by Roya Carmen
I laugh. “I know, summer is slow to come this year.”
I can barely breathe. I still can’t believe it. I actually pinch myself.
He inches closer. I’m still a statue.
He closes the distance between us, and cups my face. His touch warms my entire core. I close my eyes.
He kisses my forehead. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
Chapter Forty-Six
“YOU LOOK AMAZING,” he says. “Where are you coming from?”
“Job interview,” I say. I don’t go into details. I can barely utter three words.
He rakes a hand through my hair. “I got your message.”
My heart stops, and I venture a look up at him — he’s too beautiful. “Why didn’t you reply?” I ask. “You tore my heart apart when you didn’t respond. I thought we’d never speak again.”
“I’m so sorry,” he says. “I wanted to be sure before…”
“Be sure of what?”
He pulls me in closer. His hold is steady and strong. He draws my mouth to his. “No more talking.”
Our kiss almost kills me. For a moment, I lose all my senses. There’s nothing on earth but him and I, and this kiss. It grows in intensity, and I want to lose myself in him right here. I reluctantly pull away. I open my eyes, and remember where I am. “My neighbors…” I say. My neighbors don’t know about the divorce yet. Even the kids don’t know yet. My gaze darts across my yard — thankfully, we’re secluded; shrubs, trees and an awning. “Let’s go inside.”
As soon as the door is shut behind us, he asks, “Is your husband here?”
“No, he doesn’t live here anymore.” I smile playfully. “We’re all alone.”
A slow, wicked smile curves his lips, and he slams me against the wall, so hard that a photo hanging on the opposing wall falls to the floor in a clatter. I couldn’t care less.
He claws at his satchel, pulls it over his head, and throws it on the floor. Then off goes the jacket, not fast enough. He kisses me slowly as he unbuttons my pea coat. He’s barely touching me, and he’s already driving me insane. I fiddle with my bottom button, helping him along.
“In a hurry?” he teases.
“Yeah,” I groan.
Finally, my jacket is off, but there are more buttons — my suit jacket.
“You look fabulous,” he says. “And the shoes are sexy as hell. I bet you got the job.”
I laugh. “I don’t care.” I really don’t. All I want is Eli.
I pull up his t-shirt and lick a line up the side of his torso where I can feel the ridges of his ribs — it’s my favorite spot. He tastes sweet and salty.
“God, I want you so badly, Gabriella,” he breathes.
I reach down past his belt to see the evidence — he’s not lying. I haven’t gotten the shirt off yet, and I’m still fully dressed — this isn’t moving along fast enough. He pulls from me, and his gaze fixes mine. His eyes are just as I remembered, the kind of eyes you could never forget. “You’re even prettier than I remember,” he says.
He peels off my suit jacket, and kisses the hollow at the base of my neck. His kiss is so soft and sweet, but then he travels to my shoulder and bites me gently. I let out a small laugh. I’m so turned on, I can’t stand it.
I lean back on the wall. I feel powerful in my designer blouse, pencil skirt and tall heels. “Take off your shirt.”
A hint of a smile traces his lips. “You’re very bossy today.” He reaches for the hem of his shirt and pulls it over his head, revealing his flawless abs.
God, have mercy.
“Now come over here,” I tell him, “and take off my shoes.”
He grins playfully, and drops to his knees at my feet. I place my foot gently on his leg. He slides his hand down the curve of my heel, and gently takes the shoe off, all the while fixing me with his amazing eyes. It’s so fucking hot, I fear I might combust.
He sets the shoes in a neat line next to us, and grabs one of my legs, just above the knee. He pulls me close to him, hikes up my skirt, and buries his face between my legs. His hot breath on my pussy drives me wild. He reaches for the lace band of my black panties, and peels them off slowly.
I lean my head against the wall, not believing this is happening. Am I having the best dream of my life? My panties are off, hanging on one ankle. He grabs the underside of my thigh, and hikes a leg over his shoulder. He slides his tongue down my sex, and I melt into him.
