by Naomi Niles
His hazel eyes were sharp and focused as he gazed at me. “It feels…like flying,” he answered.
I let out a deep breath. It was a beautiful description, and it felt like the right one. I told him about my childhood wish for flight. It was just a passing thought I wanted to share with someone, a small piece of my childhood I hadn’t remembered till just now.
“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”
His words were soft and reverent. They engulfed me in that moment and heightened my desires. I was finally ready to be held. After years of being alone, after years of staving off the fierce bite of loneliness, I was ready to be welcome a man’s touch.
I dropped my arms and stared at Sam for a moment. He really was a beautiful man. He reminded me of Clint somehow. It had nothing to do with looks. Clint had been leaner and ganglier. It was just a feeling that linked them together.
I approached Sam without hesitation. I took his face into my hands and kissed him on the lips. It was a perfect, erotic kiss. I could smell his breath on my tongue. I could feel his eyelashes tickle my face. I was aware of the fact that he was gripping the bar as though he were scared he would lose control. I ran my tongue across his lower lip and felt him shudder. Then I pulled away and stared into those calm hazel eyes.
He held my gaze for a moment, and then I felt his hands come down around my hips. He rubbed my sides slowly before his hands travelled to my ass, cupping my buttocks and lifting me in the next breath so that my legs were wrapped around his waist. With my hands around his neck, I bent my head down to kiss him as he walked towards the pool table, carrying me as though I barely weighed a thing. Then, he placed me down spread eagle on the pool table and climbed on top of me.
It had been years since I’d been with a man. It had been years since anyone had touched me the way that Sam was touching me now. It was overwhelming – and I was desperate for more. There were so many things I wanted to do to him. There were so many things I wanted him to do to me. I wanted to fit years of missed opportunity into these few straggling moments of lust.
Sam settled himself on top of me, even as his hand travelled up between my legs. I parted them slightly for him, and he examined me gently, pushing two lean fingers inside me to inspect my wetness. I had wanted to prolong the moment, but I knew instantly that I had been waiting too long. I wanted him to fuck me now.
I reached out with my hands and unbuttoned his pants. He helped me push them off and then sat up a little so he could remove his shirt. I stared in wonder at his nakedness. His body looked as though it had been carved from stone.
And yet somehow, it was even more beautiful because it wasn’t perfect. There was a light dusting of chest hair just above the hard wall of muscle that lined his stomach. He had a few scars lining his body. He even had a small mark that I recognized as a burn scar above his left nipple.
I pushed myself up on my elbows just so that I could kiss that spot. He was a real man – raw and unadorned. His body was a testament to that.
After I was done marvelling at his perfect chest and his rock hard abs, my eyes fell to his groin. His penis was large and willingly erect. I felt another swell of wetness between my thighs as I gazed at the length of him.
I reached out with one hand to cup his penis so that I could guide him inside me. I slipped in easily and gasped in delirious excitement as we fused together like two parts of a jigsaw. He pushed himself deep inside me and held himself there for a long moment before he drew back again. I grabbed at the muscle on his back and closed my eyes, surrendering myself to the wave of sensations I’d almost forgotten.
He fucked me slowly at first, in gentle unhurried motions that had a certain rhythmic motion. With one hand, he pulled off my blouse and unfastened my bra. When my breasts were loose and free, Sam bent his head down and took a nipple into his mouth, playing with it and teasing me with a new wave of sensations. I moaned and writhed, but he just kept going.
I pulled his face up to mine desperately and started kissing him with new vigour. I wanted to taste him; I wanted to feel his tongue doing battle with my own. I wanted the burning heat of those carnal desires being met. I lost myself in the moment and bit down on his lower lip. His body shuddered as he pulled away for a moment, though he never once cried out.
I wanted to say I was sorry, but the apology froze on my tongue when I saw the new lust in his eyes. He set his hands down firmly on either side of my head and started ramming into me with a strength I didn’t know he had. He was strong and powerful, and my body wasn’t prepared for the onslaught.
I gripped at the edges of the pool table, and I heard myself screaming in new bouts of ecstasy. My screams only seemed to spur him on further until all I could hear was the sound of my moans intermingled with the sound of our flesh making contact. My orgasm was like a heavy release. It was like being delivered after years of starvation. And in that moment, I honestly believed I had achieved my childhood dream of flight. Because that was what it felt like…it felt like I was flying.
I shuddered and writhed, and he kept fucking me like the world was going to end. Just when I thought it was over, he grabbed me and pulled me upright so that I was straddling him, so that I was looking down at him. His hands gripped my ass and guided me for a few moments until I gained my bearings and was ready to take the reins.
I moved my hips back and forth, this position giving me new sensations to play with. I clung to his neck, his arms, and his chest, thrilled with the little beads of sweat forming there. I licked them off while I grinded violently against him, bringing my second orgasm to completion. A few seconds later, he came, too, and I felt his body collapse against mine. I kissed the side of his face as he rubbed his hands up and down my back.
We held each other for perhaps a minute before I pulled away and reached for my discarded clothes. Sam disentangled himself from my limbs and hopped down off the pool table. Then he helped me down, and we got dressed together.
