by Diana Nixon
“I’ll make sure it stays in your mind forever,” I said, pulling her to my chest.
It was so unbelievably good to feel her body covering mine. I couldn’t get enough of kissing and caressing her. When she unbuttoned my shirt and slid her palms down my chest, my muscles tensed.
“My goodness, you are driving me totally crazy,” I said, turning her over onto her back.
She smiled in response. “You always liked being in control, didn’t you?”
“I will gladly let you control it, but not now. I’ve been waiting for this night for what feels like fucking forever.”
I took off my shirt and tossed it to the floor together with the rest of my clothes. “Like what you see?” I asked, seeing Kassie watching me intently. I could almost feel the invisible touch of her gaze travelling all over me, now.
“I guess I always loved it,” she said, looking up at me.
I bent down and kissed her slowly, trailing my fingers down her belly, sides and hips.
“Mmm… This is the only place I will never tire of staying at,” I said, my lips working their way down her smooth belly.
“In between my naked thighs?” she asked, laughing quietly.
“Exactly.” I reached for the back of her bra and unfastened it, enjoying the way her breasts fit in my palms.
“Perfect,” I breathed into her lips, caressing the newly exposed parts of her body. Nothing could be compared to the feeling of her skin against my lips.
When my lips stopped at the waist of her panties again, I looked up and saw Kassie’s passionate eyes staring back at me. A surge of need rushed though me at the thought of removing the lacy piece with my teeth. In one fast motion I pulled it down and covered Kassie’s body with mine again, groaning pleasantly at the feel of our nakedness touching.
My fingers ran along her cheek and stopped at her lips, which parted at my touch. “I love you,” I said, looking into her eyes. “Always did, and always will.” Then, I kissed her again, trying to put as much love as I could into that kiss.
I didn’t expect her to say the same words in response; for now, it was just enough to be with her, knowing that at least that one night belonged to us.
I slid my palms to her thighs and wrapped her legs around my waist, shivering at the moment of our lower bodies touching so intimately.
“I want to feel you inside of me,” she said, digging her nails deeper into my back. She was as helpless as I was, and even if I could, I didn’t want to wait any longer.
I entered her in one fast motion, feeling nothing but pure bliss splashing all over my body. Our groans filled the entire space of the room, ringing in my ears and shattering the rest of my self-control into a million small pieces. Screw it, I thought before I pushed myself deeper inside her. I was about to explode any second, and I wanted to memorize every moment of what the two of us were sharing now.
“Oh, God,” she whispered, breathless as my moves became more rough and uncontrollable. Still I wanted to prolong the sensations. I kept pulling out and driving myself back into the sweetest and warmest heaven ever, feeling the rivers of pleasure burning in my veins.
As my pace increased again, I leaned forward and drew one of her soft nipples into my mouth, making her back arch in response, giving me even better access to whatever I wanted to touch.
I never thought that being together again would be so damn good. Every inch of me was trembling, anticipating the upcoming satisfaction. The mixture of pleasure I felt and the view of Kassie’s gorgeous body moving in tune with mine was simply overwhelming. I no longer belonged to myself; she had full control over me now, and I couldn’t help but admit that I loved it.
The moment I felt Kassie tightening around me, I was lost. I gave up resisting and let my inner world explode like a long-dormant volcano, filling her with my love, over and over again…
Chapter 15
I woke up to the sound of Kassie’s cell ringing.
“Hello?” she said in a sleepy voice. “Oh, shoot. Yeah, of course, I’ll be there.”
“What happened?” I asked, pulling her back into my embrace. God, I missed the feeling of waking up by her side.
“I forgot about Christmas dinner at The Sweets.”
“But, Christmas is tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I know. But we agreed to celebrate it today, since tomorrow we are closed.” Kassie wrapped a sheet around herself and sat in the bed.
“Hey, how about a morning kiss?” I said, smiling up at her.
“I thought I gave you enough kisses for one night.”
“It doesn’t count. Come here.” I leaned on one elbow, playing with the sheet she was dressed in.
“Last night proved the worst of my fears,” she said, looking at me thoughtfully.
“Which one?”
“I don’t have enough strength to resist you.”
I laughed under my breath. “That makes two of us.” Then, I pulled her lips to mine and the talk was over - until we heard another call.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I stared at the screen of Kassie’s cell. “The asshole obviously wants me to give him a lesson.”
“Be quiet!” she hissed, taking the phone. “Hi, Matthew. How are you?”
I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the pillow. What the hell did he want from her?
“Today? I don’t think it’s possible,” she stopped, hesitating. “I have other plans. But-”
But? I mouthed, looking at her questioningly.
“How about you call me after Christmas?”
What. The. Fuck?
“Yes, sure. That won’t be a problem. Thanks, you too.” She hung up the phone, and put it on the bedside table.
“What was that?” I asked, staring at her in disbelief.
“He wanted me to take care of the cake for his niece’s birthday.”
“And?”
“And he also wants to see me.”
