Third Strike's the Charm

by Nicci Carrera

  Wow, whatever that was all about she didn’t know. Then he kissed her. At first even his mouth was tentative, like he had lost his footing in this reality, but then he shifted his stance as though suddenly realizing what he had before him. His hands came up her back and held her firmly in place as he deepened the kiss.

  He worked his hands under her sweater. The roughness of his palms and fingers made her skin erupt in goosebumps that he chased with his exploring caress. His mouth encompassed hers with heat and tenderness.

  Jason slid one hand around the front, and he gently stroked the peaks of her breasts. Heat pooled low in her body.

  “I want you to remember this, darling.” His breath tingled in her ear. “I want you to remember every moment of this night like I will.”

  His sweet term of endearment, darling, set her heart speeding, robbing her of breath. The shadowed room deepened the color of his eyes. In a tangle of sudden urgency, her sweater and bra were gone, as was his shirt. A low groan from him unleashed a pulse of desire deep inside her. When he dipped his head, his rough hair brushed between her sensitive breasts. A hot stroke of his tongue followed by cool air blown on her tight bud flooded her with opposing sensations that overloaded her circuits.

  When she gasped, he grinned. “God, I’ve been craving your body forever.”

  “Took you long enough…”

  “I needed a bed, which is where you’re going right now.” Jason lifted her like she weighed no more than a baseball bat and carried her to the bed.

  She tore off his jeans. He chuckled and called her a greedy wench.

  “Do you have a problem with that?”

  “You tell me.” He pressed against her, letting them both share his excitement, but she hadn’t managed to get his underwear off with the jeans. Rookie mistake!

  He pulled away from her mouth and shifted to rub himself across her most sensitive area. She slid her hands down the muscles of his back and sides, fitting them beneath the waistband of his underwear. He pushed up on his knees, assisting her, his muscular body hard as stone, carved as sculpture in the dim light.

  He grabbed his jeans from the floor, dug into the pocket and pulled out a condom, which he applied with a degree of showmanship not lost on her. Jason leaned over and kissed her while letting his fingers trail lightly down her chest and belly. His touch between her legs was sweet pressure that fueled more fire.

  “I want to kiss you all over,” Jason said, his voice a low growl before he proceeded to do just that, his lips leaving a trail of tingling pleasure on the side of her neck, around her collarbone, and down her sternum. His mouth covered her left breast and moved to her right as she arched against the contrasting sensations of moisture, heat, and firmness. Oh, the skin on her belly was so sensitive. Who knew? He continued lower as Cara struggled not to writhe. Oh God, he was going all the way. They’d never done that… She’d never done that. His touch on her most sensitive place sent a current through her body.

  “Oh!” She pressed herself back into the mattress, closing her eyes, forcing her body to remain still. This man, who should be so familiar to her, was different and was driving her wild. Their lovemaking had always been hot, but this was different. His touch, his attention, made her feel…cherished. She was the finest wine, the richest truffle, and he was a gourmet bent on appreciating her every taste.

  “You are so ready, Cara.” His announcement was a low, masculine growl of pride. His eyes were dark with desire. He continued to stroke her until her eyelids fluttered shut, and a shudder of pleasure swept through her. “There we go.”

  She wanted him desperately now. “Let me do the same for you…”

  “I’ve missed you, sweetheart.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.” She wrapped her legs around him. He belonged to her again.

  Resting his elbows around the side of her head, Jason ran his fingertips over her temples and stared deeply into her eyes as he pushed fully inside her. “Cara, honey, you are so beautiful.” He kissed her again, while holding still, then he began to stroke her inside, still trying to keep the bulk of his weight off her, until she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him down onto her. “Cara, you’re killing me. I can’t last if you do that.”

  Her laugh was hoarse, and pride filled her, but Jason wasn’t the only one fighting a losing battle. She kept her eyes open as his closed, watching him clench his jaw and surrender to his own passion. Perhaps his loss of control was what made another wave of intense pleasure course through her just as Jason let out a groan of pleasure. Wrapped around each other, they rode the waves, ending on a shudder followed by a deep kiss.

