Distractions (8 page)

opportunities to see a lot, if that was

what we wanted to do.

This

long

distance

interlude

remained idyllic because there were no

mundane habits to spoil the mood. A

week alone together would be sufficient

to know if this would be worth investing

more into for the long run. I would

manage, that much was for sure. My

melancholy would not remain forever;

one foot in front of the other, I would

soldier on. Yet for once, I did not want

to fight; I wanted to lie in bed, tangled in

Shepard’s long arms, smelling his skin

and tasting his sweet kisses. My hang up

about our age difference quickly

disappeared. He was far wiser and more

mature than most people I knew my age.

He

was

attentive

without

being

overbearing. Either you have those

qualities or you don’t. I did discover his

little penchant for reading old works of

erotica like
The Story of O
, and
Delta of

Venus
. He never stopped surprising me.

I ignored the hard drive, which I

had placed into a safety deposit box for

safekeeping. Dealing with something so

intricate was a task I was not prepared

for. Shepard called me to tell me he

would be leaving after his last final and

would arrive close to midnight. Our

flight left very early the next morning,

but I would be driving so he could sleep

on the way there. All he knew was that

we were traveling to a warm place

because of the packing list I gave him.

He would need to stop by his house, but

that would take mere minutes. Warning

him not to come over until then, I knew

that once he walked through those doors,

the outside world would disappear.

Butterflies began their fluttering

deep within my chest with each passing

hour. Anticipation was not something I

was familiar with. Connor brought a

different kind of longing.

Connor – of course that son of a

bitch would try to infiltrate this moment.

My first love remained a festering

disease deeply ingrained in my very

being. The thought of my heart opening

up to someone else must have awoken

the sleeping beast. As adrenaline was

starting to course through my veins due

to the ghost of the past, I heard the

wooden frame of the door crack open

with footsteps following it.

He was here
.

The rush of elation quickly

overtook any guilt that attempted to take

me under. My feet hit the floor and

rushed to the stairwell. I couldn’t

contain the squeal of delight. Two and a

half months felt like an eternity.

We met halfway and immediately

my nightgown was hiked above my hips

where a surprised Shepard found nothing

underneath. Quickly loosening his belt

and dropping his pants to his ankles,

there were no words spoken – just

urgent tongues dancing their greeting and

hands furiously working to join two

hungry bodies. I gasped for air the

moment he entered me, grabbing a

spindle on the banister for support.

Laying flat against the stairs with one leg

hiked over his hip, he leaned down by

my ear.

“Hi,” one word…

I moaned loudly with each drive

forward. His face held a look of

satisfaction as I melted beneath him.

Fingers lightly grazed my throat, chest

and ribcage. The rounded edges of the

steps dug uncomfortably into my back,

but I dared not make a noise and risk

ending this scorching encounter. I was so

tightly wound, it did not take long before

my body started to shake and my vision

was blinded by a kaleidoscope of color.

Every nerve in my body buzzed with

electricity. I was so sensitive; each

touch was almost too much for me to

bear. He did this to me. Watching me

come apart triggered his release.

Using the stairs as leverage, he

quickly came with a few deep grunts

before collapsing between my legs. I

loved the feeling of him spent inside of

me. I had decided to get an IUD after he

left to prevent any pregnancies. I knew at

some point in time if we were to be

serious, he would have to know

everything about my past and hopefully

understand. I teased him mercilessly on

the phone about having me whenever he

wanted.

Using his hands to push the damp

strands away from my face, he placed

fragile kisses on my lips.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

“You missed this; it’s okay.” I

winked to indicate I was kidding. He

could be so serious; I wasn’t sure how

he would take a joke like that, yet.

“Maybe a little, my dear.” As he

pulled his lower lip into his perfect teeth

before dipping down and kissing me

deeply, I sighed in contentment.

“I missed you, too.” My teeth

grazed his stubbly chin affectionately. I

did miss him. The way his blue eyes

stared intensely at all times, how his

subtle touches immediately calmed my

harried nerves, and how he always knew

what to do. The discomfort of being

pressed into the stairs was a sheer

annoyance compared to the buoyancy I

felt inside.

“Let’s go to bed, Shepard. You

need your handsome sleep.”

“Whatever. I still think you’re crazy

for giving me a chance. I thought I would

leave and you would be done with me.”

I knew he was being honest. For a

moment I did, too. I still had a few seeds

of doubt, but they were not strong enough

to shake it.

“No, not done yet by a long shot.

You will probably be done with me

first, but that is not something I want to

talk about. Because in this moment, there

is nothing that I want more in the world

than to be in bed with you and getting

what little sleep we can in the next four

hours.”

Shepard stood and extended his

hand to assist me before pulling his

pants back up, kissing me once again.

