A Twist of Fate (16 page)

"Cally leaves tonight,” I said.  “What are we going to
do until then?"

"We won't have access to the main house after today.  I
thought we could spend the day up there with Cally, if you want."

"Kay.  Let's have something to eat first, then we can
go see what she's up to."

Edwin went to the kitchen, turned on some music and rummaged
through the cupboards, while I blow-dried my hair.  He whipped up some fried
egg sandwiches and didn’t even ask for a hand.

When I returned from the bathroom, the table was set and the
sandwiches were coming hot off the pan.  "Wow, Eddie.  What's up with you? 
You going all Molly Maid on me?"

"You shut your mouth and enjoy it while it lasts."

I dramatized my silence and took a seat at the small, but
tall, table.  Then I picked up one half of my crustless sandwich and admired
how he had cut it into two perfect triangles.  He remembered just how I liked
it.

"There are other things I’m good at too," he said,
trying to get me flustered.  "But you already know that."

For some reason, this morning had become all about sex. 
Worse yet, Edwin’s goofy come-ons were actually turning me on something fierce. 
Cleaning up the table turned into a touchy-feely job, laced with flirtations.

After I stacked the dishes in the dishwasher, I pulled on my
jacket and some hiking boots, expecting to have to walk back up the hill.  When
I walked out the door, I saw that Edwin had already warmed up his truck.  I
smirked at him and gave him a little shove while he locked up the door.

"I thought my princess would appreciate the ride,"
he said, smirking.

I really did appreciate the gesture, even if he was only
teasing.  The drive was very short, but the walk would have been frosty and
tedious.  When he parked his truck, I leapt out of it and moseyed toward the
door of the eerily quiet house.  I instantly noticed a note tacked there.

I waved Edwin off and he slipped back into the warm truck,
as I feverishly snatched the letter off the door.  Ignoring the chill in the
air, I deftly unfolded the note and read every inky word.

Hey Guys,

So sorry I couldn't say goodbye, but I caught an early
flight.  The pool house is unlocked just for you.  I hope you two have a good
time! 
J

Love ya,

~ Cally

Just another part of her plan.  I would choke her for it
later.  For now, I had to return to the truck before suffering from frost bite. 
I reluctantly held up the paper to Edwin.  He pried the note from my fingers. 
I watched him read it, but he gave no hint as to what he was thinking.  His
face was blank until the last word, then a smile crept onto his lips.

"That Cally.  She's a piece of work.”

I felt like it was my fault.  “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”  He smiled at me warmly, when I
shrugged my shoulders, and the last of the ice on my heart melted away.  "What
do you say we go check out the pool house?"

I nodded and left the truck again, anxious to discover
another paradise.  Edwin met me around the front of his truck and followed me down
the recently cleared path.  We walked past the massive house of glass to the
log-built pool house, nestled along the tree lined forest on the far side of
the yard.

Steam escaped from the doorway when we hurried inside.  The
room felt like a sauna.  I watched Edwin slide his jacket off.  Then it was off
with his sweater and t-shirt, in another swift motion. 
Damn. 
I nibbled
on my bottom lip, with a new heat affecting me from the inside out.

Edwin tossed his clothes over a pretty, white wicker chair. 
"Hey.  Check this out," he said, lifting a pair spa robes out of the open
faced lockers.  "What do you say?”

"I didn’t bring a bathing suit."

"You don't need one," he informed me, then paused
to smirk.  His eyes slipped over my body, reminding me of the way he gawked at
my nakedness earlier this morning.  “Nothing I haven't seen before." 
Edwin stripped out of his pants and stood there looking like an underwear model,
while I was still bundled up in my winter wear.

Attempting to be as brazen as I claimed to be, I stripped
down to my hottest panties and caught the thick, white terry robe when Edwin
tossed it to me.  Suddenly, while I wrapped it around my mostly naked body, Edwin
dropped his drawers and flashed his amazing ass before my eyes.  My eyes
greedily consumed him, until he covered himself with the robe.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Oh.  You didn't get a good enough look?"  He
flapped open the robe, flashing me his solid thigh.

