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“Tell me about your last girlfriend,” I said. “You already know a little bit about my last relationship, so I think it’s only fair I know about the woman who came before me.”
Dalton took a sip of beer and bowed his head. “You know, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea either.”
“Oh, really? It sounds like there’s some drama there,” I said, leaning forward.
“Do you really want to know?”
“I do.”
Dalton sighed. “I hope this doesn’t ruin the mood for the evening, but she died.”
“What?” I withdrew my hand and, suddenly, all the good mood vanished. My throat tightened and I felt as though I had stepped into a minefield. “I’m so sorry Dalton, I didn’t mean to pry that’s…that’s so sad. You don’t have to talk about her if you don’t want to. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s okay. I suppose we were going to have to talk about it eventually. Unfortunately, she fell very ill and there wasn’t anything that could be done for her. We had enough time to say goodbye, which was a blessing, but it didn’t make it any easier. That’s another reason why I came to the city. Being at home was just so difficult without her there. There were always reminders, you know?”
“How long were you two together?”
“We’d actually been betrothed since we were children.”
“Betrothed?”
Dalton shrugged and it became clear that he still had a lot to explain. “I told you that my parents are traditional. In our community, it is normal for parents to arrange marriages between their children so that they can plan for the future. It doesn’t always go to plan, though, but I and Isla were happy enough. Then the worst happened and, well, the rest is history.”
I reached out again with my hand and squeezed, although I realized what an empty, hollow gesture it must have been. I wanted to hug him tightly, but I knew we weren’t there yet.
“You seem at peace with it.”
“You have to be, really. There’s nothing I can do about it. I wish I could have, but sometimes in life there are forces out of your control and if you don’t accept that, you’re going to go crazy. Besides, she wouldn’t want me to mope and miss out on life. She had such a love for life, and before she died she made me promise that I’d try to be happy, so that’s what I’m doing.”
My plans for the evening changed drastically. Seeing this vulnerable side of Dalton only made me more attracted to him, but I was sensitive to his emotions, so I didn’t want to push him any more quickly than he was able.
“I want you to know that we can take this as slow as you’d like. I don’t want you to feel like you’re under pressure. I know there are probably a lot of emotions under the surface and this is the kind of thing that you never really get over.”
“That’s true and thank you for saying that, but I’m okay to move on, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you better. I don’t want to spend the evening talking about another woman, I know that’s not really the proper thing to do.”
“It’s okay, in this instance, I think,” I smiled at the way he tried to put my needs first, even though speaking about Isla must have been very painful for him. “I’ve never really been one to get angry about past relationships. What matters is the here and now, and I’d be a world-class bitch if I didn’t let you talk about Isla. She was a big part of your life, and played a big role in you becoming the man you are today, the man that I’m attracted to.”
My voice was soft and sensual, and as I gazed into his eyes, I found myself moving towards him. I raised my hand and started to play with his hair, which was impressively soft. I stroked the side of his face and smiled at him, as his body shifted and his arm came over my shoulders. His fingers touched my flesh and there was a sizzling sensation in my body. Breath rushed out of my mouth and I became light-headed as I moved inexorably towards him, and then, suddenly, our lips met, soft and luscious, in a tender kiss that held all our affections within it. My eyes closed and I felt as though I had been enchanted by a spell. I smiled when he pulled away and looked at him, then leaned in for a deeper kiss. I pressed my body against his and wrapped my arms around his neck, giving in to the deep desires that were swirling inside me. His hand spread wide over the small of my back and kept sliding deeper down my body. He let out a muffled moan and I flicked my tongue in his mouth, playfully teasing him.
I was beginning to lose my senses, as I drowned in his embrace, and I was just about ready to give him everything, because the reality of being so close with him was far more powerful than t
he fantasy. I trembled at his touch and shuddered at the thought of stripping away every item of clothing on my body, to give myself to him. These thoughts crashed through my mind, as I enjoyed the feeling of his strong hands against my supple skin, his eager lips brushing against my neck, and then, we were interrupted by the timer in the kitchen.
We burst into laughter and I pressed my forehead against his, before kissing him again quickly.
“I can’t let the food burn,” I said, although it was difficult to tear myself away from him. I walked into the kitchen, swaying my hips as I left. Dalton followed me, and as I was checking the food, he wrapped his arms around my waist and buried himself against the nape of my neck. I let out a warm laugh and closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of him being so close to me. This is what life should be like, I thought to myself, this is what I wanted a relationship to be. Everything was so natural and easy. I turned around and felt his hands sliding around my waist. I kissed him deeply. I wanted him to see the desire I had for him in my eyes. There was a promise of more to come in that kiss, and I knew that we were going to become as close as two people could be.
But first, there was dinner.
I pulled myself away from him and playfully teased him, saying that he would have to wait for dessert. Dalton ran his hand over my womanly curves, as if to get one last touch in, until we finished dinner. I served the food and carried it to the table. After just one bite, he leaned back in satisfaction and praised my cooking. I imagined part of his praise was influenced by his attraction to me, as I certainly wasn’t the best cook around, but I accepted his words readily and, thankfully, there were no awkward moments through our conversation. We spoke of happy things only, about funny incidents from our lives, and stories about our friends. We spoke of the Blue Lagoon and of the stars in the night sky. All through the meal there was an undercurrent of tension throbbing in the air. Underneath the table our legs touched and our feet caressed each other. Every time I looked at him I seemed to get more aroused, and it felt wrong that we were separated by a table.
*
At one point during dinner, he reached over and took my hand. He stroked the middle of my palm with his thumb, running it in small circles.
“That feels nice,” I murmured. He’d almost finished his meal. I still had about half a plate left, but in truth I wasn’t hungry for food any longer. I only wanted him, and I think he could sense it.
Dalton, still holding my hand, rose from his chair and moved around the table, falling to his knees. I shifted my position away from the table too. He kissed my hand and clasped it tightly, running his other hand up my arm, leaving a trail of tingles where his flesh touched. He inched closer to me and gazed at my body.
