by Trisha Telep
Three
“I couldn’t even see the road,” Jon explained after Zoe asked how his accident happened. “Next thing I knew my truck slid and I was upside down in a ditch.” He rolled his shoulders as if they bothered him. “I didn’t think I’d ever get out. Then, when I felt as if a ton of water had rained down on me, I wished I hadn’t. I just started walking, hoping I’d find someone to help who had a phone so I could call roadside assistance.”
“Phone’s out until the electricity comes back on,” Zoe said, getting up to check her phone. “And cell service always goes down during storms like this.”
“I’m surprised you’d be willing to live in such an isolated area.”
“I’m a website designer and graphic artist, so I can work from home. It doesn’t bother me.” She finished her omelet then picked up both dishes and carried them to the sink and rinsed them off. “Do you mind my asking what you were doing out in bad weather like this?” She topped off their mugs with fresh coffee. “The storm was strong all during yesterday and didn’t let up throughout the night. You were lucky you weren’t killed on the road.”
“There wasn’t any sign of a storm when I left my apartment. In fact, it was a nice day and that’s why I thought I’d go for a drive.” He wrapped his hands around the mug, allowing the heat to seep into his skin.
“What do you do?” she asked curiously, noting his hands had the look of a man who worked outdoors. The fleeting thought that those hands would also be gentle on a woman raced through her head. She realized it had been a long time since she’d had a man in her life, much less gone out on a date. But it wasn’t something to think about right now. No matter what, she didn’t know him.
“I’m a contractor. My company works on renovating old houses.”
“No wonder you showed up here,” Zoe laughed, looking around the kitchen that she knew was in serious need of work. “I’m surprised you didn’t take one look and decide you were better off in the storm.”
Jon followed her gaze. “At first glance the place looks sturdy. A house built with care.” He turned his face back to hers, looking at her with eyes that were warm with some indefinable emotion.
“You could see all that in a downpour?” she teased, ignoring the butterflies making war in the pit of her stomach. “And here I thought you’d tell me everything that was wrong with this old place.”
He shook his head. “That’s not my style. Right now, I’m grateful to be in out of the rain.” He smiled and lifted his mug in a toast.
Zoe returned the gesture and used the moment to study him further. His shaggy black hair showed a light sprinkling of grey along the temples, and faint lines beside his eyes and mouth said that he was a man who was used to laughter. She even saw a hint of that amusement dancing in his navy-colored eyes now.
Zoe realized just how alone she’d been. While the kittens provided some diversion, they couldn’t hold a conversation with her or hold her during the long nights.
She lowered her eyes before Jon might see her thoughts.
“How much property do you have?” he asked, seeming to sense her unease.
“Twenty acres, although most of the land is wooded. With the bad weather lately, I haven’t been out back. I’m sure the grass resembles a jungle.” She glanced toward the back door. “I guess all the dampness has done something to the door – it’s been stuck for a while. Luckily, I don’t need anything out there. The generator is accessible through the mudroom.”
“Wood swells. If you like I can look at it for you.” He laughed as he smothered a yawn. “Sorry about that.”
“I should be the one to apologize. You must be exhausted.” Zoe jumped up from her chair and gestured for Jon to follow her. “The guest room is always made up and I keep the room aired out.” She led the way up the stairs. “You’ll have hot water for a shower and I’ll see if I can find something else for you to wear.” She pointed out the bathroom, retrieved fresh towels for him and then showed him the guest room. She heard the water running while she looked through closets, finding a couple of large sweatshirts and a pair of her dad’s sweatpants, as well as some heavy socks. She left them on the bed then retreated downstairs to the kitchen.
“You girls behave, OK?” she whispered to the kittens as they scampered around her ankles. She winced as needle-sharp claws buried themselves in her skin. “Enough.” She pried Tic off her foot and held the kitten up to her face. “I am not your scratching post.” She nuzzled the soft furry face and laughed as tiny paws batted her cheeks. The other two kittens soon clamored for their share of attention. Pretty soon, Zoe found herself on the floor laughing and rolling with her furry companions who climbed over her as if she were their personal gym.
“Now that’s a cute picture.”
Zoe froze and looked up at Jon who stood in the doorway. Her oversized sweatshirt fit him pretty well, while her dad’s sweatpants were baggy, but that didn’t hide an obviously well-honed body. For a woman who prided herself on keeping her hormones under control, she sure was feeling them today.
“They tend to demand a lot,” she admitted, accepting his helping hand and getting to her feet.
“I just came down to say goodnight, or I guess I should say good morning, and thanks again for taking me in.” He didn’t release her hand and she didn’t draw back. He smelled like the citrus body wash she kept in the shower and he looked warmer now. Delectable, even.
“I’m glad I was here. People have died in these storms.” She started when lightning flashed and a large thunderclap followed, shaking the house.
Jon moved closer to comfort her. “That was a big one. You’d think the storm would have moved on by now.” He rubbed his hands down her arms.
“It seems we’ve had a lot of them lately.” She managed a brief smile. “Sometimes I wonder if winter will ever end.”