  Darkness settled like a blanket around them as though the night meant to drape two spent lovers in privacy. They lay together, his arm draped around her waist, and hers draped over his, their foreheads touching.

  “That was amazing,” she whispered. “Can I take you with me?”

  He pulled away and lay flat, staring at the ceiling, and muttered, “I can’t help wondering if this is the third strike.”

  Her stomach tensed. She sat up and reached for the light on her nightstand. “Jason, what did you say?”

  He rolled onto his side with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Propping himself on his elbow, he gazed at her with a poker face. “Nothing, just kidding around. Come here.” He patted the bed in front of him.

  Coldness trickled through her veins. She spoke around the knot in her throat. “Explain to me what you just meant about the strikes. Why would this be strike three?”

  “Not…this.” He patted the bed. “Letting you go.” He looked back at her, and the vulnerability in his eyes tore at her heart.

  “I don’t want to—” She choked, but forced out the last word. “Go.”

  The expression in his eyes cleared. Steadied. “You’ve got to see this thing through, Cara. I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m sorry I didn’t have my head on straight last summer. I’ve been pretty messed up since losing baseball. Drifting. Now that I finally do have my head on straight, it doesn’t mean you should change your plans. I will wait for you, wait until we can figure out what to do. We’re grown-ups. We both have responsibilities.”

  Tears threatened to choke her, but Cara fought them. She didn’t want to make it harder on Jason. He was right. “I know it’s silly not wanting to be a grownup. I just want to stay here with you, your mom, and my mom.” An image of Dusty made her smile. “I want to be like a cat. No responsibilities.”

  Jason shoved himself upright and took hold of her, pulling her back down onto the sheets. His arms were so strong, his hands so warm. His embrace made her feel like she didn’t have to do this all alone. And that was different. What would it be like to have this feeling, this knowing she never had to face anything alone ever again? “Thank you, Jason.”

  “You okay?” He stroked her hair.

  “Yes,” she squeaked.

  “We can…you know…Skype.”

  A giggle actually managed to get through the narrow channel of her throat. “Okay.”

  He chuckled, pulling her into a spoon cuddle. They snuggled together, made love again, and finally slept. Before she knew it, the alarm on Jason’s phone cut the air.

  He reached out to the nightstand, retrieved the phone, and shut it off. “Hey.” His green eyes were smoky in the bit of light that worked its way around the blinds. He ran his fingers over her shoulder. “Love this tattoo.”

  She peered at him through sleepy eyes. “I’m glad.”

  “An anchor with a lobster…perfect for your dad.”

  She rolled away so she could look him in the eye. “You always understood.” It was a good excuse to get out of bed. She went to the dresser and retrieved her locket.

  He was beside her helping her put on the necklace. He paused to kiss her forehead. “Love you, Cara.”

  Before she could reclaim any air in her lungs, he was gone. She let him use the bathroom alone while she packed her bag. He’d moved away before she could
tell him she loved him, too. Not that there was any doubt, and it wasn’t as though she hadn’t told him a dozen times before. Maybe a hundred when she was an over-romanticized sixteen…but he hadn’t given her a chance to respond in kind, and that told her…what?

  She wasn’t sure at first, so she analyzed it while she packed. She settled on a theory. Jason had told her he loved her and not given her a chance to tell him she loved him back because he wanted her to have the statement, to keep it in her heart regardless of what happened in their relationship. He was making no demands, just giving her a gift.

  The trouble she tried to wrangle to the ground as she padded across the floor to join him in the shower was how not to tell him the feelings exploding inside her like fireworks. If she thought she loved him before…she had no clue. Which meant he didn’t know either.

  In the shower, he came to understand.

  Afterward, he made coffee. “Let’s sit outside for this.” He handed her a steaming mug.

