Wishful Kisses: A Fountain of Love Novella (6 page)

I was so wet and ready for him. I had wanted him like this for decades. It was better than any dream I could have had. I straddled his body and began to position myself above him. He threw his head back and closed his eyes as I felt him press against the precipice and I began to lower myself down...

"Wait!" he said as his eyes flew back open. His strong hands tightened on my hips, pinning me in mid-air.

My feeling of exuberance immediately left. I knew that this was too good to be true. "What?"

He looked at me like I should know what he wanted. His voice was gruff with want. "This is how you want to do this? We've been safe all week, and now you want to have sex without a condom?"

I smiled, a sense of relief washing over my body. I remembered firmly stopping him one night after we had been drinking, letting him know that I was not ready for a child. He hadn't pressed the issue, just blushed and put a condom on as if he had been caught doing the wrong thing. Now, though...

I had gone through the past few years with my biological clock ticking. Sure, this might not have been the right time for me in my twenties, but I had waited so long. I had wanted him for so long. I didn't care. I shrugged and bit my lip with a smile, starting to slide down further. I felt the head of his beautiful cock breach my opening and we gasped together.

He tightened his grasp on my hips, suspending me above him. "Stop. You've got your career starting. I'm not going to let you risk that just for a morning quickie." The look on his face was stern.

No man I had ever known since Tony would ever have said something like that. Truthfully, my lust was so great that I tried to wriggle out of his grasp, giving him one last chance to change his mind. His strong hands kept me firmly in place. I couldn't fight his strength.

"Fine!" I said, as if I were a petulant teenager. I went to the nightstand and grabbed a condom from the drawer, tearing it open with my teeth. He smiled as I popped it into my mouth. I remembered how much he had liked this, and as I slid it onto his magnificent erection, I made sure to get him extra wet. I couldn't wait to feel him inside me again.

As I began to suck, he groaned. "Oh no you don't. No teasing me like this," he said, his voice strained with want as he pulled me toward him. I shrieked with delight as I fell onto his chest and he positioned himself underneath me. He slid in with ease, my body already open to his advances. Again, we gasped together, and as I felt his hips began to thrust underneath me, I finally knew that this was real.

As his hands went to my hips I knelt up, letting him admire my body. Those brown eyes I dreamed of almost every night were fixated on my every move. I was a goddess in those eyes. His hands ran up my sides and grabbed my breasts as I rode him, and I could see the look of concentration in his face as he kneaded the flesh. I ran my own hands up and down my body, enjoying the feeling. I'd never let this body grow old again if I could help it.

I ran my fingers through my hair and closed my eyes as I bounced on him. Everything seemed so fresh, so new. Maybe I just missed being young again. Maybe it was all just me pining for the good old days...

I opened my eyes and looked down at him.
No
, I decided as I looked over the features of his face. It was Tony. I wanted him even more than I wanted this young body. I wanted him more than life itself. I would do anything it took to stop him from going over there. For now, though, I would simply enjoy the ride.

He reached up and put his hands on my back, kissing me briefly before pulling me down to lay on him. In a flash, he had flipped us over so that he was on top of me. I laughed but quickly began to moan as he filled me. I looked down at his muscular hips and ass, watching him thrust into me, a sight I knew I would never grow tired of. He looked at me in much the same way, making me smile.

He lay down next to me, grabbing me by the shoulder and pushing me over on my side. His body was hot and slick with sweat and Florida humidity, and I wanted every inch of it. I felt his chest against my back as he wrapped one of his arms around me, cupping my breast and teasing my nipple with his fingers. He lifted my leg with his other hand for a moment, pushing into me. As soon as he was in, he grabbed my other breast. I felt like I was wrapped up in a big bear hug, but most of all I felt safe. I would be safe as long as I was with him.

One of his hands moved down to my belly and I began undulating my hips into him. I felt the vibration of his groan of pleasure on my back as my body pushed and pulled. We touched at every possible inch of skin, our bodies merging and entwining as one. He was going shallower now, but every time my ass touched his hips, it sent another wave of pleasure through my body.

