Stripped (21 page)

They went into the house in the afternoon to make
lunch, and Abby went to their room to call home while Chris made them both a
sandwich. When she found him, his friends were in the kitchen with him, using
the blender to make tropical drinks.

“Hey, how are the girls?” Chris asked as Abby
approached.

“They’re good. Marla took them to a movie and some
kind of old-fashioned ice cream shop. They’ll be sorry to see me come home
after this weekend.”

“ You have
kids
? How old are you, anyway?”
Jen asked with an edge in her voice.

“25,” Abby said.

“24,” Chris corrected, looking confused.

“I turned 25 last week.”

Chris’ eyes bulged as took a step back from the
counter, looking shocked.

“I missed your birthday?” he cried. “Shit!”

“It’s no big deal. You didn’t even know. I had a
good day, really. Marla took me out for lunch and Audrey and Sara made me a
cake.”

“You’re the worst non-boyfriend ever,” Charlotte
quipped.

“Abby! Why didn’t you tell me?” Chris sounded hurt,
and Abby felt awkward about everyone else listening to them.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” he said with a sulky
expression.

Abby felt at home at the beachy bar Chris had chosen
for dinner. Everyone was dressed casually, and the smells of grilled seafood
reminded her how hungry she was as soon as they walked in.

“Alone at last,” he said with a smile as they sat
down. “I hope you didn’t mind hanging out with everyone else today.”

“Not at all. It was a great day,” she said. “I
thought it would be hard to relax and not worry about everything back home, but
it’s not.”

“Well, you know the girls are in good hands.”

“Yeah, that does help.”

“I’m glad you’re letting Marla take care of them,”
he said, sipping from the bottle of beer that had just been delivered to the
table.

“It wasn’t really that I let her …”

“It was. You have a hard time accepting help.”

“Maybe. There was a long time where no one was
offering, so that has something to do with it.”

A slow smile spread across Chris’ face as he looked
at her, and she couldn’t help smiling back.

“What?” she asked.

“This is just nice. A lot nicer than I even
imagined. Getting away with you. I like seeing you so relaxed and happy.”

“You make me relaxed and happy.”

“Do you mean all the time, or last night?”

She looked away, embarrassed by the satisfied grin
on his face.

“I think you already know how I felt last night.”

“I still like to hear you tell me.”

“Last night was amazing, Chris. But it left me
wanting something more.”

“More?” His defensiveness made her smile.

“I don’t mean that it was lacking. It was
incredible. It just made me want the real thing that much more.”

“Oh,” he said pensively. He took a long swig of his
beer, considering her words. “But I’m really loving that it’s all for you.”

“But why not both of us? I want it so much, Chris.
This is the perfect time and place. We’re on a break from reality.”

“I think you need to work on being selfish in bed.
You seem to think sex is for men, and I want to show you that it can be all for
you.”

“You have, Chris. And you’re right, it’s not
something I’ve ever enjoyed. Obviously, with Tim, it was terrible. And there
have only been two other guys. It was bad again with the second one, not
because he forced me, but because I just didn’t want to do it but I felt like I
had to. The third guy, in college, he tried. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good,
either. It was just something I did to make him happy.”

“I don’t want you doing it to make me happy, even if
that means we never sleep together,” he said.

“But I’m the one asking. I’ve wanted it with you for
a while. You’ve helped me find something I didn’t know was inside me, and I
want to share it with you. A lot of men have seen my body and used me for their
gratification, but there’s one thing I’ve never given anyone, and it’s my desire.
I feel this aching want to give it to you, and I hope you want it. I want the same
thing from you in return, Chris. Let me feel what it’s like to satisfy your
desire. Please.”

A man cleared his throat with embarrassment, and
Abby turned crimson as she realized the waiter had been listening. He stared at
her, fascinated.

“Can you not tell this is a private conversation?”
Chris snapped. The young man bowed his head and hurried away. Chris sighed,
looking lost in thought.

“Say something,” Abby begged. “I’m putting myself
out there completely right now. I feel naked. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I wasn’t expecting this. I planned for this weekend
to be about you only. But I do want it, Abby - what you’re offering me. This
part of you that wants to be loved, and I want to give you that part of me,
too.”

She smiled, feeling a rush a relief and joy. She had
been nervous, and now her body relaxed as the tension left her.

“Suddenly I’m not very hungry,” he said, his eyes
darkening with desire.

“Sorry, but I’m starving.”

He laughed heartily, reaching across the table to
squeeze her hand.

“You never fail to surprise me,” he said.

Chapter 11

Abby didn’t feel nervous until Chris put the rental
car in park at the beach house. The reality of what was going to happen hit her
then. She took a deep breath as she opened the door handle.

She envied the way he didn’t look nervous at all as
he reached for her hand. He wore his usual relaxed grin.

“Is everyone else out?” she asked as they entered an
empty house.

“Probably out back.”

As soon as Chris opened the door, they heard
laughter from the deck.

“Hi!” Kelana called, louder than necessary. “Go get
changed, you’re missing a hell of a good time out here!”

Chris opened his mouth to refuse, but Kelana
wouldn’t allow it.

“You blew us off last night after about two minutes.
Come on!”

“Let’s get in for a little bit,” Abby said. Chris
gave a groan that only she could hear.

Chris declined the beer Reed offered him as they
stepped into the hot tub after changing.

“I had enough at dinner, man,” he said.

“Abby?” Reed offered.

“No, thanks.”

