That Friday (3 page)

Tess' heart swelled as his love
encompassed her. He had been there for her through every step of the trials she
had endured over the preceding months, through the dark days as she struggled
with the end of her marriage and her efforts to do what was best, not just for
her but for her daughter. He had been more than a torch in the darkness, he had
been a beacon illuminating the tunnel and guiding her toward the happiness that
might be found at the end of it.

Whenever she had been down, or
despairing of her decisions, he had been there with a shoulder for her to cry
on, even if it was only on the phone or over Skype, and sensible advice. It
would have been so easy for him to be selfish and push her into divorce so he
could have her for himself, she knew that, but not once had he done so.

In the beginning he had counselled
her to consider what was best for her and for her daughter, to weigh up the
pros and cons of her relationship before making a decision on whether to end
it. When she had made the decision, and filed for divorce, he supported her,
advising her where he could and providing comfort in whatever way he could. She
had never known anyone to be so selfless and because of that she hoped that
that weekend was going to prove to be the start of something very special.

Laying her head on his chest again
Tess listened to his heart, thumping in his chest, and wept.

His arms around her shoulder he
held her close, while with his free hand he stroked her hair. In a low voice,
which he hoped was soothing, he sought to calm her; what he said he had no
idea, he simply spoke whatever nonsense came into his mind. His concern just
then was to calm her, not make sense, and his instincts told him that the sound
of his voice would be enough.

It was a short while before Tess
stopped crying, the end of her tears announced by a sniff as she reached a hand
up to wipe them away.

When her soft sobs had subsided Charlie
kissed her tenderly on the forehead. His lips moved from her forehead to her
cheek, planting a series of gentle kisses that made her turn her head until her
lips found his. Three years had passed since their one and only kiss prior to
that day but he had not forgotten the softness of her lips.

He intended their kiss to be
gentle and tender, a means of reassuring Tess only, but the feel of her lips on
his awakened his passion, though he tried to control it, and his kiss became
deeper and hungrier and his tongue darted out to tease hers, making her moan
into his mouth.

Slowly, his hand ran down her
spine, making her arch her back in response to his ticklish, but ever so
delightful, touch. At the same time her head fell back, her lips parting from
his, exposing her neck in an invitation he found impossible to ignore.

His lips sought her shoulder,
kissing the soft skin there before moving along the arch of where her shoulder
met her neck and up to the area just below and behind her ear,
where  she
had told him she was most sensitive. Just as
she had told him it would, a single kiss there was enough to elicit a loud moan
and send a shiver through her body.

Encouraged by her response he
kissed her there again; at the same time his hand, which had been running
teasingly up and down her spine, finally found the hem of the purple
jumper-dress she'd worn especially for him, the jumper-dress he had bought for
her birthday three years before. With his hand on her thigh he teased the hem
with his thumb, lacking the courage to go further than that just then.

She neither froze nor pushed him
away, both of which he had been scared she would do, and so he carefully
carried on, easing the hem a little higher so he could stroke more of her
thigh.

Carefully, so as not to scare him
or give him the wrong impression, Tess moved her head forward again to look him
in the eyes, wanting to let him know what it was she wanted. She knew how
nervous he was, and that he had no courage when it came to making the first
move; she also knew that he had gone about as far as he was likely to go right
then. She looked him in the face, her eyes wide and innocent, her lips swollen
from kissing him and her chest heaving from the excitement she felt just being
near him.

He paused with his hand, not sure
what to do, his uncertainty magnified by the time it had been since he was last
with a woman. His eyes widened in amazement, flying to hers, as Tess moved to
take his hand and slide it up and under her jumper-dress, making the move he
was too lacking in confidence to make.

That one action was enough, his
body took over. Tentatively, but with growing confidence, he traced his fingers
up her thigh, further and further until he reached her lace-rimmed thong.
Playfully, he teased his fingers under them, encouraged by her whimpers and the
way she responded.

Tess couldn't believe the tingling
feelings Charlie's fingers were provoking in her, she had only ever felt them
before when she had caused them herself. Wanting more she parted her legs to
make it easier for him; she hoped it would encourage him to give her what she
was after.

Charlie smiled, correctly
interpreting her body language, he wasn't ready to give her what she wanted
though and he moved his hand away from her hip. Not able to resist the temptation
he gave her bum a quick squeeze and then moved his hand up, his fingers moving
lightly up her back, prompting shivers of desire even as his touch delighted.

While Charlie did that, Tess ran
her fingers along his thigh, eager to feel his skin like he was feeling hers.
When she became frustrated with the material of his trousers, which kept her
from what she desired, she brought her hands to his waist, seeking the buckle
on his belt. With fumbling fingers she undid his belt and took hold of his zipper.

Charlie reached for her hand,
holding it still. "Are you sure?" he asked, looking her in the eyes,
he wanted to be certain that what she was doing was what they both desired; he
worried that she was only acting the way she was because she believed it would
make him happy.

Tess looked at him, pausing only a
split second in her endeavours, doing everything she could to answer him with
her huge green eyes and her sweet loving smile. "Yes, my darling, I'm
sure." She wanted him, as much as he wanted her; she had waited more than
long enough for that moment, it felt so right, and she didn't want it to pass
for fear that it would never come again. She loved him, and had done for many a
year, and she felt loved by him. She had not felt love emanate from a person like
heat from a fire before but she did then, she felt it when she was near him, it
washed over her, leaving her feeling warm and comforted.

