CHAPTER EIGHT
MARGO
“Right. I’m going to dinner with Jay. Be cool, Margo. It’s not a big thing…” I was trying to calm down, but it wasn’t working.
My heart was thudding, my whole body freaking out like a tree in a thunderstorm. I couldn’t think straight. This was ridiculous! Anyone would think I hadn’t ever been on a date before!
I tried not to think about the previous afternoon. After that, I was surprised Jay had contacted me again. I thought that maybe my behavior would shock him. I’d certainly shocked myself. I didn’t like to think what would have happened if any passing newspeople had followed my car.
Well, nothing happened. It would be everywhere if someone had seen me. It was a stupid risk.
I sighed. I wasn’t going to be mad at myself. I couldn’t have resisted Jay if I’d tried. Not at that moment. And despite knowing how dumb it had been, I knew that if I was given the same scenario right now, I’d do the same thing.
At this moment I was in front of the mirror, one black dress on my body, another one in my hand. I was trying to make up my mind between the two.
The one I was wearing was knee-length, with a pencil skirt and a loose, blousy top. I loved it. With my hair pulled up in a severe bun, my makeup a slightly dressy take on natural, I looked elegant and chic. At least I was hoping I did.
I didn’t want to look overdone, because then he might think I was desperate. At the same time, I didn’t want to look underdressed. How was I supposed to look for this date anyway?
I don’t even know if it is a date, or if it’s just Jay’s attempt at saying sorry. I had no idea what all this was about. He had been quite uncommunicative about our—well—incident in the car. His message was still polite and cool, not exactly friendly.
I repeated the words of the message. They didn’t indicate anything. It could be a message from a college friend, not an ex-boyfriend. Cool, polite and not overly interested. Well, I would just have to make the most of it. Was he trying to pretend that what happened yesterday hadn’t happened? I was used to Jay’s ability to disengage enough for me to think that was exactly that.
The restaurant we’d decided on—well, I had suggested it in my reply, and he agreed—was a place called Haldon’s, a fancy restaurant on Jefferson Street. If nothing else, at least I would go to a nice place.
I’m wearing this dress.
I put the other one, a black dress with floral designs around the hem, red tulips, onto the bed. It was too formal and maybe too flirtatious. This one conveyed a cool, detached outlook. Not that different to his message. And definitely suitable for the restaurant. My decision made, I turned once more in front of the mirror and then headed downstairs.
If he wanted to pretend yesterday hadn’t happened, and that he wasn’t really interested in me, he could try. I wasn’t planning to make it easy for him. I was having a hard time forgetting about it, and I didn’t see why he shouldn’t suffer just a little for it. And I wanted it to happen again.
I was shaking like a leaf by the time I reached the restaurant. Stupid, I knew. But there was nothing I could do about it. If I screwed up on this date, I would risk losing Jay again. But it wasn’t entirely fear that was making me shake, I knew—it was excitement. I was excited about seeing him again.
“Jay.”
He was early, typical of him, really, and sitting at a table in the corner. I smiled down at him and he smiled up at me.
“Oh. Hey, Margo. Glad you could make it.”
He tried to stand to pull out my chair and I quickly slipped into it, seeing that it was going to be awkward for him to get across to it while trying to balance on crutches. If he was offended by that, he didn’t give any sign. I sat down and smiled at him.
“A nice day, hey?” I said brightly, indicating the setting sun outside the window.
“Mm,” he agreed. “We’ve had great weather.”
“Yes.”
I reached for the menu, unsure what else to do. If weather was all he could talk about, well it was unfortunate. There was tension between us, so many unspoken words that the air seemed to shiver with them. I studied the list of drinks, not wanting to negotiate the space of silence between us.
I couldn’t quite believe I was here. Memories of yesterday kept on intruding and my whole body was on fire. I wanted him so much. I couldn’t get away from it—if I looked at his strong, muscled hands, I remembered them touching me. If I looked at his lips, I could feel them on mine. His shoulders made me remember how sweet it felt to be held so tightly.
And he was sitting there discussing the weather? Well, I thought archly, I could do the same.
“I’ll just have water, I think,” I said after a while, when he said nothing. “I need not to have bags under my eyes tomorrow.”
He smiled. “I’d forgotten about that.”
I laughed, despite my tension. He had always teased me about that—the fact that I always had water. He did the same thing before a game, or even before heavy training. Alcohol wasn’t going to help his body any.
