First Class Farewell (16 page)

“So, what are you saying?”

“That while I have no clue what the future holds for me, I
shouldn’t rule out anything. I don’t want to limit my opportunities because I’m
afraid. I don’t want to lose out on love because I didn’t think I deserved it.”

“Oh, Shelby! You deserve everything in this world that’s
good and beautiful because
you
are good and beautiful. I love you…with
all that I am.”

“I know,” she smiled. “And I am extremely grateful.”

“Grateful?” Adam didn’t like the sound of that…or the “
but”
he heard in her voice.

“Yes, grateful. Without you telling me that you loved me, I
wouldn’t have taken this emotional journey the past couple of days and realized,
with a clarity I’m not sure I even appreciate, how I truly feel. And for that,
I am grateful.”

He attempted a smile, but failed. The waitress delivered
their entrees and they both picked up a knife and fork, Adam pausing to say,
“But?”

“But what?”

“You’re grateful, but,” he said.

“There is no but,” she smiled. “I love you, too.”

*****

Adam ate quickly and asked for the check, leaving Shelby to
either leave what was still on her plate uneaten or ask for a box. She decided
to just leave it.

They drove home, the windows down, allowing the cool sea
breeze to swirl through their hair. Adam reached for her hand placed gently in
her lap and squeezed it, not wanting to ruin the moment with a trite expression
that he knew would just sound cheesy. Instead, he kept his eyes on the road and
drove them home safely.

Once the car was locked in the garage, Adam led her by the
hand past the house to the water. The sun was setting behind them and the beach
was deserted. “Let’s walk,” he whispered.

Leaving their shoes at the gate, they wandered barefoot over
the soft sand, fingers entwined, listening to the sea gently lapping at their
feet.

“I wish I could eloquently state what I’m feeling right
now,” he admitted. “But I can’t find words to describe it.”

“Gregory likes to build forts in the sand,” Shelby said. “He
spends hours making walls and motes and tunnels and then, after all the work
has been done, he crushes them with buckets of water. I kind of feel like that
fort right now.”

“And that’s a good thing?”

“A very good thing,” Shelby smiled. “I’ve spent all of my
life building these impenetrable walls to protect myself from the things I want
most, because I’m afraid. And you came in with buckets of water and blew them
to smithereens. I feel free! For the first time I can remember, I feel free.”

Adam pulled her into his arms and swung her around, her feet
lifting from the ground and she giggled as he twirled her under the stars. As
her feet found the ground once more, and their movement stopped, Adam’s grip
tightened and he lowered his head to hers, covering her mouth with his.

He felt her flinch but didn’t release his hold. He kissed
her gently and he felt her shoulders eventually relax, her hands cautiously lay
on his hips. His tongue barely grazed her lip and once again she tensed, but
eased as she accepted him. In minutes, he was inside her mouth, his tongue
tasting her, sliding over her smooth straight teeth and dancing with her tongue
as she experienced how truly divine a great kiss could be.

Pulling back, gasping for air, she lay her head on his chest
and gripped him tightly around the waist. “Wow,” she whispered.

“Double wow,” he said into her hair as he fought for control
of his body.

“I need you to go slow. There are…are demons I have when it
comes to…to this.”

Adam understood and he wished he could take those memories
from her. But he hoped that by giving her good memories, memories of him
worshipping her body, those demons would become a thing of the past. “We’ll go
as slow as you need. I’ll never hurt you. I promise. I’d rather die than hurt
you.” He held her snugly to his body, never willing to ever let her go.

Her pulse quickened and her breathing was shallow. She stood
in the middle of the room as Adam locked the door and closed the curtains in
the pool house. He clicked on the lamp beside the bed and then came and stood
directly in front of her, pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“Don’t be nervous, Shelby. We won’t do anything that makes
you uncomfortable. We have all the time in the world. Just knowing you love me
is all I need.”

