Reye's Gold (12 page)

After her tasks were accomplished she went to the
refrigerator for something to drink. She opened the door
and stared inside, not really seeing the contents. She
heard a small noise and felt Stephen‘s naked body at her
back. He put his arms around her waist and rubbed his s
lightly rough cheek against hers. “What are we looking
for?” he asked.

“Something to drink, I thought, but maybe not.” She
turned into his arms, her own snaking around his waist.
She just held him.

“You okay?” He pulled back to look into her face. “Don’t get serious on me, Reye,” he said, bringing her
back in to his body.

“I’m okay, and I won’t,” she said. He grabbed her
hand with one of his, pushing the refrigerator door closed
with the other. He walked back to the bedroom, she trailing along behind him. Once inside, he reached for
his shirt and lifted it up and over her head. His hands
moved to cup her breasts, and he looked into her eyes, while his hand began to slowly circle the tips, causing her
to gasp. Those wonderful hands slid up to cup her face
and he kissed her, slowly at first and then more
demanding, moving her back to bed. How was he able to
just take over? Her body had a mind of its own, and
apparently it now answered to his. All she wanted to do
was just feel him, in her, touching her. He proceeded to make his claim on her in a way that no other before him
had.

Stephen awoke to the smell of coffee, taking a moment
to get his bearings. He knew exactly where he was, Reye’s
house, Reye’s bedroom, and, last night, Reye’s body. He
allowed himself a few minutes to reflect on the events of
the previous night. Somehow parts of his psyche knew
what it would feel like with her. That was the part that had
driven him to get here, and it had not disappointed. Sex
with her had been incredible. After he’d found her in the
kitchen with a too-serious expression on her face, he
returned to her bedroom and he’d pushed and drove her
relentlessly the remainder of the night. He hadn’t known that you could have sex with such intensity and abandon.

He sat up and looked around for his clothes. They
were neatly stacked on a chair next to the door. He stood
up, picked out his boxers from the stack, and put them on. He needed to find the bathroom fast. After using it,
he finished getting dressed and took the new, unwrapped
toothbrush and toothpaste that had been neatly laid out for him and brushed his teeth. He threw some water on
his face and took a moment to look at himself. He was a
little unnerved and unsure of his next move. Last night
had turned more serious than he’d intended and he wasn’t
anywhere near ready for that. Taking a deep breath, he
headed to the kitchen.

S
tephen entered the kitchen to find Reye leaning against the counter, a cup of coffee in her hand. He
paused just inside the doorway and she looked up to see
him.

I am not going to cling, I am going to be composed,
Reye
reminded herself. They’d agreed to keep things casual,
although it now felt more than casual to her. She slept
with him once, and, although it was incredible for her, it
didn’t mean he was ready to meet the preacher. She
needed to play it cool.

“Morning,” she said somewhat tentatively. “You must
have been tired. I usually make breakfast for myself
before I head out to class. This being Sunday, however, I
usually go over to my parents for breakfast before going
to church, but I overslept and missed it. So I’m going to
stick around here all day. That was not an invitation, by
the way,” she said quickly. Way too much information,
she said to herself.

“Thanks, but if you don’t mind, I need to get home.”

“Sure, not a problem.” Reye moved through the
kitchen to the living room to stand next to the front door
with Stephen trailing her. At the door he paused. “I really
had a great time last night. I’ll call you soon. Okay?”

“Sure.”

He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss goodbye.

* * *

Later on that afternoon, Stephen sat on the couch in
his apartment, books spread out around him. The TV
was on with the sound turned off while the Sunday foot
ball game played in the background. He stared at the
game, but he was really watching last night’s events replay
in his head. That had been all he’d been able to do since
leaving Reye’s. Should he call? What would he say? He
couldn’t explain to her what he wouldn’t admit to him
self, that this could be about more than sex. His instincts regarding her being serious were spot on. He’d recognized
that look, and so he’d played it cool and left.

Reye had dozed off and on throughout the morning, and who could blame her after last night? She sat in front
of her TV, sprawled on the floor, totally not studying.
She’d showered earlier after Stephen’s departure, putting
on hand-me-down sweats from Sam and a t-shirt. She’d
thought she could make use of her day by studying, but she’d ending up staring into space and reliving last night
over and over again, examining every action for gold nuggets to tuck away in her mind for later. The ringing of the doorbell startled her and she went to see who it
was. Looking through the peephole, she was surprised to
find Stephen standing there.

“Can I come in?” His book bag was slung over his
shoulder. “Since I knew you were studying and I also
needed to, I thought I could join you.” He hadn’t been getting much done on his own, so maybe if he was here
next to her, he could focus on school or on something
else.

“Sure,” she said. “Come in, make yourself at home.” He took a seat on the couch. Looking around, he could
see her books were scattered around an empty space on
the floor. She smiled. “I’m glad you came by. Do you
want anything to drink? I ordered pizza for myself earlier and have some left if you’re hungry.”

