Five Hearts Anthology

by Sandy Sullivan

  “No, please don’t. You have nothing to apologize for. I walked into your home unannounced. It’s completely my fault.” She hoped to never talk about that incident ever again.

  “I didn’t handle the situation very well, and the more I thought about it today, the more I realized how uncomfortable I made you, pretty much like I’m doing now.”

  “Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I appreciate your candor.”

  “Can I be honest with you about something else?”

  Catrina’s stomach flitted with butterfly wings, while a slow blush warmed her cheeks. “Sure.” She sounded more confident than she felt in his close proximity.

  “I find you an engagingly beautiful woman. I haven’t been in a relationship in years, and I haven’t wanted to get close to anyone. However, you not only caught my attention, yesterday, but held it. I couldn’t stop thinking about you all day. I want to get to know you more and see where this could lead.”

  “You’re straight to the point, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t believe in dancing around the subject. In my past, I’ve made the mistake of not speaking my mind, hiding my head under a rock, if you will, and I’ve promised myself I won’t ever hide from the truth again. Cat, you seem to have enchanted me, for lack of a better word, and I can’t get you out of my mind, nor do I want to.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Are you single?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you find me attractive?”

  Admiring his honesty and directness, she felt he deserved the same respect. “Yes, I do.”

  Alex reached out and took the mug away from her hands, placing it on the coffee table in front of them. Sitting back on the couch, he leaned toward Catrina. With a gentle touch, he ran his fingers up her arm to her face, and caressed her cheek. Without hesitation, she tilted her head into his palm, relishing the intimate touch so long ago forgotten.

  His head came down, and his lips brushed with the lightest touch against hers. No other man had ever kissed her beside Phil, and Alex stirred up a fire burning deep inside. Terrified, she wanted to run to the safety of her home, freeing herself from any entanglement and complication she knew he would bring into her simple life, but her body longed for his sensual embrace, his deep kisses and wild abandon. Desire coursed through her causing her pussy to throb with need. The chemistry between them could not be denied, nor could their passion.

  Catrina lifted her arms around his neck and pulled him to her, their lips crushing together. Sweeping his tongue inside her mouth, she flicked him back with her own. Tenderly, he pushed her down onto the couch and crawled between her legs, grinding his swollen rod against her core through their jeans.

  Arching her hips, she urged him to press into her harder. Obliging eagerly, he moaned, and then he pulled away from her to remove his sweater. In a growing state of arousal, she took him in with her gaze. His body looked magnificent. He worked out, and it showed. She wanted to trace every ripple and line in his muscular chest, arms and abs. However, he had something else in mind. Reaching down, he removed her sweater with ease and unclasped the hooks on her hot pink push-up bra.

  He moved the bra cups aside, exposing her breasts to his hungry gaze. Her dark, pink nipples hardened under the heat of his stare. “Oh my God, you are so damn sexy.” Lowering his head to her chest, he started feasting on her breasts. He ran his tongue up and down the length of her swollen tips, and then took one into his mouth, while he cupped her other breast and rolled her nipple between his fingers.

  “Your touch feels so good,” Catrina said with her head rolled back and her eyes closed. She fisted her hands in his thick hair, urging him to continue his sensual touch.

  Eventually, he moved down her body, placing wet kisses on her stomach to the top of her jeans. Undoing her pants, he backed off enough to remove them from her body. Alex looked down at her, taking in her hot-pink thong, which matched her bra. “Oh, Cat, I have to taste you,” he demanded, positioning himself between her legs, so his face lined up with her pussy.

  Catrina didn’t realize what he’d meant until he pulled the edge of her thong to the side and placed his full lips on her swollen clit. Shocked by his actions, she tried to pull away at first, never having experienced this kind of intimate kiss from a man, but he held her with a firm grip. He worked magic with his tongue, sliding it back and forth with the right amount of pressure. Between the hypnotic rhythms of his steady licks and the pure bliss manifesting in her snatch, Catrina released her fears and hesitations of this sexual embrace. Relaxing back against the couch, she found her hips lifting of the own volition against his mouth. I’ve never felt this sensual torture before. I wonder what else I’ve missed.

