by Anne Conley
"You can get inside my head, that's been established. Have you…made me …think stuff about you?"
"No!" His answer was immediate and vehement. "Besides the fact that I was given strict instruction not to do that, I want your emotions to be yours alone. I don't want to be with you thirty years down the road and wonder if you really feel this way about me, or if it's my manipulations making you love me." He squeezed her hands in his, a reassuring squeeze that made her heart pound. "I'm not trying to use sex as a tool, although I can see why you think that. I just want you to be sure that you love me, and not just fall in lust with my skills." He flashed her a mischievous grin.
"Pretty sure of yourself are you?" She smirked at him.
"Can we get out of here? I feel the need to prove something to you."
"You don't have to prove anything, Rafe. Finish your wine."
He raised the glass to his lips, and winking at her over the rim, emptied the glass in one huge gulp. Grabbing her hand and throwing money on the table, he led her out of the restaurant.
The night air was cool on her skin, which had been heated in the restaurant under his gaze. She still wasn't sure he hadn't done that head-hopping thing with her there to make her incredibly horny. Because she was. She wanted him so badly, she was trembling inside with need.
He clasped her hand in his and led her down the street toward the park. She followed, willingly, wondering what exactly he felt he had to prove to her. Her curiosity was piqued, to say the least. He wasn't walking straight, but he wasn't a stumbling drunk, either, for which she was glad. She was feeling a little tipsy and couldn't manage to wipe the grin off her face. Enjoying the feel of her hand in his grasp, she followed him to a clump of trees. He led her behind one, out of sight, and promptly turned to her.
"I love you Grace. I'm sorry for everything I've done wrong in pursuing you, but if you need me to make love to you, I will do it. The Boss knows how badly I've been wanting to." He lowered his mouth to hers in an urgent kiss, which she willingly returned. Her tongue clashed with his, as her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer.
He groaned into her mouth, sending shockwaves down to her toes, and pulled her body flush against his arousal. "You do this to me, Grace. I've been hard since I met you." He breathed the words into her mouth, leaving her gasping with need as he trailed kisses down her neck and shoulders.
Pulling her tank top straps down, he revealed her breasts and moaned a thankful prayer before capturing one in his mouth. Pleasure streaked through Grace, and she arched her back, pressing herself into him. His hands at her waist, he lifted her against the tree, until she could feel the bark pressing into her back. She wrapped her legs around him, pressing against him to relieve the pressure building inside her.
Grace was gasping for air, she couldn't get enough of him. She wanted him. All of him. Forever…
With a shock, she pushed him away. His intense eyes glared at her. "What, Grace? Aren't I doing what you want?"
She pulled her hands through her hair. "Yes. You are. It's just that I … I just realized something." What had she just been thinking? That she wanted him forever? All of him?
Rafe tried to pull her towards himself again. "Come on. I'm giving it to you. I'll give you anything you want, Grace…" His voice was pleading with her, and she felt bad for sending him the mixed signals.
"Sit, Rafe." He obeyed immediately, eyes full of questions. She lowered her body to his lap, and put his arms around her waist. He relaxed into the posture, and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I just realized something. And I need to tell you, because it changes things a bit."
She kissed him then. A tender kiss full of promise. His lips softened and responded hungrily, his hands snaking back to her breasts.
"Stop. I do think you are a little drunk." He flashed her a lopsided grin, and kissed her nose.
"Maybe. I do feel pretty loose."
"Then tighten up and listen. I don't want to have sex with you." His face fell, and his eyes immediately watered. "Not here, Rafe." She pulled his face between her hands and kissed his eyes and nose. She could smell the wine on his breath as it flared in her face. "I want our first time to be special, not in a park, while you're drunk." He lifted his eyes to hers, and the light that shone from them made her tremble with desire again. "I want it to be special, because…I love you. I want forever with you, not against a tree in a …"
She couldn't finish her sentence, as Rafe let out a triumphant "Whoop!" and laid her back on the grass, kissing her thoroughly.
Instead of driving over an hour back to Texas City to their hotel, Rafe got a room at a pretty fancy place close by. As they got into the empty elevator to ride up to their room, Rafe pulled Grace into his arms and gave her a tender kiss on the nose.
"I'm not drunk, anymore." He whispered into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
"I know." The two bottles of water they had drunk helped with that, but Grace suspected that Rafe's celestial metabolism helped a little, too.
He led her out of the elevator and down the hall to their room, opening the door before sweeping her off her feet to carry her inside.
"I've always wanted to do that. I'll get to do it again, when we get married, but this will do for now."
Talk of marriage stilled Grace briefly, before she decided she would re-visit that comment later, when she was daydreaming about Rafe. For now, she had the real thing, and she wanted to enjoy him.
She kissed him as he lay her on the bed, enjoying the sensations of Rafe's body on top of hers, his weight, his warmth. She could feel him breathing as he moved over her body, covering her in kisses. The air crackled with electricity and anticipation stole her breath, as he moved lower, undressing her slowly as he went.
Grace entwined her fingers in his hair and said softly, "I've been looking forward to this, you know."
