Meant To Be

by Karen Stivali

  She stared down the street, watching until Ruth’s car turned the corner.

  The emptiness in the house was oppressive. She picked up the toys Ella had left scattered around the couch then headed out to the deck. The sound of the water filling the watering can was soothing and she closed her eyes, feeling the cool late summer air brush against her skin.

  She shivered then opened her eyes. Daniel was walking toward her, a pizza box in one hand and a six-pack of beer and white grocery bag in the other. His shirttails fluttered in the breeze.

  “Did you call for a delivery?” His eyebrows rose in his delightfully cheeky manner.

  “No.” She was unable to keep from smiling.

  He placed the pizza box and six-pack on the stone wall at the edge of the patio, then disappeared into her house with the bag.

  “Be right back.” The door swung shut behind him.

  She wondered what was in the bag, but was too upset to dwell on it.

  “Lonely yet?” He stepped back onto the deck, holding two plates.

  “You were only gone a minute.”

  He opened a beer and handed it to her. “Not what I meant.”

  “I know.” She fiddled with the corner of the label. “I miss her like crazy, and it’s only been an hour.”

  He smiled sympathetically, then opened the pizza box and withdrew two slices. He sat down next to Marienne and handed her a plate. “I’m no substitute for Ella, but pizza will help.”

  She looked at him, doubtfully, but took a bite anyway. He’d gotten mushroom, her favorite, and as she bit into it she remembered that she hadn’t eaten anything all day. He was right—it did help.

  ****

  They finished eating, and Daniel wrapped the leftover pizza while Marienne put the empty beer bottles into the recycling bin.

  “Back outside?” He sensed her restlessness and thought maybe the night air would calm her.

  “Sure.” She brought her beer with her. “I ran into Melinda Jeffreys at the dance studio this morning. She asked me if you were dating anyone.” Marienne’s voice had an edge to it that Daniel couldn’t place. She took another sip of beer. “I told her I didn’t think so, but I said I’d ask.”

  “Which one is Melinda?” His brow furrowed.

  “The one with the auburn hair, who drives the BMW.”

  “Ohhhh,” he said. “The one who parked too close to us ar the recital and had to crawl out of her car through the passenger door?”

  “That’s her.”

  He took a swallow of beer.

  “Well?” she asked.

  “Well what?”

  She sighed. “What do I tell her? About whether or not you’re dating anyone?”

  “Tell her whatever you want.”

  “Are you interested?”

  He stared at her. “Interested?” It dawned on him what she meant. “In Melinda?” His face screwed up in disbelief.

  She laughed. “I’ll take that as a no?”

  “Definitely no.” He twisted his mouth, his lips pulling out to the sides.

  The sun hung low in the sky, and the cool breeze kicked up once more. Marienne shuddered.

  “You cold?” Daniel asked. “We can go inside.”

  “No.”

  “Here.” He removed his outer shirt. “Put this on then.” He held one sleeve up until she placed her arm through it, then wrapped it the rest of the way around her.

  “Now you’ll get cold,” she said, eyeing his t-shirt and hesitating to put her arm through the second sleeve.

  “I’ll be fine.” He took her wrist and guided it into the sleeve. He pulled the shirt around her and gently flipped her hair from beneath the collar. He was so close to her. His hand on her neck, his face inches from hers. His heart pounded. He leaned toward her, but her whole body tensed, so he stopped.

  “Why aren’t you dating anyone?” she asked, the unfamiliar tone in her voice again.

  “Wha…” He was confused. He wanted so badly to kiss her, but saw this wasn’t the time. Is that what she’s trying to tell me? Not to kiss her? He pulled back, disheartened.

  ****

  “You’ve been divorced from Justine for months now.” Marienne sat back, further away, though she pulled his shirt tighter around herself. She inhaled his scent, wanting to close her eyes and relax into the warmth of his clothing, the warmth of his arms, but she stopped herself.