I come so fast and so hard, it’s shocking.
He comes back up and towers over me. He studies me with a teasing grin.
I blush. “It’s been a while.”
“I can see that.” He laughs. “We’ll have to make up for lost time.” He grabs my ass and hikes me up against the wall. I wrap my legs around him and we kiss again. I love to taste myself on his lips.
He carries me up the stairs, and I laugh out loud when he finally drops me on my bed, exhausted.
“That was impressive,” I say.
“He leans down over me and kisses my shoulder softly. “Now, where were we?”
“Wait, wait, wait,” I shout. I jump off the bed, and pull my skirt back down over my hips.
He shoots me a wicked grin. “Nice bed.”
“I know, it’s all made and pretty, isn’t it?!”
He stares at all the pillows. “It looks like it belongs in a Pottery Barn catalogue.”
“Too many pillows, you think?!”
He laughs. “Maybe.”
“Let’s mess it up,” I say and start throwing pillows. He throws one at me, and I get him too. We shake off the fluffy duvet, and finally we both sink onto the bed.
He inches closer and pulls me in. “Now, where were we again?”
“I believe you were about to fuck me.”
His smiles playfully, and his eyes darken. “Yes, better get to it then.”
He pulls to a stand, and with a single hand, he spins me around the bed. My heart skips a beat, flustered. The thing about Eli is that he’s so unpredictable. I never know what he’s going to do next.
He works the button of my skirt, and slides the zipper down. I get on my knees as he slowly peels the skirt over my hips, and slides it under my knees. “God, you have a perfect ass,” he says and takes a greedy bite, not too hard, mind you. I laugh.
He pulls up my camisole over my head, and trails a line of soft kisses up my spine. He then unclasps my bra, and as soon as my breasts are free, he cups them in his hands, my nipples are hard between his fingers. I’ve just climaxed, but I still want him so badly.
“God, Eli… I can’t wait anymore.”
He slides a finger down my sex, teasing me still.
“Don’t stop,” I beg.
He leans into me and breathes into my ear. “You want more of this?” he asks. “Or you want me inside you?”
“Both,” I moan.
He laughs. “Greedy girl.”
He stops teasing, and reaches into his pocket for a condom. When he finally sinks into me, I’m in heaven. I never thought, in a million years, that we’d ever be doing this again. I was starting to wonder if I’d ever do this with anyone else again.
He brings me to the edge again, and melts into me when he reaches his own climax. We fall into each other’s arms, wrapped up in my expensive sheets. “I love you,” he says.
“I love you too,” I whisper. “So much.”
“You room is nice,” he says. “Not too girly.”
My gaze darts across the space, and I notice the clock on my night table. “We have approximately two hours and thirty-two minutes,” I tell him, “and then, I need to go pick up the kids from school.”
“I can’t wait to meet them.”
This is unreal. Should he meet them? Why not? I could introduce him as a friend visiting from Europe, which is what he is. “You’ll have to get dressed first,” I joke with a pout. “What a shame.”
He looks even more beautiful than I remember, tangled in my paisley s
heets. I trace the edges of his tattoo. “What are you doing here?” I say, finally asking the question that’s been on my mind since I first saw him sitting on my stoop.
He takes my hand in his, and entwines his long fingers with mine. “I had to come and see you… I missed you. I wanted to surprise you.”
I laugh. “Well, you surprised me all right.”
“I’m so glad I did,” he says. “I’ve missed this.”
“The kids will love you,” I blurt. How can they not?
“I hope,” he says. “I brought them some treats.”
I smile. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
I wonder if this is how it’s going to be between us from now on… stolen moments, once or twice a year, neither one of us moving on, and telling the kids my ‘friend’ Eli is visiting again. It wouldn’t be perfect, but even if I can only get a few moments like this every year, it’d be worth it.
I snuggle up closer and lay my head on his chest. “When did you get here?”
