“Ooooh, pretty words. I love hearing them.”
The drive was short. Scott led her to one of the older neighborhoods outside Princeton proper. While both the borough and the main section of town referred to as Princeton proper had merged, it would take a while before the sense of separation ended. Scott lived on one of the side streets close to the gothic-looking high school.
They got out of the car and he carried in several bags.
“What are we eating?” Diana asked.
“Wine and cheese.”
“Is that all? I think I’m starving tonight.”
“There might be a steak in one of these.”
“Red meat. Suppose I don’t eat red meat?”
“I’ve already seen you eat it.”
He put the bags on the kitchen counter and started to remove the items. Diana looked around the room. His kitchen wasn’t state-of-the-art like hers, but it was functional and easy to get around in. She moved through and looked into the living room.
“The light switch is on the right,” Scott said. Diana found it and turned it on. The room had the basic furniture and artifacts he’d brought back from his travels.
“This is beautiful,” she said and stepped into the room. Scott went to the doorway and watched her. She stared at a painting over the fireplace.
“It’s the Maine house,” he explained. “We used to go there often. I learned to fly there. Ever been?”
Diana shook her head. Scott handed her a glass of sparkling wine and told her it was her turn to make the salad. She rejoined him in the kitchen and opened several drawers looking for the silverware. The kitchen quickly filled with savory smells. Once dinner was ready, they sat down in his kitchen and ate.
“I had a very interesting meeting last week,” he said. He didn’t know why he wanted to tell her about it, but he wanted her to know.
“Really?” she said, smiling as she sipped wine. “Was it about me?”
“As self-centered as ever,” he teased, using the same phrase she had when he’d asked the same question. She laughed, and he loved hearing the tinkle in her voice.
“The meeting was no laughing matter. It was almost an intervention.”
“Intervention?”
They got up and moved from the kitchen to the living room. “And your name did come up.”
“This doesn’t sound good.”
Scott related what had happened, casting a good light on it.
“So they’ve changed and no longer think of me as Diana 4.0?”
“That might take some time,” he admitted. “But being a 4.0 student is a compliment.”
“Not the way they said it. But I suppose since you’ve changed your thinking, I can at least give them the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.”
“You say that as if you expect them to prove otherwise.”
“Well, there is Princeton borough and Princeton proper. And never the twain shall meet.”
“They’ll come around when they get to know you.”
Scott realized he wanted them to get to know her. He wanted them to realize how they had misjudged her when they were in school, but now that they were older, more mature, they could see her for the warm, loving person she was.
“What are we going to do tonight?” she asked, apparently relegating his friends to another subject area. “We could go for a walk.”
Scott stood up. “I have a better idea, but it does involve a walk.”
* * *
Diana looked at Scott and a slow smile teased his mouth. He came to her. Diana didn’t turn away. She was no longer Diana 4.0 or Brainiac. She was a woman, and Scott was the man attracted to her. His hands were on her waist, the same as they had been at the Embry wedding rehearsal.
“Shouldn’t we clean the dishes?” she suggested, her voice a low whisper.
“What dishes?” he asked.
She looked in his eyes, seeing the need there. His mouth slid down to hers. The moment their lips touched, Diana was transported back to school on that day, back to the kissing spot. Scott’s arms went around her, pulling her close to him. He tilted his head took her full mouth. His tongue swept inside and she joined him, weaving her arms around his neck and feeling the warm softness of smooth skin.
Without her high heels, Diana felt short next to Scott. Pushing herself up on her toes, she leaned into him, wrapping one leg around Scott’s. The action brought her body closer to his. She could feel his erection grow hard against her belly. A low, pleasurable sound came from him. The feeling was too good for her to stop. She didn’t want to think about anything but him. Scott’s hand caressed her back, traveling up and down over her contours.
His hands warmed her where they touched. And he touched her everywhere. Each part of her shirt and the tops of her pants turned to fire as Scott skimmed over them. Diana was sure her skin would burn and slide off. Her second leg raised as she could think only of getting closer to him. Scott grasped her bottom and held her, pushing into her. The two became one.
“Where’s the bedroom?” she asked in a croaky voice.
“Top of the stairs.”
Diana didn’t know how they made it. It seemed to take hours to get there. Scott stopped along the steps, pushing her back into the rungs and deepening the kiss with each lift of his head. His fingers slid between hers and they stretched along the stairs. She could only marvel that they kept themselves from sliding down the stairs. By the time they got to the bed, both were frenzied. They tore at their clothes and undressed each other, separating and coming together as if each needed the other to survive.
Scott pulled Diana back to him and kissed her. Each stood naked in the other’s arms. Diana inhaled Scott’s scent. She smelled his flight jacket combined with the outdoors. His body was hard and smooth. Her hands ran over him as if he were clay and she was the artist forming him into a man. His butt was strong, and she reveled over the curves leading to his long legs. Her fingers forced him to arch into her.
