After pouring herself a cup, she took a slice of bread out of the package on the counter. But before she could slide the slice into its slot, Philip came up behind her. “Here, let me do that. This toaster can be tricky.” He was shirtless, and his body was warm as he pressed himself against her back. Instead of dealing with the bread, his hands skated down the sides of her torso, all the way down to the hem of the T-shirt she was wearing. Sliding her shirt upward, his fingers skimmed her stomach on their way to her breasts. When he gently twisted each nipple between his thumb and forefinger, her eyes fluttered shut, and she was glad she hadn’t bothered to dress for breakfast.
When Philip abruptly stopped teasing her body, Sara opened her eyes and asked, “Why did you stop?”
“Sorry.” He slid his hands out from under the T-shirt and let it fall back into place over her body. “I’m the host, and I was supposed to be showing you how to operate the toaster.” Still standing behind her, he placed his fingers on top of hers to demonstrate how to press down the lever.
“Philip,” she said, laughing, “it’s just a basic toaster. I’ve used these things before and I know how to make toast.”
He leaned close to her ear. “You’ve never made toast like this, baby,” he whispered, before kissing the crook of her neck.
Her eyes closed again as his warm breath bathed her ear and his soft lips melted into her skin. Philip had a way of turning even the smallest gestures into significant moments. “You’re right,” she answered. She turned around to face him with some effort because he gave her no extra space to move. Now he had her trapped against the kitchen counter, a stiff arm at each side of her body held on to the countertop—not that she minded. In fact, she was enjoying all the sexual attention he was lavishing on her. “I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now,” she said as she stroked his broad shoulders. His body was pressed against her and she could feel his erection. Did he always have an erection, she wondered, or did it materialize in her honor?
“The way I see it, I’m the lucky one.” He softly kissed her lips, and her knees started to buckle. He caught her in his arms and they both laughed. He leaned in to kiss her again and this time, he didn’t stop, not even when a loud click told them the toast was ready. “I’m not thinking about food anymore,” he whispered, “are you?”
“
Mmm mmm
. Just pretend I’m the toast,” she whispered suggestively as she pulled him closer. “Heated through and through, and ready to be eaten.”
They finally got around to breakfast after making love a few more times. It was after noon, and Philip suggested hanging out by the pool. Sara didn’t have a swimsuit with her and she didn’t find one in Kelly’s drawers, so Philip gave her his Barracudas jersey to wear as a cover-up. It was way too big on her but she loved it—first, because it made her look small, but mostly because she loved being wrapped inside something of Philip’s.
They were lying side by side on canvas lounge chairs when, for some reason, Sara’s mind drifted to school. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
She turned only her head toward him. “Do you feel like our tutoring sessions have helped you at all?”
“Hell yeah,” he said with a wink.
“I’m being serious, Philip. You’ve had other tutors. I just want to know if I’m helping.”
“Well, you’re a lot prettier than my last tutor,” he joked. “Okay, real answer? Yes, you’re a better tutor. I’ve had maybe half a dozen tutors since I started EFU and no one ever took your approach before.”
“You mean the real-life essays?”
Or did he mean sleeping with her pupil
, she wondered.
“Yeah.”
Sara felt relieved. She had a lot invested in Philip’s success, and not just because she earned credits for tutoring. She cared about him and wanted him to do well. It was especially important for him to get good grades if it turned out he would be unable to return to the field. Like his father told him, he would need to figure out a different career path.
Philip looked at Sara for a long minute. A mischievous smile crossed his face. “Wanna go for a swim?”
“You know I don’t have a suit,” she replied, “but you can go in if you want.” Gazing toward the pool, she felt tears in her eyes. Talking about school reminded her that this magical time would soon be over, and she was hoping it would never end.
Philip must have noticed her sadness because he reached for her hand. “Hey, look, we don’t have to be back until the first, right? So that leaves us until New Year’s. We get to spend New Year’s Eve together,” he said with a tug of her hand, “just the two of us.”
Sara turned her head and looked at him with surprise. New Year’s Eve hadn’t even crossed her mind. She never had a date for New Year’s, and here was Philip, taking it for granted.
