I didn’t need to respond. I sat forward as he raised himself off the chaise. He helped me stand and slowly began to strip me down. There was no rush. No kisses. No overt touching. Just gentle brushes against my skin as he pulled my shirt over my head exposing my light blue bra. His fingers deftly unfastened the clasp allowing the fabric to fall to the ground and my breasts to settle into their natural shape. He moved to the button of my shorts and slowly lowered the zipper. He hooked his hands into the belt loops and pushed them down my hips leaving my panties on. My shorts gathered on the ground around my ankles. He bent down to help me step out of them allowing his hands to graze against my legs as he stood back up. Then it was his turn.
He never broke eye contact as he removed his t-shirt, tossing it into the growing pile of clothes. He unfastened his jeans and slowly stepped out of them. He stood in front of me this towering man of muscle before he effortlessly lifted me up against his body. My legs wrapped around his waist and my arms around his neck. He walked us over to the pool and took the steps one at a time until we were both fully submerged. Never breaking eye contact or letting go of our hold on each other the entire time.
I wasn’t exactly sure what it was that was happening between us. This was one of those moments that you read about in stories but think never happens in real life. It does. It most certainly does.
Someone had tied a rope around each of our hearts and connected us in the most intimate way. The sensation of his body pressed against mine as we floated together provided a sense of completion that I had never known possible. I wanted to be closer. I wanted to fold my body inside of his so that I could never be separated from him ever again. It was the most primal feeling I had ever felt and I couldn’t get enough of him.
I don’t know how long we stayed like that. Silently holding each other. It could have been hours before he finally kissed me. Slow, deep, passionate kisses that lasted for an eternity. I never wanted to let go of him. I never wanted to stop feeling his heartbeat against my chest or the soft press of his lips against my own.
I love this man.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Tobias
My dreams were quickly becoming realities. I was getting spoiled waking up next to Amber. We were going to need to have a serious discussion soon about telling Hannah so I could spend as many nights as Amber would allow with her wrapped in my arms.
Work on Friday sucked. There was no other way to put it. Bill was working directly with Foster all morning leaving me to lead the crew on site all day. So far we’d had one guy almost fall off a support and another drop an entire load of lumber which shattered half the boards. I’d scrambled to have replacement load delivered before lunch that entailed a whole heap of ass-kissing to the lumber supplier. Something I’m not particularly fond of doing but if it meant a chance to leave the site on time tonight I’d kiss anyone’s ass. I was planning to take Amber on a real date tonight. I wanted a chance to actually talk to her without being tempted to strip her down and worship her sweet body again.
“Could it be any fucking hotter out here?” Adam pushed back his hard hat and wiped his face with a towel. He dunked it into the cooler to soak it in ice water and handed it to me.
“No shit. I’m sweating my balls off.” I took my turn with the towel. Temps were pushing a hundred degrees today with at least eighty percent humidity. So much for the dry spell yesterday.
“Got plans for the weekend?” He asked.
“I’m taking Amber out tonight. Her sister is coming home tomorrow… other than that, not really. You?”
“Sister, eh?” he raised an eyebrow at me.
“Fuck off, Adam,” I glared at him.
He laughed one of those big booming laughs that you can hear from across a room. “I’m just messin’ with you, man! It’s my mom’s birthday Saturday so I’m taking her and my dad out for a fancy dinner tonight. I guess that means I have to shower first,” he scanned his dust and dirt covered body, “probably not in best taste to show up smelling like a truck driver.”
“Yeah, you stink.” I shoved him but he barely moved. Asshole. I’m not used to people being bigger or stronger than me.
“Amber?” I called to Amber when I got to her house.
“Upstairs!” she yelled back.
I made my way upstairs with Russell trailing close behind me nipping playfully at my calves and found her in her bathroom putting on makeup. She was leaned over the sink with her mouth gaping open in a big “O”. Her eyes were wide as she swiped some black stuff on her eyelashes. What is that? Eye liner? Hell if I know.
I leaned back against the door frame to watch her. Being an only child, I never had a sister to teach me all this girl crap and it's not like my mom was ever around enough to learn from either. I mean, I know the basics. Like they get periods and stuff but that's about it. Seeing all the different products laying out all over Amber's bathroom counter is pretty mind-boggling to me. I reached over to pick up a jar of something and studied the label.
“It’s eye cream,” she explained, clearly noticing the confusion on my face. I raised my eyebrows and nodded my head as if those three words actually clued me into what that actually meant. I opened the little jar and smelled it. Bleh. Chemicals with a hint of flowers. I screwed the lid back on and set it back down on the sink.
“I don't know what eye cream is for, but I can tell you that you don't need it. You are beautiful, love. Just the way you are.”
She smiled and put the bushy eyelash brush thing back in its tube. “And I look the way that I do because I use the eye cream, silly. It keeps my eyes from being all baggy and wrinkly.” She placed a light kiss on my cheek. “Ugh.” Her nose crinkled up, “Please tell me you're going to shower before we go out. As much as I love this rugged hard working man look, you kinda stink.”