He nodded, looking a bit awkward. “Well, I’m going to catch up on my sleep. Thanks again.”
Zoe watched him walk up the stairs and heard the soft snick of the guest-room door closing.
For the first time, she didn’t feel as alone. It was a good feeling.
Four
Jon thought he’d fall asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. Instead, he lay under the covers thinking of the woman downstairs.
He was surprised he wasn’t feeling too many aches and pains after his accident. At the time, he’d felt as if he was on some kind of insane carnival ride.
He didn’t even remember getting out of the truck. He had found himself on the road and had just started walking until he saw a light and discovered Zoe’s house.
He wondered why someone so pretty would live out in the middle of nowhere. She intimated she could do her work anywhere, so why not in town where she’d be around people? Did this house mean that much to her? Deep down, he didn’t think so.
Jon didn’t believe in instant attraction. He didn’t believe in fate either. But what else other than fate had him turning his truck left instead of right when he couldn’t see his hand in front of his face because of the driving storm? He’d known his share of women and not once had he felt the kind of quick connection he felt with Zoe.
From the second he looked into her sweet, delicate face with the large brown eyes beneath her tousled golden-brown hair, he felt as if he were falling off a cliff. The wild sensation in his stomach was the same one he felt after he tried bungee jumping for the first time off the Sawyer Bridge last summer. At least this time he didn’t indulge in projectile vomiting afterwards.
But he would like to take her in his arms and see if what he felt about her was true.
He settled on his back, his arms crossed behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling, watching the flashes of lightning steal between the split in the drapes and light up the room.
When was the last time he’d met a woman who fascinated him? Obviously so long ago he couldn’t recall one name.
Conversation with Zoe was easy. He hadn’t felt that comfortable with a woman in age
s.
His last thought before sleep overtook him was the hope that the storm would last long enough to give him a chance to get to know her better.
Jon had no idea how long he slept. He only knew that the rain was still sheeting against the windows and the thunder was still rumbling overhead along with sporadic flickers of lightning.
The room was chilly with the dampness of the storm outside, but he was warm under the covers. He grabbed the sweatshirt hanging on the bedpost and pulled it over his head. A glance at the clock on the dresser didn’t give him any idea of the time – it appeared the batteries were dead. Even his watch had stopped.
“So much for claiming to be waterproof.”
He used the bathroom then cocked his head to one side, hearing music playing softly downstairs. The scent of sugar led him to the kitchen.
“Have a good sleep?” Zoe greeted him with a smile. She was busy pulling a tray of cookies out of the oven. “Stormy days always put me in a cooking mood. I hope you like oatmeal chocolate chip.” She nodded toward the array on the table. “Coffee’s fresh. Help yourself.”
He noted she’d changed into a pair of black jeans and a pink v-necked sweater that looked as touchable as she must be. Strands of hair escaped her ponytail and drifted around her face, and if he wasn’t mistaken she wore a hint of lipgloss. Was that effort for him?
He filled a mug and refilled hers before trying a cookie. He watched her drop spoonfuls of dough onto another cookie sheet.
“What kind of websites do you design?” he asked, wanting to know more about her. He leaned back in the chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. He smiled as the kittens deemed him worthy prey and climbed over his sock-clad feet.
She paused, looking upward. “Lately, it’s been for those you might call ‘odd and unusual’. The one I’ve been working on lately is called ‘Dating the Dead’. It’s goth-related, for vampire wannabes. A couple of years ago, I was hired to do some graphic design for an underground club and pretty soon I had other similar clients asking me to design sites or logos for business cards and flyers.” She laughed softly. “They’re all very strange, but at least they pay promptly. I even had a psychic contact me not long ago. I’ve been so busy with my work that I can’t remember the last time I left the house.”
“You must grocery shop.” He nodded toward the large mixing bowl.
“I tend to lay in enough supplies to last for months. Winters are hard out this way either with rain or snow. But I’ll probably need to go into town soon.” Once the cookie sheet was in the oven, she sat down next to him.
“Well, let me know when you’re there and I could take you out to dinner,” he said.
Her smile warmed his heart. “I’d like that.”
Jon leaned in closer. He hoped he wasn’t making a big mistake, but he had to find out.
“I would, too,” he whispered, cupping her cheek in one hand and leaning in that last distance to kiss her.
His first thought was that she tasted as good as she looked.
His second thought was that he didn’t want this kiss to end.
Five
Zoe was frozen to her chair.
She shouldn’t allow a man she barely knew to kiss her. But Jon’s mouth felt so good against hers. Warm and firm. His other hand rested lightly on her shoulder, his fingers gently stroking.
She felt suspended in time as his mouth moved over hers, his tongue stroking the seam of her lips, silently asking for entrance. When she parted them she tasted chocolate and coffee, mixed with the masculine flavor that was all Jon.
And here she was, thinking her cookies were addictive! Nope, Jon was way more necessary.
She melted against him as she thrust her fingers through his hair, feeling the thick strands curl around the tips. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she moaned his name.
The faint hint of citrus from his shower was still there, along with a darker earthier scent that she already associated with him.
