I shrugged and looked down at my feet. “We both said some things we shouldn’t have.”
Grace dried her hands off with a towel. “It’s probably best she doesn’t come around here for a while,” she said, tilting her head.
I nodded and walked to her, lifting her chin with my hand. “Let’s not talk about anyone else. I just want to focus on you.” I sealed it with a kiss.
“I like that idea.” She smiled.
“I have a surprise for you. Come with me.” I took Grace by the hand and led her outside. Out on the porch, I picked up a picnic basket I put together earlier in the day.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Shhh . . . it’s a surprise.”
We walked out to the pasture with only the light from the stars guiding us. It hadn’t rained in a while, so the grass crunched beneath our feet. The night would have been completely silent if it weren’t for the buzzing cicadas. I never understood how such small creatures could make so much noise. I held her hand tightly to keep her steady on some of the uneven ground. Grace leaned her shoulder into me as we made our way to the spot I prepared earlier.
“Stand right here,” I said, letting go of her hand. From the picnic basket, I pulled out a lighter and lit a circle of ten tiki torches. Grace gasped as the area came to light. I smiled and pulled a blanket from the basket, laying it out in the center of the torches. Her blue, blue eyes looked like crystals.
“Have a seat,” I said as I unwrapped a plate of grapes and sliced cheese and set out two glasses and a bottle of red wine.
Grace smiled, slid her shoes off, and sat down while I uncorked the wine and poured it.
“Here you are, Miss Grace Evans,” I said, extending a glass to her.
“Thank you, Mr. Calvin Wells.”
I slid my shoes off and took a seat next to her. “Cheers, to you, Grace. Thank you for being not only a guest in my home but a guest in my heart too.” It was a cheesy toast, and I regretted it as soon as the words slithered out of my mouth, but she didn’t seem to mind it.
She clinked her glass against mine and smiled. “Perhaps I’ll take residence up in both.”
Maybe I wouldn’t have to convince her to stay. Maybe she had already convinced herself she wasn’t leaving. We both sipped slowly.
Grace pulled the glass from her lips and glanced around the pasture. “This is really nice.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
She scooched a little closer, leaning her head on my shoulder. A loud whistle came from the mountains. Grace jumped, her eyes bouncing in all directions.
“What was that?”
I put my arm around her and pulled her into the crook of my shoulder. “Just a mountain lion.”
“Just a mountain lion? Are we safe?” Her voice was higher pitched than usual.
“Yeah. They don’t come out this far,” I said with a laugh. “And if they did, I’d protect you.”
Her body relaxed a little and she took another sip of her wine.
“Oh, one more thing. I almost forgot.” I pulled the teddy bear from the basket. “For your comfort.”
Grace bumped her shoulder into me. “Mr. Snuggles.” She held it against her chest.
“You gave him a name?”
“Of course, I did.”
“It’s cute.” I kissed her on the cheek, and she sank further into me.
We sipped at our wine, listening to the sounds of the night. Crickets chirping. Coyotes howling. And mountain lions whistling. I refilled both our glasses, and we clinked them together again. My skin pulsated just being this close to Grace, like a bee buzzing near a flower. I wanted Grace more than I had ever wanted anything in my life. Actually, I didn’t want her. I needed her.
“I really love it out here,” she said.
“I really love you out here.”
She raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
I let out a cough and drained the rest of my red wine. “You know what I mean,” I corrected with a laugh.
Grace finished her drink in one gulp. “I think I know exactly what you mean,” she said, and then she didn’t hesitate to put her lips on mine.
I kissed her again and again. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me on top of her. I pushed a few pieces of blond hair from her face and traced her full lips with my finger. Her eyes reflected the flame from the nearest tiki torch. She had fire in her eyes. I looked at her, wondering what she was thinking. The flame danced in her irises, but she quickly extinguished it when she closed her eyes and pulled me to her.
Just like the last time I kissed Grace, her tongue grabbed onto mine and her teeth sank into my lower lip, delivering that subtle feeling of pain meets pleasure. I moaned, and she bit a little harder. She ran her hands through my hair as she kissed me. I tore my mouth from hers and kissed her neck and ear, biting and licking. She lifted her hips to me, giving me the green light.
“I want you, Grace.” I whispered hot breath into her ear.
A gentle breeze blew out six of the tiki torches, leaving just enough light to see only part of her face. Grace brought her hands to the bottom of my shirt. Her fingers curled beneath it, and she tugged it over my head. Running her nails down my neck, chest, and abs, she smiled.
I grabbed her shirt and she lifted her arms, allowing me to remove it. She was wearing nothing underneath. My hands immediately went to her breasts, cupping them, squeezing them.
Grace pushed me off of her and rolled me onto my back. She straddled me and then leaned down to continue kissing but only for a moment. Her lips left mine and left a wet trail going down my body. She unbuttoned my jeans and pulled part of me out of them. I laid under the stars while the most beautiful woman in the world devoured me. How did I get so lucky?
I stopped her before I finished. I couldn’t have the first time with Grace end so quickly. I wanted it to last forever. I wanted us to last forever. I’d never need another woman again if I had her, I told myself. I pulled her back up to me and kissed her again. Grace rolled onto her back, and I settled in between her legs, sliding her bottoms down. Kneeling in front of her, I took her all in. She was like a piece of art. She begged to be looked at, examined, studied. Grace smiled up at me. Her lips were swollen from our kisses. The fire returned to her eyes. I parted her legs a little more and brought my face to her center. I wanted to taste all of her. She moaned when my lips brushed against her most sensitive skin. She gasped as I went to work. Grace tasted sweet like a strawberry. Her back arched, and I ran one of my hands up her stomach, settling onto her breast. She grabbed a fistful of my hair as my tongue quickened.
“Calvin,” she said breathlessly. “I want all of you too.”
That excited me more, and I wanted her to lose control. I wanted her body to shake and tremble. I wanted her heart to race. I wanted her skin to sweat, her legs to quiver. I wanted her to explode, to cry out, to beg me to stop. I squeezed her breast hard. Everything I wanted out of her; she gave. She moaned so loudly, it sounded like the howl of a wild animal. Her whole body tightened, and she grabbed at my hair, yanking up on it.