by Shealy James
“No,” he smirked as he leaned against the wall waiting for me to open my door. I unlocked the door and gestured for him to walk through, but he just said, “After you,” and followed me inside.
Thankfully I hadn’t brought much with me, so I didn’t have a lot of clutter. I did leave my dress and shoes on the floor of my bedroom, but the living room and kitchen area were tidy and relatively unused. “Make yourself at home,” I told him before stepping into my bedroom and closing the door.
I quickly showered and shaved all over knowing that my resolve to keep him away had already weakened. But, why couldn’t I have a little fun? Mark was having the time of his life sticking his popsicle in every open freezer. It was my turn to be carefree and enjoy someone, and I had no doubts that some of the cobwebs might be swept away today with very little encouragement from the sex symbol who was hanging out in my living room.
Climbing out of the shower, I dried off then wrapped the towel around my head. I rubbed my favorite lotion that smelled of wild flowers all over my body before heading to my bedroom to grab a matching bra and panty set and a brunch outfit, whatever that meant on a rainy day like today.
I ended up dressing in a pair of skinny jeans and a white and navy striped shirt with a bright yellow scarf and braiding my hair over my left shoulder. I was trying to be cute and casual to match Grant’s casual outfit, even though I had no idea where we were going or what we were doing.
When I stepped out into the living room, I found Grant pacing on his phone.
“Get it done,” he snapped into the phone and hung up when he saw me, then directed a smile toward me. “You look beautiful,” he said as he approached me.
“This okay? I wasn’t sure how dressy to get.”
“You look perfect,” he told me before planting a sweet kiss on my lips. “Let’s go before I can’t be a gentleman any longer.
I giggled and pushed up on my toes to kiss him once more. He growled again and pressed his face into my neck as he tickled my sides. I squealed, pulling away from his hands. I didn’t love to be tickled, but I definitely liked this playful side of Grant.
We went to brunch at a little café near Pike’s Place and wandered around the area. Of course I had never been to this area of town, so I was behaving like a true tourist trying to take everything in. I walked around wide-eyed as we tasted, explored, and talked some more. When Grant held my hand, I felt the familiar tingle of excitement that only his touch brought on. It had only been a couple of days, and he had dangerously mesmerized me.
After a wonderful day exploring, talking, and people-watching, he took me to dinner at a burger place off Pine Street. It was delicious and made me long for burgers from back home. Grant took a giant bite of his cheeseburger with an onion ring on it and moaned, letting me know how good it was.
“How do you eat like that and keep a body like you do?” I wondered about his terrible eating habits. I had only taken a few tiny bites of my food, and I was already planning my run for the next day. Salads and workouts were on next week’s agenda for this girl.
He swallowed and smiled. “Like my body, do you? You haven’t seen anything yet.”
I smirked. “Literally.” He winked back at me, then I said, “Seriously, do you work out all the time?”
“Every day. I run and play tennis and golf. It helps me get out of the office, although you seem to be a better distraction.”
“You work all the time, huh?”
“We’ve had a lot going on over the last few years, so yeah, I work a lot.”
“Hmm…well, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to show me what a good guy you are.”
“Anytime, peach,” he said with a sweet kiss to my temple.
He dropped me off later and kissed me good night at my door. It was romantic that he was being a gentleman, but that didn’t stop me from wanting him. Who wouldn’t want this man? He was attractive and oozed sex appeal, but underneath all of his outer beauty was a man who was kind and generous in a way I had never experienced. When I fell asleep that night, I had to remind myself that all men were on their best behavior in the beginning. Even Mark was sweet and romantic to begin with, and look how well that turned out. That little reminder was enough to drag me down from cloud nine and plant my feet firmly back on the ground where they belonged.
Chapter 7
Grant had to leave town for the next week, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t on his mind. He called and texted daily letting me know he missed me and was thinking of me. Our daily conversations gave me a chance to get to know him without the distraction of the intense sexual chemistry I felt by being near him. Don’t get me wrong. I felt the chemistry even over the phone, and we each alluded to our attraction with our witty repartee, but it was nothing like when we touched or kissed.
