by Dawn Steele
She didn’t want to leave his mouth, but they both had to come up for air. Wordlessly, they kissed again. And again. Until she found herself pressed with her back against the ground with the blades of prickly grass flattened by her body. He was on top of her, still ravenously kissing her mouth, and the sides of her mouth, and then her chin, the line of her jaw, and her neck. It was all so delicious and warm that she never wanted it to stop.
But he stopped.
He raised his face up sheepishly.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
“No, it was great.” Her breath was catching in her throat. “Don’t stop, please.”
“No, it was wrong of me. It’s only our second date. I shouldn’t have pounced on you like that.”
No one has ever pounced on me in any way except for the stray cat at home when she thought I was trying to steal her fishbone!
He got up on his elbows. After a moment’s hesitation, she got up too. Her heart was pounding. Did she do something wrong? Did he kiss her, and find that it wasn’t to his liking?
He’s going to dump me now, she thought in dismay.
But he helped her up instead. He was smiling, and he brushed away the stray blades of grass which were stuck on her clothes and forearms.
“D-did I do something wrong?” she said, unable to keep the fear out of her voice.
A strange look came over his face, and his features softened. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong, Jessica. We didn’t do anything wrong. I just didn’t want you think I was moving too fast, that’s all.”
“You’re not . . . moving too fast.” She licked her lips. She had applied a light pink lip gloss over them today but that was all kissed away now.
He gave her his hand. “Let’s go over the hill and down again for our picnic, shall we?”
She took his hand gladly. “Yes.”
Together, they trekked upwards again. And Jessica was dangerously aware that she was in the midst of falling violently in love on the second date with this wonderful, unpredictable man.
MUSINGS
As Kyle walked Jessica down the hill on the long trek to the other side, he was aware of the beating of his own heart.
What’s the matter with me?
He had only meant it to be a chaste preliminary kiss on her lips, a prelude to what would come. He had wanted to lure her in with it – a promise of further temptations to come. But what shocked him was his own reaction to her.
He already knew he liked her more than he should. He liked her looks, her sweet and shy personality, her self-deprecating way of looking at things which made her seem so humble and yet so ‘help-me’ lovable. He was also berating himself for thinking about her all night until he barely slept for the turmoil and conflict which raged inside his head for what he must do to her.
I should choose someone else.
But it would be cowardly and unseemly if he should walk away now. His father had already seen her profile and declared her a suitable candidate, with a few caveats. It would be very unnatural if he went up to his father and said, “I think I’ve changed my mind about this candidate. I’m going with someone else.”
It wasn’t exactly a job hiring.
Time was running out. Plump and tempting virgins who have come of age were not exactly plentiful. Jessica as a candidate was as good as they got.
Besides, what would his brother say? Kyle could imagine the sneer on Caleb’s handsome face. “Chickening out, brother? She got to you, didn’t she? I knew you didn’t have what it takes to be Alpha.”
What it took to be an Alpha. That was exactly the point, wasn’t it? A certain amount of ruthlessness mixed with compassion and the overpowering need to put the clan above everything else, be damned with the rest of the world.
Did he have what it takes to be Alpha? Did he really want to be Alpha?
He should not ruminate about such things, of course. Being the future Alpha was his birthright as the eldest son of the Atreides first family. The eldest sons have held this position for centuries as they accumulated their wealth. The Elders have insisted that the arcane rituals they performed were essential to this wealth and continuation of their clan, and everyone did not question them. At least openly. It was like challenging their very religion and way of life itself.
No. He couldn’t fall in love with Jessica, although he was aware that he was perilously close to doing so. He didn’t think he had ever been in love before, and so he might have misread the signs. Good. Does thinking about Jessica Dent all the time constitute falling in love? No. Love involved a measure of time. One didn’t fall in love with someone on second date. He was probably in lust with her.
Yes, that was it.
He would have to restrain his urge of wanting to touch her all the time, to run his hands through her silky chestnut hair, to want to place his lips upon hers and imbibe her very essence. He would have to control the always building bulge between his legs whenever he was near her.
He would have to do all this if he was to be Alpha one day.
THE AFTERGLOW
The picnic was just as lovely as the rest of the day. Kyle had ordered a picnic basket from one of the vendors at the lakeside which catered for such occasions. They spread the red and white checkered cloth under a tree and feasted on ham and pickle sandwiches, salads and caramel custard, and washed it all down with Coke.
Jessica didn’t want this day to end. And she was elated when Kyle said casually, “What’re you doing tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” she squeaked. Her pulse was thrumming again like a guitar’s strings. “Nothing.”
“Then we should catch a movie. Pick you up at ten?”
“Sure!”
As he dropped her off at her college dorm, he gave her another kiss that made her head spin. He had to rush off to a “family do”, but he promised to call her as soon as it was over.
She knew she would be checking her phone every two minutes tonight.
“So how was it?” Lyla gushed when she stepped into their room.
