Dane(34)

     



 

"That's not true."

"You made me your crutch. I was your vacation, the new scenery that took  your mind off your problems at home. But what'll happen when you no  longer need a vacation? When you no longer have those same issues … when  you don't have anything to run away from anymore? Then what will I be to  you? What will that leave for you and me? For us?"

The concern in her tone, the fear and anxiety dripping from every word,  suffocated me. What she said made sense, but I didn't believe it. And I  had to make her see it was nothing more than apprehension for the  unknown. "Eden, you don't give yourself enough credit. You say you were  my vacation, but I don't see it that way. You're my salvation, my  savior … my solace. You're not some dream destination, but home. Where I  want to be-not for a week, a month, or some other short-lived time  period. You're the foundation that steadies me, the walls that surround  me, the roof that protects me. You're the comfort that frees me. I don't  need to be single for however long to know this. I already do. I may  have been in a relationship since the day I met you, but if you really  look at it, I was single. I took care of myself, didn't have anyone to  rely on, and practically lived alone."

"I just don't want you to regret this."

"That's not going to happen." With her shoulders pressed against the  side of the pool, I leaned into her, relieved when she allowed me to  close the gap between us. When my mouth met hers, she gave in and let me  show her how I felt with my lips. It wasn't hasty, but slow and soft. I  needed her to know I wasn't rushing this. This kiss or this life. There  was no need to, because I knew in my bones this was real. No matter  what her fears told her. I'd been to hell and back and now had found my  heaven. My Eden.

Her nails scratching the hairs on the back of my head sent a wave of  ecstasy through me. I held her tighter and parted her lips with my  tongue. My hips rolled into her, my erection pressing against her with  enough force to garner a moan. She tightened her legs and began to grind  against me. Her body moved like a seductress on the prowl, eliminating  all thought from my brain. I didn't care that we were in a pool, fully  clothed, in plain sight for anyone peeking out their windows. The rain  pelting my skin didn't faze me. All I could focus on was Eden and the  things she did to me.

To my body.

My heart.

My life.

"Take me upstairs," she murmured into my mouth.

I nipped her pouty bottom lip and opened my eyes, needing to see her to  believe this was all real. "Are you sure? I can let you go right now and  we can cool off in the pool before heading up. We don't have to do this  if you're not ready."

"I'm ready, Dane."

Her concerns about rushing things filtered into my thoughts. I couldn't  risk her doubting anything about us, and if I had to wait before taking  the next step with her, I would. I'd do anything to make sure this  didn't end. However, the questions refused to surface. Between my brain  and my mouth, the words vanished. Instead of slowing down to offer her  time, to make sure this was what she truly desired and not merely what  her body craved, I carried her to the steps. I set her down and grabbed  her hand before dragging her out of the water behind me.

The night air settled a chill over our wet skin, and without a towel to  dry off with, we raced to the elevator right off the path from the pool  and huddled together for warmth. I'm sure it didn't take that long for  the empty cart to make it's way down, but it seemed like an eternity.  The ride up dragged on-although I'm sure the silence filled with  chattering teeth didn't help slow down time. Nor did the anticipation of  getting inside her apartment.

We left behind a trail of water leading into her foyer, where it puddled  beneath my feet as I stood with my heart in my throat. The second the  door closed, Eden began to strip off her clothes, keeping her back to  me. I couldn't move. I was mesmerized by the show in front of me. The  way her body stretched as she pulled her top over her head, the ink on  her skin fully coming into view. I was lost in the way her hips danced  while she shimmied out of her shorts, leaving her in nothing but her bra  and panties. With her wet hair to one side, she peered over her  shoulder and offered a confident smile.

In an instant, I found myself tugging at my own clothes, unable to get  the wet material off fast enough. I followed Eden into her room,  stripping along the way and leaving articles of clothing like  breadcrumbs. As I finally got my shirt over my head, Eden came out of  her bathroom and set a condom on her nightstand.         

     



 

That's when it became real.

We were really doing this.