“Well, what are you having?” I asked with a quirked smile.
“Water,” he said.
We both burst out laughing. When the waiter arrived, he looked from one of us to the other with confusion on his face.
“To drink, sir?”
“Two waters,” Jay managed to say. He caught my eye and I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing. When the poor guy had gone, we started giggling again.
“You haven’t changed,” he said. His voice was warm.
I smiled, feeling that voice stroke through me like warm silk. “You either,” I said softly.
He grinned back. His eyes twinkled.
Damn those blue eyes! They could always get anything out of me. My heart beat faster and I focused on my clasped hands, struggling for composure. I felt as if my abdomen was melting, his voice and his smile stroking me like his hands once had.
“So,” I said brightly. “How’s work?”
“You mean the consulting?”
“Mm.” I nodded. “Oh, thanks,” I added to the waiter, who handed me the glass then discreetly withdrew. Probably scared of provoking any craziness from us.
“Well, the consulting is good. Though I’m not sorry to have a holiday from it now.”
“I bet,” I said. “You’re here for a week, yeah?”
“Yeah. Back on Monday.”
“Oh.”
I was saddened by that thought. That meant we had only five days left together in the same town. Just as well, I thought, that we had chosen tonight for a date.
“You’re living in Houghton now?” I asked conversationally. I was trying to ignore the fact that I could feel his knee next to mine under the table. I swallowed hard.
“Um, yeah,” he said with a smile. “Nice place, really. Can’t complain. Good to be back in Wisconsin again.”
“I guess,” I said. I didn’t know he had been outside of Wisconsin. There was so much about the recent years that I didn’t know.
“Yeah. I went to college in Michigan,” he said. “After…” He trailed off.
I drew in a breath. It was the first time he’d mentioned the accident. I didn’t want to do or say anything that would break the spell. I waited for him to say something. When he hadn’t after about a minute, I cleared my throat.
“I guess we should look at the menu?” I asked.
“Oh yeah. Right.”
The smile that flashed across his face lit up his eyes.
I felt it shiver through me and set my body alight. I coughed and moved a little in my seat, trying to hide how aroused his presence made me feel. It was my treacherous body and its memories. I turned to the menu and scrolled a thumb down the list.
He looked at me shyly. “Margo?”
“Mm?”
“Can I have your number?”
I smiled. “Sure,” I said.
“Well, I guess it’s easier than email, right?” he said with that soft smile.
I chuckled. “You bet.”
We exchanged numbers and I felt my heart skip as he texted to check it was right, then put the phone in his pocket.
I saw the waiter hovering. I gave a little giggle and reached for the menu. We were going to be in here all night at this rate! “We should check the menu,” I said.
“Oh yeah. That,” he said, grinning. He lifted his and I hid a smile as he read it. He seemed to give it intense consideration.
“I like the sound of the grilled perch, myself,” I said after a moment, underlining it in the menu.
“Sounds good,” he said with a shrug. “I think I’ll go for something heavier.”
I smiled. “You always did.”
He chuckled. “I guess I’m used to training hard.”
The wistful look that crossed his face made my heart twist. I got a glimpse, just then, into how much this accident had hurt him, what it meant to him.
“Well, you’re in great shape,” I said carefully.
He looked as if I’d slapped him.
I regretted instantly what I’d said. I should have tried to avoid making comment on his body.
“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.
He shrugged. “It’s okay.”
We sat in uncomfortable silence for a while. Then he turned to me with a hesitant smile on his face.
“So, you had an interview yesterday?”
“Interview? Oh yes.” I chuckled. I’d almost forgotten about that. Crazy, really.
“Yes,” he smiled. “It sounded important?”
“It was,” I said, feeling a big smile spread across my face. “It just slipped my mind, now.”
“Oh?”
I gave him a look. “Well, yeah. I guess seeing you was more exciting,” I said.
He stared at me. The blue eyes were wide, a sort of disbelief shining in them.
I swallowed hard.
“Really?” he asked.
I chuckled. “Well, if you’re gonna force me to admit to it, yes.”
He laughed. It was a delightful sound, warm and rich and friendly.
I felt it lift my heart and warm every inch of my body.
“Margo,” he said softly. “I…thank you.”
I smiled at him.
He smiled back.
