Tracing Hearts (22 page)

“This is really nice,” I say.

“What, the margarita or the atmosphere?” he asks with a smile.

“Both, but don’t forget the company too.” I flutter my eyes in an exaggerated manner. He laughs.

“You
’
ve obviously had too much to
drink.”

“After dinner, do you want to take a walk on the beach? We don’t have to. I was just thinking about it, since we’re here and all,” I say, hoping he’ll agree.

“Sure. That sounds like fun.” He pauses and looks like he’s suddenly become uncomfortable.

“What?”

“Nothing really. I was just thinking.”

“About?”

He sighs. “About how real we might have to make our fake marriage look on Saturday.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, really curious now.

“Well, Jamie and Shelby will expect certain behaviors from a newlywed couple, and I don't know how you feel about that.”

I pause before answering to absorb his words.

“Like what?” I ask.

“Look, maybe this isn’t the right time to have this discussion. I don’t know. I just thought we might want to prepare ourselves for…”

“For things you might have to do to me in front of them?” I interrupt him with a bold statement. I think this margarita is stronger than expected.

“Well…yes.”

I cover his hand with both of mine and look him in the eyes.

“Sebastian, do what feels natural. I’m okay with it. In fact,” I pause gathering the nerve to say these next words. “Maybe this time together—the time we get to pretend we’re something we’ve never been before—maybe it’ll show us whether or not we should pursue a stronger relationship. Make it as real as you feel necessary, and I’ll be right alongside you. I promise not to hold you to any promises you make along the way.” There. It’s all laid out. I hope he doesn’t think it’s the alcohol talking, because this really is a strong drink.

Before I have time to say anything more, he reaches out and with one hand and gently strokes my face. His thumb caresses my cheek as it moves around in circles. I close my eyes and lean slightly into him. When I open them again, he’s staring at me intensely. I can hardly breathe.

“How’s this?” he asks, his voice almost a whisper.

“Fine,” I say softly, and it feels like I’m on fire. How can this simple touch affect me so severely?

“Let’s finish our dinner and take that walk.”

He retracts his hand and somehow, I feel more alone than ever before. I look down at the table and notice our food. When did that arrive? I lift my glass and take a long drink, then blow out a slow breath. If Sebastian’s touch could make me feel this good, imagine how good it would feel if we…”

“How is everything?” the waitress asks.

“It’s very good, thank you,” he replies, pulling me out of my day dream. Then, he turns his attention back to me. “You haven’t eaten much. Are you okay?”

“What?” He points to my plate on which my food has been pushed around but mostly, uneaten. “Oh. Um, no. No, I’m fine, just not very hungry at the moment.” I try to make an excuse for my lack of appetite, and I’m hoping he can't see how much I’m affected by him.

“Do you want to go?” he asks.

I nod, we pay the check, and head for the beach behind us.

The moon, which is low on the horizon and very large tonight, shimmers on the surface of the water. It gives off just enough light to be able to see the path in front of us. Sebastian takes my hand.

“Is this okay?”

I nod, hoping he won't hear my shallow breaths.

We continue our walk, mostly in silence, as I’m having trouble articulating my thoughts. Suddenly, he stops me in mid stride and turns to face me. Then, without a word, he takes in a deep breath, places both hands on the either side of my face and leans in. Our lips touch and my heart beats wildly.
This
is a kiss. It’s not accidental. It’s not one sided. It’s not after a bad dream. It’s real in every way that matters. I wrap my arms around him and press my fingertips into the hard muscles on his back. His hands move into my hair as our tongues connect. My mind is racing, yet numb at the same time. All sound has been muted. All signs of civilization vanish. My only coherent thought strays to not letting my knees buckle from underneath me. We kiss like this, until we realize where we are. He pulls back, breathless and panting.

Yes! He felt it too!

“Julia,” he whispers, and it’s like he doesn’t have the strength to say anything more. I nod, letting him know I understand. We stand, connected both physically and emotionally, for who knows how long. He kisses me again, with the same amount of passion, and I feel physically weak. Then, once our breaths have returned to relatively normal, he takes my hand. “We need to go,” he says, and leads me back toward the car. We say nothing the whole way there. He opens my door, allows me to enter, then climbs into the driver’s seat. But, before starting the car, he glances over at me.