  They had the long deck that circled the motel to themselves because it was still early, 6:30 a.m. The coffee was hot and sweet, like Jase. They sipped in silence for a while, watching the light harden from the soft tones of a misty morning into the bright edges of a clear day.

  “Do you want to grab breakfast at Love Caters All?” Jason said. “It’s fast.”

  “No, thanks. I don’t think I can face Mama this morning. She is so good, but you know…”

  Jason shook his head with closed eyes as though realizing the craziness of what he’d suggested. “I know. Bad idea.”

  Cara drained the last sip, and the fog in her head cleared. “I’ll just grab a bite at the airport in Trenton. Can you make it without breakfast until then?”

  He nodded, the sunlight tipping his hair in gold. “I don’t know. You worked me up an appetite.” He clutched his growling belly and chuckled, standing. “Let’s get a move on. We’ll be a bit early, maybe, but this way we don’t have to worry about traffic. Plus you’ll have time to eat something before boarding.”

  Boarding. And flying far, far away from Jason and Lobster Cove. The thoughts wrung out Cara’s heart like an end-of-life sponge, but she trudged after him to the truck. He put their stuff in the back and climbed in beside her.

  Trying to get back to the business of the day and put the dream of the previous night behind her, she said, “Don’t you have to check out?”

  He looked at her for a moment, sadness haunting his eyes, before starting the engine. “No, I took care of everything yesterday.”

  They rolled out of the parking lot. As they descended past the Morgan Mansion, Cara tried to be chipper. “Thank you, Jason. This was wonderful. I can’t believe you came up with this idea, but I really appreciate it.”

  He glanced at her then back to the road. “I’m glad. Thought I had all summer to date you again. Life is complicated right now.”

  “You’ve made it a wonderful summer, even though it was cut short.” Now would be a good time to tell him she loved him, but it was awkward. He didn’t seem to want to hear that confession from her, yet her statement, without the words, sounded noncommittal and distant.

  A garbage truck was clanging its way up Main Street stopping at each of the businesses. She sighed. She’d even miss that.

  “We’ve only had two dates. And this”—He waved his hand in the general direction of the motel—“was accelerated. But I wasn’t letting you leave without making love to you, Cara.”

  His words sent an odd shiver down her spine. She feigned interest in the businesses they were passing on Pine Street: Morgan Bank, Fisherman’s Workout Gym, Sawyer and Son. Everything Jason did and said this morning had the spin of trying to make up for the past but not too hopeful about the future. Everything except saying he loved her. She’d cling to that for now. The memory of him helping her with the necklace would have to keep her warm when she was alone at night.

  Thompson Island passed in a blur. The traffic at the stoplights in Trenton, on the other hand, made her fear missing her flight. Jason reassured her a dozen times which only served to tell her how much her body language telegraphed anxiety, which could be interpreted as eagerness to leave. The opposite of what she wanted to say.

  The clock on the dash read 7:06 when they finally arrived at the airport. Jason helped her inside. After getting her ticket squared away, they purchased bagels and coffee and took them to the waiting room. When it was time to board he cupped her shoulders in his big strong pitcher’s hands, looked her in the eye, and said, “Call me after the presentation, good news or bad. I’m here for you. You’re not alone. Don’t forget that.”

  He was still going to be there for her. Relief that Jason wasn’t pushing her away buoyed her to the tarmac, up the steps, and into her seat.

  Chapter Ten

  Far fewer bikes and pedestrians than normal were on the campus. Summer school sessions overlapped and plenty of students used the extra sessions to catch up on credits, but the June day lacked the crowded intensity of the regular school year.

  Cara hustled beneath the big gate on the East side. The beautiful stone archway was so large that it must be meant to shrink the ego of the mortals who passed beneath. Today, the high arch also served as a reminder to Cara of the scale of what she was about to attempt.

  Professor Ortiz’s office door stood open. His tall lean frame was bent over his desk. When he looked up, his brown eyes warmed in recognition. “Welcome, Cara.” He stood, extending his hand.

