REBORN (Metamorphosis Book 1)

by Williams, Marissa

  If I were a woman who kept track of numbers, I would say that we are up to two hundred different ways to make love now. We might have to repeat a few of them so that I could decide which one I liked the best. The possibilities were endless with Kayden. So far he had pretty much taken the lead, but I thought I would surprise him tomorrow night. He could use the day to recover; I might have to do research in the morning. "Yes, this must be the hormones," I told myself quietly as not to wake him up.

  "What are you plotting?" he asked with his eyes still closed.

  "Oh, just thinking about number two hundred and one," I responded coquettishly.

  He looked at me quizzically. "What are you up to?"

  "You'll find out in due time."

  "Do I have to get it out of you?" he threatened playfully. "Last warning."

  And he came toward me in a playful manner. "I'm just going to have to resort to the tickle torture."

  "I am not ticklish," I said nonchalantly.

  "We'll see about that." And with those words he held me in his arms and began to tickle me until I almost cried from laughter.

  "Are you going to tell me now or do I have to continue?"

  "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I was thinking about the first time you threatened me with making love to me one hundred different ways. I was thinking that since we must be up to two hundred, perhaps I could take the initiative for number two hundred and one."

  "So, you want to lead next time?"

  "Maybe tonight?" I asked shyly.

  "We'll see about that. Let's start on number two hundred and one now."

  "What about your rest? I don’t want you to think that I am trying to seduce you."

  "Woman, you have been seducing me since the first time you ran into me in the lobby."

  "Me? What are you talking about?" I asked, incredulous.

  "Yes, you; don't act so naive. When you first ran into me and your eyes met mine, you looked at me with such lust, such hunger that it sent my mind spinning into a hundred different directions. It took all my willpower not to grab you and take you right then and there. That had never happened to me before. When I went upstairs I had to excuse myself and go into the bedroom to get a hold of myself."

  "Really?" was all I could say. The truth was that that's how I felt when my eyes met his; I just didn't know he had been able to see straight to my soul.

  "Since that moment all I could think about was you and how to be inside you. Now enough talking and turn around."

  Turn around? What was he thinking about? It didn't take long for me to realize where he wanted to go, not an area I had any interest in exploring.

  "Perhaps we should go back to number one," I said, a little bit anxious.

  "Oh no, you set up a challenge and I never back down from a challenge," he spoke in my ear, sending tingles down my spine.

  He collected some pillows and placed them under my belly to raise my hips. Then he spread my hips and said, "Perfect, I'd love to take a picture of you like this but I wouldn't want anyone else to see it."

  "You are sick, you know that, right?"

  "If I am sick then you are my medicine."

  "So corny!"

  "No, so horny."

  "You are a regular poet," I said, laughing.

  "Stop trying to distract me, I have places to go, new worlds to explore."

  I ended up laughing at his silliness and forgetting about the upcoming intrusion. He lowered his body on my back, between my legs, and began a trail of kisses and gentle bites from the neck down to the curves of my buttocks. He caressed them, bit on the flesh, branded them with his desire. His hand went to my sex and then inserted a long finger inside, making my body quiver. He took the finger out and put it in his mouth. "Delicious."

  "You know you are tasting yourself," I said breathlessly.

  "No, I am tasting us; you and me together," he said in a sensuous voice. His finger went inside me again; this time when he took it out he brought it to my mouth. "Taste how good we are together," and I opened my lips to let his finger in. His actions were so sensual, so erotic that they sent tingles down my spine.

  This man was taking me to places I was not accustomed to; his passion was driving me to highs I had never felt. If I lost him… I couldn't go there, not now, not when he was sticking his wet finger inside my back opening. The discomfort woke me from my reverie.

  "Tell me if it hurts too much," he said lovingly.

  "No, it's okay."

  "You've never done this before?"

  "No," I responded.

  "We might have to wait; I can't do it just like that." He came down and kissed me there. "I love every part of your body and we'll have a lifetime to explore." He found my sex and penetrated me from behind.

  Two hundred and one had been quite eventful and so… satisfying. But now we needed to start getting ready for brunch. Damien was not going to be able to join us; he had too much schoolwork. I told him I would drive down to Urbana during the week and have lunch with him. He loved the idea. It was going to be Kayden, Emily, Victoria, and myself. I got up, stretched myself, and for the first time in a few weeks felt on top of the world. Amazing what a little sleep and Kayden could do for me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  It was a perfect autumn day in Chicago; the sky was clear, not a cloud to be seen and the air was chilly but not too cold. This was just about my favorite time of the year. My exuberance was evident to everyone at the table. I had this stupid grin on my face, probably the result of just having been fucked senselessly, but also the knowledge that Kayden and I were expecting a baby. For the first time I was allowing myself to relish in the thought. My daughters knew something was up, but I didn’t want to tell them without Damien being present. He would be very hurt if I did and this was not news I could share over the phone.

  Kayden kept me close, his arm around my shoulders, absentmindedly rubbing the bare skin of my arms. He was charming the girls with stories of his days at Northwestern and his travels to Rio. The girls were enjoying his company, laughing like crazy. Kayden could be very funny.

