Secret Passions (15 page)

Just when she thought of running and opening the back door, yelling for Mitch, she saw the beam of light off to the left, by the car.

Rushing to that side of the house, she watched the light follow the pathway around the house. Each time she ran to another window to watch Mitch searching the yard.

It took him almost twenty minutes to complete a sweep of the yard. When he walked up to the back door, she was there to unlock it. Questions pouring from her.

“Hang on,” he said, shaking the water from his hair. He scraped the mud off his shoes and tossed them on the tile floor, where they sat dripping with mud and water. He hung his jacket on the hook by the backdoor and rubbed his hands together. “I could use some coffee.” 

She rushed to the coffee pot, and poured him a full cup. She realized her hands were shaking as she handed it to him as he sat at the table. She sat next to him, watching his face, waiting for news.

“I couldn’t see anything. No footprints in the mud, no tire tracks along the driveway. I walked around the whole place and found no signs that there was anyone out there. Are you sure you saw someone?”

She nodded and felt like crying. Maybe she was losing it? Closing her eyes she rested her head on the table. A memory flashed in her mind and she could clearly see the dark image standing by the wood pile. “Someone was there. I know it.”

“Okay, I believe you. Well, whoever it was, we must have scared them off. It could have been some kids or maybe a neighbor checking out the lights from the house. The place has been empty for years, then all of a sudden we have every light in the place on and smoke coming from the chimney. Someone was bound to notice and be curious about it.”

It sounded reasonable. After all, if it had been her family, she doubted they’d be hiding out in the rain in the dark. It just didn’t seem like their style. Her cousin took action, and her father... She closed her eyes and sighed. She missed her father and still hoped he wouldn’t have been part of something like this.

Mitchell’s hand touched hers, and she realized how cold it was. “Sandi? Why don’t we head upstairs? I’d like to take a hot shower to warm up.”

“Oh, you must be chilled. Your hands are like ice cubes.” She took them in hers and rubbed them to bring some warmth into them. He smiled at her.

“I know a few tricks to getting warmer faster.”

She smiled at him. “I know a few as well.”

He got up quickly and made sure the back door was locked, then walked in and shut the glass doors on the fireplace. Taking her hand, they walked up the long stairway together.

When they entered the bathroom, he started peeling his wet clothes off, dropping them on the tile floor. When he was naked, he turned to her. She’d been watching his striptease, enjoying the play of his muscles as he moved. His skin glowed in the light and when she placed her hand on his chest, she realized the contrast between their skin colors.

Her hand was dark and small on his chest. He stood very still as she ran it down his tight stomach, past a very tight six-pack of muscles that played across his belly. She moved and walked around him, running her hand over his ribs, around to his back, lightly touching him. He rolled his head back and moaned. She continued her circle of him, running her hands lower across his perfect butt. She gripped each cheek and lightly dug her nails into them, knowing he’d enjoy the feeling. Then she was back around to his front and her hands were on his hips, her eyes on his face. Desire so strong flashed in his green eyes, she almost took a step back.

“You bewitch me.” His voice was husky and laced with passion. She stepped back and slowly started peeling her own clothes off. He stood there, naked, his hands by his sides, watching every movement until she stood before him as naked as he was. Then he walked to her and set his hands on her until they were both moaning. When he backed them into the large shower, they both jumped at the cold water that streamed from the shower head. But as the water heated, so did their desires, and by the time the water was toasty, they were both gasping for air.

“How can you do this to me?” He lay his forehead on hers, closing his eyes. His arms were wrapped around her, holding tight. Her skin, slick and scented, pressed up against his.

She wanted him again, would always want him. “Mitch? Take me to bed.” The shower was too small for them to do anything but touch each other. Not that it wasn’t pleasant, but she needed him. All of him.

He looked into her eyes and shut off the water. Then he took his time drying her skin as she stood under the heat lamp in the bathroom. He kissed his way across her skin until she finally grabbed his hand and walked him into the next room.

The floor was cold and they rushed across the hardwood until finally they both jumped on the bed, laughing.

“I guess I could light a fire up here.”

“No, don’t.” She didn’t want him to leave her side, so she ran her hands over every inch of him until their warmth heated the entire room.

“
I want you so bad. Please, Mitch.” He smiled down at her, and she knew she’d already lost her heart as he slowly entered her. Their mixed groans were a sound she’d never forget. His smooth skin under her hands felt wonderful. His kisses branded her across every pore.

