Desiree ran the water in the kitchen, cold makes the best coffee. Of course it would be better if she had her favorite beans and grinder but sometimes you have to make do with what you have. A quick search of the cupboard by the stove rewarded her with a jar of cinnamon sticks, smiling she broke one in half and added it to the coffee grounds. Cinnamon in morning coffee always reminded her of home.
The wonderful smell of fresh coffee filled the small kitchen just as the rays of the morning sun brightened the windows. It had rained last night. The sun was making the wet grass shimmer like when her niece, covered in glitter, danced in the yard at her dad's birthday party last month.
A lot had changed in a month.
A lot had changed in a week!
Pouring a generous cupful, she carefully carried the coffee back to the bedroom. Julio looked to be still asleep. Lying on his belly, his arms were splayed wide across the pillows, his body in the center of the queen size bed. The position of a man used to sleeping alone or at least waking alone.
Desiree pulled the bedside chair up close so she could watch him sleep. She curled her legs up into the chair, made herself comfortable and sipped her coffee. She could hear him breathing, soft and steady. His face, in sleep, was childlike, peaceful. The sheets, untucked and rumpled, a quiet reminder of the passion of last night. The slight sour smell of sweat and sex was fading now as the air conditioning kicked in.
After only a few sips of coffee Desiree could see signs of Julio waking. Maybe her watching him was setting off his cop instinct, she could see one eye opening. "Hmmmm, is that coffee?" His hand reached toward her as a sleepy smile touched his lips.
Handing over the cup, Julio inhaled the spiced coffee scent and then closed his eyes and drank. One drink and the cup was almost empty. "Different." He said, "but good." Sleepy eyes now focused on Desiree. "Is that my shirt?"
"I couldn't find mine." She said. That comment evoked another sleepy smile. "Oh yeah, last night." He pulled himself up on his side put the cup on the nightstand and focused more directly at her naked legs curled in the chair. "Maybe you would like to come back to bed, I seem to be very much, awake." With this last word Julio moved the sheet covering his lower body. His penis was very much awake, erect and proud.
Desiree couldn't help but smile and slide back into the bed. Her mouth covering his in a deep, good morning, kiss. His hand reached behind her and pulled her closer. Close enough to feel the warmth of his penis between them. Not giving up on the kiss, she reached down to feel his length. Amazed that after last night that it could be so hard again, she could already feel herself get turned on by the thought of him inside her again.
Julio broke off the kiss with a soft sound, a reaction to the motion of her hand. Now they both let instinct take over. His lips worked their way to that sensitive spot under her ear and then down her neck. One hand slid between her legs, parting them and feeling the wetness already starting.
Then.
He stopped.
Julio removed his hand from between her legs and gently lifted her hand from his penis and placed it on the bed beside her head. Looking straight down into her eyes he said, "Slow down, it's morning and I have nowhere else to be."
Desiree smiled and reached up to kiss him, a long, deep kiss. "That is such a wonderful idea," she said after taking a breath. Her hands cradled his face as she kissed him again, knowing that no matter how much she craved him right now, prolonging it would only make it sweeter.
Her fingers could feel his curly hair, something he normally gels down to keep tamed, now wild and unmanageable. Their previous lovemaking has been frantic, chaotic and extremely needy. The very closeness of the other caused a lust that was almost uncontrollable. She wonders if it's possible to take the time to explore each other's bodies and reactions before succumbing to the passion like last night. Only one way to find out.
"Close your eyes," Julio whispered. His lips right next to her ear. His tongue lightly tracing the ridges of her ear, another kiss on the pulse point right behind. The shirt she borrowed, now unbuttoned and unnecessary, slid slowly down her shoulders followed by gentle kisses and dark hair. Desiree, eyes closed, tried to focus only on what she was feeling, hot breath, soft lips, tongue and hands, and they all seemed to know what they were doing.
