An Exceptional Twist (17 page)

Remarkable.
Even her list of life goals was chalk-full of
things she wanted to accomplish for the benefit of
others.

As he stepped out of her private space, she
was fiddling with the already prepared lasagna dish, looking
uneasy.

In an attempt to switch the mood, he
suggested, “Wine?”

Briefly closing her eyes, she let out a
quiet exhale. “In the fridge, but I should have a few other bottles
in there that are already cold. Get what you like and pour me a
glass, too, if you don’t mind.”

She must be relieved that
I’m out of her room. I wonder what she’s hiding in there that would
make her so nervous.
 

He searched the shelves
until he found the chilled bottles.
Oh
great—cheap wine.
 

“Is this any good?” He held the bottle up
for her. “I’m not familiar with the brand.” It was difficult to
even make out the name on the label.

“That’s one of my favorite everyday wines.
Just give it a try.” She batted her eyelashes, propelling a whirl
of desire through his body.

Eye on the prize.

Swallowing his pride, he drank the bargain
wine.  To his surprise, it wasn't bad.  It was
actually quite good.  

She caught his approving
expression. ”See, I told you it was good, Mister Wine Snob.”
 

The second gulp didn’t go down so easy. How
did she manage to piss him off and turn him on at the same
time?

“Would you mind putting these other lasagnas
in the fridge?  I'll stick them in the oven tomorrow before I
come over.”  Since her hands were full with plates and
silverware, she gestured with her lips, pointing him toward the
other glass baking dish covered with foil.  

He came to appreciate the way she pointed
things out using nothing more than her those beautiful lips. One of
the cooks they’d employed when he was growing up was also of
Salvadorian decent and pointed with her lips, as well.

Must be a cultural thing.

Casually swaying her alluring figure around
the kitchen island, she set the dishes out on her tiny round dining
table, throwing him an alluring grin.
 He couldn't take his eyes off of her.  If he
had been drowning, he’d be dead.

She turned on her iPod and mellow background
music began to play as they sat down to eat.

Stefen couldn’t believe how good the lasagna
was. He devoured each forkful. “I’ll admit I was skeptical when you
said vegetarian lasagna, but this is fantastic.”

Chewing the food in her mouth before
swallowing, she admitted, “Thanks, but I can’t take all the credit
with this one. It’s actually Abby’s recipe. The version I usually
make has three types of cheese, sweet Italian sausage, ground beef,
veggies and tons of herbs.”

“You’ll have to make that
one next time, then.”
Oh,
shit
. What was he saying?

“Next time?” Confused, she tilted her head
to the side.

He took a huge gulp of wine before
correcting his mistake. “Well, you know what I mean. Two of the
most important people in our lives are married. I’m sure we’ll see
plenty of each other.”

That thought hit him. Leah definitely was
not a one night stand, even if that’s what he was shooting for.
They would be running into each other as long as Caleb and Abby
were married.

Hmm…
He thought about the possibilities.

Maybe this could somehow work out. He didn’t
mind having a new ‘go to’ girl.

But that didn’t feel right. His emotions
were tangled with Leah’s. There was no way things would turn out
well for either of them.

You sound like a
chick,
focus on tonight,
he reminded himself
.

Now that both of their plates were empty, he
grabbed their wine glasses and headed toward the couch.  Leah
picked up the dishes and put them in the sink. Joining him, she
tucked her feet under herself in the corner of the sofa.

Something caught his eye on the window ledge
above the couch. Peering behind them, he found a plastic flower
with red petals. It was attached to a green stem and two leaves
that looked like they were supposed to be arms sprouting out of a
red flower pot base.

Noticing where his eyes roamed, Leah
explained, “One of the kids gave that to me. It dances when the sun
hits the solar panel.” She smiled warmly. “She said it reminded her
of me.”

“It’s really sweet that
you kept it.”
Leah is sitting way too far
from me.
He scooted closer, then brushed
his knuckles on her cheeks.

Gulping loudly, she replied, “I save
everything my kids give me.” She touched her mouth, unable to
contain her grin. “It’s those little things that can brighten even
my worst days.” She was practically glowing.

Leaning in, he handed her the glass of wine.
“Thanks for dinner.” The clinking sound of their glasses echoed
through the apartment before they each took a sip.

“My pleasure.” She took a sip of wine while
running her fingertips up her thigh.

The way Leah enunciated the words ignited a
fire within him. Slowly, he moved toward her, taking the
wine-goblet from her hand. He reached over to the side table and
sat their glasses next to each other. Watching her suck in a sharp
breath encouraged him.

