Chapter Twelve

Skeet

 

“I can’t believe you talked me into buying all of those bolts of fabric.” I loved the smile on Celeste’s face. “I could end up with a room filled with clothes no one ever wears.” I had a feeling she wasn’t really complaining... I think she was excited for the most part. If she didn’t try, she would never know. She felt like the old Celeste before the unraveling of us. I had to push past that time.

“Good thing they were willing to ship to you. I think there’s a baggage limit on the plane.” I laughed. There was no way of taking the stuff back with us without renting a van to lug it to her house. “Let’s get on the road. Only about a half hour to go and then we’ll have a seafood feast with a view of the ocean.”

First things first, we needed to drop our things at the beach house.

“Wow! This house is adorable!”

We were, definitely, off on the right foot, I had selected wisely. I was well aware that it ticked off all of the boxes on her wish list. After years of being with Celeste and without her, I still remembered every single thing she ever said about her love of Tybee Island.

I loved watching her move from room to room, checking everything out.

I could hear her talking to herself or maybe me. “The pops of color with the grey exterior...turquoise, orange, navy, bright lime green... Amazing! I knew it had to be even better inside. Nautical stuff with beachy artwork... I love the cottage painting and beach chairs and... I adore it all! I never want to leave here!”

The best part that followed those words was the way she rushed back into the front room to me, flinging her arms around my neck. “I guess you like it?”

“Are you kidding? I love everything about it and you for bringing me here.”

I wanted to explore that one part that sounded like Celeste said she loved me. Instead, I enjoyed her in my arms and took full advantage of the situation. My one arm wrapped around her body while my free hand went to the back of her head, my fingers entwined in her mahogany hair. I angled her beautiful face perfectly and captured her luscious mouth with my eager one.

Drinking her in, tasting her lips and mixing it up with her tongue, was my favorite part of being in the cottage. My mind was remembering how Celeste had responded in the wine cellar and I wanted to make her come undone all over again. There was no stopping...unless she protested. Something told me there was no risk of that as she held on to me tightly.

She wasn’t letting go and neither was I as she was being backed to a more comfortable spot. I knew the layout of the cottage very well and where the best spot was to appreciate her, thoroughly.

“Don’t stop,” Celeste whispered against my lips as we fell onto a soft bed.

“Don’t worry” was my only response.

The only reason I stopped kissing her was to help her out of her clothes and to get my own off. We had the wrong items on to easily undress while lying down on the bed. I should’ve been thinking clearly and left our shoes, jeans and t-shirts on the wood floor of the living room before wandering into the master bedroom.

It all worked out in the end. Our two warm, naked bodies clung to each other and it was everything I had hoped for and so much more. I had envisioned working her out of her clothes slowly after wining and dining her, but right inside the front door, the minute we were alone worked too.

I was loving the closeness. I was in the moment. I was loving her, enjoying her, smelling her, tasting her, but it was the sight of her that captured me.

Celeste is a woman.

The little farm girl and teenager was gone.

Her body was so curvy. Her breasts were so full. Her smile was so bright when she looked up at me with lust decorating her beautiful face. Her skin felt so wonderful under my touch. Her need and vocalness was far more open than I ever remembered. Maybe it was because we had no idea what we were doing back then. Neither of us had been very experienced since we lost our virginities together.

Thinking about her with someone else wasn’t a pleasant thought, but I was realistic and had to view it another way. Life experiences made us who we were and contributed to make us better people. Bad and good. It enhanced who we had become and that, truly, couldn’t be a terrible thing. But, maybe it should’ve been slipped to the back of one’s mind when living in the moment.

Loving Celeste was all that mattered.

It appeared that I was doing a good job by her moans. “Yes, just like in the cellar... you’re amazing.”

I could say the same for her when she had me grinning, groaning and exhibiting a lust-filled pained look on my face when I finally connected us with a thrust of my hips. She was perfect in every way. I looked forward to feeling her tightness dragging me in deeper for the rest of my life. I never wanted anyone other than her ever again. “I love you, Celeste.” There was no reason to pretend I didn’t still feel the same way about her as I always had.

“Don’t say that.” I didn’t necessarily like her reaction, but I would prove it to her if she had doubts. “Just us now...” She was panting. “Leave it at that.”

No way in hell was that just a moment. It was the start of the new us. 

No pressure. No conversation. Just getting lost in that moment... I could be that for her I told myself as I moved faster and harder as she begged. Meeting each other’s needs was the only thing that controlled my thoughts and actions until we released, collapsing side by side.

“I had pictured that happening later tonight. You are surprising, Celeste.”

She laughed breathlessly. “I don’t know how you can say that... You surprised me first at Saphyre.” She had a point. I had started things, but it hadn’t involved an amazing full connection. Partial participation had been a bit painful until I could get back to my apartment to relieve the tension that had built in my groin area.

“This was more enjoyable.” I rolled on my side and sat up. “As enjoyable as it was... let’s go get that seafood and wine I promised you.”

I could’ve happily stayed right there and rolled into round two and three, but I wanted more than sex with her—I wanted everything. To get everything, I was pretty sure we needed to go back to the past before we could move forward and beyond the shit that had driven us apart years ago.