Picture Perfect

by Maguire, L. E.

  His body, hard and slick with sweat, slid against mine, quickly bringing me to the brink as a familiar tension began to build within my core. Unable and unwilling to fight it, I grabbed onto his biceps as I exploded around him, moaning his name. My fingers dug into his arms as an intense burst of desire and emotion swept through me like never before. For several minutes, my body tingled and pulsed with the after effects of my orgasm as I loosened my hold on his arms.

  “I’m close,” he groaned against my shoulder as his movements became more urgent. He pulled back to look at me. I was surprised to see fear mixed with intense passion in his eyes, but then I realized he had never had unprotected sex before.

  I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling his mouth to mine. “Let go,” I whispered against his lips. Pressing his forehead against mine, he squeezed his eyes shut. After two more thrusts deep into my core, he tensed above me and called out my name as I felt him pulsate inside me.

  After several minutes, he rolled to his side bringing me with him as we maintained our intimate connection. Facing each other, our warm breaths mixed together as our breathing and heartbeats started to return to normal. Lazily, I ran my fingers up and down his back while his long fingers ran through my hair.

  As the rain pounded against the window, the sound of Evanescence’s Good Enough drifted down the hall from the living room. The words to the song swirled around inside my head, making me think of how I felt after breaking it off with David to now being happily sated and tangled up with this gorgeous man who just totally rocked my world.

  “You’ve done it, baby,” Evan said, snapping me out of my reverie. Too tired to utter a word, I raised my brows in question. “You’ve ruined me for all other women.”

  I chuckled. “I thought we already determined that there aren’t going to be any other women for you.” Playfully, I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “Or you,” he growled.

  I shrugged my shoulder. “That’s no loss. I’m not even into women. Now men…”

  Grabbing my chin roughly, he forced my attention on him. “My little comedian. No more men for you either.” His hand moved up from my chin to curl around my cheek as the look in his eyes went from playful to serious. ”You’re incredible. What we did was incredible.”

  Gently, he pressed his lips to mine before burying his face into my neck. I clung to him tightly, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders. It had been incredible, but it had also been something else. It had been life changing. Sometime during that whole experience, Evan had imprinted himself on my very soul, and I would never be the same again.

  I woke the following morning to sunshine leaking through the blinds and spilling into the room. Rolling onto my back to stretch, an ache deep within my core brought back delicious memories from the night before.

  Not wanting to leave his apartment, Evan blew off his plans to take me out to dinner. Instead, he fixed a frozen pizza, which we enjoyed naked in his bed. Evan said he could not and would not ever get enough of me. Then he proved it, twice, before we both fell asleep wrapped around each other totally sated and happily exhausted.

  Rolling over, I found his side of the bed to be empty. Lying still for a moment, I listened intently but there was no movement within the apartment. Grabbing my panties off the floor, I headed into the bathroom before I went to find him.

  As I was heading back into the bedroom, Evan came strolling in with a Starbucks cup in his hand. We both stopped dead and just stared at each other. He looked amazing in his distressed jeans and t-shirt. The tight black V-neck stretched across his muscular chest while the seams of the sleeves were tightly strained around his biceps. As my gaze made it’s way down his torso, my eyes widened at the obvious bulge of his arousal straining behind the zipper. The man was a mouth-watering, desirable mass of lean muscle.

  “Uh, listen, gorgeous,” he said, snapping me out of my reverie. “You’d better put on something a little more substantial. Otherwise, I can’t be held responsible for what’s about to happen,” he said, his voice strained. His eyes roaming hungrily all over my body.

  Glancing down at myself, I realized I was only wearing my panties. Meeting his intense, penetrating gaze, I smiled sweetly at him. The opportunity to torture him just a little was too good to pass up. “And what exactly is about to happen?” I asked, sounding breathless. For an added affect, I ran my hands over the tops of my naked thighs up to my hips, hooking my thumbs under the delicate string of my panties.

  His eyes focused on my hands as his tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip before raking his teeth across his lip. “I’m about two seconds from tossing you onto that bed and burying myself into you balls deep.”

  I gasped at his crude words, loving every single one of them. Feeling the heat creep into my cheeks as a slow smile spread across my face, his eyes met mine. “But as much as I would love that, I have other plans for you right now. Please,” he said, gesturing to my clothes on the floor.

  “If you insist,” I said, sighing as I turned to reach for my jeans. As I bent over to put them on, I heard Evan groan from behind me. When I turned around, he threw one of his t-shirts at me. Pulling it over my head quickly, I noticed it did not do anything to conceal the hardened peaks of my overly sensitive nipples. The soft material of the t-shirt rubbing against them made me want to groan.

  “You were really out when I got up this morning, so I thought you could use some caffeine,” he said, smiling as he held the cup out to me.

  “Thank you,” I said gratefully. Taking the cup from him, I closed my eyes and inhaled the sweet coffee smell.

  “I grabbed you a latte. Vanilla, right?” he asked, smiling.

  “Right.” I took a sip of the hot drink, closing my eyes and moaning. “God, I love you.”

