The Reconstruction of Carla Millhouse (27 page)

“Carla?” His deep voice shimmered down her spine and curled her toes.

She nodded, as he stood and grabbed her shoulders. Her body responded to his scent and the sexual magnetism that she tried so hard to ignore. This was it! The moment she’d longed for and dreamed about and what does she do? She slams him in the face with her gym bag.
Déjà vu
at its worst.

“Oh, Richard, I’m so very sorry. Did I hurt you?” She reached out to touch his face.

At the same time, Richard reached out to touch her hair. “I almost didn’t recognize you. Your hair—”

A man wanting to leave interrupted Richard. He and Carla moved to the side away from the door.

“Are you sure you’re not hurt?”

“No. You’re blonde.”

“That you noticed,” she quipped.

“I’m only blind when you knock my glasses off.”

“Where have you been? I missed you, Richard,” Carla said, gently touching his face, again. She had an overwhelming desire to kiss him. Only, she wasn’t certain she should. What if he’d moved on and was seeing someone?

“I missed you, too. That’s why I texted you. I acted like a jerk not returning your calls. Forgive me?” Carla’s heart instantly filled with hope.

“We need to talk,” they both said at the same time, which caused laughter.

“How about going for coffee so we can talk?” Carla asked.

Richard hesitated for a moment and she immediately thought the worst. However, he finally nodded in agreement and she began to breathe easily again. “I’ll drive,” he suggested.

They got into his car and picked up their conversation where they’d left off. “I can’t believe you did that to your hair.”

Then with a little apprehension in her voice to replace the playful tone, she said, “You don’t like it?”

He shook his head from side-to-side, stealing a peek at her. He watched as her face dropped. She almost didn’t hear him say, “I love it! Had you going for a moment, didn’t I?”

Carla playfully thumped him on the shoulder. Then turning serious, she asked the one question that concerned her the most. “Why didn’t you ever return any of my calls?”

“Want the long or abbreviated version?”

“Whichever you feel more comfortable telling.”

“Somehow I knew you’d say that.”

She had the feeling he was glad that he was driving and had to keep his eyes on the road. Whatever he intended to say to her was not going to be easy, judging by the rhythmic clenching of his jaw. She patted his hand in order to reassure him that she was okay with whatever he was going to say. It was all bravado on her part, because if Richard had found someone else she’d die.

“Okay. The truth is this…”

Stop stalling
, she wanted to scream at him and bit her tongue in order to prevent herself from doing so.

“At first, I didn’t call you back because I couldn’t. I couldn’t, because it would hurt too much.”

Well, that certainly explains it—not!
Carla looked at him. “What do you mean by ‘at first’?”

“You see, from the first moment we met, I knew you were the one woman in the world for me, only you were married and on a mission to win back your husband. You did, didn’t you?” He glanced at her quickly.

“Yes, but—”

“Let me get this out, once and for all. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“I knew I never stood a chance and yet I hung out with you, torturing myself. Finally, I realized I couldn’t stand it any longer–”

“The day in the 5 & Diner when you rushed out,” Carla said quietly as she recalled Richard’s abrupt exit.

“Yeah. I couldn’t stand to hear another word about Martin. I decided to quit my job and move away—far away from you. Only, this big law suit came along. It was the kind of case I’d worked my tail off to get for so long I couldn’t leave. However, I could avoid you, which was what I intended to do. So no response to your voicemails. Until I realized that you were worth fighting for.” Then Richard paused.

“Also my mother had a bad stroke and nearly died.”

Carla blanched. “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. She’s okay now?”

“I think God has to prepare Himself just a little longer before He calls for her,” Richard said wryly.

“I take it she’s feisty,” Carla said, smiling.

“Big time.”

“Well, despite all the adversity, we’ve finally hooked up.” Carla sighed in contentment. So he
had
been thinking about her all this time.

“Yeah, that’s true. I just hope Martin is being faithful.”

“It makes no difference anymore. He can do whatever he damn well pleases,” Carla muttered.

“Have you lost your mind?” Richard turned quickly to look at her.

“Funny you should ask me that because I nearly did. When you didn’t return my calls, I panicked.”

“Why? I wouldn’t have been much help with you and Martin at the time.”

“It wasn’t to help me with Martin. He’s history.”

Richard slammed on the brakes, nearly causing an accident. The guy behind them honked and flipped them the bird as he passed. Richard drove the car to the side of the road and put it in park. He turned to face Carla. “Did I hear you correctly? You don’t love Martin anymore?”

She nodded as she gently ran her hand down the side of his face. His eyes were still wide with surprise. “Apparently not for a long time.”

“I don’t understand—”

Smiling, Carla placed two fingers across Richard’s lips. “Oh, I did win Martin back, but…” She ran her tongue over her top lip. “There was a big problem.”

Richard’s eyebrows crinkled as his questioning eyes ran back and forth over her face.

Carla threaded her fingers through Richard’s hair. “The problem was that when Martin made love to me, I pretended it was you. I wished it had been you. I haven’t truly cared for Martin for a long time, but was just too dense to realize it. Love was right there all along in front of me, only I was too blind to see it.” She took both of his hands in hers. “I love you, Richard Stein. I’m yours, if you want me.”

Carla hardly got the last words out before Richard pulled her to him and seared her lips with a kiss she felt throughout her entire body clear to her toes. She reveled in the hardness of his kiss. His tongue met hers and sent new spirals of ecstasy through her. Significantly happier than she was at the start of the day, Carla’s heart swelled with all the joy she didn’t think possible, and returned the kiss in kind. Then they kissed again and again and again.

When they finally broke apart, Richard whispered hoarsely, “Want you? I’ve been crazy about you since the moment I met you, lady. Have you any idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that?”