I raised my arm over my head and took a big sniff of my armpit. “Aw, come on. It's not that bad!” I shoved my armpit over to her face.
“Ugh! Tobie, that's disgusting! Get away from me!”
“Never.” I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in for a deep, slow kiss. When I pulled away her eyes had fallen heavy and her lips were all puffy and swollen. I could feel myself starting to swell against my jeans. Amber wiggled her hips against my growing hardness.
“Perhaps you should take a cold shower otherwise we’re never going to make it to dinner,” she breathed. I groaned, peeling myself away from her.
“Fine.”
“Amber! Tobie! Hola! Que pasa?!” Luis scurried across the restaurant to greet us. He hugged Amber, kissing her on the cheek. He reached to shake my hand and pulled me in for a hug as well. “Come! Sit! Sit!” he ushered us into the same booth we’d sat at last time. “I’ll bring you margaritas. What would you like to eat?”
“Surprise us, Luis.” I answered for both of us. Luis’s grin spread across his face. He nodded his head and clapped his hands together in approval. Off to the kitchen he went, yelling orders to his kitchen staff in Spanish.
Amber giggled. “I think you’ve successfully won him over.”
“I hope so. His food is amazing and I want to keep coming back,” I laughed. Luis’s place had officially become my favorite restaurant. Within minutes, he was back with two gigantic margaritas on the rocks. Amber took a sip of hers and rolled her eyes in pleasure. A smile spread across her lips.
“Oh, these are so good. Thank you, Luis.” He grinned again and headed back to the kitchen.
“So, Amber… tell me about yourself.” I gestured towards her with an open palm.
“What are you talking about?” She laughed.
“You. I want to talk about you. I figure that we’ve spent a lot of time together, but haven’t really had a chance to talk and get to know each other. If we are trying to figure out what ‘us’ really is, don’t you think we should have a few real dates?”
She smiled in agreement, “That sounds like a really good plan. But I don’t know where to start… what do you want to know?”
“Pretend this is the first time we’ve met. What would you tell me?”
Amber leaned across the table and curled her finger to draw me closer, “I would tell you that I’m not wearing any panties,” she whispered with a wink.
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “Dear God, I hope you don’t start every first date like that!”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.” Amber leaned back into her seat, confident that she had taken me off guard.
“Wait. Does that mean you aren't wearing underwear or that you don’t start first dates like that?”
“Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself later.” She took a big sip of her margarita, wagging her eyebrows at the same time.
“Don’t tempt me, love. The only thing stopping me from dragging you over this table and devouring your delicious pussy right here and now is the possibility that Luis would throw us out and then I’d never be able to eat here again.”
Amber’s eyes bugged. She lowered her glass down slowly. The sight of her cheeks blushing at the thought of my suggestion made my cock instantly spring to attention. I had to reach under the table to adjust myself against my jeans. “So. Now that I’ve clearly won your little game of chicken, how about you tell me about yourself.”
Amber cleared her throat to regain her composure and fanned her face dramatically. “Wow, ok… so, let’s see.” She tapped her chin and pursed her lips. “Well… I’m thirty two years old. I have one younger sister, Hannah… my parents passed away when I was twenty-five. I went to college in Athens where I studied business. I’ve been working for the same company since graduation. It’s rather boring, I analyze spending trends for larger corporations to determine the best ways they can reduce unnecessary costs. My best friend works in the same office as me, we like to hang out on the weekends together but that’s gotten a little sparse since she got married this past spring. I love dogs. I hate cats. If I were going to go on vacation I’d want to go to the beach. I guess that’s about it.”
“All very useful information. But tell me about your relationship history. What are you looking for now?”
Her lips pursed again and her brow furrowed. “Well. There’s not a lot to tell… I didn’t date much through college. I guess I was so focused on graduating that it wasn’t a big priority for me. I had a few dates here and there but nothing serious. Not until Blake but you know about that. Since we’d broken up I became pretty gun shy about dating again. Especially since my, uh… personal vow I guess you’d call it. I didn’t want to get my heart broken again and it was easier to stay single than take that risk. And then there’s you.”
“Me.”
“Yeah. You. You’re different.”
“What makes me different, love?”
“Well, for starters, you call me things like ‘love’ and ‘beautiful’ but it never feels forced. I don’t feel like you’re trying to swoon me or anything. It feels genuine… and I like it.” She blushed again. I swear everytime she does that I want to reach over and hold her cheeks in my my palms. I want to tuck her hair behind her ears and kiss all the fear and reservations she has far far away. This woman is very quickly becoming the most precious thing in my world.
“And what about the future? What do you see for yourself?”
“Hmm,” she paused to think, “I want to be in love. I want to get married and have a family. I want all that sappy stuff like school plays and Christmas mornings,” she shrugged her shoulders, “Sorry. I guess that’s a little heavy.” She lifted her eyes to mine. They were full of sadness. I couldn’t imagine why she’d be sad about saying those things.
“Why would you apologize for those things?” I asked sincerely.
