Chapter Twenty-Three
Natalie
“Hi, Mom,” I said, delighted to her voice.
“Nat,” Mom’s voice peaked with excitement. “Oh, honey, you’ve arrived safely?”
“Last evening,” I told her. “We drove from the airport straight to the hotel. Oh, Mom, you should see this hotel. It’s over a hundred years old, and it’s so beautiful.”
“You’ve never stayed in a hotel when you’ve traveled before, have you?”
“No, it’s been budget hostels and cheap motels,” I said.
“And your man?” she wanted to know. “How is he?”
I felt my heart skip a beat when she referred to Chance as my man, but I reminded myself not to get too wrapped up in the fairytale. He had looked a little nervous when I had mentioned that I loved him, and I did notice that he hadn’t said it back to me. I wondered if I should worry about that, but decided not to ruin my trip by obsessing over something that might be nothing. After all, he brought me all the way to Paris. Isn’t that proof of how he feels?
“He’s wonderful, Mom,” I gushed, lowering my voice a little. “He’s so good to me.”
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
I paused, not wanting to make a promise I couldn’t keep. “It’s still too early for that,” I reminded her.
“You’re traveling with the man, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but…”
“Well, whenever you’re ready, darling,” she said. “Don’t stress about it.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I said gratefully.
“Is Paris really as beautiful as they say?”
“It’s even more beautiful than they say,” I told her. “Especially during winter. The city’s lit up like a jewel. We have a view of the Eiffel Tower from our hotel.”
“Oh, Nat,” she sighed. “I’m so glad you finally got to cross that dream off your bucket list. You’ve wanted to see Paris in snow since you were nine years old.”
I laughed. “I always thought I’d be seeing it with you and Dad.”
“No, I’m glad you’re seeing it with a man you care about,” she said. “It’s a romantic city; you deserve to enjoy the romance of being there with a boyfriend.”
I smiled. “I’ll miss you guys on Christmas.”
“We’ll miss you, too, my darling,” Mom said. “It’s the first one without you.”
“I just told Chance the same thing.”
“We’ll have plenty more, don’t worry,” she said. “Now go and enjoy the romantic city.”
“Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, darling.”
I hung up and set the phone down. When I returned to our bed, Chance was sitting there, staring off at the view. I walked to him and sat across his lap. He leaned in absentmindedly and kissed my cheek.
“Feel better now?” he asked.
I nodded. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked.
“Sure.”
“You mentioned earlier that you wished you had parents you could call whenever you missed them…”
“Yes?” Chance nodded, looking up at me.
“I know your dad has passed, but… What about your mother? She’s still alive, isn’t she?”
He smiled sadly and nodded. “She is, but… I don’t know that I miss her anymore.”
“No?”
He looked off into the Parisian skyline. “Sophie was the one who took after Dad, I was the one who took after Mom,” he said softly, like he was remembering a long-forgotten memory. “It was always Dad and Sophie against me and Mom. So, when she left us… I suppose I felt betrayed and angry and hurt. I made excuses for her for a long time, I even visited her a couple of times – which is incidentally how I caught the travel bug – but I think I realized something along the way.”
“Which was what?”
“She didn’t really want to be a mother,” he said softly. “She didn’t really want to be a wife. In her mind, relationships were commitments that held you back and tied you down.”
I watched his face carefully. He looked sad for a moment, but there was also a stoic acceptance there. He wasn’t angry with his mother anymore. I realized that he actually understood her.
And in the same breath, I understood something, too. Perhaps this was the real reason he had shied away from relationships his whole life. It was because he didn’t want to get hurt like his father had. He didn’t want to love a woman, only to have her leave him.
I turned his face to mine and kissed him tenderly. It was a kiss to comfort, to heal, to mend, but as we became entwined, it became something deeper and more passionate. I felt his body respond to mine, and when I reached down to wrap my hand around his penis, I realized he was already hard.
This was what made everything so much more potent when I was with Chance. It wasn’t just that we had good sex. We had a connection. We could have a conversation without ever actually speaking. We could make eye contact and understand what the other one wanted. We could give each other comfort without kisses and caresses, never having to make a sound.