The whole room smelled of sexual electricity, combined with the guttural stock of human pleasure. Scott laid her on the bed and joined her there. His eyes gazed over her, taking in the smooth skin of her breasts and legs. He kissed her neck, then her cheeks, neck and shoulders. As he neared her breasts, Diana could feel them grow heavy and point upward in anticipation. She was having trouble controlling her breathing.
Scott paused at her navel, giving it wet attention. Diana writhed beneath him. She wanted him now, but he wasn’t finished with his torture. His hands stretched down the outside of her legs and came up the inside. When he reached the juncture of her legs, he used his thumb to give attention to the sweet spot of her sex.
“Awww,” she cried out. Her hands took his shoulders and assisted him up to her. She opened her legs in invitation, and Scott protected himself before entering her. Diana’s eyes fluttered shut as she moved ever so slightly. Yet the pleasure he evoked shot through her like a narcotic, instantly taking her on a high greater than she’d ever felt before. Three, four, five times the rapture embraced them. Waves burned inside her. Her fingers grabbed his back and held him, guided him, showing him where her pleasure points were and having him tap into each of them.
With each thrust of his legs, Diana was sure she would die. Yet each was greater, harder, more intense, more sensitive and found a higher level of pleasure than the one before. Unsure if she could endure this plane of erotic saturation, she still didn’t want him to stop. She anticipated each thrust, waited for it, wanted it, wanted more and more, wanted it all.
She heard Scott’s sounds as he pushed into her. Her head banged against the bed’s headboard. Diana pushed against it, stretching her body and allowing him greater access to the core of her being. It could have gone on for years or been over in a few seconds, she didn’t know. Time had no place in their l
ovemaking. Only feelings counted. Only the area of space where they ascended—where the universe was composed of sensation, where the giving and receiving of pleasure was the purpose of life—existed. And only the two of them inhabited it.
The break happened, the big bang, the eruption of a shattering star penetrated her mind. Diana felt the wind of creation rush over her. She heard the scream, yet didn’t know it came from her. When they could get no higher, feel no greater pleasure in each other, they came, climaxed, in the bright light of their new world.
* * *
Seven nights, Diana thought. Seven glorious love-filled nights. She glanced from the mirror to the hotel bed. She would miss him tonight. Scott had been with her every night, and they’d burned up the sheets with their lovemaking. Diana whirled before the mirror. She wore a business suit, but she felt beautiful.
The opening of the latest franchise was days away, and she’d flown to Montana for some last-minute details. Several calls to Scott proved fruitless. She missed him every time. She assumed he had an emergency and had to fly out quickly. But he was never far from her thoughts or from the infusion of heat that accompanied those thoughts.
Going to the new office, Diana worked with Carrie Osgood, its manager. They spent hours together and by the end of the day the room was cluttered with material: glossy magazines, wedding veils, blueprints and flowers. Coffee cups and the debris of a working lunch lay on the credenza in the corner.
“Many of the details have been worked out. I’ve been arranging for furniture and inventory. The suppliers you use have been wonderful to work with, and several orders are in the works. I made a contact with a local office supply company, and our furniture arrives tomorrow.”
Diana listened as Carrie updated her on the franchise’s progress since Diana’s last visit.
“Are we still on for the grand opening?” Diana asked.
“We’ll be ready,” she said without hesitation. “The shelves are all in place. Our inventory will be here in a few days.” Carrie spread her arms and Diana looked at the empty shelves, glass cases, mirrors and dressing rooms. Carrie’s idea was that the franchise should have a working bridal shop in case brides wanted a one-stop for all wedding consultants. Diana loved the idea. And it was another place to showcase Teddy’s designs.
“I’ve worked with the advertising firm I used in the past,” Diana told her. “They’ve begun the program. A reception and fashion show to introduce the business usually works well to bring in potential clients.” Diana held her hands out with her fingers crossed. “It will work again.”
“I already have a client,” Carrie said.
“Is it a friend?” Diana asked. That was the usual way planners began.
“Not a friend. It was a recommendation. She’s not the richest person. She took the basic package.”
“No matter the package, treat her like royalty. This is her day. If she likes what she gets, she’ll tell her friends, and our business lives or dies on word of mouth.”
Diana gathered her papers and briefcase. Sliding her purse on her shoulder, she smiled at Carrie. “You’ll do fine,” Diana told her confidently. “And you won’t be alone. We’ll have one of our best consultants come out and help you until you can hire someone of your own.”
Carrie took a breath. Diana smiled and squeezed her shoulder. “I’m off to the airport. Just follow the details we set out in the package and everything will work out fine.”
Carrie nodded, but Diana understood she wasn’t taking to being alone for the first time. She’d be fine. Mistakes could happen, but usually they were fixable. And Diana had a full team of people who came as backup.
She only wished she had the same kind of team for her life. Things were going well—too well—and that scared her.
* * *
Diana was both tired and exhilarated when she returned to the hotel that night. Her plans were to order room service, take a hot shower and turn in early. She’d fly home in the morning and straight into Scott’s arms if he was back.
She called him as soon as she got to the room. He answered, and her heartbeat accelerated just hearing his voice.