  Feeling her orgasm building, she yearned for relief. “Oh God, yes, yes!” Her body shuddered and came with an incredible force, wracking her to the core. Her pussy throbbed with uncontrollable contractions as she tried to catch her breath.

  Alex pulled away from her and stood up beside the couch. Watching him as he removed his jeans and underwear, he stood naked before her like a Greek God. He’s so dam hot, I can hardly stand it! She focused her gaze on his massive erection, with a drop of precum formed on the swollen head. His balls were tight, his pubic hair trimmed short, and the ridges of his cock promised long nights of pleasure.

  Scooping up her petite form into his arms, he carried her into his bedroom, placed her ass on the edge of his bed, and bent over to grab her calves. Lifting her legs, he positioned her ankles on his shoulders. With a firm hold of his rod, he placed the head against her wet slit, running it up and down her slick folds combining their juices.

  She couldn’t move away, nor did she want to. As he loomed, looking large, masculine and powerful, the lock around her heart weakened. She wanted to open up to Alex, let him in. His cock slid into her opening and she wiggled her hips, encouraging him to go deeper. Moving her legs around his waist, he leaned over her body and said, “I could fall hard for a woman like you.” He kissed her fiercely, possessing her lips as he thrust hard into her pussy, filling Catrina fuller than she’s ever experienced. The hunger for his next thrust, uncontrollable with pleasure, swamped her senses.

  Recklessly, he pulled out and slid back into the heat of her core.

  “Faster,” she whispered when he released her lips.

  Obliging her command, he started to pound into her snatch faster, deeper, and harder. As she suspected, every ridge of his cock brought exquisite delight. Reaching the pinnacle of her desire, she fell into the abyss in a sensual euphoria. She tried to cry out, but he kissed her, robbing her of words and breath.

  When he released her lips, he looked into her eyes. “Cat, you’re so fucking desirable.” His body tensed, and he thrust one last time before filling her full of his cum. A fine sheen of perspiration covered his body as she wrapped her arms around him.

  Pulling out of her core, he collapsed beside her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her, drawing her tight against him. They lay together for a quiet spell, catching their breaths. Alex broke the silence after kissing her cheek tenderly. “You’re amazing, my little Cat.”

  Catrina had never been called that before. She loved the endearment as it warmed her soul. “You weren’t too bad yourself.”

  “I think it’s important to tell you that I don’t sleep around with women. In fact, it’s been quite a long time since I’ve allowed myself to get close to anyone. I’m steadily growing attached to you already. I hope I’m not scaring you off.”

  “I’m very flattered you’re feeling this way about me…”

  “But?”

  “But what?”

  “I’m sensing ‘it’s been nice, but I only want to be friends’ speech.”

  “Wow, did you sense the wrong thing.” She giggled at him and continued, “I was going to say I haven’t allowed anyone near me in years either, physically or emotionally. You’re the first man I’ve desired or been with since my late husband passed away years a
go, and I’m finding myself not only attracted to you on the outside, but also on the inside. I’ve let my guard down with you, something I haven’t done with anyone.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear about your husband passing away. I guess that’s something else we have in common. My wife passed away years ago too. I’m so honored and thrilled you’ve let me in. I can promise you one thing, Cat, I won’t ever hurt you.”

  “You’ve made a pretty bold promise. There are no guarantees in life as we both know.”

  “You’re right, but I don’t want to go through my whole existence being cynical. I want to start enjoying my life with the woman I love standing beside me. I guess I’ve learned I’m a romantic at heart.”

  Alex’s sweetness tugged at her heart. Clearly he wanted someone in his life, and he understood what it felt like to lose someone you love. Maybe this might work out after all.

  “You sure seem romantic.”

  “I’ve learned from my mistakes in my marriage. I want to cherish the woman I’m with, not take her for granted. And I want the same in return.”

