“What are you three doing here?” Stella asked as Connie, Gabriel and Katrina walk into the diner, a tray loaded with food balanced on her hand.
“Lunch,” Gabriel said. The diner was packed with the after church crowd, but that was fine. They weren’t leaving until two anyway. “Three, Stella’s section,” he said to the hostess as Stella nodded then moved off to deliver the food.
They had to wait almost twenty minutes for a table, allowing two parties to go ahead of them, but they were finally seated. “Do you know what you want?” she asked as she stepped up.
“Chicken nuggets and fries for the stunning young lady there, with milk to drink,” Gabriel said, making Stella smile.
“I’ll have the grilled chicken with corn and carrots, and water is fine,” Connie said as she closed her menu.
“I’ll have the pork tenderloin with fried potatoes and black-eyed peas. Sweet tea to drink.”
She finished writing it down, gathered the menus, then scurried away, too busy to chitchat.
Connie and Gabriel spent fifteen minutes entertaining Katrina by helping her color on the kid’s menu until their food arrived. They took their time eating as the crowd began to thin. A bit over ninety minutes after they walked in, and twenty minutes until Stella’s shift was over, Connie thanked Gabriel and excused herself.
“Where’s Grammy?” Stella asked a few minutes later as she cycled through her tables, topping off drinks.
“She left.”
“She left?” Stella asked in surprise. “Without you?”
“That’s right. The three of us are going to Falls Park and the zoo as soon as you’re done here.”
“I want to see elephants,” Katrina piped up, still colorings on her menu.
“I don’t think they have elephants anymore,” Gabriel reminded her. “But maybe we can see the giraffe and its baby, and some lions.”
“We are?”
Gabriel nodded. “Katrina wants to see the animals.”
Stella giggled. “Well, we’ll have to do something about that, I guess.”
***
Stella, Gabriel and Katrina spent the next four hours at the zoo and Liberty Falls Park. Katrina was enthralled with the high pedestrian bridge and ran back and forth along the unsuspended side, looking at the falls below. When they were walking back to Stella’s car, Katrina was riding on Gabriel’s shoulders, chattering away about whatever caught her attention.
“I’ve had a wonderful time,” Stella said, leaning in close. She would hold his hand except he had them around Katrina’s feet to keep her perch secure.
“So have I,” Gabriel said. “How about you, squirt? Did you have a good time?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders to give her a bounce.
“Yeah! I liked the giraffe and eating the cookies.”
Gabriel grinned at Stella. The animal crackers had been a big hit. “How’d you like the bridge?”
“Good. It was up high.”
“It sure was,” he agreed. “You want to come back sometime?”
“Tomorrow!”
The two adults laughed. “I don’t know about that,” Stella said. “Mommy needs to rest tomorrow.”
“Can you bring me back tomorrow?” she asked Gabriel, leaning over to look into his face upside down, then laughing in delight at her own antics.
“You’re so silly,” he teased. “I would, but I have to work tomorrow. Maybe next weekend, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed, then immediately starting to talk about the clouds.
When they arrived at the car, he hoisted her off his shoulders and placed her in her car seat before taking his place behind the wheel.
When they got home, Stella whipped together a tasty meal of hamburger and mac and cheese, dinner hitting the table in less than a half hour. Gabriel was amazed that Stella could go from nothing to a hot, home-cooked meal in less than thirty minutes and he could barely scramble eggs.
The three of them ate and talked about their day at the park, Katrina carrying most of the conversation by talking nonstop about the animals she saw. As Gabriel helped tidy the kitchen, Katrina walked about the house, riding Ted on her shoulders, as she lectured him about animals.
“She had a good time today. I’ve been saying I was going to take her to the zoo, but I never seemed able to get around to it. Thank you.”
He leaned over and accepted her kiss. “It was my pleasure. Really. I enjoyed it.” He looked to make sure little ears weren’t listening. “I especially enjoyed the time with her mother and watching her lick an ice cream cone.”
She giggled. “Naughty boy.”
He grinned. “I wasn’t the one putting on an X-rated display with an ice cream.”
She twittered again. “If you think that was racy, just wait until Katrina is asleep.”
Even though he knew she was teasing him, he could feel his cock tingle. “Don’t make you scream. I remember.”
She grinned up at him. “Well, maybe a little.”
***
Gabriel couldn’t have been happier. He was sitting on the couch with Stella snuggled in close and Katrina sitting in his lap as the three of them watched Toy Story. He was more of a Die Hard, Terminator, or The Expendables, kind of man, but he’d forced himself to not roll his eyes when Katrina brought him the disc and pretended like he had been wanting to see the movie for years. As he watched it, he was surprised he found himself actually enjoying it has he chuckled at the antics of Buzz, Woody and the rest of the characters inhabiting Andy’s bedroom.
“Time for your bath, Monkey,” Stella said as the credits began to roll. Katrina, the master of stalling, managed to hold her mother off for ten more minutes before he heard them in the bathroom as water ran and splashed.
Finally, Katrina appeared dressed in her pajamas, Stella behind her with the front of her shirt wet and clinging to her in a most appealing way. She grinned when she noticed him staring at her boobs.
“She splashes a lot.”
He grinned and nodded. “I hope she keeps it up.”
Just before ten, Stella finished drying Katrina’s hair with a blow dryer before she came out and gave Gabriel a hug and thanked him for the trip to the zoo. He smiled as he stood out of sight by Katrina’s door while Stella read her Peter Parrot’s Peanuts, a sing-songy rhyming story about a hungry parrot looking for peanuts, but instead finding all kinds of stuff he couldn’t eat, until he finally found his peanuts on the last page.
Stella gave her daughter a noisy, giggly, kiss, then turned out the light. She started slightly as she stepped out of the door and he was standing there.
