Nothing Like the First Time (7 page)

“Thank you
for your honesty, Maggie. I’ll leave you to your desserts. Your bill is here,” I said as I placed the folder with the bill on their table, “and you can pay whenever you’re ready to leave. I’ll bring over another round of drinks, on me.”

I left before she could protest.

I asked Jason for another wine and another beer, then went back to the table.

Maggie and Ben came over to pay the bill and say goodnight a short while later. As I watched them leave, I knew a decision had to be made on my part. Did I love Grey? Of course I did. Did I want to be with him? Would he even want me now after weeks of not hearing from me?

I went home that night with more questions than answers. This led to a fitful night’s sleep.

The following mo
rning, I met Jodie at the gym—I needed to work some of this out in the form of demanding exercise.

“Good morning
,” Jodie said in her cheery tone. I needed some of her enthusiasm and good cheer this morning.

“Morning
,” I replied in what came out as a less happy voice than I had tried for.

“What’s got your knickers in a twist?” she asked as we entered the gym.

“It’s a long story.”

“We have time, it’s our day off, remember?”

“Well, to cut a long story short, I royally fucked up.”

Her gasp was audible. I hardly ever swear
, so she knew something was wrong.

I cut to the chase and told her the story of the previous evening, what Maggie had told me and how it had left me feeling.

“Wow. Just FYI, you didn’t fuck up. You didn’t know. You might not have asked him, but he never told you, either—in his defense though, he probably didn’t realize you needed to be told she was his cousin.”

“He told me when we were younger that his cousin had gone to live in England
, but Maggie doesn’t have an English accent. There are still gaps in my knowledge—gaps that only Grey can fill. The question is, will he hear me out? Will he think I deserve answers?”

“Well, from what Maggie said about him moping and from what
you told me about the letter, the teddy, the flowers and photos—I would hazard a guess at a hell yes!”

Jodie
turned off her treadmill and got off to grab her water bottle and towel, wiping sweat from her brow.

“Where are you going? Our session isn’t over!”

“I’m outta here. I’m going home. You need to go to Grey,” she said as she retreated to the ladies’ locker room. I followed after her but didn’t see her, she must’ve hit the showers. I waited for a few minutes until I got a text from her telling me to get my ass moving.

Where are you?

I replied.

I’m getting in the car. I grabbed my stuff and left.

Trust her to just up and leave.

Oh thanks for letting me know!

I did, in the gym, I said ‘I’m going’ and I left.

Trust you to be so literal about your words

I tapped out as I walked to my car. I got no reply and as I got to the car park, I saw why—her car was gone.

I got in my car and drove home. I needed to talk to Grey but would he want to know?

When I got home, I went to see if I had any messages on my answering machine and finding I had none, I hit the shower. As the hot water pelted me from the head of my gorgeous power shower, I mulled things over in my head. I knew I would get nowhere without actually talking to Grey, but did I have the courage to approach him?

I walked into my bedroom and sat at my vanity to dry my hair. I used the flat irons to straighten it and then I applied a little makeup. I found some warm clothes in the wardrobe and got dressed. Once I had done that, I pulled on my sneakers and went downstairs. I grabbed my iPhone and car keys from the sideboard.
Realizing I had forgotten the most important item, I went back upstairs and opened my wardrobe. There sat the teddy, waiting for me to take him to Grey.

I got in the car and drove to the
Sterlings’ home. When I rang the doorbell, Katrina looked surprised but pleased to see me.

“Darling, do come in
,” she greeted.

“Is Grey home?” I asked as I entered the foyer of the beautiful house I had spen
t many happy hours in as a teen.

“I’m afraid not. Is there anything I c
an do to help?”

“Not really. Do you know where he is?”

“He’s gone to visit his brother at the lake house.”

The gorgeous house by the lake where
we often spent weekends was where his brother and his wife now lived and it was a 45 minute drive away. I didn’t want to turn up unannounced.

“Thanks
, Katrina. I should get going. I’ll just call him later.”

“Oh, okay
, darling. Are you sure you won’t stay for a coffee? It feels so long since I last saw you.”

“Sorry, I don’t have time, I only popped by to see Grey on a whim
,” I said as I turned back to the front door.

