by Sonia Icilyn
Shamelessly, she ran the tip of her tongue along Dale’s lower lip, probing gently as his mouth parted to accept her in. Dale nipped her gently, accepting her admittance. Avril’s exhilaration grew as the tension that was building snuck into the muscles beneath her smooth, clean golden-brown skin. His eyes were closed, quietly absorbing the feel of her and Avril reveled in the power she had over him. She was in control and she wanted Dale like she’d never wanted a man.
And then, quite unexpectedly, she found the situation reversed. In one swift motion, Dale had turned her around onto her back and submerged her beneath the shattering impact of his kiss. With his hand tangled in her ruffled disheveled hair, she was bound to him. In a flash, Avril’s mind disappeared. The pressure of his mouth against hers was overwhelming. Dale was now in control.
That same hand abandoned the knots in her hair and slid down her bathrobe to gently tug against the belt pulled tightly around her waist. Within seconds he had loosened it, making enough room for his hand to slide in. Avril possessed no willpower to stop him. Dale lazily coaxed her body with feather strokes, working his way from her tummy to caress her breasts. Avril’s dark-brown nipples immediately tightened to the touch of his probing fingers.
Boneless and weak, she enjoyed every minute brush. Her breathing was shallow, her lids were half closed, her lips accepted the promise Dale had to offer. Then he took a handful of her breast and immediately suckled on it. Avril wanted to scream as each fluttering action of his tongue caused her to wriggle beneath him.
She sighed sweetly and allowed her hand to explore his face. Avril eagerly stroked his temples, traced the strong arch of Dale’s brows, outlined the male features of his cheekbones and jawline, and gently stroked seductively against his neck. Her fingers needed no schooling. They moved with a will of their own while she struggled in vain to keep her body from shuddering beneath the sweet ravishment of Dale’s lips.
From Dale’s throat, she reached the barrier of his T-shirt. Then as he dived for her neglected taut breast, Avril whimpered and began to tug the bottom of it. Dale did not stop her. Instead, his body became lax beneath her fingers. She searched the expanse of his broad chest and tickled the dark sprinkling of hair that felt silky to her touch. The exploration enlivened her more when he groaned.
Suddenly, his hand crept down to the portal between her legs. Avril lurched forward like a wild cat, the world forgotten in her impatience as she arched against him. Proud that he’d elicited such an urgent response in her body, Dale expertly worked his fingers until he felt Avril’s body go limp. She was ready.
Dale applied a final arousing stroke then removed his hand. Avril’s eyes flew open at the sudden loss. Dale’s mouth curved into a lazy smile as he looked at her sweating face. “Where’s the bedroom?” he whispered on a hoarse breath.
Fire surged through Avril’s veins. “Follow me,” she returned, licking her lips.
Dale leaned across and kissed her shoulder before they both took to their feet. “I’m right behind you,” he said, quickly reaching for his windbreaker where he removed two packets of latex.
Seconds later, Avril was on her bed. A shower of kisses flooded her senses. Soft ones, hard ones. Heavy eagerly planted ones. Light ones, tantalizing and teasing. What was a woman to do except welcome them wholeheartedly. To Dale, it was like manna from heaven tasting this sweet, trembling body beneath him.
He breathed the strong, eager breath of a man about to take a woman to her pinnacle of desire. Dale wasted no time sitting on his knees, removing his T-shirt, unstrapping the belt around his jeans at the same time. As Avril waited impatiently for him, he was out of each item in a shot. Back on the bed, he pulled off his socks and flung them aimlessly.
“Wait,” Avril whispered as he reached for his underpants. “I want to do this.”
Dale’s eyes intensified in the dark. “I want to see you,” he said in his rich gravelly tone.
Avril switched on a bed lamp. It was dim enough to cast shadows at every angle against her caramel-brown flesh. Her eyes widened when she caught the full impact of Dale’s body. His chest was toned. His arms held muscles she had not recalled. Strength emitted from every niche that met her bewildered gaze.
“Have you been working out?” she asked suddenly.