Soon, he reached her breasts. At first the kisses were small and tender and circled around each breast. Then they got a little harder, mouth open, tongue involved. Every now and then she could feel his teeth slide against her flesh. He seemed to be purposely avoiding her nipples, which Desiree was sure had never been so hard or so erect.
It took all of her concentration not to touch them herself. One hand gripping Julio's muscular bicep and the other grabbing at the mess of sheets around them. He finally brought his mouth down on one of the nipples. Tongue circling the softness, then lips tongue and teeth combined sucking her nipple as deep inside his mouth as he could.
Desiree's back arched from the bed and she emitted a gasp as she felt a small wave of pleasure. Her breasts were sensitive, but she never had a reaction this intense before. Of course, she had never had this type of focused attention paid one body part at a time.
His head rose up as he finally released her and she opened her eyes for the first time in several minutes and made eye contact. "Close your eyes!" He said trying to sound angry, but she could tell he was smiling. Eyes closed Desiree whispered, "Bossy."
A muffled chuckle followed and she could feel lips on her other breast. Julio tried to follow the same steps on this breast as he did the first one, but the concentration wasn't there for either of them.
Julio rolled off Desiree and laughed. "Maybe we should just give up and take a cold shower."
"Hmmmm, no. I don't think so." Desiree said, rolling toward him and placing a hand on his chest and sliding it lower. "I don't give up that easily, and I hate cold showers."
Her hand paused only when it reached the curly hairs surrounding the base of his penis, her fingertips played with the trimmed hairs, purposely avoiding touching his still erect member. Her lips found his and pressed down lightly. Her tongue separated his lips and she could taste the slightly salty remnants of her own sweat on his mouth. Tongue pushing forward and teeth parting she started exploring his mouth with her own.
Julio was enjoying her taking the more dominate role of aggressor. All laughter forgotten now, as her tongue explored his mouth and her fingertips getting bolder, circled his scrotum. Touching the soft skin that has tightened up around his balls, she could feel him readjust his body to make himself more comfortable. Flat on his back and legs slightly parted, opening himself to whatever her next move might be.
Desiree broke off the exploration of his mouth with slight hesitation and a suckling of his swollen bottom lip. She then focused her eyes down. The head of his penis was an angry pink as it stretched itself out of the collar of its foreskin. She wanted to bend to give it a kiss, just on the tip to start, but that could wait. They had time.
Julio has scars. Scars from his job in the police department, scars from growing up in a rough neighborhood and Desiree was sure there were many more not visible on his skin. She knew they made him who he was today even if he didn't want to talk about them. Desiree leaned forward to kiss the scars on his right shoulder, these were from a gunshot. Her tongue traced the hard edges as she kissed the entire area.
Then she slowly started working her way downward. His nipples were hard and she licked them and drew first one then the other into her mouth. The reaction was what she was hoping for, soft cat like noises emerged from deep in his throat and his hand reached to touch her leg.
Massaging as he touched, he slowly searched for the opening between the back of her thighs. She made her own noises to encourage his actions and moved her bottom, which was quite vulnerable up in the air, a little closer to his hand. With a firm but gentle pressure he pulled her closer yet.
A glance down and she could see his penis waiting, a small drop of fluid on the tip, balanced, ready to roll down the head with any sudden movement. Just as his questing fingers reached her center, her tongue flicked out catching the pre cum as it started to roll and she took his penis into her mouth. She felt a slight twitch as her lips came in contact with his most sensitive parts.
Julio gasped.
He tried to keep still but his hips moved involuntarily and his balls still cradled in her hand clenched slightly. She began to move her mouth up and down using her lips and tongue to arouse him even more. Desiree delighted in the effect she was having over him and enjoying the effect that his fingers were having on her.
But she knew he couldn't last much longer and she had needs too.
Releasing him from her exquisite torture she made eye contact, "Condoms?"
It took a few seconds for Julio to focus on her and comprehend what she said. "Over there, in the drawer." He said looking toward the forgotten coffee cup on the nightstand.