“Okay, I do hope you’ll come and visit again soon. Lizzie had such a lovely time when you came over.”

“I’ll be back, Katrina. Please give Lizzie my love. I’m sorry it’s been so long. I’ll come by really soon—I promise,” I said as I got into my car.

Katrina smiled and waved at me from the front door. I drove off feeling dejected. I guess I could have text
ed him before going over, who was I to assume he wasn’t busy and would be at home? But texting and calling was so impersonal, and what I had to say could only be said when looking into the beautiful eyes of the one man I had loved all my life.

I pulled over at the park and sat with my head in my hands on the steering wheel. I needed to take action but I really didn’t want to turn up unannounced at the lake house. I took my phone from the seat beside me and typed a text to Grey.

Hi Grey, I’m sorry I haven’t spoken to you in a while. Could you call me sometime maybe? Carls x

My phone rang straight away. I smiled a little as the photo of Grey flashed on the screen.

“Hi, Carls. What’s up?” he sounded happy, was it because I’d broken the silence between us?

“Hi
, Grey. Nothing’s up, I just wondered if you were free sometime to get together and talk?”

“Sure. When were you thinking?” he asked in an even happier voice.

“Umm… whenever you’re not busy.”

“I’m free now
,” he said.

“I’ve just been by your house and your
mother said you were at the lake house with Tim and Naomi.”

“You came by to see me?”
Now he sounded surprised.

“I did.”

“Well, you could always drive over here. Tim and Naomi won’t mind.” He covered the microphone on the bottom of his phone and said something I couldn’t make out “Yeah, Tim and Naomi said its okay by them.” I heard him walking out of the room.

“Are you sure? I mean
, you guys don’t need me turning up out of the blue.”

“Carls, honestly, it’s fine by them and as for me, I’d love to see you. I’d come home but I’ve had a beer with lunch and don’t want to drive for a while.”

“Okay, I’m at the park, so I’ll see you in just over half an hour.”

“See you then, Carls
.”

Chapter Six

I arrived at the lake house and all was quiet outside. The sky looked beautiful across the lake at this time
of day. All I could hear was the sound of crickets chirping somewhere and a bird singing. I was taken back to the many summers I had spent here growing up with Grey. We had stayed for days on end down here in this peaceful retreat. I could see why Tim and Naomi had moved here. I closed my eyes and let the memories play like a movie in my head.

It was the last weekend of the summer and Grey had invited me to stay at the lake house. We had the place to ourselves for the first time all summer. The other weekends had been a mixture of coming down here with Grey’s family and inviting our friends down to party.

It was Friday night, Grey and I were snuggled together in front of the open fire in the inglenook fireplace. Grey moved a stray lock of my hair from
my face and kissed me tenderly.

“I’m going to marry you someday, Carly Summers
,” he said.

“Mrs
. Carly Sterling, has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” I replied.

“It sure does
, baby, and one day in the not too distant future, I’m going to make it a reality.” He smiled down at me with that beautiful smile he reserved only for me and moments of pure happiness.

We d
idn’t know that in three short days’ time, that future would be torn from us.

Grey and I spent the weekend making love and
cozying up on the dock or by the fire. It was as though we were two halves of one whole.

Grey had brought his camera with him and he took some beautiful photos
of the lake house, the sky at night, all manner of things. He took photos of me and some of the two of us, memories that would last us a lifetime.

Someone clearing their throat brought me out of my reverie. I opened my eyes and saw Grey. He was a mere foot away from me, so close I could reach out and touch him.

“You made it
,” he said with a smile.

“I sure did
,” I replied with a small smile of my own. This was the moment I’d been waiting for. We were both here, I finally knew what was going on with Maggie, and now it was time to stake my claim on the man that owned my heart. Trouble was, I was frozen to the spot.

Grey came closer and stood so that there was
barely room for breath between us. He reached out his hand to move a lock of my hair that had been blown by a wind I hadn’t felt. He brought his hand down to my cheek and left it there. It seemed like he too wasn’t sure what to do in this moment. Someone had to do something, but I felt paralyzed with fear, what if I was making a mistake?

