Then There Was You

by Candace Shaw

  Settling her head back against the toss the pillow he’d placed under her head, she let him carry her away on a journey of ecstasy as he kissed along her neck and collarbone. She wanted him to go further and had practically begged him, saying his name over and over along with clutching his bare shoulders. How many more hints did she need to give? The warmth of his skin penetrated through her dress and onto her skin, but she yearned to feel him against her. She removed his hand from her bottom and glided it down to her dress. Raising an eyebrow, he understood her silent plea and in one swoop the dress was discarded next to his shirt on the floor to expose she was braless.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered. “All of you is remarkably beautiful.”

  Biting his bottom lip, he sucked one of her nipples into his mouth, winding his tongue around it in a slow, sensual pace.

  “Mmm … Chase, you’re so perfect.” She shut her eyes and concentrated her mind on the feel of his tongue teasing both of her breasts while his hand massaged the top of her panties in the same sensual rhythm. Her hips began to follow suit an unhurried pace, and her breathing unraveled with every moan released from her. Brooklyn clenched his shoulders as he sped up a tad, and she didn’t know how much more she could handle before she reached her peak. Being with Chase in this manner was the greatest place on Earth; better than Disney World. No ride or attraction there could compare to the roller coaster of emotions he had her on.

  His lips reached hers once more after driving her breasts insane for leaving them. He weaved his hand into her hair while mingling his tongue with hers in a wild, heightened kiss. Their satisfied sounds filled the atmosphere and drowned out any common sense jarring around in Brooklyn’s head. His hands along her skin tormented her even more. The fork in the road between love and lust was present, and the more he continued to make her feel like the only woman in the world, the more she had to realize she was simply trying to live in the moment of the feelings which started eight years ago.

  Chase halted their kiss abruptly and held onto her tighter than he had during their entire tryst. Her eyes flew open to find him in an intense, serious stare. His clenched jaw showcased his sculptured face and his breathing had increased even though they were still. A finger lingered on the waistband of her panties, and she knew the question he was asking without uttering a single word.

  Goodness, she’d daydreamed about this very second for years. Her desire for Chase sped rampant in her veins like race cars zooming around the track nonstop. The only way to calm her down would be to give into temptation and the curiosity of being one with him. Brooklyn had yearned to know the feeling of him inside of her, joining their bodies and minds until they couldn’t tell where the other one began and ended. She craved him not on a physical aspect but mentally and spiritually. She knew there was so much more to what they shared besides a physical attraction. Chase was the man she pictured a future with by the way he stared at her, smiled at her, or his attentiveness to her needs. It was one of those whirlwind romances she’d read about in romance novels which always ended in a happily-ever-after. But would hers end happily? Chase would be moving back to Memphis in December and she had no idea where she would be career wise or city wise. Panic rose in her, and the thought of him not being in her life one day shattered through her like broken glass. However, starting a relationship with him would be naïve on her part. How did she possibly think it had been a good idea in the first place? Still didn’t mean she couldn’t finally have her vivid daydream of being with him intimately come true. You only live once, she thought.

  “Chase,” she began, placing her hand on his face, “I think we should …”

  “Wait?” he asked, sliding off of her and grabbing his shirt from the floor. Handing Brooklyn her dress, he slipped on his shirt. “I guess we got kinda carried away. Again. We have plenty of time,” he stated matter-of-factly, caressing her hair.

  Standing, she kissed him softly on the lips and proceeded to take his shirt off and fling it across the room. “No. I think we should go to my bedroom.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want you to regret this in the morning.”

  “The only thing I regret is not doing this sooner but … only this one night,” she stated seriously.

  He cracked a sexy, arrogant grin, lifted her into his arms, and began to walk to her bedroom. “One night is all I need to make you mine,” he said, resting his forehead against hers.

  “I’m serious. I can’t promise anything past tonight.”

  “Then you may want to rethink this, babe, considering you’re already halfway addicted to me. One night and trust me, you’re going to want … no, need more.”