I took a deep breath, trying to gain my composure. “I’ll twist his neck if he ever asks you out again.”
Kassie crossed her arms and stared at me with her eyebrows raised. “What makes you think that you own me, now?”
“I thought I made myself clear last night.”
“Again, you give yourself too much credit, Mr. Farrell.”
“And you seem to be enjoying trying my patience, Miss Benson. It’s not infinite, you know?”
“Neither is mine,” she said, getting out of bed.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“That I need a shower and a cup of coffee. With two spoons of sugar, please.”
“Hey, that’s unfair!” I called after her.
“It’s the least you can do after I let you seduce me last night.”
“You let me?” I laughed, watching her, mesmerized. She looked so young and beautiful, with her chestnut hair cascading down her shoulders and back. I badly wanted to tangle my fingers in it.
I stood up and walked towards her. “I thought you didn’t mind being seduced.”
Her eyes traveled down my body that, unlike hers, wasn’t covered with anything. She smirked and said, “Be careful with making coffee, Cutie. I don’t want you to burn anything.”
“Think you might need it, again?” I asked, pulling the sheet off of her.
“Maybe one day.”
“How about now?” I brushed her lips with mine, trailing my fingers down her sides. “I don’t mind joining you in the shower.”
“Sounds tempting,” she said, biting her lower lip, “but I have less than an hour to get dressed and make it for the planned dinner. How about joining me there?”
I sighed, disappointed. “Still better than nothing.
“Good. I’m waiting for my coffee,” she said, placing a light kiss on my neck.
“Wait until I wash up. I promise it will take no more than a minute.”
“Okay.”
***
I found my trousers and went to the kitchen, still thinking about the night we sp
ent in each other’s embrace.
It was like a dream coming true. A dream that had been torturing me for the last two years. Almost every night I woke up feeling the drops of sweat running down my forehead, and I didn’t even want to remember what was happening to my lower body at the moment. Kassie never left my dreams. Sometimes I didn’t want to fall asleep, knowing that I would see her there, again. I couldn’t stand the thought of making love to her and then waking up and realizing that it was nothing but a freaking dream.
But tonight, everything was real. So real that the mere memory of Kassie’s lips moving across my chest made me groan aloud. Her every move was so tempting and daring, if not more. Even her eyes were driving me crazy. No wonder all I wanted now was to make love to her under the stream of hot water running down our skin. Man, I was in a whole mess of trouble… Again.
The sound of a doorbell brought me back to reality. I went to open the door, hoping it wasn’t my sister - or worse, Kassie’s mother - standing behind it.
To my surprise, it was a courier holding a huge bouquet of red roses.
“I have a delivery for Ms. Kassie Benson,” he said, reading a name written on a card.
What the...
I took the card and opened it without even thinking that Kassie might not like it.
“Can’t stop thinking about you,” it said. “Matthew.”
My jaw tightened. Was I predestined to face the douche every damn day, for the rest of my life? No. Fucking. Way.
“Let’s make a deal,” I said to the courier. “Here’s a twenty,” I gave him the only bill I found in my pocket. “I sign for the flowers and you take them the hell away from here, give them to your mom, and never mention running into me. Okay?”
“No problem, Sir. Thanks for both,” the guy said uneasily, hiding the money in his back pocket. I recognized the look in his eyes; I used to have the same look when I desperately needed food.
“Wait,” I said, “how much do they pay you for your work?”
“Two fifty an hour.”
“Are they out of their minds?”
The guy shrugged. “It’s the best I could manage to find. I’m only fourteen, but I have two brothers and a sick mom to take care of. No one will pay me more.”
“I will,” I said, taking a piece of paper and a pen from his hand. “Here’s the address to my workshop. Come in after Christmas; we will find you something better than this.”
“Thank, you, Sir. I can do the cleaning or anything else you might need me for.”
I smiled, patting his shoulder. “Okay, now go. I don’t want my girlfriend to see the damn flowers.”
The guy nodded and left, taking two steps at a time. I smiled, watching his happy dance. Everyone deserved a chance to live better.
I closed the door and leaned against it, snickering. Red roses; how trivial. Then, I crumpled the card I was still holding in my hand and went back to the kitchen, hoping my day wouldn’t be ruined by the memories of the flower incident.
“Who was that?” Kassie asked, joining me ten minutes later. “I heard the doorbell ringing.”
“Just a guy at the wrong door.”
Great start to a new day, dude, I thought to myself. As if you didn’t have enough things to hide.
“Your coffee,” I said, “just the way you like it: two spoons of sugar, milk and cinnamon.”
“Hmm… You still remember that.”
“Unlike you, I don’t have any problem with my memory.”
Kassie grimaced in response. “Very funny.”
“Though, last night you proved that your body still remembers every move I love,” I said, placing a kiss on her shoulder. She was wearing a bathrobe, though I was sure there was nothing under it. My pulse accelerated at the thought of checking it out.
“Shut up, Daniel. You make me blush.”
