by Adams,Claire
"Um, he said as soon as you got back to let him know, so I did," she said as a small frown flitted across her lips. "I think he's serving us on outside on the balcony."
"Then, let's head out there, shall we?" I said as I offered her my arm. She smiled at me as she slipped her arm through mine and we walked out to find the balcony aglow in thousands of tiny little lights that looked like fireflies floating above the table. The table itself was almost a work of art. The plates were stacked artfully and the silverware sparkled. I looked at Emily and saw her eyes shining in the candlelight as I pulled out her chair and seated her at the table. We sat across from each other, staring into each other’s eyes as the candlelight glowed softly and far off in the distance, the sound of waves crashing into the shore provided a gentle soundtrack for the meal.
Soon, the chef sent out what would be a wave of delicious dishes: fresh garden vegetables layered with goat's cheese, fresh seafood chowder with lots of cracked pepper, and rare filets with a sauce made of roasted peppers, cream, and something I couldn't quiet identify until Emily said it was mint. The dishes came out one after another, and we talked and ate until we were full. We begged off dessert and got up from the table.
"I'm so full, I feel like I can't move," Emily laughed as she pushed herself away from the table and walked to the edge of deck. I followed carrying our wine glasses and we stood looking out over the cove as we talked about the beauty of the water in the twilight. Darkness had fallen and the stars were incredibly clear in the night sky.
"I don't think I've ever seen the stars so clear and close," she whispered as though raising her voice would cause them to disappear into the darkness.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything so lovely this clear and close," I said as I looked down at her. I could feel the stirring of something inside me, and I wasn't sure I could hold back. I knew that this was the moment I should probably walk away and let her be, but I couldn't make myself do it. I couldn't just walk away from Emily Warner and not at least kiss her. I whispered her name, "Emily."
"Austin," she whispered back as she held my gaze for the longest time. Neither of us moved, afraid to break the spell. And then I felt her fingers slipping down to intertwine with mine. It was such a small gesture, but so incredibly intimate and I held my breath as I waited to see where we would go next. I felt her hand squeezing mine as we stared into each other's eyes. I could feel my heart pounding hard in my chest, but I held back waiting.
"Austin?" she repeated in whisper that I would have missed had I not been listening for it.
"Yes?" I whispered back.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Are you sure?" I asked as I stared at her and when she nodded again, I knew that this was my chance. I raised a hand and gently caressed her cheek and as I did, I felt her sigh as she looked up at me and smiled. I let go of her hand and wrapped my arm around her waist as I slid my other hand up into her hair and tipped her face up toward mine before bending forward and brushing my lips across hers. I felt her shiver in my arms as I pressed my lips to hers and began kissing her with greater urgency. I wanted everything all at once. I wanted to kiss her and feel her and taste her right here on this railing with all the urgency I'd felt since the first time I'd touched her.
My fingers worked the pins out of her hair and I soon had it hanging loosely around her shoulders as I kissed her more urgently and probed her lips with my tongue. I pushed them open and she sighed as she gave me access to her soft mouth. My tongue danced between her lips as she pressed her body against mine and I felt her heart beating against my chest. I dipped my head and ran my tongue down her neck to where the curve of her breast began and heard her moan softly when I traced the same line back up to her ear where I nipped at her earlobe before kissing my way up her jaw and back to her lips.
I could feel her body straining against mine as she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me to her. I held her tightly against me, kissing her deeply as I ran my fingers through her hair feeling her lips pressed to mine. I wanted more, so much more, but not here on the deck.
I opened my eyes and saw her looking up at me through a dizzy wave of desire. I didn't look away, nor did I let my lips leave hers as I bent down and scooped her up in my arms. She didn't protest, instead she kissed me harder as I carried her up the stairs to my room and laid her gently on the bed.