“Oh, geez.” He closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. “Did you already have plans from before? I didn’t mean to assume. I mean, if you have to go back early…”
Squeezing his hand, she said, “There’s no one I’d rather spend New Year’s with than you.”
His chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath of relief. “Whew. You scared me for a minute. Hey, come here,” he said, tugging her hand as he shifted his body over to make room for her on his lounge chair.
She complied with his order and gently sat down on his chair. “Can it hold the both of us?”
He pulled her into his arms and laughed. “You worry about the craziest things, Sara Ross. The desk chair held us.” He kissed her lips. That kiss plus the little mention of their first time gave her a pleasant chill. “So, how about that swim?”
“I still don’t have a suit,” she said, laughing at his persistence.
“You have your birthday suit.”
“Yeah right,” she scoffed. But she could see he was serious.
“It’s completely private, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’ll get naked too.”
She looked toward the white vinyl fencing and Philip was right. The fence was high and the backyard was completely enclosed.
“Unless you’re chicken,” Philip teased as he gently pushed her to one side so he could get off of the lounge chair. He took her hands and yanked her up off the lounge, pulling her along as he walked backward toward the edge of the pool. For a second, she thought he might throw her in. Instead, he released her hand, kicked off his shorts, and sat down at the edge, naked, with his legs dangling over the side. “Ready?”
Sara shook her head no and continued to stand her ground until she felt Philip’s fingers slide up and down her calf, weakening her decision to stay clothed and dry.
He eased himself into the pool with a splash, dousing his whole body from head to toe. Bouncing back to the surface, he ran his hands over his hair and returned to the water’s edge. He folded his arms on the cement deck. “Come on, Sara. You know what they say about the last one in.”
She was starting to wonder if there was a way out of this. She tried stalling. “Is it cold? It was cold yesterday.”
“I turned up the heat,” he said, looking up at her and squinting from the brightness of the midday sun.
She bit her lip and walked toward the pool steps.
Oh God
,
am I really going to do this?
She dipped a toe in. “Hey, you lied! It’s ice cold.”
Philip floated toward the steps, a seductive smile on his face. “I can guarantee you that you won’t be cold for long once you dive in.”
A wave of excitement rushed through her body when he looked at her that way. A smile slowly spread across her face at the prospect of being naked and wet in Philip’s arms. Realizing there was no way she was going to be able to say no in the long run, she gave up trying. She rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion and pulled the jersey over her head. Tossing it on the ground, she quickly walked down the steps while Philip licked his lips, watching her every movement. He pulled her into his arms as soon as she reached the bottom step. “Cold?” he asked, looking at her erect nipples beneath the water line.
She nodded and he pulled her closer, keeping one arm around her back while the other hand supported her legs. “How’s your knee?” she asked him.
He smiled at her and she could tell he was touched by her concern. “Hasn’t felt this good in weeks. Water therapy.”
She nodded her understanding while she raked her fingers through his wet hair and held onto his shoulders. Looking at his wet body, it was hard not to acknowledge that he was so perfect in every way. So strong and caring, smart and funny, charming and attentive, well-built and handsome. She was so in love with him and the speed with which she fell for him floored her. Unable to resist, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his, allowing her body to go weightless as they floated around the pool together. Her mind began floating along with her body. She’d never felt so liberated in all her life. In a matter of days, Philip had managed to bring out a softer, less inhibited side of Sara. She enjoyed exploring her newfound confidence and prayed that nothing would ever occur to reverse it.
As they sailed through the water, their kisses intensified, and Philip gradually maneuvered them over to the side of the pool. As soon as her back was pressed up against the cool tiled pool wall, she wrapped her legs around Philip’s hips and urged him closer. In an instant, he plunged inside her, thrusting with an urgency she hadn’t experienced with Philip until now. He obviously liked this position and felt in total control without worrying about hurting his knee. The water acted as a natural cushion, and he was taking advantage of it.
His lips blazed a trail from her mouth to her breast, stopping to lick her nipple while she arched her back to keep her top half above the water. She felt his erection expanding inside her and knew his arousal wouldn’t last much longer.