I knew what was hiding just behind that panel of fluff and
it made my mouth grow dry.  "That's not what I meant."  I pointed at
his shorts on the floor, to take my eyes from that delicious handout. 
"Those."

"I don't want my underwear to get cold," he said, completely
serious.

Skinny dipping?  Shit!  I am so naïve.

Edwin was definitely upping the ante and I greedily followed
after him.  It was absolutely frosty outside and I was instantly second
guessing the idea of swimming in the middle of a winter wonderland.  Edwin
forged on, wasting no time.  He hung his robe on a nearby hook and stood there
buck naked in the dead of winter.

Standing next to the pool in all his naked glory, he looked
like a gorgeous gladiator; a work of art.  Shattering my dreamy thoughts, he
leapt in the pool, hugging his knee. 
A can-opener.  Real mature.
  Half
of the water splashed outside the pool, a few drops spraying me in the face,
making me shiver.

"Oh, yeah.  This is nice," he said, with a wolfish
grin.

I dipped my toe in to test the water, even though he claimed
it was perfect.  The steam constantly escaping off the surface was another good
indicator of the temperature.  Edwin reached up for me and I scurried to back away
from him.

"Are you going to join me?  It's downright hot in
here."

I checked out Edwin’s wet, nude muscles, and then turned
away to work up some courage.  I hooked my robe up, swathed my sharp nipples
with an arm and looked to the main house.

"No one's here, Abs.  What are you afraid of?  It's
just you and me."

That's exactly what I’m afraid of.
  I scowled at him
over my shoulder and then slipped off my panties.  Embracing my daring self, I dove
right in.  Pins and needles tickled every inch of my frozen body as I
resurfaced.

Edwin stayed at the far edge of the pool, with his arms
casually stretched out at his sides.  Besides his head, his hands were the only
skin above the surface, attaching him to the pool ledge.  I could see the full
width of his chest just beneath the clear water.  After slicking my wet hair
back under water, I treaded in the middle of the pool, considering my next
move.

There was no turning back now. 
I am going to make a move
.

I swam closer to him, the splash of the water growing more
intense with every risky stroke.  His eyes dipped below the surface and I let
him have his look.  But I kept my distance, careful not to touch him, leaving a
smooth blanket of water between us.

Edwin locked his frosty, aqua eyes on mine and I watched his
features harden before me.  "I won't bite," he growled.  His eyes
darkened and he immersed his sexy stubble in the water, so his lips were
partially submersed.  "Unless you want me to."

Under Edwin’s brooding spell I daringly swam closer, my lips
now skimming the surface, mirroring his.  When he released the wall, my razor-sharp
nipples grazed his arm and I had to grip onto the edge of the pool to catch my
breath.  My fingers tingled from the cold, as my feet found a ledge to secure
me to the wall.  My fingers weren't the only things tingling.

Edwin kept his back pressed against the pool wall, waiting
for me to make the first move.  My heart skipped erratically, as I considered
telling him how badly I wanted him.  My emotions flared as fiery as my lust, in
sharp contrast to the cold air and the velvet water.  A fire burned in my
heart, as every thump dared me to lay it all out on the table.

With a quick breath, I scooped the water behind me, and
drove myself around Edwin, until my naked legs were spread on either side of
him.  My skin skimmed his, sending delightful bumps skipping down my arms and
up my spine.  My lashes fluttered shut and the atmosphere grew thick with
desire.  
His.  Mine.

I lifted my eyes to meet his and held his gaze through dark,
wet lashes.  "I have something to tell you," I said, my voice soft
and shaky.

I flattened my palms on his chest to distract his dark
stare, but he didn't remove that fathomless gaze from my face.  My cheeks
turned pink, but I forced myself to continue.

"Last night you kissed me.”  My teeth grazed over my
bottom lip, as I remembered his chaste kiss.  “I haven't been able to think
about anything else since."

A devious smile slanted across Edwin’s sexy lips, but he
didn’t speak.

“I feel like I'm under your spell and I can't lie to you."

I felt his body stiffen, his confidence waning.  "What are
you saying then?"

"I'm saying I'm still in love with you, Eddie."