Reaching even the few away from his body Desiree could feel the loss of the warmth they shared. Quickly reaching in the drawer to get a condom she returned to his body, just as he was turning toward hers.
Ripping open the packaging using her teeth, she was taken slightly off guard as he pulled her close and kissed her deeply. There was no doubt about the passion between them and the joy they shared in being able to express it. This was how they felt from the first time they touched.
"I'll try and keep it slow." He said after releasing her from the kiss and making space to help her put the condom on his throbbing penis. Desiree then rolled on her back giving Julio back the dominate position.
Slowly at first, Julio entered her. Inch by inch down and back, down again, starting a slow and easy rhythm. Desiree, not one to keep still, wrapped her legs around his waist and moved her hips up to meet his every thrust. Deeper and faster, him inside her and her molding to fit him. Face to face, sweating, panting, her finger gripping his upper arms so tight she was leaving crescent nail marks in his skin.
Holding himself above her on his elbows it was easy for Julio to watch her face. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was hard and fast. Hot puffs of coffee scented breath warmed his face as he leaned closer. Desiree's hands loosened their grip on his arms and circled his body, lifting her head she tried to whisper into his ear but it came out as a gasp, "Now."
That was all he needed to hear. Faster and harder they moved together. Warm waves started deep inside her and seemed to emanate from several parts of her body at once. In seconds her entire body was enveloped in pulsing warmth, her back arching, arms and legs gripping her lover.
Julio stiffened above her as his final thrusts let loose his own orgasm. They clutched each other as they rode the waves of pleasure they had made together. Neither wanted to let go.
Julio grabbed the sheet and tried to cover both their cooling bodies. He lay close, touching, not quite cuddling, one arm still around her, a satisfied grin on his face. "That was nice." Desiree said. "I'd say one of my best mornings ever."
Julio's grin widened into a full smile, "I don't think I've ever been anyone's 'best morning ever' before." His voice was low and a little gravelly.
"I have a friend back home who would tell me that morning sex on the weekend was the best sex ever, well rested, no place to go. She called it playtime. Of course that was before they had kids." Desiree explained, "I'm going to have to tell her how right she was in our next email."
"You never had morning sex before?" Julio asked incredulously.
"Not like that!" She answered laughing and bringing herself up on an elbow, "that 'close your eyes' thing, you've done that before, haven't you?" He lay back staring up at the ceiling, eyes looking lost for a moment, "Not for a long time." He said finally, and she noticed his left hand, unconsciously touching the gold band in his finger, "a very long time."
"I have to pee," he added, pulling away and heading to the bathroom across the hall.
"Is there more coffee?"
"I'll make a fresh pot. Was the cinnamon ok?" She asked, letting him change the subject.
"Yes, just different, like I said before. I like a little sugar too." Desiree heard the toilet flush. "I'm going to take a quick shower, I stink." He added as a matter of fact. Shower turned on and Julio was enveloped in steam before she could ask him to save her some hot water.
Desiree got up, pulling the mangled sheets with her, she saw a washing machine off the kitchen, it was the least she could do to help clean up. After putting Julio's shirt back on she padded on bare feet back to the kitchen. She dropped her armful of sheets, and pillowcases, on top of the washer and listening for the shower to stop she started a fresh pot of coffee.
Realizing she would want to get dressed in her own clothes, she scanned the living room. There was her shirt, only a few feet from the front door. Thin silk in a light cream color that set off her skin perfectly, it was one of her favorites. Now it was a pile on the floor, a few of the button holes torn from the lust of last night. Her tank top, dark blue in color, was on a chair, her shoes on the floor close by.
Julio's jacket was also on the chair, along with his tie. His shoes were next to the couch, if Desiree remembered correctly, her arms were around his neck and her legs circled his waist from the moment she kicked off her shoes and he carried her to the couch. There was his shirt and t-shirt she pulled off him in their frenzy. Her bra should be nearby, yes, there it was under their pants, crumpled in a pile in front of the couch. They really didn't care where anything ended up last night.