Knowing words would never be enough, she poured all her passion into each kiss until they were both on the verge. Then she pulled his head down her hers and looking him directly in the eyes, told him how she felt.

M
itch lay very still listening to his heartbeat settle. His eyes were closed as she ran her hands over his back, down to his butt. There would be marks there tomorrow where her nails had dug into his skin. He smiled.

He didn’t know if he’d been hallucinating or not. He could have sworn that Sandi had said that she loved him. His smile disappeared. Pulling back, he looked down at her. Her hair was fanned out on the white sheets. Her dark skin glowed with the aftermath of their passions. He had never intended to let things go this far. How could he trust again after Suzanne? Then Sandi opened her eyes and he knew that he did trust her. He trusted her more than anyone else in his life. He could never imagine her betraying him, or anyone else in her life. It was rare in life to find people that honest and kindhearted. They just didn’t come along very often. But with her, he could see that she would never do anything to hurt him. It just wasn’t in her nature.

Leaning his head down to hers, he sighed. “I didn’t mean for this to go this way. For us to follow this path.” He pulled back and sat up. He wanted to see her face, to make sure that she understand his words.

“We’ve only known each other for a couple weeks. I mean...” He ran his hands through his hair and he watched tears forming in her eyes. He dropped his hands and took her hands into his. “I can’t believe that I can feel this much about you so quickly. It just doesn’t happen. I don’t know what we have, but I know I’ve never felt this way before.”

She smiled at him and the fear in her eyes disappeared. “I feel the same way. I’ve known since the second I met you. I’ve known there was something about you. You stuck your neck out for someone halfway across the world, someone you’d never met. I’m so glad you did. I’m so lucky to have you. To be with you.” She reached over and kissed him again.

“Sandi...” He kissed her and decided words couldn’t express his thoughts. “How about I run downstairs and grab us a snack?”

She chuckled. “I could use a snack.”

The next morning the sun was shining and they hopped in the car with her paint supplies and headed out to find the little white church he’d known would be a perfect spot for her to paint.

The leaves weren’t in full color, but a lot of them had turned overnight from the chill in the air. As they drove through the winding roads, her eyes were glued to the windows. They stopped at a small shop and had coffee and pastries. After another half-an-hour drive, they came across the small building set in the middle of a large green field. The trees that surrounded it were still very green, but he could just imagine the leaves in full fall colors.

She sat with a large sketch pad on her lap, since they hadn’t found an easel anywhere. First she sketched out the basic shapes.

“I’ll probably wait until we get back to the house to paint it, so I can prop this up somewhere.” He sat next to her in the cool grass, watching every move, each line she created. It was like she’d captured every detail. It was amazing to him to see that her eyes picked up on all the angles. When he looked at the building, he noticed that it needed a good coat of paint and a few new shingles on the roof, and small maintenance items that needed to be done. She pulled out the beauty in it all somehow. It took just over an hour for her to get the pencil outline complete. When they packed up, he decided to take a different route back to town. Less than ten minutes later, she was yelling at him to pull over. He stopped the car, worried something was wrong. When she jumped out and grabbed a large canvas she’d brought, he smiled as she rushed to the side of the road and started drawing the charming covered bridge he’d almost missed seeing. Apparently there had been an old highway that went alongside the one they were on. The bridge looked like it hadn’t been used in over a hundred years. Its charm was still intact. He leaned on the hood of the car and watched as she sat on the side of the highway, totally engrossed in her work. The sun was warm on his neck, and he realized he could enjoy driving around all day, watching her draw.

It took her a little over two hours to complete the drawing of the bridge. There were more angles and lines, and he watched as she included a lot of the trees and bushes that had grown up around the bridge. The water that flowed under it came alive in her drawing. He couldn’t wait to see her add color to it all.

“Thanks for stopping. I’ve never seen a covered bridge before.” She smiled as they drove back towards town. I can’t wait to paint these. I think I’ll do the chapel in water colors and the covered bridge in oils if we can stop and find some somewhere.”

They drove up to the house, and Sandi eagerly got to work at the large dining table as he set out to make them some lunch. He was excited to see what she’d do with each canvas.. By the time he carried in a bowl of home-made chicken soup and sour dough bread, she was already halfway done with the water color of the church.

“Wow, you’re fast.”

“On some things. Oils take longer. But I wanted to get this one done before I started on the bridge.” She rubbed her hands together and he realized it was chilly in the room.

“I can start a fire in here.”

