Champagne and Chocolate
Part 6 By Gin
Even as the week went by in a haze of
intimacy, Luka knew he couldn’t stay here. He couldn’t
risk it; he couldn’t allow himself to love again. It
would be better for him to leave now and risk Caitlyn’s not
understanding. He sat on the deck, finishing his
beer, wandering what the future would bring. He thought
about what he would say to her now, how he would make excuses for
leaving without knowing if he would be back.
He didn’t say anything to Caitlyn when
he went back into the house. Even worse, she didn’t
ask. That was telling. Even though she was
enormously lenient in matters concerning what he did or did not
want to talk about, she wouldn’t let a guest in her home
just leave without inquiring about him. She knew.
And she didn’t want to talk about it as much as Luka didn’t.
They made a great pair.
Dinnertime came and went with Caitlyn still
sitting in her office. She was supposedly working on
some notes for a lecture she was to deliver. Luka had
wandered around the house earlier, looking for little chores he
could do to keep himself busy. Running out of these, he had
picked up his book. He had a suspicion that Caitlyn had
gotten the same amount of work done as he had gotten pages read
– none.
Taking a deep breath, Luka put down the
unread book. The situation was going to have to be
broached, and it was his responsibility to do so.
“How’s the lecture coming?”
he asked.
Caitlyn shrugged. “I guess it’s
okay, I really haven’t gotten that much done. I should
have just quit but I’m too stubborn.” He
came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Let’s
get some dinner. It’s getting late, past 8 o’clock.”
“I’m not really in the mood to eat
out tonight, but I don’t want to cook either.” Caitlyn
replied.
Neither did Luka. He didn’t
want to get caught up in doing dishes, all the prep and clean-up
work fixing dinner required. “Let’s go get some
take-out.” He waited for her to freshen up and slip on
her sandals. Then he grabbed her hand and headed for the
Chinese carryout a few blocks away. He didn’t release
her hand as they walked along, but kept it firmly anchored in
his. She must have sprayed on some of her scent as
she got ready. It had a slightly sweet musky flavor to it.
He knew he would recognize it anywhere now; he would forever
identify it with Caitlyn.
They ordered and walked across the road to
sit on the broad steps leading down to the beach while they
waited. Luka leaned back against the railing and pulled
Caitlyn down between his legs, back against his chest. The
offshore evening breeze hadn’t picked up speed yet and it
was still rather hot. He put his arm around her loosely,
the other hand buried in her hair, tangled and wild from the
walk. He put his face to her hair, smelling the herbal
scent it held, and thought about what he needed to say. There
was no way to say it softly, or to explain either.
Luka hesitated the spoke, “Cait, I have
to leave.”
He felt her body tense slightly, but her
voice remained level. “I know. When?” she
asked abruptly.
“Tomorrow. I’m catching the
early morning flight back to Chicago.”
Her hand tightened on his arm. She
didn’t trust herself to open her mouth right now. She
took a slow, long breath to release some tension. Eventually,
she felt that she could speak. “Do you think you’ll
ever come back?”
“I have no idea.” Luka
paused and clasped a hand in hers. “I don’t know
if I can let go of the past, or if it will let go of me.
Part of me wants to stay here with you, and another part wants to
run again. I need some more time to sort a lot of things
out in my mind.”
Her hand squeezed painfully on his and she
wasn’t even aware of it. “How will I know if you
are all right? You know I will worry about you.”
“You’ll know,” he replied.
“I will call you, I promise.”
“You’d better, Luka,” Caitlyn’s
voice sounded husky, “You damn well better.”
He tilted her head back on his shoulder and
kissed her. He could feel wetness on her face and mouth
from tears running down her face. It damn near made him
decide to stay against his better instinct, but his thinking self
overruled that emotional decision without any hesitation.
Until he had chased away the demons that haunted him, he couldn’t
expose Caitlyn to them.
“Come on, I’m hungry.” He
pulled her up with him and walked over to pick up their food.
They didn’t talk much on the walk home. Luka kept his
arms around Cait, not wanting to relinquish holding her while he
could. Caitlyn rummaged in the bag and fed fried wontons to
him, munching on them herself. Once back at her house, they
sat at the table and ate with Isis at their feet, meowing for her
share of the goodies. Luka really didn’t taste much,
but was glad to have the hollow, hungry feeling lessened in his
stomach.
By the time they were done with dinner it
was late and the sun had gone below the horizon, leaving
everything dark. Caitlyn seemed distracted and lost in
thought, lazily cleaning up the food. Luka had a thought
and went into the living room. He found candles and lit
them, scattering them over various surfaces. They gave off
just enough of a glow to illuminate the room in a soft golden
light. At the stereo he found some CDs that held soft,
dreamy music, good to dance to.