  We ordered our drinks; coffee and mimosas for Kayden and Victoria, coffee for Emily, and herbal tea and a club soda for me.

  "What happened to your usual black tea, Mom, and what's that with no mimosa? You love them," Emily said.

  I almost turned purple from her question but put myself together and answered her, "My stomach is still reeling, and I'm trying to be careful with what I consume. Don’t want to start throwing up in front of everyone."

  Kayden took my hand and kissed it gently and then caressed my hair. It was such a loving gesture that it brought a smile to my lips.

  "Trust me, watching her puke is no picnic."

  "Disgusting, let's change the conversation. I can't wait to go to Paris so I can drink legally in public. I'm dying for a mimosa," Emily stated in frustration.

  "Take some of mine," Kayden suggested with a shrug to his shoulders, sliding the glass over to her. I gave him a look of disapproval and punched him in the side. "Ouch, stop the violence; don't be such a prude, if she were in Rio or Paris she would be drinking in public legally."

  "We are not in Rio or Paris," I said simply.

  He looked at me and then shook his head and laughed. "Sorry, kid, your mom is the boss," he told Emily and took the glass from her. Emily pouted; she had only gotten to drink half of it.

  I looked at him adoringly; was this how it was going to be when junior was here? He squeezed my leg reassuringly, knowing what I was thinking about.

  The food arrived and the conversation continued. I had ordered blueberry pancakes with fruit and applewood bacon. Kayden did not order his usual omelet, instead he ordered French toast, knowing that the smell of eggs would throw my stomach into a spin. I took one taste of the bacon and it almost had the same effect so I passed it to Kayden. All of the sudden, out of the corner of my eye I saw a couple approaching our table. My fork stopped in mid-air; Kayden saw my reaction and turned to see what had
startled me. It was Julian.

  "Hello everyone, what a wonderful surprise," he said, bending down to kiss the girls first, then me and shaking Kayden's hand. Kayden simply nodded his head and acknowledged his salutation, extending his hand in response. But his body had turned rigid and his hand, the one over my shoulder, moved me closer to him slightly.

  Julian began the introductions. The young woman accompanying him was named Adriana; she was barely older than Vickie! Unfortunately, she was paying a little too much attention to Kayden. I felt like slapping her!

  "Can we join you? The wait here is out of this world," Julian requested.

  "We already started eating," I responded, not wanting him at our table.

  "Oh Mom, it's fine; we have an extra chair, we only need another one," Emily said, scowling, and then calling over the waiter. Julian looked at me as if asking; I looked to Kayden for his response and he said, "by all means, please join us."

  The waiter brought the additional chair and place settings. Adriana immediately rushed to sit on the other side of Kayden. I could feel how uncomfortable Kayden was from her proximity.

  Julian was either unaware or ignoring his companion. "Ellie, you look great. Have you lost weight?"

  "Yes, just a few pounds," I responded curtly, not wanting to encourage conversation.

  Then he raked my body with his eyes in a very inappropriate way. It sent my skin crawling.

  "Well, it has done wonders for you," Julian retorted and I had to grab Kayden's hand to keep him from jumping across the table.

  "Ellie looked perfect before, there was nothing she needed to change." Oh, how I love you Kayden for being my knight in shining armor and coming to my defense.

  Vickie interjected, aware of the turn of the conversation. "I agree with Kayden, Mom looked fine the way she was. Besides, it's not polite to comment on a woman's weight."

  "Okay, okay I'm sorry." The waiter came and they ordered. I had lost my appetite.

  "Do you want something different?" Kayden asked, solicitous.

  "Maybe some whole-grain toast." He called the waiter and told him to take the plate with the pancakes and bring me more tea and whole-grain toast.

  Julian looked at me warily, wondering what was going on but abstaining from asking, which was a good thing because there was no way I was going to be able to restrain Kayden if he had said something else. The man was reaching his limits of patience!

  "So what do you do, Kayden?" Adriana asked and then giggled.

  "I'm in business," he responded curtly.

  "Business, that sounds so exciting. I'd like to learn how to run a business. You look very familiar; I think I've seen your picture before. Oh my God, you were on the cover of Crain's Chicago Business. I think I read you were single, unattached…"

  I rolled my eyes at her statement; how forward could anyone be? Really?

  "Was unattached; I'm very much taken now," Kayden responded, and then he took my hand to his lips and kissed it. Vickie and Emily smiled, and Julian's mouth simply dropped open at Kayden's pronouncement. As for Adriana, she was speechless for a change.

  After Kayden's proclamation, everyone settled into small talk. He had made it clear that the relationship between us was serious, not a casual affair. He settled next to me with his usual possessive routine of keeping his arm around my shoulders and rubbing my arm slowly. It drove Julian crazy; maybe it would teach him not to barge in again.

  Kayden and the girls continued their conversation about Brazil.

  "Perhaps we can visit one of these days, my mother would love to see you again."

  "Oh, so you are an immigrant," Julian interjected.

  "Actually I was born in the States, in Evanston as a matter of fact."

