Then & Now (18 page)

Straightening herself the best she could she answered the door only to be put back into the frenzied disarray.  “What are you doing here?” 

Tristan smiled that smile, reminding
her what a beautiful disaster her heart was in.  Lifting an envelope he wiggled it slightly.  “Payment for last weekend.”

“What?  You want to pay me?”  His words weren’t making sense.  She tried to focus harder on
what he was saying and not on the fact that her brain was staring to agree with her heart by picturing him naked. 

“I told
ye that I would if you went up with the team that day.”

She knew what day he spoke of.  “You didn’t have to pay me.”

“Nay.  But it made a great excuse to see ye again.”  He boldly admitted.   

Her eyes darted from his unsure of what to say.

“May I come in?”  His accent sang over her like a caress she desperately needed.

Stepping back she allowed him access to her tiny home.  She remembered his trailer and how much he was worth and instantly felt subconscious about her living room.  A well used couch and a beat-up recliner used up most of her family room.  Across from that sat her small dining area with a table that was older than her and four mismatched chairs. 

“It’s not much. But it’s mine.”  She sighed wishing she hadn’t let him in.  He was probably uncomfortable.  Most people don’t travel from first class to second without a queasy stumble.  Even if they were just visiting.

He chuckled deeply before turning to her.  “If I didna know this was yer home I would have figured it was.  It looks just like ye.  It reflects everything I like about you.”

Cocking an eyebrow she leveled her eyes on him. “Meaning?”

“
’Tis comfortable, warm, inviting…Just like you.”  His voice had dropped to a seductive rasp while his eyes roamed over her.

“Oh!”  She blushed.  “Thank you.”

Suddenly the mood changed in his eyes as he set the envelope on her coffee table. “How serious are you and John?”

Caught off guard by the question as well as the expression on his face she didn’t know how to answer him right away.  “We are getting married next year.”  She said flabbergasted by the feel of regret she had by telling him.

He nodded while he kept his eyes trained on her.  “Ye happy?”

No
.  Shocked by the voice in her head she turned from him.  “Why are you asking me this?”

“Because, I’m wondering why anyone would leave such a beautiful woman alone for another man to steal away.
  If ye were mine I would have ye at arm’s length at all times.”  The honesty in his voice nearly floored her.

“So, someone like
you
wouldn’t take me from you?”  She asked without looking at him.

“I wouldna give him the chance.”  He rumbled which brought her eyes back to his.  “Besides ye can’t steal something that is willing to leave.”

“I never said I was willing to leave.”  She said defensively.

“Ye didna have to.”  The thickness of his statement said more than his words ever could.  He saw it.  Practically read her like a book made for a preschooler.  He knew more about her then most of her friends and he only had three days to do so.

Sinking back into herself she backed away from him.  How unfair was it for someone who was only evaluating the situation figure out more than those who were living it? 

Clearing her throat she pointed to the thin, white envelope.  “Thanks for dropping by.  I guess I will—” She was silenced by the look on his face.

Closing the space between them in slow casual movements he kept his eyes trained on her.  “I didna mean to make ye sore.  I just need to know my ground.”  Lifting a hand to her face he gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  Dropping his voice to a lower he tilted her face up to meet his.  “I
need
to know how hard I will be fighting for you.”

His words touched her more profoundly then any physical encounter she had ever experienced.  Fight for her?  Hell all she wanted was for someone to acknowledge her, and the man before her had already gone above and beyond that.

Her heart felt as if it was going to fly right from her chest.  Squeezing her eyes closed, she couldn’t help but wonder were this prince charming had come from and why he chose her to ride off on his gallant four-wheeler.

“Why?”  She whispered afraid that he would come to his senses and leave.

Without answering her question he pressed his lips lightly against hers.  She knew he was leaving the rest to her.  He was only getting the ball rolling and it was up to her to direct it.

Throwing her arms around his neck, Sophia kissed him as hard as she could.  She couldn’t seem to get close enough, touch him enough, kiss him enough, and she knew she never would.  He had snuck in without her knowing and had taken her right out of the trap she had built for herself. 

“I want you, Sophia.” The thickness in his voice had grown deeper as his eyes flickered with wild blue desire. “Please…”

Smiling at the desperation on his face, she kissed him again.  “F
ollow me.”

She led him to her room with sweet anticipation.  Leaving him at the entrance of her small bedroom she made her way along the bed to the lamp resting on her nightstand. Her hands shook as she flipped on the light. The room was suddenly bathing in a warm glow which gave her a moment to think about what was happening. For an instant she gave what was about to happen a second thought.

Though Tristan, who seemed unfazed by the soft glow, was swiftly at her side.  His arms encircled her body bringing her as close as he could.  “Ye’re thinking way too much.” Without hesitation he was kissing her once again enhancing the sexual tension between them.

Her thoughts were instantaneously forgotten while his mouth did wicked things to jaw and throat.  His hands had made their way down her back, then up under the thin fabric of her t-shirt. She felt the air catch in her lungs as he removed her shirt in one flawless move.

She wasn’t sure how she ended up on the bed, though the cool sheets against her flush body felt wonderful.  All she could do was watch as he removed his own shirt and jeans.  She arched her eyebrow as she realized he hadn’t been wearing any underwear.

He grinned and shrugged lightly.  Lowering himself over her, he kissed, teased and nibbled on her eager lips.  Enthusiasm filled her as she cupped his face.  His body was so warm and solid she couldn’t help but press herself more tightly against him. 

