Through The Grapevine: A BWWM Romance (8 page)

Shannon nodded silently and her heart broke for the pain she knew he was in and trying valiantly to hide and ignore.

"Okay. I just don't want you to hurt. I want you to be happy and loved, always."

He smiled at her then and tilted his head, gazing at her lovely face. "You really are such an incredible friend, and I'm so lucky to have you here. See that? Something so good that came out of something that wasn't very good. You and I have a close bond that we can carry forward for years to come. That's worth more that almost anything else, really. I'll tell you the truth; I should thank her for bringing you into my life!"

He  laughed a little and reached his hand up to her face to brush a stray strand of her wavy black hair away.

His fingertip traced the soft contour of her cheek and time seemed to still around him as he gazed into her beautiful, warm brown eyes. The memory of their kisses came back to him and he whispered to her, "You have been better to me than any woman ever has. It means a great deal to me."

She reached her hand up and covered his hand as it rested on her cheek and she looked into his clear blue eyes. "You mean a great deal to me,” she  whispered back. Her heart fluttered in their shared moment, and she wished again that it could be her that he loved.

As if hearing her thought, he leaned his face down to hers and gently brushed her lips with his, just a soft and sweet kiss, barely there. Then he looked down at her again and stayed close to her.

"Thank you for everything you do and everything you are." The feel of her lips touching his had sparked the same heat that he had felt with her in their cabin when they were together in front of the fireplace. Like a fire needs oxygen, his lips began to need hers, and he looked at her haunted gaze for only a moment longer before leaning down to her and kissing her again, but this time it was not soft.

This time it was not tentative. This time, he pressed his lips firmly against hers and closed his eyes, finding it so easy to lose himself in her; in her beauty and sweetness, in her warmth and tenderness, and a hunger for her began to grow in him once more; much more ardent than it had when they were in the cabin together.

She kissed him back and it only made his desire stronger. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close.

Their kiss deepened and he opened her mouth with his, teasing her with the tip of his tongue, tasting her and letting everything else around them disappear into the night.

As the fires of need began to burn hot between them, he knew that he wanted much more of her than just her kiss, and as their lips moved urgently over each other, he moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, "Make love with me."

Then he placed his hands gently on the sides of her head and looked into her eyes again. He repeated it, wanting her to know how much it would mean to him to be with her.

"Please," he said hoarsely, "make love with me. I had such a sweet taste of you the other night, but I want all of you now. Give me all of you; I need you."

Her body ached for him and her heart wasn't reticent at all. She could hardly believe that he was saying those words to her, that he was holding her and kissing her, and that he wanted to love her, even if it was only for just this one night.

She had never loved anyone as she loved him, and she wasn't about to let what might well be the only chance she would have to be with him pass her by. She nodded her head and smiled sweetly at him. "Yes..."  Her arms closed  around his neck. "Yes, a thousand times yes."  He looked at her in surprised happiness and the urgency in their kisses drew them like gravity to the bed that was waiting for them in their room.

He stood there with her beside the bed, letting her go so that he could look at her in the soft light. He raised his fingers to her blouse and slowly pulled the buttons loose of their holds, revealing her soft sweet body beneath the material. She watched his eyes as he took in the curves of her body, pulling her clothes from her slowly as if he was unwrapping a precious gift.

She had never felt so desired, so erotic, and so beautiful in her life as she did standing there before him with nothing around her skin but air and the delicate touch of his hands. She took the same time and care removing his clothes from him, until they were both bared to each other, and electric with need.

Colby laid her back gently in their bed and moved above her, his hands learning every part of her body, caressing her and sculpting his fingers and palms over the swells and valleys of her silky smooth skin. She reached her hands to his shoulders and clung to them as his mouth moved over her body, his tongue leaving trails of fire in its wake, his lips tenderly kissing her in countless places.

She wanted to close her eyes and revel in every single moment of it, but she was too rapt, just watching him as he loved her slowly and carefully, and she loved him back with every bit as much attention as he gave her.

