Moments In Time: A Collection of Short Fiction (32 page)

“This is what I think—you were my first kiss, my first dance, the first guy to feel me up.” I grinned and looked in his eyes. “You were my first love and I never told you. I thought you knew, I really did. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. But you knew me, and that should have been enough. When I thought you didn’t want me all those years ago, I figured we were just kids testing the waters and that was it.” I put my hand on his face. “We have tonight. Let me be the first woman you make love to.”

No more questions. No more talking. Our hearts did that for us. Our lips met and it was different, it wasn’t toe curling or butterflies in your stomach; it was more. His kiss filled my heart. I was content with just talking and his lips occasionally meeting mine, but we both needed more and we were running out of time.

He lifted his shirt over my head, then reached under the covers and tugged off his boxers. I glanced down and loved what I saw. Unable to stop myself, I brought my hand to him and stroked him from base to tip while he massaged my breasts. When I grasped him tighter, he sucked in a deep breath and threaded his hand in my hair. Then he pulled me to him, and before he kissed me he whispered, “This is it, isn’t it. Just one night.”

“Yeah, our one night.”

Grayson brushed his nose against mine and I closed my eyes, absorbing this moment so it would be engraved in my mind forever. Surprising me, he rolled me over so I was on my back. At first I was a little apprehensive to move, considering we were in a twin bed, but he had a firm hold of me until he reached to the side and leaned over to grab his jeans. I quickly grabbed his arm because I pictured him tumbling to the floor. He grabbed a condom and held it out, then said, “Teeth.”

Trying not to laugh, I opened my lips and he placed the wrapper over my lower teeth. I bit down and he ripped the package open. He plucked the wrapper from my mouth with his teeth and blew it forcefully onto the floor beside us. Then he straddled me and brought himself up to his knees. He rolled on the condom as he watched me closely, and my desire for him grew.

He lowered himself so we were chest to chest and held my face. “I can’t believe this is finally happening. I love you, Sophie.” He rolled to the side and grazed his fingers from my knee to my hip and then back down. My skin tingled, and I relished in the sensations that were coursing through me. I brought my hand to his erection and stroked him, making him groan.

He slipped a finger inside me. “You’re so tight . . . and wet.” When I moved my hips, he added another finger. Soon I began to tighten around his fingers, which were now moving quickly in and out of me.

My breathing was all over the place, and when I went to speak it was more of a squeak. “Amazing,” was all I could manage. A wave of pleasure swept over me and I came on his hand, bucking against his touch and trying not to clench my own hand too tightly, since I still held him.

Grayson rocked his hand against me until my breathing slowed, then he rolled on top of me, looked into my eyes, and slowly slid inside me, connecting us in the most intimate way possible. His movements were slow and steady, giving me time to accommodate to his size, which was considerate since I hadn’t had anything down there in quite a while, not even a toy.

“You feel so good.” He picked up his pace, and nearly growling, choked out, “I’m not going to be able to hold on, Soph.” His lips met mine and our tongues kept pace with our bodies. Despite my earlier orgasm, another climax formed and when I felt him pulse inside me, I gave in to the sensations and let them sweep me away.

The look on Grayson’s face and the tension in his body told me that he had come, too. It was different because not only had I not had sex in forever, but having been married, I wasn’t used to a condom and its dulling of all the sensations of release.

He gently peppered me with kisses all around my face and down my neck. Then he pulled out of me and rolled until his feet were on the floor and his back was to me.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

He didn’t look at me. “I’m fine.” When he stood up, he had the condom in his hand. “I’ll be right back.”

I watched him walk out of my room, but could sense something was off. The man who was with me before we made love was much different than the one I was with now. I got up and grabbed my clothes off the dresser, then quickly pulled them on and got back into bed.

Grayson returned to the bedroom, and when he bent down to put his boxers on, I asked, “Are you leaving?”