  “Well, the same can be said about you as well, mister. But we’re adults. We know exactly what this is and what it can’t be. So tonight only.”

  “We’ll see about that,” he said, winking as he entered the room and lowered her onto the plush gold comforter with him following on top of her.

  The seriousness in his tone and the way his lips crashed on hers with an intense possessiveness he’d never displayed before with her, sent her heart racing as a shiver cascaded down her spine. In an instant, Brooklyn knew he was right. She would crave more because in that moment her heart was indeed all his, and she never wanted to be without him.

  Chapter Nine

  Brooklyn couldn’t remember a time when her body felt as totally invigorated and on fire as it was at this very moment. Chase’s warm, naked skin practically infused with hers, awakened a new awareness of being alive and enamored by a man. No, this wasn’t her first time with a man, but it was the first time she’d experienced these emotions before thanks to Chase. Deep down, she wanted to erase the one night only suggestion; however, she knew it was for the best and promised herself to savor every second encased with him.

  Flipping her over onto her stomach, he pushed his hand into her hair and trailed scorching kisses on her neck. His other hand roamed down her side and clenched her bottom, rotating it in a gentle, sensual motion.

  “Mmm … Chase …” she barely managed to croak out as his kneading on her bottom sped up with each passing second and her hips automatically joined the same rhythm. “Oh, Chase …”

  “Love hearing you say my name,” he whispered against her ear as he continued grasping onto her.

  His tongue left her neck and began to make an unhurried yet exaggerated path down her back. Grasping the pillow, Brooklyn’s pulse sped up at the anticipation of where his tongue headed toward. The thought caused her to clutch the pillow harder and she hoped goose feathers weren’t about to spill out and fly around them. Heat radiated through her body, enhanced by his lips on her skin, and the satisfied groans aroused from his throat tingled her center. Her moans increased as his tongue glided down, and she drew in a sharp breath when he abruptly stopped at the small of her back. She was almost disappointed when he slid his body up to rest on top of her. Chase glided his tongue along her neck until he reached it around to her lips, capturing her mouth and muffling the gasp which was about to erupt as he slid his hand way from her butt. Placing it between her thighs, he parted them wide and caressed her warm center in a circular motion, causing the hint of an orgasm to begin a slow rise.

  “Mmm … mmm,” she sighed out. “Damn, that feels …” Her voice trailed off as he delved his tongue deeper into her mouth.

  “Thank you,” he boasted, with his mouth lingering over hers, as he flipped her over, causing a resounding giggle from her. “Glad you’re enjoying the sample.”

  “Sample?” she questioned as his mouth left hers and he captured a breast into his mouth. “Whew! Mmm … Chase,” she breathed out as his teased the other one into his mouth.

  “I’m just getting started,” Chase said, staring up at her with dark eyes. “We have all night.” He traveled his mouth back and forth between each breast, making sure to give both equal attention as if he couldn’t decide which one he liked more.

  “Um, I have an early morning flight,” she reminded, not tha
t she cared at the moment.

  “Sleep on the plane, beautiful and dream of my tongue …” he paused, sliding it down the middle of her body until it reached between her thighs, and slowly licked the delicate little bud into his mouth, “here.”

  “Oh… Chase.” Arching her head against the pillow, Brooklyn reached down to grasp his shoulders, but he placed her hands onto the bed and held them tight under his.

  His tongue and mouth never missed a beat of the erotic dance he bestowed upon her over and over, causing one of her legs to shake uncontrollably. Brooklyn intertwined her fingers with his, and her hips met his tongue in the same tempo as the other leg began to shake. She wanted to beg him to replace his tongue with something else; however, the only word she could whisper out was, “Chase,” as the soar of a climax began to rage, shaking her entire body. Grasping her hips, Chase didn’t stop but instead slowed down to a sensual pace as her breathing calmed somewhat to normal and she let out a peaceful, long sigh.

  “Mmm … that was exquisite,” Brooklyn moaned.