They touched, kissed, and held each other until they could no longer hold back their desire, and he finally placed his hands on her thighs and spread them apart, pushing himself into her and gasping at the feeling of her body connecting with his.

He began to move within her and the sensation overwhelmed him that he had never felt anything like the wave of pleasure and love that cocooned them both. She arched her back and slid her legs around his, entwining them snugly and pulling him further into her, losing herself in the dizzying passion they were sharing so freely.

    The couple began their love dance in simplicity. But as the moments passed, it became more intense. They tangled with each other, wrestling in breathless tensions, turning and twisting in the sheets until they could not hold back the climactic ecstasy that engulfed them both, making them cry out with release and grasp each other tightly as if they were holding on to the only thing that might keep them grounded to the earth.

Together they fell back into their pillows and gazed at each other in love and peace. He reached his hand up and stroked her cheek.

"You amaze me,” he said quietly. He looked at her for a few long moments and then he fell into a deep and restful slumber, but Shannon did not sleep. She laid there beside him, her eyes trained on his face, her thoughts whirling and spinning inside her mind.

She was incredulous that they had made love. She would never have guessed that he might be so close to her, that he might touch her body and love her until she lost all control and her senses were saturated with pleasure such as she had never known.

Her heart beat within her for him, pounding out the truth of her love, and he had felt it. He had finally felt all the love she had in her for him, and it was more than she believed possible.

Shannon realized that it would probably never happen again with him. She knew just how much he loved Tiffany, and even though he had said they were broken up, a heart doesn't stop loving someone suddenly. It takes time, a lot of time, to let go of the hold that others have on a heart. She knew he was probably dreaming of Tiffany just as he had been the other night when he had kissed her in his dreams.

She knew that he had given so much of himself to her that night, but that he had given all of himself to Tiffany, and she had hurt him beyond measure. Shannon knew that this impromptu passion with her was different for him than it was for her.

It was love for her. It was everything in her heart that she had felt for him for so long, but for him it was most likely revenge sex. There was every possibility that he had been so torn up with seeing the woman he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with in the arms of another man, that he had desperately needed to let go of that pain by immersing himself in Shannon and using her as a balm for his poor torn heart.

She knew that was most probably the case. She didn't care. She would love him any way he needed to be loved, and she would be glad to do it. Her passion for him that night had helped him; it had given him release from the pain and replaced it with pleasure, and she would do it again if he wanted her.

She would do it with no regrets, but no matter what, she knew that she should not expect him to love her back and to feel the same way about her that she felt about him just because they had found such tremendous comfort in each other's arms.

Shannon looked at him with a sad longing, glad for whatever she had been able to give him, and to get from him. It was a long time before she finally fell asleep, and when she woke hours later, she found herself wrapped in his arms with her head on his chest. He nuzzled the top of her head and kissed her cheek.

The Final Chapter

"Did you sleep alright?" he asked, stroking her arm with his fingers.

She had dreamt of him, and it had been the sweetest dream. "Yes." She  softly kissed his chest  with her soft warm lips. "Did you?" she returned.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to him. "I haven't slept that well in longer than I can remember. It was you! You have the most wonderful effect on me." Colby had not slept in pain and sorrow, but rather in pleasant happiness, feeling warmer and more loved that he had ever felt with a woman.

It was one of the best nights of his life and that realization was astounding to him. He never would have guessed it, but he was truly glad to have found the new closeness he felt with her.

She didn't want to let him go from the bed they were sharing, but she knew that the time for them to separate would come soon enough.

"What do you want to do today?" she asked hesitantly.

He gave it some consideration, passing all of the things that had happened through his mind. "Let's go back to Los Angeles. There's nothing for me here."

"Are you sure?" she asked quietly. She hoped that he would be alright, however that worked out.

He nodded in absolution. "Yes."  Let's get going and hit the road back to LA.I have better things waiting there for me."

She knew it was time to go then, and with great personal difficulty, she pulled her body from his and stood up from the bed, going into the bathroom to ready herself for their journey back home.