I COULDN’T BELIEVE that the words
had actually left my lips and I became too terrified to cover his mouth with
mine. 
What if that's the last thing he wanted to hear?
  I held my last
breath in my lungs, waiting for his response, feeling unpredictable,
unprotected and free.

Edwin didn't remark smartly or do anything to validate my
feelings, and it only made me feel foolish to think that he might have felt the
same way.  I dipped my chin, humiliated by his lack of response.  Then Edwin slipped
deeper into the water and gently guided my chin upwards, forcing me to see him
eye to eye.  I knew that look.  I recognized it well.

When Edwin slowly leaned into me, my eyes fluttered shut, my
body painfully aware of his nakedness.  Then he kissed me.  It was gentle at
first, a reproduction of our innocent kiss from the club.  Then his warm tongue
trimmed my mouth and dipped inside.  His large hand massaged over my breasts,
as he swallowed my soft whimper.

He tasted me, drank from my lips, then covered them entirely
with a soul deep kiss that I felt right down to my trembling toes.  When he gripped
onto my bottom with both of his hands, the water swished away, leaving nothing between
us.  I whimpered again from the delightful friction, unable to ignore the
rigidness pressed against my middle.

I slipped my hand between us, his silent praise mounting my
desire at a ravenous pace.  I was becoming borderline obsessive and, unable to
restrain myself, I wrapped my legs around his waist, ignoring the faint unease
that had settled in the back of my mind. 
It was more than sex.
  At
least it was for me.

When Edwin finally edged himself inside of me, I panted,
swept into a mindless climax.  He nuzzled my face and held me close, my body
quivering around him, as I surrendered to my desire.  With a soft breath, he
inched a little deeper.

"Are you okay?"

I lowered my head to his shoulder to regain my voice, but
only giggled erotically.  I ran my fingers through his sexy, wet hair and
pressed my lips against his, selfishly wanting more of him.  My entire body
trembled as he dipped deeper yet.  Then he spun me around and plugged me in to
the pool wall.

When his body collided against mine, it sent repetitive earth-shattering
vibrations through me.  I moaned with each pleasure-filled thrust and it echoed
over the snowy hillside.  The deeper he plunged, the stronger my yearning grew,
but the water posed a great barrier.  Edwin pulled back, and stopped our
vigorous kiss. 
He can’t stop now!

"What do you say we take this inside?"

I glanced back at my robe, but couldn't fathom the thought
of leaving his arms for the cold.  My body was already shaking.  Was it from
the cold or everything else?  I didn’t know.

Edwin recognized my concern and chuckled softly, as he withdrew
our connection and lifted that glorious body out of the pool, with one foot. 
"I want you inside," he ordered.

I was mesmerized by the sight of his wet, rigid muscles, and
the promise in his deep voice.  Suffering from withdrawal already, I swam straight
for my robe and wrapped myself up, making a dash for the pool house.  Edwin was
already lounged back on his elbows on a wooden-slat bench when I got inside. 
His stare instantly seared my frozen nerves, his own excitement deceiving his
cool composure as it tried to escape from his parted robe.

Regaining my own composure, I let my robe slip down my arms,
until it dropped to the floor.  I stood motionless for a moment, giving Edwin
time to get his fill.  Then I approached him and sprawled over his lap, my
knees resting on either side of him.  My hands edged inside the front of his
robe, my lips touching his smooth, flat chest.

Edwin closed his eyes and smirked.  "You only want me
for my body."

My smile was even more devious.  “Is that a problem?" 
I pressed myself against him and he returned the gesture with a kiss that sent
shivers all over me.

Edwin was boiling inside his robe, so I yanked it open
exposing the rest of that sculpted muscle.  He groaned when my soft, cold skin
touched him and I whimpered as he lifted me off of him.  He swiftly removed his
robe and laid it over the warm, wooden bench.  Then I crawled onto it and
glanced at him over my shoulder.  He backed away to have another look.

His naked body never failed to mollify my resistance, as his
desirous smile shattered my insecurities.  Edwin stood over me with an
impenetrable stare until his body collided with mine, and he entered me, fully
erect.  I rolled my head back, taking all of him, as he held onto my hips and
repetitively stoked my desire.