“Are you okay?” He sounds genuinely concerned.

I nod, unable to form any words.

He breathes a sigh of relief. “I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time. You have no idea.”

“Me too,” I add shyly.

His triumphant smile is broad. God, I love his smile.

“Let’s go home,” he says. And those three words are now officially my favorite words in the entire history of the English language. He holds my hand, and I lean back in my seat as our car zooms forward, in the direction of home. Our home. Together. Just the two of us.

Upon arrival, we exit the car and quickly walk inside the house. It’s dark, but he leaves the lights off. The only light we have is the moon’s illumination streaming through the windows. After closing the door behind us, he leads me through the living room toward the sun room, but we only get as far as the kitchen before he pushes me up against a wall and our mouths are connected again. I hear moaning, but I’m not sure which one of us it’s coming from. He backs up a few inches and tugs at his tight t-shirt, pulling it up over his head. Even in this dim lighting, his muscles are defined, and they flex as he moves. He looks amazing. My hands tentatively graze over his chiseled chest and the warmth inside me grows hotter.

Our mouths clash together again, and neither one of us seem to be able to control our hands.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispers against my lips. “Just tell me you don't want this as much as I do and I’ll stop, right now.
Please
, Julia, tell me to stop.”

I urge him back a few inches, look directly into his intense eyes, and whisper, “Don’t stop.”

The air is expelled from his lungs in a rush, and he pulls me in closer, steering me toward the bedroom. He holds onto me tightly, as I’m the one walking backwards, and we kiss all the way down the hall. I feel one of his hands leave my back, and a door opens. I’m propelled backward a few more feet, until I feel the edge of his bed against the backs of my knees. He slowly lifts my shirt, and I have to let go of him, so he can finish. He then reaches around behind me, and with one swift movement, he unhooks my bra. It falls to the floor, but he never stops kissing me. He leans forward and lowers me down onto the bed, following me—lying on top of me.

His lips find my neck now and he begins to lick and suck his way down. My hands automatically grip his hair, pulling him closer, anchoring him to me. My hips begin to grind involuntarily, and I’m pretty sure I’m watching this from outside my body. The heat from our bodies’ close proximity is almost overwhelming, but as close as we are, I want him closer. I want him to melt into me, so much so that we couldn’t tell where he ends and I begin. He’s taken off the rest of our clothes now, and all that lies between us is the thin fabric of my panties. One more time I’m questioned, before a lifetime of imagining becomes reality, and we meld together, eventually collapsing side by side from the exhaustion.

Sebastian

I wake to the sound of rain tapping against the window of my room. When I open my eyes, the dream I thought I was having, still lies sleeping next to me. Julia’s on her side, with her back to me. I can hear the calming rhythm of her breaths as she quietly inhales and exhales. Though I can only see the side of her face, my lips ache to be on hers again. The sheet, which is pulled just high enough to cover her breasts, dips low in the back and tempts me to touch her. Her smooth, delicate skin proves to be too much for me, as I begin to gently draw circles on her shoulder. Leaning forward just a bit, I place a gentle kiss on it. She stirs but doesn’t wake, and I smile, knowing I have more time to contemplate the enormity of the step we took last night.

As I prop myself up on my elbow, with my head resting on my hand, the spell is broken. Her eyes flutter open. She turns onto her back, raises her arms over her head, and stretches. The sheet, which covers her, doesn’t move when she does, and it almost exposes her to me. My breath hitches, though I don't think she notices. She pulls it back up and looks at me and smiles. God she’s beautiful.

“Morning,” she says. Her morning voice is raspy and sexy as hell.

“Good morning,” I reply. “Did you sleep well?”

She inhales deeply and closes her eyes briefly, stretching once again.

“Very well. You?”

“Me too.” I pause, not knowing exactly what to say next. “So…”

“So,” she says back.

“So, last night—”

“Last night was…amazing,” she says, her eyes lighting up as she smiles.