He watched her rise and walk away from him, fascinated with her, focused intently on her as she left him. The empty feeling that came over him when she walked away made him feel like a hollow shell and he frowned. Colby got up, thinking that if he busied himself with preparations to leave that the strange feeling he had would dissipate.

He dressed and packed, and when Shannon emerged from the bathroom, she discovered that he had ordered breakfast for them and it was delivered to their room. She nibbled a bit, giving herself the sustenance she knew she would need without any of the appetite for satisfaction that she ought to have had.

Just as they were picking up their bags to leave, he stopped her and held her shoulders in his hands, looking at her in concern.

"Shannon, what happened between us last night was... well it was much more than I ever expected and I want to be sure that you're okay. Are you alright? Are we alright?" he asked, wanting to make sure of it.

She gave him a simple smile and nodded. "Yes, of course. We're fine,” she answered, hiding her true emotions from him.

He had just survived an epic heartbreak. The last thing he needed was her pining away after him and being needy for a love that he wouldn't be ready to give, or that he might not even ever feel for her. It was best that she held fast to their good friendship, and that somehow she find a way to make that enough from him.

"We should get on the road. It's getting late already” she said in an offhanded way.

He looked at her intently and then pulled her into a tight hug. "Alright, whatever you say. As long as you and I are alright." He held her to him and closed his eyes, profoundly grateful for her. After a long precious moment, they let each other go and headed out to her Highlander.

For all that they went through to get to Aspen, it was almost nothing at all to go back home again. The roads had been cleared and were mostly dry. The weather had evened out and though it was cold and grey most of the way through Colorado and into Utah, there was no more storm. By the time they got to the southern part of Utah, they were both ready for a meal and a rest, and Colby thought of something.

"Shannon, do you want to stay the night at a hotel on the way back or do you want to split the driving and just go for it?" He could have gone either way, but it did cross his mind that if they got a hotel, there was no question in his mind that he would want to make love with her again.

Shannon knew that he had been anxious to get back to Los Angeles, so rather than give herself another night with him, she shrugged and acted selflessly. "Let's go ahead and go for it. We can split the driving and make it back by the middle of the day tomorrow. That would probably be best."

Colby looked at her again, wondering if she really was alright, and then he realized that their encounter must have left her feeling awkward and that was why she didn't want to be in a hotel room with him again. He understood and nodded.

"Alright. We'll do that, then." He  smiled at her and she smiled back and turned away from him.

The road back to Los Angeles from Saint George, Utah was clear and dry, and it was surreal to think that they had just driven through one of the worst storms of the year and now there was nothing but a breeze around them.

Shannon kept the music going in the vehicle and kept their conversations to a minimum. If he started to bring up their night, she deflected it and he realized quickly that she did not want to talk about it.

Her reticence told him that she was most likely regretting it, and he felt bad about it.

They made it back to Los Angeles without incident by the middle of the afternoon the following day and she dropped him off at his house with a big hug, a gentle kiss and a wave goodbye.

Each of them went to bed in their respective homes in complete exhaustion and collapsed into their beds in deep sleep.

Colby was awakened the next morning by his phone ringing loudly and he picked it up to see Tiffany's beautiful face looking back at him from the caller ID.

*

Colby stared at his phone and wondered if he should answer it. His heart leaped at first when he heard the ring, and his mind went right to Shannon, but looking at Tiffany's picture on his phone had touched him in a sad and regretful way and he sighed as he answered it.

"Yes?" he asked.

Tiffany's voice came through the phone with enormous sadness and she began to cry. "I'm back in Los Angeles now and I need to see you. I'm so sorry for everything, will you please, please see me today? We have to talk!"

He hadn't spoken to her at all since he had left her at the restaurant in Aspen, and he was surprised to hear her crying to him.

"What's the matter?" he asked quietly.

"I talked to Shannon and she told me she didn't think that we were still together. She said she thought you broke up with me. She's so angry at me! Are you angry at me too?" she choked on a sob.

Colby closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face. "Alright. Come over in an hour.”

She gushed her thanks to him and he hung up the phone and groaned. He had hoped that their breakup would happen simply, but by the sound of her, there was no way that was going to happen.

