A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Kayla sat up on the side of the bed. The sun had just begun to rise and rays of light were peeking into the open bedroom curtains. She leaned down and snagged a shirt off the floor. She stood and slipped into the shirt, buttoning it up about three quarters of the way. She walked over to the window and watched the sunrise. If she were any other person on this day, she would be feeling terrific, sated, happy, or elated. But not her. Not on this day. She didn't go back to the bed, but remained in front of the window. However, she did turn to briefly gaze at the sleeping man who had, as of last night, gone from being a boyfriend to a lover. He seemed to be sleeping very soundly. They had drifted off on top of the covers last night and he didn't have a stitch of clothing on. He had fallen asleep before her, and she had spent hours gazing at him. He was complicated, slightly untouchable, but he was also almost…vulnerable. It was something she had learned about him not long after she began seeing him steadily. At that thought, the guilt attacked her again. She focused her eyes on the window once more. When he had called her yesterday morning and invited her over to his place, she had every intention of taking the opportunity to break off their relationship face to face. She had finally convinced herself that she had the courage to do it. However, it hadn't quite worked out that way.
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Kayla had been to Frank's house only a couple of times, but she found her way easily enough. Although Frank had offered to pick her up, she had insisted on bringing her car. It was old and rickety, but it would make the trip. Besides, after their conversation, she would need it to go back to her apartment. She didn't intend on staying any longer than an hour or so. It wouldn't take very long to say what needed to be said to finally end it. She had vowed to break it off the night he left her after Tom struck her, but she let it ride three more weeks. In between both their hectic schedules, they managed to see each other, increasing the pain, increasing the opportunities for them to get too close. Kayla played it well. She fought off his advances, giving him all kinds of excuses, all of which he accepted. She hated herself for dragging it out. But it was so hard. She loved him, though, and that was the hardest part of it all. It was why she couldn't let go so easily. Her choices were nil. It was now or never. She could live with a broken heart. She couldn't deal with betrayal. She wouldn't do that to Frank.
Since this was only her second time to come to his place, she was still awestruck by the sheer size and beauty of the house. Although there wasn't a beach within miles and miles of here, the architecture reminded her of something she might see on the coast, or in a more exotic location overseas. There was a lot of glass, sliding doors, and an amazing deck that dominated the back of the house. She recalled the inside was even more impressive than the outside. There were only two floors, but the interior had open ceilings, a loft-like appearance, and a magnificent spiral staircase. Even the furniture had a Mediterranean flavor. The colors were dark, rich blues, shades of deep maroon, and sandalwood. The floors were hardwood and shiny. She hated to think about the maintenance those floors required. She had yet to venture upstairs, but she was avoiding that. His bedroom was up there, and she wasn't going in that room even if her life depended on it. It was easier fighting him off on her turf. The game wouldn't be so easy on his. They both knew that. They had met dozens of times in public, and he had chased her down at her apartment on more than one occasion. Heated moments had been shared, but she had always had the advantage, the upper hand. Today would be tricky, but she thought she could pull it off. She had to. Again, she knew she had no other choice.
Frank met Kayla at the door. He was barefoot, dressed down in faded blue jeans and a button down shirt that seemed to have seen better days. It didn't matter. He looked absolutely gorgeous. She had to remind herself that she wasn't here to be with him today. She was here to end this relationship once and for all. He didn't give her a chance to speak. Instead, he took her hand, tugged on it impatiently, and led her through the living room, into the kitchen, and then out on the back deck. Just beyond the deck was a small man made lake. She had seen it before, and loved it, but it was never like this. The romantic bastard had set up a cozy picnic for two. She couldn't believe that he had done this for them. Not today. Of course, he didn't know she had breaking up on her mind. She vaguely wondered what he had on his. It truly didn't take much analysis. She again found herself thinking that she was at a disadvantage today. Her first time here had been brief. She had made sure of it. However, today, he intended for her to stay for a while. Perhaps he intended for her to stay all night. But we won't let that happen. Will we, Kayla? She wanted to turn away and run back to her car. But she couldn't do it. She had come here today with one mission in mind, and she had to carry it out. No matter what, she had to do it. She hated thinking the same damn thought over and over again, but it was unavoidable.