“And I feared I‘d never see you again,” Carla said, burying her face against his throat.

Richard didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled her face up closer to his, crushing his lips against hers. When he released her mouth, her lips still tingled. Carla wanted more—much, much more. Still holding her, he looked deeply into her eyes. She expected him to say how much he loved her, but instead she heard, “I love you as a blonde.”

“Gawd! You’re such a man,” she replied, shaking her head, recalling her conversation earlier that day with Lynne.

“Would you have me any other way?”

“Absolutely not! Don’t you dare change a thing,” she said as she leaned over to kiss him.

That kiss, which began tenderly, deepened into a passionate one that sent shivers of desire racing through her and obviously affected him, as well, because the ones to follow were more heated. And his caressing hands were turning her insides into oatmeal.

“Wa…it, a min…ute, Richard,” Carla gasped, trying to talk and breathe at the same time. “We’re going to get arrested.”

“I don’t care,” he said nuzzling the side of her neck.

“I wouldn’t, either, but I don’t want to have to wait until we make bail to make love.”

“Okay, then. Your place or mine?” Richard asked, putting the car in gear.

“How about there!” Carla pointed to a Holiday Inn Express on the opposite side of the highway.

Richard looked in the direction she was pointing and turned back to her. “No way. I want our first time to be special. I’m taking you home,” he said, getting back onto the highway.

A few minutes later, Carla said, “I don’t live in this direction.”

“But, I do,” Richard replied, heading toward his condominium.

As he spoke, his eyes raked boldly over her giving her heart a jolt. Tingling with such anticipation, Carla could hardly sit still, not that her extremely wet silk panties were helping. How many times had she fantasized about making love to Richard? And now as the simmering coals of desire had finally been lit, they were being stoked into a raging flame of passion. She wanted to taste and touch every inch of him. And her body ached twice as much for his touch.

He didn’t live far, but every minute felt like an hour. She wanted to make up for all the lost time. Her heart swelled with such love for Richard that she could hardly remember the last time she’d truly felt this way about any man. She didn’t care. No more looking back. Only forward. There was just the two of them now. And that’s all that mattered.

Finally, they were there. They got out of the car, clasped hands and walked to his front door. Richard opened the door and kicked it closed behind them. Carla was in his arms instantly. She threw her hands around his neck and he scooped her up, carrying her into his bedroom. She nuzzled his neck and delighted in the sweetly intoxicating musk that was uniquely his.

Gently Richard placed her on his bed and removed his suit jacket and tie before putting them on a chair. His eyes met hers and held as he began to unbutton his shirt. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched him put his shirt on the chair and unzip his slacks. He stepped out of the slacks and his underwear she could see the extent of his desire for her and nearly gasped. As he joined her on the bed, his gaze had become a soft caress.

Richard began to slowly undress Carla. He unzipped her sweatshirt and kissed the swells of her breasts over her bra. The touch of his lips was a delicious sensation. When he unclasped her bra, he ran his hands up and down the contours of her back, sending pleasurable chills down her spine. She shrugged both articles of clothing off as Richard pulled her sweat pants and panties off. Her skin prickled with pleasure where the tip of his erection grazed her thigh.

He propped himself on one elbow and looked at her as if he were photographing her with his eyes, causing her insides to melt. Then he took off his glasses and placed them on the nightstand.

“I don’t need glasses to see how beautiful you are,” he said, as he kissed her. “I want to kiss every inch of you.”

Good to his word, Richard began to kiss his way down her body slowly. Starting with her breasts, he licked and sucked one nipple as he fanned the other with his fingertips. Gasping as pleasure radiated throughout her body, Carla raked his back with her nails. He continued to leave butterfly kisses down her heaving chest to her belly. He flicked his tongue in and out of her navel for a beat causing her to writhe in ecstasy before he snailed his way to her sex.

He lifted her bottom and placed her legs over his shoulders. Like a flower, he gently opened the folds of her labia and used the flat of his tongue to stroke her clitoris. Carla felt the hysteria of delight rising inside her as he began to alternately lick and suck the area from the bottom of her labia to her clit. With one hand he kneaded one of her nipples, but when he pushed a finger inside her at the same time, the involuntary tremors of a climax took over her body and her breath came in long, surrendering moans.

Richard didn’t stop until her moans subsided. He kissed the inside of Carla’s thigh before lowering her legs. She reached for him. He rose and kissed her mouth. It was a greedy kiss and he thrust his tongue deep inside her mouth. She threaded her fingers through his hair, as he nuzzled her neck. Carla took hold of his penis and guided it to the opening of her sex. Then Richard was inside her and an electric wave of passion and love flowed between them. The moment was better than she’d fantasized.

He thrust into her and pulled out, slowly at first, and she savored every stroke. He bent to suckle her breast. His tongue circled her nipple before nibbling it. Carla moaned softly and Richard repeated what he’d done to her other breast. As he continued to fondle her nipples, he increased his pace, pumping deeper into Carla as she arched her body. She cried out for release. Her sounds of pleasure were complemented by his until they both climaxed and finally collapsed into a tangled heap of limbs.

Richard kissed her head, her face and finally her mouth. “It was worth the wait.”

Carla smiled and kissed him. “Better than I’d imagined.”

Richard leaned on an elbow and looked down at Carla. “I never truly thought I’d find the right woman for me and then I met you.”

“Too bad you’re not a divorce lawyer, after all.”

Richard chuckled. “No fear, some of my best friends are divorce lawyers.”

Carla smiled. “I’d like to meet one of them—like…yesterday. I love you, Richard, and don’t want to waste another minute.” She traced the outline of his face with her hands and he kissed the palm of one.