“Would you take me home please?” I asked.
“Of course,” Sam nodded.
I waited patiently while he closed up and then led me to his pick up. He started the drive to my place, and I felt a strange sense of calm wash over me, despite the nagging headache starting to emerge at my temples. By the time we got home, the small headache had burgeoned into a fully-fledged pounding resonating through my eardrums.
“Are you alright?” he asked, noticing the uncomfortable look on my face.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “It’s just…headache.”
“Ah, I think the alcohol might be starting to wear off,” he said. “Why don’t I help you inside?”
“You don’t have to do that,” I said.
“I want to.”
I paused. “Renni will be asleep,” I said.
“I’ll be really quiet,” Sam insisted.
After a moment, I nodded. We tip toed into the house, passing Vanessa on the fold out couch, and headed towards my room. Sam closed the door behind us and helped me to the bed. Then he undressed me and pulled the covers over so that I was cocooned in warmth and comfort.
“Do you have any aspirin?” he asked softly.
“In the bathroom,” I told him.
He reappeared moments later with aspirin and a glass of water. He sat down next to me, held my head up like a child, and helped me take the medicine. It had been a long time since I’d been looked after like that, and I felt my heart melt for him. It felt so wonderful to just lie back and have someone do things for you.
“You’ll feel better in a bit,” Sam said, rubbing his fingers against my temples.
“Wow,” I breathed. “That feels amazing.”
He smiled. “I do this for myself when I get headaches. It really helps, doesn’t it?”
“It really, really does,” I sighed.
“I’m glad you like it.”
He seemed in no hurry to stop, and I didn’t bother asking him to. For just a few moments, I wanted to be selfish. For just a few moments, I w
anted to be pampered and looked after. Because when I woke up the next morning, there would be no time left over for myself.
“It’s late isn’t it?” I said, glancing at the clock on my bedside table.
“Yes,” Sam nodded. “Would you like me to leave?”
He had misunderstood my observation as a subtle way of telling him to go. But the thought was suddenly abhorrent to me. I found myself reaching out to him, grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him closer to me.
“No,” I said. “Please don’t go. Stay here with me.”
He didn’t answer, but I felt him kick off his shoes and settle into place beside me. I relaxed into him, resting my head against the hard surface of his chest. I had forgotten how exceptionally wonderful it was to fall asleep against another human being. It didn’t feel like flying, exactly. It felt more like floating.
Chapter Fifteen
Sam
I woke up groggily, and for a second, I genuinely had no idea where I was. It took another moment before I was conscious of the fact that there was someone lying next to me. I glanced down and saw Mia’s dark hair thrown across my chest, creating a pattern of waves there. I admired the angular beauty of her face for a moment before panic started to set in.
I never spent the night with women, particularly not women I barely knew. My flight instinct was kicking in, and I wanted to leave before she woke up. At the same time, I was aware of the fact that I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want her to think last night had been just about sex. I shook my head. Isn’t that exactly what it had been, though? I was confusing myself.
I slowly unwound Mia’s limbs from my own and snuck out of bed, careful to make as little noise as possible. I put on my boxers and I was just pulling up my pants when Mia sighed, turned, and opened her eyes, catching me in the act. She stared at me with those brilliant green eyes for a long moment before she sat up quickly.
“What time is it?” she asked urgently.
“I…
“Six-ten,” she answered herself, as she glanced at the clock on her bedside table. “Oh, it’s still early.”
“Yeah…”
She turned to me, and I wasn’t sure if I saw accusation in her eyes. “You’re leaving?”
“Um… I have an early shift today,” I lied. In truth, my shift wasn’t due to start for hours. I just wanted to get out of here and clear my head as soon as possible.
“Right,” Mia nodded. “Well, you better get going. Would you mind handing me my robe, please? It’s on the chair in the corner.”
I pulled on my pants, fastened them quickly, and then handed her the dressing gown she had pointed out to me. She slipped it on and got out of bed, adjusting her hair as she did so.
I could sense a slight awkwardness between us. The comfort of last night had dissipated slightly and I wondered if the alcohol had more to do with the magic I had sensed between us than anything else.
Mia went to her bedroom door, opened it, and peeked outside. “Vanessa’s still sleeping,” she told me. “And Renni is, too.”
I nodded, realizing that she didn’t want me to be seen as I made my way out of her house. I pulled on my t-shirt and headed out the door. She followed me quietly and opened the front door to let me out.
“Thanks for taking care of me last night,” Mia said at the threshold.
“It was my pleasure.” I smiled at her formally. “I guess I’ll see you around…”
She hesitated for a moment. “Sure,” she said uncertainly.
I wasn’t sure if she was happy to be rid of me or annoyed with the fact that I had been trying to sneak out while she had been asleep. I was aware that this was the first time ever I actually felt like a jerk for doing so.
I got into my truck and headed straight for Peter’s house. It was early, but I knew Peter and Madison would both be up.
Peter liked his cooking time in the morning and Madison usually woke up a little earlier than usual just to keep him company. That was true love, in my opinion – when you actually sacrificed sleep to be with your significant other. I found them both in the kitchen.