“I’m really glad you came
, Carls,” Grey whispered as he stroked my face gently. I leaned into his touch and a small sigh escaped my lips. The next thing I knew, Grey’s lips were on mine. The kiss was gentle at first, like he was asking my permission. I opened my mouth and sought out his tongue with mine. What had started as an innocent kiss soon became something hot, sexy, and breath-taking.

I broke the kiss to get some air back into my lungs.

“I’ve messed things up, Grey,” I admitted softly.

“How
?”

“I saw you and Maggie that day in the coffee shop, your first day back in town. I saw the ring on her finger and assumed the two of you were engaged.”

He laughed at that and I smacked him lightly on the arm.

“Don’t make fun of me
, Grey, I feel bad as it is. I now know the truth, otherwise I wouldn’t be here. Maggie came into the restaurant, she was with Ben—she introduced me to him, her fiancé. So yes, I know I was wrong.”

“None of that matters, Carls baby. All that matters is that you’re here right now and we can
make up for lost time,” he said as he drew me closer to him.

“I’m sorry
, Grey. I should have spoken to you over the last few weeks, you would’ve had a chance to explain. But instead, I chose to ignore you and ignore how I felt about you in the hope that it would just all go away…” Grey kissed me, cutting off what I had been about to say.

This kiss was soft and sweet, tender and loving. When he pulled back to draw
breath, I saw it in his eyes—he loved me. That was all I needed to know now. After everything that had transpired, Greyston Sterling still loved me. I was one lucky girl.

Grey took my hand and walked down to the dock. There was a blanket there already, plus a bottle of wine and two glasses.

“Tim and Naomi said we can stay over. It’s up to you if you want to, of course, but I hoped that you might agree,” Grey said as he wrapped the blanket around my shoulders and started to pour the wine.

“Okay, but I have no clean clothes for the morning
,” I said as I took the glass he offered.

“I’m sure
Naomi will have something you can borrow, you’re about the same size.”

“Okay
,” I said as I settled onto the dock. I took my shoes and socks off and lowered my feet into the cool water of the lake.

“I’ve missed you so much, Carls
,” Grey said as he took a seat beside me. I took some of the blanket from around me and offered to let him snuggle like we had done so many times before.

“I’ve missed you too
, Grey. I’ve been a fool. Can you forgive me?” I hoped I didn’t sound like I was pleading, when in reality, I guess I was. I had been so foolish. If I’d let him back into my life, I would’ve known who Maggie was sooner and Grey and I would have been back together before now. There was nothing I could do but make up for lost time.

“There’s nothing to forgive. I can understand why you thought what you did. I didn’t exactly explain from the beginning
, did I?” he asked as he snuggled closer to me and wrapped his free arm around my waist.

“Can we just forget about it for now, enjoy tonight
, and then we can talk some more tomorrow?” I asked hopefully.

“Sure. We don’t really
have to talk about it, though—we can just let it drop and start afresh, if you’d rather?”

“
I’d like that a lot,” I said as I looked up at him.

His eyes were hooded and his grin was one of the most beautiful things to behol
d. He leaned down and placed his lips over mine.

We sat on the dock for a couple of hours, then I saw what time it was and
suggested we’d better head in.

“I wish we could sit out here all night
,” he said in a wistful tone.

“Like we did so many summers ago
,” I said.

“Yes, just like then, only older and wiser versions of our teenage selves.”

We stayed down on the dock a little longer before I realized I had forgotten something back in the car. I hopped up and told Grey to stay where he was. I went to the car and retrieved the teddy bear—then I ran back down to the dock and presented it to him.

“You kept him
, then?” he asked, looking a little shocked.

“Of course I did. I wouldn’t throw away somethi
ng that holds so many memories. Do you remember how I used to insist he came down here to the lake house? He came on so many journeys to so many places and all because I wanted to fill him with as many memories as I could,” I said, thinking about all the places we’d been, things we’d done.

“I took him away with me when
I left, you know!”

I didn’t know what to say to that
, so I leaned over and kissed him. The kiss started slow and tender, then his hands were in my hair and my arms were wrapped around him—Grey kissed me with unbridled passio
n—
I kissed him back fervently, and before I knew it, his hands were roaming to my buttons. I felt the top two buttons of my blouse come undone before I had chance to say anything.