Stefen could see the
same excitement building in her eyes, inviting him to
inch even closer until their lips met.  

She was exquisite, her body responding to
his every touch, melting into his caresses. He reached behind her
head and gently pulled the band out of her hair. Her shiny black
locks cascaded down her back, a handful of strands falling in front
of her shoulders.

He inhaled the floral scent from her
shampoo, enjoying the flavor of her kiss, intoxicated by her
presence. She lifted onto her knees, wrapping her hands around his
shoulders while her soft lips slowly moved against his. With as
much restraint as he could muster, he placed his palms around her
waist, gently pulling their bodies down onto the couch until she
was lying on top of him.

He rubbed slow circles on her lower back,
traveling down to cup the ass he’d been admiring for weeks. She
tensed for a moment, then relaxed into his caresses.

Her hands found their way into his hair and
kneaded the back of his head as she quietly moaned. Hungrily, she
sucked on his lips as she parted her knees to straddle him. There
was no need to talk her into anything—she was raring.

Groaning, his restraint
faded as he thought,
I’ve got to get her
in the other room. Now.

Removing his lips from hers, he meant to
whisper into her ear, but her mouth made its way to his neck. He
loved having soft lips against his neck.

She nipped on his skin, and he groaned, “How
about we move to your bedroom?”

She froze like she’d been doused with a
bucket of ice water. Biting her bottom lip, she spoke softly,
“Stefen, I don’t usually have sex with guys I haven’t known that
long. To be honest,” she fiddled nervously with her fingers, “I’ve
only been with one other guy before, and that was back in
college.”

Propping himself up with his elbows, he
never broke eye contact, running a comforting hand down her thigh.
“Leah, please tell me you don’t think of me as some random guy you
just met. I know you feel what I feel. To be honest, this is kind
of new for me.” He hadn’t planned on sharing that, but it was, in
fact, the truth.

He brushed a hand across
her cheek. “I need to feel
all
of you. Please say yes.” His fingertips dragged
along her arms, needing the contact of his skin on hers. Now that
he’d had a taste, he was desperate for more.

Her breath hitched, and he felt the pounding
of her pulse on her inner thighs that were pressing against his
hips. Relishing in the sensation, he was starting to lose it.

She continued, “Wanting you is not the
problem, Stefen. We still haven’t even discussed what happened
yesterday.”

Tenderly, he placed his index finger on her
mouth. “Shh. It’s over. I don’t want to talk about that again.”
With her nestled on his lap, he sat up and cupped her face,
covering her mouth once more with his own. It was his turn to kiss
her neck. Biting and licking his way down, his lips landed on the
very edge of her shirt.

She moaned breathlessly, “Okay, let me get
freshened up first.”

Fuck yeah!
“Only if you do me a favor.” He placed one final
kiss on the exposed skin on her chest before bringing his forehead
to hers. “Put on your red dress.”

“You want me to get dressed, just to get
undressed?” She moved her fingertips over the skin he’d just
kissed.

Stefen lowered his voice
as a slow smile built on his lips. “Yes. I enjoy unwrapping my
gifts,
slowly
.”
His fingertip lightly stroked her arm.

She trembled and bit her lip. The blaze in
her eyes nearly made him come undone.

He missed her body’s warmth the moment she
got up. Laying back on the couch, he rested his hands behind his
head, watching every stride of her hips as they swayed back and
forth until she reached the doorframe. Glancing over her shoulder,
she said the words he’d been waiting to hear from her.

“I’ll be ready in a few.”

Stefen inched his way out of bed, trying his
best not to disturb Leah. They’d just had a marathon night of the
best sex he’d ever had. Leah wasn’t lying when she said that she’d
only been with one other guy before. She was inexperienced, but
also a quick learner. Once their bodies became one, they moved in
unison as though they were made for each other. At a loss, he
didn’t know what to do at this point. They’d crossed that line. Now
they could never go back.

He went in search of his boxer briefs that
had been thrown haphazardly on the floor, then shut himself in the
bathroom. Looking at himself in the mirror, he saw a man that had
just been unconditionally loved. A man that didn’t deserve what was
given to him.

“You’re a bastard.” He shook his head,
mildly disgusted with himself.

It was already late, and he had to get out
of her place. Spending the entire night and doing the whole
‘morning after’ thing was not an option. Splashing some water on
his face, he tried to tame his bed head, then he turned off the
light and quietly opened the door.

He crept around the room, found his clothes,
and threw them on. Feeling around in the dark, he picked up all of
the wrappers he could find on the floor and tucked them into his
back pockets. The least he could do was throw them away.