Reaching a hand around me, his fingers slipped between my
legs and he circled my pleasure zone with the perfect amount of pressure.  It
felt too good, so fast.

"I'm not on birth control right now,” I blurted, with
my hands still clamped onto the bench beneath me.  “Please tell me you have a
condom."

Edwin increased his pace, causing my desire to overwhelm me. 
I couldn’t hold on any longer.

"Tell me I'm the only one," Edwin grunted, with his
pelvis violently slapping against me.

"You're the one," I breathed, as tears sprang from
my eyes.  And before I could win against the urge to stop him, mind-blowing
tremors sensually ripped through my entire body disconnecting me from reality.

Edwin groaned as my body convulsed around him, pulling him
over the edge with a final pump.  Seismic waves of pleasure filled me, as Edwin
held on and gave me all of him.  Then he dropped his spent body over mine and I
flattened beneath the weight of his large frame, feeling completely satisfied.

When I turned my head sideways and rested it on my hands, Edwin
lifted his heavy chest and stared into my eyes, breathless and vacant.  Then he
dropped a soft peck on my lips and peeled himself off of me, heading straight
for the shower.  After drying my sweaty, love soaked body with a towel, I pulled
on my robe and walked over to the window for a distraction.

Edwin's naked body in the open shower did nothing to help
wind down my sex drive, so I focused on the hills of glistening snow and heavy
evergreen braches.  Everything seemed so peaceful and wonderful, like the
emotions crowding my heart.

Edwin wants me and he wants to give me babies.
  I was
so joyful I wanted to cry.

When the water stopped running, I turned back to Edwin.  He
had already wrapped a towel around his waist and was running a small towel
through his spiky hair.  As he steadily approached me, my heart skipped a beat
and then another.  He dipped his head and kissed me.

"It's all yours, babe."

Reluctantly, I left him and hustled over to the shower.  While
I rinsed my hair, I noticed how he too had set up shop in front of the window. 
My eyes continued to drift back to him, while he stared out into the distant
forest.  It was like he was miles away, lost in his own mind.  A violent chill
struck me. 
Please tell me he isn't having second thoughts already.

I cranked off the hot water, dried myself and scurried to my
pile of clothes.  After pulling them on in a rush, I finger combed my hair and scrubbed
it as dry as possible.  Edwin hadn't moved a muscle for minutes.  I was scared
stiff.  I slowly approached his chair and placed my hands on his shoulders.  I glanced
out the window, trying to find what he was looking at.  Nothing had changed.

"It's beautiful out there, huh?" I asked.

There was a deafening silence.  "Huh?  Oh.  Right.  Yeah,
it is."

I had just poured my heart out and made love to him, but he
didn’t seem too interested to share his feelings.  In fact, he hadn’t reciprocated
anything but sexual desire.  When my conscience caught up with me, I had to
escape.  The silence became irritating.

“I'm going to head back to the guesthouse."  I turned
away and grabbed my jacket, expecting to go alone.

Edwin stood up instantly and it caught me off guard.  "I'll
come with you," he said, acting baffled by the suggestion but sharing little
else.

I slipped on my boots and we left the pool house together.  The
wind was now brutally cold and, in the short time it took to round the house,
my hair had already turned to ice.  Snow was being viciously whipped around
like a cloud of dust in a storm.  I couldn't lose the shivers and my teeth
started to chatter.

Not only did Edwin not acknowledge the cold, but he didn't
seem to notice that I was shaking like a leaf either.  I stared into the forest
as we slowly crept down the hill and full, heavy flakes of snow began to
plummet from the sky.  Frustration gnawed at my insides as I silently scooped
up the keys off the dash.

When Edwin pressed the brake, I swung my door open and went
straight inside.  After tossing the keys on the kitchen counter, I hung up my
coat and shivered from the eerie chill in the room.  The fireplace had been
turned off and the heat was turned much too low, but instead of kicking it back
on, I ran to the bed and wrapped up in the blankets.

Moments later, I heard the rumble of Edwin’s engine as he pulled
away from the cabin.  If it were time or space that he needed, I would give it
to him.  Not that I had much choice in the matter.  Despite telling myself that
it would be okay, that didn't stop the onset of my heartache and the debilitating
mental anguish that hounded me.

