Gamer Girl (20 page)

She caught up to him and walked beside him in silence for some
time. As they crossed the meadow where the tent was, Sarah noted that people were starting to show up. Riordan and Catherine were saying hello as were the rest of the clan. Eamon kept walking and Sarah stayed with him. They reached the edge of the meadow and Eamon cut into the brush. Sarah saw that there was a path that led into the woods. She followed him and after awhile they exited by a stream bank. Eamon led her upstream for and stopped when they reached an eddy of crystal clear water. Sarah turned in a slow three-sixty and took a deep breath. All she could hear was the water as it flowed into the eddy and back out again, the soft light breeze that rustled the leaves and an occasional bird. Even the air was cooler because the scrub trees and oaks provided shade.

“This is beautiful,” Sarah said, as she turned
around.

“
Yes. It is. I saw this piece of ground five years ago and made a bid for it on the spot. We lived so long in that little house in North Kansas City that I wanted space and lots of room. I wanted my parents to have someplace really grand to live, but they just wanted something a little nicer than what they started with and a nice big kennel for Dad’s earth dogs.” Eamon looked around and then at Sarah. “At least there’s plenty of acreage for the daschunds to run. I don’t bring a lot of people back here. But you looked like you could use a little bit of nature.”

“
And you were right. This is…this is really nice. I think I can put my happy face back on now.”

“Haven’t you been happy?”
Eamon stepped closer.

“I’ve been happy enough,” Sarah told him.

Eamon leaned in to touch his lips to hers. At the touch of his mouth, Sarah pulled him down until she could wrap her arms around his neck.

“Sara
h,” he said softly as he kissed her jaw and her neck and then her shoulder. His hand slid the strap of her cami down so that he could run his hand over her bare skin.

Sighing,
Sarah ran her hand under his shirt and caressed the small of his back.

He pushed her cami lower and began to kiss the sensitive skin of her upper breast at the same time his hand moved to cup her breast from below and bring it up to his mouth.
Sarah’s legs began to tremble and she was making little mewing sounds.

A loud sound, a backfire from an arriving vehicle broke them apart.

Sarah stared at Eamon as though he were possessed. “This is not a good idea right now. We need to get back to the party.”  She pulled her cami back up and tried to catch her breath.

Eamon started to reach for her again but stopped. She was right. Not a good idea at all.

“Let’s go then.” Eamon
adjusted his T-shirt and led Sarah back out of the woods and into the meadow. Some of the people from Gryphon world began to show up and Sarah went to join them. Eamon went to say hello his parent’s parish friends who were beginning to arrive.

Eamon watched Sarah throughout the day as she mingled with guests and talked to his family. She played san
d volleyball, much to the wonder and delight of every man who watched her bounce in her t-strap tank suit. Sarah drank the occasional Schmirnoff Ice, a lot of bottled water and ice tea. Eamon knew because he could not stop watching her, didn’t want to stop watching her.

At Aidan’s request, Sarah sat down
with his family during the barbeque. Eamon realized how much his family liked her, and he knew it was because she walked unafraid into their world to be with them. It was just one of Sarah’s special gifts. She was a puzzle, his puzzle, his lovely, sexy beautiful mystery and she twinkled in his universe like a beautiful star that he had to watch.

After dinner, Sarah competed in the karaoke contest. She won best female singer but lost out to the tenor for best all round singer. The crowd called for an enco
re so Sarah and the winner sang the duet from
Beauty and the Beast
and brought the house down.

When
it was time for the fireworks, Aidan ran up and grabbed Sarah by the hand. Eamon knew what was next; Aidan wanted to show Sarah the
best place to watch the fireworks
.

Eamon intervened. “Hey, bro,”

Aidan stopped short and he and Sarah turned around. Before Aidan could say anything, Eamon said, “I think there’s a beer with your name on it somewhere over on the other side of the tent.”

The brothers exchanged looks
, long silent looks and then, Aidan smiled and arched his eyebrow. Whatever had passed between the two brothers, it seemed to satisfy Aidan. “Just about to go and look for it big brother.” He leaned over and kissed Sarah’s cheek. “Great singing, Sarah. See you later.”

Aidan went in search of his beer.

Eamon took hold of Sarah’s hand. “Will you watch the fireworks with me?”

“Love to,” Sarah
squeezed his hand.