His beautiful face was impassive as he said, “I wasn’t planning on it. One night, right? I assumed that meant the whole night.”

That was my plan, and even though I thought my plan sucked, I held true to my words and nodded. “I need to get cleaned up.”

I walked into the bathroom to check my reflection, and this mirror didn’t hold back either. This one plainly said, “You’ve lost your mind.”

• • •

Bright sunlight poured through my bedroom window, stirring me from a deep and restful sleep. The best I’d had in a while, in fact. I slowly opened my eyes to find Grayson looking right into them, and stretched as I said, “Good morning.”

He kissed my forehead and pulled me close. “Good morning.”

I smiled. “Did you sleep okay? We didn’t have that much room.”

“Perfect. Everything was perfect. Do you want breakfast? We can go to my place and I could whip something up. It might just be a bowl of cereal, but it will be food.”

“Cereal sounds great right now.” I flipped back the covers so I could get up and get ready, and he stopped me.

“What time are you leaving today?”

His raspy morning voice was enough to make me strip down and jump on him, but I couldn’t. I looked at the clock and saw that it was seven fifteen.

“My agent will be here at eleven for me to sign the papers, and I’ll probably leave after that.”

He wove his fingers through mine. “Will you be back to visit . . . ever?”

I smiled and took a deep breath to steady my nerves, then exhaled. “Yeah, I’ll come back. You’re more than welcome to come and visit me, too.”

He nodded, but by the look in his eyes, I knew he wouldn’t come. Dropping a kiss on my head, he said, “Go and get ready, then come over.” He kissed my cheek and left.

I grabbed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, and was ready for the humid day that was in front of me. After I worked the knots out of my hair, I pulled it up into a ponytail, then brushed on a little blush and mascara. My skin looked golden, still a bit sun-kissed from hanging out at my place in Pennsylvania, and that pleased me.

I threw on my sandals and went over to Grayson’s. I knocked once, just like I used to when we were kids, then walked in and made a beeline for the kitchen, straight toward the coffee I smelled. Something caught my eye and I stopped before reaching the kitchen, noting that the house looked different.

Grayson had done a nice job decorating; everything was homey and inviting, not at all like the bachelor pad I’d imagined. The framed photos on the walls were beautiful, mostly landscapes, which surprised me since I’d seen some of his subjects, and had became one myself yesterday. I turned the corner, expecting to see Grayson, but he wasn’t in the kitchen. When I called out to him, he told me to “Come on up.” Walking up the stairs, I was greeted with more pictures all along the stairwell wall, and slowed down to appreciate them. He truly was talented.

I walked in Grayson’s bedroom and found him sitting at his desk, focused on his computer. I glanced over his shoulder at the computer screen and there I was, in full color and naked. I couldn’t help but gasp. “Grayson? I thought you weren’t going to post them.” My heart raced at the thought, and sweat trickled between my shoulder blades.

He turned and smiled up at me. “I didn’t post them anywhere, don’t be ridiculous. I’m just looking at my beautiful friend. I told you I’m not sharing you. Come here and look how gorgeous you are.”

I didn’t want to look at my pictures, but he looked so happy that I didn’t want to disappoint him. When I moved next to him, he pulled me down onto his lap. He reached for his mouse and a couple of clicks later, and there I was in all my glory.

I averted my eyes and stood up. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. I don’t want to look at them. Can you please delete them?”

Grayson looked up at me, obviously confused. “You’re beautiful, Sophie, but sure. Can I keep just one? I’ll show you my favorite.”

Reluctantly, I nodded, and he scrolled through the pictures, then paused at one of just my face. I was looking directly at the camera and smiling. My body wasn’t in the picture. “This is my Sophie, my next door neighbor, the first woman I made love to, and my one and only. I’d like to keep this one; the others I have in a permanent photo album in my head.” He smiled, but his eyes seemed sad.

My eyes threatened to fill with tears, but I blinked them back. “Okay, you can keep that one.”