“Hi, guys,” I said, taking a seat at the table. “I’ve got troubles.”
Madison and Peter exchanged an amused glance. “Well, good morning to you, too,” Peter said, rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah,” I nodded, reaching for the homemade muffins on the table. “Chocolate chip?” I asked, directing my question at Madison.
“Chocolate chip and banana,” she nodded. “I helped make them.”
I took a bite. “Damn, these are good.”
“So?” she asked curiously. “What’s your problem?”
“I had sex last night.”
Peter sat down between Madison and me and sipped his coffee. “I knew you didn’t have a problem,” he said. “You’re just here to brag.”
I shot him a dirty look. “You don’t know the whole story.”
“Okay,” he said. “Shock me.”
“Her name is Mia,” I explained. “And, I spent the night with her.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Hmm…intentionally?”
“Well, she asked me to stay with her,” I admitted.
“And, you actually listened?”
“We had a good night,” I shrugged. “And… I… I don’t know… We seemed to have a connection.”
It appeared I really had succeeded in shocking Peter because he gave Madison a curious look before turning back to me. “What was this connection based on?”
“She was in a car accident about a week ago,” Sam said. “I was one of the fire fighters on the ground.”
“You hit on a woman who’d just been in a car accident?” Madison asked.
“It wasn’t like that,” I said, trying to defend myself.
“It wasn’t?”
“Okay, maybe it was a little like that.”
“You are a piece of work,” Peter said, shaking his head at me.
“Hey, she seemed to like me, too,” I said. “Her kid certainly did.”
“She has a kid?” Madison asked.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Did I not mention that part?”
“You conveniently left that part out,” Peter said.
“She has a daughter named Renni,” I said. “She’s five and smart as a whip.”
“So you’ve…spent time with her daughter?” Madison asked.
“Yeah.”
“Isn’t that sort of a big step?” she asked cautiously.
“It’s not what it sounds like,” I rushed to clarify. “I was the one who pulled Renni out of the backseat of the car. I was with her until Mia was finished being examined. The kid was scared and upset, so I was just…distracting her. It wasn’t like Mia and I were dating and she introduced me to her daughter.”
“Hmm,” Madison nodded, but she didn’t sound totally convinced.
“It’s complicated,” I said.
“It seems that way,” Peter nodded. “Let me ask you a question.”
“Okay?”
“What happened last night exactly?” he asked. “What made you stay with her?”
“It was a combination of things,” I admitted. “She was slightly drunk and had a headache coming on. I drove her back home and walked her to her room. She just needed someone to…look out for her.”
“And you stepped up,” Madison smiled.
“Well, yeah,” I nodded. “There was no one else.”
“Where was her kid?” Peter asked.
“Sleeping,” I said. “Mia has a really close friend who looks after Renni when she’s at work.”
“And, this friend was at the house, too?” Peter asked.
“What are you getting at?”
“Why didn’t you just wake the friend up and have her take care of Mia?” he asked slyly.
I sighed and leaned back in my seat. “That would have been a dick move.”
“Isn’t that your only move?” Peter asked. “Especially after sleeping with a woman?”
&nb
sp; I sighed. “I think I’m losing my touch.”
“I for one think that’s something you should be proud of,” Madison said, patting me on the back. “Come on, Sam, did you really think you were going to be able to do this forever?”
“What do you mean?”
“This casual sex thing you’ve got going,” she explained. “At some point, some girl was bound to make an impression on you. And it seems you’ve finally met your match.”
“Are you saying I have feelings for her?” I was appalled.
“It certainly sounds that way,” she nodded with a smile.
“I barely know her,” I said defensively.
“I barely knew Madison,” Peter pointed out. “That didn’t stop me falling.”
“Whoa,” I said, holding up my hands as though to shield myself from the two of them. “Hold up. I’m not ‘falling’ here.”
“Oh, okay,” he nodded, as though he believed me. “I guess that means you aren’t going to see Mia again, huh?”
His phrasing had the desired effect. My face crumpled slightly, and I could feel the disappointment etched there. “Umm…”
“Umm what?” Peter asked calmly.
I sighed. “I do want to see her again,” I admitted.
Madison clapped her hands together excitedly. “I knew it! I knew this was bound to happen sooner or later.”
“Personally, I was hoping for much, much later,” I sighed.
“Please,” Peter rolled his eyes at me. “You were hoping for never.”
“Or that,” I agreed.
“You act as though this is a bad thing,” Madison said reproachfully.
I shook my head. “I’m getting ahead of myself. This is not serious. I’m not in love with this woman. She’s just…a little different from the women I usually sleep with. That’s the reason she’s made more of an impression.”
Madison and Peter exchanged a glance. “If you say so,” Peter said. Then he pushed the plate of muffins towards me. “Another muffin?” he offered.
I took another muffin from the plate and took a big mouthful. I didn’t stop thinking about our conversation the entire way to Jackson’s Bar. Peter and Madison’s words kept echoing in my ears and it was starting to make me a little nervous. The bar was silent when I walked in, but Jackson’s car was parked outsidem so I knew he was around somewhere.