I surrounded myself with pillows and soft, fluffy blankets,
but it didn't shake the void emerging in my chest.  I felt like I had flattened
out on the bed and let Edwin cut open my chest with a knife.  Then, after
slicing open my heart, he sewed me back up like that.  I lied in the bed,
immobilized, feeling destroyed.  My blood oozed internally, trapping all of my
love for Edwin inside of me.

The bed was unable to offer me the warmth I so desperately sought. 
I inwardly cried, near hysteria, but outwardly I denied myself the release. 
Crying
wouldn't change anything.

I forced my eyes shut and demanded that my brain shut down
for a nap, but reminders of my plans for marriage first, baby later, ran
rampant in my thoughts. 
Tell me I'm the only one
, Edwin whispered in my
thoughts. 
You're the one.

Why had I believed something really special had happened in
that moment?  If our relationship was truly over, I needed know that so I could
redirect my feelings toward something more sensible and relevant.  I groaned out
loud, feeling like a failure, my body and mind battling it out.

With a glance out the tall window next to the bed, I noticed
that the snow had picked up significantly, darkening the afternoon sky.  A
tremor rocked through me just thinking about the cold.  I needed to think of
warm thoughts.  I needed to feel Edwin’s big, warm arms wrapped around me.  I needed
to hear him growling sweet nothings in my ear.  His smile could mend my throbbing
heart. 
I need that.  I need him.

Any hope of returning to a happy place was shattered when a disturbing
memory crept ahead of those thoughts.  The memory reeled before my eyelids,
giving me another stab of guilt.  Edwin had just realized that I was going to
Cameron's for the Christmas holidays and despite his disappointment, I was so very
happy.  Cameron made me feel that kind of happy.

I don't want you to go
, Edwin had said. 
Are you
sure this is what you want?

I was so sure that Cameron was
the one
.  I even told
Edwin so.  I still remembered how Edwin shuddered when I said the L word.  But
I loved Cameron.

My memories fast forwarded through every moment when Edwin
had put me on the spot and I went against every chance he offered me.  How
could I expect him to take me back now?  It was times like this that I wished I
didn’t have such a crisp, photographic memory.

Another hour of reminiscing came and went.  Still, Edwin was
gone.  I hated myself for acting out on my silly fantasies, when I should have
stayed true to myself.  Giving in to my sexual urges, I had forced myself on
Edwin, knowing that I had quit taking birth control over a month ago.  Edwin
knew he could have gotten me pregnant too, but that didn’t stop him.

I could be pregnant now!

***

I OPENED MY EYES to pitch
blackness.  I couldn't see a thing and I started to feel paralyzed with
fright.  I heard a rap on the window next to me.  When I turned my head, I
remembered being in the guesthouse. 
Alone. 
It was dark outside, but an
even darker silhouette slowly passed by the window in the direction of the
front door. 
Had I remembered to lock it?

Fear swallowed me whole when I remembered leaving it open
for Edwin.  My heart beat so loud, I couldn't hear anything over it except for
the terrifying tapping sound on the skylight.  Dark shadows cascaded across the
ceiling of the living room. 
It was only tree branches
, I told myself,
to stop from having a mental breakdown.

When the floor creaked near the door, a chill attacked my
body and I was sure I would lose my mind from the endless charade of unexplainable
noises.  Then a sudden loud thump sounded around the corner.  Startled, I let
out a scream.  Crouched in the corner of the bed in terror, I reached for my
cell phone and texted Edwin.  I stared at the screen, silently pleading for
help, but there was no reply.

In need of protection, I yanked a cord from the wall and
pulled the large, decorative lamp from the nightstand.  There was nowhere to
hide.  I urgently dialed Edwin’s number.

"Come on, Eddie.  Pick up your phone," I begged. 
It rang once and went straight to voicemail.

When I heard his voice, even if it was only a message, it
returned me from the brink of delirium.  I slid my back up the pile of pillows until
I was propped against the headboard.  I lifted myself up so I could see if
there was anyone or anything in the other room, still clutching the rounded
lamp.  My eyes scattered over the room, but I couldn’t see anything.  Then I
heard the door creak shut.