by R. J. Dillon
They slowed their kisses as their bodies calmed down.
Faith smiled at him, “Are you alright?”
He continued to kiss her. “That’s never happened to me before. You didn’t even touch me. Your pleasure got me there.” He lowered himself to slip Faith’s underwear back on her, kissing her gently on her thighs, stomach, chest, and neck as he made his way back to her lips. He reached up, grabbed a pillow from one of the chairs and lied on his back next to her. She rested her head high on his chest, with one leg resting across his.
“I’m glad you were satisfied, too,” she said as they kissed some more.
Gavin stroked her arm softly as he stared at the stars and listened to the song the waves played. They were quiet for a few moments when he asked her a question.
“Why do you like that song so much?”
“The Celine song? It makes me think of you, and how I feel about you.”
Gavin smiled. “I enjoyed our dance. You’re quite fiery when you’re dancing.”
“You chose the rumba, of all things. Why?”
“Because it’s the sexiest dance there is,” he explained.
“Which sparked all of this.”
“Again, the reason why I chose it.”
Faith sat up a little bit to look him in his eyes. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you,” he said pulling her in to kiss her. “It was the best birthday I’ve ever had.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The following morning, Gavin woke up to the sun rising over the water. He gently awakened Faith so she could witness it. As she looked out sleepily, she cuddled closer to him underneath the blanket, enjoying the show.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“Not as beautiful as you,” he said, kissing her softly.
They watched a little longer and then decided to go back to the house. Faith pulled on her pants and buttoned up her shirt while Gavin folded the blankets. When he finished, he drew her into him, hugging her. He was still amazed at what happened the night before. His feelings were starting to get out of hand.
“My parents are probably getting breakfast started. Shall we join them?”
“Sure,” she smiled and took his hand as he held it out for her.
When they got to the house, Adrian was in the kitchen. He was surprised to see them.
“What are you two still doing here? Where were you hiding out?” he grinned.
Faith looked at Gavin and said, “I’m going to go wash up.”
“Okay,” he said as she kissed his cheek. “We were in the secluded spot you set up years ago,” he said, answering Adrian’s question.
The two men were now alone. Adrian was still grinning.
“What have you been doing?”
Gavin smirked and said, “Are you sure you want me to answer that question?”
“Absolutely,” Adrian teased.
“Well, if I’m going to share how my evening went, then you’ll have to share how yours went. Don’t think I didn’t see you and Mom sneak out of here last night.”
Adrian stood up straight, “Well, maybe we don’t need to talk about it.”
Gavin nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
“Though, I will say that the two of you caused quite a stir. In all of my life, I’ve never seen two people have so much passion for each other. You must really love each other.”
Gavin just shrugged his shoulders. “My feelings are very strong.” He opened the refrigerator to get the orange juice.
“Ah, I see. You’re still not willing to say you love her. But you do. We could see that last night.”
Gavin kept rummaging around to help with breakfast. He didn’t respond to his father.
“You know,” Adrian continued, “there are a lot of people who are excited that you’ve finally found someone who can make you happy. They’ve waited almost as long as you for this to happen.”
Gavin finally stopped. “Seriously? I wouldn’t think that anyone really cared.”
“You’d be surprised how many people really do care about you, Gavin. Most of the people who were here yesterday do.”
“Hmm. I never would have thought.” He continued to pull things out for breakfast. Gavin being the cook that he is, simply took over.
“Be careful with her, though. She’s got a very sensitive heart, as you already know.”
“I do. It’s not my intention to ever hurt her, Dad. I am human, however, so I’m bound to make a few mistakes.” Gavin pulled out a skillet for the eggs, and another for the French toast.
“She’s feisty if you make her angry. You might want to limit how often you do that. She can hold a grudge for an eternity.”
“Now I have seen that firsthand. Chandler is not her friend,” he chuckled. “It took one time for Chandler to get underneath Faith’s skin and there was no turning back.”
“I can’t say I’m sorry that you’re done with her. She’s a great employee, but on a personal level, she’s got issues.” Adrian cracked a few eggs in a bowl, added milk, cinnamon, and a pinch of sugar. He whipped the ingredients around until they were blended together. He grabbed a loaf of French bread and cut it into several slices. After dipping a couple of slices into the mixture, he laid them into one of the skillets. The two of them were now preparing a feast.
Gavin was looking in the refrigerator. “Sausage or bacon, Dad?”
“Let’s have sausage today,” said Adrian as he flipped the slices over.
Gavin took the Italian sausage out and sat it on the counter. He opened the package and cut it in small slices. He added the meat to the skillet that the eggs were going to be scrambled in. The leftover oils from the sausage would add more flavor to the eggs.
Faith walked back in as the two men were busy cooking. “It smells great in here. Can I come over for breakfast every morning?” She smiled and sat on a stool at the island.
“Faith, you can come over any time you like,” smiled Adrian. “You know how much Juliet and I love you. You’re family.”
“Oh, family, huh?” Faith looked at Gavin and teased, “You’ve been a very naughty brother.”