As we fell back onto the bed, I knew that this wasn’t just sex. It was a means of communication and connection. We were helping each other with our wounds, our worries, and our insecurities. We were telling one another that it was okay to be vulnerable.
Chance unwrapped the sheet from around my chest and threw it off the bed. My naked body fell across his, and he pulled me closer towards him. I could feel his hands sliding down my hips, squeezing my ass, feeling me up, and exploring my body. His cock was hard against my thigh, and I started to moisten at the thought of having him inside me once more.
But before that, I wanted to suck his cock. Missy was right. It was actually a very arousing experience with the right guy. I slid downwards and licked the tip of his penis. I teased him for a minute before I slipped his cock into my mouth. He groaned as I took him deep into my throat without easing him into it.
His body shuddered violently, and I knew he was trying to stop himself from cumming. I slowed my pace a little, making sure to suck him slowly so that I could savor the taste of him.
When I finally lifted my head up, his eyes were closed in concentration. He reached for me, and I slipped upwards and straddled him, taking his cock into my hand and guiding him inside me.
It was strange to think that just a few months ago, I had no experience with sex; now, it was hard to imagine my life without it. Or maybe it was just hard to imagine my life without him.
I moaned as I rode him. This had quickly become one of my favorite positions. At first, I had felt self-conscious and shy about taking control, but now I loved it. I could move as fast as I wanted; I could change the tempo of his thrusts with my hips. I could lean in so that my breasts were at his chest or I could sit straight so that he could watch me fuck him.
I rode him slowly at first, with my hands on his chest, while he held me at the waist. Then his hands started to wander. He grabbed my ass before moving up to my breasts. He cupped them with each hand and then started teasing the nipples, adding new rippling sensations that traveled down to my groin.
After I grew comfortable, I increased the tempo of my movement until I was riding him fast and hard. He pulled me down so that our faces were only inches apart, and with his hands wrapped around my torso, he pushed deeper into me in hard, violent thrusts that made me feel as though he were trying to split me open.
My moans turned into gasps, and my gasps turned into screams as he slammed into me with passionate force. We were both inspired and intoxicated by our surroundings, but we were also fused together by the comfort we felt in each other’s company. We came together, our moans creating an almost musical melody. Then I collapsed on top of him and lay there for a long time before I rolled off him and onto my side.
I supported myself on my elbow and stared down at his face. His eyes were closed, there was a faint sheen of moisture on his brow, and his chest rose and fell deeply. I placed my hand across his heart and waited till his breathing slowed.
“How can you be so tired, when I did all the work?” I teased.
He laughed breathlessly and reached for me. “You are amazing,” he whispered into my ear. “If you hadn’t told me, I would never have thought you were a virgin.”
I smiled. “I never expected to enjoy sex so much.”
“Me, neither.”
I raised my eyebrows and looked down at him. Chance smiled. “It’s different with you,” he admitted. “I’ve slept with other women before, but it’s never been like this.”
“How is it different with me?” I asked curiously.
Chance thought about that for a moment. “It’s hard to explain,” he said, at last. “But I suppose it’s more… It’s just more. And, I can never get enough. No matter how many times we fuck, I just want you more and more each time.”
“Really? I thought that was just me,” I said, delighted.
“It’s definitely not just you,” he assured me.
I leaned down and kissed his chest. “After that workout, we should probably replenish our energy stores and get some breakfast.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” he agreed. “But how about we order in and have breakfast in bed? Then we can have a shower and start exploring Paris?”
“We can have a shower?” I repeated, catching the word.
Chance smiled. “Of course; it’s a romantic getaway, so shower sex is mandatory.”
I laughed. “Then who am I to resist?"
He grabbed me and started kissing me on my nose, my eyes, my cheeks, and my face. We wrestled together on the bed for a few minutes, being silly and happy and carefree. No one knew us here; we didn’t have to sneak around or hide our relationship. We could walk down the street holding hands, and no one would care.
I was so caught up in the moment, that I couldn’t keep my feelings to myself. “I love you, Chance,” I whispered to him, while he was kissing my neck.
He raised his head, and his hazel eyes met mine. He smiled at me for a long moment, and then he kissed me hard on the lips. It wasn’t an answer, and I knew it would bother me later that he hadn’t replied. But for that one moment…it was enough.