Emma was sitting on the small porch in front of the house as she
watched the rows of corn rustle in the soft breeze. She imagined what
Dimitri was doing now, probably curled around some little floozy with no
last name like a teenage cocktail waitress. "Hi I'm Heather. Hi I'm
Ashley!" She mimicked in a perky yet overly bitter voice.
She was so enthralled in her mixed feelings towards her ex-husband; she didn't hear Merrill approach out of the corn. "I thought your name was Emma" She jumped and let out a little yelp, which caused Merrill to smirk. "I didn't mean to scare you, I guess it's a New York thing to talk to yourself" She looked up at him "You would know" She murmured and tilted her head to observe him better.
"Would you believe that I just realized who you are?" She asked as she scooted down the stairs to make room for him to sit. He took the invitation with a little hesitation that she could sense so she smiled up at him. "I'm not going to jump on you again" She said and patted the worn wood next to her.
He took a seat next to her, her hair was hanging loose which he supposed was a whole lot hotter then it looked, the honeyed smell entranced him and he almost gave into the urge to dip his fingers into the white hot sheen. She turned back to him and smiled. "Why did you move here?" Merrill asked suddenly and Emma stared at him for a second or so. "New York was too impersonal" She lied quickly. She couldn't stand being in the same state as Dimitri and her mother, so she packed and left.
Merrill nodded and looked up sharply at the sky as rain began to fall from the stony gray clouds. He was surprised when she didn't jump up to run inside the house; she sat still next to him and let the cool rain slowly soak her. So much was going wrong in her life very quickly, getting a little wet from the rain wouldn't hurt her any.
She glanced her over shoulder to him and brushed the wet strands of hair out of her eyes. "How well do you see the stars at night?" She asked as she glanced up at the sky and let the rain wet her face, her hair turned to burnished gold; her eyelashes were still long and curved. "As clearly as I'm seeing you now" Merrill said and looked directly into Emma's eyes. She gave a small shiver and it was Merrill's delight to see it. "You're cold," He said even though he knew that the warm rain wasn't the cause of her shiver.
"No," Emma denied softly and uncertainly reached out and mused Merrill's wet hair with her fingers so that it stood out in amusing spikes. "I love the rain, I love the way it feels on my skin." As if to demonstrate her point, she held out her long slender arms and watched the rain splatter against her skin. The simple sheer pleasure on her face couldn't do anything but reluctantly endear her to him. "Does it rain often here?" She asked and turned her smiling face away from the rain and to him. "Not very often, but when it does it's always a treat, so saying that," He rose to his feet and shook his head so that his hair stood up in mass confusion. He gallantly offered his hand to Emma as she sat on the stairs looking up at him, a minnow of a gold eyebrow raised. "I think we should take this moment to dance"
Emma beamed and took his hand. "I would love to. But there's no music Merrill," She said as he drew her closer to his arms. "We don't need actual music, just listen," In the dense silence Emma could hear the rain thumping the beat onto the roof, the gentle slow drumming of the rain on the ground and wood. "It's almost like magic, we never get this in New York," She murmured against his chest. "Amazing" Merrill agreed, although he wasn't thinking about the rain or New York.
She moved to put her arms around his neck but he caught her wrist and cupped their hands and placed her free hand on his shoulder and his arm loosely on her slender waist. "Where did a big baseball player like yourself learn to dance like this?" She asked as they moved together. "My mother used to make me take ballroom dancing lessons with her when I was a boy" She grinned up at him. "Oh so you're gay" She said delightedly and Merrill laughed with her. "Yeah, the gayest" He drew her closer and even though he was as wet as her, Emma drew in his warmth.
"Emma, " He said and she shifted her gaze up to his face as he ducked his head and caught her lips with his. A small gasp escaped her lips as the subtle roughness of his own slowly tormented her. The gasp turned into a sensual moan as the arm around her waist began to roam and eventually found its way underneath the wet material of her shirt. Her skin tingled under his finger tips and for a moment she couldn't breath, the world became mute and she didn't hear anything, not the gradually increasing pounding of the rain, not the ruffle of clothes as Merrill pulled her closer to him.
Emotions were fighting a horribly twisted battle inside her and finally a side won. "Merrill," She said as she tried to push at his chest, but it was like pushing at a brick wall. "This can't happen now, not now" She managed into between soft pants. Merrill's chest was heaving like a man who had been saved the right moment before he had drowned. His eyes were clouded over to the color of cold stones and Emma took a step back to separate her from the warm invitation of his lean body.
