Chapter 8: Kat

He woke me up the next morning with coffee that he’d gotten from the diner I worked at. I’d answered the door in only the t-shirt he’d leant me last night to sleep in and his eyes grazed over my body, my bare thighs and legs, which made me flush hot with desire. I had been tempted to go to him after he’d left the night before, to crawl into his bed and take him inside of me like I’d done so many times before. I missed his body against mine, wanted to feel the comfort of the man I knew while exploring the body of the man who was new to me. But I’d stopped myself before I could go through with it. I wanted it to be perfect and I wanted to be absolutely sure that I wanted to give myself to him before I did so. Last night had been so perfect, made me let down my guard a bit, but I still wasn’t sure what I wanted from him.

I kissed him on the cheek and then pulled the shirt off so that I was naked in front of him. I gave him a teasing little smile when I noticed the look on his face, the lust mixed with surprise mixed with something else entirely. Love, I thought it was. Devotion. It made my heart flutter in my chest as I slipped into a pale yellow dress that I knew flattered my skin color and my curves. I combed through my curls with my fingers and put on a soft pink lipstick, checking myself in the mirror before I grabbed my purse and followed him out the door.

“You’re gorgeous,” he said, when I turned to lock the bolt. “With and without clothes.”

“Which do you prefer?” I asked, smiling at him. “You must have a preference.”

“Oh, I do,” he said, and grinned at me, then took my arm and laced it around his while we walked through the parking lot to the park that was surprisingly large for such a small town. We walked around the perimeter, our fingers laced, talking and laughing much as we had the night before. Once we’d looped around, he pulled a blanket out of his bag and we settled down on the grass near the fountain in the center of the park.

“So I was thinking,” he said, his hand caressing my cheek. “I think you should let me kiss you.”

“Is that so?” I asked. “What makes you think that?”

He leaned forward and brushed his lips against mine. My body trembled at the touch.

“Because I want to,” he said softly. “Because you want me to.”

“Maybe I don’t,” I said, but my body was telling him otherwise. “Maybe it’s all in your head.”

His lips touched mine again and he kissed me gently, smiling. Then he kissed me again and I began to respond, wrapping my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me. His scent was overwhelmingly tempting and the taste of his mouth gave me goosebumps. I slipped my tongue between his lips to draw his out, running my hands through his soft chestnut hair. We kissed for a few long moments, the heat in my body growing so fierce that it threatened to overwhelm me, to make me lose all my senses. I was panting against his lips by the time we were done; we had laid down on the blanket together and my body was wrapped around his, my leg around his waist to pull him as close as I possibly could with clothing between us.

“Darling,” he whispered. “My angel, you taste so sweet.”

“As do you,” I said. “Kiss me again.”

So he did. By the end of it I had slipped my hand up under his t-shirt to stroke the ridges of his muscles. I wanted him to take it off. I wanted to peel off my dress for him and let him take me right there, appropriate or not. But he stopped me, took my hand from his chest and squeezed my fingers before sitting up. I could see the length of his erection pressing against the fabric of his jeans and wanted nothing more than to touch it, to take it into my hands and feel the silky firm warmth of him in my palm. He looked at me, saw the expression of desire written all over my face, and tilted his face to kiss me softly in the spot where my neck met my shoulder.

“Lunch time,” he said, then stood and brushed himself off. He helped me up and folded the blanket back into his bag, then took my arm as we began to stroll toward the main street in town. I guided him to a small bistro and when we were seated, he took my hand over the table, stroking the back of it with his thumb. I found it hard not to fall into what we had once been before, back when we were so in love and in sync with one another. The longer I was with him, the more relaxed I got. Every once in a while he would lean forward to kiss me hungrily, as if he couldn’t keep away for very long. I knew this could be trouble, that if I let him in he could break my heart again, but I couldn’t help but to fall into the same pattern, to return his kisses with relish.

We talked as we ate. We could talk about anything and everything for hours, I’d discovered. We’d always been able to do that. We stayed for a long while at the nearly-empty restaurant and drank coffee after we finished our meals, shared a dessert and laughed until we could do so no more. After he’d paid the tab, we walked back to the motel. He walked me to the door and studied my face, his eyes sparkling. He kissed me once more and I responded in full, pressing my body against his.

“Come inside,” I whispered against his lips. “Come make love to me.”

