The World: According to Rachael (33 page)

I reflect on their relationship, and how the two of them have made it work. It wasn’t easy. God knows, I’ve witnessed every bump in their long and winding road, but here they are. Two people who still adore each other, who found a way to overcome what seemed like insurmountable odds.

My phone dings, and I read the message with the same intensity that I give presidential reports.

Graham:
In my rental car, and I’m headed your way. Whenever. Wherever.

I swear that his words make me blush, and of course Colin and Caroline tease me until I’m a ripe shade of apple-red.

I wait an hour and a half, and then head to the guesthouse to watch for Graham. I’d warned him about the crazy path he would have to take through the woods. Even the Secret Service doesn’t worry about me when I’m here.

Sure enough, I see a car that I don’t recognize pull off the driveway at my guesthouse. I run to the front porch and wait with bated breath for him to open the car door. My heart is beating like a bass drum in my chest. When he unfolds himself from the tiny Fiat, I have to stop myself from running to him like an overdramatized war-movie heroine. He stalks toward me with a predatory gleam in his eye.

Not a word passes between us, but our bodies speak volumes about want, need, and desire. When he reaches the cottage’s front step, he sweeps me up in his arms. He walks us inside of the house pushing the door closed.

Our lips and tongues meld together in desperation and hunger. We don’t have the ability to savor each other. This is satisfying a primal need that burns within both of us. I’m placed on the floor long enough for my yoga pants and underwear to be disposed of. He just pulls down the zipper on his jeans before he picks me up and impales me with his thick cock.

“Fuck,” I yell as he enters me balls’ deep in one thrust. “That’s what I’ve needed.”

Without speaking a word, he holds me tightly against him as he drives inside me. My back slams against the closest wall. The fire inside of me spills over into a scream of passion that I don’t recognize as coming from me. Seconds later, his own orgasm is ground out as he bites my collarbone, I’m sure marking my fair skin.

My feet don’t hit the ground. “Bedroom?” he asks without removing himself from inside me.

“Right door.” I moan into his mouth, taking his tongue like it’s my last meal.

This time, we make love. It’s a slow, sensual worship of each other’s bodies. We lazily pleasure each other before falling into a nap, which by the looks of it, both of us need.

The setting sun over Lake CharCol wakes me from the sleep of the dead. The view from our bed is really breathtaking. The gold, pinks, peaches and purples create such a display that someone should chastise Mother Nature for just showing off.

This moment feels pivotal in our relationship. I allow myself to indulge in the idea of a forever with this man. Waking up each day next to him … Eating breakfast and dinner together … Building a life with shared memories and lots of laughter. Could I do that? Right now I have hope for this future, and it makes me flush with excitement.

Graham is lying on his back, and I’m wrapped around him like a serpent. My eyes drift southward to his beautiful cock, resting against his stomach.

I long to take his penis in my mouth and taste the essence of him. Unfortunately, as soon as the thought enters my mind, so do the images of the whiteboard.
Have we dated long enough for you to ask me to suck your dick, Graham?

I untwine myself and make my way to the kitchenette. Caroline keeps it stocked with bottled water, Diet Coke, wine, champagne, and snacks. I pull out a block of cheddar cheese and dig in the silverware drawer for a butter knife. She also left fresh Delicious apples in a bowl on the counter by the sink. I find the paring knife and slice the apple. I place the first piece on my tongue and relish how good it tastes in my mouth.

My sense of taste has been restored by Graham’s presence, and the apple is so sugary that I would swear that it’s been artificially sweetened. The first bite is so juicy that a bit of it runs down my chin. I use my tongue to lick it off. A quiet moan escapes my lips as my teeth sink into it for a second time. Then I add a bit of sharp cheddar to the piece of apple. The only thing that I can compare it to is a deaf man experiencing sound for the first time. My senses are on fire, and I owe it all to Graham Jackson.

There’s a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator. God knows how old it is. There generally isn’t much for me to celebrate alone when I visit here. I take it out and pop the cork, pouring a glass for myself.

I close my eyes and savor another bite of the apple. When I open them again, a very naked Graham is standing next to me, watching with a smirk. “That must be one tasty apple. I thought I was the only one who could make you moan like that.”

