Ditching The Dream (Dream Series) (35 page)

I stood and dropped my Pashmina on the chair. Kevin set our drinks on the small table next to his phone. He swooped me in into his arms, and with ‘Dancing With The Stars’ posture and technique, guided us around the patio in a proper dance hold. We settled into the dance moves and Kevin started to crooned along with Michael, not missing a word or beat. Effortlessly, Kevin moved us around the rooftop patio under the stars. He had a beautiful singing voice. God didn’t miss a trick when he created Kevin.

The lyrics waxed poetic about tenderness and letting fears go, and affecting the man’s heartbeat, as foolish as his heart may be, all because of how the woman looked to him.

The way Kevin’s hips were pressed against mine, and his strong arm around my back, my hormones leapt into action, causing my foolish heart to crave things. He brought his head into the crook of my neck and buried a kiss, then continued to sing.

We danced the rest of the song, gazing into one another’s eyes, our bodies moving as one, holding on for dear life.

“This is a foxtrot,” he said. “A classic.” Kevin used the whole rooftop to move us around. As the song ended, Kevin leaned me against the wall of the elevator shaft and sang the last lines. I was so caught up in the intensity of Kevin’s gaze that I barely heard the lyrics, but something about love.
He can’t love me. Can he? But the look in his eyes sure says that.

The song ended and, although I was sure there were sirens and car sounds on the streets fifteen stories below us, I couldn’t hear them. All I heard was my heavy breath. Kevin’s breath. My heart pounding in my ears. And the cool concrete that I was leaning against did little to control the fire that the dancing and lyrics had ignited.

His eyes searched mine. He was looking for an answer to his little declaration with the song. It was written all over his face. I leaned forward and kissed his lips. Gently at first, but once my lips touched his, they grew greedy. I tasted the Southern Comfort on his mouth. Coupled with the Mudslide in my mouth, it was heavenly. I pulled my arms from our dance hold and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him closer to me.

He leaned into me and snaked his hand up my top, groaning into my mouth. I pressed my hips against his hard cock, suddenly needing so much more than his hand under my shirt. I checked out around the rooftop and the darkened windows of neighboring buildings.

“Have you ever… you know… in public?” I asked against his lips.

He pulled back and gave me a sly grin. “No. Have you?”

I shook my head and bit my lip. He wriggled his eyebrows at me and his mouth crashed back on mine. I pushed at him and walked us back to the lounge chairs. I grabbed my drink and downed the rest of it, needing a bit of liquid courage for what I was about to do. Apparently so did Kevin, because he did the same.

I stepped one leg over the lounger straddling it, and took a seat, encouraging Kevin to follow suit. Sitting and straddling, we leaned into one another and started kissing like wild teenagers. His hands dove to the bottom of my cami and slid it up my body. I pulled back and smiled wide as he slipped it over my head. He sat back for a better look, and smiled wide, shaking his head.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but good God almighty, I’m glad for it,” he drawled.

I pulled at the hem of his shirt, and he helped me work it off his magnificent form. Awash in moonlight, his body took on an ethereal quality. He was a god. His tattoos were more seductive, his chiseled muscles were more pronounced, and even his smile was brighter.

Feeling a chill, I pulled him to me, needing his warmth, and he eagerly obliged. We laid down on the lounger, and he slipped a leg in between mine, grinding on my throbbing junction. My hips moved along with his leg, desperately crying out for release.

His hands slipped into the waistband of my silk pants and slunk them down over my hips, as I did the same to him. Apparently he sleeps commando because there were only the pants, no boxer briefs. His cock sprung forth and slapped against my belly, hot and ready.

I reached between us and took hold of his manhood, velvety and warm, and relished the feel of it in my hand. I felt it twitch to my touch. I loved that I could cause such a reaction.

Kevin slid his body down mine, dragging his lips along the way until he reached my breasts. Greedily, he took my left breast in his mouth and his hand secured itself to my right breast. His tongue swirled around the nipple, nipping and sucking. I dug my hands into his thick, dark hair, urging him onward. He spent several minutes paying attention to my mounds, but I had other areas that needed attention.

I dropped my hands from his hair and slid down his back, pulling upward. Kevin responded eagerly and his mouth claimed mine. I loved that he was as lost in the feelings as I was. Again, taking his pulsing member in my hand, I aligned him to my entrance. Without a moment’s hesitation, he plunged into me, pushing my head into the seat’s back. I moaned with pleasure and gripped his shoulders. He withdrew slightly and smiled hopefully at me. I grinned in return. He took note, and pushed in again and again.

“Faster! Harder!” I urged. And just like that, he was off, as was I. Meeting him thrust for thrust. I looked at his lovely face and could see he was almost there. I knew I was. “Ready?” I asked.

His eyes flew open and we locked gazes. Three powerful plunges and we came together, flooding the roof with grunts and groans and cries. He dropped his head beside mine, propping his heaving body on his elbows over me.

“God that was –
oh mierda!
I didn’t use any – Liz, I’m so –” He pulled back abruptly, terror crossing his face. “I’m so sorry!” he finished.

I kissed him to quiet his panic. “It’s okay. I can’t get pregnant. I haven’t been able to for nineteen years.” I kissed him again gently, “And I’m clean. I have every confidence you are, too.” His body relaxed a bit under my touch. We pulled our pants up and cuddled.

