Authors: Charlotte Swanpol
Chapter 4
The train ride home was tense. They realized that they were in public and their displays of affection could only go but so far. But she'd agreed to spend the night with Thomas and she was not going to go back on her word.
Lila led the way to her room and could barely unlock the door without fumbling. His lips touched hers and she instantly succumbed to his touch. Coming through the door, he pushed her back against the wall, covering Lila with kisses. He did exactly what she wanted without even asking, threw the gentlemanly qualities aside and went for what he wanted.
"I want to take my time with you, Lila."
She wanted to beg him to take her quickly so that she could feel every single part of him and he could feel every part of her.
As if he could read her thoughts, he responded. "I am here with you all night long."
Those simple words cooled her urge to rush, but it did not calm the passion that burned inside of her for Thomas.
Head spinning, she confessed, "I don't know why I feel so much for you so quickly."
Thomas bit his lip, shaking his head. "Sometimes these things just happen. We don't know why and we should not spend too much time trying to figure out why. When things like this happen, we need to let it be as it is, my dear Lila."
There it was again, her name dripping off the tip of his tongue. Sounding sweet and perfect. Lila wanted to hear him say her name over and over again.
His motions were unhurried and deliberate, forcing Lila to feel every movement. Taking off each piece of clothing, Thomas examined her body, explored each and every inch of her. His arms wrapped around her, Thomas carried her to the bed, lying her down gently. Never taking his eyes off of her, he stripped her of all of her clothing. Lila felt like the most beautiful woman in the world with Thomas' attention.
Thomas started at her feet, planting kisses. "I want to kiss every inch of you." She tried to stay calm as he trailed the kisses up toward her calves and then to her thighs. Lila trembled as his lips touched the soft skin of her thighs. She hoped he would go next where she wanted him to be most. Trying to clamp her thighs together was unsuccessful. Thomas pushed her thighs apart, letting her know that he was not going to let her loose from his grip. He dove in between her thighs, swimming in her ocean, lavishing in her wetness. Lila invited him in and made sure he knew that she wanted him there, in her very center.
Trying to muffle her screams, Lila moaned instead, enjoying her release. And Thomas did not stop. He did not stop pleasing her. Once he knew that her body was ready for him, he did not hesitate to make sure that she was fulfilled. Taking much care to listen to her every need and desire, Thomas was every bit the attentive lover that Lila needed.
Each time her body called for him, he responded. Each time he pulled her in closer, she allowed him to do so. Theirs was a song and dance all their own. Sensual and sexy, full of passion and desire. Lila had never been so consumed in all of her life. Even with her past love, the one that had scorched her heart, she had not had such intense cravings or felt so satisfied.
It was all so dizzying. And when Thomas was inside of her, it was not so much the physical that left her dizzy, it was the way that it seemed that he had tunneled a way to her heart. How was it possible to fall for someone so fast? She would have to take time to think about that rationally when she was not in bed with him, arms and legs and bodies wrapped around one another.
Thomas continued to bring her to the brink of orgasm over and over. He would not let her succumb to it. Instead, he introduced her to it and then pulled back. A teasing that made her crave even him more. Looking into his eyes, she fell deeper. She could tell he was falling as well. Lila was not sure if she wanted to do anything about it. Maybe it was just like Thomas suggested, they should just let it be as it was. Savor the time that they had together.
His body wrapped around hers created a cocoon where they could live in their own world. It was just what she wanted. Feeling the pressure of his thrusts, the sweet pleasure in his being inside of her, it felt like heaven, the two of them there together. He would not let her go. He would not let her run from the emotion when it came to a boiling point. Instead, he guided her through it all, through each and every stroke. Through each and every wave of pleasure.
Finally bringing his siren to her climax, Thomas held her the entire way through, not letting go. He had not let go of her since they began their stroll after she finished her shift at the club. He'd told her that he was not letting go and it seemed that he would keep his word.
She wanted nothing more than to feel this man next to her when she awoke each morning. But they were only on borrowed time and he would have to leave soon. His kisses reminded her that he was not hers to have for the long haul, but that right here, right now in the space where they were, he was all hers for the taking.
Chapter 5
"What time is it?"
