Choice Matters (Southern Heat Book 1) (10 page)

Apolo
hopped out of the SUV and
unlocked it with a small key then pulled it to one side before re-entering the
vehicle. He drove through far enough for the SUV to clear then repeated the
entire process. Finally, he continued to follow the dirt and gravel road
through the woods until we came to a clearing.

Sitting in the clearing, barely in view of the lake, sat a
very small, older log cabin. Exactly as he described it, there was nothing
fancy about this home. Pulling up in front of the structure, he shut off the
engine.

“See, I told you. Just a place to come and think.”

“I’m impressed. I really wasn’t expecting this.”

Unfastening his seatbelt, he opened his door and sauntered
over to my side. I undid my belt as I waited for him to come open my door. When
he did, I took his hand and let him assist me out. He was the perfect gentleman
as he led me to the front door. As I waited for him to unlock it, I noticed how
dark the trees made it seem. Granted, it was dusk, but the forest allowed very
little light down from the canopy.

My breath hitched as I passed his larger masculine body and
made my way inside the house. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what would
happen the second that door shut. So intense was the air that the hair on the
back of my neck and arms stood on end. What was it about this man?

We stood facing each other, his face inches from mine. His
arms wrapped around me as his mouth met mine in a lavish, soul-wrenching kiss.
It was beyond my expectations, leaving me breathless for more. I was too
overcome by his passion to do much more than hold on. One hand was firmly
around my waist, the other wandering, touching, feeling, grasping what had until
now been out of reach.

Finally, he broke away, our foreheads touching. We were both
panting, needing. “My god, Caitlyn,” he gasped as he tried to straighten up. “I’m
sorry. I’m being rude. Can I get you something to drink? I thought we’d grill
out in a while…”

“No,” I heard myself murmur. “I don’t want anything but you.”
It was true. My body ached for him, for his touch. I wanted him to touch me in
places I had only dreamed of. I wanted him deep inside me.

He kissed me deeply once more, our mouths locked together by
passion, our tongues sparring in a duel. Taking me by the hand, he led me into
a small, dark bedroom. We stood there undressing ourselves as fast as we could.
Everything about him turned me on, but especially the way he touched me until he
coaxed me into orgasm…not that it took much coaxing.

He nibbled and kissed his way down to my breast, plumping it
in his palm as he gently bit the pink, pointed tip before
laving
it and suckling as I squirmed under him. Then, he slid lower, licking his way to
my navel, then even lower. I melted into him, lifting my hips toward his mouth,
his tongue. I thought I would come unhinged as he nipped at my clit in such a
way that my body screamed for more.

My hands fisted into the sheets as I licked my parched lips.
I moaned as his tongue pushed into me, his fingers parting the folds of my
womanhood. Never had I felt anything as erotic as I did at this moment. I
groaned as he glided over my swollen clit. “Oh God, I’m going to come again.”

My body melted as he made one last, hard lick and then
sucked. My orgasm radiated through my very essence. He kept thrusting his
tongue into my sex as I convulsed from the white-hot tremor that filled me.

Before I could recover, he flipped me over to my stomach,
positioning me at the edge of the mattress. He positioned my hands above my
head, my fingers intertwining. Running his hands down along my body, he
whispered, “Damn, I love to watch you come. You look like an angel.”

I felt the tip of his cock as he readied himself. His weight
bore down on me as he thrust inside me, stretching me, filling me. He gathered
one hand under my stomach, supporting me as he pushed in and out, until his
body began to quiver and he began to rub that nub, coaxing me over the edge
again. His hips ground against me, the wet flesh slapping as he pumped
furiously into me until his release.

I lay there dripping in my sweat, as well as his. He
carefully maneuvered us so that I was cradled in his arms.

If I told you the first time was all primal, slamming sex, I’d
be lying. Had all that nonsense which had spewed out of
Apolo’s
mouth been a lie, a hoax, perhaps even a front? Not entirely.

