(For S.W. -- Thank you so much for everything. I hope our dreams come true. I love you.)
She leaned back against the wall, her stance relaxed. Her nerves however were anything but relaxed. Her heart was pounding in her ears, drowning out the noise of the busy hotel. She kept her eyes trained on the door, waiting somewhat impatiently for him to step through it. Looking down at her watch, she took a deep calming breath. Shit, only two minutes had passed since the last time she had looked.
She laid her head back on the wall and closed her eyes. With a little smile on her face, she thought about his teasing words the last time they had spoken. She had asked him how she could be completely sure that it was him that she was going to go up to and kiss. Over the static of the cell phone, she could hear the grin in his voice. “Baby, just look for the tall, dark, and handsome man with eyes only for you.”
That had been about 2 hours ago. As she found herself faced with seeing him after all these years, the doubts that she thought would exist weren’t there. She just wanted to see the man whose loving words and sexy voice had wheedled their way into her heart.
She actually felt his presence before she ever opened her eyes. They had always had that connection with one another but the sheer power of it almost took her breath away. She lifted her head and slowly opened her eyes. There he was. She had seen pictures of him of course but she knew that even without them she would have known who he was. Their eyes met and she gave him a timid smile. Willing herself to settle down some, she waited for him to cross the room to her. Without a word, he pulled her into a tight hug, laying his lips on her temple. She couldn’t believe that she was actually here with him finally and being in his arms showed her how impossible it was going to be to let him leave.
Pushing those depressing thoughts from her mind, she held on to him like her life depended on it. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she blinked her eyes quickly in an attempt to keep the tears from falling. He pulled back and held her at arm’s length, studying her face. She felt a little self-conscious under his scrutiny so she started babbling nervously about her kids and the weather and God only knows what else.
He hooked his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward his car in the parking lot. Smiling gently down at her, he let her ramble on, knowing full well that it was one of the only ways that she was going to calm down some. He opened the car door for her and inquired after her friends that they were supposed to be dining with.
“They are going to meet us there. I wanted a little time alone with you before we got together with them.” she told him shyly.
Before she could step into the car, he leaned down and pressed his moist lips against her. She felt like her legs would buckle from beneath her at the first contact of lips. She had dreamed about and waited for this for so long it seemed. His fingers tangled in her long hair while his mouth slowly and gently explored hers. His kiss was very deliberate, almost as if he had planned each and every move. Everything about that first kiss was perfect and she found herself wishing that dinner was already over with.
At the restaurant later in the company of her friends, she was pleased with how easily and well the conversation around her flowed. It was as if they had all been this way forever. Although she tried to keep her head in the conversation, her mind kept drifting away to later on when they could be alone together. She sat watching him as he laughed and talked and charmed her friends. She felt the love swell up in her chest and threaten to smother her with its intensity. She wanted to be with this man for the rest of her life and she knew right then that she would do almost anything to have to it if she could.
She was unaware of the knowing frowns being passed between her friends. She had eyes for only him and when they announced that they would be calling it an early night, she didn’t in the least bit feel disappointed. With kisses, hugs, and promised phone calls all around, they said a grateful goodbye and stood in silence, watching their tail lights as they disappeared in the distance.
“So….what shall we do now?” he asked, turning towards her.
“You want to go for a little walk?” she suggested.
Grabbing her hand in his, they set off on a leisurely stroll through the town. He told her about his trip down there and she told him about how her vacation had been going so far. They were comfortable with each other again and she found herself amazed at the soothing influence he had always had on her. After awhile, the conversation died away and they walked beside the river in an easy silence. She stopped and stood watching the river that she had grown up loving. The sheer power behind the movement of the water still amazed her after all of these years. He stood behind her, his chin resting on her head, his arms around her. She leaned back into him, loving the feeling of his strong body behind her. To have him so near was intoxicating and she felt a little lightheaded. He held her that way for what seemed to be a long while, both of them listening to the water and to each other’s breathing.
She pulled away and turned to face him. She stood up on the tips of her toes and placed her arms around his neck. She looked deep into his eyes, showing him all the emotions and feelings that were held there. He pulled her tighter against him and began to kiss her hungrily. She matched each thrust of his tongue with one of her own, causing him to groan against her mouth. She wanted him so badly. She could feel the flame of it engulfing her body from her hair to her toes.
As she rubbed herself against him, she felt that his desire was as great as hers was. Knowing that fueled her passion even more. She ran her hands down his neck to his chest and explored it through his shirt. He trailed hot kisses from her mouth to her ear, where he began to nibble and suck at her lobe. She moaned, just the way he knew that she would, and threw her head to the side to give him access to her sensitive neck. He kissed her there, lightly running his tongue down and back up to her ear again. Her hands slid around to his back and down to cup his ass. He groaned and pulled away unexpectedly.
