She nodded and smiled. “Live here. Work here.”
Small talk ensued, but it became harder and harder to hear. Their knees had moved closer together, and as the noise in the bar increased, their heads inclined toward each other.
Spying her empty wine glass, he confessed, “I’d love to offer you another drink, but this place is getting more than I can handle.”
Nodding, she agreed. “I understand. It was very nice meeting you—”
“Whoa, whoa,” he rushed. “I’m not trying to get rid of you, but I thought that we could go somewhere else. Since I don’t know the area, is there another place that we could go to have a drink that’s a little less…manic?”
She threw her head back and laughed, and he watched, thoroughly enjoying her mirth. Not a giggle or a coy simper but a full-throated sound of enjoyment. An image of the two of them finding a more physical type of enjoyment flew through his head, and he shifted slightly as his cock twitched.
She lowered her head and held his gaze. “Manic is exactly the right word for this place. I’d love to continue our conversation and have a drink somewhere else.”
He slid off the stool after throwing a wad of bills onto the bar, plenty to cover his dinner and their drinks. Offering his hand again, he loved the feeling as she placed hers in his, and he assisted her off the stool. Just as he had imagined, the top of her head came to right under his chin.
She had not removed her hand from his, and he continued to hold it firmly as they made their way through the crowd to the door. Once outside, with the door closed behind them, the din was muffled.
“Oh, my goodness. I feel like I can think now that it’s less noisy.”
He agreed, then asked, “Where do you suggest we go?”
“There’s a little Italian restaurant not too far from here. They have wonderful desserts and offer a wide variety of beer and wine.” She smiled up at him, and added, “And, it’s quiet.”
Offering his elbow, he said, “Then, Lydia, it sounds perfect.” She did not make him wait, instantly sliding her hand into the crook of his elbow and leading them down the sidewalk.
5
Lydia stared at the man sitting across from her in the back, corner table of the Italian restaurant. After the noise of the bar they had come from, the soft music playing, and the low voices of the other patrons were a welcome respite.
She had been surprised by the attraction she felt for him from the first minute he turned his dark-eyed gaze toward her. Not one to pick up a man in a bar…or be picked up…she nonetheless had felt a strange pull toward him.
She liked his gentle voice and calm manner. She liked the way he stared at her face when she spoke, instead of letting his eyes wander or settle on her breasts. She liked the easy conversation and the way his eyes crinkled at the sides when he laughed. And she would be a liar if she did not admit the fact that he was drop-dead gorgeous. Black hair shot through with silver. Tall, with a muscular body. His navy blue shirt emphasized his chest and arms and his jeans emphasized everything that she was trying hard not to notice. When was the last time I had sex? When was the last time I was seriously interested in thinking of having sex with someone?
She calculated the answer to that silent question in her head and was surprised when she realized that it had been a couple of years. A fellow doctorate student, close to graduation, and both needing a release. That was all it had been but, now, with her current dinner companion, she was tingling in places she had not forgotten but had definitely ignored.
She remembered the conversation she had with Caroline a few months ago, where her daughter encouraged her to get out and “get some”. Determined not to continue that conversation, she had immediately looked at her daughter, and said, “I’m more concerned about you and safe sex than me and safe sex.” Caroline had laughed, and quipped, “Mom, for you to practice safe sex means that you need to actually have sex.”
Now, she was sitting across from the first man she had been interested in in a long time and finding it hard to focus on his words when electricity was zapping between them.
The shared tiramisu had been decimated and their wine glasses were now empty. They had chatted easily, without delving into too much personal information. She wanted it that way, having no desire to open herself up to deep scrutiny. Men usually thought she was younger than she was but, at thirty-seven years old, she was hardly ancient.
Of course, when a man found out that she had a child when she was only eighteen, that tended to steer the conversation in a direction she did not want to go. So far, Eric had not asked questions that were too personal, keeping the conversation light. He did not wear a wedding band, and his ring finger did not appear to be a different shade of tan than his other fingers, indicating that he had not simply slipped off his wedding ring before going out this evening.
“Lydia?”
Blinking out of her reverie, she had missed what he had said. The heat of blush rushed over her face, and she said, “Oh, Eric, I’m so sorry. My mind wandered, but I assure you that it had nothing to do with you.” Before he had a chance to speak, she added, “I mean, it did have to do with you, but not being bored with what you were saying. I was thinking of you, but just not…oh, dear. I seem to be babbling.”
His smile widened as a deep chuckle sent shivers over her. He reached across the table and placed his hand on hers, gently squeezing her fingers. “I had only said that I was having a really good evening. I left the hotel hours ago in search of a place to get something to eat, never imagining that I would meet someone so charming.”
She turned her hand over so that her palm was up, and they linked fingers. Her breath caught in her throat as the feel of his hand on hers sent desire pooling deep inside. Sucking in a quick breath, she rushed, “The evening doesn’t have to end, if you don’t want it to. I know that seems very forward, but you can take the offer or leave it, as you feel.” As the words left her mouth, she wished she could pull them back, but they were already out there, sizzling between them like the current that had been present ever since she met him.