Whatever was swimming through her mind, she allowed him to lead her out to the checkered blanket spread out on the grass. Together, they lowered themselves down and she watched as Frank reached for a bottle of red wine. With a pang, she noticed it was her favorite brand. He was doing everything in his power to please her. He didn't realize he didn't have to try so hard. But it was breaking her heart. Oh dear Lord, was it breaking her heart. She promised herself that after one glass of wine, she would cut the shit and break it off. One glass. After that, she would do it.
Kayla drank her wine, and then drank another glass. She and Frank shared their meal of cold chicken, potato salad, biscuits, and pumpkin pie. Throughout it all, she didn't say a word about breaking off their relationship. In fact, they didn't speak much at all. They gazed at the lake while Kayla made a few stupid comments every now and then about the ducks that came to mess around in the water. She noticed how Frank laughed at her words, but he was watching her carefully. He had been doing it since the night he saw the finger marks on her face. She knew he wanted to push the issue with her, but he didn't. He hadn't mentioned it again since he left her that night, but the question was always hidden beneath the surface. There was more to it, more he wanted to know, but he wouldn't force her to give him the story. She appreciated the hell out of that, but she often longed to tell him. She often longed to tell him many things. She thought that maybe if she told him what was going on, they could still have something together, could still be together, but it was a foolish schoolgirl fantasy. Sour. Bitter. Loathsome. She hated it. She could feel his eyes on her, and she fought like mad to keep the tears at bay. It was today…this moment…that she wanted to remember for the rest of her life. There would be none other like it ever again.
After they finished their meal, they began cleaning up the mess, carrying their trash and leftovers back into the house. While Frank finished up in the kitchen, Kayla stayed in the living room and seated herself on the sofa. She tried to offer assistance, but he refused. She poured herself another glass of wine for courage. She needed it. Time was wasting. She should have spoken sooner. Should have told him when she first arrived, but she didn't. She had once again let it ride. She tentatively sipped at her wine until she saw Frank exiting the kitchen. At that point, she turned up her glass and killed it. Frank came around to the sofa, watching her amusedly, and sat down beside her. His closeness was completely unnerving. She was sick and nervous, feeling almost weak in the knees. What had she been thinking when she came here? She was planning the big break up, while all along, he was setting up their first night together. She had to find a way out of this. She had to find a way to escape. Why hadn't she thought to ask Carson to call her or something? Damn it. Why hadn't she planned ahead? Because you wanted this to happen. That's why, Sweets. No. She had wanted nothing to happen. She had only wanted to tell him it was over so she could return to her insane life. Stop kidding yourself, Sweets.
As she set the glass aside, she knocked it over, making one hell of a loud clanking sound. The damn glass seemed to bounce forever. She quickly grabbed it and righted it before it could roll onto the hardwood floor and shatter. The 'amazing bouncing glass trick' actually gave her an out. "God, Frank," she said, sighing. "Maybe I should leave before I actually break something."
She had actually made moves to stand, but he reached out to her and took hold of her wrist. Once she settled back against the cushions, she gazed up at him with a confused look on her face. She opened a door, had a clear exit, and was ready to vacate, but he stopped her. Damn it. What is this? She wanted to shrink back from his eyes. His gaze was hungry, passionate, dark, and smoky all at the same time. The mix was delicious, but scary. Crazily enough, she felt her lower lip begin to tremble. Don't do this to me. Please don't do this to me. Coming here had been a horrible, horrible mistake. She didn't know if she had the guts to fight him away right now, not with him looking at her like he was.
"Kayla, it's okay. You don't have to be nervous."
His words startled her. "Wh-what," she mumbled.