I awoke hours later, surprised I had fallen asleep at all.
Apolo’s
musky scent permeated my pillowcase, the sheets on
which I lay. But the bed was void of his body. I stayed still for a few minutes,
taking in the sounds of the cabin. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, I
quietly rose. The door to the bedroom was pulled to, but not completely shut.
The soft glow of a lamp beckoned me into the living room.

There he sat, naked as the day he was born, on a soft, black
leather recliner. His legs parted, his arms propped up on his knees, a brandy
snifter in one hand. He was staring into space. If he was aware of my
approaching presence, he didn’t let on.

Stealthily I neared, my arm wrapping around his muscular
shoulder, trying desperately not to gawk at all he revealed. “Something
bothering you,
Apolo
?”

He shifted the snifter from his left hand to the right. Then,
he stretched the free one and took hold of mine. “No, I couldn’t sleep, and I
didn’t want to wake you.”

“
Apolo
, we may be new at this
couple thing, if that’s what we’re becoming, but I think I know you well enough
to know when you’re not being honest with me.”

“Ah yes, us. Come. Sit with me. Can I get you a brandy?”

“No, thanks. I’ll just grab a bottle of water.” I pulled my
hand away from his and turned toward the kitchen. I didn’t look back. I
wondered what was up with him and what he meant by his last comment.

Re-entering the room, I found he had changed where he was
seated. I joined him on the soft, black, leather sofa.

“So, what’s so serious that you couldn’t sleep?” I asked,
cracking open the plastic bottle.

He took a long swallow off his brandy. I tried shamelessly
not to look down. The man was again aroused.

“This,” he replied, his hand tapping where a knee should be,
but where a prosthetic limb began instead.

“What happened?”

“What happened is not important right now, Caitlyn. I’ll
tell you the whole gory story later. What’s important right now is that I’ve
let my guard down with you.”

“Is that a bad thing,
Apolo
,
letting your guard down?”

“I’m not sure how I feel about it, to be honest with you.
Apart from immediate family, you are the first person who knows of my…my deformity.”

“Your family, me, and the medical personnel, you mean.” I
hoped my attempt at humor wouldn’t darken his already bleak mood.

“Yes, of course.”

“And you’re afraid, now that I know about this, it will run
me off. Am I close?”

“Yes. That was the real reason for the contract I brought
up. I don’t want pity, Caitlyn. What happened, happened. It was a stupid
accident. No one is to blame but me.”

“Well, it’s going to take a lot more than the fact that you’ve
lost part of a leg to run me off, Choice. A lot more.”

“You’re sure? You don’t find it grotesque?”

“No, no, I don’t. And yes, I’m sure. Tell me something,
though—why now?”

“Oh, for several reasons. For now, the one I can share is
the fact that I desperately wanted to feel your skin next to mine. No fabric,
no nothing between us. Only you and me. And I thought here would be as good a
place as any. Better, actually. It’s quiet, no interruptions…”

I moved closer to him, putting my hand over the point where
his real leg stopped and the artificial one started. So, this was his Achilles
heel, his weakness. He trusted me enough to share this with me. Had there been
others?

“May I ask you something? Have you ever, um, revealed your
uniqueness to any other women?” I eyed him with interest, trying to detect his
answer.

“Yes, once. It was not too long after my accident. The sight
horrified her, and ever since then, I’ve made sure no woman has known. Until
you…” He spread his legs, opening his thighs to me.

There was scarring, very close to his…
Oh, shit
.

“You see that scar? Well, it used to be red and ugly. I came
close to losing my junk, Caitlyn.” He stifled a laugh. The look on his face
told me how difficult telling me this detail was for him. For the first time,
his eyes weren’t as bright as they normally were.

“
Apolo
, the past is the past. I am
so grateful that you’ve shared this with me. We’ll be fine.” I moved my hand
slowly to the scar, tracing it with my fingers, moving toward his arousal. “Thank
goodness you didn’t lose your junk, or we wouldn’t be about to fuck, would we?”

“No, we wouldn’t. Caitlyn…”

“Save it for a while, Choice. What else is on your mind? I
know you’ve had a lot going on lately. It can’t be anymore mind-blowing that
what you just revealed.”