“I hit the gym these last couple of days,” Dale admitted softly, recalling the acid twinges in his stomach. “I needed to work off some stress.”
“The court case?” Avril surmised.
He nodded and leaned down next to her. The chemistry was on the moment he snatched her lips. Avril moaned against his mouth as Dale scooped one bare breast, cupping it, kneading it gently, his rough palm stroking her sensitive nub until it peaked rigid and hard. How much longer was he going to torture her, she mused, seconds before her eyes closed and her brain was flown into oblivion.
Swept into a tidal wave of passion, Avril was hardly aware that he’d removed her bathrobe until she felt Dale’s firm fingers delve into the moist center of her body, working its magic. She whimpered madly, mindlessly protesting the unfairness of him still in his underpants by tugging at the elastic waist.
Dale jerked violently as her hand dropped lower to the tip that bulged beneath the cloth. She opened her eyes to look at him in the faint light from the lamp. Dale’s breath was labored. There was no mistaking his strong reaction or the intensity of his passion. Avril was filled with a sudden charge of energy as she deliberately plunged her hand beneath the cloth and claimed him.
His eyes flew to heaven. He whimpered, just as she had done. Avril squeezed, rubbing her thumb softly against the top, watching Dale’s face contort in sweet agony. Her actions ignited her yet further as she whipped off his underpants from beneath him and sent her fingers exploring to each throbbing organ. Dale’s groan echoed loudly.
“Avril—” he began, his teeth clenched, his tone taut. But she smothered his words with her mouth, forcing them back until they became a harrowing moan.
Avril arched her back so that she could easily meet his fingers beneath her, where Dale heatedly continued the magic at her moist core, his nether massage causing her to writhe. Now they were both suffering. It felt good. The synergy between them was equal and real.
“Avril!” Dale’s husky voice came from low in his throat. “I need the condom.”
Avril was hungry for more. Impatient. Thirsty. “Get it,” she almost cried.
And Dale didn’t waste any time. He swiftly opened one packet and had it on with the expertise of a maestro. Avril felt her legs being drawn apart and collaborated as the most wonderful sensation rushed through her. The moment he delved in, quickly and easily, his weight boring down on her from above, Avril almost wept.
He pushed. She rose her hips upward. She found his mouth. He made hers his own. Dale set the rhythm and she followed. She met his pace, responding to each ever-quickening lunge. Gasping, Avril clung on like an animal. The invasion was painful and sweet. Her breath was on its last it seemed when, in a whirlwind of ecstasy, she spiraled into darkness.
“Avril!” Dale shook her.
For a long moment, she didn’t move. She couldn’t. Her limbs were heavy and spent. Her heart fought to steady itself. Avril’s lips were parched when she asked, “What happened?”
Dale looked concerned. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” Avril assured him, as her respiration became more controlled.
“Has this happened to you before?” he queried, pulling from her slightly to rub a warm hand against her stomach.
“No,” Avril said, wide-eyed. It had felt good. So good. Better than she could ever have imagined and she had imagined so many things. “Did you—”
“I was right behind you,” Dale smiled, looking down at his filled condom. “I’ll be right back.” He jumped from the bed and disappeared to the bathroom.
Avril waited, feeling dazed. On Dale’s return, she had replaced her bathrobe and was hidden beneath the sheets. He looked uncertain as he joined her on the b
ed. Avril knew that he had detected something. It didn’t surprise her. She had hidden this one secret very well, even from Maxwell.
The fact that she could never have surrendered to him was telling in the way he often pulled back from her, his every motion evasive and ambiguous. But Dale had not held himself back. He had given her everything she needed to finally get this far. Generous with his touch and his emotions, something only attainable when a man was not spreading himself between women.
“You look…lost,” Dale said, creeping beneath the sheets to hold Avril against his chest. “And what’s this doing on?” He tugged at her bathrobe.
“I’m feeling a little cold,” Avril told him.
“After what we just did?” Dale chuckled, pulling strands of damp hair away from her face. “Take if off,” he whispered. “I’ll keep you warm.”