“No, that’s okay, the cold keeps me moving.” They ate their soup, and she got back to work while he cleared the dishes. Then he jogged up the stairs and grabbed the pile of clothes that needed washing and straightened up the room they’d used. He found an old video of when he and Carter had visited last. He popped that into the machine and laughed as the pair of them took turns videoing each other water skiing. They had a few other buddies stay for a few nights and at one point there was a large party that flashed on the picture. He didn’t know who had the camera, but when an image of Carter kissing Eve flashed on the screen, Mitchell was shocked. He didn’t know they had ever been an item. He’d always thought they had hated each other the whole time. He’d have to make sure to razz his friends about the incident that had happened over a decade ago.

When he went back downstairs, she had set the water color canvas aside and was tediously working on the oil color of the bridge. He could see why it took more time to work with the oils. She used smaller brushes and each stroke was controlled, where the water color brushstrokes were wild and more free-flowing. Here, the colors didn’t blend. Instead, they ran along each other, highlighting the contrast and texture.

He stood over her for almost an hour watching her work. When the light started to dim in the room, he flipped on the lights overhead and moved a chair closer so he could watch her. They didn’t speak. He didn’t want to interrupt her, and no words were needed as she worked.

He was totally amazed at the piece when she finally started cleaning the brushes. He’d never seen anything more detailed or more beautiful. 

“I’ve never seen anything more beautiful.” He stood up as she leaned the canvas on the china hutch. They stood there looking at the canvas as his arm came around her shoulders. He realized everything felt right. She felt right in his arms. It felt good to have her there, to celebrate the beauty they had created together. He’d never expected something to just click, but being with her everything did, and he realized that he didn’t know what the next step was.

In the next few days they traveled all over the countryside. She went through almost three dozen canvases, f
illing them with the beautiful scenery they explored together. They had gone hiking a few times and had found a beautiful waterfall where they spent the day, her painting, him watching. They had packed a lunch and had ended up staying until almost dark.

The leaves were in full fall color now. Everything seemed to be so much more alive to her. They had made a run to a different art supply store a few towns away to get more supplies. Mitchell had even found a small portable easel that they could carry with them. She’d bought a small carry case for her paints so she could paint on-site instead of having to go back to the house.

They spent the rainy days inside making love the entire day, and they spent the sunny days outside. Their evenings were filled with their passion for each other. He hadn’t told her he loved her yet, and she was beginning to worry. She told him every chance she could without seeming too desperate.

It was on their second week there that he’d finally received a call from Ethan. When Mitchell got off the phone, his face was filled with concern.

“What? What is it?”

“That was Ethan. He was on assignment in Brazil. Apparently the assignment went bad. He’s finally back in the states and will check into your situation when he can. He told us to stay put for now and he’d send someone up here to help make sure everything is secure.”

Part of her heart sank. She’d almost forgotten why they were hiding out. The last few days had seemed like a wonderful dream. Their time together was some of the best she’d ever had and she didn’t want it to end.

Now that Ethan was back, did that mean she would be going away? Starting a new life under some other name? In some other state, or worse, another country? She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She couldn’t imagine leaving Mitch. She knew he couldn’t drop his life for her. He had too much to lose: his place, his business, his friendships, his family. He’d never leave it all for her. Especially since he still hadn’t told her that he loved her yet. Why would he give everything up for her?

“Oh, I see.” And for the first time in weeks, she did. This was just a short break for him. A reprieve from the mundane life. She didn’t doubt that he cared for her. He showed her every time they made love. But he wasn’t ready to commit to someone whose life was up in the air like hers was. “That’s good.” She tried to smile at him. The crease between his eyes increased and he began to frown. “Isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it will be nice to know that your family won’t be able to find you.” He started pacing across the floor, still holding his phone. “Listen, I’m going to step out and make a few calls. I haven’t checked in to the office for a few days.”

“Sure,” she got up and started to leave the room. “Mitchell, I don’t know what’s going to happen to me in the future, but I hope that wherever I go, that we will still remember this time fondly.” She smiled and then turned to walk out of the room.

She walked past the living room and went straight out the front door and out to the end of the long front porch. The American flag was still waving in the light breeze. She looked at it and thought of how different her life had been since she’d first come to this country. How much she had changed. Would she have recognized herself if she had looked into the future, five years ago?

Her clothes were all Americanized. She no longer wore the long hijabs demanded by her culture. She didn’t painted her skin with henna, no longer wore the ornamental jewelry she’d grown to love as a little girl. For that matter, she no longer spoke in her native tongue or even had private thoughts in it either.