  My eyes snapped open as soon as I realized what I said. Evan’s eyes were huge as he stared at me with his mouth hanging open. “I didn’t mean it like...” His face fell. Crap. “I mean...I really like you, Evan. I just...shit.”

  “It’s all right, Gem. I know what you meant. Relax.” He gave me a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. ”I know we’ve only known each other for a month. I don’t expect you to fall in love with me just because we had the most amazing night together.”

  I raised my brows at him. “The most amazing night, huh?” His eyes never left mine as he nodded slowly at me.

  “Take a shower. Throw on some jeans. I grabbed my bike from your place this morning so we’ll be taking that. Then I want you to pack up that camera of yours in your backpack. We’re going out. It’s a gorgeous day and I don’t want to waste another minute of it.” He kissed me on the cheek before walking out of the bedroom. “And don’t worry. I’ll have you screaming your love for me later tonight,” he hollered as he headed for the living room.

  No doubt he would. While I knew, especially after last night, that I had already fallen for him, I wasn’t ready to admit it. Saying the words would make it a little too real for me at this moment in time. Shaking my head and laughing at his comment, I headed into the bathroom for a shower.

  ***

  Riding on the back of Evan’s motorcycle is never going to get old. Wrapping myself around him from behind, the vibration and rumble of the bike underneath us, the feeling of freedom as we flew down the highway was all just so exhilarating.

  We pulled into the parking lot of Gas Works Park. Standing off to the side, I watched mesmerized as Evan straddled the bike, holding the heavy weight of it easily between his muscular thighs as he worked to get his helmet off. Hanging both of our helmets off the handlebars, he grabbed my hand and headed into the park.

  It was a beautiful sunny day with white fluffy clouds floating sporadically through the bluest of skies. There was a stiff breeze that continually blew, making the 62-degree temperature seem chillier than it actually was. We walked along the trail through the rolling green hills of the park, which offered spectacular views of Lake Union as well as downtown Seattle.

  The park w
as busy for a Monday. There were many people walking and riding bikes along the trails. Various towels and blankets were spread out amongst the hills with people reading, having a picnic, or just enjoying the beautiful day. The sounds of dogs barking and children screaming echoed around.

  And yet in the midst of all this beauty, surrounded by a fence, were the rusting remains of an old industrial plant. It almost looked out of place amongst the perfectly green grass, but yet somehow, with downtown Seattle off in the distance, this hulking mass looked right at home.

  As we walked through the park, Evan went on to explain how the plant was once used to manufacture gas from coal. The boiler house had been converted to a covered picnic area with tables and grills. There were a few people sitting at some of the tables, but for the most part it was empty.

  Evan also revealed that many people chose this particular park as the location for their wedding. The thought of seeing a couple all decked out in a wedding gown and tuxedo amongst the old rusty plant made me laugh.

  “So, is it safe to assume based on how you’re laughing that I can scratch this place off the list of ideal locations of where I’d like to marry you?” Evan asked.

  His comment brought me up short. Was he joking? He continued to walk a few more steps before he realized I was no longer beside him. Turning toward me, he raised his brows in question. As I stood and stared at him, I could easily see Evan all decked out in a black tuxedo in this park with that gorgeous view of Seattle as the backdrop. Suddenly, it did not seem so funny anymore. I could see the appeal of this place for a wedding.

  I shrugged, shaking the image from my mind. “Don’t be so hasty,” I said, walking over to him. Getting up on my tiptoes, I planted a quick kiss on his lips. “I could see us getting married here.” Jerking his head back, he stared at me with wide eyes. “But don’t count on it any time soon, big guy,” I said, winking at him as I continued to walk. A soft chuckle came from behind me. I could hear him jogging to catch up to me, and then the warmth of his hand as his fingers entwined with mine.

  Glimpses of the future started flitting through my head as we continued to walk. I could see myself married to this incredible man. Leisurely strolling through the park, pushing a baby carriage, and walking a dog.

  Then the weight of the camera around my neck had those images disappearing from my head almost as quickly as they had formed. The realty of our situation began to press down on me. How was a relationship between Evan and I going to work? Both of our careers seemed to be on the verge of taking off, and they would send us flying in opposite directions. Long distance relationships just do not work, but the thought of ending whatever this was blossoming between us had pain surging through my chest, making it difficult to breathe. I fought to concentrate on the here and now.

  Just minutes later, the sounds of small children happily screaming and laughing filled my ears. The sight of two small girls, whose features were similar to that of Evan’s, running around a maze of brightly painted machinery in a building that was obviously converted to a playground, had me stopping in my tracks.

  All those images of the two of us together, happily married with children, that I just fought so hard to banish from my thoughts, came rushing back so quickly I almost dropped to my knees. Just the sight of these two little girls was all it took. I could feel Evan’s eyes on me, but I refused to look his way. The tears that suddenly flooded my eyes, had me blinking rapidly to dispel them.

  “You all right?” Evan whispered in my ear, squeezing my fingers with his.

  “Yeah, sure.” I said, trying to sound nonchalant. Thankfully, he did not question me further as we continued to walk the park.

  After taking several hundred photos of the old industrial plant, downtown Seattle, and Lake Union, I was surprised to discover it was three o’clock in the afternoon.