"There's something you're not telling me about you Emma, but as it seems that you're living right in my range of vision, I think I can survive to wait until you're ready to tell me what's bothering you" He ran a hand over her sleek dripping hair and smiled. She closed a hand over his wrist as he ran a thumb over her lips that were swollen from the sudden kiss. She was dripping wet and at the moment, Merrill knew he would never see any woman look more beautiful then Emma did at that moment. "I will tell you, but let's not ruin this moment ok?" She asked and pressed a kiss to the tips of Merrill's finger and pressed them to his lips. With great difficulty, he watched Emma turn on her heels and walk into the house and the screen door slammed shut behind her.
"You're soaking wet," Graham scolded Merrill as he walked into the kitchen. "Yeah," Merrill said distractedly and toed off the muddy wet boots onto the mat laying by the backdoor. "What took you so long?" Graham asked and with an aggravated sigh, dumped three glasses of half full water into the white ceramic sink. "I got distracted" He said and looked up to meet his older brother's steady stare. "This distraction wouldn't happen to have anything to do with our pretty new blonde neighbor would it?" He said and Merrill's eyes darted around the kitchen as if looking for a quick escape.
"How did you find out?" Merrill asked and Graham laughed. "The windows see more then you think they do. It's not a mistake if you care about Emma, Merrill but she just got here, at least give her some time before you start to come on to her alright?" Merrill looked down at the muddy boots and sighed. "Women are such bloody puzzles" He said annoyed and Graham could only grin. "And ones that we have no business trying to figure out, they'll unfold themselves in time. But do you care for Emma?" Merrill ran his fingers through his hair and water sprinkled the aluminum floor. "I just met he, and out first impressions of each other aren't what you would call awe-inspiring"
"Well if it were then she would have had the wrong impression of you then wouldn't she?" Merrill chucked and Bo came running into the kitchen. "Daddy there's something wrong with Isabel!" Graham dropped the plate he had been washing for the past 20 minutes as he hurried to follow Bo and Merrill jerked out of the seat so quickly that it toppled onto the floor with a loud crack. They followed Bo out of the door to the large shed in the back and saw the German Shepard lying on her side, heaving uncomfortably. Her tongue was lolling out of her mouth and her dark mysterious eyes were half closed as she wheezed. "There's nothing wrong with her Bo," Merrill said as he picked up his niece. "She's just having puppies"
She was so enthralled in her mixed feelings towards her ex-husband; she didn't hear Merrill approach out of the corn. "I thought your name was Emma" She jumped and let out a little yelp, which caused Merrill to smirk. "I didn't mean to scare you, I guess it's a New York thing to talk to yourself" She looked up at him "You would know" She murmured and tilted her head to observe him better.
"Would you believe that I just realized who you are?" She asked as she scooted down the stairs to make room for him to sit. He took the invitation with a little hesitation that she could sense so she smiled up at him. "I'm not going to jump on you again" She said and patted the worn wood next to her.
He took a seat next to her, her hair was hanging loose which he supposed was a whole lot hotter then it looked, the honeyed smell entranced him and he almost gave into the urge to dip his fingers into the white hot sheen. She turned back to him and smiled. "Why did you move here?" Merrill asked suddenly and Emma stared at him for a second or so. "New York was too impersonal" She lied quickly. She couldn't stand being in the same state as Dimitri and her mother, so she packed and left.
Merrill nodded and looked up sharply at the sky as rain began to fall from the stony gray clouds. He was surprised when she didn't jump up to run inside the house; she sat still next to him and let the cool rain slowly soak her. So much was going wrong in her life very quickly, getting a little wet from the rain wouldn't hurt her any.
She glanced her over shoulder to him and brushed the wet strands of hair out of her eyes. "How well do you see the stars at night?" She asked as she glanced up at the sky and let the rain wet her face, her hair turned to burnished gold; her eyelashes were still long and curved. "As clearly as I'm seeing you now" Merrill said and looked directly into Emma's eyes. She gave a small shiver and it was Merrill's delight to see it. "You're cold," He said even though he knew that the warm rain wasn't the cause of her shiver.
