Falling for Gravity

by Isabella Cassazza

  “I made you sad,” he murmurs against my forehead.

  “Only a little.” I force the corners of my mouth up. And you’ll only make me happy for as long as you are here. Afterward, I’ll be sad again. It’s better I get used to the feeling.

  “How was your day?” He lifts my chin up with one finger and looks deep in my eyes while he waits for my answer.

  I resist the urge to wipe away the wetness from my cheeks. “I slept until eight. Then I went grocery shopping. Now I’m here.” I wink.

  He laughs. And the tiny lines in the corner of his eyes show themselves for the first time today. “Sounds super exciting.”

  “What about you?” I wish I had a photographic memory and would never forget his joyful expression.

  “My teammates think I’m on drugs since I bounced around during the morning skate. You should have seen their faces when I told them my drug is called Wioletta.”

  “You told them about me?” I lift my head up straight.

  He sighs. “We spend so much time together as a group. They smell if something of importance has changed your mood even before you realize it.”

  “You think I’m important?”

  Julian nods. “Please tell me I wasn’t the only one that felt this crazy connection between us right away?”

  I bite my lip. “No, I felt it too. But—”

  “We have only a limited time to get to know each other.” He sighs. “I’m afraid it’s even less than I thought yesterday. My coach wants to go over some drills and plays with me before the game. And I need a nap before we head to the arena. I can only stay half an hour.” He trails one finger over my cheek. “Let’s not waste a single second. What’s your favorite color?”

  I chuckle when I really want to cry. Half an hour. That’s all we’ve got. “Red.”

  “So you’re a passionate girl.”

  I shrug. “I only like red. What’s your favorite color?” I want to hear his deep voice again.

  His eyes light up. “Blue. The dark blue I’ll wear tonight.”

  Blue like his eyes. I might have to change my favorite color to this exact shade of midnight blue. “Are you excited for the game?”

  He nods twice while his eyes sparkle with enthusiasm. “It was my dream to be a hockey player since I was a little boy. I wish you could see me play tonight. I tried to get some tickets for you, but… I’m afraid the game is completely sold out.” He sits up straight and takes my hands back in his. “Will you meet me after the game? You would have to come to my hotel room. I can’t sneak out at night—”

  I look at where his thumb caresses my fingers. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. You’ll leave tomorrow—”

  “Please think about it. I know it sounds crazy, but… I want to spend more time with you. I don’t expect anything to happen. We can just talk.”

  I bite my lip again. It’s an annoying habit, but one that calms me. “Can I think about it?”

  “Sure.” His shoulders slump. How can this giant of a man look so freaking cute? Does he know it and use it against me? What woman in her right mind can say no to such an overload of manly forlornness?

  “Where exactly is your hotel?” I ask before I can think about the words.

  “It’s close to the city center. But don’t worry about how to get there. We could book a taxi for you right now. Or I could give you money for one if you don’t want to use public transportation at night. Or—”

  I pull one hand out of his and place a finger over his mouth. “I can manage. You gave me a more than generous tip yesterday. Remember?”

  Julian shakes his head. “You should buy something nice with that money for yourself. Not spend it on a taxi ride.” His gaze leaves me for a second to look at his watch. His shoulders drop even more. “I need to head back. But… I really want to see you again. Will you give me your number?”

  I hesitate. Nothing can come out of… whatever is developing between us. There simply isn’t enough time. But deep down I know I’m not ready to say goodbye to him for good. So we exchange numbers.

  Then he bends over and gives me a quick kiss on my forehead. Without another word, he turns around and heads in the opposite direction.

  I drop my head. My heart already hurts in my chest. How will it feel the last moment we’re together knowing I’ll never see him again? I curse my bad luck. Of course I would meet the perfect man only to realize that we can’t be together. I push myself up from the bench and take a hesitant step forward. My phone rings.

  Unknown Caller appears on the screen. I accept the call.

  “Why are you still standing next to the bench?” Julian’s voice sounds even darker through the phone.

  “Why are you already calling me?”

  “I had to make sure you gave me the correct number.”

  “Well, now you know. How do you know I’m still standing here?”

  “Look over to your right.”

  My head flies around to where he’s leaning against a tree with a big grin on his face. He waves his hand.

  “Didn’t you just say you needed to hurry?” I can’t help it. I smile and wave back.

  His expression becomes serious again. “I have to race back to the hotel now.” Even though there’s quite some distance between us, the blood flows faster through my veins from his intense gaze that never leaves my face.

  I swallow. “Won’t that tire you out?”

  “You’re worth it. Besides, I have a ton of stamina.”

  I swear he winks in my direction. “Go now.” I chuckle.

  “I look forward to seeing you tonight.” His voice is deeper than ever before.

  “I still haven’t said yes.” Gotta give it to the man. He’s persistent. And surely doesn’t lack self-confidence.

  “Then I need to do some more convincing.” He runs over to where I stand and crushes his mouth on mine in an unyielding kiss. I lose myself. In him. In his passionate embrace. So much that I forget we’re in the middle of a public park. This man could be my undoing. Or my salvation. Or both at the same time.

