REBORN (Metamorphosis Book 1) (12 page)

If I was going to be able to keep up with him I needed my body in top form, no more excuses to not exercise.  I went down stairs to my apartment, changed into running shorts and a T-shirt, and off to the lakefront I went. 

It was a beautiful day for running outdoors; the temperature had gone down into the sixties and the cool air allowed me to run farther than expected.  Before I realized it, I was past the Museum Campus.  I could see the Art Institute in the distance and the memory that I still had unfinished business to take care of came to mind; I had to decide what I was going to do about the job situation.  The reality was that I didn't need the money, at least not for now, but needed to feel productive.  Between my divorce settlement, alimony and my mother's insurance, I knew I had enough to live at least for the next couple of years; longer than that if I was conservative with my spending.  But I did not get divorced to sit around waiting for a man to get home.  I needed to do something, anything, so I decided then and there to call as soon as I got back from my run and make an appointment with the head of the department that had hired me.

I had run five miles one way, more than I intended to; it was time to head back.  The skies were beginning to darken, announcing a storm.  Funny how looking at the sky with its volatile nature reminded me of Kayden!  But I didn't have time for daydreams; I had to get back and get back fast if I didn't want to get drenched.  I had left my phone and credit cards at home so I couldn't even get a taxi.  By the time I hit Jackson, circling back past the Art Institute, the skies opened and a downpour fell.  I was soaked in my skimpy outfit; my hair, T-shirt, shorts, and shoes were all dripping.  By the time I entered the apartment building, I looked as if I were naked. 

My eyes came across Julian and I froze.  His gaze went to my breasts; he could see the contour through the wet T-shirt.  I did not like the way he was looking at me.

"Julian, what are you doing here?"

"I was in the area and decided to stop by and ask you to join me for lunch.  I was just about to leave when the rain started.  What are you doing running in this weather?"

"It was beautiful when I left," I responded, thinking that it was none of his business.

"Well, this is Chicago, let's go upstairs so you can change before you catch a cold."

It felt strange to let him into my apartment, especially the way his greedy eyes were raking my body.  I reasoned with myself that he had seen me looking worse before; this should be no different.

"I just want to make sure you are okay.  Running has done wonders for your body," Julian said, noticing my uneasiness.

"Thanks, but I am fine, you can go now," I responded.

"You never used to be so cold," Julian said, sighing.

"You're right, I was always trying to get close to you, for you to notice me; but you always rejected me."

Julian moved closer to me, and then said, "I'm noticing now and I like what I see."

I took a step back. "It's too late, I have someone else in my life.  Please go."

Julian kept moving toward me. "I know you are trying to get me jealous and it's working.  Come on, I know you still want me, I can see it in your eyes."  And with those words he grabbed me and tried to kiss me but I fought him hard.

"Julian, please, don’t do this," I cried and before I realized it a hand grabbed Julian away from me while another one punched him in the face.  I was sobbing, then I saw Kayden's hand go in the air for another punch and I screamed, "Kayden no, please."

Kayden stopped, then said to Julian in a menacing voice, one I had not heard before, "Get the fuck away from Ellie; if you touch her again I will not control myself."

With those words Julian walked out the door mumbling, "You have not heard the last of me."

Kayden came to me. "Come, let's get you out of these wet clothes.  The way you look I don’t blame any man for wanting you, but if that scumbag of your ex touches you again he is going to find out not to mess with someone else's woman."  He scooped me in his arms and took me to the bathroom.  "Get ready, I came to take you to lunch."

It took me fifteen minutes to shower, dress, and apply minimum makeup.  I wore a pair of straight leg black cotton pants that fit just below the waist.  I paired it with a silk long-sleeved white blouse that I tucked in, a short denim jacket, and flats, then pulled my hair into a bun.  The look was very youthful.  Unfortunately I was reeling from my encounter with Julian.

When I found Kayden he was still fuming. "Now you see what I was talking about.  If I had not come in when I did god knows what could have happened; the man is a fool."

"I am fine Kayden, just a little shaken. I don’t think Julian would have taken things any further," I tried to reassure him.

He took me into his arms and said, "No one threatens what is mine.  If this happens again I will forget that he is your children's father."  The assertion brought fear to my heart.

The Mercedes limo was waiting by the front lobby when we walked out.  Kayden opened the back door for me and then slid in.

Chapter Eleven

Kayden pressed his forehead to mine.  "Are you okay?"

"Yes," I answered, "just a little shaken up."

"Are you hungry?  Would you rather stay in?"

I leaned closer and spoke in his ear. "I am hungry but not for food."

Kayden looked at me quizzically. "Still? After last night?"

I just nodded in affirmation.  He signaled to the driver, "Aldo, take us back to the building, we changed our mind about lunch.  Take a couple of hours off; just make sure you are back by one thirty, I have a meeting at two."

As we entered the apartment, I found myself feeling shy.  I did not know what had come over me asking for sex.  "I am sorry, I should not have done that.  Can I make lunch for you?  I know you have to get back to work."

"Sorry for what?  What the fuck are you apologizing for?"

Embarrassed I answered, "For you know, asking you?"

"No, I don't know." He raked his hand over his hair, frustrated now.  "Tell me what you need; what's going on?"

"I need you inside me," I responded.

"Why Ellie, why do you need me inside you, what's going on?"  

In exasperation I responded, "Because I'm scared, okay?  Because I am scared of what could have happened if you hadn’t come in when you did."

He bent his head and looked at me with loving eyes. "Nothing happened. I will never let anyone hurt you and if he had done something to you I would have hunted him down like a dog."