“Where are you?” she asked, expecting to hear he was in New York or Timbuktu.
“Montana,” he said.
Diana was sure she hadn’t heard him correctly. She moved her hair and pushed the phone closer to her ear. “Where?”
“Outside your door,” he said.
Diana was robbed of the ability to speak. She tried saying something, but nothing came out. She turned and stared at the closed door. She was sure she hadn’t heard correctly. It had to be the phone. She was due for a new one. This was the time to get it.
“Open the door,” he said.
Obediently, she went to the hotel door and peered through the fisheye lens. Scott stood there in his flight suit. Yanking the door inward, she found it was true.
“What are you doing here?”
He didn’t answer. He swept into the room and took her into his arms. They kissed for a long time.
“I couldn’t wait one more day for you to come back,” he said, kissing her again.
Diana couldn’t get a word in, and after a moment she didn’t want to. Feelings took over her body, and she only wanted to know Scott’s hands on her, feel him filling her with more pleasure than should be legal.
* * *
Diana opened her eyes and groaned at the sound of Scott’s ringing phone. Reaching across her, he grabbed it from the bedside table.
“Hello,” he said. Then, like a soldier coming to attention, he was instantly alert. He got out of bed, listening intently.
“Linda,” he said. “What?”
He waited for her to answer.
“Where?” After another pause, he said, “I’m on my way.”
Scott ended the call and grabbed his clothes. Looking around for his socks, he suddenly remembered Diana. She lay in bed, her body raised on her elbows, the sheet covering her naked breasts.
“I have to go,” he said. Going into the bathroom, he showered and dressed in ten minutes. Taking a second, he kissed her quickly and left the hotel room. It was unusual for him to get a job outside his usual flying area, but he’d been called to pick up a sick child in need of emergency microsurgery. Scott understood the crucial nature of his job. He was at the airport and onto his plane in record time. Soaring through the air, it suddenly hit him. What he’d said. What Diana had heard. And the worst of it was the dispatcher’s name was Linda. She probably thought he was rushing off to meet his former girlfriend Linda.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Scott need to call Diana. Explain. Let her know where he was and who had called to give him the message. Anything he’d say in the cockpit would be recorded on the black box that had been placed there for security purposes in case of an accident. There was an air phone in the cockpit, another FAA safety feature in case communication was interrupted by other sources.
He grabbed it and dialed. No answer.
Slamming the phone back into its cradle, he mentally kicked himself. He remembered her lying under the sheets. Her hair was all around her, but the expression on her face had been questioning. He had seen it, but didn’t think too much of it. His mind was on the life he had to save. But Diana didn’t know that was his destination. He was sure she only heard the word Linda. It was Linda Tisdale, the dispatcher for the medical air facility. Not Linda Engles, his former girlfriend. But Diana didn’t know there were two different Lindas.
Even after last night, after the passionate and uncontrollable fervor of their lovemaking, the pure consummation of the universe, she would think it was all a lie, that he’d left her bed only to jump into one with his former girlfriend. He needed to talk to Diana, but there was no way. He had an injured child on board and every minute counted in getting that child medi
cal care.
Scott would have to explain later. He’d come to Montana to explain that he loved her. Yet he’d never said the words. He’d shown her in every way possible, but the three little words remained in his mind and his heart. On the outside, the side she could see and hear, his actions said he was leaving her.
He checked the controls. Everything was in order. His life was a mess, but the plane was flying as he had programmed it to. Every second it took him farther and farther away from the woman he loved. She was probably on her way traveling east. He was flying to Los Angeles. The child behind the closed door of the aircraft was a six-year-old brain-tumor patient on her way for microsurgery at the world-renowned Oceanic Clinic. When Scott had got to the airport, the ambulance was already there and she, along with a truckload of medical equipment, was on board.
The tower cleared him immediately and then they were airborne. He was winging his way four thousand miles from where Diana was headed. He could only hope when he got to the ground she would answer the phone and allow him to explain.
But that wasn’t going to happen. Scott wasn’t allowed to take off immediately and return to his home base. He’d been in the air too long within the last twenty-four hours. He had to stay where he was for at least another night. Diana not answering his calls told him she believed he was with Linda Engles. No matter how many messages he left, she returned none of them.
* * *
Packing wasn’t one of the things Diana did well. Even though she traveled a lot, she’d never learned to pack her clothes efficiently. After Scott left, she cared nothing about packing. She virtually threw her clothes into her suitcase and smashed it shut. If the people at the airline wanted to open and inspect it, so be it. She didn’t care if they found her dirty nightgown and underwear.
How could Scott just jump up and leave without a single word? And how could he go to Linda? He’d told her Linda was old news. That she was not coming back into his life, yet one call from her when he was two thousand miles away and he’d grabbed his clothes and left Diana’s bed.
She’d never felt so abandoned. Diana hated to admit it, but Scott still had feelings for Linda. Diana couldn’t compete with that. She’d already known they’d had no future together, but he’d treated her well, made her feel special. But she only had a few months with him, and he and Linda had years of time that linked them together.
His Love Match Page 12