I focused on the feeling of his hands on my body. They were strong and rough, with callouses from working in dangerous areas. I loved those hands. They grabbed and squeezed with every motion I made, and I could feel him getting more and more excited. My fingers wandered down to my own clit. With stimulation on both my inside and my outside, I knew I would make it to orgasm quickly. I just hoped that I would make it in time.

I was rising to climax and I could feel him begin to take on a rhythmic pace. His hot breath came faster in my ear, and I knew he was getting close. I could feel him begin to swell, feel his pace changing. He hugged me even tighter, and when he gasped in my ear, it pushed me over the edge. I followed him into ecstasy, the two of riding the waves of pleasure in tandem. It was the most magnificent feeling I ever had.

As we came together, I knew that I had been a fool to ever let this go. Twenty years ago, Tony had brought me to another level of happiness, and I had never been the same after that. Now, he was returning me to the same level of happiness, and like a drug, I wouldn't be able to live without it.

As he slowed and then stopped, I found my own orgasm winding down. My lungs ached for oxygen I swear I no longer needed. Tony was better than air. He collapsed behind me, pulling the condom off as he softened and quickly tying it in a knot. I watched him throw it toward the wastebasket and miss.

"Hey! You could play for the Orlando Magic!" I said, a grin on my face.

"Who?" he asked, still breathing hard.

Oh yeah, they're not around yet
, I thought. I struggled to think of a basketball team that had been around back then. "Nevermind, just make sure that makes it into the trash. I can't go messing up my aunt's place like this!"

He smiled, then gave me a little kiss. I closed my eyes as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in tight. I only had a few hours left, but I could afford a couple more minutes to just revel in his touch...

June 9, 1990

For the second time

––––––––

"Y
ou can't go," I said, trying to remain calm. I was sitting on the bed while Tony packed his bag.

He sighed, standing up from stuffing his duffel bag. "We've had this discussion already, Ladybug. I have to go."

I bit the inside of my cheek. I was starting to get frustrated. "But what if you didn't? We could go anywhere. We could be together."

Tony let his bag lean against the wall. He faced me, his eyes dark and serious. "I don't want to have this conversation again. I have to go back. Besides, I'll see you when I get back."

"But you aren't coming back!" I clapped my hands over my mouth. I hadn't intended on revealing that I was from the future. I had thought about it for a good chunk of the morning and couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation that wouldn't make me sound insane. I was trying desperately to figure out how to convince him to just come with me, to run away with me, but it wasn't working.

"What do you mean, I’m not coming back? How do you know that?" Tony's brows came together, and somehow his dark eyes grew darker. The only thing I was succeeding at was making him angry.

"I just know, okay?" I stammered. "Please, don't go."

Tony took a step toward me. "Do you know what not going back would do?"

I shook my head slightly. I knew we would need to leave the United States to escape his military duty, but that didn't seem like such a big deal when the other option was his death.

"In addition to deserting my friends, I would be considered AWOL. Once I've been AWOL long enough, they'll call me a deserter. A traitor. If I'm in the States, they'll put me in jail. Best case scenario, I'd be dishonorably discharged." He turned back to his bag, frustration filling his voice. "Do you know how hard it is to get a job with a dishonorable discharge? I don't exactly have a lot of skills. The military is my life, like it or not. And you're asking me to put my entire future in jeopardy because you have a bad feeling?"

"It's more than just a bad feeling..."

"This isn't like asking me to quit my job. This is asking me to abandon the only people who care about me. Dean and Matt are my brothers. I won't leave them to go off without me," he stated flatly. He stared at his mostly-packed bag. "Believe me, I want to stay with you as much as you do, but I'm not going to say this again, Kimberly. I'm leaving."

