Surrender to Fate (Fate's Path Part One: A New Adult Romance Series) (16 page)

While Sarah had been admiring the table, everyone had begun to take their seats. When she looked up, she and Adley were the only ones still standing, and the two chairs that were left, were next to each other. Their eyes met, and Adley walked over to one of the chairs and pulled it out. He looked at her and motioned with a tilt of his head, “Sarah, please, come have a seat.”

She gave a slight nod and walked toward him. She smiled as she sat, and felt him push the chair in for her. “Thank you, Adley,” she said looking over her shoulder at him. He sat beside her and Sarah wondered if anyone else was suddenly feeling very warm.

Oscar cleared his throat, “Please, join hands, everyone.”

Sarah put her hands under the table and hesitantly felt for Adley’s. His hand immediately enveloped hers, and held it confidently. She was sure she was trembling, but Adley’s hands were strong enough to subdue the shaking. She looked to her right and smiled at her mother who was holding her hand out. The heat that was radiating from Adley’s hand couldn’t have been mistaken, and Sarah found herself thinking that she hoped Oscar would be long winded in saying Grace.

“Dear Lord, we are together today basking in your glory and the many blessings you have bestowed upon us. We thank you for the watchful eye that you keep on us and our loved ones. We thank you for the plentiful harvest of our farm, and the food on our table, not only today, but everyday. We ask you to keep those who aren’t with us today surrounded in your love. We thank you for our new friends, and look forward to a growing friendship with good people.”

Sarah’s eyes fluttered open as she was certain that she felt Adley’s hand grow even tighter around hers at his father’s words. Whether it was right or wrong, she couldn’t help but to squeeze his back.

“Lord, we pray to you and ask for your continued love, guidance, and blessings for all. In your name, we pray. Amen.”

Hushed ‘amen’s’ surrounded the table and everyone looked up and smiled. Adley held Sarah’s hand for several more seconds, before tentatively letting it go.

“Oh, Oscar, that was beautiful,” Ellie said as she dabbed the corner of her eye with her napkin. He smiled and leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. She cleared her throat and said, “And, if I may add, thank you for not praying that we all survive my cooking. Although, it probably wouldn’t have hurt.” She gave a loud chuckle and everyone smiled and laughed with her.

Dinner commenced with passing the various dishes around the table, and light- hearted conversation. Sarah tried to concentrate and join in, but every time she did, she would feel Adley’s knee brush up against hers, or his hand would wrap around hers when she handed him a bowl. It was unnerving. She wondered what her exact problem was. She felt so torn between her devotion to Will, and her desire for Adley. She tried to shake the tormenting debate out of her head. She wasn’t willing to admit, yet, that maybe her devotion to Will was diminishing simply because of logistics. Really, how long could she expect to maintain a steadfast commitment to someone who, physically, wasn’t in her life anymore? For now, she tried to hold onto the hope that came from deep within her, that someday she would see him again. Her mind couldn’t help to drift to the fact that she still hadn’t heard from Will, and how that would greatly help her keep her resolve.

Just as she was settling on the distance between her and Will, everyone started to get up from the table, exclaiming to Anne and Ellie that they had outdone themselves with a delicious dinner.

“Well, I appreciate you all saying that about my end of the deal, but really, you don’t have to. Just as long as you all know it was made with love, not necessarily talent. Once we have some room in our stomachs, we can have some of Anne’s delicious sweet potato pie.”

Anne walked over to Ellie and gave her a hug. “Ellie, not another word. Dinner was wonderful, and I would rather have had your turkey dinner than any from the finest restaurants in the world.”

The ladies began clearing the dishes when Oscar stopped them. “Oh no, ladies. You’ve all done your part, I’ll clear the table.”

Edward chimed in, “I agree, I’ll help you, Oscar.”

Ellie looked at them in surprise, but didn’t argue. “Well, that sounds fine to me. Anne, Sarah, come sit on the porch and I’ll get us a cup of tea.”