She looked up at him, her eyes big and bright, with a look
of relief, perhaps. “It’s not that I don’t want to…to try, it’s just…” Her
voice trailed off.

“Hey, it’s okay.” He held her face gently in his hands. “No
pressure. Slow and easy. And, if you never want me to touch me, I’ll abide by
that, too. I promise you, Shelby, I’ll never hurt you. Never! Why don’t we just
cuddle and watch some TV?”

Shelby nodded as Adam pushed the bed pillows up against the
bed head and pulled back the comforter. He slipped out of his flip flops and
took his wallet from the pocket of his shorts and removed his watch from his
wrist. He climbed onto the bed, leaning back on the fluffy pillows and motioned
for her to join him, to which she quickly complied. Settling in next to him,
she laid her head on his chest, her hand resting on his abdomen as Adam clicked
on the television and after flicking through several channels, settled on a
classic…an episode of Friends.

However, neither of them were watching. Adam caressed her
back and stroked her long golden hair. Shelby listened to the steady beating of
his heart and wondered what if would be like to not be afraid of physical
intimacy…of what they would be doing if she wasn’t so terrified. She loved him
and wanted to show him but didn’t know how. Adam more than sensed her
hesitation and uncertainty. He felt it. And he knew that if their relationship
stood a chance of lasting, it was dependent upon his sensitivity to her needs.

The next episode of the sitcom began, Adam still lightly
touching her in a non-sexual way, giving her time to adjust to him being so
close. Everything that would happen would be a first for her and he didn’t want
there to be any regrets, for either of them. It would devastate him if he hurt
her, physically or emotionally. This was the woman he wanted to spend the rest
of his life with. He wasn’t going to screw it up.

At the first set of commercials, Shelby spoke quietly. “I’m
not watching it if you want to just turn it off.”

“Why don’t we just go to sleep, then?” he asked. “It’s
late.”

Shelby nodded so Adam found the remote and turned the
television off. Scooting down the bed, he kept his arm around her, holding her
close, and reached for the switch on the lamp. He felt her head move, now
looking up at him through the darkness. Her hand touched his cheek and he bent
down to her ‘til his lips found hers, warm and moist…inviting. He kissed her
gently, but his desire was so strong it was difficult to maintain the
self-control necessary.

But she surprised him by opening her mouth to him and
slipped her tongue into his, tentatively exploring the feel of him. Keenly
aware of his arousal, he kept his hands on her back, rigid and still. Her
tongue grazing over his teeth, finding his tongue and innocently discovering
the pleasures of a simple kiss, made his blood boil.

“I like this,” she whispered, as she pulled away.

“Me, too,” he replied.

“Can we kiss some more?”

He smiled. “Absolutely.” And he pulled her up and on top of
him, giving her all of the control. She took it readily and placed her lips on
his and kissed him as lovers would. He held her head in his hands and when her
hips moved he let go and grabbed the pillows at his head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Are you alright?” As she pushed
herself up on her hands and looked at him, the pressure from her hips had him
squirming a little more.

“Ah, just a little turned on and every time you move like
that,” he said as she wriggled again, “I am having to try and think of my mom
and other stuff that works the same way as a cold shower would.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he grinned. “You feel good. Just a little
too
good.”

“You feel good, too. And, maybe, we don’t have to go quite
as slow.”

He exhaled. “But you’ll tell me if you need me to stop?”

She nodded. “I will.” Shelby knew that this was the moment
Katy had spoken of. This was the moment that would change the course of her
future and while petrified, she was certain of her decision, digging deep to
the find the courage to choose her future.

He’d waited for years to love her. Clicking the lamp back
on, he wanted to see her as he undressed her, and he wanted her to see him.
They each knelt on the bed, facing each other, and Adam unbuttoned his shirt
and threw it on the floor then pulled her tank top over her head and discarded
it the same way. She sat in her bra, her soft golden skin peeking through the
delicate white lace. Ever so slightly, his finger traced over her lush mounds
of flesh until he stopped at the hook nestled in her cleavage.