It was there that I knew for sure that I had fallen hard.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Emily
When Austin scooped me up and carried me up the stairs, I knew I was letting go of who I'd been and becoming who I was meant to be. I didn't have any idea what I was going to do about my marriage or what was in store for Austin and I. All I knew was that at this moment, I wanted Austin more than anyone or anything I'd ever wanted in my life.
When he gently laid me down on the bed, I knew we were headed somewhere that was unlike anywhere I'd ever been before. I could feel it as he lifted the hem of my dress and pulled the deep blue fabric up, up, up until it was bunched around my waist. He slipped his arm under my shoulder and pulled me up, kissing my lips as he pulled the dress up to my neck then leaning back, he pulled it up over my head as I held my arms up. I was only wearing a pair of lacy panties and I heard Austin inhale deeply as he looked at me lying on the bed nearly naked.
I sat up, reached out, and grabbed the hem of his shirt and lifted up until he, too, was topless. His chest was so broad and smooth, I couldn't help but run my hand across it and I heard him sigh as my fingers lightly teased his nipples. I stretched up and wrapped my arms around his neck so I could pull him back down to kiss me.
When our bare skin finally touched, I moaned softly and pulled him more tightly against me. He wrapped his arms around my body and rolled onto his back, pulling me on top of him. I could feel his hard shaft pressing against my thigh as I ran my fingers though his hair and kissed down along his jaw before running my tongue down his neck. He groaned and slipped his fingers into my hair as he pulled my head back up and kissed me more urgently.
"I need you, Em," he whispered into my lips. "All of you."
"Yes," I moaned into the kiss. "Yes, yes, yes."
Austin rolled sideways and tipped me off of his body onto my back on the bed. He quickly shed his pants and then knelt between my legs as he looped his fingers over the edges of my panties and slid them down my legs until he could remove them completely. Then, he just sat there staring at me.
"What are you doing?" I asked as I raised my arm to cover myself. He gently grabbed my arm and lowered it.
"I’m looking at the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," he said quietly as he ran a hand down the length of my body, starting at my cheek and gliding down until he was lightly stroking my inner thigh. I sighed as I felt his hand on my bare skin and he whispered, "You like that?"
"Mmm hmm," I nodded. "Very much."
He did it again, only this time he used both hands and stopped to trace circles around my nipples and he watched them swell under his touch before continuing his chosen path. It felt like hours that he just touched me. Sometimes lightly, sometimes more insistently, but he watched me to see what I responded to as he experimented. Soon, I was moving beneath him, seeking out his hands and pushing my body against them.
"God, you're so sexy," he whispered as he leaned down and kissed my lips. His hands continued their path down my abdomen, but this time, he found a new place to touch. He slipped a hand between my legs and lightly caressed the sensitive skin between them. I couldn't hold back the moan that escaped my lips as I pushed my hips up against his hand. He traced a path up and down my outer labia until I was moaning loudly, begging him to touch more.
Using his forefingers, he splayed my lips and began running his thumbs up and down the swollen inner lips, dipping down to drag them through the wetness now flowing freely. He carefully massaged my inner lips until I was again thrusting my hips upward in an attempt to find relief.
"Austin, please!" I begged. "Please!"
"Please, all of it. I need it all," I whimpered.
"Like this?" he asked as he slowly slid two of his fingers inside of my tight opening then flipped them and massaged the velvety inner walls hitting my g-spot and making me cry out.
"Oh yes! Oh yes!" I cried as he slowly pushed his fingers in and then slowly dragged them back out again. The sensation was overwhelming and I was so lost in the feeling of his fingers inside me that I nearly jumped out of my skin when he bent down and began running his tongue over my clit. He used soft slow strokes at first, building the tension between his tongue and fingers as he drove me closer and closer to the edge of pleasure.
When he felt me begin to tighten around his fingers, he made his tongue into a hard little point and began licking and sucking the erect little bud as I buried my fingers in his hair and pressed his face tightly between my legs. My hips were moving in time with his fingers and his tongue never stopped its beautiful rhythm, but I needed more and I knew it.