I hated that he felt this way. I did love him; I’ve always loved him. But I didn’t know if I could open the door to my heart, and give myself up to potential heartbreak. If I was with him, how would I handle his job? I’d been burned by a man who couldn’t pass up temptation, and that was with just one woman; Grayson would be surrounded by a myriad of temptations.

One thing I knew for sure: I didn’t want breakfast anymore; I only wanted him. There were only a couple of hours left.

“I’m not hungry anymore. Well, not for food.” I took his hand and pulled him to his feet. Looking up at his gorgeous brown eyes, I ran my hand through his messed-up hair, still damp from a shower, as he wrapped his arms around me. I brought my hand to his chest and placed it over his heart, feeling a strong and steady beat. Unable to help myself, I leaned in and kissed his chest, hoping he would feel it in his heart. Then I brought my hands to the waistband of his shorts and pulled them down.

Grayson sucked in a breath as I touched him through his boxers and felt him get hard in my palm, but he didn’t say a word. I knelt down and kissed him through the fabric, then maneuvered the waistband up and over his now protruding erection and kissed the tip of it.

His hands went into my hair. “Soph?”

I didn’t respond; it wasn’t a time for words. Instead I lowered his boxers and took him in my mouth, caressing his length with my tongue before gently sucking on him. I wanted to taste him; I
needed
to taste him. Gently I grazed my teeth on him while stroking him with one hand from the base of his erection to my mouth, while my other hand carefully caressed his balls.

“Oh my God,” he said through clenched teeth as he gripped my hair. “You’re going to make me come.”

That was my plan, so I picked up the pace and increased the pressure of my tongue. Letting go of him, I brought my hands around to his ass and cupped it, pulling him toward me and forcing him deeper into my mouth. Every muscle in his body tensed before he climaxed and I was greeted with his flavor. It was warm, and I let it slide down my throat.

Grayson’s hands went to the side of my head as he pulled me up and kissed me. As he made love to my mouth, I realized I was lost—in our kiss, in him, and in a love that I knew deep down I wanted. He broke the kiss and looked at me, then he scooped me up and placed me on his bed.

“I need to make love to you. I have to have you one more time, Soph.” He lay down next to me and wrapped me in his arms before whispering, “Can I have you one more time?”

I kissed him and that was his answer. He touched me and my body felt things it hadn’t in so long. This was different from last night; I wasn’t nearly as nervous. We made love and I knew that I would always remember this weekend with Grayson.

• • •

My real estate agent left, and the house I’d grown up in was no longer mine. Grayson helped me move to the garage some of the boxes and furniture I had planned to donate, and said he would take care of it for me. He put the other boxes in my trunk, which thankfully didn’t add up to too much. He closed the trunk and turned to me.

“I guess this is it. Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” he asked in a voice so sad that it truly broke my heart.

“I can’t,” I said, trying to be strong. “I have a job and I need to get back. Thank you for everything.” I raised up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

Grayson pulled me in and hugged me, then kissed the top of my head. “Take care of yourself, and let me know when you get home so I know you made it.”

I smiled and got in my car. As I turned the key in the ignition, I looked at him, watching as he popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, then took a long drag from it as he met my gaze. Emotions swirled around inside me, pulling me this way and that, and I was ready to burst, but I held it in. Steeling myself, I backed out of the driveway and waved good-bye. I didn’t chance a glance in my rearview window; I just looked forward and kept driving.

In a daze, I merged onto the expressway and drove, trying to process the events of the last twenty-four hours. My music was playing in the car as thoughts of my weekend were playing in my head. It was like a slideshow of the past and the present.

I pictured Grayson kissing me by the tree when we were kids, laughing at him when he was dressed as a princess, him handing me the gum from his baseball cards .
 . . and then I was in the present, thinking about the pictures he had taken, and how comfortable I was with him. The way Grayson made me feel. I was still blown away at the thought that he loved me.