24.2 The After Party

Heads up…spice ahead. 😀

Mary grinned as they traipsed upstairs. Thoughts of magic happening between them–finally–swirled around her head like a drunken haze. Her teenage dream had not changed for she still wanted the same thing: his hands caressing her body and feelings of ecstasy so strong she’d questioned whether she still existed in the current realm.

Two doors faced each other on opposite sides of the house. Which one would forever bear the fond memories of making love for the first time?

Reed opened the door on the right. It was a parlor. His parents must have redone it once he stopped spending summers with them.

“How about a nightcap?”

Drinking was not part of the plan, but whatever made him more comfortable. His mouth moved, and sound came out, but those cobalt eyes ensnared her like a python hypnotizing its prey. Every so often, the words made sense. Francesco and Mariah came up a lot. He must have liked them together. She didn’t know them well enough to have an opinion, but she had always been in favor of young love.

Every time Reed blinked, those long eyelashes toyed with Mary’s emotions. Did he know how handsome he was? And, when would he be done yammering on about the hopeful couple?

“You’re not listening to me, are you?” he asked.

She swallowed the last bit of her drink. “Sorry. It seems I’m a bit…distracted.”

He chuckled and took her glass. “To bed then.”

The bedroom seemed so far away as she concentrated on keeping in step with Reed. She wanted to sprint across the gallery, dragging him behind her. The love she had for him–that always existed–was at a rolling boil. If they didn’t act soon, it would bubble over and scorch her.

Another gorgeous portrait hung over the bed. She always thought the Kellers were a beautiful couple. Their son was living proof of that. “I feel like they’re looking at me.”

He snorted. “They might be.”

He meandered around the room, straightening out wrinkles in the blanket, fluffing pillows, and making sure the pictures hung straight–everything except attending to her. He was nervous. While it was adorable, she couldn’t understand the hesitation. Didn’t he always dream of this moment? The moment they could express their love unabashed? As soon as she hinted about wanting to go upstairs, he should have raced to the bedroom and ripped off her dress. But, that was not her Reed. He was always a gentleman.

“Well … I guess I’ll let you get to sleep. I’ll be out in the butler’s cottage if you need anything.”

NO! What just happened? Was he daft? Did she need to spell it out? “But, there’s plenty of room here. Stay.”

“You’re tired. You should sleep.”

“Reed,” she shouted whinier than intended. “We’re not children anymore! Whatever honor…virtue you’re trying to protect … I don’t have it anymore. Maybe I never did. Please … Stay with me.”

He could stand there smirking at her if he wanted to, but she had no intentions of letting him leave. She didn’t miss the ferry to sleep alone in a large, empty house. Politeness and subtlety did not work in her favor, so she took control of the situation and took the comb out of her hair to let her golden locks fall at her shoulders exactly how Reed liked. He remained still except that one eyebrow that went up.

The zipper she fiddled with earlier unzipped much easier than zipping it up. She freed herself from the beautiful red cage and tossed it away with her feet. Still, he stood there.

“For Watcher’s sake, Reed! I’m wearing a slip! Why are you standing over there?”

He chuckled. “I’m watching the show.”

Her heart rate increased as the giddiness spread throughout her body again. “Oh! Well, in that case …”

His eyes traced every curve, peak, and valley. He was calm on the outside, but she knew a party went on inside.

“I feel like I’m at a disadvantage here,” she said.

“Hmm. Do ya now? How do you suppose we fix that?”

She strode over to him with a huge grin still affixed to her face and unbuttoned his vest. “You are one of the smartest men I know. I’m sure you can figure the rest out.”

He pulled off the vest and threw it across the room. The shirt came off almost as fast. “You’re a troublemaker, Mary Jones.”

He looked exactly how she imagined under those fancy clothes: fit enough to be eye candy but not a gym rat. Everything inside tingled at the sight of him. “You must have a thing for troublemakers.”

“Mm hmm.”

The pants flew across the room next. He had such beautiful, strong legs. It was a strange part to love, but she always had a thing about legs. John’s legs were much too skinny. It should have been a sign.

His warm breath tickled her shoulder as he kissed it from behind. Everything inside heated quickly, melting her into a puddle desire while his hands drifted from her neck and shoulders across the peaks of her chest. He caressed and kissed her in many places–places she never imagined anyone would kiss. Everywhere he touched burned, but it was a good burn like a steamy shower with almost no cold water. She wanted the fire kindling inside to burn until it consumed her.