“I thought we knew each other well enough that we didn’t have to be ashamed of our thoughts and wishes.”
“Only one person here knows everything. The other one has to play on a hunch.”
“Your intuition never betrayed you.”
“Which means I should have listened to it when it told me to stay away from you.”
“Not in this case,” I said, sipping my coffee.
“Aha, so I thought. You would never admit that staying away from you was a good idea.”
“Well, it’s the right thing to do for everyone but you.”
Kassie shook her head, smiling. “You will never change.”
We arrived at the café ten minutes before the planned dinner. I would even call it our personal time record, considering that Kassie always needed at least an hour to get dressed and do her face. She always said that a woman should look every bit as gorgeous, no matter how much or how little money she spent on cosmetics and clothes.
“Why waste so much time on dressing if we both know that clothes won’t stay on this body more than a few hours?”
“I’m not preening myself for you. I’m doing it for myself,” she said, entering the kitchen. “Hey guys, how are things going?”
“Hey, boss! Everything’s almost ready. We were only waiting for you before we make dessert,” Jake said.
“Great. What would you like to have for dessert?” Kassie asked.
“Does my vote count?” I said, taking her purse and jacket.
“Leave your dirty thoughts to yourself,” she replied in a whisper.
“I was actually thinking about a strawberry soufflé.” I winked at her.
“Great choice, man!” Jake said.
“See? I’m a real expert in desserts,” I said into her ear.
Kassie rolled her eyes and went to find an apron.
Chapter 16
Christmas at The Sweets has always been a very special time of year. First, because its team worked non-stop to make the best and the most beautiful cakes all over the city, and second, because it was the café’s birthday.
“I’d like to raise our first toast to my brother Adrian,” Kassie said. She was a little nervous, but I understood her better than anyone; unlike anything else, memories of Adrian were still painful.
“Thanks to his outstanding work and unbelievable patience and persistence, this place is so popular today. I don’t know what I would have done without him; maybe I would find a job at some snack bar, and would spend the rest of my life making sandwiches,” Kassie said, smiling. “But I’m here now, I love my job and I will always remember the man who did so much to simplify my life.” We all laughed and raised our glasses.
“To Adrian!”
I smiled, squeezing Kassie’s palm. “You okay?”
“Yes. Looks like talking and thinking about him is getting easier.”
“Good.” I kissed her on the cheek, and the dinner started.
I didn’t know what would happen after Kassie’s memories were back. For now, it was just enough to see her happy. She, of all people, deserved a break from an endless row of problems and misery.
Today was one of those days that she seemed to be totally relaxed and enjoying the time with her colleagues and friends. I wanted to prolong the moment, because something was telling me that the night wouldn’t end up good…
I tried not to think about my worries, and focused on the woman by my side. I was such a fool to hope that no-strings-attached sex and drinking would make me stop loving her.
It wasn’t just the physical attraction pulling me to her. She made my world better; happier, and less screwed-up. And I wanted to do something, anything to make her feel the same way about me. We were like a broken cup that needed to be repaired. The only problem was that I didn’t know whether or not she wanted the same thing.
“Daniel, would you help me bring in dessert?” she asked a few hours later.
“You know I’m always at your service.”
“You seem so quiet today. Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, it’s just… This place. It always makes me feel a little nostalgic.”
Ka
ssie put the plates into the sink and turned to face me.
“Tell me something about this place that I don’t remember.”
“Hmm… How about I show you one of my memories?” I said, wrapping my arms around her waist.
“You sly fox, not in my kitchen.”
“But, we did it here before.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said, pushing me away.
“Fine; I’ll wait for your memories to come back and prove my words,” I said, still holding my arms around her. “How about my car, then?”
“People are waiting for dessert to be served, remember?”
“We will come up with some excuse to run away,” I said, brushing her lips with mine.
“You are not playing fair,” she replied, slowly wrapping her arms around my neck.
“I never played fair. Maybe that’s why I always won,” I whispered, covering her lips with mine.
So many emotions were running through me. All I wanted now was to get a taste of heaven that only she knew how to create. Sliding my palms down her sides, I felt a shiver running through me. Damn it, I couldn’t stop myself.
I grabbed her by the hips and lifted her up onto the counter top. She giggled in response. “What if someone comes in?”
“I don’t give a damn,” I breathed into the curve of her neck, my tongue working its way to her earlobe.
She moaned softly as I pressed myself harder against her thighs. “I mean it, Daniel, we can’t do it here.”
“My car is right behind the back door,” I said, looking into her eyes. They were full of fire; her chest was rising and falling, and I knew that she wanted it as much as I did.
“Everyone will notice our absence.”
I took a step back and smiled slightly. “Are you going with me, or not?”
There was no room for hesitation; good sense was overshadowed by the pure desire radiating between us. “Five minutes,” she said, jumping to the floor.
“You will make me set a new time record,” I said, grabbing her by the hand.
“Thank God, you are not riding a bike today,” she said, pulling me into the back seat of my car.