Picking up all of the clothes Desiree sorted hers into what was still wearable. Navy pants, a bit wrinkled like her tank top, if she hung them in the bathroom during her shower they should be wearable. The bra was ok, the silk shirt she could put in her purse. Her panties on the other hand were a damp mess, she couldn't put those back on unless she washed and dried them.
A sharp buzz of the coffee finishing and deceptively quiet footsteps caught her attention. Julio stepped into the entry from the kitchen. Dressed in a black t-shirt, black jeans and socks, he had a towel around his neck to finish drying his hair. "I left you some hot water and a clean towel. Do you need anything else?" He asked in more of a host mode than lover.
"I don't see my purse, did we leave it in your car?"
"I'll put my shoes on and check," he answered. "I'm still not sure I remember everything from last night, we never actually ate dinner, did we?" He was taking in the view of the living room as he spoke. His clothes were neat on the chair, hers over her arm. Shoes still scattered. The coffee table was out of place, somewhere there was a memory of pushing it out of the way with his leg while carrying this sexy, half naked woman to the couch.
"No, just breadsticks and wine. We got the rest to go after you started kissing my neck," she accused with a smile. "I wouldn't have been kissing your neck if you hadn't sat so close or smelled so nice." Julio countered with a smile of his own.
"Okay, it's all my fault. Are you complaining?" Desiree walked up to Julio, kissed him and continued toward the bathroom.
"Not complaining," he turned to watch her walk away, he could tell she was moving her hips with a little extra sway. "Just hungry." He added with a sigh. Desiree was hungry too and she knew there wasn't much food in Julio's kitchen from her earlier coffee forage. Breakfast sounded heavenly.
The hot water pounding down felt amazing on her body.
Even the sensitive parts that received so much attention the past couple days. As she washed she took inventory, nipples still swollen but not painful. A few light scratches and marks where his teeth got a little overzealous. Sore between her legs, that was to be expected, it had been almost a year since her last lover, and that was just a feeble attempt to feel more alive after the death of her mother. There had been no real passion, just intimate human contact, over almost as fast as it started.
Rinsing off the soap, Desiree stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in the towel left for her. Most of the wrinkles had fallen out of her clothes, not good enough if she was going to a business meeting, but good enough for breakfast. There was her purse by the sink and right next to it a still steaming cup of coffee.
She took a deep drink of the coffee before even drying off. It reminded her how hungry she was so she dressed in a hurry. A little mascara and lipstick and she was almost ready to face the world.
Julio was sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter, laptop open in front of him. Desiree walked up behind him and slid her arms around his chest, chin resting on his shoulder. "Making sure the world outside is safe?" She asked.
"It's never safe." He answered, "but I'll protect you." She could feel him smile with her cheek next to his. He closed the computer and turned around, dislodging her arms in the process. "Are you ready?"
One glance around to find her shoes and Desiree realized that everything was back in place, no clothes in the living room, coffee table straightened out, no evidence that anything happened there at all. "Shoes?" She asked turning back to Julio, he was standing right next to her now. She only had to look up a few inches to see his eyes, she sighed to herself, she was getting very used to those eyes.
"I put them by the door," he said. His arm circling her waist and guiding her that way. "Do you like huevos rancheros?" Without waiting for an answer he led her to her shoes, the door and his car.
The ride to the restaurant was quiet. Desiree watched Julio drive, he was very intense. Not only watching the road but also the people nearby. He had said his neighborhood was dangerous but this was the first inkling she had of how much. She wasn't quite sure what or who he was looking for but thought it best not to distract him, no matter how tempting it was.
They pulled into a typical family restaurant, the kind that serves breakfast all day if you want it. Desiree's phone beeped a text alert as Julio came around to open her door. It was from her cousin, Derek, with whom she had been staying this week. "Everything ok?" It said. She showed Julio when he opened the door. "We probably should have let him know that you weren't coming home last night." She smiled and answered, "Oh, I think he knew after what happened the first time."