  “Go back to your hotel.” I pant when he finally lifts his head again.

  “Only if you promise me I’ll see you tonight.” His eyes shine with longing. How could I resist them?

  I smile. “I’ll be there. Text me the address and the time. I need to work now. And so do you.” I turn around and head outside the park.

  He’s right. There was an instant connection between us. A kind of pull that I never felt with anyone before.

  I’ve always been the good girl. My older brothers scared away any man for as long as I can remember. Julian could stand his ground against them. Not that he’ll ever have to. His life is in the States. Mine is here. Or in Poland.

  But we have tonight. And if one night has to be enough. I better make sure to create a memory that’ll last me a lifetime.

  I take a deep breath and knock on the door. Employees and other guests stared at me while I walked through the hotel lobby. I don’t even want to know what they were thinking about me. Girls with shoes worn as many times as mine don’t belong in fancy five-star hotels.

  The door flies open. “You’re here.” Julian pulls me inside and hugs me close.

  “Congratulations. I looked the game score up online. You won, didn’t you?” I pull back in his embrace.

  He leans his forehead against mine. “We did. But I don’t want to talk hockey right now. I’m so glad you came.” He puts his arm around my shoulder and leads me into a room that is bigger than my entire apartment. God, what would he think of me if he saw my rundown furniture and the limited space?

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t have time to tidy up. I’m usually not messy.” He drops his arm from around me, grabs a pair of boxer briefs from the floor, and throws them in the direction of his suitcase where they land with a plop.

  I laugh and relax a little. “Don’t worry. I grew up with three brothers. I know how boys are. And believe me when I say, I’ve seen worse.”

 
I’m rewarded with his signature grin that spreads over his entire face. “I already like your brothers.”

  “Let’s not talk about them. Tell me something about yourself.”

  “I don’t want to talk.” I walk over to where he’s standing and put my arms around his neck. “We only have one night. Let’s not waste a single second.” I repeat his words from earlier today.

  His Adam’s apple bobs up and down. Then he swallows. “Are you sure?”

  I nod. I want him. And the memory of this night.

  He puts one arm underneath my knees and lifts me up against his chest. With two long strides, we reach the king-size bed where he lowers me to the mattress as if I’m his most prized possession. For a moment he towers over me, then he sinks down beside me.

  His mouth meets mine in a lingering kiss. It’s only sweet in the beginning. Then turns scorching hot. The night only has so many hours after all. And we both know it.

  “I don’t want to rush,” he murmurs against my neck while one hand sneaks under my blouse. “At the same time, I can’t wait to be inside you,” he says in between ardent kisses.

  “We have all night,” I pant when his rough hand shoves my bra away and cups my breast. My entire body tenses. I’m overwhelmed. By his touch. By his intense gaze. And by his gentleness when he frees us both from our clothes.

  “Look at me, Wioletta.” His head towers above mine again.

  My eyelids flutter open. And I lose myself in his blue eyes while he explores my body. Calloused fingers draw circles around my nipples. Then the lines expand until there isn’t a place between my neck and my belly button Julian hasn’t kissed and caressed. A quiver surges through my veins when he moves up my torso with a trail of kisses again. And my entire body is filled with want.

  “You’re so beautiful. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes,” he whispers when he reaches my ear. Tears prickle behind my eyes, but I refuse to let them out. This is a happy moment.

  “I want to touch you too.” I thread my hands through his blond hair. He’s taking care of me. But I want to make him feel as special as he makes me.

  “Not yet.” While his hands play with my breasts again, his tongue invades my mouth until my skin tingles all the way from my head to my toes. I’m floating on a high that’s called Julian Smith.

  “Open up for me.” He rolls in between my knees and pushes them apart. Then he descends on my body. I shiver when his erection slides over my inner thigh. His weight isn’t on me yet. Instead he leans on one elbow while the other hand is free to roam my outer thigh.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful.” He caresses my thigh and my knee while he speaks with a hoarse voice.

  “I’m—” Before I can finish my sentence, his body crushes mine into the mattress. Then he rolls his hips against me in frantic motions. I whimper and lift my hips to meet his. At this point, I’m ready to come from the friction his body inflicts on mine alone.

  Each time I lift my hips a little higher. Each time I rub myself harder against him. Until we both exhale heavy breaths.

  “You’re driving me crazy.” He presses his lips together. “I want to prepare you. I want to kiss every inch of your body. But… I need to be inside you.” His eyes are pleading with me to say yes.

  “Do…” I swallow. “Do you have a condom?”

  The tip of his penis grazes my entrance when he bends over to the left and retrieves a foil package out of the pocket of his pants. My eyes follow his every move. He’s packing. But I don’t need more preparation. I only need him.

  Julian settles between my legs and lowers his nose against mine for a second. Then he lifts his head and holds my gaze while he presses his erection against my core. “Am I hurting you?” He releases a shaky breath and inches deeper.

  “No.” I don’t recognize my own voice. I don’t know who I am anymore. All that matters is the thick penis in between my thighs as it ever so slowly slides inside me.

  I whimper when he hits home. The way he stretches me from my entrance to deep inside my middle is overwhelming. Delicious. Too much. And yet not enough.

