The Low Notes (27 page)

Suddenly Kevin’s face fell, his eyes softened and he stared at Nina. Though he’d realized it long ago, telling her had changed him.

“
I mean it,” he muttered.

She bit her lip and smiled through it. “I know.”

Kevin reached his hands out and took Nina’s face between them and gently coaxed her nearer. His lips pushed against hers, the feeling he’d missed so much making him weak. Parting her mouth under his, she allowed him to kiss her more deeply. His hands loosened on her cheeks and his fingers began to slip into her hair. He pulled back to look into her eyes.

They were staring at each other nearly holding their breath for fear the moment wasn’t real when the thunder boomed so loud Nina jumped. Suddenly it was raining so hard even the covered porch was getting drenched by the sideways pounding sheets of water. Kevin fumbled for his keys and opened the door ushering Nina away from the weather.

Kevin took her hand and stared down for a moment. His mouth twisted, not in discomfort but almost as if he was mustering up some kind of courage. Nina squeezed his hand and he looked up at her. Her delicate smile warmed him and his mouth stopped its contortion. Nina dropped her shoes and they clattered down to the hardwood floor. Simply and as graceful as she was when she was on stage, Nina slinked passed Kevin but didn’t let go of his hand. His breath stuck in his throat as she took the first step upstairs. She looked back to see him.

Their eyes locked for an instant and nothing needed to be said. He saw in her eyes that it was alright and she saw it in his that he was terrified. So they made their way silently up to Kevin’s bedroom.

As Nina stepped through the threshold, Kevin’s hand fell from hers and soon his hands were gripping her waist from behind. She turned in his grasp letting him pull her close just inside the darkened room. Boldly he stepped into her, putting her back against the wall next to the light switch. His hands roamed the length of her, smoothing over the satin fabric of her dress, feeling her curves underneath. The silence of the room was broken by Nina’s staggering breath as Kevin kissed her neck and collarbone. His hands slid up her thighs, under the skirt of her dress and rounded over the back of her.

Looking into her eyes, he slowly turned her with care. Nina’s palms pressed against the wall and she felt Kevin’s breath on her shoulder then the slow release as he dragged her zipper all the way down. He took his hands off her and she faced him again, the black fabric sliding and falling to the ground exposing her matching black strapless bra and panties.

Back in each other's arms quickly, they descended to the bed, Nina lying back comfortably with no hesitation. She pulled him to her and lifted his shirt over his head and off of him greedily.

The room lit up when a flicker of lightning struck in the sky. Kevin watched as the electric blue flash illuminated Nina’s bare flesh and his craving for her grew more intense. Nina pulled him down on top of her, her hands caressing his back and chest, down to the rigid muscles of his stomach. He flinched under her touch when her hands moved lower in between them. The moment seemed so familiar and yet so different from that night. The clanking of the metal of Kevin’s belt as Nina undid it hung in the air as did the sighs of breath each was letting go of.

Kevin laid soft kisses against Nina’s shoulders and across her chest. Her fingers dug into his back and she arched herself up letting his hands slip under her to unclasp her bra. Kevin drew in a ragged breath gazing down at her covered in moonlight, the body of an angel, the young woman he’d come to love.

****

Nina’s hands brushed his hair off his forehead and looked up at his awed face. She smiled at him and felt her heart, her thoughts, and her stomach finally ease.

“
I love you, Kevin,” she whispered with no fear.

She crushed his lips with hers. Her tongue slid against his and with her eyes closed, each kiss before this one seemed to flash behind her eyes. She felt him tracing his fingertips across her flesh, her trembling abdomen, the curves of her breasts, the crook of her slender neck all while they stayed locked in a kiss. He pulled away placing one small peck on her full lips before leaving a trail of kisses down her cheeks to her breasts and her navel before he stopped. The thunder and lightning had stopped and the only noise coming from the window now was the light tapping of rain against the glass. Nina felt shivers up her body. Kevin hovered over the top seam of her black panties. He expelled hot breath against her skin and when Nina could take no more, when Kevin saw her hips begin to fidget in intoxicated agony, he kissed her just next to the black fabric, high on her thigh, close enough to the place Nina craved him to touch to make her go insane.

Kevin came back up to meet her lips again and with his body meshed against hers, he reached over to the nightstand. The rest of their clothes came off in a rushed frenzy and then calm fell over them. Nina looked into Kevin’s eyes as he held himself above her. A tiny gasp escaped Nina’s lips as she melded to him, enjoying the weight of his body against hers.

Sweat was beading on Kevin’s forehead and their breath became heavier and yet still in sync with one another. He was pushing her closer to the brink of ecstasy, pulling wild moans from her. Suddenly she was pushing up on him, forcing him to roll onto his back and allowing her to take control by straddling him. His hands gripped her waist as she moved against him. Then she took his hands, intertwining them with hers, looking deeper into his eyes as a shiver went up her spine and guttural noise flowed out of her before she weakened. Nina collapsed onto Kevin’s chest and his arms wrapped around her tightly, feeling his own bliss take him over.

Sighing breaths were drawn out of Nina and into Kevin’s ear as her lungs slowed. Her lips pursed against the hot skin of his neck, wanting to stay as connected to him as possible. He let his fingers drag up and down her back, soothing her. Soon she was on her side, cuddled in close to him, drifting off to sleep. Kevin held her tightly and watched her sweet face closely as she started to doze. She heard him say it once more, putting her completely at peace.

“
I love you.”