Sarah smoothed her dress and paused before answering Ellie. “I’ll be there in a minute.” All Sarah really wanted to do was to get somewhere where she felt she could finally breathe. A walk in the crisp air would do her clouded head a world of good. She walked to the front door and opened it, welcoming the rush of night air on her face. She shivered, as soon as the sun had set, the temperature drastically dropped. Since Adley had taken her shawl, she realized she had nothing to put on for a bit of warmth. She stepped out to the porch anyway, reminding herself that she was a Colorado girl, with Colorado blood, and that surely she could handle the slight chill of California’s winter.

She walked down the steps and looked into the night sky. The stars were brilliant tonight, not a cloud anywhere to block their brilliance. She walked slowly down the long driveway toward the garden, appreciating the calmness of the night. She realized the tranquil night was a stark comparison to her emotions, and she craved the familiar comfort of the garden. Once at the gate post, she slid her fingers along the top rail until she felt the latch and released it. The gate swung open with little effort, and in another moment, she was finally in her sanctuary.

A slight breeze rattled the dry leaves and Sarah put her arms around herself, admitting that her Colorado blood was actually doing her no good. She stood staring up at the sky and took a deep breath. She was beginning to feel the tension slightly leave her shoulders when a noise behind her startled her and she gasped. Turning around, she saw Adley’s silhouette coming toward her. Even though it was a moonless night, the faint glow given from the stars was just enough to see his expression as he walked to her. His eyes once again bored a hole into hers, in within seconds, he was standing so close to her that she could feel his breath.

He brought his arms up around her, “I thought you could use this,” he said as he wrapped the shawl around her shoulders. He closed the front of it around her, but didn’t let go of it.

Sarah brought her hands out from under the shawl and placed them over his hands. They were warm, and she pressed them into her chest. “Thank you.” She didn’t know why, but she wanted to start crying. She didn’t want this moment to end as abruptly as when she had first arrived at his house, and she held his hands even tighter to her breasts.

Adley pulled his hands free, but brought them up to her shoulders, and slowly began rubbing his hands up and down the length of her arms. His touch was warm, but it made Sarah shiver even more. She looked up at him, and found she could not stop herself from staring at his lips. He noticed her gaze, and brought his lips to hers, but again stopped. This time, Sarah lost all control of her actions and not wanting to lose this opportunity again, rushed her mouth to his. His lips were just as she remembered, and they felt amazing. At first, he did not kiss her back, and Sarah had complete control of the kiss. Her stomach flipped as soon as she felt his tongue enter her mouth, with slow, deliberate movements. She returned his kiss with even more urgency until she felt him become equally absorbed in her. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her in to him, as their tongues moved in unison. He moved his mouth to her jaw bone and down her neck, where he sucked and pressed his kiss so hard that Sarah’s knees buckled and she felt him catch her and keep her standing. He retraced his kisses and descended hard on her mouth. Sarah broke the connection and moved her mouth along his cheek until she was at his ear. Ever so gently and lightly, she moved her tongue around the outer edge of his ear, breathing lightly, until she wrapped her lips around his ear lobe and began to gently suck. Adley’s head tilted back and he wound his hands so tightly around the back of Sarah’s dress that it actually lifted a few inches. The moan that came from Adley was so unbelievable that Sarah felt herself become warm and wet between her quivering thighs. She sucked slightly harder on his ear lobe and then moved her tongue down along his neck, peppering it with short kisses. He bent his head down and engulfed her mouth, with the most powerful kiss she had been given. She felt his hands loosen their grip on the back of her dress, and he slowly started pulling it up higher and higher. Once he had pulled it completely up, he wrapped his warm hands around her butt cheeks and began to rub and squeeze. He moved his mouth to her ear and returned the same intoxicating session with her ear as she had given him.

