The Shooting

by Chris Taylor

  Tom grinned back at her and ran a hand through his hair, knocking the thick waves askew. “Yeah. Any more of that and we won’t be going anywhere. Ice skating, be damned.”

  Lily stared at him and her heart hammered at the thought of what she was about to say. She drew in a breath and laid a hand on his chest, pleased to feel his heart thumped just as madly as hers.

  “Who says we have to go anywhere? I haven’t told you. David is out.”

  Tom’s eyebrows lifted and a smile played around his lips. “He’s out?”

  “Mm hm. All night, in fact. He’s staying over at a friend’s house.”

  This time, Tom’s eyes flared with heat and his lips parted on a sudden intake of breath. He reached out to Lily and drew her in close against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew his head down for another kiss.

  “Wait.” Tom lifted his head and stared down at her. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded and swallowed the sudden lump of nerves. “Very sure.”

  “I want our first time to be special.”

  “It will be. Make love to me, Tom.”

  As if her words were enough for him to throw caution to the wind, Tom groaned and dragged her in tightly against him. His lips found hers and he kissed her like a man starving. She knew exactly how he felt.

  Pressed against him, she arched her back and kissed him like they had mere moments to live. A moment later, Tom bent and lifted her in his arms and then cradled her securely against his chest.

  “Which way?” he murmured, his mouth buried in the curve of her neck.

  “Second door on the left, past the bathroom.”

  Within moments, he found her room and kicked the door shut behind them. Depositing her onto her double bed, he quickly followed her down. Reaching for her sweater, he dragged it over her head. Her fingers worked just as frantically on his shirt. He pulled off the T-shirt she wore underneath and then caught his breath at the sight of her in her white lacy bra. She blushed and looked down, suddenly shy and embarrassed.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered in a voice that was husky with emotion.

  Lily looked up at him. His eyes blazed with sincerity and heat and all of a sudden, she felt as beautiful as he described. With a hand that wasn’t quite steady, he reached out and caressed her, his fingers skimming over the top of her bra. She shivered from the deliciousness of it and goose flesh peppered her skin.

  Tom reached behind her and undid the clasp. Her breasts sprang free and he stared at her with delight and wonder in his eyes. Unable to stand his scrutiny any longer, Lily lay her palm on his chest and tangled her fingers in his light smattering of dark hair.

  Her fingers grazed one of his nipples and his breath hitched. He stilled her hand’s explorations and then turned her until she lay flat on her back. Straddling her hips, he started from the top and pressed heated kisses against her skin. He sipped at her lips and nibbled his way to her ear. His tongue traced the delicate whorls and the indescribable magic of it sent shivers of desire coursing through her.

  He moved lower and buried his face against her neck and then he moved lower still. He kissed her until she could take no more. When his mouth closed over one of her nipples, she nearly came off the bed.

  “Tom!” she gasped and tried to twist away.

  He lifted his head. “What’s the matter? Don’t you like it?”

  “No! Yes! I mean… I don’t know what I mean. It feels amazing, but I don’t know how much more of it I can take.” She squirmed uncomfortably.

  “We’ve got all night, remember? There isn’t any need to rush. It feels like I’ve waited a lifetime for this. I’m going to make it last.” He grinned ruefully. “Well, as long as I can, anyway. It’s been awhile for me. My self-control is going to get a workout.”

  Heat spread across Lily’s cheeks and she wondered if this was the best time to tell him she was a virgin. He probably assumed she wasn’t. She was nineteen and at college, living in the twentieth century. It was natural for him to think she was sexually active.

  She wondered if it would make a difference to him if he knew she’d never had sex. He was such a traditional guy, it was possible he wouldn’t go through with it if he knew. She determined then and there not to tell him. She wanted him to be the first. She was already a little in love with him and was pretty sure he felt the same way.

  Tom eased her leggings down her hips. Unexpectedly, his tongue dipped into her bellybutton and she gave another gasp. He was an amazing, attentive lover and even though she didn’t have any hands-on experience, she’d read enough and had listened enough to the other college girls to know it often wasn’t like this. Want and need spiraled way down deep inside her, leaving her tingling and desperate for more.

  At last, when she didn’t think she could bear it a moment longer, he raised his head and slid back up until once again, his lips claimed hers. The frenzy had eased and this time, he kissed her slowly, lovingly, tasting her, savoring her, like a connoisseur of fine wine.

  Lily wound her arms around his neck and held his head still while she kissed him back. The smell of his spicy cologne tickled her nose. She reveled in the feel of his bare chest against hers and the scrape of his hair against the sensitive peaks of her breasts and knew life couldn’t get any better.

  This was what she’d read about in the pages of the romance novels she’d pilfered off her mother’s bookshelves. This was what they meant when they’d described the woman melting in her lover’s arms. It’s exactly what was happening. She was weightless, floating on a cloud far above the earth—all of the trite phrases that up until now had been nothing more than words. And they weren’t even completely naked…

  As if reading her mind, Tom shifted and moved until he could tug off his jeans. His boxers quickly followed. Lily stared at the magnificence of him, all manly taut muscle and wildly aroused. Nerves fluttered inside her, but she was determined to push them away. He looked so huge, but she was sure they would fit. She’d never heard of one that didn’t.