  Every muscle inside Julian’s body is as tight as it can get when he pulls out and drives back in again. I close my legs over his thick thighs when he places his hands underneath my butt and let go of what little control I had. He’s in charge. He can do whatever he wants to me. I don’t care as long as the tension inside me finds an outlet.

  His erection leaves and enters over and over again. I throw my head back when his pubic hair caresses my clit over and over again. Now he’s the one driving me crazy.

  He angles my hips up higher and drives home even deeper while his hips roll relentlessly against mine. I pant against his shoulder. He’s trying to be gentle. But I need more.

  “Let go.” I pull him down until his mouth is on my lips and drive my tongue deep in his mouth. He growls. Then his hips bang against mine in unleashed passion.

  My eyes want to roll back in my head and yet I can’t take them off of him, the way his jaw goes slack and his neck muscles tense until they look as if they’re about to erupt.

  I’m delirious. From sexual tension. From crazy emotions. And from the heat between us as we race each other to the ultimate fulfillment.

  Then I fall. Until nothing else matters other than his pounding heart against mine and the soft postorgasmic tingle on my skin.

  Much later, I open my eyes. Someone towers over me. Not just someone. Julian.

  “Good morning.” He smiles down at me.

  “Are you watching me sleep?” I ask with a voice hoarse from sleep and our lovemaking. Twice he took me to heaven and back again. Twice more I let him do whatever he wanted to do with me. And I wish we had the time to do it a hundred times more.

  “I don’t want to miss a split second with you.” Little wrinkles appear in the corners of his eyes.

  “I was right. You’re cute.” I close my eyes again and snuggle closer.

  “My teammates wouldn’t agree with you.” His chest expands when he laughs and takes my head with it.

  “Mmh,” I murmur against his skin.

  “Go to sleep again. I’m not going anywhere.” He puts one arm around me and places his chin on my head. I would give everything to freeze time.

  There’s nowhere I’d rather be than in his arms. But I can’t sleep anymore. While the clock ticks mercilessly, my brain revolves around how I can see him again. What and if are torturous words when they’re repeated over and over again in different scenarios. Especially since there’s one we’re this is the last time I’ll ever see him.

  Julian trails one finger over my arm. If only I could stop time.

  “What are you thinking about?” I ask into the silence.

  “What makes you think I’m thinking?” He bends down and kisses my hair.

  “You’re frowning. Why aren’t you relaxing? Don’t you like holding me?

  He sighs. “I enjoy holding you too much.”

  “I don’t understand.” My voice is still hoarse from sleep. And from our lovemaking.

  “I don’t want to leave without you. I’m…” He clears his throat. “I’m in love with you.”

  I close my eyes for a second. When I open them again, his face is right above mine. “I’m in love with you too,” I whisper.

  “Thank God,” he says against my mouth. Then he molds his lips to mine. Not in the frantic way from earlier, but in a way that tells me how much I mean to him. And I do my best to tell him the same without using actual words.

  “Would… would you visit me?” he asks after a few moments.

  I sit up straight. “You want me to visit you in the States?”

  “The moment I saw you, I knew deep down that you were my future. I know it sounds crazy. But—”

  “Yes.” Tears overflow and blur my vision. I blink them away as fast as I can.

  “Are you sure?” His voice cracks.

  “I’m not saying I’ll stay forever. But I could visit for a while?” I thr
ow my arms around him and bury my head against his broad shoulders.

  “And then you could visit again.” He whispers in my ear and gives me a peck on my cheek when I lift my head. “And again.” His lips find my mouth in a deep kiss. One that promises me heaven on earth. Now. And in what hopefully will be our future.

  “Maybe.” I pull away and giggle when he tickles my stomach.

  “Let’s buy a ticket for you.” He jumps out of bed, grabs his laptop, and browses the internet for the next available flight. “I want to know when I’ll have you back in my arms again. Every minute I’ll have to spend without you will be pure torture.”

  Am I crazy for following my heart? Maybe.

  But what kind of crazy would I be if I didn’t take a chance on this gentle giant of a man?

  Chapter 4

  Julian

  * * *

  “And you just packed your stuff and went on that flight?” Lily asks after I finish my story.

  Wioletta lifts her head from my shoulder. “I didn’t own many things back then in the first place. Besides, I had nothing to lose. The restaurant owner was nice, and it was a good place to work. But it wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” She then turns to me. “I guess it was like Julian said. Deep down I knew the moment I saw him he was my future.”

  “That’s so romantic,” Emilia says and wipes away a tear.

  “How come no one told this story at your wedding?” Danny asks.

  “Well, we didn’t want to worry my mom and told her a slightly different version of our meet-cute. One in which we spend more time together in Prague before I flew to Boston for the first time.” Wioletta winks.

  “I guess it was a good thing I wasn’t much of a talker back then.” Tyler chuckles.

  “You’re right. But I’m glad you found yourself a pretty lady and opened up.” I grin.

  “Me too, buddy. Me too.” He bends down and kisses Lily.

  “Now we just have to find a girlfriend for you, Danny.” I turn to the only single person in the room.