  She attempted to sit up to return the favor, but apparently Chase wasn’t finished as his tongue sunk even deeper into her, followed by one of his fingers and another, sending Brooklyn once again on the roller coaster ride she thought she’d gotten off of. He was right. She would definitely be on the airplane daydreaming of this very act of rapture which had to be the next best thing to heaven. Blissful waves of elation crashed through her veins, and the effortless chore of breathing was no longer easy.

  Brooklyn didn’t know how long this go around of pure pleasure lasted and she barely remembered staring at him through her haze of ecstasy as he scooted off the bed and rustled around in his shorts that lay on the floor. She heard the rip of something before he rejoined her, gathered her in his arms, and placed his lips on hers in a slow-winding kiss. Wrapping her legs around his waist, her eyes pleaded with his to make them one. A sly smile inched across Chase’s face while he slid one of his hands down between them to honor her silent request. Their lips joined at the same time, and were in sync together in an identical unhurried and sensual tempo.

  A wave of tantalizing emotions ripped through her as he began to plunge deeper, causing her to shudder all over again; but unlike earlier, her orgasm was even more uncontrollable and she clutched his shoulders tight for the fear of falling because she no longer felt the mattress under her. Instead, she was floating on air in Chase’s arms as he stroked in and out of her at a pace that sped up with each inch of thrusting, which she happily matched until he eventually could no longer hold on, and gripped her tight as he shuddered against her.

  All of the daydreams, fantasies, and night dreams she’d ever had of making love with him didn’t even come close to the way he was making her feel physically and emotionally. It didn’t compare, and she didn’t know how on Earth she wasn’t going to crave him after tonight. She sensed withdrawals in her future from not being able to be touched or kissed by Chase, and he knew exactly what he was doing. Erasing away her proposition of one night only. It sure as hell was working, but she knew nothing more could come of their tryst, and she decided to savor the moment instead.

  They made love one more time before taking a shower together and settling back in the bed naked and entangled in each other’s arms, facing each other under the comforter.

  “How many hours of sleep of do we have?” she asked groggily with a yawn.

  “About three. I set my cellphone alarm. I’m deep sea fishing in a few hours you know.”

  “I’m sure you’ll have fun,” she said sleepily, her eyes dropping but she was still halfway coherent.

  “Not as much fun as I had tonight,” he yawned, closing his eyes.

  Brooklyn nestled closer to him. “I knew our one night together would be magical.”

  “One night?” he asked just above a whispering chuckle on her forehead before pulling her closer against his comforting chest. “I’m never letting you go.”

  Brooklyn tried to pretend she didn’t hear the words he uttered as she drifted off to sleep but she had. And they rang loud in her head throughout her dreams.

  *****

  Chase kissed the top of Brooklyn’s forehead and slid out of the bed moments after his cellphone alarm sounded. Turning on the lamp, he grabbed his shorts from the antique storage chest in front of the bed and slipped them on. It was nearly five in the morning, and even though they had barely slept four hours, Brooklyn felt wide awake and recharged. A feeling of melancholy washed over her as their one night had come to an end. It had been everything she imagined and more, but she knew anything past this wouldn’t be in her best interest as she was already in a complicated place in her life, and she didn’t want to add to it.

  “I hate to leave so early, but Addi sent a text to be ready at six for our deep sea fishing excursion, and she has a surprise for me later. I’m almost scared to find out. Knowing her it’s swimming with the sharks or something else life threatening. Too bad you can’t come.”

  Brooklyn crawled to the foot of the bed as he sat and put on his shoes. She knew of the surprise and it wasn’t anything life threatening. He rustled her hair, and she was terrified to even glance in the mirror to witness how bad it looked. But she didn’t care. It was worth it after being with him.

  “Oh yeah,” she stated with a slight chuckle, glancing at her packed suitcase by the door. She’d almost forgot about her trip home. “Gotta plane to catch.”

  “I’ll miss you, but I can’t wait until you come back so I can make love to you again.” He paused, drawing her to him and kissing her deeply on the lips. “And again.”