“You know a couple senators and highly visible Washington
businessmen have been calling me.”

“I’ve heard you mention them from time to time. Or been in
your office when they’ve called you.”

“It seems my name keeps popping up in conversations
concerning a certain political office.”

“And you’re seriously considering it?”

“Let’s just say, I’m open to the possibility.”

“What’s the problem, then?”

“Us, for one. I refuse to give you up for some senate seat.
I’ve been looking for you all my life, and I won’t have anyone dictate how I do
or do not live.”

“So, we either have to stop being fuck buddies and refocus
our relationship into something more or we need to stop seeing each other
entirely. Am I close?”

“I never thought of you as a fuck buddy. I want you there
with me. We’ll figure us out as we go.”

“What are you saying? How would that effect my position at
Choice?”

“Nothing changes.”

“How long have you been thinking about this?”

“Off and on for some time now. We’re good together, Caitlyn.
The sex just makes it better, more complete. Think about it. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Fair enough. Now, let me ask you—is this something you want
to do? Get into politics?”

“I’ve thought about it off and on for years. I really think
I have a lot to offer people.”

“Oh, you do have a lot to offer people,
Apolo
.
I promise I’ll think about it. Just let me digest what you just told me.”

“Fair enough.”

* * * *

I slept fitfully the remainder of the night. It seemed to
affect
Apolo
the same way. Finally, I gave up, threw
on a pair of shorts and a tank top, and headed to the kitchen. Coffee. I needed
coffee. I found the container with whole beans next to a grinder. I pressed the
start button until I was satisfied with the consistency. Once the water came to
a boil, I poured it over the grounds in the French press.

Too keyed up from the previous night’s activities and
conversation, I began to cook breakfast. I was so engrossed in my thoughts, I
never heard
Apolo
enter behind me.

“Smells wonderful, Caitlyn.”

I swung around to find him standing there in a pair of
running shorts, nothing more. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“No, I couldn’t sleep, either. Is that coffee I spy over
there?” He motioned to the counter.

I nodded, as my hands were busy with the task in front of
me. “Yes, it’s fresh, too.”

He stood beside me, rummaging through the cabinet above for
a mug. Upon finding the one he wanted, he poured himself a cup, no cream, no
sugar. Black and strong.

“I thought perhaps we could do some fishing after breakfast.
It’s supposed to be a prime time. That is, if you’re up to it.”

“Yes, I’m game. It would probably be good to get our minds
off other stuff.”

“Exactly.”

Finally, I finished cooking and plated him a helping of
eggs, bacon, and toast, setting it in front of him. After making one for myself,
I sat down at the small table across from him.

“So, you want my answer, Choice?”

“You’ve decided? Already?”

“Yep, and my answer is yes. If you want to pursue politics,
and it means making our relationship public, then yes, I support you. One
hundred percent. We’ll work it out.”

“You’re sure you want to do this, Caitlyn? Once it starts,
there’s no turning back.”

“I realize that, and I trust you’ll do the honorable thing
and not kick me to the curb.”

“I could never do that. My feelings for you are too deep now
for me to ever go back.”

“Eat your breakfast,
Apolo
, before
it gets cold. It’s too early in the morning to hear you become all mushy.”

A lopsided grin flicked across his angular face as he
studied me for a moment. “Is that the best you’ve got?. You agree to let me
turn your world upside down, forever changed, and you tell me to eat my
breakfast?”

“It is what it is,
Apolo
. It’s not
like this won’t be the center topic of all our discussions this weekend now.
Among other things…”

“True. I simply expected something a little more dramatic.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not much on high drama.
You’ve met my mother, that’s as high as it comes in my little corner of the
world.”

“Used to, Caitlyn. Like I said, if you want to back out, now’s
the time to do it.”

“Eat your damn breakfast before the fish do whatever it is
fish do, and I’m blamed for none being around for you to catch.”

Finishing our meal, I was pleasantly surprised to find
Apolo
alongside me, drying dishes as I washed and rinsed.