“Yes, mademoiselle,” he said

while playfully swatting me on the rear

and walking past me with a smirk.

Underestimating someone can be a

dangerous thing; unfortunately, I began to

wonder if I had done that with him.

Chapter 7 - A Break

in the Clouds

“Can I have a hint?”

Shepard blew on the lid of his

travel mug of piping hot coffee while

asking the valid question.

“It’s warm,” I said jokingly while

glancing for a moment towards him,

careful to not take my sight off the road

for too long.

He closed his eyes and laughed

quietly. He knew there wasn’t a chance

in hell I would ruin this surprise for him.

We both needed it: a week alone, free of

the obstacles that stood in our way. He

seemed positively giddy sitting in the

passenger seat as we made our way to

the Dayton airport. It was four o’clock in

the morning and the roads were free of

traffic. Large flurries of snow hit the

windshield as if we were traveling at

Mach speed. Thankfully, it was warm

enough they simply melted upon impact.

It did not take long to reach the airport

and shuttle off to the terminal. The gate

agent was entirely too chipper for this

early hour. Between her and Shepard, I

was already pondering my first drink.

“Identification,

please.”

Her

blinding smile was returned by an

enthusiastic slap of plastic by the man

next to me. He was dying to know where

were going, luckily the flight was only

one part of the surprise trip.

“Ooooohhhhhh, San Juan, Puerto

Rico, nice! I must say I am a tad bit

jealous of you two!”

I turned to watch Shepard light up

like a tree and mouth a quiet “yes” while

pulling his fist down towards his hip. I

couldn’t help but giggle and roll my

eyes. This was going to be entertaining.

A few hours later after a transfer in

Charlotte, we landed at the edge of

American rule. A long line of passengers

waited for a taxi, no doubt headed for

the same destination. I watched Shepard

squirm, but remained mum on our final

point of arrival, or departure, I should

say. The air was sticky and thick. Palm

trees spiked from various locations

around the terminal along with other

tropical plants. Once it was our turn to

hop in the cab, he was no longer in the

dark about where we were going.

“PanAm port, please,” I relayed to

driver.

“Port? Are we going somewhere

else?” Shepard now stared at me in

disbelief. I was done with the intrigue.

Although I could continue much longer, I

decided to let him in on the surprise.

“Yes, we’re going on a cruise. For

eight days, you are going to be stuck

with me on beaches, in pools, you name

it. But at night, we’re going to be

confined to an itty bitty room, so I sprung

for a balcony. I hope it’s okay.” I

became nervous. I had never even

thought to ask him if it made him sick

being on boats or open water. Regret

began to seep through until his hand

reached behind my head and pulled me

into a deep kiss.

“It’s perfect! I can rub oil on your

sexy back while we’re tanning on the

deck. Bend you over the rail while

we’re…” He stopped and looked at the

driver who was now eyeing us

curiously.

We both busted out laughing at our

shameless display of affection. I

wondered if we had the ability to

contain ourselves enough not to get

kicked off of the ship. It didn’t take long

until we arrived and prepared to set sail.

Our luggage was carried up separately

while we attended a mandatory safety

drill, going over escape procedures, if

needed. We stood in the back listening to

the prerecorded message while growing

hungry and restless. Dinner was

thankfully not too far away. After

returning to our staterooms and changing

into semi-formal wear for the first

seating, we headed down to the dining

area for our first public meal together.

Shepard held my chair out like a

gentleman and kissed my hand before we

were introduced to the other couples

sitting at our table. One was from

Hoboken, New Jersey, and was on their

fiftieth wedding anniversary. The other

was from Shelbyville, Tennessee, and

raised

award

winning

horses.

Apparently, they also had kin who ran a

bootleg

moonshine

business

and

promised to bring a little of the prized

hooch to the next dinner.

The conversation flowed freely as

well as the wine. Over an hour passed

between courses before we realized it

was time to retire. It was such a long day

and I was exhausted and ready to be

alone with him. Shepard ran his hand

along my thigh, indicating that he too

was ready to go. We excused ourselves

from the table and simply held hands in

the elevator, sated by a delicious meal

and the knowledge we had a whole

week ahead of us.

The rest of the evening was not

rushed. It was light hearted and sensual,

allowing us to take the time to explore

each other without hurry. We conversed

between caresses, sharing thoughts with

gentle kisses.

“Thank you, Violet. This is

amazing,” he whispered in my ear while

pulling me snugly against him.

“Please, this is the least I could do

for everything you have done for me. I

am happy I could surprise you.” Even

though he couldn’t see my smile in the

dark, I was sure he could feel it.

“You’re not the only one who has

gotten something they needed out of this.

Did it ever occur to you that maybe I