He teased her clitoris with his fingertips to intensify her pleasure and bring her to orgasm before he came. “Oh God, oh God, oh God,” she moaned, over and over. Her hands moved in a frenzy, from his shoulders to the ledge of the pool and back to his shoulders. “Yes, Philip, yes,” she cried out.
At the moment of truth, Philip pulled out and ejaculated into the pool water. He pulled Sara into his arms and held her tight, pressing his cheek against hers as they both caught their breath. “Sara—” he started to say.
A man’s voice called over the fence. “Hey Philip, is that you?”
Sara and Philip looked at each other like two deer caught in the headlights. “My neighbor,” Philip said into her ear.
“Phil?”
“Mark? Just a second,” Philip called back. He swam to the edge of the pool and hoisted himself out. He pulled on the pair of shorts that were lying next to the pool and limped toward the gate at the far corner of the yard. “Be right back,” he said to Sara. But when he opened the gate, the man walked right in.
Sara watched the neighbor give Philip a guy hug. “I heard you were home for Christmas.” Then he spotted Sara in the pool. “Oh, hey, I didn’t know you had company.” He craned his neck. “Aren’t you gonna introduce us?” She folded her arms over her chest and faced the wall in an attempt to conceal her nakedness. She eyed the jersey on the ground about a foot away from the pool steps where she dropped it. So close and yet so far.
Philip looked from Mark toward Sara in the pool and back to Mark again. “Yeah, that’s Sara,” he said clapping Mark on the back. “Let’s go next door for a second.” Mark began to protest, but Philip pretty much pushed him out the gate.
Sara took a deep breath and swam to the steps and got out of the pool. She picked up the Barracudas jersey from the deck and held it in front of her, trading it in for a towel that was sitting on the table near the lounge chairs. She quickly dried herself off and slipped the shirt over her slightly damp body, praying it wouldn’t cling. Walking toward the gate, she heard Philip and Mark talking.
∙•∙
Philip pushed Mark out of his backyard to give Sara the chance to get dressed in private. The two men stood in the common area just outside the fenced yards.
“You gotta come,” Mark said. “I already told the gang you’d be there.”
“I can’t,” Philip replied. “I have plans.” Not an hour before, he told Sara he wanted to spend New Year’s Eve alone with her. Their relationship was too new to break that promise.
“With the girl? Well, she’s invited too, of course. I would never expect Phil Mason to come to my New Year’s party without a date. Come on Phil, say yes. You can’t let me down,” Mark said, practically begging. “You’re like the celebrity guest.”
Philip rubbed his forehead. If he did agree to go, he worried Sara would feel uncomfortable in that venue. As he recalled, those parties had a tendency to get a little wild—booze and weed and dirty dancing—and Sara wasn’t a wild-party type of girl. He didn’t want to subject her to that environment, and he didn’t want to give her the wrong impression about himself. There was a time he was into that scene, but he’d since outgrown that phase of his youth. “Well, maybe if you’d have asked before telling everyone.”
“Don’t give me that bull.” Mark was clearly getting irritated. “You’ve been coming to my New Year’s parties every year since we were like fifteen. Was it really a stretch to assume you’d come this year too?”
Mark was right, but between the injury and this new romance with Sara, Mark’s party hadn’t crossed his mind.
Philip looked toward the ground. He felt torn. On the one hand, there was Sara. He really liked the man he saw reflected in her eyes. She admired and respected him for who he was inside. Would she think less of him if she saw him in a different setting? These last few days, they’d created a little haven for themselves and the outside world was all but forgotten. He stopped thinking about the past and stopped worrying about the future. All that mattered was now.
On the other hand, he and Mark went way back. Mark was his friend since childhood. They had gone through everything together. Even during those awkward years when Philip was being bullied and felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, Mark had stayed true. Philip was keenly aware that friendship wasn’t something you should take for granted. Since the injury, he learned who his real friends were, and there weren’t many of them. Most of his friends and teammates had no use for him when he wasn’t on the active roster.