This time, when his knee moved between mine, I knew he’d done it on purpose. My breath stopped in my throat and the world seemed to go quiet. The warm skin pressed against me and I shivered as he pushed it higher, authoritatively parting my legs. The restaurant with its chatting clients, the clink of glasses and the soft sound of waiters taking orders all faded away. Everything was still, and it was just the two of us.
I let my knees move apart and his knee pushed further between mine. My ankle felt the light brush of his toes. I let out a shuddering sigh. He was so close, so warm. My whole body was tingling and throbbing. I closed my eyes. I wanted him so much.
My own toe brushed his ankle. I heard him sigh. I made a little tickle under the bone, feeling the thick, hard muscle there. This was the leg that still worked, his left leg. I teased him with my foot, making traces up the calf and back down again. When I looked at him his eyes were slits of longing.
I remembered that stare, the way he looked at me. I felt my heart thump and my breath sang in my ears. My blood was throbbing in the most unlikely places and I found it hard to think straight.
“Ready to order?”
We both jumped.
“Um, yeah. Thanks.”
I could have wept at the interruption as the waiter approached us, pen in hand. I tried to see the funny side. But it was difficult to feel amused when my insides were aching and my body was tingling and I could smell the sweet scent of his aftershave, reminding me of the delicious feeling of being pressed against his chest. Jay placed the order for both of us and when the waiter had gone he turned back to me, a sweet smile on his face.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
He grinned. He didn’t say anything, but his knee probed further, sliding along my thigh and making my entire body tingle. I gasped and dug my nails into my hand, trying to distract myself from the rising ocean of longing inside of me.
Luckily, the dinner didn’t take too long to arrive. We weren’t speaking much by the time the plates appeared before us; we were focused on the sweet feelings of our feet and toes and, once, his hand squeezing my knee. It was almost unbearable, my body held at a fever pitch of longing.
I breathed in the sweet scent of grilled fish, fennel and salad.
“Mm.”
I watched him eat. That thin, hard mouth opened, his tongue playing briefly at his lips. I smiled, enjoying letting my own tongue slide out and lick my lips, noticing the hungry expression on his face as I innocently lapped at the rim of my glass, knowing it looked good.
We ate ravenously and, before long, the dinner was finished.
“Let’s get the bill, huh?” His voice was a tight whisper.
I nodded. My body was on fire and I couldn’t have handled much more of sitting in that restaurant, trying to ignore the feelings that were surging through me.
Jay gestured to the waiter, paid the bill and then we were heading out of the door into the darkness and warmth outside.
***
I followed her to her car. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. With that short skirt swaying as she walked, her back straight, her butt round and pert, I was captivated, completely and utterly. I could smell the scent of her perfume and I could see the shine of her skin in the light of the streetlamps. I wanted her like I had never wanted anyone before, ever.
I wanted to squeeze that round butt in my hands, gripping it as I pushed into her, my hands clutching fists full of her soft, womanly shape. I reached out and touched her there, feeling the soft, silky fabric of the dress brush my fingertips, the sweet allure of the warm skin beneath snatched from me as she giggled, turning around.
When she reached the car, she lifted her lovely face to smile at me. Her smile got into me and warmed me, making me want her so much it hurt. I looked at the outline of her red lips, noticed her tongue snaking forward just a little to tease me, those eyes slanting and wicked, laughing up at me with a look that was invitation and challenge, together.
I reached out a hand and rested it on her shoulder, gripping her skin. She wrapped her arms around me and my mouth descended onto hers, wet and warm and sweet.
I groaned as her warmth invited me. I let the tip of my tongue stroke her lips and gently part them. She opened her mouth without hesitation and my tongue slid inside that soft, wet, yielding space.
Her body was against mine, her small, firm breasts flattened on my chest as I held her close, my arms tight around her. I loved the feeling of her soft, yielding body crushed to mine. She sighed and seemed to melt into me, my body hard against her gentle softness. She was pressed against my rising arousal and I held her close, my cock throbbing with my longing.
I broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. She stared up at me, those wide brown eyes warm and tender. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. She let her body mold to mine.
“Margo?” I asked.
She smiled. “Come on.”
I couldn’t believe she meant it. I stood where I was, not sure if I should believe her and get into her car, or just stand there and watch her drive away. I didn’t know what to think.
She grinned. “I guess I forgot to unlock.”
She pressed the key and the doors clicked. She inclined her head at me, mischievous, indicating I should get in. Then, when my hand touched the doorknob, she went around to the driver’s seat and got in too.