“I don’t know. I mean, I guess…” she was staring down at the table now, fiddling with her glass, “It just seems like there aren’t many guys around anymore who are looking for that kind of stuff. It feels silly to hang on to dreams that little girls have.”
I reached my hand across the table and laced my fingers around hers. “Amber,” her eyes lifted back up to mine, “Those aren’t silly dreams.” I traced the soft skin of her hand with my thumb. “They’re the same as mine.”
Her eyes softened. All of the sadness drained away and was replaced with hope. Her head tilted to the side and her smile returned. She squeezed my hand. “I’m not exactly sure how to respond to that… but it makes me happy to hear it.”
“I’m glad. Because it’s the truth.” We stayed in that moment, reading each other’s eyes and feeling the connection through the light touch of our hands until Amber turned the tables to me.
“Ok. Now that I know about what you want from future relationships… tell me about you. What’s your story?”
I leaned back against the booth, sliding my hand out of hers. I took a big gulp of my margarita. “Well… I was born in South Carolina. My parents moved to Georgia when I was five for my dad’s job. I really don’t remember anything about South Carolina except that my mom always said she liked it better there than here. When I was fifteen I came home early from a friend’s house and found my mom in bed with another man. My parents divorced quickly after that and because I was fifteen I could choose which parent I wanted to live with. It wasn’t a hard choice. My mom moved back to South Carolina and I haven’t really heard from her much at all. I only talk to her on our birthdays and Mother’s Day.
“I was pretty fucked up after all that. Hannah was awesome about helping me feel like a normal person again. And then there was her hot older sister to fantasize about,” I winked at her. “I went to college in Kennesaw and studied construction management knowing I’d work for my dad when I graduated. I’d like to eventually take over the business when he’s ready to retire but I haven’t really talk to him about that yet. My best friend is Hannah and I still am in contact with a few of my fraternity brothers. What else?... I also like dogs and hate cats. I want to travel everywhere and see everything.
“And as far as past relationships, well… that’s an interesting story.” I proceeded to tell her all about Cassie. How we had met and that I thought I was in love with her. All the nasty details about her accusing me of cheating all the time, her tendency to show up uninvited, the stalking. Everything. I figured it was best to get all the cards out on the table now if I had any shot at taking this relationship to the next level. I was impressed that Amber didn’t interject. She let me tell my story without judgement or pity.
“I’ve had a few dates here and there since Cassie, but nothing that lasted more than a few weeks. Certainly nothing in comparison to you, that’s for sure.
“And as far as my future is concerned, I want to be in love, too. I want a bunch of little tiny people running around, a house full of toys and noise. Sleepless nights, ballet recitals and soccer games. Everything I never had. Which is funny, because until recently, I hadn’t even realized how much I actually want those things. Especially kids.” I fell silent. Amber reached back over the table for my hand.
“I’m so glad you told me all of that. I had no idea the details about your mom. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“It was a long time ago and certainly not something that I want to define me or ever repeat in my life. I’m so glad my dad found Susan. She’s an amazing woman and everything he deserves.” Luis showed up with our food. Several plates of tacos, burritos and chimichangas.
Amber and I ate until we were completely stuffed. Luis was sure to keep our margarita glasses full the entire time even after all the other patrons had left and we were the only ones left in the place. Time ceased to exist when I was with Amber. There was never a stop in conversation, an awkward moment or pregnant pause. Being with her was as easy as breathing. As usual, Luis refused to let us pay for our meal insisting that it was his pleasure to have us around. I left fifty bucks on the table anyway.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Amber
“I’m circling around the loop. Where are you?” I asked Hannah through the phone.
I saw her standing on the sidewalk but two seconds too late for me to cut over and park. Hartsfield-Jackson Airport was a pain to navigate. And you better hustle your ass if you are able to find a spot to pull over by the curb. Save your hellos and goodbyes for somewhere else, too because people get hella pissed if you linger too long.
“I see you. I’m gonna have to swing around again though. Couldn’t get over fast enough. Stay put!”
“I saw you, too. I’m not moving!”
I disconnected the phone and made the loop once more before finally being able to get up next to the curb. I was so excited to see Hannah that I was going to jump out of my skin. She had called late Thursday night saying that things had gone well so far. By Friday night she said that she didn’t want to talk about details until she got home because she was afraid she’d jinx everything. I was on pins and needles waiting to hear more. It was a good thing that Tobie had been around to relieve some of the tension. Several times.
I jumped out of the Jeep and swung the hatch open as Hannah hoisted her bags into the back. We shared a split-second hug before someone honked at us. We ran to the sides and climbed into the car.
“Alright. Tell me everything.” I commanded as I pulled out of the airport loop-from-hell and onto I-85.
“You ready for this?” She asked, her eyes beaming with excitement.
“Yes! Tell me already!”
“They offered me a position as Lead Project Developer.”
I almost swerved off the road. “Holy shit, Hannah! That sounds incredible! What does that mean? Did you accept? When would you move?”
“Get this. They want me to help open a new office in… Atlanta!” Hannah was practically jumping up and down in the seat.
Delicate (Sublime Series Book 1) Page 17