I smile and stand on my tiptoes, slipping a piece of juicy apple between his full lips. He leaves half of the apple protruding from his mouth and leans down, offering me a bite. His erection pokes me in the stomach making me giggle. Graham has rested and is ready for round number three.

He picks me up and places me on the countertop. The cold stone of the granite chills my naked body and makes me shiver. I almost get down, protesting that it’s too cold, until I see what Graham is doing. He’s assembling a Rachael cheese plate. Meticulously he cuts the block of cheese and finishes slicing the apple. He lines up the pieces extending from my sternum to my center.

His radiant blue eyes hood as he begins his evening snack at my breasts. He picks up a bit of the cheddar and places it in between his teeth. He leans down, offering me a nip off the corner. The pungent taste of the cheddar mixes with the taste that is exclusively Graham.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, he demonstrates that he has the patience of Job. Each piece of apple or cheese he takes in his mouth, he offers me half of. I can’t ignore the message that he’s providing me with half of everything he has.

As he nears my center, he stops his descent and kisses his way back up to my lips. “I’m hungry, Rachael.”

“Are you?” I melt at this dirty talk. His cockiness is charming only because I’m desperate to hear what his plans are.

He grabs the last sliver of apple and uses his finger to insert it inside of me. It feels so cold, foreign. The last piece of cheese he places in my mouth. “I’m hungry, Rachael. Food tastes best when it’s on,” he flashes me a devilish grin that makes his dimple deepen, “or in you.”

He uses his tongue to make love to my mouth before he takes his part of the cheese. Then, he drops to my center and gently pulls the apple out, and bathes me in its juice while he uses his thumb to massage my clit.

I grasp his hair, pushing his tongue deeper inside me. I ride his mouth, grinding against his nose. I’m lost in him. His scent. His passion. His being.

As I drift back to reality, he’s looking at me with those blue eyes that are the color of a robin’s egg. “That was the best fruit and cheese plate that I’ve ever sampled.”

I smirk. “You only sampled it, huh?”

He leans down and kisses the tip of my nose. When he stands back up, his eyes are a cloudy shade of grey. “Sampled until we’ve talked about our future.”

“Fair enough,” I reply as I scoot off the counter. The reality of our situation drenches my libido with an ice-cold bucket of water.

Graham turns to open the cabinets under the kitchen sink. He pulls out a bottle of cleaner.

“Where are the paper towels?” he asks as he sprays the counter with disinfectant, cleaning the area where he made me into his own personal cheese tray.

Could I love this man anymore?
“I’ll grab them.” I open the pantry and tear a couple of sheets off of the roll.

With a sheepish smile, he says, “Want to make sure that I’m invited back.”

We shower and then head up to the main house for dinner. As we walk past the boathouse, I remember that I should tell him that Aiden and his family are most likely here.

I lace my arm through his. “You’re going to be meeting Caroline, Colin and their three children, Ainsley, Jax, and Liam. Jax and Liam are identical twins. Don’t bother trying to tell them apart. Also, Aiden will be here with his wife, who is also Caroline’s sister. Her name is Amy. They have two children, Collette and Case.”

He stops walking and turns to me. The moonlight casts his face in shadow, hiding his eyes. “Aiden?”

“Yes, Aiden. Our relationship ended long ago. I spend holidays with him and his family also. We’re all good.” I reach out and rub his arm, trying to reassure him that everything is going to be all right.

“Okay, then.” He sighs.

Everyone is already gathered around the fire. We missed dinner, but I’m not very hungry after our evening snack.

The kids have sticks with marshmallows on the ends, and are holding them over the fire. Colin is giving pointers like “Not so close to the flame” and “Don’t forget to rotate.” Caroline is unwrapping Hershey bars and breaking them into individual squares.

As we approach, the conversation among the adults stops. Only the sound of George Strait’s greatest hits continue playing over the outdoor speakers. “Hi everyone,” I call out, squeezing Graham’s hand tightly.

He gives me a squeeze back.

When we’re about thirty feet from the fire, Aiden stands up and walks to greet us. Offering his hand to Graham, he introduces himself. Graham lets go of my hand and shakes Aiden’s. There are unspoken words that pass between the two. After a moment, Aiden pulls me into a big hug and Graham doesn’t hit him, so whatever transpired between the two must have led to acceptance.