“Incredible!”
Jessica spent the next thirty minutes detailing to Lyla everything that happened. It was her turn now. She used to spend hours and hours since high school listening to Lyla talk about her dates, and now it was her turn! She could squee with the immense satisfaction it gave her.
After she had finished Lyla’s interrogation, Lyla said mysteriously, “Well, I’ve done some snooping.”
“I thought you were going out with Stuart.”
“I did, but I did plenty of snooping along way on my phone.”
“You mean Googling?”
“Yes. I Googled your boy and searched for him all over on Facebook, Twitter and Linked In. And you know what?” Lyla’s expression was crafty.
“What?”
“He’s not anywhere.”
Jessica waited patiently, and when her best friend did not say anything, she ventured, “And . . . ?”
“I’m just saying he’s a ghost! Everyone has an Internet presence these days, even you.”
“He was on the dating website.”
“Not anymore. His profile has been taken down.”
Jessica would like to think that was because he met her, which meant he was off the market. “Not everyone is on Facebook, Lyla.”
“Yes, but I should be able to find something on him. Alumni photos, blog mentions . . . you know how college kids are. There’s always a mention of someone somewhere. But there are only crickets where he’s concerned.”
“Crickets?”
“Chirp chirp chirp chirp.”
“So what am I supposed to do? Insist he set up a Facebook page?”
“No, silly. I’m saying he might not be who he says he is, that’s all. Did you ask to see his ID?”
It was Jessica’s turn to bridle. “I don’t believe you. You were the one pushing me so hard to go out with him. And now you’re suspicious?”
“I am not! I’m just saying he might not be who he says he is and you have
to be careful, that’s all.”
The realization of what Lyla was going all about struck Jessica like a sledgehammer in the gut. She was stunned for a moment, and then the hurt flowered like a bleeding wound.
“You don’t want me to have a boyfriend,” she said in a small voice.
Lyla looked stricken. “Jess, that’s not true! Of course I want you to have a boyfriend! If anyone deserves to have a gorgeous boyfriend, it’s you. Haven’t I been pushing you all this while? I’m just saying ‘be careful’, nothing more! Jess . . . I only want the best for you. You have to believe that!”
Jessica shook her head. “I don’t know, Lyla. I don’t know.”
Her eyes filled with sudden tears.
“Oh, Jess!” Lyla was truly distressed. She ran to Jessica on the bed and hugged her. Jessica did not hug back. “I’m sorry, Jess. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to see it that way. I take it back. You are right. Not everyone has an Internet presence. He’s just one of those people.”
Tentatively, Jessica put her arms around her friend and weakly hugged her back. But the damage was done. The seed of doubt had been sown, and Jessica would be subconsciously suspicious of her best friend’s motives from now on.
To kiss and make up, Lyla spent Saturday night with Jessica at the movies. But all throughout the movie, which was the latest ‘Paranormal Activity’ sequel, Jessica couldn’t help thinking of what Lyla said.
He might not be who he says he is.
She wanted to sweep it like cobwebs under the table, but it nestled in the back of her mind like a watchful spider that wouldn’t quite go away.
THIRD DATE
The next day, Kyle suggested a movie date.
“I haven’t caught the latest ‘Paranormal Activity’,” he said.
It was on the tip of Jessica’s tongue to say, “Sure, let’s watch it together”, but she reminded herself that she needn’t be a doormat and try to please people all the time, and she should say what she thought because this beautiful man wanted her to.
“I saw it yesterday with Lyla,” she said.
“Awww.” He seemed disappointed. “Never mind. Have you seen Jennifer Lawrence’s latest?”
“No.”
So they went to watch Jennifer Lawrence’s latest movie. Jessica was very proud of herself that she had said ‘no’ and he was totally OK with it. He didn’t seem to like her any less. They held hands in the dark all the way as the flickering images onscreen danced on their bodies, and at a pivotal tender love scene, he leaned over and kissed her.
Thereafter, they forgot all about the movie because they were so passionately kissing. I’m necking with a gorgeous boy in a movie theatre, Jessica sang. It was surreal. All these things that happened to other people were finally happening to her.
And now there was an added dimension. Kyle’s hand – initially on her waist – wandered to the side of her right breast. He stroked it, fingering the fortified bra contours beneath her blouse. Jessica’s heart was beating in her throat. A hollowness had begun to blossom in the region of her pussy.
Oh, I want him. I want more!
He followed this with another deep, open-mouthed kiss which sent tingling signals all over her body. The area between her legs was very wet. Her pussy clenched with the need to be filled.
“Hey, you two, cut it out,” growled the guy at the back of their seats. “There are some of us trying to watch the movie here.”
Kyle broke off the kiss abruptly.
“He’s right,” he whispered. “Want to go someplace else?”
She nodded.
They made it as far as the parking lot. Kyle pushed Jessica against a pillar and crushed his lips against hers.
