Until the Stars Fall From the Sky Page 16
“I plead the fifth on those charges because you are so darn sexy. Being a caveman is sort of like self defense,” Jeff explains.
I quirk my eyebrow at him and tease, ”Is that the best you’ve got, PC?”
Jeff beats his chest and kisses me deeply and thoroughly. When we surface for air, Jeff winks at me. “Uh huh,” he growls.
Chapter 19: Jeff
All right, I’ll concede that Kiera has a point. I do sound a little ridiculous. There’s something about her that brings out every primitive overprotective, alpha male, caveman instinct I didn’t even know I had. I’ve always been sensitive to the well being of women because of what I’ve been through with my mom and sister, but I’ve never dated a woman like Kiera. She pushes all of my buttons in both a good and bad way. I struggle with my desire to simply wrap her completely in bubble wrap and lock her away in some private retreat somewhere so she never gets hurt, and I don’t have to share her with anyone.
Yet I know that isn’t fair to her or us. She has a gift to give the world, and I would be a selfish ba — butterfly if I stand in the way of that. Still, it doesn’t make it any easier to watch her cry over the kids or suffer from her own health crises. The upside — My God, what an upside — is better than anything that I could have conjured up in my imagination. She is compassionate and bright. She is wickedly funny and smart, but not in a way that demeans others. Our physical chemistry is off of the charts. People like my grandparents and mom always warned me it would be different when I found my “somebody’s everything”. Kiera is enchanting, with her alabaster skin, amazing eyes and fiery hair. But, it goes beyond her appearance. I’m a better, stronger person because Pip is in my life. It’s as if she has set me free to be the best me; I’m now a person that doesn’t have to play the role of a happy, contented person, because now I simply am.
I look up to find Kiera waving her fingers in front of my face. “Earth to Jeff…” Kiera is calling and I can tell by the bemused expression on her face that I’ve been spaced off for quite some time. “Where did you go?” she asks quizzically.
I answer honestly, “I guess I just disappeared in my head for a bit, but it was a good thing. I promise.” I grin slowly as Kiera scrambles up my body and straddles me. I practically hold my breath as I wait to see what she does next.
“I guess I’ll just have to find a way to capture your attention,” Kiera remarks coyly as she starts to unbutton my shirt. If it weren’t for the fact that her fingers are trembling and she is gnawing on her bottom lip, I might have fallen for the sexy vixen act, hook line and sinker.
“Pip, babe,” I caution, “It’s okay, we don’t need to discover it all in one nigh — “
Whatever I was planning to say completely evaporates into a haze of desire as she opens my shirt and places an open-mouthed kiss on my chest above my heart. I groan and rock my hips into hers. Even through my jeans, I can feel her warmth seeping through the layers. She grazes my nipple with her teeth and blows on the area to remove any trace of pain. Her innocent, open approach to seduction is more effective than something complex, scripted and contrived. Sweat gathers on my upper lip and temples as I focus on controlling my body’s reactions to the sensual onslaught as Kiera sucks my bottom lip into her mouth and runs her tongue across it. I thread my fingers through her hair and angle her mouth for a deep, hot kiss. As I massage her scalp, she practically purrs. “Like that?” As she nods, I’m suddenly curious about how much she can feel and whether she perceives things differently. “I’d like to try something to get to know you better, may I?” I ask as I catch my breath.
“It’s not going to hurt, is it?” Kiera inquires with trepidation. “When you’re done, is turn about fair play?”
My body responds instantly to her question. I thought I was about as rock hard as I could get, but it turns out, there is a level beyond. Beyond is reached when I imagine her doing all the things that I plan to do to her on me. “No, this should not hurt,” I explain, “I would never intentionally hurt you, but if something hurts or you want me to stop just say ‘black licorice’ and everything stops instantly. Are you ready for a very grown up game of Marco Polo?”
“Marco Polo? Don’t we need a swimming pool for that?” she queries, her brows knitting together.
I shoot her a half grin as I reply, “Not for the version we’re playing. How adventurous are you feeling, my Pip?”