"Austin, more," I gasped. "You. More."
"Tell me what you need," he said, looking up from between my legs. "Tell me anything and I'll give it to you."
"You," I said decisively. "I need you, inside me. Now."
"Are you sure?" he panted.
"Never been more sure of anything in my life," I moaned. "You. Now!"
He smiled at me as he slowly pulled his fingers out of my wetness and sat up. He leaned over and grabbed something off of the nightstand and when I gave him a questioning look, he held up the little foil packet as he put it between his teeth and tore it open. It didn't take him more than a few seconds to roll on the condom, and then he was on top of me. His weight felt good, like it was holding me down on the ground instead of letting me float off into space,
Austin held his shaft in one hand as he slowly rubbed it between my swollen lips. I was so wet that when he finally pressed himself against my tight opening, he slid in with little effort. I could feel the entire length of his shaft sliding into me and the slow slide was deliciously agonizing and felt unlike anything I'd ever felt before.
Once completely inside me, he stayed perfectly still as he pressed his body down on top of mine and wrapped his arms around me. He bent his head and took possession of my lips in a way that let me know he felt like he was as much a part of me as I felt I was a part of him. Then, he slowly began to slide back and forth, every motion massaged my inner walls and made me moan as I felt him filling me over and over again.
I held on to him tightly as we worked to find a rhythm and once we did, he slipped his hand down between us and massaged my clit as he slid in and out over and over. I lost myself in the feeling of our bodies gliding over each other as the sweat coated our bodies and made us slippery. I felt Austin moving so deep inside me that I opened my eyes and found him watching me. Our eyes locked and as he moved his hips against mine, stroking both inner and outer pleasure points and driving me to the edge of orgasm. I pulsed my hips up to meet his thrusts and as I did, I felt his fingers working my clit more intensely, sending waves of pure pleasure shooting though my body.
I gripped his shoulders and pushed harder. "Austin, harder faster!" I cried as I tried to pull him all the way inside me. I wanted to feel his entire body buried inside me, making me feel this way forever. He increased the tempo of his thrusts and soon he was groaning from the effort of holding back his own orgasm until he could push me over the edge first. His fingers strummed my clit faster and faster as he bucked his hips and thrust as hard and deep as he could.
We were both moaning and calling out each other's names as we rode the rhythm that would take us over the edge of climax. And then, in one second, it all started. I felt his fingers hit the spot that triggered my orgasm only seconds before I felt him groan as he fell into the chasm of his own release. He slammed into me and held himself there as we both throbbed.
It took us both a few minutes to return to earth, and as we did, Austin pulled back and quickly disposed of the condom before he scooped me up and pulled back the covers on the bed. Once he had, he climbed in with me still in his arms.
"What are you doing?" I laughed as he held me tightly against his chest while he climbed back into bed.
"I'm getting us under the covers," he said with a confused grin. "Something wrong with that?"
"No, it's just that I'm perfectly capable of getting up and helping." I laughed harder.
"I know, but I thought it was the gentlemanly thing to do," he said as he pulled the blankets up over us and curled up next to me. He propped himself up on one elbow and brought his other hand up to push the stray hair out of my face. "You're so beautiful."
"And you are amazing," I smiled as I turned and lightly caressed his cheek before running my hand through his hair. "Absolutely amazing."
"No, you are," he said as he leaned forward and kissed me lightly.
"Fine, we'll split the difference," I laughed and returned his kiss.
"C'mere," he said as he lay back and held his arm out for me to snuggle in close. "I want to just hold you."
I nestled in next to him resting my hand on his chest and feeling the beat of his heart against my palm. I tipped my head and looked up at him. His eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply.
"What are you thinking?" I whispered.
"I'm thinking that today has been the most perfect day in my entire life, and I'm trying to hold on to that because I know that perfect days don't always last," he admitted.
"That's kind of sad," I said.
