Sweet but natural, not perfumey. He resisted the urge to bury his face in the tawny lengths and breathe in all of her.

  “Ok, well, that’s what you’r
e looking for, but it’ll by lying on its side, with the peak pointing to the right.” He shook his head a little, realizing that just about summed up his position. He steered his brain off the sex-track and traced with Hannah’s hand where the stars formed the constellation.

  “Do you see it?”

  “I think so. It’s pretty faint though.” She moved away from him, but only enough to turn her head. “Now show me yours,” she said with a smile.

  Aaron laughed. He thought about resuming the flirtatious banter they had going earlier, because he did want to show her his, but he didn’t want to spoil the moment. “I’m Gemini. The constellation sits to the west, pretty low on the horizon. We can’t see it from here. But we can come back in the winter when it’s visible.” He didn’t give her a chance to turn him down before he continued. “What is Tabitha?”

  “She’s a Scorpio.”

  “Well, Scorpio sits right next to Libra.” Aaron guided her hand again to Scorpio. He thought it was sweet their constellations sat next to each other amongst the stars. The mother watching over her daughter, even in the night sky.

  “Aaron?” she said, interrupting his rambling. She sat up and looked at him.

  “Yeah?”

  “Will you stop talking and kiss me again?”

  “I want to kiss you again,” he said, as he continued to hold her hand and gaze into her sparkling eyes, but he didn’t make a move. Not knowing when he was going to see her again made him hesitate. He didn’t want to take too much from her and scare her off. If she really wouldn’t see him again however, he wanted to take all she would allow him to.

  “Then what are you waiting for?” she asked.

  He sat up and caressed her cheek. “We’re not in public anymore. There’s no one to interrupt us – and I don’t want to get carried away.” Well, actually, he did, but didn’t think she was up for that. “Making out isn’t supposed to happen until the second date.”

  The smile filled her whole face as she laughed. “Really? Who told you that?”

  “It’s just the rules.”

  “The rules? The rules for what?”

  “Dating,” he said as if he was an expert on the subject.

  “Wait. You’re telling me guys actually follow the rules for dating?”

  “Well, the nice guys who want another date do, and the rules clearly state there is no making out until the second date.”

  “So who makes these rules?”

  “Women make the rules. Women always make the rules.” He winked.

  “So then women can break them, right?”

  Oh, yeah they can. “Hmm, I suppose so but I’m not comfortable encouraging you to break the rules.”

  “Well, from my perspective, this could technically be a third date.”

  “Third date?” he asked, intrigued, and eager to get to the making out part of a third date.

  She held up one finger. “We had coffee on Sunday.” Another finger went up as she counted the dates. “Then breakfast this morning. I think those could qualify as dates if we wanted them to. So right now would be our third date.” A third finger went up.

  One, two, three. Aaron hadn’t considered the book store or breakfast to be actual dates. If Hannah was going to look at it that way, he was willing.

  “I thought we agreed this morning not to call breakfast a date?”

  “I think that was more a suggestion than an agreement.”

  “Third date, huh? That means we missed making out on the second date.”

  “Yeah, but Tabitha was there. She’s already getting enough of an education from Kaylie.”

  “You know, for someone who isn’t interested in dating, you’ve been on quite a few dates with me,” he said in a playful tone.

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”

  He answered by pressing his lips into hers. He still didn’t know what the immediate, or distant future held for them, but she had asked him to kiss her. Twice. So he was, but with much more passion this time. The feel of her soft lips under the caress of his tongue was worth the risk because when he made another slow sweep, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer.

  As her breasts crushed into his chest, he took her into his arms, feeling the warmth of her body, even through the sexy lace blouse she wore. In a fleeting thought he wondered what she wore underneath, but let the thought go quickly. His whole body was awakening under the heat of her touch, he didn’t want to get too aroused. He chose to focus on her lips and as his tongue slowly brushed across the inner swell of her lower lip, he was surprised to find her tongue seeking his.

  Hannah’s body seemed to meld to his hands, and his body to hers as she ran her hands from the nape of his neck through the short lengths of his hair. He couldn’t keep his hands still on her body either. He explored the gentle curve of her spine as one hand caressed her nape and the other moved slowly down the slope of her back. He was tempted to explore the firm curve of her ass, but it was only their third date. Too soon to take everything he wanted from her – and give everything he had. Instead, his hand moved back up her spine, keeping a safe distance from the most intimate regions of her beautiful curves.