Gavin wiped his hands and walked over to her. He leaned down and kissed her gently. “I prefer very distant cousin,” he smiled. Adrian enjoyed watching them. He continued to dip and fry slices of French bread until they were all cooked. Gavin walked back to the sausage and emptied them onto a plate. Then he started scrambling the eggs.
Juliet finally joined the three of them. She was smiling from ear to ear like she had just gotten the best present in the world.
“Good morning, Juliet,” smiled Faith with a curious look on her face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just fine dear.” Juliet walked over to Adrian and grabbed his butt. He jumped, surprised at her behavior.
“Mom! Behave,” Gavin shrieked.
“Don’t you tell me what to do, young man. Would you like to discuss why you’re still here?” She glared at him waiting for an answer. Gavin couldn’t reply. “That’s what I thought. Besides, it’s your fault I’m so frisky this morning. Your father and I - ”
“Oh, la la la la. Not listening,” said Gavin, plugging his ears.
Faith was turning red from laughing so hard, and tears were streaming down her face. When Gavin saw her, he shook the spatula at her.
“You think this is funny? The last thing I want to hear about is my parents’ sex life,” he said, turning back to the eggs. He poured them into a big bowl.
Mid giggle, Faith said, “Trust me. My parents are worse.” She continued to laugh as Adrian and Juliet embraced each other.
“Are you going to stop hugging long enough to make the orange sauce?” Gavin asked Adrian.
Adrian kissed Juliet on the forehead. “Okay, okay,” he smiled and whipped the sauce together in seconds.
They took all of the bowls and platters outside and sat them on the patio table. Gavin tried to give Faith her own plate, but she waved it off.
“I’ll sha
re with you. That way I won’t eat too much.”
He handed plates to Adrian and Juliet, then sat down next to Faith. They enjoyed all of the great food, laughed and joked about the party and their morning together. Gavin sat back and just watched how Faith interacted with his parents. ‘So this is what it would be like,’ he thought. He couldn’t remember the last time that he spent a morning like this with his parents.
When they finished breakfast, everyone helped clear the dishes and clean up. Gavin and Faith said their goodbyes and left.
In the car, Gavin was unusually quiet. Faith let it go for a while, but then decided to say something.
“Are you okay?” she asked, gently stroking his hand.
“I’m fine.”
“I know that. But how are you doing?” she smiled.
Gavin chuckled. “I’m okay, beautiful.”
“Are you sure? You’re awfully quiet. That’s not like you.”
“I’m just thinking,” he said, glancing at her.
“Care to share?”
“Not right now. Just know I’m okay.”
Faith left it alone. When they got to her house, Gavin parked his car for a moment. He reached over, pulled her gently to him, and kissed her more passionately than he had all weekend. It was so powerful, Faith thought she might faint.
“Thanks again for a great birthday,” he said, slightly drawing away.
“You’re welcome.”
Faith turned to open the door, when Gavin interrupted her.
“Faith,” he said, trying to say the words, but couldn’t.
“Yes,” she said, turning back around.
“Do you have still have the painting you did in Denver?” he asked, completely avoiding his feelings.
“Yes. Why?”
“Did you hang it up?”
“Not yet.”
“Do you mind if I take it? I have an idea for it.”
Faith shrugged her shoulders, “Sure. I’ll go get it.” She went into her house to get the painting.
Gavin sighed in relief.
“Here you go,” she said as she carefully placed it in the front seat.
“Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Gavin watched as she went back to her house. She waved goodbye as he drove off.
Faith arrived at work early the next morning as usual. She needed to catch up on her presentations. Sitting on her desk was a single red rose in a small vase. As she walked around to her chair, she smiled, knowing exactly what this meant.
Faith sat down and started working immediately. It was going to be a short week with another trip coming up. This time, they were going to Atlanta.
“Good morning, beautiful,” said Gavin, coming in and closing the door behind him.
“Good morning.”
Gavin didn’t waste any time. He walked around, sat her coffee down, pulled her out of her chair and kissed her deeply. Faith wrapped her arms around his neck, receiving and returning the kiss.
As they broke the kiss, still holding each other, Faith looked at him and asked, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
Gavin continued to caress her lips with his, “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play with me, Gavin Carlisle. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” The kisses continued.
“I think I already said it,” he smiled in between a kiss.
“That rose didn’t say anything to me when I came in this morning, so no, you haven’t.”
Gavin chuckled. “You know what I’m saying.”
“You’re cheating.”
“No, I’m communicating with you through a rose. You know what I’m saying.”
“That’s weak, Gavin. Just tell me,” she stood back and crossed her arms.
“You first, because I think you feel the same way.”
“You initiated this, so finish it.”
Gavin walked around the desk and sat down. He sipped his coffee and just stared at her. Faith glared at him, sat down herself, and began to work. She didn’t speak another word. There was tension between the two of them as Gavin waited for her to say something.
“Are you really upset with me? Talk to me.”
Faith glanced up. “Have a good day,” she said without smiling.