Without giving her a chance to say another word, his lips claimed hers. She felt his body pushing hers toward the sofa, and she desperately wanted to fight him off, but she couldn't. This was one battle she was going to lose. Somehow, they managed to get their bodies fully onto the sofa without breaking the kiss. His hips were nestled snuggly between her thighs and her legs were tangled within his. He was so close to her, so mind numbingly close that she thought she might lose her mind. She felt every line of his body, even through his clothing, and the sheer maleness of him was completely overwhelming. Had any other man ever done this to her? Had any other man evoked such strong feelings from so deeply within her heart? She didn't think so. Not ever.
After several long moments, he broke the kiss. Breathing heavily now, he gazed down at her, his eyes half-lidded and sexy. "Kayla, you're driving me crazy," he whispered. "I want you so much. Stay with me tonight. Make love with me."
Still holding on to the hope that she could talk her way out of this, she tentatively whispered back, "Is it too soon in our relationship for this?"
"No, Kayla, it's not," he said. "I think you know that." He kissed her lips very gently and delicately ran the back of his hand over the cheek that had once held angry finger marks. "What is it that you're afraid of? Will you ever let me in? Will you ever let me touch that?"
"You are in and you have touched it. You don't even know it," she whispered.
She hadn't meant to say that, but the words had tumbled out of her mouth before she could prevent it. She didn't know why, but it felt as if it was something he wanted to hear, something that may have touched him in one way or another. He kissed her hard and deeply, pressing his lower body into hers, ensuring that she knew how obvious his desire was. There was a protest just waiting to burst out of her mouth, but it was being very effectively swallowed by his insistent kiss.
He broke the kiss after several long minutes and slowly pulled away from her. She once again had an out, but she didn't take it. He took her hand and helped her off the sofa. Reminding her of his actions earlier, he tugged on her hand with the same type of impatience, beckoning her to follow him. He led her up the spiral staircase to his bedroom. When she saw the inside of it, her jaw nearly dropped open. Several large candles lighted it. She wanted to cry, but she was too shocked to produce the tears. Her hunch had been absolutely correct. He had been planning this all along, and she was basically his for the asking. She didn't want to think of it as something she had done on purpose. Instead, she wanted to lie to herself, making herself believe that she had fallen right into his capable hands. That way, it wouldn't make her heart hurt as much. But she was no innocent. For the first time since she arrived, she realized she had taken a step that could no longer be reversed.
"When did you have time to do this," she whispered wonderingly.
Noticing her misty eyes, he smiled down at her gently, teasingly. "I'll never tell."
He kissed her again, but did so softly and briefly. She watched as he drew away from her to approach a portable CD player resting atop a chest of drawers. He hit 'play' on the small stereo and a familiar song began to play. She smiled a little and shook her head when she realized it was the song they had danced to on their first date. Until that moment, she never understood how much of a true romantic he actually was. It was something completely unexpected, but so very welcome.
When he approached her again, his kiss was immediate, passionate, and consuming. She was completely lost within it. His hand came up and his fingers began to work loose the buttons on her blouse. He hadn't yet touched one single spot of exposed flesh, but her skin broke out in thousands upon thousands of chill bumps anyway. She stood motionless as he worked his hands inside her opened blouse, gently pushing it off her shoulders where it slid down her arms, and drifted effortlessly onto the floor. He broke the kiss so his lips could travel along the slope of her throat and down onto one shoulder. She closed her eyes tightly, finding herself raising her hands and plunging them into his hair. But she only kept that stance for a moment because his large hands began to wander again. She felt them move to the front of her bra, and a moment later, she heard the faint 'snap' of the clasp giving way. Although there had been many heated exchanges between them in the past, he had never touched her bare flesh. When his touch finally came, a slight tortured moan left the depths of her throat. He touched her very briefly, allowing his hands to move further down to the snap and zipper of her jeans. She was already breathing heavily, her chest heaving almost dramatically. With the same deliberate slowness he had exhibited since they set foot in his bedroom, he opened the snap on her jeans and drew down the zipper. His forefinger just barely touched her lower abdomen, but it was enough to send another dozen score of chill bumps to rush to the surface of her skin. She knew she should be helping him with this task, but she also had the distinct impression that he wouldn't accept assistance of any kind. He tugged at her jeans, pulling them and her silken panties down past her hips. Once they were past the swell of her buttocks, they slipped effortlessly down her legs. After she kicked off her slip-on sandals, she was able to step out of the discarded clothing. She did so almost awkwardly. She stood completely nude before him, with him having every single stitch of clothing still on his body. There was nowhere to run or hide.