A feeling of loss took over when Jon moved away. He kept his hand on her cheek, his thumb gently caressing her skin in a circular motion.
“Do I need to apologize?” he asked softly.
Zoe shook her head. “It seemed . . . right.” She wished she could come up with another word. A description of how she felt. She was so lost in his gaze that she didn’t notice that the storm had kicked up a notch and was assaulting the house with apocalyptic fervor.
“It did.” His smile warmed her better than the heat from the oven. “Zoe, I don’t go around kissing women for the hell of it. It’s just that I look at you and—” he lightly stroked the soft skin at the outer corner of her eye “—I feel this strong connection. I know it sounds crazy since we just met, but it’s like I’ve been looking for you all my life.”
Zoe covered his hand with hers. “When I woke up yesterday, I had this feeling that I wanted more in my life. Maybe fate sent you to me.”
“I like the idea of that.”
The ding of the oven timer wasn’t loud enough to startle them. Zoe pulled the cookies out, shut off the oven and set the tray on top of the stove. She turned back to Jon and held out her hand.
Jon didn’t hesitate. He took her hand and stood, allowing her to lead him up the stairs.
Zoe was grateful that she’d cleaned her bedroom the other day – there was no clothing scattered around and there were clean sheets on the bed. Since the room was dark from the storm, she lit the candles on her dresser and on the vanity table at the other side of the room.
She didn’t feel any embarrassment as she turned to stand in front of Jon. She slowly raised her sweater over her head and dropped it to the carpet, then slid out of her jeans.
‘Wait.” He stopped her before she unclasped her bra. He took off his sweatshirt and pants then put his arms around her, using his fingers to find the clasp. He bent his head, dropping a kiss on the tip of each breast when the bra revealed them. “Beautiful,” he breathed against her skin.
Zoe smiled and closed her eyes to better appreciate the sensations Jon was setting off inside her. If this happened when he was merely touching her, what would happen when she felt all of him?
Not content with being the recipient of his touches, she placed the flat of her hand against his chest, feeling the tanned skin rough with crisp dark hair. She was right. He was muscular from daily physical work and she felt perfectly safe in his arms.
“Zoe,” he whispered as he backed her up to her bed.
They fell onto the covers, Zoe pulling off Jon’s briefs while he worked on her bikini panties.
“Beautiful,” he repeated, placing a kiss in the middle of her abdomen before moving downward.
Zoe felt her body immediately tighten in reaction, but in a very good way. She trailed her fingers over his chest, noting scars.
“Construction isn’t always a safe job,” he murmured, brushing kisses across her legs while he performed his own sensual Braille.
“This makes it all real,” she whispered back, reaching down and finding him erect. She wrapped her fingers around him, feeling skin silk over steel. She raised her hips in invitation, but he ignored her while he continued to drop kisses everywhere.
“We need to take it slow.” He pulled her nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue around the turgid tip.
Zoe moved restlessly, rotating her hips against Jon. How could he move so slowly when she was going insane with what he was doing to her? She could feel the tension in his body, so she knew he wasn’t immune.
“I want this to last.” It was as if he read her mind as he whispered the words against her lips.
“Make it last next time.” And then she squeezed his penis just a little.
Jon’s laughter was raw and shaky. It was enough to make him move into the cradle of her hips and thrust inside.
Zoe inhaled sharply, feeling a fullness she hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever. It was as if he’d been created just for her.
“Open your eyes, Zoe.”
She did and smiled up at him.
Jon moved his hips as Zoe tilted hers up, creating the ultimate friction. Their movements increased and Zoe tilted her head back, breathing deeply. She swore lights sparkled in front of her eyes and her body started to take over. She felt as if she were flying. No worries there – she could see that Jon was right there with her.
She opened her mouth, ready to admit the three words that she had no right saying. They remained on her tongue, not willing to leave, because while her heart wanted to say one thing, her brain was unwilling.
By the time she imploded with her orgasm and Jon had collapsed on top of her, Zoe felt about as perfect as could be.
Six
This wasn’t sex. This was true love.
No, this had to be a dream. There was no way lovemaking could be this perfect. Jon felt in sync with Zoe from the first moment he touched her and it only grew stronger.
Still, he’d always been careful with his emotions. He didn’t allow his penis to rule his head, no matter how pretty the face was. Now, less than twenty-four hours after a woman gave him shelter from a bad storm, he had made love to her. Jon hadn’t felt this good in probably for ever.
He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled closer to his chest.
“That was amazing,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against him.
He couldn’t hold back his grin. “Thank you.”
“Hey, don’t let it go to your head.” Her slap against his shoulder didn’t do any damage. “Who needs a teddy bear when they can have you?”
Zoe couldn’t keep her eyes open and she felt herself drift off to sleep. She had no idea that the smile curving her lips was mirrored on her lover’s face.
For once, she didn’t even care about the storm. Not when it meant Jon would stay here with her.
For a second her bliss was marred by the thought that the rainstorm was the only reason Jon was still here.
“I like having you in my arms,” he whispered in her ear before resting his chin on top of her head.