"He really should have waited for an answer before he walked into your room."
"Well it is his apartment and he said he was sorry. He really did mean it." They bantered back and forth with memories of their first encounter. "And," she added, "he did say you have a cute ass."
"Yes." Julio sighed, " I remember that part."
Desiree texted her cousin while Julio led her into the restaurant and to a table. Coffee and menus were already in front of her when she looked up from her phone. "I told him we were having breakfast."
"That was was a very long text to just tell him that." She blushed a little and handed him her phone and Julio read the text, "Morning Cuz, everything is more than ok. Wonderful night, amazing morning. Julio and I are at breakfast. Talk to you soon." As he read, the phone beeped again, "DETAILS!" the text read. "No" Julio typed and handed the phone back to Desiree. She smiled and put the phone back into her purse.
"Now," she said, "tell me about these huevos rancheros."
Breakfast was better than Julio said it would be, although it looked like a chain restaurant, the owners had adapted to their location and added several local favorites to the menu. The corn tortillas and eggs were cooked perfectly and the salsa was obviously made fresh and available in several levels of spicy.
Desiree tried to order the hotter salsa but Julio talked her into sticking with the medium, he was right, even the medium brought tears to her eyes. As hungry as they were, there was not much conversation while they ate and they were soon surrounded by empty plates and Julio was motioning the waitress to fill up his coffee.
"I should be back at Derek's by three for my ride back to my brothers place, what should we do for the next four hours?" Desiree smiled at Julio and expected a smile back and maybe a lewd suggestion, instead a sadness came over his face and he pulled his coffee cup closer, holding it in both hands he stared into it. "You're still going?" The words came out slowly and deliberately.
She was instantly sorry she had brought up the subject. "Yes, I promised. I can't break a promise to my niece I told you that, the night we first met."
"I know." He paused and looked up, "But I was hoping you would stay longer. It's been a long time since I brought anyone into my home."
Desiree wanted to wrap her arms around him but the restaurant was crowded and Julio wasn't one to share his private life with the public. She settled for putting her hand on his arm and sliding closer. Whatever this was that they had, she didn't want to lose it so soon and both of them knew it probably wouldn't last.
"I'm coming back," she said quietly, looking directly into his eyes. "And," as the thought occurred to her, "I'm going to need a place to stay."
"Think about it," she said, obviously getting excited at the thought. "I can't stay with Derek, we would get in each other's way. I can't move in with you, you said that your neighborhood is too dangerous for me to even walk to the corner." She finally took a breath, "I need a place that's mine." And after a pause, added, "with room for you."
Julio just stared. His face changed from sadness to awe as he watched Desiree get excited about finding a place that would be her own. Energy seemed to bubble out of her, even people at the neighboring tables were looking over and smiling. He had no choice at all except to go along with it. "Okay," he said, now smiling "let's check out a few neighborhoods."
After paying the bill, he found a stack of real estate booklets by the door and took one. In his car he handed it to Desiree to look at as he drove. After looking at some of the dates on the listings, Desiree put the booklet away and loaded the website onto her phone. In moments she had a list of open houses happening today. Reading out the addresses aloud Julio answered, "Too dangerous." and "Too far away." Finally a couple, "Let's go look."
Listening to her reading the descriptions of different houses, he was getting an idea of what she was hoping to find. Not too big, but at least two bedrooms. A yard would be nice. So would a newer kitchen. He also began to realize that she had never really lived on her own. From traveling with her parents when she was young, to school, college and then back to her parents house in Spain when her mother became ill. No wonder she was so excited.
After two hours of driving, Desiree's excitement lessened. This wasn't as easy as she hoped. "Let's go back to Derek's." She said finally. "We still have some time." Julio answered, wanting to see her get excited again. Not much excited him these days. He had seen so much horror on the job, seeing his town through her eyes was enlightening, and hopeful.