She recognised the feelings now,
both those within herself and those coming from him, as those she had felt
years before. She hadn't understood them before but time had given her a label
for them; she felt so safe and secure in the knowledge that he loved her that
she wanted him and his love more than she ever had before.

Reassured, he lifted his hips to
help her in her efforts to remove his trousers and pushed them down his legs,
kicking them off when he got them to his feet.

Tess giggled when the trousers
flew across the room to land haphazardly on the couch below the window, the
legs splayed as if they were being worn by someone lounging lazily.

Charlie laughed too; he felt like
a schoolboy as he returned his hand to her thigh, stroking his way up it.
Unlike before, he didn't stop when he reached the hem of her jumper-dress,
instead his hand slid up under it to her waist. From there his fingers slipped
beneath her the bare slip of material that her underwear consisted of, and
gently he caressed and squeezed her bottom.

She moaned passionately, enjoying
the feel of his hand on her ass; his gentle caresses felt so good but better
was the way he touched her. She loved the way he squeezed her roughly; though
it was not something she had ever told him, she did enjoy a little roughness
from a lover. Gentle was good but there were times when a firm hand could
enhance the pleasure.

After a few moments Charlie
removed his hand and traced it up her side under her teddy, making her giggle
again as his touch tickled her. Despite the encouragement Tess had given him he
was still nervous and he hesitated when his fingers reached the clasp.
Tentatively he forced himself to move his hand further, stroking her through
the soft, lacy material until he was able to enclose her entire breast in his
hand.

He fondled her through the thin
lace for a short while, moving the coarse material over her nipples, using it
to excite her, and then his fingers, as though of their own accord, slipped
beneath it, seeking her excited pinkness. His breath caught in his throat as
his fingers trailed across her sensitive skin.

A small electric shock coursed through
her body as he caressed her, his fingers teasing her, and she ached for his
touch. She wanted more than what he was giving her and she arched her back,
pushing her perfect mound into his hand, trying to guide him without words, to
let him know what it was she wanted.

The last person to touch her in
such a fashion had been familiar to her, so familiar after years of being
together. It was different with Charlie; new hands, new sensations. He knew
nothing of how to rouse her, the subtle ways in which her body worked; she had
told him what she
liked,
some of it at least, but that
was not the same as him having the experience to know how to make her body
respond to him. To her surprise his lack of experience didn't matter; the fact
that he was new to her was enough to bring her pleasure.

Her eyes closed, her toes curled
and her hands clenched; her body was so excited it wasn't sure what to do with
itself. Under the lace of her teddy, she was already excited, she became even
more so.

Hoping it would excite her he
pinched his thumb and forefinger together, taking it between his thumb and
finger and pinching it lightly. He then moved his hand to her other breast so
he could do the same, and when each as was erect as the other he took his
fingers away, eliciting a moan of disappointment. His fingers tickled the
sensitive skin of her stomach on their way to the waistband of her black and
white thong. Still wanting to tease her, as much as he wanted to please her, he
ran his fingers under the waistband, inching them lower; his face showed his
surprise as he discovered she was bare, the red hair he had anticipated
entwining his fingers in was gone.

He knew he had told her that he
enjoyed the sight and
feel
of a woman who was bare,
whose mound was smooth and free of hair; he hadn't expected her to shave
herself for his pleasure though. Her legs parted as his fingers inched further
down and he knew she wanted him to touch her down there. As keen as he was to
touch her, to explore
her his
fingers, he held back,
not ready to give her what she wanted yet. It was a struggle to maintain
control of
himself
but he did so with an effort,
determined to make their first time together as special and memorable as he
could.

Tess found herself immobilised as
his touch left her almost, but not quite, in an orgasmic state of bliss; she
was so frustratingly close and couldn't help wishing he would nudge her over
the edge. Rendered breathless by his kisses and caresses she lay there, feeling
selfish because she couldn't return his passionate touches. Her legs fell apart
of
their own
volition as her body showed him how much
she wanted him; she was almost certain there was a moist patch on the scrap of
material that made up her thong.

He had done so little to her, when
she thought of it, and yet her body was responding in a way it had never
responded to a lover before. She couldn't believe it. If anyone had asked her
before that day she would never have thought that she would react to him in
such a fashion.

In a rhythm he had always found
successful in exciting past lovers, Charlie trailed his fingers down her leg,
moving back up again every so often before descending once more. Just then was
no exception. His touch was light enough to tickle her, but it also made her
respond as his former lovers had; her arousal was obvious to him in the way she
spread her legs still further, her back arching, her arms reaching above her
head.

With one leg over hers, Charlie
ran his fingers back up her leg. When he reached her hips he traced his fingers
along the elastic of her thong, running them round to the front, where he
traced his fingers over her through the thin material that separated his skin
from hers. Unable to resist he rubbed her more roughly, pushing through the
material that covered her as though trying to make love to her with his
fingers.

When he moved his fingers to the
inside elastic of her thong, where they met the inside of her leg, she angled
her thigh to give him better access. He ignored the invitation, knowing she
wanted his fingers inside her, and instead took hold of the hem of her
jumper-dress. Moving down between her legs he planted his first kiss on the
inside of her thigh, and continued to kiss her his soft lips a gentle caress
compared to the coarse bristles of his goatee, trailing them up, past her hips,
and across her stomach, pushing the jumper-dress out of the way as he went.