"No," Emma denied softly and uncertainly reached out and mused Merrill's wet hair with her fingers so that it stood out in amusing spikes. "I love the rain, I love the way it feels on my skin." As if to demonstrate her point, she held out her long slender arms and watched the rain splatter against her skin. The simple sheer pleasure on her face couldn't do anything but reluctantly endear her to him. "Does it rain often here?" She asked and turned her smiling face away from the rain and to him. "Not very often, but when it does it's always a treat, so saying that," He rose to his feet and shook his head so that his hair stood up in mass confusion. He gallantly offered his hand to Emma as she sat on the stairs looking up at him, a minnow of a gold eyebrow raised. "I think we should take this moment to dance"
Emma beamed and took his hand. "I would love to. But there's no music Merrill," She said as he drew her closer to his arms. "We don't need actual music, just listen," In the dense silence Emma could hear the rain thumping the beat onto the roof, the gentle slow drumming of the rain on the ground and wood. "It's almost like magic, we never get this in New York," She murmured against his chest. "Amazing" Merrill agreed, although he wasn't thinking about the rain or New York.
She moved to put her arms around his neck but he caught her wrist and cupped their hands and placed her free hand on his shoulder and his arm loosely on her slender waist. "Where did a big baseball player like yourself learn to dance like this?" She asked as they moved together. "My mother used to make me take ballroom dancing lessons with her when I was a boy" She grinned up at him. "Oh so you're gay" She said delightedly and Merrill laughed with her. "Yeah, the gayest" He drew her closer and even though he was as wet as her, Emma drew in his warmth.
"Emma, " He said and she shifted her gaze up to his face as he ducked his head and caught her lips with his. A small gasp escaped her lips as the subtle roughness of his own slowly tormented her. The gasp turned into a sensual moan as the arm around her waist began to roam and eventually found its way underneath the wet material of her shirt. Her skin tingled under his finger tips and for a moment she couldn't breath, the world became mute and she didn't hear anything, not the gradually increasing pounding of the rain, not the ruffle of clothes as Merrill pulled her closer to him.
Emotions were fighting a horribly twisted battle inside her and finally a side won. "Merrill," She said as she tried to push at his chest, but it was like pushing at a brick wall. "This can't happen now, not now" She managed into between soft pants. Merrill's chest was heaving like a man who had been saved the right moment before he had drowned. His eyes were clouded over to the color of cold stones and Emma took a step back to separate her from the warm invitation of his lean body.
"There's something you're not telling me about you Emma, but as it seems that you're living right in my range of vision, I think I can survive to wait until you're ready to tell me what's bothering you" He ran a hand over her sleek dripping hair and smiled. She closed a hand over his wrist as he ran a thumb over her lips that were swollen from the sudden kiss. She was dripping wet and at the moment, Merrill knew he would never see any woman look more beautiful then Emma did at that moment. "I will tell you, but let's not ruin this moment ok?" She asked and pressed a kiss to the tips of Merrill's finger and pressed them to his lips. With great difficulty, he watched Emma turn on her heels and walk into the house and the screen door slammed shut behind her.
"You're soaking wet," Graham scolded Merrill as he walked into the kitchen. "Yeah," Merrill said distractedly and toed off the muddy wet boots onto the mat laying by the backdoor. "What took you so long?" Graham asked and with an aggravated sigh, dumped three glasses of half full water into the white ceramic sink. "I got distracted" He said and looked up to meet his older brother's steady stare. "This distraction wouldn't happen to have anything to do with our pretty new blonde neighbor would it?" He said and Merrill's eyes darted around the kitchen as if looking for a quick escape.
"How did you find out?" Merrill asked and Graham laughed. "The windows see more then you think they do. It's not a mistake if you care about Emma, Merrill but she just got here, at least give her some time before you start to come on to her alright?" Merrill looked down at the muddy boots and sighed. "Women are such bloody puzzles" He said annoyed and Graham could only grin. "And ones that we have no business trying to figure out, they'll unfold themselves in time. But do you care for Emma?" Merrill ran his fingers through his hair and water sprinkled the aluminum floor. "I just met he, and out first impressions of each other aren't what you would call awe-inspiring"
"Well if it were then she would have had the wrong impression of you then wouldn't she?" Merrill chucked and Bo came running into the kitchen. "Daddy there's something wrong with Isabel!" Graham dropped the plate he had been washing for the past 20 minutes as he hurried to follow Bo and Merrill jerked out of the seat so quickly that it toppled onto the floor with a loud crack. They followed Bo out of the door to the large shed in the back and saw the German Shepard lying on her side, heaving uncomfortably. Her tongue was lolling out of her mouth and her dark mysterious eyes were half closed as she wheezed. "There's nothing wrong with her Bo," Merrill said as he picked up his niece. "She's just having puppies"