“Last night,” he tells me. “I didn’t want to show up on your doorstep, late at night, with the kids here. I’m staying at a hotel nearby.”
My heart is heavy when I ask him, “When are you leaving?”
“In a week.”
I pull the wrinkled sheet up over my breasts. “Why didn’t you reply to my message?” I don’t think he realizes how much his silence hurt, and I still don’t understand it.
“I didn’t get it until recently.”
I pull from him. Is he putting me on? “What do you mean?”
“Well, I’d blocked you on Gmail, like you asked. And on Facebook, and Instagram too. No more contact, you said.”
“I did.”
“And honestly, I didn’t want the temptation to stalk you every day,” he confesses. “I wanted to forget you. But no luck there,” he adds with a sigh. “I thought about you every day, every hour. Every little thing reminded me of you… elephants, bananas, mermaids, art, long dark hair, potato wedges. Even Floyd seemed down in the dumps after you left.”
I laugh. “I doubt that.”
“It’s true, I swear. He’s all sluggish these days.”
“So you didn’t get my message initially?”
“Do you believe in fate?” he asks.
I smile. “I do. I’m naive that way.”
“Well, I didn’t before, but something happened…”
I study him intently, curiosity filling me. “What happened?”
Chapter Forty-Seven
“IT WAS ABOUT A WEEK AGO,” he starts. “Just a plain old regular Monday. Floyd and I were both down in the dumps, and we were walking in the neighborhood. Then, he stops dead in his tracks and he’s looking at a store window…”
I’m completely riveted. “Go on…”
“I look over to see what he’s looking at,” he says, “and it’s a huge painting of an elephant, colorful and slightly abstract, like the one I made you, but it’s oil on canvas.”
“Cool,” I say. “Maybe it just reminded him of the painting you made me.” I don’t want to burst Eli’s bubble but that’s hardly a big ‘sign’.
“He gave me the saddest eyes I’d ever seen, and I told him I was missing you too,” he goes on. “Then we kept walking, and out of nowhere, he gets excited, and next thing you know he’s toppling over this poor little old lady.”
I bring my hand to my mouth. “Oh no… he sounds like me.”
He laughs. “Yeah, anyway, I help her up and I apologize about a million times. Thankfully, this woman loves dogs and she thinks Floyd is the cutest thing ever.”
“I don’t get it,” I say. “What does that have to do with me?”
“She was wearing a Doors t-shirt, the very same one you bought in Christiania.”
“No way!!!”
“Yes way, anyway, I was a little shaken after that.”
I smile. “Well, I don’t mean to be a cynic, but it just sounds like Floyd misses me.”
He shakes his head. “You know how they say good things happen in threes?”
“Or is it bad things?”
“Anyway, I was still shaken when we walked by a small bookstore,” he continues. “There was a table stacked with books outside, and right there was an old copy of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid.
“And that was your third sign?”
“There’s more to it,” he tells me and bounds out of bed. He quickly slips on his boxers, and I get a quick glimpse of his gorgeous ass. “Wait here,” he says. He’s a blur as he dashes out of my room.
I wait anxiously, buried in the sheets of my bed, and I wonder what he’s up to. He’s always so full of surprises.
He finally gets back, and he’s holding a book. “I bought it,” he says, “for you.”
I smile. “Wow, another gift.”
He hands me the book, and I’m spellbound — it’s beautiful, very old with a classic burgundy cover and gold lettering. I open it and flip through the worn yellow pages. It’s ancient but still in good condition.
“Look at the inscription at the front,” Eli urges.
I flip to the front, and there it is, in a shaky uneven cursive, as if it was written by someone very old.
For you, my dear beautiful Gabriella. May the world take you on a million adventures.
I’m absolutely flabbergasted. “Wow.”
“The inscription was there when I first opened it,” Eli tells me. “And I just knew… it was a sign, and I had to get to you.”
I hug the book against my chest. “Thanks so much, Eli. Thank you for this.”