I watch as Kiera swallows hard and licks her lip before she starts biting her bottom lip. Suddenly her eyes twinkle and she shrugs as she whips her camisole off over her head in a graceful move. “It’s safe to say; I’m open to adventure, PC –within reason, of course,” she announces. Her absolute faith in me renders me speechless as I consider the vision of loveliness that is before me. Her pale breasts are just the right size to be held, and her nipples are a pale shade of peachy-pink. They look fragile, like the inside of a conch shell. My eyes widen in surprise as my eyes travel lower. It’s a belly-button ring made up of cascading stars. “It’s very sexy. Why didn’t I notice this before?” I wonder, voicing my thoughts.
“Why thank you. You didn’t notice because I just put it in after my shower. I didn’t want to lose it in the hot tub. It has sentimental value because my dad gave it to me when I turned 18. As you can see, I’ve had an obsession with stars for a long time,” Kiera informs me with a good-natured smirk on her face.
“Well, it’s gorgeous; just like the woman wearing it. Be forewarned, this opens up a whole new avenue of gift giving options,” I warn, as I closely examine the construction of the body jewelry.
The sound of light laughter washes over me. “Again, am I supposed to find a downside here?” Kiera inquires.
“I think it’s time for our game of Marco Polo to begin. I need you to be nice and comfortable for this,” I instruct as I lay her carefully on the bed. I stick her iPhone in her stereo docking system and select a playlist called love songs. I dig through my overnight bag and find the red power tie I was wearing the day before. I noticed the matches on the nightstand next to the candles so I figure I might as well go all out and add to the ambience. After I light the candles, I bring the tie back to the bed and hold it in front of Kiera’s face. “Pip, I’m going to blindfold you with this, but it doesn’t mean I’m into chains and whips or punishment. I just want you to be able to focus on the sensation without being able to guess where I’m going next, okay?”
Kiera tenses at the word blindfold, but then relaxes when she hears the rest of the explanation. “I’m still in charge? All I have to say is black licorice?” she shudders as she asks. “Do you have any idea how much I hate black licorice?”
“Yes,” I answer, “you’re in complete control. I do know that you abhor black licorice, which is why I chose it as your term. You’re not likely to say it accidently. If you do say it, everything stops and the blindfold comes off.”
Kiera ponders the concept for a minute as she braids the ends of her hair. “Okay, PC, I trust you. Let’s go explore,” she declares softly, putting her hand in mine.
I’m suddenly as nervous as a kid before a talent show. “Pip, I want to learn all about what makes you happy. So, like in Marco Polo, please tell me ‘extremely warm’ if you really like something. Conversely, if something doesn’t do it for you, just say ‘ice cold” and I’ll move on to something else.
A tremble passes through Kiera’s body as she considers the possibilities. She gathers up her hair in the back so I can tie the necktie across her eyes. “I’m a little anxious,” she confides.
Me too, Pip, me too. I take a deep breath and begin the game. I run my fingers through her hair as I comment, “Based on your past responses, I’m going to guess that this is either a warm or extremely warm?”
Kiera makes an affirmative sound, but wrinkles her brow as she suggests, “Wait, that’s not enough choices, can I use a number ranking instead?”
“Sure, whatever floats your boat,” I answer, chuckling at her logic.
“It feels ni
ce, I’ll give it a seven,” she says, stretching her neck out.
I move to lightly suck on her earlobe. She moans, “Oh my, that’s a nine. Oh no! I’m going to run out of numbers,” Kiera frets.
“Pip, babe, there are a lot of numbers between zero and infinity. There aren’t any wrong answers. This is about telling me how you feel,” I respond softly. I kiss the end of her nose.
“Okay, I’ll give you points for sweetness, but only three.” Kiera sasses with a grin.
Time to pull out the big guns; I zero in on her collarbone. I kiss it, then nibble it on it for a moment and follow with more kisses. Kiera’s breath catches in her throat as she exhales harshly and her hips buck. “Can I rank that a 22?” she moans.
“Well, I’m headed in the right direction at least,” I retort.