The moon has moved behind a cloud, creating an inky-black night sky with the only light coming from the dancing flames of the fire. The three of us walk together, joining everyone else. There, I introduce Graham to the rest of the group. Colin and Amy are polite, and Caroline gives him a hug.

I point at each child, and say their names. Amy is holding baby Case on her lap. His chubby cheeks are so cute that I can’t stop myself from reaching for him. The look that Amy and Caroline exchange is not lost on me.

I hold him against me, balancing his diapered behind on my hip. “How’s my little guy?” I coo while I move in for sneak-attack kisses.

He squeals with delight, and reaches for my unruly, damp hair.

“Rachael holding a baby … I thought I would never the see the day,” Aiden teases me, but there is an edge to his voice.

“I held those four when they were little.” I gesture my head toward the kids around the campfire. I sound more offended then I feel.

All of the adults are quietly watching me. I feel very self-conscious, but I refuse to give the baby back until I’ve enjoyed him a little more.
This is the new Rachael,
I want to scream.
And guess what, people? She wants a child.

Graham whispers in my ear, “Should we get one of those?” He nods toward baby Case.

I just look up at him and smile.

He moves behind me, and offers Case one of his fingers. The baby grabs it and looks up at Graham, cooing.

“Hi there, baby,” he says in a voice that sounds absent of testosterone. “You sure are handsome.”

Even in the lowlight from the fire, I can see my friends’ shock and awe written on their surprised faces.

I hand Amy back baby Case and then address the adults. “I like babies and s’mores, so quit staring at me and let’s eat.”

“Rachael doesn’t miss an opportunity for s’mores,” Colin says as he puts a marshmallow on a stick for me. I’m so thankful that Colin has moved the conversation along. “Graham?”

“It’s un-American to turn down s’mores, right?” Graham jokes.

Caroline all but spits a mouthful of wine. She coughs. “Yup. S’mores are as patriotic as the Sons of Liberty.”

“As patriotic as Paul Revere riding through town yelling ‘The British are coming,’” Colin chimes in, half-smiling.

Fortunately, Graham takes their good-natured teasing in stride. “I see Rachael has shared my deep, dark secret.”

Aiden adds, “As American as Betsy Ross.” I don’t miss the look he gives Graham. Graham’s head drops, and he cuts his eyes.

As I hold my marshmallow over the fire, I lean over and whisper into Graham’s ear, “There are no secrets in this group, but they will not breathe a word to anyone else.”

He pulls me tightly against him and wraps his arm around me. “Let me just say that I love Rachael, and that I’m sorry for any pain that I’ve caused. I’m very glad that she has your support, and I appreciate the hospitality.”

“Hospitality?” Aiden grins, and in his best Texas accent, adds, “Being back here in these parts brings out your downhome twang?”

“Something like that.” Graham chuckles, and smiles at me.

Fortunately, the marshmallows are ready and the kids begin to excitedly gather around Caroline who is assisting with the assembly.

“Oh, shoot, I forgot milk. You can’t have s’mores without a big tall glass of milk.” Caroline looks at the four little faces in front of her with dismay.

“I’ll grab it.” I start toward the house before anyone has a chance to respond. Colin, always the worrier, left a light on inside of the kitchen. It’s not enough light to interfere with the campfire, but it’s enough for me to not miss the stairs. I open the backdoor and walk through their living room to reach the refrigerator.

Graham seems to be handling my friends well. I wish Aiden wasn’t being pissy, but, well, that’s Aiden. He doesn’t know how to camouflage his emotions. I open the door and take out the gallon milk jug.

“Caroline asked me to bring out red Solo cups.” Aiden’s voice cuts through the silence, startling me.

I set the jug down and place my hand over my heart while I try to restart it.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” His hazel eyes are full of concern. He walks to the pantry and grabs a stack of cups, but instead of turning around and going back outside, he approaches me, concern drawing his eyebrows together. “Can we talk?”

The last thing I want to do is discuss my serious relationship with my former boyfriend. “I think Caroline is waiting on the milk.”

“Give me five minutes,” he says, setting the cups next the jug.