Eamon  grabbed a couple of the folding chairs, handed Sarah a couple of Schmirnoff’s and led her through the crowd and outside to a place in the meadow. Others began to do the same thing. Then, the music began and the fireworks lit up the night
sky. Sarah settled contentedly into the curve of Eamon’s arm which encircled her shoulders throughout the fireworks show. It was a great display and the music was perfect. The ooohs and aaahhs of the crowd were enthusiastic. When it ended, many of the families with children began to leave. The DJ began spinning tunes in the tent and a lot of adults were dancing.

Eamon grabbed up the chairs and they walked them back to the tent. When he put them down he said, “I
’d like to dance with you, Sarah.”

Sarah put her drink down and took his hand. She led him out onto the floor and wrapped her arms aroun
d his neck. Eamon pulled her in tight against his chest and they rocked together to a slow tune from the nineties.

Aidan walked over to his sister, Siobhan, who turned to him and said, “Well?”

Aidan laughed. “When Eamon saw that I was about to lead her off into the night, he went all alpha wolf on me. I practically had to show my belly to get his hackles down. He hasn’t turned loose of her since.”

“Oooo, he’s got it bad then.” Siobhan watched her ol
der brother as he danced hip to hip with Sarah.

“I don’t get it,” Aidan said. He stood next to Siobhan, arms crossed. “She’s a keeper, sis, and he’s got it bad for her. So why…”

“Eamon’s an idiot, that’s why. He may be smart about video games and computer programming, but when it comes to love…he’s emotionally challenged.” Siobhan made a noise that was half frustration and half dismissal. “You know, I’m not going to worry about it. Big brother can take care of his own love life.”

Aidan threw his arm around his sister’s shoulders. “Come on, I’ll buy you a drink,” he teased. As t
hey walked toward the iced beer he said, “So are you still dating that Viking from St. Paul?”

“Aidan, if you call him a Viking to his face, I will clean your clock!”

Aidan laughed and they continued toward the cooler.

The DJ was winding down the evening and playing a lot of slow songs.

Eamon and Sarah
danced for about an hour oblivious to the fact that they were one of the few couples still left. Sarah had her arms around Eamon’s neck and her head on his shoulder. It had been a long day and Eamon smelled of deodorant, salt and healthy male and she savored his scent. Sarah was where she wanted to be. They danced until the DJ shut down for the night and what few guests still awake were headed to their cars or to their beds.

She and Eamon stood for a long moment on the dance floor. Sarah hesitated and then looked down at the ground.”I think I’d better go to bed.”

“Thanks
for the dance, Sarah.”

Follow
me, Eamon,
Sarah thought as she walked away. When she reached the locked gate to the pool house where she was staying, Sarah looked back but she didn’t see him.
He is never going to love me,
she thought,
but I want to be with him, just once. I guess that make me a stupid boy-toy.
Entering the code, she unlocked the gate and headed to the bathroom. Too wound up to sleep, Sarah pulled her bikini from her tote and headed for the pool.

Ea
mon watched as Sarah left, the memory of holding her so fresh that it was like she left a part of herself with him. Common sense said to leave her alone, but all he wanted to do was hold her again, touch her, taste her and bury himself deep inside her. He stood in the shadows and let her go, and when she looked back at him, his breath caught in his throat.

Eamon waited until he was certain she’d made her way to the pool house before he went on up to the main house and his own room. He showered
and crawled into bed. He tried to sleep, but he couldn’t relax. He tried to read, but he couldn’t concentrate. He closed his eyes, and Sarah was all he could see, all he could imagine. Frustrated, Eamon threw back the covers, got out of bed and walked out on the balcony.

Far below, he could see the pool lights glowing in the water.
In the water a woman was doing laps. The pool was supposed to be closed for the night so Eamon pulled on a pair of skater shorts and went down.

Sarah was in the water in a tiny bikini, executing perfect over arm str
okes and racing turns. He watched as she changed to the butterfly stroke for ten laps before she flipped over to the backstroke. She was a dolphin zipping though the water, a mermaid swimming the sea, a California girl enticing and exciting. The water glistened on her skin as she stood up and squeezed the excess water out of her hair. Eamon dove in and swam to her end of the pool. She whirled around when he touched her and her eyes sparkled with happiness.

“Eamon,” she whispered and went on tiptoe to wrap her arms around his neck.
She knew what she had to do. Surely she could seduce him, just once? Surely she could entice him to her bed? Offering her lips to him, she waited, inviting him with her eyes. He kissed her mouth open at the same time that he fondled her breast. He grew hard and pressed up against Sarah’s hips to ease the pressure. Her delicate hand flowed down his belly and into his shorts and caressed him while she slipped her tongue into his mouth.