His kisses were masterful as he tasted her with his tongue.  Licking his way down her over heated body, he left goose bumps in his wake.  He carefully removed each strap of her bra taking his time exposing each breast for his viewing pleasure.

She could only describe what he was doing as exquisite torture while his fingers gently twisted and pinched each nipple.  There was no argument on how talented he truly was.  It was as if someone had told him how to handle her, how to unleash a bottled desire she had been too afraid to try.

While he took his time playfully handling each breast she moaned in agony from the lack of being touched somewhere else.  She wanted that talented mouth everywhere at once.  This teasing was causing an unknown ache between her legs.  It was strange being in a position to wait or plead.  She had become so used to the quick, vacant foreplay that her body felt as if would fly apart with all this extra attention.

Finally his mouth and hands moved downward greedily caressing and kissing each section of bare flesh until he reached the jean obstacle that stood in the way of his wandering mouth.  He quickly unfastened, unzipped and completely removed her pants and panties without any frustration or jerky actions.  It was as if he had all the time in the world to worship her.

“Open yer legs, beautiful.  Let me look at ye.”  His deep voice rumbled over her body making her shiver slightly.

Normally a request such as his would have made her blush and shy away.  Not this time.  His eyes burned too intensely, while his body shook vigorously with his held back desire.  Her legs fell apart naturally allowing him total access.

He made a cavernous noise that came from somewhere within him.  “Oh, Sophia….” He growled.  “Ye’re more perfect then I had imaged.” 

Ever so lightly he ran the back of his fingers along her bare folds.  The simple touch nearly sent her through the roof.  The sensitive space between her trembling thighs had never been more responsive.  Lifting her hips off the bed she pushed upward into his hand.

He chuckled at her impatience, and then slid one finger into her tender, wetness.  He worked that one digit so vigorously she felt every molecule scream with excitement. Her gasps and moans offered him a more intimate request, which he acknowledged devilishly.

Pressing his lips against her inner thigh, he kissed his way to her throbbing center.  There he found the spot she craved his mouth the worst.  With his uncanny expertise he sucked, licked, and tickled her small bud of desire until she came apart with the most powerful orgasm she had ever experienced.

He gently covered her body with his own.  Kissing her softly he waited patiently for her to come back down from her erotic fog.  As soon as her eyes connected with his he slowly pushed himself inside her.  Crying out she wrapped her legs around his only to bring him that much closer. 

It felt so wonderful to finally have him she couldn’t control her hips from wiggling just right to get a better feel of his incredible shaft. He smiled at her movements.  Shifting her slightly he was able to hit and rub all the right spots sending her over the edge.

Tristan could honestly say that watching her come was by far the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.  Her lips had turned a deep shade of red from the rush of release reminding him of ripe cherries.  She had squeezed her eyes closed while her delicate features expressed a well loved woman.

Her body contracting around him and the pure pleasure on her face caused him to spill deep inside her.  Calling out he buried his head into the hallow of her neck.  Once he came out of the heated haze he kissed up her neck and along her jaw.  He took those cherry colored lips tenderly, allowing her come back to him gradually.

Rolling them onto their side, Tristan grabbed the comforter and wrapped them both up carefully.
She snuggled deeper into his arms and sighed which had him holding her a little closer. He knew she had forgotten everything for a while as she simply basked in the soft afterglow of their lovemaking.

As he wrapped a single tendril of
her hair around his finger he stared at the ceiling. There in the quite of her bedroom he let the realization finally hit him.  He was in love with her.  Soul deep.  He knew he would fight for her the moment he saw her at his store.  He just didn’t expect he would lose his heart in the process.

Though he should have.
  She had been tugging at the strings of his pitiful heart the second she opened that perfect mouth.  Hell, making love to her had tipped the scales so dramatically he wasn’t sure how to come back from this. She had felt so amazing he could hardly keep it together.

Now he was left with the realization that she wasn’t his.  For tonight she was, but tomorrow she would belong to someone else.  With a heavy heart
hugged her to him as he desperately thought of something other than the inevitable.  Although, no matter how many ways he could run from this he would return to the same conclusion. There was another player in this game.

The thought had his gut twisting painfully.  He never once considered the fact that the woman who owned his heart might pick the other man.  All he wanted to know was if they had a chance. Now he knew that not only was there a chance but, he might just be the loser of the bunch. He didn’t know how to stop that from happening.

“It seems that now you’re the one who is thinking too much.”  She teased while pressing her soft curves against him.

“The only thing I’m thinking about is how we can
fill up our night.”  He lied as he pulled her on top of his hard and ready body.  Out of everything he had, tonight was his best chance.

She smiled as she slid her body into the right spot. 
“Oh, really?  What did you have in mind?”

Wiggling her hips against him, he smiled knowingly.  “I have a few ideas.”

  After several hours of indulging in some of the most amazing lovemaking in his life, he stood staring out of her kitchen window.  He had the entire night with her and it didn’t seem like nearly enough time to have her as his own.  Today she was John’s again. 

The problem he faced was if he can’t stop her from leaving him for a man—who didn’t love her—he knew he couldn’t stop her from taking his heart with her.

God, what a mess has he gotten them into?

“How long have you been up?”  Sophia’s sweet voice sang through the small space causing his tired eyes to close.

“Not long.”  He answered as he turned to face her.  Taking in her mussed hair, half mast eyelids, his shirt forming her tiny figure, right down to her bare feet with soft pink toe nails, he realized how perfect she really was.

She giggled as she pushed some of her hair back.  “Is everything okay?”