“Nope, I’m good,” he said.

She resumed her seat on the floor, picked up her text
book and pretended to read. Five minutes later she gave
up and looked over at Stephen, who was looking back at
her. She smiled again. “What?”

“Nothing.” he replied, also smiling. He turned back
to his book, thinking that he was glad he’d come. He
liked being around her.

She continued to watch him, admiring how good he
looked in sweats and a t-shirt. His hair stood in tufts on
his head, probably from being finger combed, and the stubble from last night was a good look for him. After a
few seconds, he looked up. She smiled again. She didn’t seem capable of doing much more when he was around.
She stopped pretending to study.

“You are a good looking guy, but you know that
already, don’t you?” she said.

“Me?” he said smiling that wicked smile of his.
“What about me looks good to you?”

Where to start, she thought. “I really like your eyes, but your smile gives them a run for their money. It’s
slightly wicked, cocky even, and after last night, I now know why.” She grinned back at him.

“Is that so?” he replied slowly.

“Yep, that’s so.”

“What else do you like about me?” he asked, slowing
drawing out his words again. His mood had changed
f
rom playful to sexy. He stood up from the couch and
looked over at her lying on her side on the floor, her head
resting in the palm of her hand. He stretched his hand
above his head, and then lowered them to move to the
bottom of his shirt. Reye watched, transfixed. He smiled
at her again and began to peel his shirt over his head. He
was dangerous, from the top of his black, curly head to
the bottom of his feet, and who knew feet could be so
stimulating? She turned over on her back to really get a
good look at him, unabashed in her admiration, as he
walked over to stand at her feet, shirtless, and looked
down at her lying on the floor. Long, lean, smooth, sexy,
and so open was the way he saw her. They stared at each other for a second and then he bent down, his arms out
stretched as he reached toward the floor and placed his
hands on either side of her face. He was now posed in the
classic push-up position. He held that position for a
second, taking his time to examine her body from head
to toe. She squirmed under his gaze, her body lifting on its own volition toward his. He slowly lowered himself
until he completely covered her.

“Want me to tell you what I like about you?”

“What?”

“Well, I really like your body. It’s sleek, firm, and
smooth,” he said. His body rested on her, his weight now
on his elbows. He moved his hand to her breast. “I like that you are close to my height, and that all my parts fit
yours perfectly. I like that you run off at the mouth when
you get nervous, and I like how you challenge me on the
soccer fields and in other places. I especially like your
s
ense of humor.” He paused, dragging out each work like
it was candy to be savored.

“However, my two most favorite things about you are, one, your smile, and following in a close second is
the way you moan and say please when I touch certain parts of your body. I like how you beg, Reye,” he said
softly about a hairsbreadth away from her lips, his eyes
hooded now. They both moved in to kiss, a kiss that was
tender at first and then became more. Her hands roamed
over his back and then lower to cup his ass, firm and strong in her hands. He lifted himself up and pulled her
t-shirt over her head. He began to kiss his way down her
neck to her breast, capturing one in his mouth. She
started to moan and he lifted his head from her breast to
catch her eyes and he smiled. “See what I mean,” he said
and dipped his head to retake a nipple into his mouth.

Her hands pulled at the waist of his sweats and he stopped, rolled over, and pushed them and his boxers
down his legs and off. She took advantage of the break to
rid herself of her remaining clothes. He settled back
down on her body and gave her a scorching kiss. Both
their hands began to move relentlessly over each other.

“I need a condom,” he murmured into her mouth.
She reached under the couch and pulled out one, a sou
venir from last night. He looked up in surprise.

“I had strategically placed them around the house.
You never know,” she said.

He laughed out loud for a minute, and she joined
him. He took the package from her hand, opened it, and put it on. She pulled his body back to hers and pulled his
head down for another kiss. His hands moved to the
inside of her thighs, pushing them open to settle between
them. He cupped her hips to prepare her to receive him
and to hold her steady. As he pushed into her, she gasped,
more than ready to receive him. He was welcomed into a
warm, wet place. Lifting her legs, he wrapped them
around his hips and initiated a slow rhythm that she fol
lowed, lifting himself with his arms so that he could look
down at her as he pushed in and out of her. She didn’t
disappoint, all warm, caramel smoothness. His move
ment forward pulled another moan and a sigh from her.
He watched her react to him, and it made him harder
and more forceful. His thrusts picked up speed and they
both lost control.

“Please,” she whimpered, but he was beyond smiling
at her pleas, as they came together, hard, with mouths
entwined and moans pouring forth.

They lay still while Stephen placed butterfly kisses
just below her ear. He then touched his forehead to hers,
laying there while their breathing returned to normal. He
lifted himself, pulled out of her and pushed to his feet to
dispose of the condom. He hadn’t said a word. He
returned to stand above her looking down at her lying on the floor. He looked serious.