I let out a shuddering breath as she sat down next to me, and her hand reached for my leg. Just watching her move was arousing. This close, I could see a long expanse of pale skin as her skirt rode up midthigh when she sat. I stared and felt my loins fill, fit to explode.
“Come on,” I growled. “Let’s go home.”
She chuckled. “If you insist…”
I smiled. “Yes.”
My hand descended onto her leg and my mouth devoured hers. I couldn’t stop wanting to kiss those soft, full lips. I loved the feel of them parting under my pushing tongue, admitting me into the warmth of her mouth. She was sighing, and I had to clench my fists to resist the urge to push her onto the seat, throw her skirt up over her head and undress her right there and then.
“Let’s go,” she said.
We sped off into the night.
We reached her apartment sooner than I would have expected. I had, I realized with surprise, only been there once or twice.
“Baby,” I said as she pressed against me, a little sigh in the back of her throat. “I want you.” I pressed against her, loving the feel of her soft body against my hard, throbbing manhood.
“I want you too.”
It was awkward getting back onto my crutches after hugging her, but I managed it as she reached for her key and took some time letting us into the apartment. I followed her across the threshold and into the lift.
I started to feel the first tingle of nerves as we headed up to her apartment. The lighting in the lift was stark and made me feel exposed. I suddenly dreaded the moment when she might catch sight of my leg. All of a sudden my confidence was chipped away with my misgivings.
When I looked up from the floor, she was smiling at me. My doubts quickly slid away as fast as they came.
She whispered my name and pressed against me as the lift door sealed behind her. I leaned into her, letting myself feel nothing except the sweet pleasure of her body against mine. She was warm and soft and her curves fit against me as if she had been carved to fit in my arms. I sighed and let my tongue push into her mouth and held her tight.
We almost fell out of the lift on the eleventh floor. She giggled, and I leaned against the wall, giving myself time to get steady. I had my arms in the loops of the crutches, my hands on the bars, and I needed a moment to balance. She went over to unlock the door, giving me the time to get steady.
Then, as the door unlocked with a click, I followed her inside.
***
I switched on the light and closed the door. I couldn’t believe it. Jay was here.
I swallowed hard and tried to distract myself from the feeling that my abdomen was on fire and all I wanted to do was press against him. I could feel a wetness soaking into my panties and I knew that if I didn’t have him soon I would go crazy. All the same, I wanted to go slowly and savor this.
“Uh, here we are,” I said with a giggle. “I recently redecorated the bathroom…” I knew I was talking to cover my awkwardness and I guess he knew too, because he didn’t say anything. I turned around, hair swinging, and looked at him.
He smiled at me. He was leaning against the wall, the crutches clenched so tight that I could see the white knuckles under the skin. It was his eyes that drew me in, though, soft and blue. They started at my feet and traveled up my body, making me tingle fiercely. I could feel his eyes studying my body, lingering at legs and breasts and thighs. It was almost like he touched me.
“Margo,” he said. His voice was rough and grating and low with need and it set my whole body on fire.
“Jay.”
My own voice was tight and low, and I felt chills go through me as he reached out. I was standing close now, close enough for his fingers to just brush my side.
I allowed myself to do what I wanted to. I stepped toward him and pressed my body into his. I could feel that hard, muscled chest under his shirt, his narrow waist and the hard thigh of his left leg. I pressed close, letting my body mold against his where I could also feel a telltale bulge in his trousers and I pressed against it, loving the way it felt when it rubbed against me.
“Oh, baby,” he moaned. “I want you.”
I sighed. My whole body was glowing and shivering. I could barely think for how much I wanted him.
“I want you too,” I said. I meant it.
He kissed my hair. Gently, he cupped my face in one big, muscled palm.
“You’re so lovely,” he whispered.
I shivered. My whole body was throbbing as his touch worked its magic on me. I wanted him so much it hurt.
“Come on,” I swallowed.
I wriggled loose from his grip and led him through to the bedroom.
I stood in the doorway, hearing him lean the crutches against the wall as he sat down heavily on the bed. I heard him say my name again.
“Margo.”
I turned quickly away and joined him on the bed. My body was trembling. He reached over and kissed me hungrily, his tongue licking, stroking, exploring me. I felt like waves of fire were flooding me. His hand rested on my thigh and traced higher, so that his fingers flicked my panties. I gasped.
He smiled.
“Stop…teasing,” I gasped. The way he touched me wasn’t fair. I was melting as his hand squeezed me, fingers stroking the lace undies.