  I looked at him for a minute, curious about the details of his birth. I wanted to know everything about him but we had spent so little time together. I was about to ask when he leaned next to me and said very softly, "We'll talk later." As always he knew what I was thinking, he could read me so well!

  "Are you ready to go?" Kayden asked, looking at me and then, addressing the girls asked,

  "Are you ladies leaving or staying for extra coffee?" That simple, this charade was over; he no longer wanted to engage with Julian in conversation or give him an opening for his inappropriate behavior. I just responded yes. The reality was that I had eaten only a couple of bites. I had mostly played with my tea and consumed a couple of glasses of club soda.

  "We'll stay for a few minutes but walk you out," Vickie responded.

  Kayden called the waiter for the bill and gave him his black American Express card, then proceeded to give him his valet parking ticket.

  "Can you make sure they bring the car up front?" Julian looked at him a little puzzled, probably wondering how Kayden could be so forward as to ask the waiter to deal with his parking ticket. I simply began to stand; Kayden stood right away.

  "I'll meet you out front, I need to stop at the ladies' room before we go." And then to Adriana and Julian I extended my hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you Adriana, enjoy the rest of your day." I moved away from the table as the waiter came back with the check for Kayden to sign. Kayden simply signed it, adding a tip for the young man. I could see the smile in the young waiter's face; Kayden had made his day.

  "Thank you sir," the young man told him.

  "You're welcome, and good luck in your exams, come see me during your break so we can talk more," Kayden responded and handed him his business card. Apparently there had been some exchange between the two that I was not aware of. Now I was the one looking at Kayden with a puzzled look.

  As we walked in the direction of the washroom, I asked, "What was that all about?"

  "I've been coming here for a number of years now, whether with my brother or business associates. Brad usually takes care of me so I have gotten to know him. He is a solid young man, very hard working. I told him I would arrange for an internship next summer at one of my companies."

  "Where does he go to school?" I asked.

  "He's studying economics at Northwestern," Kayden responded.

  "Just like you."

  "I see the same hunger in him that I had at his age; he'll do well."

  Kayden waited for me outside the washroom while the girls and I went inside.

  "He is so hot," Emily remarked.

  "Who?" I asked, confused about whom we were talking about.

  "Brad, of course; Kayden too but he is seriously taken!" Emily said as she laughed.

  "Okay, that is seriously disgusting; the man could be your father," Vickie responded.

  "Girls, this conversation is getting out of hand." I simply walked into the stall shaking my head while my daughters stayed outside talking about Brad's physical attributes. Apparently they had wanted to stay to try to hit on him; they hadn't figured out who was going to be the lucky one.

  After washing my hands and reapplying lipstick, we walked in search of Kayden. We found him surrounded by a group of women trying to vie for his attention. When he saw me he excused himself, and walked toward us. Emily leaned in and said in a soft voice, "See, like I said, seriously hot and seriously taken." Vickie burst out laughing; I had no choice but to smile.

  "What's going on, are you laughing at me?" He approached us and then, looking down at me, caressed my face with the pad of his finger. The look he gave me was one of pure love or was it lust, not sure. My daughters, witnessing his gesture, burst out laughing again. Kayden just shook his head and smiled.

  He had driven his Lamborghini this time. "Are we going back to the apartment?" I asked as he helped me into the car.

  "No, I was thinking we could go for a ride, it's a beautiful day and you haven’t eaten. I need to make sure you eat something."

  "I am really not hungry."

  "This is not up for debate, you have to eat if we are going to have a healthy baby and a healthy you. For once Julian was right, you have lost a lot of weight. Unlike him I liked you a little fuller." He put his hand on my leg
and moved my dress up as he caressed it. Oh, this was going to be a fun ride.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Almost three hours later we drove into Galena and found a lovely little restaurant in the downtown area. "Let's go in here, I heard from a colleague that the food is pretty good," Kayden said enthusiastically. In all honesty, I was starving, so I followed him into the restaurant without complaint. I decided to keep it simple and order a clear broth vegetable soup and half a roasted vegetable wrap. Kayden opted for a chicken wrap and strawberry lemonade. I tasted his lemonade and it was so good that I drank it all; he shook his head in amusement and ordered two more.

  "This is a charming town; I came here when the kids were young, and haven't been back since. I only wish we had more time to explore."

  "We can comeback another time and spend the night if you want," Kayden suggested. He was so attentive to my every need that it warmed my heart.

  "That would be fantastic. Please tell me about your childhood, you started talking about it at the table but I want to know more."

  "Well, mine was less eventful than yours. Like I said, I was born in Evanston; my parents had come to study at Northwestern on an exchange program. My father always told us that he fell in love with my mother the moment he saw her. It took a while to convince her, but when he finally did he wasn't about to let her get away. So they married not long after. I was born a year after they got married, then five years later Carmelo came along with my sister Camila. You haven't met her, she is a pediatrician in Rio."

  "Your parents seem very much in love; it's a pleasure to watch them and see how attentive they are to each other's needs." Sort of like you Kayden, like you have been today, I thought to myself.

  Then the food came and we focused primarily on eating. Kayden had been right; everything was delicious, from the freshness of the vegetables to the taste of the soup and for the first time in so many days I was able to finish a meal.