  “Yes, I have.”

  “You should be dating. You should be having fun.” She cringed at her own words.

  “But I—”

  She cut him off, determined to set him free. “What about that woman at work. Christina.” She bit her lip. She hated thinking of him with someone else. Convinced this was for his own good, she forced herself to continue. “You always say how funny she is, and you obviously get along.”

  “Christina is gay.” He sounded totally confused.

  “What?”

  “Christina is a lesbian. She’s been married to Amy, from the art department, for the past six years. Where are you—”

  “What about Sharon, from the theater? She’s always had a thing for you. Or Tonya, at the bank, she lights up like a Christmas tree whenever she sees you. Or what about the new associate professor, the one you introduced me to on the street last month. What was her name, Carla, Carlie?”

  “Carol.” His voice was so low it was barely above a whisper.

  “Yes.” She stood up, stepping further away, arms crossed, still clutching at the shirt. “Carol.” Her voice crackled. “I’m sure she would—”

  Daniel interrupted. “Why are you talking about all these women? I don’t want to date Carol. And I don’t want to date Tonya, or Sharon. I don’t want—”

  “Well you should.” Her hands clenched so tightly they ached.

  His face fell, his jaw slack. She couldn’t bear to look at him, so she turned away, walking along the edge of the deck. Let him go…. He’s done enough for you, wasted enough time on you, he’s not yours to keep, let him go. She closed her eyes and ducked her head, once again breathing in his scent from the warm, soft fabric of his shirt. “You really should. I think it would be good for you.”

  ****

  Daniel was speechless. Crestfallen. How could I have been so completely wrong? He had truly started to believe that Marienne returned his feelings, but her words were confirming his biggest fears. She was pushing him away, and suddenly he felt like going.

  It physically hurt to hear her encouraging him to date other people. The pain mixed with anger. Anger at himself for being foolish enough to think she had wanted him as anything more than a friend. Anger for letting himself feel so much for another person, more than he’d ever allowed himself to feel for anyone. His anger spilled into his words.

  “I don’t want awkward first dates, and stupid conversations. I don’t care if any of those women want me because I don’t want them.” He wasn’t saying what he wanted to say, and it frustrated him to no end. “I don’t want any of it.” He turned to walk away. He couldn’t take it anymore, he had to get away, from the pain, from the feelings, from all of it.

  He took two brisk steps toward his house.

  Her voice drifted after him. “At least you have options. No one wants me.”

  He took two more strides as her last words circled inside his head, on a seemingly endless loop: No one wants me, no one wants me, no one wants me. And he realized, she didn’t know. As much as he thought he’d been showing her, all this time, how much he cared about her, how much he wanted to be with her, how much he loved her, she hadn’t seen it. Not really. As obvious as he thought he was being she still had no idea. Somehow, unthinkably, she still didn’t know how he felt.

  He turned to face her. No one wants me. It echoed in his head. He took a deep breath and strode toward her with swift, steadfast steps. He spoke loudly, enunciating each word, determined to make her hear him.

  “I want you,” he said as he approached her. “I want you.” He stopped right in front of her.
“I want you.” He took her into his arms and kissed her with a passion unlike anything he’d ever felt.

  “I want you.” He breathed the words into her mouth, his fingers curling into her hair as he pulled her closer. “I want you,” he whispered, dragging his lips across her cheek and along the side of her neck. “I want you.” His nose grazed her hairline as he breathed in her intoxicating scent.

  He forced himself to pull away, needing to look at her, to make certain she had heard his words, had understood what he was saying.

  Her huge eyes loomed before him, dark as night, dragging him into their endless depth as he held his breath. Holding her gaze he watched as fear slipped away, replaced by burning desire.

  “I want you, too.” Her mouth collided with his as they lunged toward each other.

  They fit together perfectly. Locked in a swirl of desire their tongues chased one another in dizzying circles. His lips trailed down to her neck again, his teeth raked across the delicate skin as he felt her breath rasp.