She was ready for him, but what if she performed poorly? She only had one partner, and the last time they were together, she still had school-aged children at home. What if she built up that whole night in her head only for it to fall flat?

Reed had never kissed so fervently before. Perhaps what he used to say was true: If I kiss you, I’m not going to stop. His problem in high school was not a lack of desire but the desire to have everything at the right time and proper context. Mary never cared about that, and now that she had him, she didn’t want him to stop.

“Reed, Please. I need you now.”

Waves cresting onto the shore was such a soothing sound. Now and then, she heard it like a gentle lullaby easing her back into sleep all morning. When she rolled over to greet her lover, he was missing. Maybe he went for a jog or to the butler’s cottage to watch the news. Like her, he had a routine. She ran her hand across the imprint he left in the mattress grinning like a teenager. He was such a tiger. All those years, he longed for her. Over and over, he showed her how much he cherished her and what she missed by walking away. Wild nights with John fueled by Love Potion #5 did not even come close to what she and Reed had. Holy goodness! If only she hadn’t been so impatient and lovesick, this could have been her whole life.

Garments and shoes littered the room; she giggled at the sight. What a night! After searching high and low for her slip, she found it almost under the bed next to Reed‘s left shoe. Just as she stepped out of the bedroom to find him, he came upstairs with pancakes. What a man!

His smile nearly tore her in two as he placed the breakfast on the table. “Good morning, sleepyhead.” He pulled out a chair for her.

She giggled. “You know I don’t usually sleep so late.”

“Vigorous workouts will do that to you.” He winked at her.

Heat spread across her cheeks. “You missed a few buttons there, Mr. Funny Man.”

He looked at the shirt and laughed at his mistake.

The tantalizing scent of butter and maple syrup drew her attention to the breakfast. The perfectly round, golden pancakes looked so light and fluffy. Cooking was another skill she was not aware he excelled. “No one’s ever made me breakfast before.”

“Really?”

She nodded.

His narrowed eyes said so many things. Was he simply shocked? Or, was this another reminder of John’s shortcomings? “Phoenix doesn’t cook?”

“She’ll make dinner sometimes, but I’m always the first one awake, so breakfast is on me.”

“I see.” He sliced into the pancakes. “You do realize she’s a grown woman, right?”

“Yes, but … Well, I suppose it’s difficult to understand when you’re not a parent.”

He broke his gaze and went back to the pancakes. “I guess you’re right.”

She could have kicked herself. A relationship with Reed came with its own set of problems. Reminding him of former dreams only added fuel to the fire. How did he deal with those hurt feelings? They couldn’t have disappeared completely. She walked away and stole every dream he ever had. But, she also lit up his world, he said. He may have created new dreams. Despite the potential conflict, they were in a good place. Why poke the bear?

“Do you have plans today?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Actually, this is the last free weekend I’ll have for a while.”

“Oh really,” he said in a daring tone. “What’s Davis have you doing now?”

“Well,” she wiped her mouth with the napkin in her lap, “He says he appreciates how much money I collect for the charities, but with no one to do them …”

He snorted. “So, instead of hiring someone, he added more to your plate.”

She sighed. “I know it seems that way, but I really don’t mind it. You remember how much I enjoy charity work. I’d rather do that than beg for money all the time.”

“I know. I know. I’m glad you’re happy. I just hate that your weekends will be tied up.”

As long as they had been dating, she still got the warm fuzzies at how much time Reed wanted to spend with her. She reached out and caressed his hand. “It’s temporary.”

He sighed. “If you say so … You should stay with me so I can see you. I’ll make you breakfast.”

She grinned. “And dinner?”

“Whatever you want.”

Mary had a quick vision of the next few weekends. He’d give her a drawer in his dresser and clear out a little space in the closet. One toothbrush turned into two. Slowly but surely, his sparse, manly space turned into a colorful resort-like space that looked like something straight out of Newcrest Living magazine. He’d give her a key next and ask her to move in permanently. Their life was such a movie. “I think I’d like that.”

He grinned. “Come home with me. I’d like to spend the rest of the day with you.”

This relationship couldn’t have come at a better time. As he so eloquently stated, Phoenix was a grown woman. Being able to come and go as she pleased without worrying about a child at home, or needing to get babysitters, made decision making simple.