When Caitlyn came out of the kitchen he
handed her a glass of brandy he’d poured. “Here,
have some.” Luka sat down on the sofa and
Caitlyn sat next to him, leaning on him. They sipped in
silence, listening to the music, each lost in their own thoughts.
They’d gone through most of the brandy he’d poured when
Luka pulled her off of the sofa.
“Let me hold you, “ he said,
wrapping his arms around her and placing her head against his
chest. He began to move to the music, a slow and seductive
piece of blues. They both thought of last week when he had
first taken her out to dinner and danced with her, how he’d
begun to seduce her into his bed. Caitlyn’s smile was
rather bittersweet; it hadn’t taken long. Not long at
all. In fact, not long at all described the whole
relationship.
She mentally chastised herself. Stop
it! She had little time here, best not to waste it thinking
things that could be saved for later. Time now for enjoying
the moment. She buried her face against his chest in the
opening of his shirt, smelling the clean smell of his skin,
feeling the brush of the hairs on his chest against her face.
She put her arms more firmly around his waist.
They continued to dance to the slow
seductive music as it changed from one song to another. The
candlelight flickered in the draft from the ceiling fans, causing
their reflections to waver on the walls. Luka smoothed his
hands up and down her back, feeling the press of her breasts
against his chest, nipples hard against him. He knew she
was aroused.
Caitlyn moved her hands slowly down his back
and over his waistband, resting them on his buttocks, feeling the
flex and play of his muscles as he turned slowly on the floor.
Pulling in slightly, she felt his growing erection pressing
against her abdomen, and moved to trap it between their bodies.
She raised her head to him and said, “Kiss
me.” They kissed and continued to rub and brush their
bodies back and forth against one another as they moved in an
erotic slow dance. She reached up to unbutton his shirt and
pulled the tail out of the waistband of his pants. Now she
could run her hands underneath on to his skin, up his back,
around and up his chest. She flattened her palms against
his skin, rubbing firmly over the nipples, muscles and hair,
absorbing the sensations through her nerves to remember later.
Reaching up, she pushed the shirt off his shoulders and he
shrugged it off his arms.
Keeping one arm anchored around her waist,
he kissed her again while unbuttoning her shirt. Luka moved
slowly, wanting to draw this out, making it last. It was
too short. He thrust the melancholy aside and focused on
the woman in his arms.
Parting the sides, he looked down to see a
deep green lace half-bra, her breasts nearly falling out of the
brief cups. Smooth skin shone golden in the wavering
candlelight, lush and ripe under the confining clothes. Her
shirt followed his onto the floor. He held her and just
danced some more, enjoying the feeling of her lace-covered
breasts rubbing against his skin. The music changed and he
reached to trace the edge of the bra with the tips of his
fingers, drawing them back and forth lightly over her skin.
He dipped a finger every so often under the edge of the bra,
teasing.
He stopped moving and reached down,
unzipping her shorts and slowly peeling them down her legs,
ridding her of them. She stood there in matching bikinis,
all golden skin and hidden hollows. He just looked for a
moment, caught by her beauty.
“You’re staring, Luka,” she
said as she reached for his zipper, lowering his shorts. He
had on tight navy blue briefs that clearly showed his arousal.
She smiled. “At least I know you like what you see.”
“Oh, I like it a lot.” He
kissed her hard, pulling her skin against him. He kept them
dancing while kissing her, their legs brushing closely to one
another. He kept moving slowly and their kiss deepened, his
tongue thrusting lightly into her mouth in imitation of an act he
soon meant to complete.
Caitlyn took a step toward the hallway
pulling Luka with her. He got the idea and reached for a
candle, bringing it with them. He kept one arm around her,
dancing her down the hall and into her bedroom while she laughed.
Placing the wildly flickering candle on the bedside table, he
took her by the shoulders and turned her around, her slender back
presented to him. Unhooking her bra, he smoothed the
straps off her shoulders, trailing his mouth over her skin behind
it. The clothing fell to the floor and he cupped breasts in
his hands, pulling her back flush against his body, her head
falling on to his shoulder.
“You feel so good,” he whispered
next to her ear, as he massaged her breasts and teased the
nipples. She rolled her hips back against his briefs,
feeling his arousal straining against the cotton. Abruptly,
he took two steps toward the bed and pushed her down on the
comforter, following her down.
