Momentous Kisses: Love in Sandy Beach (6 page)

Allison was lying in bed two hours later, but she still couldn’t sleep. Russell invaded her thoughts and her emotions. He’d behaved differently today than at the party last week.

At the party, he’d been fun when he flirted with her; but today it was as if he had a dark cloud hanging over his head. He hadn’t smiled much, and every time his lips had curved up into a smile, he’d immediately stopped it. It was almost as if he was afraid. But afraid of what? Afraid of smiling?

That was utter nonsense. Who would want to deprive themselves of the joys of life? Life was so much more fun when you smiled and saw the good parts instead of focusing on the inevitable severities that happened to everyone.

She finally fell asleep, only to be awakened by her alarm going off early the next morning. Climbing from the bed, she heard the shower go on in the room next door and hurried to the kitchen.

Today’s breakfast was critical. She planned to have him eating out of her hands. By the end of the week, he’d be begging her to stay and keep feeding him.

Allison switched on the radio, pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail high on her head, and set about mixing eggs for omelets. The small convenience store hadn’t carried everything she needed to make the perfect omelet, but she’d found eggs, cheese, ham, and plenty of vegetables.

Russell wandered into the kitchen as she was plating their breakfast. What was it with men and their ability to know the exact moment when food was ready to be served? He made a grumpy face and sat down with nothing more than a growled “Morning”.”

But she didn’t let his behavior faze her. She’d already witnessed twice what an effect her cooking had on him. By the time he’d eaten most of his omelet, his face lit up and with some imagination she could decipher a smile around his lips.

In a much friendlier voice he said, “That’s awesome, Allison. Incredible. Can I have more?”

“Sure. I’ll make you another one. It just takes a minute.”
He’ll come around. He just needs a little time to adjust to the idea of me being here.

After breakfast she followed him to the front door, watching as he picked up his briefcase and then fumbled with his keys for a minute

“Here’s a key to the apartment. I’ll be gone all day long. If you decide to leave, be sure to lock up.”

Allison took the key and then watched him for a moment. She longed to kiss him goodbye, and when he made no effort to move towards her, she took the initiative herself. Someone had to make the first move, right?

She stepped in close enough that her breasts brushed against his chest as she up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He looked at her slightly confused, but bent down to her. One glance into his amazing blue eyes gave her the rest, and on an impulse she changed her mind and kissed him on his mouth instead.

As soon as she felt his warm lips on hers, her mind went blissfully blank. He parted her lips with his tongue and explored every corner of her mouth, sending delicious tingles throughout her body, and enflaming every last part of her with a burning fire for him.

Gasping for breath, she met each leap of his tongue with her own and wrapped her arms around his neck and shoulders to press herself tighter against him. She was like a starving woman, needing his kiss to survive.

Pressed against his pounding heart and his defined abs, she could feel his arousal again her hips. The kiss seemed to go on forever and she very soon stopped thinking, just feeling.

When he broke away after what seemed like an eternity and gave her a cute and soft kiss on her forehead, she had to giggle. Opening her eyes, she looked into his and lost herself in the deepness of them. But behind the glowing desire and the tenderness she could see fear and grief looming there – something she vowed to get to the bottom of.

She smiled impishly and said, “I could get used to that.”

Russell’s face darkened instantly and with a shake of his head, he growled, “You better not. I should leave now.”

He’d already turned around and she hastily asked, “What time will you be back?”

He glanced at her over his shoulder, annoyance about the intrusion into his life written all over his face, but then his lips curved up into something similar to a smile. “I’ll try to be home by six. Would you like to go for a run with me before we eat dinner?”

She nodded. “I’d love to.”

Russell stepped out, closing the door behind him. Allison waited the space of two heartbeats before throwing her hands up into air in victory. “Yes! He’ll have to admit that we’re good together.”

Allison was determined to show him she was right, even more so after that body-tingling kiss they’d shared. An hour later she left the apartment still smiling from ear to ear.

Showered and carefully dressed, she was prepared to tackle the world and visit several galleries. They’d be blown away by her paintings and eager to showcase her work.

Reality, though, had its way in bringing her down from cloud nine. The first gallery she approached liked her work, but they currently didn’t have any openings for new artists. They asked for her business card and promised to call as soon as they had some space available.

She received the same response from the second, third, fourth, and fifth galleries. When she arrived back at the apartment later that evening, she trudged upstairs with sagging shoulders and hurting feet.

To her surprise the door was unlocked and Russell already home. She followed the noises and then stopped to lean against the kitchen doorjamb. Her mouth fell open when she saw what he was doing.
He’s unloading groceries.

Russell had spent the whole day thinking about Allison. She’d been nothing but nice, and he’d had to admit being a grouch in the morning. He wanted to make it up to her.