This wasn't a dream.

I stared at the square foil packet, realizing it'd been years since I  had to wear one. It brought about a sense of reality. I'd been with one  person for the last twelve years. I was sixteen years old the last time I  was with anyone new. It wasn't so much insecurity of performing as it  was the awareness of the situation. The thought of starting over would  be enough to scare anyone-especially starting over with someone new-but  it didn't frighten me. In fact, I found myself excited by the thought.  It was as though I'd been trapped, held captive in a dark cave for  years … no light, no comfort. Just pain and endless gloomy days. And now I  was free. Dancing in the sun, breathing in clean air for the first  time.

"Is everything okay?" Eden asked timidly, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I met her worried stare and cupped her cheek. "Everything's perfect."

"You seemed to space out there for a second. You had me nervous."

I slid her bra strap off her shoulder with one finger and watched the  goose bumps form. She shuddered and clamped her lower lip between her  teeth, suppressing her shallow gasps. I lowered my head and pressed my  lips to her shoulder before snaking my tongue out and licking her damp  skin. Carefully, I walked her back a few steps until she met the bed  behind her. With my fingertips trailing lightly down her sides, I found  her hips and guided her to the mattress.

She readjusted herself, laying her head on a pillow, her wet hair  fanning out beneath her. The soft glow of the bedside lamp highlighted  her beautifully perfect body. I wanted nothing more than to stand there  and stare at her all night, worshiping every line, every curve, every  imperfection that made up this goddess in front of me. I would need a  lifetime to gain my fill of her.

As I crawled over her, I realized more than ever how I wanted to take my  time. To drag this out for as long as I could, and spend every second  memorizing everything I could about her. I started with tasting her  skin, alternating between licking and kissing my way up her leg. When I  made it to her inner thigh, I paused to savor the scent of her arousal,  and then trailed the tip of my nose to her hipbone.

"You're my fresh air, Eden," I whispered against her.

She laced her fingers through my hair and hummed, which sent an electric current through me.

"You're the gentle breeze on a hot day." I kissed her lower belly. "The  warmth of a fire on a cold night." Barely touching her skin, I grazed my  lips up her abdomen to the space between her breasts. "The dreams that  fill my sleep, and the moments right before I wake up, right before I  open my eyes." I crawled up her body until I could whisper into her ear  while she panted softly beneath me. "You know that peaceful place  between sleep and wake? When you're conscious yet not alert? When the  comfort of your dream still has you wrapped in its calming waves? You're  that place, Eden."

When I pulled my head away to look into her eyes, she held my face  between her warm palms. Her fingernails toyed with the scruff along my  jaw, which was longer than normal considering it'd been two days since  I'd trimmed it. Her eyes never left mine. She lay beneath me, nearly  naked, yet I couldn't do anything but become lost in her gaze, trapped  by the glowing emeralds.

"You scare me, Dane." Her voice trembled, but I didn't interrupt.  Instead, I let her get it all out for fear she'd lose her nerve. "You  came into my life, saving me from an unwelcome advance in a bar. You  listened to me when I spoke and didn't look at me the way most men do.  Maybe that's because you're a faithful man and you weren't  single … whatever the reason was, you treated me like a person. And then  you offered me a job-you somehow saw what I was capable of and gave me  the perfect opportunity to prove it. I still don't know how you knew I  was there or why you stormed into the PR department and whisked me away,  but you did."

"So why do I scare you?" I asked with whispered words, nothing more than audible exhales against her lips.

"Because I don't know when you stole my heart. I don't remember a  specific moment when I made the conscious decision to give it to you.  You sat with me at a bar to ward off other men, and somehow, that left  me comfortable with you. I never felt like you were a stranger, but  someone I've known my whole life, even if I didn't really know anything  about you. I woke up one morning and my heart was no longer in my chest,  and I couldn't remember the last time it belonged to me. You came in  and swept me up like a hurricane. I wasn't prepared for it, and now I'm  scared of the destruction that'll be left behind when you're gone."