On Friday night, I was excited to receive the text saying he was on his way home. He said he was taking the red-eye back to Seattle and would see me in the morning.
Me: Can’t wait. What time will you be here?
Grant: As soon as I can get to you. I miss you, peach.
Me: Then hurry up.
I laughed at my boldness. Blatantly flirting was a lot easier over text message.
Grant: Not the one flying the plane, but I will pass along your message to the pilot.
Me: You do that. Fly safe.
Grant: Sweet dreams, beautiful.
I was awake when the knock came, but I wasn’t dressed yet. Fortunately, I had brushed my teeth and had pulled my robe on to cover my ratty pajamas. When I opened the door, Grant had me in his arms and his lips on mine before I could even say hello.
He pulled his lips away but kept his arms around my waist. “Good morning, beautiful.”
I smiled. “Good morning.” I led him into my small apartment. “I need to get dressed. I had just woken up when your text came through.”
“It’s fine,” he said with a kiss. “Go get ready, and I’ll take you to breakfast.”
“Sounds good. Make yourself at home. I’ll be quick.”
“You better,” he said as he placed one last kiss on my lips. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face as I hurried off to get ready.
With my wet hair wrapped in a towel, I opened the door and stepped onto the carpet of my bedroom before the scream left my body. I was quickly scrambling back in the bathroom to hide my naked body. I slipped on the tile, fell hard on my rear, and yelped again in pain as I was pulling the towel off my head to cover myself from the man who was now standing in my steamy bathroom.
“What are you doing?” I squealed. He had been sitting on my bed with his feet hanging off and ankles crossed when I opened the door. Now he was helping me and my bruised ass and ego off the floor of my bathroom.
He was obviously trying not to laugh, which did not help my embarrassment at all. “You said to make myself at home. I thought I would try out your bed. Your couch isn’t terribly comfortable.” He nodded to my bed that was covered in fluffy pillows and a warm down comforter. “Much better. You all right?”
“Yes! I’m fine,” I snapped while still trying in vain to get the towel to cover all my bits without accidently flashing more of my self.
“You know, you can lose the towel. You really shouldn’t hide that beautiful body you just flashed me.” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe. His grin made me notice a dimple on his left cheek. Hmm…sexy.
I gritted my teeth. “I didn’t know you were in my bedroom.”
He pushed off the wall and stepped up to me so our bodies were almost touching. “You have no idea how sexy you are.” His strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me the rest of the way to his body so my breasts were crushed against his chest, creating a wonderful ache between my legs. His lips met mine gently at first before the spark took over like it always did. I wrapped my hands around his neck, pulling him closer to me.
With my hands on him the towel just hung between us until he tugged it loose. Suddenly, I wasn’t so shy about being na
ked in his presence because his lips never left mine. He cupped my rear in his big hands and lifted me easily off the floor making me feel tiny and delicate. I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me the short distance to my bed, not pulling our lips apart until I was on my back and he was on top of me.
If I had been able to think clearly, I may have panicked that a guy I had only known for a little over a week was in my apartment kissing my naked body. But, right then I couldn’t think beyond what my body was screaming for…him. I had only been with two men before, and one was Mark. I was the girl who lost her virginity on prom night and thought it was romantic even though the experience was horrendous. Mark became better over time, but I had never really had that hot sexual experience I read about in novels. My college boyfriend was sweet but never really made me feel wanton like I did in that moment with Grant. I had never been so desperate for a man, and fortunately my brain was so focused on what he was doing to my body that I wasn’t able to second-guess it.
He pulled away just enough to look me in the eyes. “Do you want this? I really don’t want to rush you, but seeing you in a towel…” He stopped talking but kept his eyes trained on mine.
“Yes,” I whispered and tried to kiss him again before he pulled away slightly.