Their eyes met, the question hanging in the air. Taking a
deep breath, she nodded and looked down at his hand. With a quick flick, the
hook popped open and gently he pulled the straps down her arms. The rosy buds
called to him like a siren and he lowered his head and took each one into his
mouth, sucking gently. He heard her gasp, felt her back arch to him and smiled.
Knowing she was enjoying it as much as he, Adam nipped with his teeth and
rolled his tongue over and over her distended nipples as he lowered her down
onto her back.

With her fingers in his hair, she held him to her breasts,
writhing underneath him as he worshipped her body with his mouth.

“Oh, Adam,” she whimpered.

He pulled away and rolled back onto his ankles. “I’m going
to take off your skirt, ’k?”

She nodded, her eyes still tightly closed. Rolling her onto
her side, he made quick work of the button and zipper at her back. It was
discarded on the floor to join the other articles of clothes. All that remained
was her panties, white lace that matched her bra. Kissing the inside of her
thigh made her flinch, eyelids shooting open and pushing herself up on her
elbows, fear in her eyes.

“I’m not gonna hurt you. Let me love you. Let me show how
good it’s gonna be,” he soothed.

Taking a deep breath, she fell back to the bed, her complete
trust in him touching him to the core…his soul. He kissed her again, his hands
caressing the silky smooth skin of her legs. Her musky scent filled him and as
he moved higher his need for her was overwhelming. His hand lightly brushed
over her panties, wet with excitement and the pulsing in his groin quickened.
He licked the lace and she cried out his name once more. She needed his loving
as much he needed to love her.

He removed her panties and spread her legs wide, kneeling
between them and burying his face in the curly hair that covered her. Every one
of his senses were on overload as he looked up to see her nipples protruding
and hard, her mouth open begging for breath, eyes squeezed shut. Her breath was
shallow and he felt her pulse under his lips. Parting her with his tongue she
again cried his name and he knew it was just a matter of moments before she
would shatter under his touch.

Licking and tasting her almost sent him over the edge but he
willed himself to hold on as he brought her to the peak and as her body froze,
she arched her back and a violent spasm held her as she cried out again,
delirious in the overwhelming sensation racking her entire body.

Her lifeless body lay limp and spent as Adam lay his head on
her stomach. He needed a moment to conquer control before he, too, exploded.
Never had taking a woman to orgasm given him such fulfillment…and such a
difficulty in controlling his own needs and desires. The emotional connection
he felt with Shelby was beyond words and he hoped she felt it, too.

A minute or two had passed before she spoke. “I…I…That was
incredible. You…oh, boy…thank you.”

Adam grinned. Speechless was good. “We aren’t done yet.”

“Okay.” He heard the smile in her voice.

“But why don’t you rest for a minute first.”

“Good idea.”

*****

She slept for several hours, cradled in his arms. Adam dozed
but he wasn’t relaxed enough to drift into a deep sleep. Oh, how he loved her.
He knew without doubt that she was his future. Matt was right when he said that
the Lathem men knew what they wanted and he was no exception. Shelby was who he
wanted to spend the rest of his life with and he hoped…desperately hoped that
he’d be able to convince her of that fact. He knew that she trusted him and it
was the sweetest gift she could ever have given him. She had given herself to
him willingly. But he knew it wasn’t over yet. He
had
to be inside her.
He needed it as much as he needed air. He didn’t want to wake her but he
desperately wanted to finish what they’d started.

He carefully slid from the bed and visited the bathroom, and
removed his shorts and briefs while he was there. It was still dark outside.
There was still lots of time. As he returned to the bed she rolled into him and
said, “I had the most amazing dreams.”

“Me, too,” he grinned. “Only mine was real.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“The best is yet to come.”

“Really? I’m not sure I believe you.”

“Let me prove it to you.”

