Dream Lover (10 page)

She exhaled. “I almost didn't.”

“I'm glad you did, there's no reason any of this has to change.”

She nodded and gave him a wobbly smile. “I know you think that and I hope you're right-”

He held up his hand. “Now is not the time for that kind of talk.” He winked at her. “Now is the time to eat your food before it gets cold.”

He gently took her by the elbow and guided her to her reserved table. They sat down in the booth across from each other and she began to eat. She looked up at him. “Aren't you going to eat?”

“I ate already.”

She nodded and continued to eat.

“What's been going on?” he asked her.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Mr. Randall called me the other day.”

He smiled back. “Still trying to get you on full time?”

She shook her head. “Sort of. He asked me to go to a conference.”

“What kind of conference?”

She went on to explain the details.

“How long is it?”

“A week.”

“When do you leave?”

“Friday.”

He didn't respond with anything more than a nod.
How convenient for her,
he thought.

“So I guess next week you will be busy preparing for your trip.”

She nodded.

He stared at her for a moment,
and then asked, “Would it be too much to offer to drop you off at the airport and pick you up when you get back?”

“Of course not! I was going to ask you anyway.”

“Great. Well, finish your food and come see me before you leave. I'll bring you lunch later.”

“Ok.”

Over the next week John did his very best to make sure things felt the same way they had always been. He made sure to bring her food. He made sure she visited him at the restaurant. They even watched a movie together, with her falling asleep half way through. Liz was beginning to feel comfortable around him again.

On Friday, he picked her up to take her to the airport. They were relatively quiet on the drive.

“You can just drop me off,” she said as they neared the terminal she would fly out from.

He gave her a sidelong glance. “Have we ever just dropped each other off at the airport Peaches?”

She looked out the window and sighed. “No, Johnny.”

“Well I'm not going to start now.”

She continued to stare out the window as he drove through the winding airport parking lot. He found a spot then got out and grabbed Liz's bag.

As she entered the airport, she began to feel strange. She looked over at John as he helped her check her baggage and felt a lump in her throat. She tried to convince herself that this was normal, that they always missed each other when one of them went out of town, but this time it felt different.

When they reached the security checkpoint where they'd have go their separate ways, she turned to face him, her eyes welling up with tears.

He pulled her into his arms. “Ah, Peaches, you know how I hate it when you cry, honey. You always get like this when one of us goes out of town. What do you always tell me to do?”

She let out a shuddering breath. “Call me every single night.”

He kissed the top of her head. “And I always do.”

She looked up at him and smiled.

His heart was so full of love for the woman looking up into his eyes. He wanted so desperately to kiss her the way he really wanted to kiss her and show her how much he would really miss her. Instead, he gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead and said, “Call me when you land.”

She nodded and turned and headed towards the security gate. He didn't leave until she'd made it through the security gate and was heading for her terminal.

On the drive home he'd thought about how he'd wanted to tell her to think of them while she was away, to think of the potential they had to be great as a couple. But he'd promised to give her time, so he prayed she would come to the realization sooner than later. There was nothing he could do at this point but wait. Wait for the woman he now knew he loved more than anything else, to realize she loved him in the same way.

Spring was setting in, and Seattle spring was exactly as Liz had heard about it. Overcast.

It completely matched her mood. She knew she would enjoy the presentations at the conference once they started. Learning anything new when it came to advancements in art always inspired her. But she still had a nagging feeling, a guilty feeling. She felt guilty because she knew she was using this conference, in part, to put some distance between herself and John.

It was becoming harder and harder to think logically when around him, especially when he kissed her. She thought that maybe if they had some space in between each other, she could put what was going on into perspective. Mr. Randall had flown her out a day early to get settled in. She would fly back the next Sunday afternoon.

She arrived at the hotel shortly after leaving the airport. The mini suite was very cozy. The king sized bed was calling out to her. She sat her bags down, then went and
lay on the bed. She looked up at the ceiling as she thought of John. The image of him was so vivid, it seemed like he was right there in the room with her. Her pulse quickened at the thought of him.

She thought about the first kiss she'd experienced with him nearly two weeks ago in the kitchen of Lila's family chateau. Before she broke it off, the feeling that took over her was something she'd never experienced before.

She felt like she was under a spell, being transformed by his kiss. Her breast had grown so heavy they almost ached, not to mention the throb she felt between her legs. The feeling was so amazing, too amazing that it had frightened her, causing her to run off into a thunderstorm.

That thunderstorm was what had led to the second kiss in her bed. His taking care of her had touched her in the most endearing way. Over the years of them knowing each other they'd both taken care of each other in their times of sickness, but this time his caring for her felt different.

If she hadn't come to her senses that second time he'd kissed her in her bed, it would have only taken a few more minutes and she would have been begging the man who had been her best friend for almost five years to make love to her.

She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't the least bit attracted to the man. A blind woman would be attracted to the smoothness of his voice alone. When he spoke, it felt like warm honey caressing her body. His smooth ebony skin looked like the dark chocolate only the world's finest chocolatiers would use. She blushed at the thought that his kisses were even sweeter. Then there were the dimples on both cheeks that could make a girl go weak in the knees.