  “Did you get all the shots you need?” Evan asked.

  “I think so.”

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  “I could eat,” I said, shrugging my shoulders and smiling at him.

  “Come on,” he said, winking at me.

  Twenty minutes later, we were walking back into his apartment. Pulling back on his hand, he looked down at me.

  “I thought we were going to get something to eat.”

  “We are. I want to take you out tonight,” he said, leading me into the bedroom. “Will you let me wine and dine you?” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him. The palms of my hands landed over his perfect pecs.

  “You know I’m a pretty sure thing. You don’t have to wine and dine me to get lucky,” I teased.

  His face turned serious. “Yeah, I do. Consider it our first official date.” His lips met mine for a slow, heated, sensual kiss that had my toes curling as my palms fisted his t-shirt. He pulled away all too soon leaving me lightheaded.

  “My room is yours to get ready in. I’ll use the spare room. Meet me out in the living room when you’re ready, but don’t take too long, Gem.”

  Backing out of the room and closing the door behind him, I was left standing in the middle of his bedroom a quivering mass of raging female hormones. The man was sex on legs.

  More than a little excited for the night ahead, and feeling as ramped up as I did after that kiss, I took a quick, cold shower. Leaving my dark hair in soft waves down my back, I kept my make-up to a minimum. The dress is one I had hanging in my closet for over a year. I loved it, and bought it with the hope of being able to wear it sometime. That sometime just had not ever come around. Until now. Tonight seemed like the perfect time.

  It was navy blue with thin straps that led down to a plunging V-neck and ruched cross front. The built-in bra pushed my ample breasts up and together, which resulted in killer cleavage that I knew was going to drive Evan crazy. The hem rested an inch above my knee. The dress hugged my body, accentuating all the right curves. I finished off the look with nude thigh-high stockings and the only pair of black high heels I owned. Grabbing my black cardigan off the bed, I headed out to the living room.

  Evan stood from the couch when he heard me approach. His eyes were downcast as he ran his hands over his thighs, smoothing out his charcoal dress pants. Stopping a few feet from him, I got to take in his reaction as his eyes slowly ran up from my feet, pausing for longer than was necessary on my chest before he reached my face. Those emerald green irises of his darkened with lust as he ran his hands through his silken hair.

  “Baby, you look incredible.”

  I would have taken this opportunity to tease him about his reaction, but my mouth went dry and I was rendered speechless when I took him in. His charcoal dress pants hung low on his hips. The pant legs were tapered, accentuating his muscular legs. The buttons were left undone on the white polo he wore, revealing the smooth skin of his long neck and just a hint of his chest. Grabbing a charcoal dress jacket from the couch, it completed his sinfully sexy look perfectly. The man was painfully gorgeous.

  Walking over to me, he grabbed my hand. “Let’s go. If I stay here any longer with you looking as fucking gorgeous as you do, I won’t be able to control myself,” he said, dragging me out of his apartment. I could not help but chuckle.

  Waiting for us downstairs at the curb, was a black Lincoln Town Car. I raised my brows at Evan when he opened the rear door for me, motioning for me to get in.

  “A perk of my contract with Top Star Modeling. Since I landed the Soft Caress Jeans campaign, they insist that I utilize their car service. They seem to think that this is going to launch me into the mainstream, and they don’t feel comfortable with me taking public transportation.”

  He rolled his eyes as if he thought the whole thing was ridiculous. I knew he was wrong though. The last few Soft Caress Jeans campaigns had quickly launched their main male model into stardom virtually overnight. Evan was ten times better looking than those previous guys. Stardom for him was inevitable.

  It was a very short drive to the restaurant, which was located just down the street from his ap
artment on First Avenue. We stopped in front of a blue and black tiled building with coral accents that, quite frankly, did not look like much.

  Opening the door to the car, Evan exited first, and then held his hand out for me. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he led me into the building. The outside might not have looked like much, but the inside was surprisingly romantic. The color scheme was all golden yellow and black. The walls were painted a light yellow so the soft ambient light made them look golden with black accents on the walls and columns. Round tables had white tablecloths, which also looked golden in the soft light with plush, black velvet chairs. The open style kitchen filled the restaurant with the mouthwatering scent of chargrilled beef, which had my stomach rumbling with hunger.

  As we walked along the thick, black carpet with a golden swirl pattern, the hostess led us to a table in a back corner. It was a weekday so the place wasn’t very crowded, but the area she led us to was pretty much unoccupied, intimate even. Evan pulled my chair out for me, pushing it in gently as I sat. The hostess placed menus in front of us and then quickly walked off.

  “Have you ever been to El Gaucho before?”

  Looking around and admiring the intimate setting and taking in the mouth-watering smells, I shook my head at him. “No. I haven’t,” I said, smiling before glancing back down at the menu.

  “They are best known for their steak,” he said, just as I was eyeing the filet mignon selection on the menu.

  “Good evening, sir. Madam. My name is Max and I will be your server this evening.” A young blonde man with big, blue eyes had approached our table. He was dressed formerly in black dress pants, a white button-down, black vest, and black bow tie. “Can I interest you in the wine list?” he asked, offering a list of selections to Evan.