“Are you like a recovering alcoholic or something?”
Jen asked snidely. “You haven’t had a drink all weekend. Or are you not old
enough to drink?”

“18-year-olds can drink in California, can’t they?”
Abby asked innocently.

“You’re 18?” Jen’s mouth hung open in astonishment.

“No,” Abby said shortly. “I’m 25, remember?” Chris
chuckled as he pulled Abby onto his lap.

“So, we’re married,” Kelana said, gesturing to Ty.
“And you guys aren’t together, but you’re more all over each other than we
are.”

“Maybe you should work on that,” Chris said.

Abby was glad when the conversation passed to
others. She quietly enjoyed the feel of the hot water, which warmed her in the
cool night breeze, lapping at her bikini top.  Chris rested his hands on her
thighs, and she inhaled sharply as one of them roamed high, his fingers edging
under the side of her bikini bottom. She knew everyone else was talking, but
she was only aware of the way his hands felt touching her in the warm water.

The loud howl of laughter broke her reverie, and she
heard Reed teasing Chris about a trick he’d played on him while they were in
medical school.

“So he was about to do a procedure on a cadaver, and
we changed the chart to show that it was a pelvic exam. Chris goes in the room
and puts the legs in stirrups and everything, he was about to do it, when I
told him it was bullshit. I thought he’d kill me on the spot. God, was he
pissed!”

“Physician, fuck thyself,” Chris said, laughing. He
rested his chin on Abby’s shoulder and she smiled as his breath warmed her ear.
His feet were entangled with hers beneath the water, and she wondered if she’d
ever felt so blissful.

“Let’s go to bed,” he said in her ear after a few
minutes. Though she was nervous, Abby was also eager, and she jumped up
quickly.

As they both dried off, she felt his eyes on hers.
The intensity between them was tangible.

“Do you want a drink to help you relax? I make a
pretty good one,” he said.

“Why, do I seem nervous?”

“Yeah. But don’t be. This doesn’t have to happen
tonight, you know.”

“Don’t you want it to?”

“Only if you do. “

“I’ll pass on the drink because I’m such a
lightweight when it comes to alcohol.”

He led her by the hand through the house and up the
open staircase to their room. As he closed the bedroom door, she turned to him
uncertainly. He sat down on the side of the bed and she joined him.

“I want you to know something,” he said. “Before I
met you, I was different than I am now. My world revolved around me. My
attitude about sex … I guess I never moved on from college, I’m embarrassed to
say. I thought fucking women was an accomplishment. But now … It’s been more
than four months since I’ve had sex, and I’m okay with it. I wanted to earn it
with you. If we do this, Abby, you can change your mind anytime. I need to know
you get that.”

“I do. And I’m on the pill, just so you know.”

 “You want me to use condoms anyway?”

“Don’t you want to?”

“I guess we should, to be safe.”

“Don’t you usually use them?”

“Always. But I’m clean, you’re clean, and I trust
that you’re on the pill, so I wanted you to know I’m open to it.”

“Better safe than sorry. You’d have to perform CPR
if I found out I was pregnant.”

“I really like your cynical, paranoid ways, Abby,”
he said, smiling as he brushed her hair away from her face. “You’re so sweet
and careful and conservative.”

“I must be the world’s only conservative stripper.”

“Don’t be conservative tonight,” he said, his voice
low. “Let go of your inhibitions and enjoy it. There’s no right and wrong. I’ll
do anything that turns you on.”

“I’m not a closet freak or anything. You won’t need
to unpack your whips and props.”

“Props?” he asked with a curious smile. “What props
do you think I have?”

“I don’t know, but some people are into like
horse-size dildos and butt plugs, and I just thought you should know, I’m not.”

“Me, either,” he said, amused. “I don’t need any of
that. Just straight sex is good.”

“Straight sex. Right.”

“Abby, don’t be so nervous. We can wait if you
aren’t ready.”

“I’m ready, it’s just that I’m … out of practice.”

“Don’t worry about it. Hey, let’s just get in bed
and talk for a while, okay?”

She nodded, exhaling with relief as she snuggled
against him. She was surprised how apprehensive she was about something she
wanted so much. Deep down, she knew her fear was disappointing him.

He propped his head up on his hand, resting on his
elbow. She reached up to his hair, running her fingers over it lightly.

“I love your hair,” she murmured.

“Do you? I’ve been thinking about getting it cut
really short.”

“No. I’d miss it.”

“Then I won’t.”

Abby smiled over at him as he grazed his fingers
across her stomach. The familiar burn of desire for more of him set in, and she
closed her eyes, relishing the sensation of his touch.

“You know what I love?” he said softly. “I love your
hazel eyes. They’re light brown, green and gold. More gold when you’re happy,
more brown when you’re sad.”

Abby reached her hand around the back of his neck,
pulling his face to hers, and his lips brushed against hers softly. Her heart
raced, knowing that this time would be different than the rest. This time they
wouldn’t stop. This time she would finally get to satisfy him.

The thought made her suddenly hungry to feel his
bare skin, and she stripped his t-shirt over his head, running her hands along
his arms and back, still warm from the day in the sun.

He was slow, unfastening the buttons on her shirt
one at a time, and kissing her stomach after each one, his lips climbing higher
as he opened it from bottom to top. The ends of his hair brushed against her
skin softly, and Abby wished for no woman but her to ever feel the brush of his
hair in such an intimate way.

“I want you all for myself,” she murmured, sighing
as his eyes looked up to hers.