  “Inside?” He whispered, as he kissed his way back toward her mouth.

  “Yes, inside. Inside the house. Inside me.”

  Sensations rushed through his body with almost unbearable speed as he maneuvered them through the door.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  They moved through the kitchen, attached at the mouth. Daniel’s hand still clasped the back of her head. His arm wrapped around her waist, blocking her from the impact of all the things they bumped into. They made it as far as the end of the center island before Marienne stopped, rising up on her tiptoes.

  She wound her arms around his neck, pulling him toward her as she arched back against the kitchen counter. She teetered, but he caught her, lifting her onto the countertop.

  He heard her shoes drop to the ground as her leg locked around his back. One foot pressed against him, pulling him toward her, while the other traveled up the length of his leg. Her hands slid from his hair to his face as her fingertips brushed his eyelids and the contours of his cheeks.

  His hands mirrored hers, caressing her face, seeing her with his fingers. She turned against his palm and swirled her tongue around his fingertip. He groaned and kissed her palm, then her wrist, then began removing the shirt from around her shoulders. She shrugged and it slipped off.

  He eyed her hungrily, his hands beneath her t-shirt, caressing her bare back. A question lingered in his touch. She heard it loud and clear and reached down, peeling the shirt over her breasts, then over her head.

  As much as he wanted to stare, his need to kiss her again was greater and his eyes slammed shut as his mouth found hers. Her warm tongue circled his in perfect rhythm as her bare feet pressed even tighter against him, dragging him closer.

  His cock, hard as iron, pressed against her thigh, and he moaned into her mouth. Her fingers clawed at his shirt, raising it up over his back, her hands leaving a radiating trail of heat. They broke their kiss to pull the shirt over his head and he reached around to unhook her bra. It fell away, exposing her full, white breasts. His breath caught in his throat.

  He slid his hands from her hips to her rib cage. His thumbs grazed the rounded flesh along the bottom of each breast. So beautiful.

  Her breathing was jagged. He curled his fingers around her, and she crushed her firm nipples against his bare chest. The skin on skin contact caused them both to groan as their mouths found each other once again.

  “Upstairs?” She managed to whisper.

  He answered by lifting her off the counter and carrying her into the hallway, her legs still locked around him.

  They banged into the wall at the base of the staircase, as they kissed with even more maddening intensity. She lowered her legs and began to walk backwards up the stairs, his lips on hers, his arm still circling her.

  They made it as far as the landing before she sat down, lying back against the rectangular space of carpet, pulling him on top of her. He moved against her, supporting his weight on outstretched arms. His cock strained against the confines of his jeans, rubbing against the heat that radiated from her.

  She sat up, placing her arms behind her on the next higher step and lifting herself onto it. He followed, on hands and knees, onto the next tread. They ascended the stairs together one step at a time, Daniel crawling on top of her as she inched them both toward the top.

  As they reached the second floor, she started to lie back again. Daniel couldn’t wait any longer. He hoisted her into his arms and strode toward the bedroom.

  Placing her on the bed, he could think of nothing other than being inside her. He was conscious only of sensations. The heat rising off her body, her scent enveloping him, her hands tracing the planes of his chest, her dizzying, intoxicating mouth, moving against his. He ran his hand along the curves of her body, gliding from her neck to her waist and over the fullness of her hips.

  His fingers skimmed beneath the waistband of her jeans and he urged her onto her back, pausing before undoing the button, wanting to make certain that it was okay. She answered by reaching for his zipper. He needed no further encouragement. He wriggled out of his jeans as she did the same.

  “Oh God.” He moaned as they rolled toward one another, their naked bodies pressed together.

  He sank his fingers into her hair. His thumb brushed her cheek as he pulled her mouth toward him again. His fingertips traced a path past her neck, around the curve of her shoulders and waist, grazing the silken mound at the apex of her thighs. He heard her gasp as his hand slid lower, hovering above her.

