I Learned to Love You by tamyalways

translated from Spanish by ebfiddler

Good afternoon, and here's another chapter, sorry for the delay. Well, as always thank you all for reading and for your comments, and I thank ladydkl for her help throughout this fic and for helping with this troublesome headache of a chapter, without a doubt this was the most difficult to write. I just hope you enjoy it, that's what's important.

The characters are not mine ... and the idea is Lizcecilia6CECIFILLION's. Thanks for having confidence in me, and I hope to do my best with it.

Translator note: Content warning. This chapter is a bit racy, though I think it still falls within the category of a T rating.

Chapter 4

RICK'S POV

With the little burst of confidence that two drinks gave me, with nothing to lose and even less time, I went to the middle of the bar where Kate was still laughing and dancing with the guys. They were laughing, too, and enjoying themselves. Enjoying their lives. That could scarcely be said for me.

I approached with a smile and a drink for her, and when she saw me she started smiling like I'd never seen before.

"Rick, come here," she called. And when I heard her call me by my name I felt my heart pound. I knew she had had too much to drink, but that didn't change how much I liked it. I wished she would always call me by my first name.

"Hi, Kate, here's your drink."

"Mmm! Thanks," she said, taking a sip. "See, guys ... he really knows me and he knows how to please me."

She gave me back the glass, and I set it on a nearby table and turned back to her, taking my place near her, moving to her rhythm, brushing her lightly so she would notice my dedication.

"Rick, wanna dance? These two are clumsy clodhoppers. Come on," she said grabbing me and pulling me closer to her.

I swallowed hard as I felt her sweaty, hot body near mine, so close I could feel her heat emanating through her clothing. She threw her arms around my neck and started to move with me to the rhythm of the song. Her touch, her smell, her breath on my ear made my body respond. It soon became quite obvious just how excited I was, and I feared bodily harm if she felt it. Or maybe not—she was a bit drunk.

Kate rubbed her body against mine, and oh boy that was going to end very fast, leaving my jeans stained with the evidence. She began to kiss my neck, tickling me and driving me completely wild. I had to stop this before we did something really inappropriate in public.

"Drink," I rasped out, swallowing hard and pulling away from her as much as I could, "I need a drink."

"Okay, I need another one, too," she said as she came after me.

"I think you've had enough for today."

"Don't rain on my parade," she grumbled, putting her hand on my chest and caressing me in a very sexy way. She played with the hairs that stuck out, and through the fabric she brushed my nipples, erect bumps due to our dance and from her touch. I closed my eyes in an effort to control myself, because this was worse than a Chinese torture.

I pulled a little further away from her, then went to the bar to get a drink. Something to calm my body.

"Hey." Lanie appeared beside me.

"Hey," I answered the same way.

"May I ask you a question?" she spoke softly close to my ear.

"Yeah, sure, ask me."

"Do you like Kate?"

"Is this a trick question? No," I lied.

"Well, I think it's pretty obvious you do," she said smiling at me, showing me just how badly I lied. "But do you just want to sleep with her?"

"Lanie, I don't think—"

"Answer me."

"I like her. A lot. I like her smile, I like her personality, I like how she does what she has to do to help others. I like it that she's complicated, that she teases me, that she hates me and gets mad and yells at me, that she blushes when we both say the same thing at the same time, that she hits me when I pull her pigtails. Everything, Lanie, I like everything about her." My eyes never left Kate as she continued dancing by herself in the center of the floor.

"Sounds like you're in love," summed up the medical examiner.

"In love?" I repeated in question, though I knew the answer of course. I just didn't want to say it. "I'm not in love."

"Yeah, yeah, right, whatever you say. In other words, you're madly in love with her."

"I don't know."

"Well, if you like her, you gotta fight for her."

"She's engaged," I reminded her.

"Show her, through your actions and behavior, what you just told me, and maybe she'll leave that quack doctor."

"I'd need a whole lifetime to show her that."

"It may be difficult, but it's not impossible, and you have all the time in the world. You're close to her all day long, so just behave yourself, and maybe she'll see what a good guy you are."

"Maybe I don't have that much time, Lanie."

"I'm gonna tell you one thing, though. If you sleep with her tonight, you have no chance whatsoever. She'd hate you because you'd remind her that she had a moment of weakness. She's the kind of a woman who, when she loves someone, respects him and gives him everything. If she cheated on Josh with you today, she'd hate you for what you'd represent, and then she could never stop hating you. So I suggest that as much as you desire her—don't do it. Hang in there and you'll eventually get your reward. Think about it, okay?"