Fireworks exploded in Eamon’s
brain as he groaned in sheer pleasure. Sarah removed her hand long enough to lead him out of the pool and into her room. She took ear plugs from her ears and removed her bathing suit. Naked she turned to him and whispered, “I’ll be right back,” and disappeared into the bathroom.

Eamon stood there, dumbfounded
until she opened the door again, packets of condoms in hand. Sarah stood in the doorway completely at ease and then came to him and pressed her naked body against him. He took hold of her and she slid off his shorts and pushed him back on the bed. She stood at the foot of the bed hands on hips and just looked him over.

She was naked
, Eamon knew she was naked, but he couldn’t take his eyes from her face. She was studying him, taking him in as though he were a fine statue at the Nelson. Her eyes travelled his body slowly from head to toe and then she looked into his eyes, smiled and wet her lips. Eamon held his breath and waited.

Sarah crawled onto the bed
, until she was kneeling beside him. “Touch me, Eamon,” she whispered, “please touch me.”

“Oh G
od,” Eamon groaned. He got to his knees beside her and ran his hands over her shoulders lightly, letting his fingertips drift on her skin. Then he ran them up her smooth thighs, hips and belly. Sarah trembled under his hands as he cupped her breasts and tongued her nipples. Her eyes fluttered closed only to open again.

Sarah pushed him back down and began to kiss his body, from his collarbones down to his flank. She gently blew air over his
cock, but Eamon drew her upward toward his chest.

“Not yet,” he whispered. Sarah sighed as he slid his finger inside her and gently rubbed her clit with his palm. His touch sent her flying. “Look at me,” he demanded. Sarah opened her eyes and watched him grow excited as he explored her. She
ran her hand over his hard stomach and let her fingers drift downward until she found him. Her fingers barely touched the skin of his lovely shaft; she wanted to tease him as he played with her.

Sarah rose up and kissed his lips again
, opened a foil packet and rolled protection over Eamon. Without a word, she swung her leg over his body and slowly lowered herself onto him almost losing it as she slipped like melted butter over him, sheathing him deep inside. He rocked back at the sudden envelopment and Sarah knew he was close to climaxing so she sat still, connected to him, using her hands on his chest and belly to calm him. He was her stallion and she wanted to soothe him a little before they rode together.

Eamon settled down and Sarah began to grasp him using the muscles of her vagina. She tightened and released in a slow undulating pattern. As she did it, she drew her hands over his chest and body, watching him, admiring him as he gave himself into her hands and let her play. Her own breath came faster as she drew close to her own climax.

“Eamon, oh….” She was running out of air, and out of control. Sarah had to move. She began moving quickly up and down, burying him deep inside and then lifting to the tip of his rigid member before going back down again, reaching for her own release.

Eamon had been thrilled to let Sarah have her fun, but now need drove him. His hands went to her hips and he began to thrust as well. Sarah matched him, watching his face, meeting his eyes. Her breathing became shorter harsher and then with a quiet gasp, she froze and he could feel her body’s contractions as she came. He gave her a moment, enjoyed her pleasure and then took his own, pushing deep, deep into her and crying out when release came.

Eamon relaxed and Sarah lay on top of him. He could still feel her inner contractions, faint, fading, but still there. It was enough to keep him firm and joined to her for awhile.

He rolled Sarah to his side and hugged her against his body, tight. “Baby, what you do to me,” Sarah whispered then she kissed him and curled into his arms.

Eamon slept. About an hour later, he woke up again, aroused by the feel of her warm, naked body beside him. This time he took Sarah. This time he possessed her as he had fantasized taking her. He began exploring her and savoring her body. He licked her nipples until they stood proud and upright and teased them with his nibbling and sucking while Sarah guided his hand to her clitoris. As he teased her clit and licked her nipples, she grew wet and began to pant. Eamon pushed her underneath him and entered her from above covering her, possessing her in the most basic way using his arm to lift her hips as he pumped into her. Sarah wrapped her legs around him and squeezed with those tight muscles while he rocked up inside her body until he thought he would go off.

Sarah kissed his shoulder, murmuring his name. Her hands caressed
his bottom, found his nads, and held them gently in her hand. Eamon exploded at the same time he drove deep wanting to be far inside her, wanting to fill her up. When he relaxed and made to move off of her, Sarah wrapped herself around him and held him there kissing his shoulder, running her tongue along his collarbone, rubbing his flank. When he slipped from her body, she kissed him and rolled so that he lay beside her.