“You’re very good with her,” he said softly as they retreated to the family room.
“She’s a good kid.”
They settled onto the couch and she sighed. “Thank you for doing this today. I can’t remember having a better day.” She looked up into his eyes and smiled. “And it’s not over yet.”
“It’s not?”
“On no, babe. In twenty minutes or so she’ll be sound asleep, then you can do something for me.”
“What’s that,” he breathed, his lips close to hers.
She reached up beside her and snapped off the lamp as she smiled. “Surprise me.”
He slid his hand behind her head and pulled her lips to him. As they kissed, she rose up and swung a leg over him, straddling him with her knees on the couch. They kept their clothes on in case little eyes appeared, but that didn’t prevent her passion from overwhelming her.
She squirmed and moved, grinding her hips into him as their lips and tongues engaged in a war of passion. He wanted to rip her clothes off her and fuck her right there on the couch, to pound into her until they were both screaming in pleasure, but they had to wait until Katrina was asleep, the forced delay making him want her more with each passing moment.
She gasped as he kissed her hard on her throat, her need growing with every kiss of his lip and every stroke of his tongue. “Oh, God, I want you,” she whispered into his ear as he ravaged her neck and throat, his hands seemingly everywhere as he caressed her body.
“Later,” he whispered in reply, enjoying the game and wondering how wild he could make her before she couldn’t take it anymore. After a moment he twisted, laying her onto the couch, falling to his knees on the floor as he lay across her and held her down with his weight on her chest. As he kissed her long and deep, he slid a hand inside her shorts, carefully, gently teasing her with a finger, causing her to suck in a great lungful of air.
It was yesterday morning all over again, his touch sending her passions soaring. She moaned into his mouth as he tickled her and she could feel the beginnings of an orgasm. She didn’t know if Katrina was completely asleep or not, but she didn’t care; they would just lock the door. She tried to rise and drag him to the bedroom, but he held her down, his finger slowly caressing her, his lips busy on her throat and neck.
“Stop,” she whispered. “Take me to bed.”
“No,” he breathed.
“Katrina…”
“She’s asleep,” he whispered into her neck.
She bit her lip to stifle the moan from his touch, the naughtiness of what they were doing exciting her even more. She’d never made love to anyone with Katrina in the apartment, but somehow it seemed right doing the deed with her father, and the need to be quiet and the danger of getting caught stoked her passions.
She pulled his mouth to hers then moaned long and low, her breath coming in fast pants as her hand tightened down on him. Her kiss became frenetic as she became still, then she moaned again, louder this time as a quiver passed through her.
She flung her head back with a gasp and grabbed his wrist. “Stop, stop, stop!” she begged softly while tugging at his hand. She pulled his hand out of her shorts and sighed in relief. “Oh, you are so going to get it,” she murmured, smiling into his face before pulling his lips to hers once more.
He staggered to his feet and pulled her up from the couch, then scooped her up into his arms. It was a tight squeeze down the short hall to the bedroom, and they paused to allow Stella to push the door open to check on Katrina.
She smiled as she pulled the door almost shut. Katrina was on her back at an angle, her mouth open, with Ted tucked under her right arm. “She’s asleep.”
He squeezed through the door into her bedroom and eased the door shut with a heel, before carrying her to her bed. He knee-walked to the center then carefully lowered her, following her down into a kiss. He pulled back from her lips with a smile. She was so completely different than any other woman he’d had. He’d always strove to leave his bedmates well satisfied, but with other women he wanted to fuck them for his pleasure. With Stella, it was different. He wanted to make love to her, to give her pleasure and to extract his pleasure from the giving of himself and the sharing of the moment.
She watched as his face softened as he smiled down at her. “What are you thinking?”
His smile widened as he sniffed out a short chuckle. “I was just realizing the difference between fucking and making love.”
“Oh?”
He lowered his lips to hers for a long slow kiss. “I make love to you. I fucked everyone else. I want to give you pleasure. I took it from everyone else. I want to stay and hold you. I usually left with everyone else.” He paused and watched her eyes for reaction. “I love you, I haven’t anyone else.”
She looked into his eyes. She could sense her feelings for him, but she couldn’t bring herself to give them voice. He’d hurt her so badly she was afraid to admit them. She didn’t trust herself and wondered if the things she felt for him were passing fancy or if she were confusing lust and love. She wanted to repeat the words, to say what she could see he was hoping to hear, but try as she might, she couldn’t utter the phrase.
He watched her struggle and felt a keen disappointment. He knew she needed time, and he was willing to give it to her, but for a moment he thought she was going to say it. “It’s okay,” he murmured, kissing her lips softly. “I don’t want you to say anything until you mean it.”
The passion from the family room was fading. She had spoiled the moment by asking too many questions. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “I know you need time.”
She nodded. She dreamed of feeling this way, of having someone in her life, someone she could come home to, someone who loved her, and Katrina, and they could love in return. She wanted someone who could make her soar with pleasure, and support her in grief. She could sense his pull, the memories of their time together lending strength to the attraction, but it wasn’t enough, not yet, and she worried that it never would be. She enjoyed his company, and how he made her feel, so why couldn’t she at least admit her feelings to herself?
He’d pushed too hard, gone to fast, and he’d broken the mood and pushed her away. He was willing to give her as much time as she needed, and pressing her by telling her how he felt wasn’t going to speed up the process. If anything, it would slow it down. He began to pull away and swallowed his disappointment as he prepared to leave to give her some space.
“Don’t go!” she cried softly, pulling him back to her. “Stay with me. I want you to show me the difference between fucking and making love. Please.”
He smiled, feeling like he’d taken another step. “With pleasure,” he whispered.