  “It sounds like we’re kindred spirits.”

  “I’m starting to think so.” Leaning over, he kissed her passionately.

  Returning his kiss with the same ardor, the desire grew between them again.

  Chapter Four

  The new lovers had been inseparable for three days. They’d spent time at each other’s home having dinners, talking till all hours of the night, and making love where ever and whenever the frequent urge hit them.

  They curled up together on his couch in front of the roaring fire, enjoying a glass of red wine while soft music played in the back ground.

  “Alex, can I ask you about your wife?”

  “Of course you can. What do you want to know?”

  “I get the strong impression you and your wife didn’t have a loving relationship. Am I right?”

  “Yes, you’re right. The night she died, she left me for another man. I blamed her for the demise of our marriage and her countless affairs. But, after all this time, I realized we never loved each other right from the beginning. We went through the motions of married life, nothing more.”

  “How long has it been since she passed away?”

  “It will be five years ago this Valentine’s Day.”

  Alex felt Catrina’s body tense up in his arms, and he pulled back to look at her, noticing her face had gone pale.

  “How did she die?” she whispered, as he watched tears welling up in her eyes.

  “Are you all right, Cat?” Confused, he didn’t understand why she’d be getting so emotional.

  “How did she die?” she asked again, demanding an answer.

  “The night she ran out on me, visibility was low due to a heavy snowfall. According to the police report, she thought she’d been driving in the correct lane, but it turned out she’d drifted into on-coming traffic. She drove head-on into another vehicle and died upon impact, or so I’m told.”

  Horror crept into her face, as she stood up suddenly. “I have to go.”

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “I have to go,” she repeated almost running to the front door.

  “Catrina, what’s going on? Please, talk to me.” Chasing after her, he grabbed her upper arms.

  “Let go of me.” Tears flowed down her cheeks.

  “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

  “I can’t, I don’t want to talk about it. Please, let me go home. I can’t see you anymore.”

  “What? No, Cat, how can I let you go in the state you’re in? Why don’t you come back into the living room, sit down with me, and tell me why you can’t see me anymore. I think I at least deserve your honesty.” His heart broke watching her emotional melt down, and knowing he couldn’t do anything to help her without her telling him the problem. The thought of losing her felt as if he had been punched in the gut.

  Sobbing into her hands, she finally pulled back and looked at him, anger flashing in her eyes. “You’re wife killed my husband.”

  He heard her words, but it took a while to register what she meant. Releasing her arms, his mind soared in several directions at once. She slipped on her boots and ran out of his house, while he stood staring after her retreating form.

  He felt torn. One side of him screamed to run after her, get her to understand how he felt about her. The other side urged him to stay home and let her deal with the grief on her own.

  “Dammit!” Marching into his living room, he stood there not knowing what to do with himself. “I fucking love this woman. What the hell am I doing here?”

  Running back to the door, he bent over to put on his boots. Again, he stopped himself. He knew Catrina would always love her late husband, and the emotions she felt was her grief bubbling up to the surface. I need to give her some space to sort things out, but a few days is all she’s going to get. After that, I’m fighting for her with everything in me.

  Heading toward his homemade gym to work out, he hoped to clear his head from the confusion of the horrible coincidence they both discovered tonight.

  * * * *

  Catrina lay on her bed sobbing. Why did it have to be his wife? Why? The wall started to build around her heart again. Every time I look at him I’ll be reminded of Phil’s death.

  Already fighting with the guilt of starting a new relationship, and recognizing the connection between them had been sullied, she couldn’t continue seeing him. Regretfully, she’d let her guard down, allowing him into her life like no one else. However, she decided to end it now rather than later. Losing Alex hurt deeply, but she thought it would be better to end things before they went any further or used the ‘L’ word. Tonight she’d allow herself to wallow in self-pity and grief, but tomorrow she’d get to work on her novel, shutting out the world, especially Alex.