“Are you sure? Because you said you couldn’t do this. You know I’m not here just for this.” He was looking at me with concerned eyes, and he gently pushed hair off my forehead.
I flexed my hips, trying to find the friction I needed so badly. When he let me pull his head closer to me, I whispered again. “Yes, I’m sure I want you. Please.” I flexed my hips into him again feeling his hardness between my legs.
“That’s what I wanted to hear, baby.” He smiled before crushing his lips back down to mine. He trailed his lips down my cheek to my neck. His path continued to my naked breasts where he kissed one while kneading the other. He kept his attention on my breasts, which didn’t surprise me. The girls tended to get a lot of attention, but they never had attention that made me squirm like I was right then.
I was just about to beg for something, anything, when he continued his path down my body. As soon as his fingers touched the little bundle of nerves, my hips shot off the bed. “Hold still, beautiful. God, you’re perfect. Perfect.” He spoke like he was literally thanking and complimenting God.
When he kissed me and touched me, I had the urge to moan or cry out, which I was reluctant to do. I had never been a noisy bedmate, so I tried to control the urge, forcing my body to tense up. Grant must have sensed my tension because he quietly encouraged me. “Let go, baby. I know you’re there. Just let go.”
I couldn’t do it. I didn’t know how to “let go.” Grant’s mouth left its spot, and his thumb replaced his tongue. He kissed my inner thigh then started working back up my body, kissing a fiery path up to my breasts before finding my lips again. “Let go,” he commanded me this time. He kissed me hard while continuing the wonderful torture down there that made my body shatter. I cried out involuntarily and closed my eyes while I waited for the shaking to calm. It was like nothing I had ever felt before.
When I opened my eyes again, Grant was watching me and gently running his hand up and down my body. “There she is.” He kissed me just below my ear. “You’re beautiful, Eve.” I still didn’t have words, but in the back of my mind I was thinking that Tara was right. Orgasms could motivate you to do a lot of things.
When my brain really started to function again, I noticed Grant was still watching me. He was still fully dressed, and thanks to my newfound confidence from my recent release, I made my move. I grinned and pulled his head down to mine. As we kissed, I pulled his shirt up, revealing a flat stomach and a happy trail. He sat up and pulled his shirt forward over his head like guys do. His perfectly combed hair was already a mess from my hands running through it, and the shirt didn’t help. Once his shirt was on the floor, he climbed back up me, kissing his way back to my mouth.
I ran my fingers all over his bare back and chest, feeling the hard ridges of his muscles. I snaked my way down his happy trail and ran my fingers just inside the waistband of his pants until I found his belt buckle. He stood up to remove his pants, and I sat up on my elbows to watch the show. His chest was broad and strong, but not overly muscular. He had a sprinkling of brown chest hair, but he certainly wasn’t hairy. I wasn’t into manscaping. To me, his chest hair and happy trail were very sexy.
After his shoes and socks were off, he undid his belt and dropped his jeans to the floor, revealing his black boxer briefs first, just before a perfect erection was exposed to me. I licked my lips in response. It was the kind of equipment girls talked about during sorority sleepovers. I couldn’t help but stare. He set a condom on the bed and climbed over me, making me lay back down. “You’ll like feeling it even better, Eve, I promise.”
I laughed at his cockiness, because I could see where it came from now, literally. “You’re too much for me, you know that?” He smiled before our lips connected again. Our bodies aligned, and having him bare and on top of me felt better than I could have imagined. I opened my legs wider to allow him to settle there as I arched my back in pleasure.
I heard the rip and felt him move to put the condom on before he met my entrance. His eyes met mine again. “You sure, baby?”
“God, yes, please!” I closed my eyes and begged as I squirmed beneath him, and he assaulted my neck with perfect little kisses and licks.