  Tom returned to her side and pressed another kiss against her mouth. His lips were soft and full and the gentleness of his kiss liquefied her bones. Desire flared once again to life inside her and she clung to him with renewed urgency.

  He moved lower, pressing kisses as he went. This time, when he got to her leggings, he tugged them all the way down. Her panties came with them and a moment later, she was naked. Tom stared at her, his eyes wide. They were on top of the bedclothes, which made pulling the sheet or blanket around her a little awkward. She squirmed a little and wished she had something to cover herself. As if sensing her discomfort, he leaned over her and kissed her.

  “You’re so perfect. Please, let me look at you.” He held her gaze. His eyes darkened to cobalt. The glint of desire gave her the confidence she needed to let him look his fill.

  His lips met hers in yet another searing kiss and her inhibitions melted away. With her arms around his neck, she clung to him and returned his passion with fire.

  “Do you have a condom?” he murmured against the soft skin of her neck.

  Lily shook her head, mortified. She hadn’t even thought of protection.

  “It’s okay,” he smiled. “I have one in my wallet.”

  He moved away and reached over the side of the bed and tugged out his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. A moment later, he tore open the packet and fitted the condom over his erection.

  Lily watched with interest. Apart from the sex education talk she’d received in high school where the nurse put a condom over a banana, she’d never seen how it worked in real life. Within seconds it was done and Tom returned to her side. Gathering her up in his arms, he stared into her eyes.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  Lily gazed back at him, loving him for asking again. She nodded and kissed him hard on the mouth.

  “Yes. I want you so much I can’t find the words. It’s like I’m combusting from the inside out. Does that sound s
trange?”

  Tom’s answering smile was so slow and sexy, it took her breath away. Her heart pounded so loudly, she was sure he could hear it. She yearned to feel the fullness of him inside her.

  “No, that doesn’t sound at all strange. I feel the same way. I’ve never been with anyone like you. I’ve never felt so connected. It’s like we’re one already.” He looked away and Lily could tell he was embarrassed, but it only made her love him more.

  “Make love to me, Tom,” she whispered, gazing into his eyes.

  He groaned and then shifted until she was underneath him. His impressive erection pressed into her belly and she suffered another flutter of nerves. He parted her knees with his leg and then settled between her thighs. His cock nudged her entrance and she braced herself against the pain. She’d heard it always hurt the first time.

  Tom eased further inside her and she clung to his broad shoulders. She could feel her inner muscles stretching to accommodate him. He pushed harder and came up against a barrier. She cried out a little against the pain.

  Tom froze. He stared down at her, confusion flooding his face. “Lily, have you… Have you ever done this before?”

  Embarrassment set fire to her cheeks. She hadn’t realized he’d know. She thought she’d be able to bluff it out and pretend she was as experienced as he assumed.

  “Um…”

  His confusion cleared and was replaced with a look of wonder. “This is your first time?”

  The heat in her cheeks intensified. She averted her gaze and nodded.

  Tom closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath and then lay down by her side, gathering her close. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She bit her lip against the gentle curiosity in his voice. Couldn’t they just do it? What did it matter if she was a virgin? She kept her mouth shut.

  “Lily. Talk to me.”

  “What is there to say?” she muttered. “I’m a virgin. Big deal. Can we please just have sex?”

  Tom took her by the chin and gently forced her head around until she faced him. Lily caught her breath at the emotion in his eyes.

  “It is a big deal and you think so too, or you wouldn’t have waited until now. Losing your virginity is a moment in time you remember for the rest of your life. I’m way more than flattered you chose me, but are you really, really sure?”

  She reached up and cupped her hand around his cheek and stared into his magical eyes. “I’m really, really sure. I…I think I’ve fallen in love with you. I want you to be the first.”

  Tom’s face lit up with wonder and more than a hint of disbelief. “You love me? Are you sure? I mean, we’ve haven’t even known each other a month. Not that I put any stock in time. My parents fell in love the moment they met and they’ve been together more than two decades. They still look at each other with love in their eyes. Sometimes it makes me cringe.”

  His hands cradled her head, forcing her to look at him. Her heart skipped a beat at the intensity in his eyes.

  “That’s how I feel about you, Lily. I fell in love with you the instant I spotted you from across the room. You arrived at Charlie’s party with David and I was instantly jealous. I didn’t know if you were together, but I feared you were. I was desperate to find out the truth. You drew me from clear across the room and you didn’t even say a word. Did you feel it? Did you feel it that night, too?”

  Lily bit her lip and blinked back happy tears. “Yes! Yes, I felt it. It scared me half to death, but I couldn’t deny it was there.”

  Tom whooped and pressed his lips hard down against hers. “I love you, Lily Strickland.”

  “Oh, Tom. I love you, too.”

  They kissed with all the love and passion that had built up inside them until both of them were out of breath. Tom kissed his way back down her body until he was once again poised between her legs. Lily tingled with anticipation and need. Once again, Tom’s erection probed at her entrance.