“God, I want you,” he said in a hoarse voice.
His hands roamed to her breasts again. He cupped them beneath her blouse and groped them. The tips of her nipples tingled against the fabric of her bra. His grasp was very strong and urgent. Never had a man wanted her so much before. It was heady and exhilarating.
“These are gorgeous. Do you know how gorgeous they are?” he murmured.
A squeal of tires alerted them that they were not alone. A car came revving up the passage, made a sharp turn around their pillar and disappeared from sight.
Kyle laughed.
“OK, I get it. No privacy,” Jessica said. Her face was flushed and she knew the heat extended all the way down her chest.
He smiled mischievously.
“I know a place.”
REGRET
He didn’t mind bringing her to his place. Not really.
After all, he had few personal effects in it to alert her to his real name. Kyle preferred not to be reminded of his family and his obligations when he was on his own. The Enclave repeatedly did that already, and he didn’t need to add more flame to the matter.
Besides, once the deed was done, it was not as though she would ever return to this place.
But oh, she inflamed him like no other woman had done before! He continued to be surprised by how enormously he was attracted to her. His cock was harder than it had ever been in a long, long time, and he would give his right toe to dive in and savage those beautiful tits.
It wasn’t all physical, he knew. She was a combination of sweetness and innocence and purity that ignited his heart as well as his loins.
I could live with someone like her forever.
But he knew, with a very heavy regret in his chest, that it could and would not be.
Nevertheless, she was his for now to love. And he intended to love her for as long as he could until such time she was wrenched away from him.
THE APARTMENT
This was huge, Jessica thought.
Not just Kyle’s apartment, but the fact that he brought her here after the third date. The apartment itself blew her mind away, but she already knew it would.
She knew Kyle was young and rich, but his apartment surpassed her wildest imagination. The décor was ultra-modern, but it was clear that the best and most comfortable furnishings had been used. The sofa set was one of those comfortable ones with a recliner, and it was stark white. The lights were not seen, but the recesses and walls were lit with a nourishing glow. A collection of rocks adorned grottoes in the walls.
Jessica had never seen an apartment like this before.
“What are those?” she asked in wonder as she inspected the rocks. Some of them looked like they could have come from a museum.
Kyle seemed slightly embarrassed. “I collect rocks from every age and strata of the Earth. It’s a hobby. Some of these rocks are very old. See this piece of shale here?”
He indicated a brown slab. There was a fossil embedded within it – one of a lobster-like creature without legs.
“Trilobite,” Jessica said excitedly. “This must really, really old.”
“You know it?” He was impressed.
“I’ve seen it in a book.”
“Yes. This creature is over 270 million years old.” His eyes softened. “I remember when I first collected it. A kid said his grandfather had it in his garage for over twenty years. I bought it from them on Ebay for sixty bucks. It’s a good complete specimen.”
“I’m sure it’s worth a lot more now.”
“Not really.” He laughed. “Trilobites are a dime a dozen. But I like them.”
She smiled. He was like a little boy with his geological hobby.
Then she paused, suddenly feeling awkward. He brought her here for a reason and one reason only. She had wanted it just as much as he did in the movie theatre, but now that she was here, she suddenly felt nervous. What if she disappointed him? What if she was not ready? If he took one look at her fat body, would he laugh?
He must have sensed what she was thinking, because he said softly, “You’re afraid I’ll take your virginity.”
His words were so sensuous and on-the-spot that she shivered.
Kyle came close. “You don’t have to be afraid,” he said. “I’m not going to have sex with
you. Not tonight. But I can make you feel you’ve never felt before . . . if you’ll let me.”
Jessica’s mouth went dry.
“Do you trust me?” he said. His eyes were very brilliant and blue, and her knees went weak just to look into them. It was as though he had cast a spell upon her.
“Yes,” she whispered.
He led her to the recliner which was attached to the rest of his pristine white couch. He was so confident, so much in command of the situation. She was entranced, like a marionette, pulled by his strings. Her entire body was primed for his touch.
“Now,” he said, smiling, “where did we leave off?”
He pushed her gently back on the recliner so that she was half-lying down with her head against the back of it. Then he teased the top two buttons of her blouse open. His eyes were burning.
“I want to look at you,” he said.
Reality jolted her into the present. She flushed.
“No,” she said, stopping his hand. “Please . . . I’m not beautiful.”
“You are beautiful. You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” His eyes were reverent and shining and so truthful that she never wanted to tear her gaze away from them.
He took her hand and guided it to the crotch of his jeans. She had never felt a man’s crotch before, and she had a little jolt of incomprehension at first, followed by alarm. She wanted to snatch her hand away but he held her tightly.
“Feel me,” he whispered. “Feel what you do to me. You’re beautiful. My body is responding to you. Do you believe me now?”
The denim which covered his bulging crotch was coarse but the fullness which pushed the fabric out was unmistakable.
“Anytime you want to stop this, you tell me,” he said.