He showered and dressed, staying true to his new hot movie star look, and he waited for her. He didn't have to wait long; she appeared at the door early and he opened it to find his once gorgeous girl standing there with eyes red from crying and a sour pout on her lips.

He invited her in and they went out to the garden near the pool at the back of the house. He sat down in a chair beside the water and looked at her as she sat down near him.

"What did Shannon tell you?" he asked, watching her and trying not to think of the last time he had seen her.

Tiffany began to cry anew. "She said she drove you out to Aspen and then you talked to me and she said you saw me with Ron in the hot tub, and then you left and came back here, saying that you were breaking up with me and the wedding was off! You can't call it off! I love you! I want to be with you!" she pleaded and wept more and he just sat at watched her.

"Tiffany, I told you that I wanted you to break up with him and commit yourself to me. I am not about to spend the rest of my life with someone that doesn't want me as much as I want them. You said to me that you would break up with him, and what did you do? You went back to your place and screwed his brains out in a hot tub!"

She leapt up and threw her arms around his neck. "I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry baby! It was just a mistake! That's all... it was a mistake. Just please forgive me!"

Colby pulled her arms from around his neck and helped her sit back down in her seat, and then he sat across from her again. "I do forgive you, Tiffany."

Her weeping slowed and she looked at him through soaked eyelashes. "You do?" she asked in amazement.

"I do."

She laughed a little and then jumped up and rushed to him, trying to sit on his lap, but he stopped her and stood up before her.

"I forgive you, but that doesn't change the fact that we are broken up,” he said, as kindly as he could.

Tiffany stared at him. "But I want to be with you! I want to marry you!" she insisted, looking at him with anxious pleading eyes.

He felt an irritation growing in his stomach and it was bubbling and brewing outward. "You don't want to marry me, Tiffany, you don't love me!'

"Yes, I do!" she insisted. "Yes I do! I do...," she said and began to cry again. "How can I prove it to you?” 

He shook his head. "We've already been through this." He began to turn toward the house, but she grabbed his arm and hung on it.

"No wait! Please! Give me another chance!" She insisted. "Doesn't our love deserve another chance?" she asked as though her very world depended on it.

Colby turned and looked at her. "You had your chance. You chose him. Have him."

He pulled his arm from her and turned to walk to the house, but she called out to him in desperation.

"Wait! Wait! I will do what you asked me to do. I'll show you... I'll prove that I love you and want only you!" she called out to him and he turned around to look at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked doubtfully.

Tiffany pulled out her phone and called Ron. She put it on speakerphone. Ron answered.

"Hey baby, I didn't think you'd be calling me this soon! We just got back! You need some more? I'll give you all you want. Come on over anytime. I got the big dog waiting for you right here, hard and hungry!" he said in a sexy tone.

Colby thought he would be sick where he stood, and Tiffany did not miss the look of utter disgust on his face.

"Ron, I'm breaking up with you. It's over. We're through. I'm going to marry Colby and be his wife for the rest of our lives. No more screwing around with you. We're done.” 

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment and Colby stared at her with wide eyes, his mouth slightly ajar.

He couldn't believe she had done it. Had she really just told her boyfriend off and swore to be his forever? He was amazed. Perhaps the scare of him breaking up with her had been enough of a jolt to bring her to her senses.

The deep voice on her phone sounded angry. "What? What are you talking about? You can't break us up! We're too good together!"

She watched Colby as she spoke to her phone. "Well, I do mean it. We're done, you and me, and I never want to see you again. That's final. Don't call, don't come over, don't try to see me. We're through!" she snapped at Ron and then she ended the call and took a few steps toward Colby.

"See?" she asked hopefully. "I do love you. I do want to be with you." She closed the distance between them and walked up very close to him, sliding her arms around his waist and tilting her chin up so that she could look at him.

"Please, Colby? Please don't call off the wedding. We are best when we are together."

Colby just stared at her. She had just shown him beyond the shadow of a doubt that she did love him, that she wanted him, and that she was willing to be his wife for the rest of his life.