“Yeah?” I say with a happy grin. “It was, wasn’t it?” She nods shyly. “So…now what?”

She shrugs. “I don't know. Breakfast?”

“More like lunch,” I say then point to the clock on the night stand to show her it’s closer to noon. “But, we’ll eat whatever you feel like having.”

“How about this first,” she says while raising one eyebrow. Then, she lifts her hand, wrapping it around the back of my head, and pulls me down to her. She gently presses her lips to mine, all the while holding me in place. Neither one of us deepens the kiss, and when she finally releases me, my eyes remain closed. I feel intoxicated as I savor the sensation.

“Are you going to open your eyes,” she asks playfully.

“No.” I shake my head, then I hear her giggle.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m afraid I’ll wake up from this dream, and you won't be in my bed anymore.”

“But I
am
in your bed, silly.”

“I know, so long as I keep dreaming.”

She giggles again and cups her hands on either side of my face.

“Open your eyes,” she softly commands, so I do. “There. I’m still here. I’m not just a figment of your imagination.”

“No, you sure aren’t.”

“So, what are going to do about that, Mr. Smith?”

Without a second thought, I hover over her with my elbows on either side of her, and stare down at this beautiful creature. My hand twirls a lock of her golden hair. “How about this,” I repeat her words from earlier, then kiss her once…twice…then a third time, before pulling back to gage her reaction. She sighs ruefully, and I smile down at her closed eyelids. They open a second later with a smile meant just for me.

“Wow,” she says, smiling broadly.

“I agree,” I say, mirroring her expression. Then, a thought hits me. “Let’s move your things into my room. I want to wake up to your face every morning and go to bed with you in my arms every night.”

Her grin is wide.

“Okay,” she simply says, then reaches up again, but this time it’s just to run her fingers through my hair. My eyes close again at the sensation, and my forehead drops gently to hers. I could spend the whole day just like this. Hell, I could spend the whole month this way. Then, her stomach growls loudly, which makes us both laugh.

“We should probably get something to eat,” I say, and she agrees.

***

After making brunch together and talking about nothing in particular, we go out to buy groceries. Mick was nice enough to open a bank account under our new names and gave us new IDs and debit cards too. We stroll down the aisles of the local Publix and pick up enough stuff to last us a week. I don’t really like shopping, but there’s something to be said for it, when you have a beautiful woman on your arm. People stare as we walk by, at our public display of affection, no doubt, but I don’t care. I’ve waited half my life for this.

The next two days consist of the same things: Get up, eat, spend time unpacking or fixing up the house, eat, find our way into the bed, fall asleep in each other arms. Today is Saturday—the day we promised to go out with Jamie and Shelby. I know we have to go, and it’ll probably be good for us, but I’d much rather spend today exactly like I’ve spent the last ones. We decided to all ride to Clearwater beach together, to save on parking fees and gas. This idea makes me nervous. The longer we spend with them, the easier it’ll be to make a mistake, exposing us as frauds. Julia assures me it’ll be fine, so we hop into our car and begin the trek.

“So, Henry, what do you do for a living?” Shelby asks while leaning forward in her seat.

“It’s
Hank
actually,” I correct her and see Julia’s eyes roll out of the corner of my eye. I chuckle slightly. “I’m in between jobs right now. I just got out of the military and I’m actively looking for work.”

“Well, I can check to see if the landscape company I work for is hiring,” Jamie says.

Landscaping? In Florida? In this heat? No thanks.

“I’m not much of an outdoor kind of guy, but thanks,” I say, hopeful to halt the conversation.

“I understand. This heat can beat you up pretty good, if you’re not careful.”

“So, what sort of work are you looking for, Hank?” Shelby chimes in. I hadn’t really thought about what to say to this line of questioning.

“Oh, I don’t know. I was in Special Ops in the Army. I trained on all sorts of weaponry, so I’m not sure what I qualify for. But, I can hit a fly off a horse’s ass with no trouble.” Julia gapes at me, and I try to stifle a laugh. The silence in the car lets me know I’ve shut them up, for now.

“Oh. Okay then. Emily, what do you do?”