As he raised her up, Caitlyn went to roll
over, but he pushed her shoulders back down. “No, stay
like that.” He skimmed his hands over her spine,
smiling as she automatically arched her back. His
hands moved down to her hips, hooked into the lace of her panties
and pulled them slowly off her hips, down over her legs and on to
the floor. He stripped his own briefs off next and lay down
half on top of her warm body.
Separating her legs, he reached down and
pulled one knee up, exposing her to him. Her skin was warm
and soft and he ran his hands over her whole body, feeling the
shape and texture of her, memorizing. He took his time,
lingering over the curve of her hip, the crease of her knee, the
swell of her breast, and the small of her back as it rose into
the crease of her buttocks.
Caitlyn made small sounds, little sounds of
contentment and pleasure as his hands roamed over her. Once
again Luka pushed her back down as she tried to turn. “Wait,”
he told her. He continued to trace the lines of her body,
watching in the soft candlelight as she quivered faintly from
certain strokes. He repeated these frequently, drawing
forth more of the response. When she tried again to move,
he stroked up her legs and between, hearing her breathing catch
as he traced the soft folds lightly. Her legs relaxed open
even farther as he continued the feather light stroking, offering
more of herself to his touch.
Luka sat up, turning her over on to her
back, placing a leg on either side of his, leaving her completely
open to his view. She struggled momentarily, but he moved
up and kissed her. “Shh, let me do this,” he
whispered. Sitting back, he stroked her again, watching her
responses. She was looking at him through half-opened eyes
and he looked back at her, letting her see his own excitement at
watching her. He stroked her carefully, finding the
places that excited her, the touches that elicited soft breathy
moans. He caressed her until she shuddered and he heard a
soft, “Please.”
Leaning down, he put his mouth where his
hands had just been, finding the same places and using the same
strokes this time with his tongue and lips, adding to the
sensations she was experiencing. They coalesced into one
focal point of sensation and she tensed, feeling the explosion
building. She wanted it and yet wanted to share it with him
at the same time. She struggled momentarily, but he kept
driving her towards the edge. One long sweep of his tongue
drove her over, tearing a long moan from her as her body
convulsed with shudders. He clung to her hips, anchoring
her and holding her still for his mouth to continue caressing
her.
Her body was still shuddering as he placed a
pillow next to her and turned her over on it, angling her
buttocks up toward him. He wanted her now, and didn’t
hesitate as he found her entrance and drove inward, causing her
to gasp and shudder once more. Her muscles grasped him,
squeezing, and he grunted at the sudden overwhelming sensations
as he stroked out and in again. The angle allowed him
to slide in deeply and he did so, over and over again, causing
both of them to moan from the intensity. Holding her
tightly against him, he sat back on his legs and pulled her with
him. She rose up, leaning back on his chest; her hair wild,
with him still deeply buried within her body. He felt
himself as he moved again, slowly in and out, and caressed her.
She picked up his rhythm and they began to move in unison. The
pleasure built in him, feeling her breasts in his hands, the soft
cheeks pressing against his groin, her vaginal walls clenching
with force as she approached another climax. Her free arm
came back and grasped his hips to her. “Luka...Luka!”
She groaned as she peaked again, grinding herself heavily against
his body. He could feel the spasms of her inner muscles as
well as the convulsions of her body as her quivering muscles
pushed him over the edge into his own climax. They
sat there like that for some time as their bodies continued
sparking with pleasure, long after the peak, his arms wrapped
around her body, holding tightly. She began to move off of
him, but Luka stopped her.
“No, please, wait,” he asked of
her once more. He didn’t want her to move from him
just yet, to feel the separation from her body, to lose her
warmth. And so they sat, not really moving or saying
anything, Luka holding her as he slowly felt himself leaving her,
his face against the side of her head, her hair a wild cloud on
his shoulder. His eyes were open as he looked down upon
Caitlyn, and maybe she felt them, because she opened her own and
looked up at him. Hers were the luminous green of
bottomless lakes in the candlelight, rimmed with a darker edge of
color and fringed with gold-tipped lashes. They were
beautiful, expressive eyes and right now they looked as if they
held the wisdom of the world in their depths as she looked at him
unblinkingly.
I love you. He heard the words as
clearly as if they’d been spoken out loud, their sound
echoing in his head, and he froze in reaction. He couldn’t
hear those words spoken, couldn’t bear to have them dropped
in the midst of this room. In half panic, he covered her
mouth with his, as if to swallow any sounds that might escape.
She reached up and held his head to hers, kissing him sweetly in
return. He saw his own fear and saw it clearly, yet he
couldn’t change it. Slowly, he ended the kiss and
moved gently to disentangle them.