The most delicious thing about him had to be his eyes. They were an indescribable brown underneath a set of the most perfect lashes. Those were a pair of eyes that looked at her with such adoration she could feel her heart swell.

She thought about what he'd said about trusting his judgment, about him never being wrong. She had been so afraid of the consequences of things going bad, that she never even considered the possible good that could come from it.

They already knew everything about each other, and spent most of their time with each other. He always took care of her and that hadn't changed. In fact, he'd done his best to make sure things stayed relatively the same.

Maybe, she thought, she should give this whole relationship change with John a chance. She always trusted him
before; there was no reason to stop trusting him now.

John was pacing in his office. He knew Liz's flight should have landed an hour ago and given the address of her hotel, it would have only taken minutes to get there from the airport, even in the worst traffic. Why hadn't the woman called? They always called to let the other know that they'd arrived safely to their destination.

Tired of waiting he picked up his cell phone and commanded it to call her with his voice control. After a few rings, she answered.

“Hello?” her voice was several sultry octaves lower, as it was heavily thick with sleep. He felt his body respond immediately.

“Nice to know you've made it safely,” he said slightly annoyed at her for not calling and with the fact that he apparently could not control his body even at the mere sound of her voice.

“John?”

“Were you expecting anyone else?”

“Of course not,” she replied, obviously still half asleep.

“Why didn't you call me when you got in?”

“Hmm?”

“You didn't call Lizzie? I've been here pacing the floor like crazy.”

“I'm sorry, honey. I laid down in this nice bed and must have dozed off.”

He stopped walking when he heard her call him honey. He looked at the phone and smiled.
“Well,” he said still trying to sound annoyed with her, but failing miserably. “Don't let it happen again.”

“I won't sweetheart.”

“I miss you Peaches.”

“I miss you too Johnny.”

“Go back to sleep.”

“Mmm hmm.”

He hung up the phone feeling more hopeful than he had in the last few weeks. She'd called him sweet nicknames before; but something in her voice, even with it being laced with sleep, sounded different.

Maybe a little distance between them really was what she needed to clear her head and see how great they could be together. He sat down at his desk and began making plans for her return. He was going to do this the right way with her, and that meant completely wooing her.

The week in Seattle flew by. Liz was so full of new information, she wasn't sure if her brain could hold it all in! She was eager to get home to try out some of the new techniques she'd learned for art restoration, as well as get started on painting.

She'd spoken with Anjelah a week after the ball, apologizing for her tardiness in contacting her, explaining that she'd gotten ill after the ball. Anjelah shrugged it off. When she'd heard that Liz would be out of town for a week, they scheduled to meet the following week to discuss a date for her art show. Her meeting was tomorrow. 

Liz was also eager to get home to see John. They'd spoken every night, with Liz so animated and excited about the things she'd learned that day. She thought it was weird how it felt like nothing had changed at all, but at the same time, it was undeniable that their relationship was shifting.

She wondered how things would be when they were face to face again. She hoped that as their relationship continued to transition into something more than just friendship, it would be smooth and without stress.

As the seat belt sign lit up to signal for the passengers to prepare for the plane to land, Liz felt an anxiousness envelope her. She looked down to see her hands trembling. Once the plane had landed she waited until everyone else had gone in front of her off of the plane.

She walked slowly down the terminal to the arrivals. When she entered, she saw him standing by the baggage carousel searching the crowd for her. When he finally saw her, his handsome face broke into a smile, showing off the dimples she loved so much.

Unable to control herself, she began to run to him and when she was within arms length, she launched herself into his arm, crushing her mouth to his. He stumbled back, eyes wide with shock, but quickly regained his footing and wrapped his arms around her.

The sound of the baggage carousel reminded him of where he was and deciding that he did not want to cause a scene, he gently sat her down.

Still looking at her, he chuckled. “Well, I must admit, that certainly was not the greeting I expected.”

She blushed and looked down. “I don't know what came over me.”

He gave the tip of her nose a tug and winked at her. “You missed me more than you thought.”

She stood on
tiptoe to give him another quick kiss on the lips. “I suppose I did. Now, come help me with my bags.”

They got to the car and he loaded her bags in the trunk. Once they were out of the airport, she turned to face him. “How have things been at the restaurant?” she asked him.

He gave her a sidelong glance before returning his attention back to maneuvering the car around traffic. He shrugged and said, “The same.”

She sat back and looked out the window.

“How was your flight?” he asked her.

“It was alright I suppose. I was eager to get home.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes, really.”

“You must have been
really
eager, considering your display back there at the airport.”

“I'm sure you enjoyed that quite a bit.”

“I enjoyed it immensely.”

She looked over and noticed how his chest poked out. She clicked her teeth and rolled her eyes. “Don't get full of yourself, Parker.”

He laughed a hearty laugh. “Don't get so bent out of shape Peaches. There's nothing wrong with you showing me how much you
truly
missed me.”