I kiss the spot behind her ear; I can feel the wild tattoo of her heartbeat and smell the exotic scent of her perfume. I breathe in deeply, savoring the uniquely complex scent. I didn’t anticipate how challenging this exercise would be for my own libido. Kiera arches up toward my body as she whispers, “That feels so good, I think I’ll give it 25.”
The visual appeal of this picture is stunning. Kiera is laying on the chambray shirt that I was wearing earlier, one of the sleeves is laying across her thighs; she is lying blindfolded and topless with her beautiful auburn hair covering her breasts. It’s the stuff of fantasies. I move her hair aside and gently suck on her nipple. Kiera’s hips start to undulate. “Oh, that’s easily a 20,” she moans.
I kiss her elbow for fun. “You turkey! That tickles! You get -45 for that one,” she chortles.
“Sorry, babe, all good scientific practice. Got to be thorough,” I reply as I rain a series of kisses on the constellation of freckles on her shoulder.
Kiera arches her neck to grant me better access to the area. “No cheating," I tease. “What’s the score?”
“Fine, Mr. Bossy-Pants. It’s an 11,” Kiera replies, pointing to a tender pulse point on her neck, “Now, hush-up and kiss me.”
I oblige, kissing the tender area between her neck and shoulder. Kiera gasps when I scrape it with my teeth. “Please do that again,” she pleads. “That’s my new favorite. It’s at least a 30.”
“Of course, when you ask so nicely, what’s an honorary Boy Scout to do?” I acquiesce as I repeat my actions on the other side of her neck with the same explosive results.
I move down her body to where her silk sleep shorts are riding low. I place an open-mouthed kiss below her shiny cascading stars. Given her sensitivity to other things, I’m surprised when my actions don’t elicit any response.
“Jeff, why did you quit?” Kiera asks with a panicked look on her face.
I crawl up the bed and remove her blindfold. I pull Kiera into my lap as I prop us against her headboard. “Pip, I didn’t stop kissing you,” I cautiously reply, “I was kissing your abdomen, which must be below your level of injury.”
“Oh.” Kiera’s shoulders sag visibly as she absorbs the information. “I always knew things were going to be different for me. I guess I just didn’t stop to consider what that might mean until now. What if I can’t satisfy you?” she asks, her voice heavy with defeat.
“Pip, when have we ever done anything the usual way?” I assure her. “We’ll figure this out just like we’ve figured out everything else. Just to be clear, I’m sure we’ll find a solution to the problem, but not being able to have traditional intercourse with you is not a deal breaker.”
Kiera gives a bark of laughter as she states, “Geez PC, for a shy guy, you sure can be blunt when you want to be.”
I shrug as I concede, “I didn’t want there to be any confusion about the fact that I still want you.”
“What if I don’t think you should have to sacrifice your own desires and needs to be with me?” Kiera argues.
It seems that Kiera is going to need more than words to prove the point. I shift her body so that she is sitting next to me. I take her hand and place it in my groin area. Her fingers naturally follow the form of my shaft. My body twitches in response. “Does it seem like I’m going to have any trouble finding you sexy? Does this seem fake to you?” My jeans are ancient and well worn; I’ve run the risk of busting a button off all night and this certainly isn’t helping matters.
Kiera shakes her head mutely. She asks tentatively, “Jeff, may I take a turn being Marco Polo? I want to see if I have what it takes to make you happy.”
I haven’t come in my pants since I was about thirteen, but I came precariously close just now, thinking of the possibilities. I scrub my hand down my face. “Pip, there isn’t anything I’d like more. However, you need to know that this is going to mean a whole new level of intimacy for us. My pants are going to need to come off because these jeans are getting dangerously tight. Probably more importantly, you need to know that I won’t be able to survive the treatment I dished out to you without climaxing. It’s not something I do outside a serious relationship, and yours is the most serious I’ve ever had because I plan to marry you. I just want you to be prepared because it can be messy.”
