The Future of Our Past (The Remembrance Trilogy) (36 page)

“Me too. Soon. I’m bushed, honey. I spent 6 hours in class and 8 hours in clinical today.”

“Okay, babe. Go to bed. Just don’t forget to dream of me.”

He groaned into the phone. “Always. I imagine you in that bed all alone without me. Julia…?” he hesitated.

“What?” I urged him on softly.

“Do you ever think about easing the ache?” My body reacted at his words. We’d talked about that before and he knew what I was going to say.

“I think about it. Sometimes I miss your touch so much I can hardly stand it.”

“So take care of it,” he suggested huskily.

“It wouldn’t be the same. Your hands are the only ones I want on my body, Ryan. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Uhnnn…I love hearing that. You know what it does to me.”

“I know, baby, me too, and it just makes me more anxious to see you. It’s sort of sweet torture,” I said softly.

“Now I’m going to go to bed with a huge hard-on.”

I laughed softly under my breath. “You do it to yourself, honey. That’s what you get for bringing it up.”

“
You
do it to me. I can’t wait until Friday,” I could hear the sex throb through his voice and my body reacted as if he were in the room with me. “It was vindictive sending me the lingerie with your scent all over it.”

“Deal with it.” I threw his own words back in his face, a soft smile tugging at my lips.

“You’re gonna get it, Miss Abbott.”

“Mmmm…counting the minutes until I do.” My heart squeezed knowing that if I went to Paris, all we’d have to sustain us for months on end, were phone conversations.

“Ugh! Baby, I’ll let you go to bed. Don’t forget…only my hands on your body. Only me who brings you to that.”

“Uhh…Ryan…” I whispered achingly. “Yes, baby.”

“God, I love you.”

“Love you more.”

“Baby, stop. We do this all the time.”

“Okay, it’s a tie then.”

“That works for me. Goodnight, my love. Don’t forget to ache for me.”

“I can’t help myself. Goodnight, sexy beast.”

Counting the minutes…I
was counting the minutes, too.

Literally.

I smiled a huge ass grin, my heart racing a thousand beats a minute as I hailed a cab. Still in my scrubs, I’d run to the train station straight from my rotation shift. I threw my duffle in the cab before climbing in and giving the driver Julia’s address in Upper Manhattan.

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
Only minutes now
. She’d be surprised at the extra two nights together and I was feeling as satisfied as a cat that just ate the canary. I was so hungry for her, my mouth had gone dry and I had perpetual wood just thinking about her.
Shit.

The cab driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. He was an older gentleman with graying hair and a scruffy beard.

“Going to see your girl?” His smile was warm and I nodded.

“Yes. I haven’t seen her in almost two months. I’m very anxious and I’m surprising her. She isn’t expecting me for two more days.”

“Ah. Are you sure that’s wise son? Maybe she’s
busy
.” I knew he was implying that she might have another boyfriend.

“Hmmph. Yes, it’s fine.” I rolled my eyes in disgust at any doubt over her devotion. “She’ll be happy as shit to see me. We’ve been together almost 8 years. Trust me, we’re as tight as it gets.”

“And yet you still seem excited to see her. After all this time?”

I contemplated his remark and considered how much I wanted to share. After all, I’d never see him again and he was only making polite conversation, even if the question did piss me off slightly.

“We’ve only been a couple for half that time, before that, best friends; inseparable from day one. Julia is an extraordinary woman, and yes, she still excites me as much as ever.” I smirked and shoved my hand in the pocket of my leather jacket, fingering the red silk lingerie that she’d sent me for Valentine’s Day. I was feeling mischievous and so I pulled it out, holding it up for him to see in his mirror. It was a sexy little nothing that he could clearly see my face through and his eyebrows raised and he let out a low whistle.

“Did you get her that for Valentine’s Day?”

“Nope.” I laughed and shoved it back into my pocket. “
She
got it for me. Getting her into and out of this sexy little thing will be my pleasure about 10 minutes from now.”

She’d probably be in bed already and it was my plan to sneak in and try to catch her off guard. She could wear it tomorrow night. Tonight, I was too impatient to feel her skin on mine.

“Okay, enough said. If she’s that sexy, how’d you manage to just be friends for so long?”

I shook my head as I glanced out the window and answered, more to myself. “Fuck if I know.”

“I don’t mean to pry. I’m just bored and my wife died five years ago. It’s nice to hear some happy stories for Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. How long were you married?”

“38 years. She had cancer. Are you planning on marrying this girl?”

“I’m asking her this weekend.” I took the ring out of the inside pocket of my jacket and flipped open the box, gazing down at the glittering stones set in platinum. My thumb brushed over the top of the solitaire. “Finally, we’ll be able to be together.”

“Oh? You aren’t now? Why not?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Well, she has a high powered job at Vogue Magazine and I’m just finishing medical school in Boston. I’m moving here in June to begin my residency at St. Vincent’s.”

“Wow. You two will have a great life.”

“Yeah. Once it starts. It’s been hell being apart,
but
…that is almost behind us now,” I said, my excitement becoming more than I could bear as he pulled up beside Julia’s apartment building. It was an older building, but the apartments inside were freshly remodeled and it was a very secure building in a good neighborhood.

“Good luck to you, son. You have my best wishes with your bride-to-be.”