Adam rolled on top of her, covering her with his body. He
kissed her and she responded immediately. His hips pushed into hers, his
erection pressing into her. She responded and lifted her hips to his, silently
consenting to what was about to happen. There wouldn’t be a lot of time for
foreplay…his control was coming to an end.

With his knees, he parted her legs and settled between them,
poised at her entrance. The moment he felt her hips roll underneath him, he
plunged inside her and stilled. She stiffened, her eyelids flying open, an
instant terror in her eyes.

“I love you, Shelby,” he declared again. “I will never hurt
you. Trust me.”

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He felt her
muscles relax, one by one, and the fear that was so evident, slowly faded away.
“I trust you,” she whispered. “With my life and my heart.”

Kissing her again, this time gently, she snaked her arms
around his neck and held their bodies together. He felt a tear on his thumb as
he caressed her cheek.

“Don’t cry,” he pleaded.

“I’ve always known that sex was bad…that men could be so
cruel…but now…,” she sobbed.

“This isn’t just sex. This is making love. I love you.
Please don’t cry.”

“I love you, Adam. Thank you for not giving up on me.”

*****

The morning sun shone through the tiny slits in the
curtains. Shelby and Adam were entwined, clinging to each other in a deep
sleep. They’d made love twice, the second time with no memories of the past
haunting her…the demons no longer stalking her…her dreams now of Adam and their
future together.

As they awoke to the sounds of splashing in the pool, Shelby
looked at the clock. It was after ten.

“I don’t care what time it is,” Adam growled, his eyes still
closed. “You aren’t going anywhere.” He pulled her tighter.

“People are going to wonder…”

“I don’t care,” he grumbled. “I’ve got you naked in my bed
and I’m not letting you go…ever!”

Shelby laughed. “At some point, we’re going to have to leave
the pool house. If nothing else, we have to get on a plane tomorrow and go
home.”

“We can deal with that tomorrow.”

“What a trip this has been.”

Adam agreed. “So much has happened in just a couple of
weeks.”

“It’ll probably be good to get back to normal.”

“I don’t want things to go back to the way they were,” he
said as he sat up straight.

“Well,” Shelby said, “There’s work and stuff and…”

“I know but I’ve waited for you for a long time and I’m not
going back to the old status quo. I want you by my side…always.”

“So, are you talking about moving in together?” she asked.

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh,” Shelby said, surprising herself as she heard the
slight disappointment in her reply.

“Will you marry me? Will you be Mrs. Dr. Adam Anderson? Or
Dr. Shelby Anderson? I kind of like that better,” he grinned.

“Marry you?” her eyes were open wide. “This is a bit sudden,
isn’t it?”

“Not for me!” he chuckled. “I’ve been in love with you for
years, just waiting for you. Marry me,” he nodded.

*****

“She’s not in her room,” Katy said. “It appears her bed
wasn’t slept in.”

“The car is in the garage so I know they came back from town
last night,” Janie added.

“Maybe we should check the pool house to see if Adam is
there,” Katy suggested.

“No!” Mark exclaimed. “Leave them alone!”

“So they’re there? Together?” Janie asked.

“It doesn’t matter if they are or not,” Matt added. “Give
them some privacy.”

“So they
are
there?” Katy asked.

The four of them were in the library trying to decide what
time to leave for New York the following day, but the whereabouts of Shelby and
Adam had been the main topic of conversation.

“Now, can we talk about tomorrow?” Mark said.

“Just not too early,” Janie said. “It’ll take a while to get
all the kids ready.”

“So, eleven?” Matt asked.

“That puts us home before dinner. Perhaps the babies will
sleep on the plane,” Katy said.

“Okay. I’ll call to confirm,” Matt said as he stood and
headed out of the room.

“Matt? Do you have a second?” Adam asked him in the hallway.

Noticing the grip he had on Shelby’s hand, he bit his lip so
as to not smile. “Sure. Privately?”

“Uh, well, is Mom around?”