  She was so responsive to his touch. God help him, because he was sure she couldn’t know what she was doing to him with her touch. She would know. Someday. He’d wait as long as he needed to, but someday he was going to have all of her, and she all of him. It was fate. The stars were aligning, ever so slowly.

  Aaron had no concept of time. They could have been kissing for mere seconds or it could have been hours. When he forced his lips away from the tenderness of hers, her body shivered under his touch. He realized there was a chill in the air. It was only mid-May and near midnight the clear sky wasn’t offering any insulation from the cool spring air.

  “I have another blanket in the truck if you’re cold,” he said.

  “That’d be great,” she said.

  He rushed to get the blanket, and then wrapped it around her shoulders. Just then he spotted a meteor shooting through the sky. He heard Hannah’s breath catch on a quiet gasp.

  “Did you see that?” he asked.

  “Uh huh,” she replied, nuzzling close to him as he sat down next to her. He pulled her close as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

  “It won’t peak ‘til around two, but we should be able to see quite a few early on.”

  At some point they lay on the blanket for a better vantage point and pulled the second blanket over the top of them for warmth. Aaron’s arm was still wrapped around her and she rested her head on his shoulder. They lay there in silence for nearly an hour watching the meteors rain down.

  Aaron wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but he could tell by her breathing she had nodded off. He thought about waking her and taking her home, but he wasn’t ready to leave her. She felt so good, so right in his arms. This is how forever feels, he thought as he watched God’s sparks shoot across the sky.

  It was hours later when Hannah shifted her head on his shoulder and roused Aaron awake. She was on her side, her arm resting on his chest. The meteor shower was long over and the stars were starting to fade in the morning twilight. He watched her sweet face as her eyes opened slowly and a smile crossed her lips.

  “Did I fall asleep?” she asked.

  “Yeah, I guess we both did.” He kissed her forehead.

  “What time is it?”

  “I have no idea, but it looks like the sun is coming up.”

  “Whoa,” she said, blinking fast as if trying to wash the sleep from her eyes.

  “I should take you home.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

  Aaron laughed. “Hey, looks like we spent the night together.”

  Hannah laughed as she shook her head. “Yeah, looks like we did. Do you always get your way?”

  “Eventually, yes.” He pulled her to him and held her in a tight embrace. Please let me see you again, he prayed silently as he held her.
/>   When she yawned next to his ear, he let her go. He stood, easily pulling her to her feet, and catching her as she stumbled.

  “Ankle a little stiff?” he asked, steadying her. As she nodded, he thought about kissing her, but instead he just smiled and caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers for as long as he thought he could get away with. Another yawn prompted him to take Hannah to the truck.

  He knew she was exhausted because she nodded off again before they were even a mile from the field. He pulled into her driveway and left the truck running, knowing a long good-bye wasn’t in the cards since she’d probably want to get more sleep before her day with Tabitha.

  After he helped her out of the truck, he kissed her. “This isn’t a goodnight kiss. It’s a can’t wait to see you again kiss.”

  Hannah smiled and laughed on a sigh. “Thank you for a wonderful night.”

  “I’ll call you later,” he said, then kissed her once more. He wasn’t going to ask to see her again while she was exhausted. He’d give her the day. Then maybe she’d miss him. At least she might more inclined to say yes.

  Aaron watched as Hannah disappeared into her house. He thought he saw her standing in the bay windows of the dining room, but the truck’s bright lights and the window curtains obstructed the view. In his mind, he pictured her there, smiling as he drove away.

  Chapter 10

  “Mommy, I have to go potty,” Tabitha said over the music blaring from the car radio.

  Hannah cranked the volume down. “Are you kidding me, Tabitha?” she snarled, shooting Tabitha the look in the rear view mirror. It was a short-lived glare as Hannah re-focused on the road ahead. “I just asked you five minutes ago! We already drove past the rest area.”

  “Sorry, Mommy. I didn’t have to go then. Please don’t be mad.”

  “Can you wait?” she asked, trying to be a little more patient. Hannah was starting to think their annual shopping trip was a bad idea. She hadn’t gotten any sleep after Aaron brought her home just after five this morning. None. Zip. Zilch. So what would have been a bad mood anyway was approaching fierce. Taking it out on Tabitha only added self-loathing to the mix of brewing emotions.