  She shifted, lifting her body toward him so that his fingers slipped between the delicate folds of her skin. So slick, so inviting. A deep rumble escaped him. He stroked her, delighting as she quivered from his touch. The sound of her breath sent waves of pleasure through him.

  Her hand slithered around his hip, and he gasped as her smooth fingers wrapped around him. He expanded against the warmth of her touch. The sensation was so intense he feared that if she didn’t stop he’d come. As if she sensed it her hand stilled and she kissed him, urging him closer.

  He braced his arms against the mattress, holding himself over her, his mouth once again on hers. Her petal soft thighs cradled his hips as he felt her hand slip between them, guiding him into place.

  I can’t believe this is finally happening.

  Her dense, liquid heat surrounded him as he inched inside. She moaned, shifting her hips, causing him to sink further within her. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe.

  She was in motion all around him, her hands gliding up and down his back, her lips brushing against his cheek, her feet caressing his legs, her hips rocking with his as they moved in sync. The intensity built inside him, straining to break free. He could feel her breath coming faster, her body pulsating. For one brief second she became completely still.

  “Daniel.” Her voice echoed in his ear.

  Her legs clasped around him, drawing him even deeper into her molten heat. A low growl rumbled in his chest. The rippling folds of her body pulled at him. Pressure built to unbearable height, then finally released. Intense pleasure rocketed through him.

  Daniel rested his forehead on the pillow alongside Marienne’s head. His breathing was ragged, his arms attempting to hold some of his weight off her. He could still hear her calling out his name as she came. No one else had ever done that, and he liked it even more than he could have imagined.

  Marienne breathed in tiny bursts. He lifted himself to slide off her. To his amazement she responded by coiling her legs around him, keeping him inside her.

  The dim light of the room reflected off her dark eyes. The back of her cupped hand ran along his cheekbone. He closed his eyes and pressed against her warm fingers.

  He felt her move, and her lips were on his. One feather soft kiss, followed by another. Her tongue licked at his lower lip. His mouth grazed hers. The urgency was gone now, but the desire was even stronger.

  Her impossible sweetness melted against his tongue. She pivoted her hips, and
he realized he’d grown hard again. Her fingers sank into his hair as her body fluttered around him, caressing him from the inside.

  Each kiss, each touch, each stroke was met with a reply. Her hair rubbed along the hollow of his neck as she kissed his chest. Her soft, musical sighs sent ripples of pleasure through him. There was no place. There was no time. There were no thoughts. There was only Marienne.

  He felt her breathing quicken and knew she was about to come. He pulled his head back enough to see her face. His body kept the rhythm.

  Her head tilted back, mouth open, hands fluttering over his back, as she began to vibrate. She cried out, the sound escaping her lips with a rush of sweet, hot breath as she began to throb all around him. The rapture on her face combined with the sensations was too much. His eyes slammed shut as pleasure overcame him.

  Exhausted, breathless, he could no longer keep his weight off her. He managed to shift before collapsing alongside her, his arm still around her. As he recovered he loosened his grasp, so she could get up. She lay beside him, her hand tracing along his body, and he realized she wasn’t going anywhere.

  The words I love you hammered in his mind, but he couldn’t speak them aloud. Instead he leaned forward and kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, then finally her delicious lips.

  He pulled away, giving her a chance to move, but she shifted closer, her head burrowing into the crook of his neck as her hand stilled on his chest. Together they drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Fifty

  When Marienne awoke, the room was dark, except for the glow from the streetlights. Daniel was asleep. Her heart thudded unevenly. He’s really here. She kissed his forehead, breathing in the scent of his hair.

  He stirred, and his eyes blinked open. A smile spread across his face. “Mmmmmmm.” His nose rubbed back and forth against hers, and she sighed. Her fingers wove through his hair, and he pressed against them.

  He turned on the bedside lamp. She turned it off, shy to be naked in front of him.