He lifted up, so he could see my face. “Open your eyes, Eve. Look at me.” When my eyes opened, his gaze trapped mine, and I saw his eyes had turned a green color but still showed flecks of gold and blue. They were mesmerizing, and without ever breaking eye contact, he pushed inside of me. He pressed the rest of the way in, forcing me to cry out again. He was big—bigger than I had ever had, not to mention I hadn’t had sex in over a year, so my body needed a second to adjust. I grabbed his ass and held him still for just a moment.
“You okay?” he asked a little breathlessly. “Baby, you okay? Did I hurt you?”
“I’m good. You can move now. I just needed…you are…” He started to move slowly at first, and I couldn’t say any more. I lifted my hips as he moved at a steady pace, forcing another build up inside of me. My hands gripped his shoulders and back. Our pace quickened as we both neared our climaxes. “Oh, god!” I think I said that out loud before crying out, “Grant!” in a second orgasm. Seconds later he stilled in his own climax, crying out my name, making it the most erotic sound I had ever heard in my life.
After our heart rates came back down to normal, he climbed out of bed and disposed of the condom in the bathroom. When he returned, he collapsed on top of me and wrapped me in his arms. “That was…you’re amazing.” Grant’s lips found mine for a slow, sweet kiss before nuzzling my neck. We stayed there wrapped around each other for several minutes. “Am I hurting you?” he asked, because he was still partially on top of me.
I wrapped my arms and legs more tightly around him. “No. I like it.” I kissed his shoulder as he buried his face in my neck and started kissing me.
“I like you.” He continued kissing me. When his hands started roaming, I started squirming underneath him.
He leaned up and looked at me. “We need to get up, so I can feed you. If you keep moving like that underneath me, we’ll never get out of here.” He tickled my sides, and I squirmed violently and squealed. “I think I found the golden ticket, didn’t I?” He tickled me again before I was able to get out from under him and run away to the bathroom. “Hurry up!” he yelled after me.
I fixed my hair and dressed quickly. I threw on a cardigan because Seattle summers have nothing on Georgia summers. Once dressed, I looked in the mirror pleased with my rushed result.
I stepped out of my room to find Grant sitting on my couch looking at one of my yearbooks from Georgia. “You ready?” I asked.
“You were a teacher?” he asked without looking up from the page.
“Yes. Sixth grade.” I went
over and sat next to him.
“You look different, and your name…Evelyn Stevens. Eve Stevens…Mrs. Stevens.” He continued staring at the page like a secret was going to come spilling out of it, or maybe like he could change what he saw. I should tell him legally that was still my name, but I didn’t think that was what he wanted to hear right then. I certainly didn’t want to talk about it.
I took the book from him and placed it back on the shelf with the others. I felt his eyes on me, but I didn’t look at him as I adjusted the books on the shelf. “I had a hard time the last two years.” I wasn’t about to tell him that I gained a bunch of weight because I was on hormones in an effort to get pregnant. The weight came off quickly after I decided to stop the hormones, and then even more came off when I decided to leave Mark. Stress and difficulties eating brought me down to a weight that was way too small for my five-and-a-half-foot frame. After filing for my divorce and moving in with my parents, I started running and eating better. The evidence of my unhappiness was still there in the yearbooks and family pictures with my nieces and nephews though.
“What happened?” he asked, moving the curtain of my long brown hair I was using as a veil to block my discomfort.
“Umm…things didn’t work out. This isn’t exactly what I want to talk about right after…” I turned to him knowing my cheeks were pink, but I wanted him to know that I would rather be focused on him than the past. He seemed to understand.
“I see your perfect lips are red again. Maybe we could talk about that, or maybe we could talk about how beautiful you are in the throes of passion. I would like to discuss that very much.” He pulled me onto his lap and kissed down my neck and across my collarbone.
“Yes, I like this discussion much better.” My stomach growled loudly. I hid my face in his shoulder to hide from yet another embarrassing moment with him. “Oh my god.” I would never be one of those perfect girls who never wrinkle or whose body doesn’t make random noises at inopportune times.