Lila could barely open her eyes as she turned over and burrowed deeper under the covers.
Thomas was lying there next to her. He reached over to the nightstand and glanced at his watch. "It's almost seven in the morning. Did you sleep well?"
From the sly grin on his face and his raised eyebrow, she knew exactly what he spoke of.
"I did," she replied, unable to avoid a smile.
"Good. "Come to me."
His beckoning arms were welcoming as she inched closer to him. Thomas laid her head on his chest. He began to softly stroke her hair while she fingered the silver tags that hung from his neck.
"A sobering reminder of your own mortality."
"Don't say that, Thomas."
"It is the truth. I'm a soldier. I know what I'm facing every time my company and I move about. I've come to grips with it."
Lila sighed. "I want you to know that I've never gotten this close to someone so fast. I was not expecting things to be like this."
He kissed her forehead. "I know. I wasn't expecting this either."
That sly grin again with his sparkling eyes. It made it almost impossible for her to decline anything that he would ask of her. She wanted to be with him at any cost and she was not sure why.
"The heart wants what it wants. That simple fact cannot be denied."
He squeezed her body close to his. "My dear, Lila. Why would I want to deny it?"
Her heart was racing, most likely trying to overtalk her mind and rid her senses of the ability to think rationally.
"I don't want to deny my feelings for you, Lila. I want you. It's a wonderful thing." His fingertips traced her beautiful curves, taking in all of her voluptuousness.
"What could you want with a woman like me?"
"What do you mean a woman like you?"
"I mean, I'm obviously older than you. And well, we come from two different walks of life." She held her hand up to his, making it apparent what she was speaking of.
"Lila, I'm twenty-five. You can't be much older than that. And this," he held their hands up higher so she could clearly see. "This does not bother me whatsoever."
"I'm a little older than twenty-five, you know."
"Why does that bother you?"
She shook her head. "I'm not sure why."
"So will you tell me how old you are?" he asked with a chuckle.
Lila playfully swatted him on the arm. "Not at all. A woman never tells her age."
"Alright. Alright. I won't ask again. But please know, Lila. None of these things matter to me. What matters is your heart."
"And how do you know anything about my heart?"
"I sat for several nights and listened to you pour your heart out on the stage. And I just made love to you, learned each and every thing about your body and what you like. If I don't know your heart intimately by now, I never will."
She closed her eyes. How was it that this man could say all of the right things?
"But we don't really know one another, Thomas."
"Lila," he tilted her face up so that they could see one another eye to eye.
"People can be together for decades and never know one another. Why on earth do you think that time has anything to do with love and knowing what someone has in their heart?"
He clasped his hand in hers. "Does that make any sense to you?"
"None of this makes any sense to me, Thomas. I mean, just yesterday you were this handsome stranger at the club. Now, you are my lover, waking next to me in my bed and we are talking about the meaning of love. How can I wrap my mind around all of that?"
"Can I tell you something?" he asked.
"Certainly."
"I did not have such a carefree attitude about love before I enlisted. I was always the kind to love hard, but never the one to take control of my emotions and necessarily go for the woman that I wanted. I was in love with a young woman and let her slip right through my fingertips. I let that get to me, and it welled up inside of me. When I enlisted, I realized how fleeting life is. So I decided not to let my emotions get the best of me and hold me back from being open to love."
"I wish that I felt the same way about love."
"Believe me. You do. You just don't want to get hurt again."
Somehow he had a way of knowing what she was thinking and feeling without her even having to explain it to him.
"You can't have love if you live life afraid of being hurt, Lila. It just doesn't work that way."
"So what you are saying is that you have to take a risk."
"Exactly. Take the risk. It's well worth it."
"And in this situation, our situation, what would you do?"
"Do you mean, what do I want to do?"
"Yes, Thomas. What do you want to do?"
"I want us to consider what it means to be together. In this life, this fleeting life. What does it mean to really take a risk and step out on the ledge and take hold of the love that is right in front of you?"
"I wish that I knew that answer to that."
His kiss was warm on her hand. "Lila, you know the answer already. There is no such thing as confusion. Just you fighting yourself when you already know what you want to do."