His hand came up to her cheek and he kissed her lips ever so gently. "You're beautiful," he whispered to her. "Absolutely beautiful."
There was still a protest just waiting to burst forward. It didn't matter that he had effectively stripped her down. She thought there was something she could do to get out of this. She was an idiot. "Frank," she said, her voice somewhat shaky now. What had she wanted to say? It was gone now. Forgotten.
As if sensing she wanted to protest, he kissed her again to prevent the words from flooding out of her mouth. She felt her body moving, and it was like some type of intimate waltz he was leading. Instead of taking her to a dance floor, he was guiding her toward his bed.
Kayla forced her brain to work and body to move. Her hands came up and reached for the buttons on his shirt. He didn't stop her. He broke the kiss and his eyes locked with hers as she began to open his shirt. Once every button was released, a slice of irresistibly delicious dark flesh was revealed. She ran her finger over that strip of skin. It was warm and soft. She hesitated only a moment before she worked the shirt open, pushing it over his muscled shoulders, and down his long, equally muscled arms. Her hands roamed his chest before moving lower to his upper abdomen. She reveled in the smooth perfection of his skin, marred here and there by various scars of different sizes. She longed to ask him how he came to have these scars, but now wasn't the time for small talk. Her hands stopped at the front of his jeans and her fingers began to work open the buttons on his fly. Throughout it all, they maintained eye contact and she was a little surprised when he swooped in for another deep kiss. It didn't stop the progress she was making. During the consuming kiss, she had finished with all those annoying buttons and finally had his jeans open. Her hands slid along his sides and slipped down into his jeans. She broke the kiss, allowing her lips to travel along his neck, and then down to his chest as her hands worked to free him from his clothing restraints. Leaning his head back just a bit, he closed his eyes as he felt her working down his jeans and briefs at the same time. When he opened his eyes and looked down at her, she was on one knee before him. Her warm breath puffed in and out…so close…so very close. Yet, her mouth didn't quite touch him where he thought it would. It traveled along the top of one thigh, moved up and across his lower abdomen where it finally settled on his chest again as she brought her body up to her feet once more.
With his hungry eyes consuming her, she moved a few inches back from him and to the side, giving him room to step away from the discarded garments. She went down to the bed first and he came after. After so long a time, they were finally skin against skin. He kissed her lips very gently before allowing his lips to venture lower onto her throat. She arched her back ever so slightly when his mouth found the valley between her breasts. She closed her eyes tightly as his lips encircled one erect nipple. His tongue teased the hardened peak almost mercilessly. She thought she might lose her mind if he didn't stop. He gave her a very short respite that ended when his lips attacked the other nipple. Her hands lay limply at each side of her head as his mouth moved lower, trailing further down onto her abdomen. Like an idiot, she could do nothing more than allow him to have his way with her. Her body was literally on fire. Each touch and kiss had awakened every nerve ending she had. When his lips touched the inside of her thigh, her body wound itself up tight, like an overwrought spring. Dear God. What was he doing to her? When release came, she honestly didn't know if she could handle it.
