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“Damn. It’s beautiful and huge.”
“My gran and pops wanted it big enough for four or five generations to stay here at one time. It’s kind of a dream for them.”
“Nice dream. Show me inside?” She extends her hand and we walk up the path as though we’ve done it a thousand times before. Dylan leans against the paned side window, while I do the keyless entry and security system.
“It’s all high-tech. Set to seventy inside. Pool set to eighty-eight. We’ll have to roll back the cover, but go for a swim after dinner?”
“I didn’t bring a suit.”
“Somehow Viper, I don’t think that’s a problem.”
“You’re right. It’s not.” She smiles.
“Let’s get takeout from Sam’s. We can eat deckside until the air cools and then get warm in the pool.”
“You have the best ideas.”
“All my best lately revolve around you.”
I didn’t know what it would feel like to have her here. She never seems bothered by the inevitable ghosts. I’m so glad I gotrid of most of them at the end of summer. I do the quick order from Sam’s then take her on a full tour of the house.
She spins and twirls on all levels of the house where there’s an open space. I sorted in my head, on the way out here; I don’t want us to stay in my usual room. That wouldn’t be fair to her or me. My parents’ room has a beautiful big balcony so we could sit under the stars if we choose.
Sam’s brings us the best thin crust garbage pizza on the planet, along with a six-pack of end of summer ale. We each sit cross-legged on the edge of chaises facing each other, with the pizza box in the middle and the beer on the ground.
Her body isn’t the only thing I would cross a desert for. Her laugh, her smile, the way she listens and thinks. We’ve known each other for about six weeks, but in that time, we’ve built something I don’t think I’ve had before. She’s made me question everything, and for someone who already questions everything, that says something.
In the dark, we bob up and down in the pool for about an hour. Dylan’s tank top is like a second skin. It moves over her every curve. The cool night air makes things stand at attention, including me. I climb out first, holding out a thick oversized towel for her to blanket in. She quickly hops out and runs into my arms.
“Your lips are blue,” I laugh. “Why didn’t you tell me how cold you were?”
“I was having too much fun.”
“Let’s get you inside and warm you up.”
I run a hot bath in the oversized Jacuzzi tub in the en suite. I leave the canned lights barely up so we can watch the stars through the skylight. I thought about putting music on, but in a rare change for me, I decided to leave it quiet. However, I like the sounds I do hear. Her body separates the water and thestillness as she settles. A few random birds in the nearby trees. The wind rustling its way through the leaves.
As I settle in behind her, I catch her watching me. “What is it?”
“It’s not sexy but it’s a conversation I feel like we need to have.”
“Okay. I’m listening.”
“My costumes have been finished for weeks. I lied. I went to my doctor and had an IUD put in and got tested for us. If you’re okay with it and healthy, I don’t want to use condoms anymore. Part of being as sexual as I am is knowing what I want. I only want to be with you. If that were to ever change, I’d tell you. I know I just dumped a lot on you, but what do you think?” I sit with her in between my legs, holding on. I’m speechless. “Eli?”
“Yeah. I heard you.”
“I’m not asking for a title or a commitment, other than we’re monogamous. I’m still me. We’re still this, just without the hood, but only if you’re comfortable.” She spins around, straddling my lap. Her arms pull up lazily around my neck. “Do you trust me?”
“I do. I have to.” I sigh. “This is a hot-button issue for me. I was tested every six months for two years because of Tori. That’s not an issue. You’re the only woman I’ve been with since her. You know that.”
“I won’t hurt you Eli.”
She could, but I want to tango on.
I take a while getting ready for bed. I don’t know why, but this triggered me in a way I didn’t expect. It shouldn’t. I know better. Dylan is the opposite of everything I’m used to. She’s honest. She’s brave. She took charge of herself. It’s amazing and sexy. In that same breath, it touches a point of anxiety I’ve not yet been forced to look at.
I massage underneath my eyes and around my temples before I put my glasses on. When I open the door from the bathroom, she’s there, patiently waiting. She’s got a pair of red flannel pantswith hearts on them hanging just at her hips with my U2 T-shirt. The door to the balcony is open, and she’s taken an extra duvet from one of the other bedrooms and put it on top of the one we already have.