Kayden stood, then said, "Come, I need to take care of your needs and we don’t have unlimited time." 

He took my hand and walked me to the bedroom.  Slowly he took my jacket off, his eyes fixed on mine, never wavering.  Then he unbuttoned my blouse and took it off.  He simply placed the items on the chair.  His movements were deliberate, unhurried, simply cherishing the moment.  Before I knew it I was stark naked in front of him.  "Perfect, absolutely perfect," he said in adoration. "Now, your turn."

I began with his jacket, took it off, and placed it carefully on the back of the chair next to mine.  Then I took off his tie and shirt, slowly and with care just like he had done.  My hand ran across the light hair on his chest, ever so gently.  He breathed in deeply and when I looked up his eyes were closed and I could see the expression of pleasure on his face.  I caressed his chest with my hands, my tongue, ever so slightly, and the sounds that came out of him encouraged me to go on.  When I went down on my knees to open his pants he took my head in his hands as if to stop me; I took his hands and moved them away, opening first the button and then the zipper and letting his pants fall to the floor.  He stepped out of them and I threw them on the chair.  I pressed my hands on his now rigid member, caressing it, feeling its weight with my hands, licking him through the thin layer of his underwear.  His body was shaking when he said,  "Why are you torturing me like this?"

"All good things come to those who wait."

I moved down his legs, feeling every muscle, kissing them and tasting his strong power.  He looked down as I took off his shoes and then his socks and went down on the floor to kiss each foot.  I touched and kissed every inch of his body, needing to know that it was real, that we were real.  And in that moment he was totally and completely mine, to touch, to kiss, to have.  Finally, I pulled down his underpants.  I could hear him swearing and breathing hard when I took him in my mouth.  I was as deliberate and gentle with his organ as I had been with the rest of his body.  But the hunger in me got the best of me and I started to suck him harder, without control.  He grabbed my head and stopped me, pulled me to my feet, and said, "If you don’t stop now I won't be able to get inside you."

"You were inside me," I responded.

"Next time, when we have more time," he said as he took me to the bed.  "Now I need to feel your inside, to give you what you need, not what I need."  His hand went to my soaking wet sex.  "Oh, you are so ready."  And with those words, he laid his body on top of mine and thrust inside me.  He was deliberate in his moves, taking his time to fill me, to go deeper without hurry or sense of urgency.  Just moving in and out, kissing me, touching my body with his hands until we both climbed so far we came screaming each other's names in pure ecstasy.

We lay in each other's arms for what seemed to be hours.  He looked at the clock on the nightstand and noticed it was one o'clock.               

"You know, you are going to take me to an early grave, right?"

I closed my eyes and put my hands over them in embarrassment.  He took my hands away. "Open your eyes and look at me," he said in a firm tone.

"This is a grave I will march happily into if you do what you did to me again," Kayden whispered with a grin. 

He pulled me by the hand and said, "Come on, let's take a quick shower, I have a meeting to go to and I don’t want to smell like sex.  Well, maybe I should clarify that; I don’t mind smelling like sex in the middle of the afternoon, but I worry about what it will do to the others."

At that moment his cell phone rang. "Hale," he barked.  Jesus, the man was truly like the Chicago weather!

"If my two o'clock cancelled, then cancel the rest of the afternoon.  Call Aldo and tell him he doesn’t have to pick me up, and don’t call me unless it's an emergency.  I am going to be busy the rest of the afternoon." And with that he hung up the phone, no chitchat, and no goodbyes.

"It looks like I'll be free this afternoon; come, let's take a two- minute shower before you get any ideas."

What was supposed to be a two-minute shower turned out to take over an hour.  We bathed each other and caressed each other; we washed each other's hair and kissed. Just thinking about the kisses made me wet.  That's as far as we went, in that moment we were making love to each other without penetration, we didn't need it.

Kayden drove his Mercedes SL to the western suburbs for some homemade noodles from Katy's Dumpling House.  It was a little too close for comfort for me, the restaurant being too close to my former residence.  I did not say anything; I did not want to dampen his mood.  We were both starving so we each ordered a bowl of stir-fried noodles with shrimp.  Delicious!  Fortunately, I did not run into anyone I knew.

After lunch we continued our drive west in search of a good place for dessert and a visit to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.  We parked the car and decided to walk the trail, hand in hand, with my head pressed on his side.  The colors were striking, nature's show of vibrant reds, oranges, and golds.  I always like autumn, my favorite season of the year. 

After we walked for a while, I asked Kayden, "Tell me about Megan." I was desperate to learn more about her, the woman who shared his life, who owned his heart.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything, like how did you two meet; what happened to her…"

He took a minute to respond, then began.  "Megan and I met in college, at Northwestern University.  She was a junior; I was a senior.  Just like with you, I fell in love from the moment I saw her."

Wait a minute, what did he just say, that he loves me?  I was stunned for a moment, and then decided to regain my composure.  Kayden looked at me and smiled, a knowing smile as if he could read what I was thinking about.

"Like I was saying, it was the same but also different.  Ours was the impulsive love of youth.  After I graduated we became engaged; her parents were livid, they were opposed to it but nothing was going to keep us apart.  I went on to the University of Chicago for a master's in business and she stayed at Northwestern to finish her degree.  We married two years later.  She was a teacher and found a job at an elementary school near the house. I was working for a downtown firm.  We were on top of the world.   Our first house was in the Lakeview Community.  Megan decorated it while I worked long hours conquering the business world."

I could hear a hint of regret in his voice.  I just listened in silence, not wanting to miss anything he was saying, my mind reeling from his previous comment about love, about loving me.