He mumbled something into her navel, as he threw her tank top and bra behind him, grasping her waist in his large hands.
"Nobody's ever made me feel the way you do." Rafe stopped his ministrations on her belly and looked up at her. The way his eyes gazed at her between strands of his hair made a lump form in her throat. Those green orbs were so full of need and desire that she almost couldn't breathe.
"And nobody ever will." He lowered his mouth to her again and continued licking down to her thighs.
"No man has ever made me…" His licks stopped at her inability to say the words, and he looked up at her again, disbelief in his eyes.
"You mean…no man's ever given you an orgasm before?"
She shook her head, "I've always been the lone ranger on that front."
"Well, then. That puts a certain spin on things."
Confused, and kicking herself for bringing it up in the first place, she writhed under him, trying to get him to pick up where he left off with his mouth on her thigh.
"I have a challenge to rise to, don't I?"
He must have seen the question in her eyes, because he chuckled and continued. "I need to break my record and then set a new one to break later." Grace lost all will to breathe when Rafe lowered his mouth to her sex and immediately went to work, pleasuring her with his tongue and fingers. Holding her folds open, his nipped at her bud with his teeth, sending her over the edge of climax almost immediately, before inserting two fingers and pulsing them in and out of her, while flicking and licking her with his tongue. Grace shattered.
As her muscles contracted, milking around his fingers, a low rumble came from Rafe's chest that she could feel against her leg. "You know, sex with other women in my angelic state won't feel anything like it will with you. I know this, and I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself. But I know we have all night, and I will make you come with me over and over again."
Before her breath had evened out, he captured her mouth in his and kissed her while he pulled off his own pants and shucked them to the ground.
Pressing against her opening, he looked into her eyes, and the love that she saw
shining from the depths of the green pools took her breath away again. When he entered her, slowly, she let out her air in a hiss and clawed at his back. She felt so full, so content, right here, filled with Rafe. His eyes never left hers, as he slowly rocked back and entered her again. She closed her eyes to the bliss that encompassed her, but was interrupted by Rafe's husky voice.
"Look at me. I want to see you."
Forcing her eyes open, she watched Rafe's face. His lips curled back in an exquisite snarl of pleasure, his eyes glazed with lust, his hot breath on her face. She could feel him fill her and empty her as he rocked, each sensation sparking emotions of elation and loss as he touched parts of her she had never been aware needed touching. She could feel her own climax build again as he increased his pace.
"You feel so unbelievable." He rasped at her. She could see the veins of his forehead bulging with restraint. She locked her legs around his hips, pushing him to fill her further, as he continued to increase his pounding into her, finally closing his own eyes and losing himself to his own sensations.
Grace felt herself teetering on the edge, and when Rafe brought his head down and nipped at her neck with his teeth, all the while pumping inside of her, she let go, and felt the muscles contract around Rafe.
"Oh!" He swelled impossibly larger, before Grace felt him climax in spurts inside her as her own contractions evened out.
Rafe rolled off her, pulling her towards him with a kiss.
"I've doubled my record so far." He breathed into her mouth as she giggled breathlessly.
"That was pretty good, stud." She loved this man. Angel. Whatever he was. She pulled him closer to herself, not wanting to ever let him go again.
Rafe waggled his eyebrows at her. "Wanna go again?"
"Yes," she admitted. "Just give me a minute.
Rafe rolled again, until she was on top of him. "You know, now that I know what all the hubbub is about, I want to make love to you every way possible. And I know of quite a few." His hand on her neck drew her down into another scorching kiss, and Grace was helpless to deny him.
They professed their love to each other all night long, both verbally and physically before finally giving up the wild throes of passion for the sanctity of sleep.
Epilogue: Three weeks later
Grace dismissed her morning class for lunch, admonishing them to be back by one o'clock, or they would get a write up. Training was strict, and she was stricter. She felt the need to hold the bar high, as lives were at stake. She knew the trainees rolled their eyes at her, but this was her job now, and Grace took it seriously. Each training class was a week long, for initial certification, then a weekend every year. This was the last day of class for this particular group, and Mark gave her a thumbs up for her efforts. She saw Rafe standing behind him, and after she'd packed up her booklets and papers, she walked over to him, and gave him a kiss.
"Lunch?"
"Would love it." He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "In fact, I brought us a picnic." He lifted a basket for her to see before grabbing her hand and leading her across the Sea Wall to the beach.
"I've got news," he said with a mischievous smile.
"Oh yeah? Did you get the job?" Rafe had applied for a job working at the hospital. Paperwork was mysteriously in order, and he was a licensed Physician's Assistant.
His smile widened, "Yeah. I ordered my very own personalized lab coat today. I'm going shopping for a stethoscope after lunch. I’ll be working in the ER. I’m really excited." He bent down and kissed her before opening the basket and pulling out food. Rafe had discovered the joys of cheese, so lunch was a fancy cheese tray with salami and grapes.
“Do you think they’ll still work? Your powers?”