I choked back tears. I was desperate to find a way to make him stay. If I told him I was from the future, he would just think I was crazy. I wracked my brain to come up with some event that would convince that I knew what would happen, but it had been twenty years since this moment. Even without my memory fading, the weather had been exactly as forecasted, there were no strange delays, no one said or did anything strange, and there was nothing memorable in the news. For once in my life, I wished that there had been a horrible earthquake or tsunami that I could predict, but there wasn't.

In all the times I had dreamed of coming back to this day, I had never considered how hard it would be. How do you convince someone that you're from the future without sounding completely crazy?

"I had this dream... and-" I tried, saying the only thing I could think of. Tony raised his hand as though he were stopping my words in the air.

"Kimberly, stop," he said. He looked at me with sad eyes. I recognized the look. He thought I was crazy. "I'm going, and that's final. If you want to keep on with this, then don't bother coming with me to the airport."

His shoulders slumped as he turned to pick up his bag. He lifted it onto his back like it was weightless, stepping out of the room and walking to the car. I was speechless. I just sat there as I heard him stomp through the house.

I had failed. More than failed. He thought I was psycho now.

I heard the front door slam. Tears ran down my face. How could I have messed this up so badly? I had failed. I had failed and ruined what had been a beautiful last day. He was leaving, and any more attempts were going to just make him angrier with me.

Failure hung heavy on my shoulders. I wished I could just walk into the ocean and drown. I had been given the gift of a chance, and I had blown it. Tony was going to die, and I was going to have to experience the loss again. It would be even worse this time because I would know it was coming. I wiped my eyes, trying to figure out how to ask Matt and Dean to watch out for him and not sound even more crazy.

"Oh, Fountain," I whimpered, trying to keep my sobs in check despite my heart wanting to explode. "How do I fix this?"

I covered my face with my hands, unable to stop the sobs from escaping. Tears leaked between my fingers, as I buried myself in the pillow. I had failed.

Unknown Time

––––––––

I
don't know how long I cried, but at some point I became aware that things had changed. I sat up and wiped my cheeks. The condo was gone. Mist was all around me. Behind me I could hear the soft whispers of the fountain as it flowed.

"It didn't work," I sobbed, turning to look up at Diana. A soft sadness crossed her face as she knelt beside me.

"I must apologize. I had a feeling that date was not the day to go back to, but you were so sure of yourself." She wiped her soft hand across my cheek, catching my tears.

I looked up at her, expecting more. When she didn't say anything, I began to fall even deeper into despair. "So that's it?"

Her look was maternal, as if teaching me a harsh lesson. "That is it. You did not save him. He still died on the same day. Though your fight caused him to write you less before he left, the memory of the days and nights you spent together convinced him that you were the girl of his dreams. He intended to marry you, and he died loving you no less than in your original timeline."

I felt the strength sap from my body. "Is that supposed to comfort me? He's still dead."

Diana nodded. "Yes, he is still dead."

I waited for a moment, and as the swirling mists enveloped the fountain, I started to cry again.

"Can you send me back again?" I asked, just as Diana began to fade from my sight as well.

"My child, not many people get a second chance, and fewer still get a third."

"But can you?" I asked, hope filling my voice.

Diana snapped back into my vision. For the first time, she looked less confident. "I can never send you back to the time that you just visited. However..."

"You can send me back again," I finished her sentence. She paused. There was clearly something keeping her from sending me back. "I have to go back again."

She smiled, but there was clearly pain behind her words. "Words did not persuade Tony last time. What makes you think that he will listen to you at another time?"

"If you can do it, I have to go. I have to try."

Another pause. "I can send you back, just one more time." Elation filled me, but she quickly added, "There are some...
complications
, though."

I smiled through my tears. "I don't care. Please send me back."

She still looked stern. "Before you go, you must listen to what I have to say. Once I send you back, I can no longer rescue you. The future will be set in stone. In addition, the task has become harder now. I will send you back to the date that you are most likely to succeed."

"The date I'm most likely to succeed?" I frowned. "I thought the last day we were together was the best day."