Smothered with his kisses, Lila was overcome with emotions.
"All you have to do is tell me what you want, Lila."
She looked him in his brown eyes, "I want to be with you."
Chapter 6
The day was one that Lila was sure she would never forget. All the while, spending it with Thomas, she kept remembering the fact that they were on borrowed time. He only left her for a brief moment in the morning after they awoke, but he was back within the hour with promises to be with her the entire day. He had orders to be back to camp later that night.
"What do you want to do today?" she asked.
"I don't know exactly. But that is the fun in the entire situation. We don't have to know what it is that we want to do. Let's just go and be together. Maybe you can show me around to some of your favorite places to be and to eat. I would love to get a real idea of what it's like to live in France. And I have the perfect tour guide."
"Well then, let's go. I hope you are ready to walk the village."
"Certainly, my dear."
Arm in arm, they left her room, ready to take on the day with one another. As they walked along the road that led from the countryside to the village, Lila pointed out some of the things that she loved most.
"There is the old abandoned dairy house. It has not been in operation for decades, but I find it beautiful in its old ruin. And that is the place where Sophie Deleaux lives."
"Who is Sophie?" Thomas inquired.
"She's this wonderful woman who is full of life at ninety-five years old. She paints the most spectacular scenes and sells her weaving in the market. She's there every morning, bright and early with a smile on her face, selling her wares. I love her energy and her tenacity. She is there rain or shine and everyone in the village looks forward to seeing her there."
"Sounds like the two of you are kindred spirits."
Lila shrugged. "Maybe that's the reason that I like her so much."
"Why are we stopping here?"
Lila took a deep breath as they faced a field of wildflowers. The rolling hills seemed to reach on for days and the sky was a clear blue.
"This is where I sit and write."
"Here?" he asked.
"Yes. Here. I sit with a clear mind and write. It is such a solitary place for me that is beautiful and so full of energy. I love it."
Lila took off skipping freely through the thigh high flowers. Thomas laughed as he ran to catch up to her. When he did, Lila lost her balance and they both crashed to the soft earth beneath them.
She could not stop laughing.
"You are beautiful, Lila. Wonderfully beautiful."
"Thank you."
Thomas took his fingers, gently sweeping the stray hairs from her face. "I wish we could just freeze this moment in time and that I could be here with you like this forever, Lila."
"Say that you will come back to me." Once she spoke the words, Lila realized that there was no way that she could take them back. But she truly did not want to do so. She meant what she'd said.
His body laying over hers, he grasped her fingers intertwining them with his. "I will be back for you. But does that mean that you will wait for me?"
Lila nodded. "I will."
"You know that this whole love thing is easy but can be difficult. Especially under our current circumstances."
"True. But with the way that you speak of love, then it should be simple for the two of us to figure it out if we want it to grow."
Thomas smiled. "So you have been listening to all of my talk on the concept of love and possibly taking it to heart."
"I have absolutely been listening to you ramble on and on," she laughed playfully. "Now kiss me."
Thomas did as he was commanded. His tongue danced lightly on hers, first tenderly, then with a bit more passion.
"Each time I come here to write, I will remember that kiss." Lila wanted to memorize every single movement, every single taste and touch and every word that he said to her.
"I want you to remember something else as well."
Thomas began undressing her, his hands reaching up her thighs, beneath her dress. His kisses on her shoulder blades ignited a passion in her that she was not sure she wanted to ignore. Their lovemaking this time had a sense of urgency, like they needed to rapidly absorb one another before the chance got away from them. They were becoming so in tune with one another, not a word had to be uttered about what the other wanted or needed. They simply were content to just be, there in each other's embrace, wrapped inside of one another as they created the rhythm of their own song.
Everything was so beautiful there in the midst of nature. It was a gorgeous and all consuming energy that swept over the two of them. Lila wanted more, but they did not have time to lie there in the field of wildflowers all day with the soft, warm breeze dancing over them.
"My love. My dear, Lila."
To hear him say those words to her as he stared at her intently while the basked in the afterglow of the sweet and sticky love that they made. It was all so picturesque, so perfect.
"How can I let you go?" Lila asked.
"As far as I'm concerned, you never have to."