There it was again, that strong pull she often felt toward him. Avril couldn’t help herself. She obeyed. But as she did so, she quickly cowered underneath the sheets.
“Why are you shy?” Dale chuckled again.
Avril hid her face. “Nothing.”
Dale turned and faced her on one elbow. “Hey?”
“I think I passed out,” Avril finally confessed.
“I think you did,” he agreed.
“And I feel embarrassed,” she admitted.
Dale took a hold of her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “You’re trembling,” he noted, startled.
“No I’m not,” Avril swiftly denied.
Dale gazed at her, his chocolate-brown eyes searching her face. There was still blood lurking in her cheeks, her eyes gazed innocently at him and his brain became alert. “Tell me,” he said, his tone determined on receiving an honest answer. “Are you …were you a virgin before tonight?”
“Don’t be silly,” Avril choked. “I’m twenty-four.”
“That used to mean something back in the day,” he told her.
“Back in the day,” Avril repeated, nervous.
“A couple of decades ago,” Dale corrected, certain she was not telling him the truth. “But these are modern times. Tell me, please.”
“I wasn’t waiting for marriage, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Avril quickly admonished. “I learned that sorry lesson a few weeks ago.”
“So what were you waiting for?” Dale asked her.
“You’re assuming a lot,” Avril dismissed. “I wasn’t waiting for anything. I simply thought…” Suddenly, she realized she had tears in her eyes.
Dale hugged her, her tears all the admission he needed. “You should have told me,” he said, stroking her tangled hair. “I would have been more gentle with you.”
“You didn’t hurt me,” Avril said.
“But you’ll be sore in the morning,” Dale explained, rubbing consoling feather strokes against her arm. “You might even bleed.”
“Bleed!” Avril was frightened. She knew this could happen, but it had escaped her mind until now.
“It’s very natural and normal for there to be a little blood,” Dale told her, narrowing his eyes. “But I am curious.”
He sounded so conversational that Avril wanted to lash out at him in her embarrassment. “You want to know about Maxwell,” she said. “I thought we were not going to talk about him or my brother tonight.”
Dale sighed heavily. There was a lot to say and he didn’t know where to start. “Okay,” he conceded, spooning her into him, his chin on her right shoulder. “I can wait until morning. Can you?”
His lazy fingers were working that sensual magic again, this time on her midsection and Avril felt the slight flutters of a new arousal building. “I can wait.”
“Good,” Dale said on a small yawn.
And they slept.
When Avril awoke, the August sun was streaming in through the curtained window. As mad as it seemed, she felt like a new woman. Exultant, brand new. Phenomenal. For a brief, disorientated moment, she wasn’t sure why, then Dale shifted beside her.
The joy of it all came flooding back. The kisses. His caresses. The feel of him inside her. Avril turned on her side to look at him. It took some doing as his arms were still thrown around her. Dale’s face was crumpled against her pillows. Several locks of his twisted hair had fallen over his forehead, giving him an oddly roguish look against his unshaven jawline.
Avril lay for a while contemplating the pleasures of the night that had been provided by the man in front of her. Her very own Lenny Kravitz to her rescue. Even while asleep, he was handsome and had that tainted look of a man who had given everything of himself during lovemaking. It was only then she remembered something and Avril sat erect to peek beneath the sheets.
She was naked, just like the man next to her. But that was not what she was looking for. Her eyes searched quickly and then she saw the red spots on the sheets. Dear God. Even at such a late age to lose one’s virginity, nature still had its way. Avril quickly rose from the bed, threw on her bathrobe and rushed to the bathroom.
She told herself that this “new woman” deal was not all that it was cracked up to be when she realized just how sore she was feeling, too. She frowned as she searched her bathroom cupboards for the correct pad and underwear. When she finally returned to her bedroom, Dale was sitting upright against her pillows awaiting her arrival.
“What time is it?” he asked, ruggedly. “There’s no clock.”
“I hadn’t found time to buy one yet,” Avril replied, nervously pulling the bathrobe around herself. “It’s nearly 6:30 a.m.”