I handed him a fifty dollar bill. “Keep it. And thank you,” I smiled before I slung my bag over my shoulder and bolted up the stairs and into the building. The doormen all knew me, and so I waved and rushed past him into the elevators.

“Hello there! Is it Dr. Matthews yet?”

“In a few months, David!”

I rode the elevator up to the eleventh floor, so excited that it felt like my skin was crawling around on my body. I pulled her apartment key out of my pocket and slipped it into the lock, opening the door as quietly as I could. I nudged the door open slowly and sighed in relief when only darkness met me. I caught the door and held it, letting it close carefully. I turned the deadbolt softly, set my bag down next to the door and kicked off my shoes.

I was dying of thirst so I went to the refrigerator where Julia would have bottled water en mass but was assaulted with the beautiful cake she’d made sitting on the shelf. It looked like it came from a bakery, but I knew better. She’d kill me if I cut into it until she was ready to let me, but it was hard to resist. I slammed the water and then tiptoed down the hall to Julia’s room.

The apartment was shrouded in darkness and the scent of her was everywhere. My breathing sped up when I got to her room. I could hear her breathing softly, obviously deep in sleep. The comforter was slung low on her hips and she was on her back, her left arm flung above her head and her glorious dark hair flowing all over the pillow.

I knelt next to the bed and looked into her beautiful face. She was relaxed and her lips were open slightly. She licked them and turned toward me. My body tightened as the sweet warmth of her breath washed over my face. I longed to kiss her but debated about waking her. She looked so peaceful but my hand snuck out and brushed a lock of her hair back and then the back of my fingers brushed across the silky skin of cheek.

“Uhhhhh…” she sighed deeply and my name escaped with the expelled breath. “Ryan…please.”

I was throbbing and twitching before, but now my cock was hard as steel and I had an overwhelming need to bury myself inside her moist heat. She would be hot and wet and so receptive. I knew it as well as I knew my own name…as certain as my love for her. She was dreaming about us making love. An immense rush of love and lust overwhelmed me. My decision was made; there was no way I wasn’t giving in to the need.

I stood up and went to the foot of the bed, stripping off my clothes and watching her writhe and moan, calling to me with the siren’s song of her sighs and low whimpers. Even if I’d known touching her now would mean my certain death, I wouldn’t have been able to fucking stop myself.

I could see her white lace string bikini panties, dipping low on her hip bones, hinting at the treasure I craved, and her little t-shirt that came to just above her waist did little to hide the glorious roundness and hard pebble nipples from my view.

I lifted the bottom of the comforter and the sheet and crawled beneath it, moving up her body, ghosting my mouth along her supple thighs until I reached the front of her lace and silk covered mound. I rested my forehead on her tummy just above the edge of her panties so I could inhale her scent and ran my hands up the outside of her thighs. She moaned softly and arched her back. I wanted her so damn bad and she was responding to my touch even in
sleep
…responding to me in automatic recognition that I was the one touching her. I ran my tongue along the top edge of her panties and tasted the sweetness of her skin.

“Julia…” I breathed as my right hand moved up and slid below the hem of her shirt, over her firm flesh until I cupped her perfect breast. She arched into it as my left index finger hooked under the side of her panties and pulled them down.

I was already naked and I longed to feel my skin on hers, my entire body up against the heaven of her curves that fitted so perfectly to my harder frame. I moved up and placed my open mouth on the curve of her neck, sucking lightly as my knee nudged hers apart and my fingers parted the soft, hot flesh between her legs.

“Uhhhhh…” The breath ripped out of my body at the wetness I found there and her arms slid around my body pulling me to her, her fingers clawing at my flesh.

“Ryan…” my mouth found hers in a soft kiss as I urged her to wake up. I sucked her bottom lip in between mine, pulling on it again and again as I started moving my finger in small circles on her tender flesh.

Her mouth came alive under mine, as she kissed me back, sucking on my mouth like I was sucking on hers. Nothing on earth compared to being with her like this; staking my claim on her and letting her know how much she owned me as well.

Her hands slid into my hair as she pulled my mouth closer, my tongue making love to hers until we were both gasping. I couldn’t help it, I was moving, grinding against her hip, unconsciously seeking a way to ease the ache.

Her lips pulled from mine and her love-soft eyes opened slowly, languidly. Luminous, she looked into mine, realizing that she wasn’t dreaming, that I was indeed with her and she was on the verge of coming. Her hips arched toward my hand and she moaned.

“Am I dreaming? God, you feel so real. You smell and taste like you, too.”

“Mmmm…So real, my love. Surprise. Are you surprised?” A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, but she was beyond speaking as I continued to play with her. Her legs started trembling and I thrust three fingers inside her and continued the pressure against her clit with my thumb, making her cry out as her pleasure overtook her. “That’s it, Julia. I love to see you come under my hands. You’re so damn beautiful.”

“Ryan. Uhnnn, God…Kiss me…I can’t believe you’re here.”

I fell into her and took her mouth with mine as she wrapped her arms and legs around me. She was trembling and I loved that I could bring her such intense pleasure. It filled me up. I wanted to take care of her in every way.

I dragged my mouth off of hers, and kissed her neck below her ear. “Happy Valentine’s Day, my love. I couldn’t bear to be away from you today. And I made it with a whole hour to spare,” I said softly as I pulled back, longing to see the look on her face. We were still entwined and I throbbed in anticipation of what was coming. The blood raced so fast that it pounded in my ears and engorged my cock to the point of bursting.