“Grey
…this is… a little public,” I whispered.

“Why? There’s no
one around,” he replied and went back to kissing my neck.

“Tim or Naomi
could see us,” I said, pulling away from him for a moment.

“
It’s not like they won’t have done the same thing,” he said as he began kissing my ear. I felt his hot breath against my ear and couldn’t help the involuntary shudder that rocked my body.

“I just think we should take this inside
,” I panted as he made his way, trailing light kisses along my jaw and then to my lips.

“I don’t think we should
,” he said as he resumed unbuttoning my blouse.

I could no longer think or form coherent sentences as his fingers
made a blazing trail from my buttons to the bare skin he had exposed. That was when he pulled his lips from mine and began kissing a feather-light trail from my ear, to my neck—when he paused for a moment, I thought I was going to be able to convince him to take this inside, but then he kissed my shoulder and made his way towards my bra.

He
expertly undid my bra with one hand round the back—kissing a trail down my arm as the straps fell away—then he pulled back to look at me. The look in his eyes was one of lust, need, and love. I’m sure my own gaze reflected his.

Grey wrapped the blanket around us as he nuzzled underneath it so as not to expose my skin to the cold. Though how it could be cold with his touch lighting me on fire, I didn’t know.

His lips found my already erect nipple. He teased it with his tongue, his lips, and his teeth—making an involuntary gasp escape my lips. His free hand was teasing my other nipple, my blouse had somehow already been pushed to one side of the dock without my knowledge—I was so warm and so wrapped up in Grey’s touch that it really didn’t matter.

His mouth trailed across my chest as his lips searched for my other nipple. He teased it and bit me gently. I was on the edge of ecstasy. His hands were busy working the button and zip of my
jeans undone and the thought that I had been bothered about being caught only fueled the passion as Grey came up for air and met my lips with a soft kiss. I wanted him so much, but this time we could explore each other more than the first time we’d had sex that night after the club. That had been about pure lust—this, well this was about something entirely different.

After undoing my
jeans and pushing them off my legs, he went back to kissing me. His feather-light kisses and touches made me want to melt into a puddle right there and then but I had to hold myself together. He made his way down between my thighs and kissed up and down each leg before making his way to my already hot, wet sex.

“Mmm…
you taste like paradise,” he whispered against my skin, making me shudder.

I
moaned as he inserted one finger inside me.

“Ohhh Grey…” I moaned into the night. He pushed me closer to that ecstasy as he inser
ted a second finger and used them both to make me reach the point of no return—only for him to stop just before I could orgasm. It was then that he used his tongue to work me back up to that point. He pushed me closer and closer to the edge until I was coming in waves.

I stifled a scream by biting my lip.

Grey came up for air and it was then that I realized he was still fully dressed, so I moved from underneath him to on top of him momentarily as I removed the jumper he had been wearing, then made short work of taking his jeans off, too.

He was rock hard as I peeled his boxers slowly down his legs. I made my way back up and licked
him with the lightest of touches from the base to the tip. I repeated this a couple of times, teasing moans from him before I made my way to the head of his throbbing cock. I opened my mouth and put it around the head in one swift move. I sucked and licked a little before going all the way down and using my hand to hold him while I worked my way up and down him in slow, rhythmic motions. As his moans increased and his fingers worked their way into my hair, I used my hand and mouth to bring him the same sweet ecstasy I had experienced just moments ago. This was what I loved, taking my time and making Grey mine, completely, wholly and inexorably.

“Oh Carly… Carly… please… I want you
now!” Grey panted.

“Oh baby, I’m taking my time… I’ve been waiting for this for too long
,” I said as my hand worked him over before I made my way back with my lips.

I teased and sucked and gently rubbed my tongue up and down the length of his shaft. This elicited a moan from his b
eautiful mouth and his body wriggled below me. His hands gripped my hair and I knew he was so close to the edge that another minute or so of this and he would be spent. I kept the same rhythm for a few seconds longer before increasing my speed and taking him fully in my mouth, waiting for him to explode.

That inevitable
moment came and Grey moaned loudly as he came in my mouth. He was momentarily spent, so I made my way up to his lips and the taste of each other mingled in our kiss.