He grinned. “Okay.”
He moved his hands then, reaching to unfasten my dress. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to focus on the sweet sensation as he stroked down, unzipping me and gently rolling me to the side so he could work the dress down to my hips. I opened my eyes as he stared down at me.
His gaze was so admiring, so tender, that my heart thumped. He was staring at my breasts, held by the tight push-up bra, a mix of wonder and need in his eyes.
I rolled over, moving my body to show myself to best advantage.
He chuckled. “Does that come off?”
“Find out,” I said.
I let the dress slide down my legs and slip off my feet.
He leaned down and gently reached behind me, unclasping my bra. I sighed as he worked it off my hands. He stared down at me.
“Margo, you’re just amazing.”
I grinned. His eyes on my body were almost as pleasurable as a touch, starting at my waist and traveling up to my breasts, lingering there. He seemed to be torturing himself, just sitting looking at me. Then he reached out and gently worked my panties down off my ankles. He let them drop onto the floor.
I heard him shift on the bed and then he reached down and gently put his hand on my thigh. Leaning forward, his other hand cupped my breast, and I sighed as he gently teased my nipple.
Then he was upon me. His one hand slid between my thighs, stroking me like he had earlier, only now there were no panties there. I sighed and let my thighs gently part as he reached in, his thumb working my clit in a way that made me want to scream.
I moaned and shuddered and gritted my teeth as his hands worked me, prodding and probing and bringing me so close to climax that I wanted to cry. It was almost agony.
He changed the direction of the strokes, moving up and down, up and down in a way that shuddered through me like fire. I could feel my wetness rising. I was shivering, my thighs contracting in little spasms as I reached the edge of need.
“Please, Jay,” I said.
His grin flared, then faltered. He looked nervous for a moment and I wondered why. Then he started to undress. I was amazed by how quickly he could work pants down over his right leg, but he managed it effortlessly and then he was naked. His legs were visible to the knee. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, turned toward me.
It was my turn to stare. He was so beautiful. His shoulders were still huge, his biceps rippling in the half-light of the lamp. His waist was sweetly narrow, and I could see the thick, stiff hardness of his cock pressed tight against him.
He saw me looking and grinned. Then he knelt between my thighs and pushed into me.
He did it slowly, taking himself in his hand and rubbing the head against me, pushing it against my clit. I sighed as he parted my legs, rubbing himself in my wetness, gently probing me to make sure I was ready for him. Then he knelt between my thighs and entered me.
I cried out. He was so big, so thick. I had forgotten. And yet, he didn’t hurt me. He pushed into me gently, giving me time. Not that I wasn’t already ready—I was shivering, reining in the climax that was about to crash over me like a thunderstorm.
I felt him push right into me and groaned as the feeling of fullness flowed through me. Then he pushed out and in again, further and fuller. I was moaning now, pushing against him, letting him rub on all the places that incited that sweet, tickling, throbbing, fiery feeling that was slowly filling me up like a madness, rising through my body, making me shiver and shake and cry…
I screamed as I came, the ocean crashing through my body and taking my mind to a place of pleasure so intense that it seemed for a moment like I was unconscious.
He was throbbing and shuddering and pushing and he, too, cried out. He collapsed onto me.
We lay like that, his arms round me, my arms clasping him, sweat dripping.
It was much later when he rolled off me. He lay beside me, eyes closed. I thought he was asleep except that his breath was too shallow for that.
I rolled onto my side.
“Margo,” he whispered.
“Jay. That was amazing.”
“It was.”
When he opened his eyes, I was astonished to see the depth of tenderness in them. I had been crying and he reached out and stroked a finger down my cheek, messing the neat pathway of a tear.
He smiled gently. “You always do that.”
I giggled. “Only with you.”
“Really?” He sounded confused.
I grinned. “Really.”
I was crying, slow, silent tears that made my voice wobble. I couldn’t help it. Lovemaking with him—and that was what it was, real lovemaking—always did that.
His hand touched mine and I closed my eyes. I couldn’t quite believe how I felt. I was so fond of Jay it sometimes felt as if my heart was one with his. It was crazy.
I nestled closer and wrapped my arm around him, feeling his breath beside me. I felt as if we hadn’t lain like this for so long, and yet it was as if we’d been doing this, unbroken, since four years ago. It felt natural.
“Margo,” he said again, very softly.
Then he closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.