That’s why he left the clinic early and headed to the nearest supermarket with a list in hand. He detested shopping, and since he’d never actually done it before, he’d been forced to ask his receptionist what a normal grocery list might contain.

She’d laughed but obliged, promising to write him out a list that would include several meals for each time of the day as well as a few snack items. Armed with this list he left work early, much to the surprise of everyone who knew his working late hours.

He hadn’t explained his reasons and left straight for the closest supermarket. An hour later, he reached his place with three big bags of groceries and started to unpack everything, desperately trying to find a suitable place for all those items.

His heart missed a beat or two when he heard the key turn in the door. Allison was the first person to ever have a key to his apartment, and he wasn’t prepared for the turmoil of sensations the simple sound of an opening door evoked in him. It was a strange yet wonderful feeling.

Russell listened to her steps coming down the hallway as he put the milk into the fridge and then he turned with anticipation. She was leaning against the doorframe, her small frame sagging and her cute face tired, without her signature bright smile.

The sight of her sent shockwaves of desire coursing through his body, but beneath the burning heat he could feel another sensation. Concern.

She looked so exhausted and vulnerable that he had the strongest urge to take her into his arms and shoulder her burdens for a while. He yearned to see her smile again.

“Hi, Allison. I thought you might need some groceries if you insist on cooking for us.”

Allison’s face brightened. “You went shopping?”

Russell nodded. “It’s the least I could do.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and said, “I thought you didn’t even know where the supermarket is?”

Russell raised his eyebrows until he saw the teasing glint in her eyes. “You little minx!” With those words, he closed the distance between them and grabbed her arm, making a threatening gesture as if he intended to spank her like a naughty little girl.

Allison put up a mock protest, and ended up engulfed in his arms. All play came to a halt as he plastered his lips on hers. His kiss was rough and untamed, but she didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, she pressed her sweet and soft body against him and opened her lips for him to ravage her mouth. And only when they were both gasping for breath did he release her, his voice thick with passion whispering in her ear, “That is what you get for being naughty and teasing me.”

She had to giggle and said, “I’ll have to be naughty more often, then,” before she pulled his head back down to her own with a strength that surprised him. Panting with desire, he obliged and kissed until they were both senseless. Her soft curves pressed into him and he soon felt his shaft hardening. He finally broke her kiss, swooped her up into his arms, and carried her into his bedroom.

He wanted to see her smile. After only having her around for one day, he’d missed her. The most wonderful smile in the world, attached to the sexiest woman in the world. He had missed her happy singing voice, her chatter about nothing, and her presence.

All of these thoughts and more swam through his head, as he carefully laid her down on the king-sized bed.

The woman who lay beneath him was the most beautiful woman in the world. He loved her strawberry blonde curly hair, the feel of her soft skin against his. In fact, he loved everything about her.

He unbuttoned her blouse and placed little kisses down her neck on her collarbone and her décolleté. Her skin was so smooth and soft; he yearned to taste every last inch of it. His tongue trailed across her skin, leaving moist patches behind.

Allison squirmed beneath him and opened her eyes. “Russell…”

He quieted her with another heated kiss on her mouth, a kiss that multiplied his desire for her and made him aware of how hard he was. He needed to have her, now.

Russell slid her blouse off her shoulders and proceeded to kiss her bare skin while Allison’s hands wandered across his back, tugging at his shirt and sliding beneath the fabric. Her hands on his skin made him shiver.

When he’d gotten rid of her blouse and her skirt, she lay in panties and bra before him. A smile overtook his features, because true to herself she wore beautifully colored lingerie with flowers. It was perfect for her.

His arousal grew and he could barely contain himself. She helped him to rip off his shirt and pants.

“God, you’re so beautiful.”

Allison watched him, the green spots in her eyes glowing like emeralds, and he leaned over her, ravaging her mouth with yet another kiss. When she moaned his name, he made short work of the rest of their clothing before coming to lie down on top of her, pressing her into the mattress.

His hand brushed her hair back from her forehead, before he kissed a path down her nose, across her jawline, coming to stop for a few minutes at the tender spot behind her ear.

When she writhed beneath him, he continued his downward progress, laving her breasts for long moments before moving even further south. She had her hands tangled in his hair, and when he finally reached her sex with his tongue, he groaned as she dug her fingernails into his scalp.

He spent long moments using his lips and tongue to drive her up the mountain of pleasure. There was nothing more important in that moment than pleasing her.

“Russell, stop teasing me.”

He kissed her one last time before rising above her, insinuating a place for himself between her thighs. “Who said I was teasing?”

Allison shuddered as he joined their bodies together, having slipped on a condom seconds before. She felt awesome, and he was amazed to find that this time was even better than the first.