  “We’ll take it slowly, I promise,” he whispered. “It might hurt just a little, but then it will feel right. So damn right.”

  He groaned and eased into her another inch and Lily rejoiced in their coupling. She loved him and he loved her. She was overwhelmed with the magic of it.

  Tom slid a little further inside her and once again came up against the barrier. This time, he pushed a little harder and Lily bit her lip. Pain splintered inside her and she dug her fingernails into Tom’s back.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. Just relax. Soon the pain will be over and we get to enjoy the good stuff.”

  She listened to his words of comfort and did her best to relax against him. He pushed his cock in further, another inch and then another.

  “Oh, Christ, Lily. You feel so good.”

  He pushed further still and then with a surge of his hips, he buried himself inside her. She cried out against the pain and Tom captured it in his mouth. He kissed her and crooned to her and all the time, his cock moved slowly in and out.

  The pain eased and Lily concentrated on the rhythm of his movements. Hesitantly, she lifted her hips and met his slow thrusts. He groaned in her ear and she wondered if she’d done something wrong, but his rhythm continued without interruption and she relaxed back against him again.

  Time and time again, he slid in and out of her body. Need built deep in her core and she clung to him, seeking relief.

  “That’s it, Lily. Christ, you feel so good. Relax and go with it. I can see how close you are. Close your eyes and feel me. I’m buried way deep inside you. It feels beyond fantastic. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.”

  Tom’s thrusts became harder, more frantic and Lily held on for the ride. The need inside her reached fever pitch and all of a sudden, she reached the peak and was falling. Her muscles tightened around him, pulsing out their relief. Tom’s groan was almost guttural with need and he pounded his hips into her.

  One thrust, two and he cried out in exultation. A moment later, he collapsed on top of her, his breath harsh in her ear. It seemed a lifetime passed before he moved his weight off her and propped himself up on one elbow.

  “That was amazing,” he whispered, his eyes full of wonder.

  Lily smiled shyly and nodded.

  “It was pretty amazing for me, too.” She looked away and then found the courage to ask the question she’d been dying to ask. “Is it… Is it always like that?”

  Tom shook his head. He rolled onto his side, taking her with him and tucked her up under his chin.

  “Not that I’ve had a lot of experience, but it’s never been like that before. Maybe it’s because we care for each other. Maybe that’s why it’s different?”

  She smiled again and snuggled up beside him and drifted off to sleep.

  * * *

  Tom listened as Lily’s breathing deepened and traced a finger across the petal-softness of her naked skin and then skimmed his palm down the length of her spine. He wondered if life could get any sweeter. His fingers tangled gently in the silkiness of her long hair and he turned his head to breathe in its intoxicating scent.

  Reluctantly, he moved away and pulled the condom off his cock. A droplet of liquid hung off the end of the rubber. It took him a moment to realize what it was…and what it meant. He stared at it in shock and then cursed in alarm. The hole was tiny, but it was there. As real as the woman he’d just made love to. He shook his head in disbelief. They might as well have used no protection.

  With the condom between his fingers, he stepped into the hall and through the doorway that led to the bathroom. Disposing of it in the trash, he wished he could get rid of the knowledge he now possessed and its implications just as easily. He cursed again. He had only himself to blame. The condom had been in his wallet for months. He should have known better than to trust that it would still perform at its peak.

  It wasn’t that he was against the thought of a baby—he’d always intended to find a wife and raise a family—but they were both so young. Lily was only nineteen. She’d just finished her fi
rst year of college. She had her whole life in front of her and so did he. A baby wouldn’t necessarily ruin everything, but it sure as hell hadn’t been in his immediate plans.

  They’d have to get married, of course. There was no way his baby was being born out of wedlock. Call him old-fashioned, but it was just the way he was. Besides, the way he felt about Lily, he’d be proud to call her his wife. He hadn’t been lying when he’d told her he’d fallen in love with her on the night that they met.

  He stared at himself in Lily’s bathroom mirror and tried to think things through. Perhaps the hole in the condom wouldn’t matter? Perhaps it would be nothing more than a scare? He could be worrying over nothing. Yes, that was it. He was worrying over nothing. The chances of Lily falling pregnant the very first time must be one in a million. Surely they couldn’t be that unlucky?

  Leaning over the sink, he splashed some water across his face and then dried it against a towel. With a sigh, he pushed his concerns to the back of his mind and returned to the bedroom. Lily was still sleeping and for that, he was guiltily relieved.

  There was more than likely nothing to worry about. No sense in alarming her unnecessarily. It was her first time. She didn’t need the burden of wondering if she was pregnant. Not now, when she was in the middle of her end-of-year exams.

  With his mind made up, he pulled her unresisting form in close against him and fell asleep with his face buried in her shiny, blond hair.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Royal North Shore Hospital—present day

  Tom stared down at his wife and wished he could believe she was just sleeping. She looked so young and beautiful, like she had when they’d first met. The age lines that had begun to creep around her eyes had been smoothed away in sleep. Her lashes were dark and as thick as they’d always been. They cast shadows on her pallid cheeks. Her lips, while still full and luscious, were now also pale, almost lifeless.