He moved his body upward, placing gentle kisses upon her flesh along the way. Her skin tasted sweet and felt heavenly against his. He longed to spend the night simply touching her, tasting her, but his strength reserves were zero to none. He knew she was tense, but he was also aware that it wasn't a negative sensation. He wondered how she would feel if he simply ended the game right here and now, making love to her without touching her further. He had often been told and believed that he was all about control, but tonight with this woman, no such thing existed within his personality or in his vocabulary. His lips found hers again and he pressed his body against hers, immediately noting that hers came up to meet his. He broke the kiss and gazed down into her beautiful eyes. So many words came to the surface, but none of them were voiced. Her hand came up to rest against his cheek briefly and it drifted downward. Her touch was light, but urgent, her own need was clear to him.
"I want you so much," she whispered. "I think I might lose my mind if you don't come inside me now."
It was as if she had read his thoughts and was giving him the answer he sought. Maybe she had. He entered her slowly, taking his time, reveling in the sensation of their first intimate contact. As he began to move within her, her entire body seemed to envelope his, and she dug her nails into his back, holding onto him for dear life as if she were afraid he would disappear. If he had had doubts about being in love with her before, they were now effectively quashed. He knew, saw, felt, and believed it, but every move of his body transmitted it into the timeless act of their lovemaking.
After, they lay tangled together. It was very still in the room and the light from the candles had all but died out. Donovan thought Kayla might have drifted off to sleep, but a soft noise drew his attention right away. It almost sounded like the quiet sobs of a small child. He shifted his position slightly so that he could look at her. There was a stream of tears falling from her eyes.
"Kayla, what is it," he asked softly. "Did I…did I hurt you?"
"No," she said quickly. "Not at all. It's just that no one has ever made love to me like you did tonight. No one has ever made me feel like this."
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her how she felt, but he hesitated. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her away. "It's the same for me."
"I'll never forget this night as long as I live."
Her words confused him a little. It made him immediately think of a relationship dying instead of flourishing like this one was. There were still so many things she held captive within her heart. "Kayla…"
She didn't give him the opportunity to finish his thought. She kissed him deeply, cutting off his words. Right now, he didn't understand her words, but she feared he would soon enough.
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Kayla gasped aloud when she felt the solid wall of Frank's body pressing against her back. She had been so entranced by her thoughts of the night before, that she hadn't even heard him getting out of bed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in the side of her neck. After a moment, he unbuttoned the shirt and slid his hands inside. The instant his large hands cupped her breasts, she sighed shakily.
"I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed, but you spoiled my surprise by getting up before me," he said, his voice low and sexy.
She smiled a little. "Sorry about that."
He turned her toward him and kissed her deeply. When he broke the kiss, he took hold of the shirt by its lapels and opened it a bit wider. He again graced her with a hungry, consuming gaze. "Why don't we make love and I bring you brunch in bed?"
She had opened her mouth to protest, but before she could utter a word, his cell phone rang. He drew away from her reluctantly and went to retrieve the phone. Kayla buttoned the shirt, thinking, saved by the bell. After last night, she couldn't just walk away. Her chance had come and gone. She watched Frank curiously as he spoke on the phone, his voice hushed and controlled. She noticed that he had managed to slip into a robe. It was obvious by his facial expression and body language that play time was over. After a few minutes, he hung up and approached her. There was an apologetic look in his eyes.
"Duty calls," she said lightly.
He nodded. "Unfortunately." He reached out to her and caressed her hair. "Can I see you tonight?"
She wanted nothing more than to tell him no and then get on with her life, but she couldn't. God help them both, but she couldn't spare either of them one ounce of upcoming guilt or pain. Was it the love she felt for him, or just plain hedonistic selfishness? "Yes."
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I hate leaving you like this." He took her hand. "I must hit the shower. Join me?"
It was another thing she should have denied him, but there was no way. She didn't give him an answer. She simply allowed him to lead her into the bathroom. Kayla left before Frank did, and on the way back to her apartment, she had to pull over. She was suddenly assaulted by an awesome wave of regret. It wasn't regret over spending the night with Frank, of allowing him to make love to her. It was the regret of dragging him deeper into her web of lies. She again realized there was no escape. None at all. She was trapped now. Trapped by her love for one man.
To be continued…