"If you say so ..." I muttered, never losing sight of the object of my desire. Kate was still on the dance floor moving to the rhythm of music, so ethereal, so precious—and Lanie didn't know just how difficult it would be for me to follow her advice, this day of all days. The day that they'd informed me that my life most likely had a rapidly approaching expiration date.

My friend Lanie was absolutely right, but I just didn't have the time anymore, and there was so much I wanted to show her. But it didn't follow that I should take advantage of her situation tonight. But on the other hand … if I could be with her tonight, at least I would always have that memory.

I approached her with assurance and took hold of her waist, pulling her to me. I caught her by surprise by the looks of it, but soon she relaxed and began to move at the pace that I set with my body. I could feel her breath so close, I could not stop looking at those unfathomable hazel eyes. I touched my forehead to hers as we continued moving to the sound of music. I really wanted to kiss her, to be allowed—finally—to taste those lips I dreamed about every night, but ... in my mind I repeated Lanie's words over and over again, and held back. I felt her arms around my neck, her hands playing with my hair, felt her chest against mine, and suddenly felt her mouth on my ear.

"Get me out of here, Rick," she whispered in a sexy voice, and then pulled back just far enough to look into my eyes. I saw so much passion that I couldn't refuse. I smiled at her and, taking her by the hand, I led her out of there, and we were soon on the way to a more private place. A place where she could make me forget, where we could exist together, just she and I alone.

We took a taxi. I wasn't about to drive myself, since we both had been drinking, and almost without thinking I gave the cabbie my address. While we were en route I felt Kate put her arms around my waist, with her body turned towards me and her lips playing with my earlobe and my neck, making shivers run up and down my spine. I should have tried to stop her, but I let her do it. I was in heaven, and it was exactly what I needed at this time. I needed to feel something to give my life hope, that this world was the world I needed to live in, that this was the world I had to fight for.

When we reached our destination I paid the driver and helped her out of the cab because truthfully I could see she wasn't in very good shape. I helped her to the elevator. There she leaned against the opposite wall and stared at me with a captivating smile on her face that was driving me crazy. She was so beautiful, certainly the most beautiful woman I had seen in my life. She had a natural beauty emanating from her like light itself. Suddenly she got close to me, running her hand sensuously over my chest, creeping downward little by little. I followed its path with my eyes, swallowing. Then I felt her other hand on my neck, and when I looked in her eyes, they were filled with desire. The next thing I knew her lips were on mine, attacking me mercilessly. Just the touch of her lips on mine was making my legs wobbly. Her tongue eagerly invaded my mouth, tasting every part of it with such aptitude that I felt dizzy from the sensation, from her lips on mine, from her hands caressing my chest and neck, from her scent, all of this drove me crazy ... when suddenly Ping! the elevator door rang and began to open. We separated with smiles on both our faces and I tenderly pushed aside a strand of hair that fallen over her beautiful, perfect face. I caught up her hand, and pulled her out of the elevator, towards my apartment, towards the place I called home.

When we entered, she resumed the desperate and incessant attack on my lips. I put a hand on her thigh, my body intent upon getting closer to what it was craving at that moment, and she immediately wrapped her legs around my waist. At that point I felt like it didn't even matter if I was going to die afterwards. I carried her as well as I could to my bed and gently deposited her on it, while she nibbled forcefully on my neck. I growled with absolute pleasure and resumed attacking her lips.

I was so excited that my mind couldn't cope, I couldn't even think. To be with her, feel her, see her smile that smile that took my breath away, and … I couldn't live the little time that was left knowing that she hated me, knowing that I'd helped violate her principles. I didn't want to live the remainder of my life with her angry at me—and all my fault. I just couldn't do it. I quickly separated from her and stood up.

"Hey," she complained, opening her eyes, seeing that I was up and away from her.

"I can't," I said almost in a whisper, still breathless from our recent exertions.

"If you can't, let me help you." She smiled at me mischievously and started to undress.

"No, Kate, please stop," I begged, closing my eyes to avoid temptation. "I can't, I don't want you to hate me after this. Maybe tomorrow, when you're better, when you've overcome the effects of the alcohol. If you still want it then, I'll have no problem. But I don't want you to regret it tomorrow and then hate me for the rest of my life. As much as you want it, I can't do this because I know it would hurt you."

"Rick, don't be a killjoy."

"No, I'm being responsible. One of us has to be. I had less to drink than you, so I have to keep a cool head. Now get some rest, Kate, sweet dreams. We'll talk tomorrow." I placed a soft, tender kiss on her forehead and left the room, leaving her alone in my bed, fully dressed, her cheeks flushed on account of what had just happened.

TO BE CONTINUED …

On Wednesday, a new chapter, I don't know what time, so be alert. [translator: next chapter on Thursday] Thank you, and I'm hoping for your comments.

XXOO

Twitter: tamyalways