  Fear shook through her at his words. Not that she didn’t want to, but last night had been a one-time escapade. Did he forget? However, his statement of “I’m never letting you go,” replayed in her head, and she knew he was serious.

  The seductive expression on his face wasn’t making what she didn’t want to say any easier. She knew her decision would be for the best in the long run even though there was a dumbbell that weighed a ton lying on her chest and voices (Reagan and Zaria’s) screaming in the back of her head, “Girl, are you crazy?”

  Brooklyn tried to breathe out but couldn’t. “I don’t regret what happened,” she quickly said as she witnessed his smile fade. “But we agreed to have this one night and it was amazing. Let’s not ruin the moment with talks of something which will never be.”

  Sure enough his face scrunched into a ball of confusion and then turned into a grin followed by a light, sarcastic laugh. “Ha. I understand .And then next time we see each other you’ll break your promise and give in to temptation once more?” His inquiry was laced with a slight condescending sneer.

  “No, I don’t think you do. I like you …a lot, but your stay here is temporary. You’re going back to Memphis in December, and honestly, right now I’m in limbo about my next career move. I have no idea where it’s going to take me. I may stay here on St. Simons but not necessarily with Precious Moments, and I know I’m not moving back to Memphis and you’re not moving here. I need to focus on me at the present. I’ve always helped others achieve their dreams, but I have yet to fulfill my own. Starting a new relationship at this moment wouldn’t be wise. True, we can hang out and have fun and whatnot, but in the end you’ll be leaving in a few months.”

  Groaning, he ran his hands over his face and backed away from her. “I truly understand how you feel, but I’m not trying to stand in the way of your career plans or dreams. Not trying to rush you into a relationship, but I honestly see a future with you. I can’t lie about that.”

  “Chase, I think we got caught up in a fairy tale fantasy of each other because we’ve always been attracted to one another. We were curious about the possibilities.”

  “But who knows what may happen in the future?”

  “I don’t want to become so caught up with you or fall in love with you and then you leave. True, I can go to Memphis, but moving back there isn’t in any part of my plans. I love to vis
it my brother and his family, but it hasn’t felt like home since my parents died.”

  “So basically what you’re saying is you don’t want to continue seeing me on any level for the fear of falling for me … or you’ve already fallen for me and now you’re scared?”

  Okay, so he knows me better than I realized. “I think it’s best we cool it …”

  “Oh, now I see.” He stood and stepped away from the bed. “When you say,” he put his fingers up to symbolize quotation marks, “‘it’s best we cool it,’ you mean wave hi and bye if we run into each other while I’m still at Addi’s but not hang out alone because you’re scared what it could lead to like last night for example.”

  Standing in front of him, she tried to hold back the tears. “Chase, I’m sorry. I think we should cut our losses now before we get too involved. You want something I can’t give at the moment. I was serious when I said one night only.”

  “This sounds like one of those ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ type of speeches.” He stepped into her personal space as her breath sucked in sharply. “And you know what? It is you because it’s definitely not me. It’s you. It’s you scared of heartbreak. It’s you not willing to give us a chance. It’s you not having faith if we are meant to be everything will fall into place. It’s you, because I know what I want.” He grabbed her to him but he didn’t kiss her. Instead, he stood still, his jaw clenched as his stare penetrated into her. “And you know what you want as well. It’s been written on your beautiful face since the moment we met. It’s in the way you kiss me, touch me. The way you look at me. The way we made love. It wasn’t casual sex and you know it.” He meshed her against him and whispered on her parted lips, “We breathe in sync.”

  Knowing all of what he stated was true, Brooklyn didn’t have a comeback answer, but she wasn’t going to change her mind. It was for the best even if it did hurt like pure hell.

  “I’ll respect your wishes, but we’ll see how long it takes for you to change your mind … again. And while I would love for you to do so, please know I’m not going to wait around forever, sweetheart.” Chase chuckled nervously, released her, and strolled toward the bedroom door. “I don’t ride roller coasters,” he called out before shutting the door.