"No, it's not sad at all," he replied as he kissed my forehead. "It just means that you have to appreciate those days more than others and that you have to burn them in your memory."
"If you say so," I laughed. Then more quietly said, "It was the most perfect day ever."
"I want to stay right here, in this moment, forever," Austin whispered into my hair.
"Me, too," I whispered back as I wound myself around him a little more tightly and breathed in his scent. I could feel his hands sliding up and down my back and it made me shiver with pleasure as I curled in close to him and rested my cheek on his chest. It wasn't long before we both fell into a deep sleep wrapped around each other dreaming of the water and sunshine and the best day either of us had ever had.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Emily
I don't know how long we were asleep before my phone began insistently buzzing. I pulled myself away from the warmth of Austin's body and out from under the blankets to grab the phone. One look at the screen and my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. Tommy had been calling and texting me for hours, and now he was frantically hitting redial every time he got my voice mail.
I knew I couldn't ignore him, but I didn't want to wake Austin, so I grabbed his shirt off the floor and pulled it over my head as I padded down the staircase and headed to the living room. It was early morning and the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Its rays cast dark shadows as they began to peek out from behind the curve of the earth. I hit dial on the phone and waited.
"Bitch, where have you been all night," Tommy yelled into the phone. He was drunk and in a rage.
"Tommy, there's a huge time difference between Vegas and Sydney," I began. I wasn't going to try to reason with him in this state, but I did think maybe I could confuse him a little and get him to calm down.
"I know that," he slurred. "You think I don't know that? How stupid do you think I am?"
"You're not stupid, Tommy," I said.
"Damn right I'm not," he said. "Not stupid."
"Tommy, you're drunk," I said in a stern tone. "Where are you?"
"The bar," he slurred then yelled. "Hell yeah, I'm at the bar and I'm having a damn good time!" I roar went up behind him and I wondered what bar he was at that would have people responding to his drunken shouting.
"No, no, no," he said. "This isn't about me. This is about you, and where are you?"
"I'm in Sydney, Tommy," I replied. Maybe if I stayed general, he would be placated and I wouldn't have to get into the specifics with a drunken husband.
"No, I know that, but where in Sydney," he asked.
"I'm staying at the Marks Hotel," I said. "That's where the flight crews stay when they travel."
"Then how come no one answered when I called your room, huh?" In his drunken state, Tommy was still aware of what was going on.
"I don't know, what time did you call?" I asked. "I might have been up in Trish's room or out getting dinner."
"I don't remember, but I know you weren't there!" he said accusingly. Then suddenly, his voice shifted and he began crying, "I'm sorry, Em. I'm so sorry."
"Tommy, what's going on? Where are you?" I shouted into the phone. "What is happening?"
"I'm sorry, Em. I'm such a rotten husband and such a loser," he cried. "I don't deserve you."
"Tommy what are you talking about?" I repeated. "Tell me what's going on!"
"I can't Em, I just can't," he sobbed as he dropped the phone and stopped talking. All I could hear in the background was the sound of machines clanging and random voices. It was as if he'd dropped the phone in the middle of a crowded bar or arena or...casino! Tommy was at the casino.
"Oh no," I groaned. "Tommy! Tommy! Pick up the phone! Pick it up!"
There was nothing but random noise on the other end, but I could hear people cheering and others talking as they walked past wherever Tommy had laid the phone down. Then all of a sudden, the line went dead. I sat on the couch looking at my phone screen for a moment, then hit redial and got Tommy's voicemail. I left a frantic message for him to call me back before texting him and demanding that he call me.
There was no response. I tried calling once more and sending a few more texts before I gave up and put my head in my hands and cried. Tommy was in some casino doing who knows what and I was here, with Austin, cheating on my husband with a man that...that what? I stopped and thought about it for a moment and realized that I had fallen for Austin. What I was feeling for him was the beginning of something much more than just a cheap, tawdry affair. I liked him. I liked being with him. I liked being intimate with him. A lot.