He set up a slow, gentle rhythm, wanting the moment to last as long as possible.  When her body tightened around him, he leaned back and hooked an arm under her thigh, bringing their bodies into even closer contact as he increased the speed of his thrusts. Soon she was begging him to not stop, panting as he drove her even higher.

The sound of Allison screaming his name and the feel of her fingernails digging into his back was too much for his self-control. He gave in to his need and pounded into her furiously until he too, fell over the edge, finding a sweet release in her body like he’d never found with another woman.

It was much more than a physical release. There was something almost spiritual between them, an exhilarating sensation he could definitely get used to.

It took a long time for Allison’s breathing and heart rate to slow down after that earth-shattering orgasm. This time had been even better than their first time, because she was counting on a future together with him.

When he rolled off her, she rolled with him, snuggling up against his side and placing her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close while she stroked his abs and his chest. His strong legs intertwined with hers. It felt so good to lie in his arms; she’d never been happier.

She glanced up at him, and noticed the satisfied smile on his face. For the first time since she’d arrived, he didn’t have that dark and aloof look upon his face. She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat, overwhelmed by her emotions.

After a while, her stomach rumbled and Russell hugged her closer to him. “Are you hungry, Ally?”

She felt her heart melt at the shortening of her name. It was the first time he’d done so, and she liked the way he pronounced it. Looking up at him, she answered, “Yes, starving. Should I make dinner with the groceries you bought?”

“What if I take you out instead?”

“Sounds great. Let’s get dressed,” Allison said.

“Sunshine.”

Allison turned around, “What?”

“Sunshine. That’s what I’ll call you.”

“Sunshine? Why that?”

“It fits you, Ally. I always feel like the sun comes up when you smile.”

Allison felt the blood rushing to her cheeks. That was the nicest thing a man had ever said to her. He wasn’t such a grouch after all. On their way to dinner, she didn’t believe she could get any happier than she was at this moment in time – with him.

Russell took her to his favorite restaurant and they enjoyed a fantastic dinner. Their conversation flowed easily, and soon they were rushing back to his apartment for another round of heart-stopping lovemaking.

Russell was the consummate lover, and Allison marveled at how much better each time was than the last.

This time he insisted she be on top, and Allison took pleasure in the control he’d given her. A little devil inside her, that she hadn’t know existed, took over and drove Russell crazy with her hands and her mouth, working him up to the point where he rolled them over, taking charge and rushing them straight to orgasm.

After that he made love to her twice more during the night, the last time just as the sun was coming up. He awakened her with tender kisses, spooning her back against his chest and entering her tenderly from behind. He took them to paradise once more, before kissing her on the forehead. “I have to leave, Sunshine, you stay and get some more sleep. Okay?”

She wanted to protest, but as he pushed her softly back against the pillow, she was actually relieved. With barely any sleep last night, she welcomed any extra time she could get.

Minutes later, Russell emerged from the shower, his hair still damp, smelling of aftershave. He kissed her tenderly. “Come by the clinic with some of your paintings later. They’re redecorating the entire floor. Ask for the facility manager, Mr. Wallace. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”

“I can’t do that. It would be taking advantage of you.”

“Don’t be silly, Ally. Of course it wouldn’t. I’m the owner of the clinic, but Mr. Wallace has free rein regarding the building remodel, including artwork.”

“I don’t want him to buy my paintings because I’m sleeping with you,” she said.

Russell flashed his irresistible grin. “I won’t say a word about our connection. Just that you’ll be stopping by.”

Allison nodded and he headed off to work. She lay in bed replaying his words in her head. Connection? Was that what he calls our relationship? And if so, what is our connection? Is he my boyfriend? My lover? My test subject?

She didn’t have any answers to those questions. Not yet anyway.

Around midafternoon, she arrived at his clinic and met with the facility manager, Mr. Wallace, who absolutely loved her paintings. He asked her to leave three of them with him for a “test drive.”

During a two-week period he would hang up her paintings and see if the patients liked them as much as he did. He offered to pay her a small fee for borrowing the paintings, the amount to be deducted from the sales price if he decided at the end of the two weeks to buy them.

Apparently she wasn’t the only one to do tests. The thought caused her to smile.  So far, her own test was working out perfectly. She hurried home to cook a celebratory dinner to share with Russell.

The next days flew by. Russell went to work, while Allison explored Chicago, visiting places of her childhood and pitching her paintings to several galleries. In the evenings they ran together, ate the dinner she had cooked, or went to the movies. And had sex. Lots of sex.

She had moved into his bedroom, and each day she added a new décor item or burst of color somewhere in his apartment. Russell always complimented her on her choices, and seemed genuinely happy to see the changes taking place in his home.

After the first rough days, it felt like they’d been together forever. But despite floating on cloud nine with Russell, Allison missed Sandy Beach. And the more time she spent in Chicago, the more nostalgic and homesick she became.