Rafe’s hand in the basket stilled momentarily before he pulled out the bottles of water. “I’m not sure, honestly. I hope so, but if they don’t, I’m still a font of healing knowledge.”
Grace was still unsure about that aspect of his falling. He had spent an eternity healing people, being the best there was at it, and now those powers were either gone, or greatly reduced. Because of her.
“Stop it, Grace.” His eyes on her were intense. “You can’t control it, and neither can I. There’s not another person I’d want to make well if it meant that I couldn’t have you. Call me selfish, but that’s the way it is.” He pulled her closer to him, and his eyes warmed. “I love you, and I wouldn’t trade what we have for anything.”
“It just seems like so much to give up.”
He held her face in his hands inches from his own. “I don’t see it that way. I’ve been doing that forever. Forever, Grace. It’s not our choice to make. We’re just following the will of the One who knows best.”
She shrugged noncommittally, but the truth was, she would never feel worthy. Rafe was so perfect.
Case in point: He had forced her to follow through with her mother.
"You ready for this weekend?" Grace nodded, absently. She ate in silence, thinking about the upcoming barbecue at her mother's house. Jeanie had invited Rafe, Grace, Bree, and Nicole to come out and eat on Saturday afternoon. Bree and Nicole had to work, so Rafe and Grace would be going alone to meet her mother and Carl's friends. She found she wasn't dreading it as much as she would have last year. In fact, she was actually looking forward to it.
"I have news, too." Grace suddenly remembered.
Rafe clasped her hand in his, raised it to his mouth and kissed it, looking at her expectantly. The sudden heat on the spot his mouth had been left her momentarily disoriented, and she forgot what she was going to tell him.
"Oh yeah. Um, school starts in a couple of weeks, and I was looking at my graduate plan last night. I just realized that I only have two more semesters of classes left before I'm finished. Maybe three, depending on when certain classes are offered."
He pulled her closer. "That's wonderful news, Grace." A mischievous glint crossed his eyes. "I may be able to get a little help on the timing of the course offerings, if you'd like."
“There’s more. I saw a posting in one of my professor’s office about an internship next summer on a vessel in the Atlantic, studying sunken treasure ships. They’re looking for a couple of people to live onboard for two months. Do you think you could brush up on your Marine anthropology and get some more papers in order?”
The gleam in his eye was unmistakable. “Absolutely. For you, I would do anything.”
"Life with you is going to be exciting, isn't it?"
He captured her mouth in a kiss that put all past passions to shame. Her toes curled in anticipation, and she suddenly wished she didn't have an afternoon of work left. She wished they didn't have roommates. Maybe she could get them to go dancing?
He hauled her against his body on the bench, and kissed her with abandon, his tongue seeking hers out in a kiss that made people passing by whistle. Against her open, wanting mouth, he breathed, "You'd better believe it."
###
About the Author:
Anne Conley is a former high school teacher, who took some time off to raise goats, and children. Living in a rural Texas town has taught her that life won't come to her, she's got to grab what she can get. So, she started writing stories. Join her on her journey. Let her know what you think!
Email: [email protected]
Read her blog at: www.conleycorner.blogspot.com
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Flip the screen for an exciting excerpt from Anne's favorite Pride Series novel, Discovering Pride, by Jill Sanders.
Discovering Pride
A cool breeze drifted over the tall trees, floating down towards the still waters of a large pond, which caused the lily pads to stir. Dragonflies buzzed from flower to flower and frogs hopped along the grassy shore.
Every now and than, a lone leaf would break free from a branch and float slowly down to the moss covered forest floor. Soon it will be winter and this little piece of heaven will be covered in snow. All the insects and animals will be tucked away for the cold days and nights. But, for today the pond waters were buzzing with life.
Lacey Jordan was a free spirited woman who enjoyed the fresh air, blue skies, and nature sounds that surrounded her home in Pride, Oregon. Even though summer was ending, the fall temperatures had reached a record high. A true Indian summer was in full swing.
Lacey was happily floating alone in the large pond that bordered her property. Well, she wasn’t quite alone; Bernard had been running in and out of the water, digging in the mud near the shore. Bernard was Lacey’s first love, and to date, her only. He was everything she wanted in a man; loyal, loving, brave, and a great listener. Not to mention he was blonde, brown eyed, and loved to snuggle. His only faults were; he hogged the bed, slobbered a lot, and was extremely hairy, but no one was perfect.
Bernard was Lacey’s three and a half year old Labrador Retriever.
As she floated her short black hair bobbed around her face, a face often described as pixy like. Her straight nose was, in her opinion, her best asset. However, most people claimed it was her crystal slate eyes that stood out the most. An artist, who had once painted her, had compared her to an exotic creature from beyond this world.
A small crease formed between her eyebrows at the thought of being compared to an exotic or even mythical creature. It happened often enough; however, she was getting tired of it. To her, she was just Lacey, a down-to-earth woman in her mid-twenties whom, at this point, had yet to fall in love.
Most people in her town knew she had an uncanny way of predicting what was going to happen and often even able to control the outcome. However, she felt she shouldn’t be faulted for just paying attention.