He looked at me quietly, a small smile playing across his face. I opened the door and led him inside, where I pulled my dress over my head so that I was only in my panties. I started to pull them down but he took my hands instead, kissed my palms and smiled at me, then crouched down to peel them off, pulling them down my legs so that I was bare to him. He planted a soft kiss on my mound and I spread my legs to give him access. He nuzzled between my legs, his breath warm on my folds, and slid his tongue from the bottom of my slit to the top. I sighed and ran my fingers through his hair as he began to lick and suck at my folds, teasing me with his tongue. I felt like a goddess, like I was being worshipped by him in a way nobody had ever done for me before. After a few moments, he stood up and pushed me gently onto the bed, then unfastened his jeans and pulled his shirt off as he stepped out of them. His body was magnificent and his tattoos stood out beautifully on his pale skin. I wanted to trace the outlines of them with my fingertips, to explore his entire body. His erection was thick and long and delicious-looking. I wanted him in my mouth, in my hands, but I wanted him between my legs even more. I scooted up onto the bed and he followed me, settling himself between my thighs. My mound was soaking wet and ready for him, but he decided to take his time on my body before filling me with his shaft. He kissed my neck, my shoulders, my breasts, then took one into his mouth and sucked gently on the nipple. I felt an overwhelming heat spread throughout my entire body as I watched him with his lips wrapped around me. He switched to the other nipple, put his hands between my legs to stroke my folds and spread the moisture all around, paying special attention to the sensitive bud at the top of my opening.

He had been a good lover before, attentive and careful. Now, he was different, even better. He caressed my body with reverence and patience, slid inside of me in one slow stroke that almost took my breath away. I moaned when he began to move his hips in slow, expert strokes, hitting the back of my channel over and over again, stretching me out. I was breathing hard, moaning underneath him, my hands digging into the small of his back to pull him deeper inside of me. He knew exactly how to time his thrusting to make the most of my pleasure, hitting the sweetest spot inside of me that I didn’t even know was there. I felt myself clench around him, pulling him deeper with my muscles, and he was buried to the hilt inside of me when I came for him, whimpering his name in a breathless voice. He didn’t stop, though, but rode me through my peak and kept going, moving his hips more gently so that I could catch my breath. I tasted his lips and swirled my tongue hungrily in his mouth as he made love to me, breathing heavily. He took my chin in his hand and held my face still so he could watch me as I took my pleasure again. Eventually, he followed behind, coming inside of me with a growl of satisfaction that I felt throughout my entire body.

We lay there quietly as I finally got to explore his body in the way I wanted. I looked at all of his tattoos, traced them with my fingertips. In addition to his arms, they covered his chest as well as his back. I felt his eyes on me and wondered what he was thinking. Part of me was nervous that I’d be rejected by him again but for the most part my body was relaxed and my heart was singing.

“What are you thinking?” I asked softly, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

“That I’m so in love with you it hurts,” he responded. “That I never want this moment to end.”

I smiled and kissed him again. It was the perfect answer, the one I’d wanted.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” I asked, almost shyly, half-afraid he’d say no.

“I couldn’t leave if I wanted to,” he said softly, tilting his head up for another kiss. We couldn’t keep our mouths off of each other. Every few minutes he’d capture my lips with his, taste my mouth with his sweet tongue. My body began to respond to his and I could see that his erection had risen once more. We made love again, our bodies intertwined, and I fell asleep on top of him, my heart filled with hope.

I woke up in the morning and he was gone.

My heart sunk. He’d done it again, left me in the middle of the night. He’d used me for sex after convincing me that he loved me. I’d truly believed it. I began to cry, weeping inconsolably.

There was a knock at the door and Gray entered, his hands full of coffee and a paper bag filled with something that smelled as delicious as it would taste. I gaped at him, thinking it must be a dream. He had taken me and then left me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, a look of concern passing over his face. He sat down on the bed next to me and stroked my hair while I cried.

“I thought you’d left again,” I said through my tears. “I thought you used me.”

He took my face in his hands and held it in front of his so that our eyes were locked.

“I will never leave you again, Kat,” he promised. “I couldn’t. I need you.”

I flung myself at him, wrapping my arms around his chest.

“I love you so much, Gray. I have never stopped loving you. I’ve been waiting for you to come back to me, I’m just afraid that you’ll leave me again. I can’t stop thinking about it.”

He kissed me on the lips, soft and sweet. “Please give me a chance to prove to you how much I love you. I’ll never leave you, I promise.”

I sighed against his mouth, then looked at him with my eyes filled with hope.

“I want to give this a try, but you have to promise that you’ll always come back to me no matter what.”

“You’re the only woman I’ll ever come back to,” he said in a quiet, firm voice. “The only one I’ve ever truly wanted. I promise, Kat. I swear I will stay.”

I kissed him then, long and deep and passionate. We ate together and my tears dried up while we laughed and made conversation.

I found that I trusted his words. I don’t know how, but my walls dropped for him. I believed him when he said he’d never leave me.

I couldn’t stop smiling.