“Saarrrahhh…” he moaned, “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

Sarah let her head fall back, not wanting to interrupt this amazing feeling with words, she could only reply with quick, short gasps of air as she wrapped her fingers around his head and pulled at his hair. He moved his hands to the top of her panties and slid them under the waistband so that now her bare flesh was completely covered by his hands. He continued with his slow, methodical rubbing until she felt his hands pull away from her skin and push her panties away from her body. Using the backs of his hands to pull the elastic away from her, she felt the thin cotton material start to move down her thighs. She was completely exposed now from the waist down, except for the slight cover of the front of her dress. Adley’s hands stopped after he was satisfied with how her flesh was exposed and so easily within his grasp. He gently moved his hands back around her cheeks, and pulled on them to the point Sarah could feel her body begin to release and open. He softly began brushing her skin up and down with his fingertips. Sarah was certain that she had stopped breathing, all she could feel was Adley, and the pulsating heat from below now that was completely unclothed. Keeping one hand firmly behind her, Adley’s other hand moved and his finger tips began a slow journey to the front of her body. She felt him trace over her hip bone, and down the front of her thigh. His breaths were just as short and jagged as hers as he buried his face in her neck while she continued to brace herself by holding around his neck tightly. He brought his hand to the soft skin of her inner thigh, and moved it up and down, gently, slowly, as if his fingertips were a feather. She felt his hand move closer, and closer to her nakedness, moving all the way up her delicate skin. She shuddered at the first brush of his hand against her soft folds. It was ever so slight, but by far, the most jolting feeling she had yet to experience. She could no longer maintain her silence as she exhaled and softly moaned at the same time. She felt Adley turn his hand so his palm was now cupping her. She felt him move his hand back and forth over her soft mound of curls, his fingertips barely brushing up against her. With the slowing of his hand came a new sensation. He had stopped rubbing and was now hovering his fingers just outside of the soft lips of her moist entrance. Sarah took in her breath as she waited for his next move. Ever so gently and slowly, she felt him move his finger back and forth over her soft opening, and she felt how she was completely slippery against his touch. In one deft movement, the back and forth motion stopped as he gently and fully slid his finger into her. Adley paused and exhaled into her ear, “Oh my God, Sarah…” He slowly pulled it out, and immediately entered her again. She gasped for air and gripped the upper part of his arm as he pushed his finger further and further inside her with each gentle thrust of his muscular arm. He brought his finger out of her with such a deliberate slowness that Sarah could feel herself contracting, trying to keep him within her. This time, she could feel two of his fingers fondling her and swirling around her. She could feel his palm pressed hard against her mound as his fingers began to speed up in their endeavor. Three fingers now were fully rubbing, and opening her even further, and she could feel the rhythmic circular motion of his fingers beginning to enter her again. As if sensing her body was fully ready, Adley slid two fingers deep inside of her. Instead of pulling them back out, Sarah felt him move them back and forth inside her, slowly, deeply. Her breathing quickened as she was beginning to feel the building of something deep inside of her that she didn’t recognize. Adley’s breathing picked up too as now he was plunging his fingers in and out, stopping only for a moment to swirl around her swollen lips before he would once again dive in and swirl around her from the inside. Sarah closed her eyes tightly. She could feel her body clinging around his fingers and felt her body start to press against them, forcing them to penetrate even deeper. Moving her hips back and forth only accentuated the feel of Adley’s fingers inside of her and she could feel that by doing that, a force was taking over that wasn’t going to let her stop. She spread her legs even wider and Adley moved his hand down to fully give her what she wanted. He moved his fingers deeper until she could no longer contain the rush that had been building. In a crushing explosion, her body let loose as a wave of indescribable pleasure surged out of her, and her body tightened around Adley’s fingers over and over. Adley exhaled and moaned with pleasure, tightening his hold around her. He pulled her shuddering body even closer to his and she had to bury her face in his neck to keep from screaming out.

Adley held her tightly as the waves continued and eventually began to subside, but she could feel her body still trembling. She breathed heavily, and allowed herself to stay buried in Adley’s neck. She didn’t think she could move, even if she wanted to. Adley slowly began to retreat from inside of her, but once his fingers were out, he continued to gently circle his fingertips around her. Sarah could feel the wetness that now drenched her entirely, and even felt it around her inner thighs as the cool air brushed against her. Adley moved from her neck and passionately kissed her lips, all while his fingers kept their soft, stroking motion, pulling the wetness from her. Sarah kissed him back, and felt her body tugging at his fingers to please, please not stop.