We laid there for a while in peaceful rest. Our breaths balanced one another. In-in-out-out. I have no idea how long we lay there. It felt wonderful to be out under the stars with no top on, just his body for warmth.

“Hey, Liz?” he asked quietly.

“Hmm?” was all I could say.

“
Feliz
Cumpleaños.
Happy birthday.”

Okay. Best. Birthday. Ever.

I
couldn’t believe my fortune. I’d come up here to drink my sorrows away. To be floors away from her. Being just down the hall was too tempting. And with her daughter staying with her, I couldn’t just go knocking on Liz’s door in the middle of the night. So, I came up here for space. Distance.

I had been there contemplating what I should do. Do I make a big play for her? Or let things play out as destiny wanted? I’d even asked the stars the way
abuela
used to do. And then she showed up.

I love laying here with her in my arms. She feels so perfect. Her soft breaths cascading on my chest. Her delicate arm wrapped around my waist.

I thought about the phone conversation I wasn’t meant to hear. Obviously she’d come to the roof for privacy. I was sure with Phoebe staying in her apartment, privacy was not very possible. Was she really falling hard for me? After that little performance, I’d say it was confirmed. But then her comment was
‘both Kevin and –’.
It had to be Jack.

That’s okay. I have her… for now.

W
ednesday morning I woke up surprisingly late. Okay, well, maybe not surprising, as I didn’t climb back into bed until three fifteen in the morning after my visit to the roof. Then I spent a restless night tossing and turning with guilt and anxiety. It was nearly ten o’clock when I crawled out of bed. I felt like I was a teenager, sleeping in so much late lately. I loved having double days off at Ed Scott’s and made a note to try and get a ‘weekend’ as much as I could.

I dressed in a pair of shorts as the days were unseasonably warm this week. I made us coffee, eggs and toast.

We got Phoebe all packed up and then went for a quick lunch at a street side bistro on Lexington. We took a taxi to the airport shortly after two for her five-thirty flight home. I saw her to the security check point and started to get choked up. I was going to miss her.

“Just… call Dad, okay, Mom?” she pleaded, hugging me tight. “He’s really a mess. He’s called me every day to see how you are. You can work things out. He’s sure of it. Brad’s pretty worried, too. He thinks Dad’s drinking too much.”
Stab. Right to the heart.

I choked down my shame and promised that I would call her Dad. I thought about calling Jess on the cab ride home, but didn’t want to give my cab driver an earful, so I opted to wait until I got home. Besides, she had something to tell me and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like it.

Instead, I thought about Jack and Kevin. And Greg.

Once inside my apartment, noting it was after five-thirty already, I made myself a stiff Lemondrop Martini. Just after I tasted it to make sure it was strong enough for the emotions that were threatening to take me under, there was a knock on the door.

So much for calling Jess.

I set my cocktail down and went to answer the door. Peeking through the peep hole, my heart skipped a beat. Even with the distorted image, Kevin was still breathtaking. And that might have been amplified after last night’s episode on the roof.

I opened the door and stepped aside. “C’mon in. How have you been?”

He stopped momentarily to kiss me on the cheek as he stepped into my apartment. He quickly scanned the apartment.

“Is Phoebe here?”

I shook my head. “No, her plane took off about ten minutes ago.”

“Good,” he sighed and he swept me into his arms, kissing me like Rhett Butler kissed Scarlett O’Hara in
Gone With The Wind.
And just like Scarlett, I melted right into his arms, and kissed him back with as much as he gave. His lips felt so good. His arms so comforting. Even if this was the
last
thing I needed.

“I’m sorry I stayed away. I was going to come say goodbye to Phoebe. I just couldn’t be around you and not do that,” he said, brushing a thumb over my lower lip.

“Kevin, we need to talk.”

He nodded and followed me into the living room. He sat down on the sofa and rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward as he watched me walk over to pick up my martini.

“Can I get you something?” I asked. “A SoCo and Coke?”

He smiled and nodded. His eyes continued to track me as I went to the fridge to grab a cold coke. I grabbed a glass and tossed in a couple of ice cubes, the clinking of the cubes being the only sound. That and my nervous breath.

After I poured his drink and made myself comfortable in the reading chair, I took a deep breath and looked over his impressive body. He looked like he had just come from work. His button down shirt unbuttoned at the top, his tie loosened, and his shirt cuffs rolled up. He wore his signature cowboy boots. I loved how he wore the dark wash jeans to appear more formal.

“How old are you?” I asked, my heart thumping in my ears. Hopefully the drumming would quiet down enough so I could hear his answer. Or maybe not. Maybe I didn’t want to know his answer.

“Twenty-nine,” he replied nonchalantly, sitting back in his seat, sipping his drink then cocking his head at me with a curious expression on his face.

“Twenty nine!?” I screeched. “As in
less-than-thirty-twenty-nine
?” I shot up out of my chair and started to pace. Kevin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, watching me make my way to and fro, worrying the carpet. Math had never been a strong point for me and suddenly, it had become that much more difficult. Forty-three less twenty-nine… borrow a ten…

Holy Shit!

“Holy shit!” I started to breathe heavily. My head grew light. Kevin stood and took a hold of my arms then forced me to sit back down in my chair.

I dropped my head in my hands and scolded myself, chunking through math like my life depended on it.
Fourteen years younger! What in the hell are you doing? You should have figured this out when you first started dating. Dating! Ohmygod. And he’s only six years older than Brad! He was only two years old when I
met
Greg!