Gavin cocked his head to the right. “Seriously? Because I won’t verbalize it?”
Faith kept working. “If you weren’t ready to say it, you should have kept it to yourself. Shit, or get off the pot.”
He stood up, irritated with her attitude, but knew he needed to do exactly as she had said. He opted to go to his office instead. Gavin walked to, and opened, the door and quietly left.
So it went the rest of the week. Gavin and Faith barely spoke, which drove him crazy. He delivered her coffee every morning, with no response but “thank you” from her. He needed to put a stop to this before the trip.
“We need to talk,” Gavin said. “Stop what you’re pretending to do and listen to me.”
Faith stopped typing and looked up. “What?” she snapped.
“I know you’ve been upset. The truth is that I’m not ready to say how I’m feeling. That doesn’t change the message I was trying to send.”
Faith took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for being angry. I just don’t want to play games when it comes to that.”
“I understand. Forgive me?”
“Yes,” she said. Faith stood up and walked around her desk. She approached him slowly, burying her head in his chest. Gavin wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head.
“I hated being unable to talk to you. Let’s try not to do that again, deal?”
“Deal.”
The next day, Gavin and Faith left for Atlanta. Outside of scheduled meetings, they enjoyed the Atlanta Botanic Gardens, attended an opera, visited the Atlanta History Center and Art Museum, and ate at great restaurants. However, it was their private time together they took pleasure in the most.
One morning, during the weekend, Gavin gently showered Faith with kisses to wake her.
“Why can’t you sleep in on the weekends? This is so unfair,” she groggily said.
Gavin grinned but didn’t answer. He caressed and kissed her body, pleasured her orally, and once again, climaxed himself without any stimulation. This was fine for now, but he knew that he would soon need to make love to her.
Still breathing somewhat heavily from their pleasure, Gavin kissed her.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“He speaks,” she grumbled.
He kissed her shoulder, “You enjoyed it.”
“Sleep. I enjoy sleep.”
Gavin smiled and started to tickle her. “Admit it.”
“No,” she tried not to laugh.
He found just the right spot on the inside of her thigh, and Faith screamed and laughed, “Okay, okay.”
She rubbed her fingers through his hair, “Yes. I always enjoy it. Why must you wake up so early, though?” Faith stuck her lips out, pouting.
“Hmm, I’m laying next to an extremely sexy woman, whom I have a very hard time keeping my hands off of, and it’s morning. There are certain things that happen to a man early in the morning.”
“Can’t you wake me up at seven? That would work out much better. Let’s sync our calendars, shall we?” Faith reached for her phone.
Gavin tickled her again. She scrunched up, laughing. When he stopped, he just stared at her, moving stray hairs out of her face. He loved her so much. ‘Why can’t I say it,’ he thought.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, kissing her softly.
“You’re not too bad yourself.” She smiled and caressed his face as they continued to kiss each other.
Faith and Gavin returned to the office exhausted. The trips were taking their toll. There was one left – San Francisco. In the mean time, they had a great deal of work to catch up on. Chandler was making every attempt to sway Gavin’s mind back toward her, but he was in love with Faith. He refused to even hum
or her, sending her away immediately when she tried to talk to him. She was disappointed and becoming desperate, and it started to show in her work. Her boss warned her to get focused, or someone else would have her job. Chandler also tried to follow Faith home from time to time, but most nights Faith went to Gavin’s house. She was so sure that there was something that Faith wasn’t telling anyone. If she didn’t find out soon, she felt her chances with Gavin would be lost.
The evening before their trip, Gavin asked Faith to have dinner with him. Chandler followed Faith to his house, and waited.
“That was delicious, as usual,” said Faith.
“Thank you. Would you like to dance?” Slow, romantic jazz was playing softly in the background.
“Things happen when we dance. I’m thinking not.”
“Please? This isn’t Rumba music. It’s ‘sway back and forth’ music,” he extended his hand for her to join him.
She gave him a suspicious look, “Alright.”
Faith put one hand on his shoulder, and the other in his hand. They glided across the floor, gazing into each other’s eyes.
“Just one more trip,” Gavin said.
“Yes, I’m glad. It’s been tiring.”
“Which city have you liked the most so far?”
“Denver,” said Faith. Her head was now resting on Gavin’s chest. “The people there were great, and I loved the time we spent there.”
“I agree. A lot happened between us.” Gavin stopped dancing. “I never showed you, did I?”
“What?”
Gavin took Faith by the hand and led her to the entry way. He had taken the pictures that they painted at Canvas and Cocktails and hung them side by side. Underneath, there was a plaque that read:
“Starry Night”
By Faith and Gavin
Canvas and Cocktails – Denver, Colorado
July 10, 2010
“Gavin, this is great,” she said, kissing him. “I love it.”
“I’m glad you like it. That was such a fun day.” Gavin touched her cheek. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. He gave her an intense look, then continued to playfully kiss her. Faith craved a deeper kiss, but Gavin wouldn’t give it to her.