“Where’d you learn to do that,” he whispered.

“I read a lot,” she replied.

“Damn.”

They both fell asleep.

The light from the dawn came flooding through bedroom windows
. The sunshine woke Eamon. Sarah was beside him, still naked, still sleeping. Eamon’s feelings roiled up inside him like water that needs to boil but can’t. The sheer intensity of what he felt for her, the depth of his need and desire, now fully awake, was terrifying. At this moment, satisfied as he was, he knew that he would cross the freaking desert barefoot just to have her again. He’d never felt that before, never. He looked away from her and out at the rising sun. Much as he wanted her, ached for her, he didn’t want a woman to have that kind of power over him.

He looked down at her
again, saw that her eyes were open, and saw that she was watching him.

“Sarah,” he began, but she
put a hand to his lips.

“Before you begin, Eamon, let me have my say,” she begged.

“But, I need—“

Sarah smiled and said, “Be a chauvinist for once and let the lady go first.”

“Okay.” Eamon watched as she sat up cross legged on the bed. As if she sensed her naked body made it difficult for him to concentrate, she pulled her pillow in front of her.

“
I love you, Eamon,” she told him. Alarmed, he started to speak, but Sarah put her hand up and he stopped. “I love you, but I know that you don’t want that. I’ve known it for a long time. Last night I had the chance to be with the man I most desire in the whole world, so I took it. And it was great. It was everything I hoped it would be. But I know that you don’t want more than what we’ve just shared. I get that. But it isn’t enough for me.”

Sarah
pulled the sheet around her body and stood up. “So, here’s how it will be. I’m going to leave now, and when I see you again in the office I will be Miss Adams, and you will be Mr. Byrne. We will be two professionals, and I will not trouble you with longing looks or sentimental cards or sad emails. Then when the project is over, I will tender my resignation and depart. You will suffer no consequences from last night. There will be no embarrassing scenes. I won’t demand feelings that you don’t have or don’t want to give. All I ask is that you let me finish what I’ve started with the DLC. I made that commitment, and it’s really important to me to see it through, so please don’t take that away from me because you’re frightened.” Sarah grew quiet.

When Eamon said nothing, Sarah gathered up her things and went into the bathroom to shower and change. When she came out again, Eamon was gone.
She packed up her tote and headed home.

That afternoon, she wrote a thank you note to Ea
mon’s parents expressing her gratitude for the invitation to the party.

Sarah spent Sunday getting back up to speed on the project
. Monday morning she went straight up to the sixth floor, in time for the regular Monday meeting. She where she fully intended to stay on six as much as possible until the project was completed. “We’re almost there everyone, one last push and this DLC will be done. Okay folks, let’s go to work.” The team moved back into high gear. Things moved smoothly until Wednesday. Sarah got a flash IM from the sound people and Sarah hurried down to five. “Hey Michael, what is it?”

“Enid Hill can’t record the song in time.”

“Crap!” Sarah said. She ran through a list in her head of singers that might be good for the song. Most were too expensive, the rest were committed to other projects. They needed someone now.

“Mike, do you have any ideas?”

Mike shook his head. Sam came up to them both. “I have an idea.”

Sarah and Mike turned to look at Sam. “I heard you sing Friday night, Sarah. You can handle that song.”

“That’s not a good idea—”

“Yeah it is,” Sam told her. “You can sing it, and you’ll cost us a hell of a lot less than Enid Hill would.”

Sarah shook her head, “I—“

Mike pointed to the booth. “Go on, Sarah, go in there and put on those headphones. I’ll run through the track a couple times. The lyrics will come up on the screen, just like in Karaoke.”

Sarah looked at the two men and then climbed into the sound booth. Mike moved to the soundboard as Sarah put on the headphones and the beautiful music filled her ears. She’d been listening to the melody for weeks and knew the lyrics by heart. After listening to the song twice, she began to sing: “
The sun sinks very low; the winds grow silent…
”

“Sing it again, Sarah,” Mike said into her headphones. Sarah sang
the song.

“Okay. Just one more time and I think we’ll have it
.”

Taking a deep breath,
Sarah sang it again.

“
That was beautiful, girl. Tell you what, I’ll mix it and have it up to you for approval by this afternoon.”

“Sam? Do me a favor. Have the guys sync it in with the character shots. I want to see if the voice matches the girl.”