  For a moment, Cara was taken aback. She shook his hand, of course, but the gesture felt like a major shift in their relationship. Usually she, like every other student, sat across the desk from him asking questions. This shaking hands thing was like they were colleagues. A tremor of pride fluttered beneath her ribs.

  “It’s great to see you, Cara. I’m glad you could make it on such short notice. Have a seat.”

  “So much for my summer of relaxation. Just kidding. I’m really grateful you made these arrangements, given the circumstances.”

  To Cara’s relief, Professor Ortiz grinned at her joke. Then his expression grew more serious as he studied her with his intelligent eyes. “Are you ready? I know you were supposed to have a rest, but maybe on the upside, your presentation is still fresh in your mind.”

  “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I’ve been working on something a little different.”

  His eyebrows drew together. “Different? On such short notice?”

  “Well, I discovered I have a very strong interest in a completely different area than entrepreneurial business or consulting.”

  Professor Ortiz sat back. “Go on.”

  Her palms began to sweat. She rubbed them on her jeans, took a breath and began. “I am not claiming to have anything solid here. Perhaps I should just leave it out altogether. My original presentation is ready to go. I do want to talk to you about this new idea though. Not so I can pass the class and get my MBA, but so that my MBA can help me chart a new course. After all, the entrepreneurial emphasis is supposed to prepare us to turn our wild ideas into viable businesses, right?”

  Professor Ortiz smiled. With a slow nod, he sat back in his chair and inclined his head, peering at her with the attention of an eagle. “That’s exactly right.” His tone bore a note of pride. “Let’s hear it.”

  Cara wiped her hands on her jeans. “A new kind of assisted living home for the disabled and elderly.”

  A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes behind the horn-rimmed glasses. Then he nodded and gave the hint of an encouraging smile. “It’s a growing field. What’s your idea?”

  Whew. First hurdle crossed. “My idea is to create a chain of small home-like facilities for the elderly run by very strict principles. They would have a very high staff-to-resident ratio to accommodate personalized social and everyday life assistance. One principle would be to have enough staff that residents can be driven places whenever they like. Ideally it would be easy to go out individually, to go shopping, to a restau
rant, or to visit a friend. Mobility creates less isolation. Large facilities usually take residents out on formal outings in a big group, which reduces a person’s sense of individuality and of belonging to the community. Of course, all regulatory issues need to be accounted for.

  “I would start with one place in my hometown. I see rolling these out in small communities to help people age in place by continuing to live in the same town. I don’t intend to rule out cities, but the first wave would be in smaller outlying areas. Small-town America lacks access to these kinds of resources.

  “This is a high-touch business. The differentiators are personalized one-on-one care and philosophy-driven staff training. The roll-out to other cities will be slow and deliberate, and I would oversee the establishment of each new home.”

  Professor Ortiz sat back and crossed his arms. “It sounds wonderful, but expensive. And you don’t have the healthcare background.”

  She took a breath. “At this point it’s just a dream, but also a business plan, which I’ve prepared.”

  He unfolded his arms, and the edges of his mouth twitched. Then his mouth and eyes turned stern. “You plan to present this tomorrow?”

  “I am ready to present my original presentation. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I was actually considering doing a hybrid presentation, connecting the two by showing how two disparate business ideas are connected by the same funding and planning principles.”

  Professor Ortiz didn’t say anything for a few moments, moments during which Cara’s stomach knotted, but then he nodded slowly. “I like that you are elevating your presentation to general principles that apply to any business idea. Let me see your presentation.”

  She opened her laptop, brought up the presentation, and turned the screen toward him.

  With a wave of his hand, he urged, “No—give me the presentation right now. Turn the laptop toward yourself. Or you can show me if there’s something you plan to show the audience tomorrow. But go ahead and give me a dry run. Rehearse.” He leaned back and cradled his head in his interlaced hands.