He inches closer and kisses the tip of my nose. “I had the strangest feeling going back home that you’d left me a message, so I ran, and fired up my laptop, checked my spam folder, which is where messages from blocked recipients go.”
“Really?! I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, they stay in there for about thirty days,” he tells me.
“Handsome and smart,” I tease.
He smirks, but then his smile fades. “That’s when I read your message, and right then, I knew my life had just changed.”
My eyes fill with tears at the recollection of writing that email. “Yes… it was pretty intense.”
He takes the book, sets it on the bed, and takes my hands in his. “You and I are meant to be together, Gabriella,” he says matter-of-factly, “and I’m willing to change my whole life for you.”
My heart is officially hammering now, wondering what the heck is going on. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember when I told you that Albert has contacts all over America,” he says. “Well, anyway he has a lot of contacts with big galleries in New York, which is about six hours from here, and even in Montreal, which is less than two hours away.”
“What are you saying?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“I accepted that guy’s offer,” he tells me. “The guy with the crazy beard. It’s not official yet… I haven’t signed anything yet, but it’s as good as done.”
“What?! You’re selling your studio?”
“Don’t you see,” he says with such enthusiasm, I can’t help but fall into it too. “I have no ties in Copenhagen, no day job, no friends, nothing holding me back. All I really have is Floyd, and he can come here with me,” he says. “And you… I have you, and you’re here.”
I’m completely speechless. I never saw this coming, not in a million years.
“And the studio rent in Copenhagen is insane. Studio rentals are much more affordable here,” he explains. “I can set up a new studio here.”
I’m still speechless.
“And I can be closer to my sister and my nieces. It’s still far, but a lot closer then Europe.”
I stare at him, frozen.
Concern curves his brow. “Say something… please.”
I don’t utter a single word. I just throw myself at him, and hold him tighter than I’ve ever held anyone. He’s done all this for me. He’s flipped his life ar
ound for me. It’s crazy, it’s impulsive, and it’s insane. But that’s what I love about it. That’s what I love about him.
I press my mouth against his ear. “You’re crazy, and I love you.”
He kisses me once more, and I melt into him.
And let’s just say it’s a good thing I’m already naked.
Epilogue
Three months later… late September.
ELI FLIPS AND BOUNCES the coin between his fingers with the skill of a magician. Emma and Theo both watch him intently. Next thing you know, the coin disappears.
Theo stares with wide eyes. “Where did it go?”
“It’s in his hands,” Emma tells him knowingly.
Eli grins, and opens both his hands. “No, it’s not.”
Both Emma and Theo are completely fascinated.
“Oh, but wait,” Eli says. “I think I know where it is.” Magically, he retrieves it from behind Theo’s ear. Theo is completely amazed when Eli gives him the coin — a Danish Kroner. “How did you do that?!”
“It’s a secret,” Eli says.
Corrie swoops in. “He’s still not here.” She takes a seat on the pretty upholstered pink bench. “What are you doing here?” she asks Eli. “No boys allowed in here.”
I laugh. “We made a special exception for Eli,” I tell Corrie. I can’t quite pull my gaze from him — he looks absolutely delicious in his suit. “The kids wanted him here.”
“Yeah, it’s not fair,” Theo chimes in. “I’m a boy and I get to come in. Why can’t Eli?”
Corrie fusses with her up-do — she looks really pretty in her yellow bridesmaids’ dress. “Well, you’re the ring boy,” she says. “That’s a really important job. What’s Eli good for?”
“Magic tricks,” Theo replies with a wide grin.
I tug at the halter of my dress. I just know my boobs are going to pop out at some point tonight — I’ve come to terms with that, and am perfectly okay with it. I beam at Theo. He looks so adorable in his little suit, and so does Emma. She’s wearing a pretty yellow dress with puffy sleeves, a flowery skirt, and a big bow at the back. She’s one of the junior bridesmaids, and she glows with pride.