Reed took care of their dishes while she put her dress back on. Mary had been to the house a few times but never spent much time there. He was such a gentleman and preferred to make the travel sacrifices and visited her more often than she visited him. The unique layout made the house appear rather small on the outside but was much larger on the inside. That’s kind of how Reed was. On the outside, he appeared to be a no nonsense, rich, business man. But, inside, he was the sweetest man Mary ever met with a big heart. He was serious, but he loved to have fun too.

“Let’s get you a shirt,” he said as he led her to the bedroom.

She smiled brightly for he never let her in there before. He was great at not giving into temptation, that’s for sure. It was an amazing master suite with a larger-than-life walk-in closet, perfect sized sleeping area, and a unique en suite. The entire suite was larger than the downstairs of her house, and he lived there alone for so long. How did he do it?

“This should be comfortable.”

“Thank you.”

They disrobed, grinning at each other, possibly replaying parts of last night in their heads.

She pressed against him and planted her lips on his cheek. “I haven’t told you I love you today.”

“I know you love me.”

“I enjoy saying it.” It was not a phrase she used much in her life, unfortunately.

“It shouldn’t be too hot today. Let’s sit outside.”

His property had high walls on the sides, and the backyard opened to desert mountains. The privacy created many crazy thoughts. They could skinny dip in the hot tub or pool, do yoga naked, or woohoo on the sofa. She didn’t necessarily desire to do those things, but the fact that they were possible to do without anyone knowing was thrilling.

She snuggled next to him and threw her legs across his lap. It was so nice to finally get as close as she wanted.

He held tight and let out a satisfactory sigh. “When I used to imagine our life together, I imagined it just like this. Us hugged up in the backyard on lazy Sundays watching our kids or whatever.”

The subject of children presented itself more than once that day and brought back the question she didn’t want to ask. Maybe she should try to ease into it. “Is that something you still want? Children?”

She hoped to the Watcher he would say no. After birthing three children, her hips were as wide as the horizon. Pregnancies for adults were so much harder, and she didn’t care to imagine what that would be like. She’d certainly gain a ton more weight on top of those winter pounds she still carried. But, if he wanted a child, she was still fertile enough to make it happen. By the time her elder birthday came around, the child should be close to being a teenager. That is if she got pregnant within the next 24 hours, of course. If Reed wanted a child, she would consider it but really hoped he was past it.

He gazed into the mountains as he considered his reply. Her stomach churned. What was there to think about? They were too old!

“I think it’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”

She nodded. “I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest with me.”

His eyes narrowed. “I’m always honest.”

“I know. I need you to be brutally honest.”

He nodded.

She took a deep breath. “I could be projecting because of the guilt I’m still dealing with, but I can’t pretend to ignore how this might be a source of conflict for you.”

He nodded slowly with his eyes squinted. Did he agree or wonder where she would go with it?

“We will not agree on everything. Painful things will come up. We will argue. I just want to know … In the heat of the moment, do you plan to blame me for not having the life you wanted?”

He looked puzzled. “I wanted you. I have you now.”

“I know, but all the other stuff–“

“Mary, stop. Please. Ok, yes, it’s hard sometimes. I do think about how our lives would turn out. Sometimes, I look at Phoenix, and I wonder what our kids would look like. But, that’s something I need to get over. It’s not for you to worry about.”

“Yes, but I just want to prepare myself if–“

He placed his finger on her mouth. “I’m not John. Ok? I’m not a petty person. You know this.”

Pressure of tears built up behind her eyes. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t implying that–“

“Shhh, I know. I know. Listen to me … We’re adults, ok? We’re not going to keep things bottled up inside. You have your stuff to deal with, and I have mine. We can work it out together, see a counselor … Whatever you want, I’m down for it. But, what we’re not going to do is attack each other, ok?”

She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. “Of course, my love. Thank you.”

She wished she could stop comparing Reed and John. They were so different. Being compared to John might be the worse insult imaginable, but she couldn’t help it. She only had one experience to draw from and unfortunately not that good. Thankfully, Reed was a very patient man and understood where she came from. Whatever lay in wait for them would be amazing. She trusted Reed with every fiber of her being, and that was no easy feat. Traversing through life’s twisty paths would be a thousand times easier with him by her side.