  She wrote non-stop for days, purposely losing herself in the story, so she wouldn’t have to deal with Valentine’s Day or think about Alex in anyway. The sun had set, and still she sat at her kitchen table typing on her laptop. A knock at the door startled her, and she realized she was sitting in the dark, only the glow of her laptop screen illuminating the room. Maybe they’ll go away, whoever it is.

  Dapple ran to the door and mewed frantically at it, as if answering the person on the other side.

  “Little traitor,” Catrina said as she walked over to the entrance. Peeking through the peephole, she saw Alex standing on the other side. Her heart beat faster, and she put her hand on the wall to steady herself. He looked so handsome, yet distressed. Wanting to hold him tight and kiss the sadness away from his face, she struggled with the urge knowing she could never be that intimate with him again. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

  “Hi, Alex.”

  “Hi, Catrina. Can I come in?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, do you?”

  “Actually, I think it’s a great idea. We need to talk.”

  Looking into his somber eyes, she knew she couldn’t turn him away. I’ll hear what he has to say, and then I’ll say a final goodbye. “All right, come in.”

  He stepped inside and removed his winter coat and boots while she turned on the lights. Dapple seemed to sit patiently, waiting for Alex’s hands to be free. Once he stood up, the kitten pawed at his leg to be picked up.

  “I think Dapple missed me.”

  “I believe your right. You can have a seat and bring the little monkey with you.”

  Grabbing the kitty around the middle, he carried him into the living room, all four of his little paws dangling past Alex’s hand. He sat on the couch and she felt his gaze burning into her soul. She sat on the love seat across from him, giving herself a buffer zone from his advances. Ready for this to be over with, she stared at the floor, trying desperately not to look at him.

  “Catrina, thanks for talking to me. I know this isn’t an easy time for you.”

  “No, Valentine’s Day is a tough for me to get through. I can imagin
e it’s not so hard for you to deal with.”

  “You’re wrong there. I may not have been in love with my wife, and angry by what she did to me, but I didn’t hate her, and I most certainly didn’t wish her dead.”

  “But I loved my husband, and she took him away from me.”

  “Their deaths were an accident. I’m not defending Sally’s behavior, but I know she didn’t plan to kill anyone, let alone herself on that fateful night. She left me to go to her lover and live with him. Can you imagine the guilt I felt knowing she died while leaving me? If only I could have been a better husband, if only I could have loved her, and if only I spent more time with her, maybe she’d still be alive. Her death is a heavy burden I’ve had to carry around. I’ve learned to deal with it, but Valentine’s Day reminds me about it all over again, and I can’t help but feel remorse and sadness.”

  A wave of pain flowed into her heart and tears trickled down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Alex lifted Dapple off his lap and set him down on the couch. Rising, he walked to Catrina and knelt down before her, taking her hands in his. “Let me help you through this. From what I’ve found out about you over the past week, you’ve gone through this alone. You had no family or close friends to turn to. Well, being alone ends now. I’m here for you, and I don’t intend to go anywhere without you by my side.”

  “It doesn’t seem right, I feel so guilty,” she said as her body trembled with emotion.

  “Dammit, Cat, I’ve fallen in love with you. You’re a beautiful woman, both inside and out, and I want to spend every day of my life showing you how much I love you. Please, give us a chance. Don’t let some horrible coincidence taint what we have. I believe their time had come to an end in this world, and maybe Fate meant for us to be together all along. Don’t let guilt rule your life. Let your heart make some decisions for a change.”

  As his grip on her hands tightened, his words hit a nerve deep inside of her. She’d been living a sheltered life, hiding away from the world, relationships and people in general. Alex had been the first person she’d let her guard down with, and being with him felt right, from the initial embarrassing moment she met him. He loves me. Maybe it’s time to let someone in. Oh my God, I do love him. Pulling her hands away from him, she wiped the tears from her eyes and faced Alex head on. “I’ve been afraid to fall in love again. Then I met you, and in such a short time, I’ve fallen in love with you too. This is all new to me, and I don’t know if I’m going to handle things right or not. Could you handle being with a woman who loves another man?”