"There is one more house just two blocks over, if you don't like it, I'll take you back to your cousin's apartment. And, if he's not there, maybe we can have a proper goodbye."
Julio smiled at her, eyebrow raised slightly. That made her smile back. Good.
The neighborhood seemed quiet. The houses were older but well kept. Most had nice front yards, some even had gardens. One yard was amazing. Roses climbed trellises around the front window of a small ranch house, short hedges, perfectly trimmed bordered the property. Desiree put her hand on Julio's arm and he slowed down. This was a good start. Several houses down on the other side of the street from the beautiful garden was the property listed for sale, but now there was a sticker over the 'Open House' sign, it said, 'Sale Pending'. Desiree let out a quiet sigh. Her hopes had been raised for just a moment. Julio stopped the car anyway. Getting out he looked for the real estate agent, maybe they could still look around.
As she got out of the car, Desiree notice a construction trailer across the street. A single man working outside using some kind of table saw, but that's not caught her attention. The house, this was the house. Older, maybe 1930's Spanish style, stucco front walls, the tiled front porch was the perfect place to sit on warm day. Without even thinking about it, she walked across the street for a closer look.
The grass in the yard was spare, not cared for in a very long time. In her mind Desiree was adding a lawn, flowers, maybe a low stone wall by the sidewalk. She walked closer. When she reached the end of the driveway, the man working there paused in his work to wipe the sweat from his forehead and noticed her standing there. Walking toward her, he was waving her off. "Sorry ma'am, not ready to show her yet."
"But it's so perfect." Desiree answered, walking up the drive. "Is it yours?" Making eye contact with the workman, she saw the pride on his face. "Yes, ma'am, but she's not going to be ready for long time. I'm the only one working on her." The man, in his mid forties had dirty blonde hair, clear blue eyes and a voice with a distinctive southern drawl.
Julio, finished talking to the realtor and realized Desiree had walked away and was crossing the street to find out why.
"Can I see the inside?" Desiree asked with a slight awe in her voice. Hoping the inside was as perfect as the outside. "I'm working on some of the kitchen cabinets right now." The man answered, then adding, "I suppose you could look, but don't expect too much. I haven't even started on the dining room."
Julio was a little confused about her interest in a partial redone house, it wasn't practical, but even he could see the old world charm in the stuccoed curves of the old style architecture.
Desiree grabbed Julio's arm and went to introduce him to the blonde man before realizing she didn't even know his name. "That's alright ma'am," he said, "I never said, it's Carl, Carl Landes." Julio shook Carl's hand and introduced himself and added, "And this is my friend, Desiree. I think she likes your house."
"Yes, sir. I can see that. But I only get to work on her on weekends. It's probably going to take at least a year to finish her the way I'd like to see her done." Carl took a breath, "According to that real estate agent across the street, I'll never get enough money out of her in this neighborhood to even pay me back for my time."
"But it's going to be so worth it." Desiree said as she walked toward the open door on the patio next to the construction equipment. Both men followed the wide eyed young woman inside. The door led into a large kitchen. The floor was newly tiled, large reddish brown squares that faded to orange on the edges. The cabinets were dark wood, some still unfinished. There were no appliances but she could see where everything would fit. The stucco theme was inside the house too. Doorways were all arched instead of squared, giving the rooms a welcoming feel.
Desiree wandered from room to room just looking. The living area with its beautiful stone worked fireplace, empty hallways, two small bedrooms, one could be a den, bathroom, master bedroom at the end of the hall.
The only other room that looked significantly remodeled and nearly finished was the master bedroom and it's adjoining bath. In the bedroom the floors were dark wood and highly polished. The ceiling also had dark wood and beams across its width. Desiree just stood in the doorway and smiled. There were large bay windows that looked out into the back yard and a sliding glass door that led out to an unfinished patio that must have extended from the side of the house. It really was just about perfect.
"Mr. Landes?" Desiree said turning back toward the two men following her, "Can we talk?"