Dale caught her actions. “I’ve seen the sheets,” he said, rubbing his eyes until they were wide open. “I’ve got a deposition in an hour.” He left the bed like an Adonis, completely naked and in full form. “Is the bathroom free now?”
Avril sucked in her breath, staring at a certain part of him that was fully erect. “It’s all yours.”
Dale walked toward her, stalled where she was standing at the bedroom door and pulled her to him. He kissed her senseless then just as effortlessly, pulled away. “Can I have a coffee, black?”
Avril nodded, dumbfounded.
“You’ll be okay in a few days,” he whispered hoarsely, “I’m just going to take a cold shower.”
Twenty minutes later, Dale joined Avril in the kitchen where she’d brewed up ground beans. The aroma filled Dale’s senses. Fully dressed in his jeans and T-shirt and with one sock on, Dale took his coffee. “Where’s the other one?” Avril asked, indicating his bare foot.
“Somewhere in your bedroom,” Dale said, perching himself on an old stool. He looked around. There was no furniture, only a few essentials. The kettle, four cups, plates and cutlery. “It seems you need more than a clock.”
Avril followed his gaze. “I only have the apartment for a short time, maybe a year,” she said, pouring herself a coffee. “Until the new Miss African-Caribbean takes over I expect. I borrowed the stool from my mum and don’t intend to buy anything. I can use the stuff I’ve stored in her garage.”
Dale’s brows rose. “Stuff?”
“When I moved out of Maxwell’s apartment,” she finished. And there it was, the subject she’d wanted to avoid. “You’re going to talk about him, aren’t you?” Avril accused.
“There are a few things I need to tell you,” Dale stated tersely, sipping more coffee to prepare him for the gloomy task. “And it’s also to do with your brother.”
“Oh that,” Avril sighed with relief.
Dale noted her comfort level and realized Avril was referring to last night. His mind momentarily relished their lovemaking. The fact that he could not find his missing sock that morning was testament to the urgency of their passion. He had shown Avril his deepest feelings last night and it was made clear to him that she had felt the same way, too.
The fact that she was a virgin, an unexpected surprise, made it more special. But now, Dale knew he had to explain something that would wipe away the high euphoria that he awoke with that morning. He also knew that if he were to succe
ed in telling Avril at all, it would best serve his purpose to be quick.
“My partner, Philippa Fearne,” he began, mellowing slightly as the coffee took effect, “was once retained, very briefly, on a case that was injurious to Maxwell Armstrong’s character. And—”
“She’s the mother of his baby,” Avril interrupted on a weary tone.
“Where…where did you get that idea?” Dale asked, shocked.
“Isn’t that what you were going to tell me?” Avril asked, folding her arms beneath her bathrobe.
“No,” Dale answered, feeling low. “Philippa is representing the client who retained her to successfully outline paternal rights to the father of her child.”
Avril suddenly raised her brows, instinctively aware that she was about to hear something she would find hard to stomach. “What are you trying to tell me?” she demanded, struggling to remain calm.
“The mother of Maxwell’s child is married,” Dale said slowly. “The situation became quite sensitive due to the fact that Maxwell was about to become married to someone who knew nothing about his…responsibilities.”
“And that person would be me,” Avril surmised, detecting that her heart was beating nervously. “You’re trying to tell me that I know this woman, right?”
Dale nodded. “She didn’t want you to get hurt.”
“Hurt!” The puzzle was beginning to unravel horrendously. Her stomach lurched. “My brother…” she heaved, fighting for breath. “We’re talking about his wife?”
“Elonwy,” Dale confirmed.
“No!” Avril shook her head vigorously. “It can’t be. She wouldn’t.” The tears came without her wanting them. “Not to me. Not to Tony.” The news was too much. Her mouth twisted and contorted miserably. “She couldn’t have been sleeping with Maxwell.”
But it explained so many things. His holding back. Her confusion and being unable to give herself to him. Maxwell had obviously been riddled with guilt that he’d brought about the birth of a child to her own sister-in-law.
“I’m sorry,” Dale apologized, placing his coffee cup on the bench nearby.