Kiera has a look of total shock on her face, but then she breaks out into giggles as she remarks, “PC, you are so lucky that you already quasi-proposed to me, and I quasi-accepted — because this story is so not appropriate to tell any future grand-kids. I can’t be telling them about how their granddad was proposing marriage and talking about jerking off and the same sentence. You’ve really got that sweet and a tad twisted thing down to an art form.”
Sometimes I need a delete button. I blush as I say, “Okay, You’re right. I could have edited my thoughts better, but the sentiment is the same. It’s a big step.”
Kiera shakes her head in disbelief as she explains, “Jeff, the blindfold would have never gone on and my shirt would have never come off if I didn’t trust you completely. In my mind, we are already a couple because you’ve promised to love me for eternity. It might sound naïve in this day and age, but I’m going to take you at your word and choose to believe you. It’s a scary thing of course, because there is always a chance you are lying and anytime you choose to love someone. Life can get in the way and be cruel. But, it can also be beautiful. I’m hoping for beautiful.”
Once again, Kiera’s faith in me is humbling. “Pip, I want to give you beautiful. In fact, I want to give you all of it. When I saw you with Becca today, I envisioned you nursing our child in my grandma’s old rocker, and the idea didn’t even come close to scaring me. I’m there with you in my head; we just have to wait for circumstances to catch up to our hearts.”
“How would you feel if we ended up being parents sooner than we expected?” Kiera probes.
“Pip, you’ve explained your issues, so I’m going to be hyper-vigilant because I don’t want to do anything to put your safety at risk,” I answer, completely confused because I thought that we already covered this.
“But, what if things don’t go the way we planned?” Kiera insists.
“Then we’ll find a way to cope and triumph, side by side,” I state with confidence. Although I don’t know what Kiera is seeking from me, I seem to have passed with flying colors if her smile is any indication. “Do you need anything before we resume our game of Marco Polo? I’m going to make a brief pit stop.”
“I should probably do that too,” Kiera says. “There is a half bath down in the basement that my dad uses, do you mind using that?”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll meet you back here in about 10 minutes.” I rush to take care of business and I’m relieved to find an unopened toothbrush sitting in a case by the sink because I left mine in my truck. After I finish cleaning up, I go to the kitchen and snag a large piece of peach pie and two glasses of milk. I stick two forks in my back pocket and head to the bedroom.
As I go around the corner, Kiera is sitting on the bed wearing my shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She has her knees drawn to her chest and her arms crossed across them. Her head is buried in her
arms and she seems a million miles away.
When my lips touch her skin, she works to focus on me. “Are you okay? You seem distracted,” I ask quietly.
“Mm? Oh, right...yeah, I was just thinking about work, but I’m back now.” Kiera smiles shyly and kisses me as she answers absently.
“There’s your problem, Pip,” I tease. “This is supposed to be a work free zone. I guess I’ll have to work extra hard to distract you. I think I should start with food.” I reach over and grab the pie. When her eyes light up with interest, I offer her a bite. She picks up the other fork and extends a bite toward me. I watch her cheeks flush and breath quicken as she feeds me. Who knew such a simple act could be so arousing? My own heart pounds in response; I feel my primal caveman come to the surface. I want to forget all of our plans and the complications in our lives and make love with her until dawn.
“PC, you look like you want to eat me, instead of the pie,” Kiera remarks with a breathless laugh. “It’s a bit unnerving.”
“Well, I can’t exactly deny the truth of that statement, Pip. You are wearing my shirt, and I’m feeling very caveman-like at the moment, not a trace of Boy Scout to be found,” I answer as I put the pie down and kiss the heart shaped freckle between her breasts.
Kiera grins as she retorts, “Oh, I bet that I could find him.”
“Please,” I implore, “don’t look too hard. I have more enjoyable ideas about how we could occupy our time.”
“I’ve heard about those activities, I seem to remember they involved the removal of your pants.” Kiera teases as she reaches for my waistband.
I clasp her hands in mine and gently pull them away. “Pip, I love your enthusiasm but if we start the game of Marco Polo there, it’s going to be over before it starts.” As I stand to shed my jeans, I consider how awkward this is and count my lucky stars she agreed to my silly game in the first place.