Need (33 page)

He was completely still, his eyes glassy and his arms shaking. I thought maybe something was wrong, but then he collapsed on top of me, wrapping me in his arms. “Thank you, my love,” he whispered, kissing my neck. He was breathing hard, but I could tell he was smiling.

I did it.
We
did it. With a smile on my face, I circled my arms around him. Maybe I could do this. Maybe I could be what he needed.

Stephan

All was right with the world. Sex with Brianna was absolute heaven. Never in my life had sex been like that, and it was only our first time. It was much more than physical, although that was certainly there. The love I felt for her seemed to magnify when I was inside her, feeling her surrounding me. It was truly an out-of-body experience and something I’d never felt before. I couldn’t wait to do it again.

    We’d lain in my bed holding each other until almost ten o’clock. I couldn’t let her go, though. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to let her sleep in her own bed again.

With reluctance, I helped her out of my bed, and we took our nightly shower together. There was a lot of touching, but I kept it innocent for the most part. She was very relaxed, and I wanted to keep it that way. My own body felt heavy, and for the first time in my life, I felt satisfied.

After drying her off, I quickly changed the sheets and curled up with her in my bed. She stiffened a little when I tried to spoon her, so I rolled us over and brought her head to rest on my chest. The tension in her muscles relaxed right away, and she cuddled closer, resting her hand on my bare chest.

I didn’t get much sleep, but it was purely a choice on my part. It was difficult to sleep knowing she was finally there in my arms. I’d drift off to sleep only to wake an hour or so later smiling like a schoolboy.

Brianna slept soundly throughout the night. I thought she was going to wake once when a dream seemed to take hold of her, but with some gentle caresses and whispered words, she fell back into a deep slumber. The alarm startled her a little, but as soon as she realized where she was, she smiled up at me shyly. It was adorable considering she was lying flush against me without a shred of clothing on, and that I’d gotten to know her on a most imitate level last night.

Truth be told, I didn’t want to leave her this morning. Then again, I never did. I could have lain there with her all morning, even if all we did was touch and kiss, although I’d be a fool not to want to have her body again. She was perfection, and she was mine.

When we said good-bye, our normal kiss was drawn out into something that could have led to me being very late had I not stopped it. Even so, we were both quite worked up by the time I left. I had to stop outside the door for several minutes to calm down before getting in the elevator. The last thing I wanted was to give one of the other residents a show that early in the morning.

The morning went slow, but well. I conducted the final interview for Karl’s replacement. Michael James was older, in his mid-fifties, and had been working in the financial world for over twenty years. One of the other executives had recommended him. They’d worked with him previously, before they came to the foundation and thought he’d be a good fit. So far, I had to agree. Mr. James had a solid resume and came across as very personable. I’d taken my time in hiring him, given what had happened with Karl. It was much better to search for the right person until I found him or her than hire the wrong person and have to deal with the likes of our former CFO again.

By the end of the interview, I was certain. He was the one. I had Jamie schedule an executive meeting for the next week and told him he should be hearing from us soon. It was one more thing I could cross off my list. And even with the loose ends hanging out there, I was feeling content with my life.

At lunch, I called Brianna. She’d been cleaning. I’d given her permission this morning to go in my room, and apparently, it had needed a deep cleaning since I’d not allowed her in there before now. By the time I hung up the phone, I was ready to dive back into the work sitting on my desk in hope I could leave early.

I was just finishing the reports I needed to approve when my direct line rang. This was the number that bypassed Jamie. Not many people had it, so it was either one of my family, Brianna, or only a handful of others. “Hello,” I said, not bothering with my official greeting.

“Mr. Coleman?”

I thought I recognized the voice. “Tom?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Coleman, we have a problem.”

Brianna

I was quite literally dancing my day away. This morning had been everything I’d read in books and more. It felt good waking up in his arms, like the chair, only better. Neither of us was wearing clothes, so I felt a little shy at first, but he’d melted my nerves away with a soft lingering kiss. Just thinking about it sent tingles through my entire body down to my toes.

After cleaning up breakfast, I started to clean. He’d told me this morning that I was no longer restricted and could go into his bedroom and bathroom at any time. Since the rest of the house was in good shape, I put on some music and decided to start in there.

It was a good thing, too. Not that Stephan was messy—because he wasn’t—but I could tell no one had done more than basic cleaning in his room for a while. By the time he called me on his lunch break, I had everything almost put back in his cabinets.

He told me about his morning. Mr. James sounded like a nice man. I was glad Karl Walker was gone, and I’d never have to deal with him again.

Once I hung up the phone with Stephan, I cleaned myself up a little and made a sandwich. I wasn’t hungry, but I knew if I didn’t eat something Stephan would be upset. The last thing I wanted was for him to be angry with me. I was happy. He was happy. I wanted to keep it that way.

With my sandwich eaten, I went back to work. The station I’d found on the radio in Stephan’s room had been set to one that played a variety of music ranging from light rock to punk. It was a little surprising. I’d never heard Stephan listen to the radio outside of his car, and even then, it was all instrumental.

I swayed my hips to the music as I stepped into the shower with the cleaner and a towel to wipe everything down. I lingered a little longer than necessary, finding my thoughts drifting to the hours we’d spent together in there. It was difficult to focus on what I was doing.

When I walked out of the shower, I was satisfied it was thoroughly clean, and I was missing Stephan terribly. I glanced at the clock on the wall, and saw that it was only two thirty. He wouldn’t be home for another three hours.

The large soaker tub was next on my list. It had massage jets, and I wondered how they’d feel against my skin. I’d never been in a tub like it before, just the regular old-fashioned ones.

Bent over the tub, I was trying to reach the bottom when I thought I heard the phone ring. I stopped and listened, but all I heard was the radio. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my cell. There were no new messages, no missed calls. I guessed I was hearing things. Maybe it was a sound effect from the song.

Ten minutes later, I smiled as I looked over his bathroom. Everything was clean, including the floor. I hoped he would like it. He’d seemed pleased when I’d told him what I was doing over the phone. With a sense of satisfaction, I took the cleaning supplies and moved into his bedroom.

That was when I heard a knock on the door. At first I ignored it, but whomever it was continued to knock, and it was getting louder. Maybe it was Tom. If he
had
called and I hadn’t answered, maybe he would come up to check on me.

Setting everything down on Stephan’s dresser, I walked out into the main room and over to the front door. The knocks seemed to get louder and louder. I felt bad that I hadn’t answered until now and made Tom worry for no good reason. Maybe the radio hadn’t been such a good idea.

I opened the door ready to apologize to Tom, but the words died on my lips. There, standing before me, was a man I’d hoped I'd never see again. 

“I’m so glad I found you. You have no idea what it took for me to find you, baby girl.”

Look for the next installment in 

Stephan and Brianna’s story 

coming Summer of 2013