He stared at her, and she felt her cheeks heat with blush. “I don’t normally do this—”
“I can tell,” he hurried to assure. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this evening and wondered if there was any way it would keep going. I just didn’t know how to bring it up but am thrilled that you did.”
“I almost didn’t,” she admitted, her lips curving.
Smiling, he said, “I can’t think of anything more I’d rather do than have more time with you. I’m staying at a hotel not too far from here. I walked to the bar, so I don’t have my car—”
“I parked just down the street from the bar,” she inserted. “We can walk back and then can drive to your hotel.”
He had already paid their bill, so he stood quickly with her hand still in his. Pulling her gently to her feet, he wrapped his arm around her and guided her back out onto the sidewalk. It only took a few minutes to walk back to where her car was parked, and he held out his hand for the keys.
Unused to someone else driving her car, she hesitated. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, “Are you the type of man who feels like a woman can’t drive you?”
He turned and faced her, stepping closer. Her back was against her car, and his hands moved to either side, enveloping her in his warmth. He moved his face closer, stopping when his lips were only a whisper away from hers. “I have no problem with the woman being in the driver seat,” he replied. “But, for tonight, I find myself wanting to take care of you. Will you let me do that?”
Holding his gaze, she had barely nodded when he moved in, his lips finding hers. The kiss began light, slow and smooth, but as a small groan slipped from deep within herself, the kiss flamed hot. She lifted her hands, placing her palms on his chest. His heartbeat pounded through her fingertips, and she gasped as he slid one hand to the back of her head, angling her mouth for maximum pleasure.
His tongue slipped through her open lip
s, and she felt her knees weaken at the sensations rushing through her. Forgetting everything else, she answered back with her own tongue, tangling it with his. Her hands slipped from his chest to around his waist, and she pulled her body flush to his. Lost in the kiss, she blinked at the sudden feeling of cool air between them.
Pushing off of the car, he separated from her body an inch, dragging a ragged breath deep into his lungs. “Damn, Lydia. Let’s get back to my place.”
She placed her car keys in his hand and smiled as he opened the passenger door. He rounded the front quickly, pushed her seat back to accommodate his long legs, and fired up the engine.
They were back at his hotel within a couple of minutes, and he escorted her to his room.
She barely had time to register that his hotel room was larger than the average room, with a king-size bed, a separate sitting area including a sofa and chair, and a door leading to what she could ascertain was the bathroom. Once inside, he closed the door and whirled her around to face him.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, the sexual energy zapping around the room, filling her with something she had not experienced in a long time.
Suddenly, as though the starting gun of a race had gone off, they lunged at each other, becoming a tangle of arms and clothes, mouths, and kisses. Her shirt was whipped over her head as she grappled with his. She managed to get her hands up under his shirt and over his tight, muscular abs, then groaned when she was unable to push it up higher. Their lips separated just enough for him to reach behind him, grab the back of the material and pull it over his head. Now able to have her hands on his entire torso, she felt his warm, strong skin underneath her fingertips.
As she stood in her bra, the mounds of her breasts plumping over the tops of the satin, he slammed his lips back down on hers before kissing his way down her neck. Bending, his kisses continued until he latched onto her nipple through the material, sucking hard. Her fingers slid up from his back to his head as she held him to her breast, her fingernails dragging slightly over his scalp.
Wanting to feel his lips on her skin, she brought her hands to the front and quickly unsnapped her bra, her breasts jiggling with the movement of shaking the straps off her shoulders. He quickly accommodated, his mouth sucking one nipple while his fingers pinched the other.
As if on cue, their hands both moved to their jeans, quickly unzipping and shucking the material down their legs. Her left hand grasped onto his shoulder as she bent to take off her boots. Once she had accomplished that, she kicked off her jeans.
Standing, she realized he was naked, and she had only her panties on, but he bent and hooked his thumbs into the satin, pulling them down her legs as well.
Now completely naked, she was suddenly nervous. Her breasts were full, their weight keeping them from being as pert as someone much younger and smaller. Her waist was trim, but she knew her abdomen had the slight, white remnants of stretch marks from when she carried Caroline. Her hips were full, and as she stared at his amazingly toned body, she wished that she had not given up on her crunches and runs.
Her gaze dropped to the movement of his hand fisting his cock. Suddenly, wanting to feel the pressure of his body on top of hers and that magnificent cock moving inside her, all thoughts of her body’s imperfections flew out of her mind. With a slow smile, she backed to the bed, then sat and stretched back. Leaning up on her elbows, she whispered, “Please.”
He looked at her with such adoration, she had never felt more beautiful. “Lydia, that’s one thing you don’t have to do. You do not have to beg.” He placed one knee on the bed, before crawling over her body, straddling her thighs. The scent of her arousal filled the air and he bent to suckle each breast. Her fingers clutched his head as her hips lifted up feeling his erection pressing into her.
Scooting back down her body, he lifted one of her legs, opening her to him. After placing a kiss on her stomach, he moved his lips over her mound before latching onto her clit. Inserting a finger into her sex, he sucked and nipped until her inner muscles clenched.
She clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the sounds coming from deep inside as her orgasm sent shivers throughout her body. She lay sated, barely aware as he lifted himself back over her. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she could feel the heat of blush from her breasts all the way up to her hairline. “God, that was embarrassing,” she moaned.
Eyebrows lifting, he held his face just over hers, and asked, “Embarrassing? I thought it was fuckin’ amazing.”
She held his gaze and honesty won out over attempting to be coy. “That was quick, so I guess you can figure that it’s been a long time for me.”
He slid his nose along hers before planting a sweet kiss on her lips. “I’m honored that someone as beautiful and nice as you wanted to give yourself to me,” he admitted. “But knowing that it’s been a while for you, I’m even more honored that you’re sharing this with me.”
She had expected a cocky reply from him, but his words touched her. Her lips curved in a slight smile, and she slid her hands from his back, up and over his shoulders. “If that was just the appetizer, I can’t wait till we get to the meal.”
Laughing, he said, “Babe, I promise you’re going to get all seven courses, including dessert.”
Leaning to the side, Eric snagged the condom packet he had tossed to the bed before his jeans had hit the floor. Ripping it open, he rolled the condom over his eager cock. Shifting his hips between Lydia’s thighs, he held his upper body off of her chest with his forearms planted on either side of her and placed his tip at her entrance. Knowing it had been a while for her, he eased his way in, allowing her body to adjust.
They may have been strangers, but their bodies quickly adapted to the rhythm of his thrusts. The friction was beginning to short-wire his brain, and he wondered how long he would last. Her hands were moving from the small of his back up to his neck and down again, her nails dragging lightly over his sensitive skin. Her legs were wide as her heels dug into his tight ass, and he groaned, “Are you close? Please, God, be close.”
A chuckle sounded from deep inside Lydia at Eric’s plea. She felt the coil inside tighten and, while his fingers and lips had been wonderful, his cock was reaching places that were sending her closer to a more powerful and stimulating climax. “Yes,” she breathed.
Suddenly, she felt her body tighten around him, but this time she was unable to hold back calling out his name as her orgasm sent ripples of pleasure throughout her body. Immediately, he threw his head back, his face red as he continued to thrust and power through his release.
Once every drop was wrung from him, he plopped to the bed, barely shifting to keep from landing on top of her. For several minutes, they lay, arms and legs tangled, bodies sweaty, breaths ragged, and heartbeats pounding. Finally recovering, he did not want to move, but knew he needed to dispose of the condom.
Mumbling, “Be right back,” he headed to the bathroom.
She lay for a minute, satisfied, and wondered what the protocol should be. She sat up and began to scoot to the edge of the bed, when he walked back into the room. She stood as he approached, their naked bodies now familiar to each other. Starting to reach for her clothes on the floor, his hand grabbed hold of her arms gently, stilling her movements.
She lifted her gaze to him, and he said, “Will you stay with me?”
She smiled, a light blush crossing her cheeks. Nodding slowly, giving his question great consideration, she replied, “Yes, I’ll stay. I’d like that.”
She moved to the bathroom, and after a few minutes of taking care of her business, she walked back out into the bedroom. He had on his boxers but handed her one of his clean T-shirts.
“I wasn’t sure if you preferred to have something to sleep in,” he said.
She took the proffered shirt and pulled it on. Crawling under the covers, she snuggled up next to him as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Uncertain if she should say anything, she remained quiet and so did he. At firs
t, it seemed awkward, and then she realized it really was simply comfortable. She did not need him to tell her that it had been great, and she did not need to ask if she would see him again.
So, snuggling into his embrace, she let sleep overtake her.
* * *
Asking her to stay had surprised Eric. He normally wanted the evening to be over as soon as both parties had been satisfied. But she was different, and he found himself wanting to climb back in bed with her and hope that, maybe, there would be a round two sometime before sunrise. Not used to sharing his bed with a woman for sleep, he was glad that she had not started talking, trying to analyze what they had. Brushing her hair from her face, he stared as her body grew heavy, knowing sleep had finally claimed her. His heart knew that it had been special, but he also knew he was only there for a very short while and needed to keep his mind on the mission. Even if it had only been for a night, he could not help but think, What if?
* * *
In the early morning, before the sun rose, Lydia slipped from the bed. As quietly as possible, she grabbed her clothes and moved into the bathroom to dress. Looking down at Eric’s T-shirt, her fingers clutched the material, warring with the desire to take it with her as a reminder. Finally, shaking her head, she knew she did not need a tangible reminder of the wonderful night.
Folding it carefully, she laid it on the bed as she took one last look at him. He appeared younger when he was sleeping, his face relaxed. With a smile, and a slightly heavy heart, she turned and slipped out of the room. As she drove the short distance across town to her rented home, she could not help but think, What if?
6
Two days later, Eric sat in the parking lot of the NBAF and took a moment to survey the front of the building. It appeared the employee parking lot was to the side, although many employees were entering through a security gate near the front.
SEAL Together: Silver SEALs Series Page 4