Chapter Fifty-Nine

The sun peeked through the curtains and a slant of golden light was shining over Kevin’s face awakening him. His hand lazily smoothed out over the sheet to the other side of the bed. With his fingertips he felt soft, warm skin and he started to come out of his sleepy state. With his eyes still closed, he attuned himself to the subtle feeling of the rise and fall of her breathing beside him. He heard her breaths slipping out of her and could no longer stay blind to the sight of her. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and he let a smile turn up on his face absently as he stared at her.

Her thick black hair pooled around her bare shoulders. Her lips were parted and ever so pink. Her dark lashes lay feather light against the top of her cheeks. She seemed so peaceful. Kevin was mesmerized by her beauty.

Just then she sighed heavily and her grey eyes blinked open. Kevin grinned, embarrassed to be caught watching her sleep. Nina smiled back at him and curled up closer to his chest, not saying a word.

“
Good morning,” he whispered into her hair.

She sighed dreamily.

Without hesitation, he caressed the length of her spine and pulled her close. The ease he felt with her now was frightening. For a moment before waking he'd clearly thought to himself it might have all been an amazing dream. But now with his arms wrapped around her, smoothing over her creamy white skin, he sighed a quaking breath, knowing it was all real.

“
Are you alright?” she asked, her face still nuzzled into his chest.

“
I’m fine. What about you?”

Nina moaned, flexing and arching her back like a cat, never leaving his embrace but pushing against it. As she relaxed she let out an unexpected giggle. Kevin grasped her arms and pulled her back to look into her eyes, concerned for the outburst.

Nina was failing to hide a grin. Kevin squinted at her, waiting for some sort of explanation. Looking at her sweet face, the laughter she was stifling, the Cheshire grin she wore, made Kevin’s heart lighten and he, too, began to chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

“
What on Earth are we doing?” she laughed.

Kevin pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Whatever we want.”

Nina’s face fell somber and then a hint of sweet smile returned. Her eyes blinked in slow motion as she moved closer to him and pressed her lips gently to his.

****

Kevin fell back to sleep with new dreams of Nina to fill his head, more views of her body having just been discovered in the light of day. His eyes flashed open when he heard the sound of the shower being shut off. Stretching for a moment, he wondered how long he’d been asleep. As his languid mind struggled to focus, the bathroom door opened and there was Nina. With tiny beads of water on her skin and her wet hair black as coal, she stood with a fluffy white towel wrapped around her body and nothing but a smile on her face.

“
Sorry, I needed a shower,” she said, taking a seat on the edge of his side of the bed. He sat up, propped against pillows and made room for her.

“
Of course, make yourself at home.” Her eyes were on him in an instant and he felt his face growing hot.

“
What I meant is you’re welcome to…” Kevin was shushed by a sudden kiss and he nearly melted at the feeling of her damp hair tickling his face. Pulling away, Nina took a deep look into Kevin’s dark eyes.

“
Don’t worry. I didn’t think you were asking me to move in,” she teased. With a soft laugh, Kevin shook his head.

“
I should get going,” Nina said as she stood up and searched the room for her clothing. Kevin watched as she struggled to keep the towel wrapped around her, bending to pick up her bra from the other side of the bed. She picked up her dress from the floor near the door and her face twisted. She stood still for a moment looking at the short black strapless garment. Not exactly a Sunday morning outfit.

“
I have some sweatpants and a t-shirt if you want,” Kevin offered.

Nina smiled graciously at him as he got the clothes for her. Nina was swimming in Kevin’s black and gold Wexley Falls High shirt but managed to cinch the gray sweatpants tight enough with the drawstring that they didn’t fall off her slender hips.

She folded her dress over her arms and stood in the doorway looking back at Kevin sitting on the bed. He had to laugh. She looked rather ridiculous in his clothes. Nina rolled her eyes at him and he hurried to her side to kiss her cheek in apology.

“
You sure you have to go?” he whispered in her ear.

Nina shrugged nearer to him at the feeling of his head dipping down to kiss her throat as she moved her head.

“
Gotta get my car looked at,” she sighed.

Kevin pulled away and nodded, looking at her as his thoughts went anxious.

“
Nina, what are we going to do?” he stammered.

Her eyes snapped up to meet his and he took in how white her face became at his question. What happened next? They'd crossed the line, they’d given in and thrown caution to the wind. But reality wasn't lost on either of them. Monday would come and the bell would ring and once again they'd be Nina the senior student and Mr. Reed, the English teacher.

“
It doesn't matter,” he said in reply to his own question. His arms pulled her in tight and he kissed her again. “It doesn't matter.”

He repeated it, trying hard to convince himself.

Chapter Sixty

Nina was standing next to her car in the otherwise empty parking lot of The Black Jewel, memories of the night before rushing through her head. She glanced around making sure she was alone before letting her smile grow wide.

She turned the key in the ignition to hear the noise she'd need to be able to describe to the mechanic. The ignition clicked once and started normally. The engine purred and the radio flipped on to the station it had been on when Nina parked the afternoon before. She sat stunned for a moment. Her eyes darted around again. She knew it hadn’t been Kevin who fixed the car, not that she believed he had the know-how anyway. She shut off the car and tried again, thinking it might be a fluke. The car started easily once more and Nina let out a victorious laugh.

It was destiny, predetermined. But Nina questioned whether it was the angel on her shoulder or the devil who'd kept her car from starting. Was it fate that brought Kevin to see her, fate that gave him the courage to finally speak the truth? Or was it some series of mistakes and unfortunate steps they'd made that brought them to the parking lot and later to his bed?

As Nina drove home, she heard his timid voice in her head asking her
what are we going to do.
She had no idea. After wanting him so badly for so long, wanting his love and attention, she’d never thought about what might happen past that.

What would school be like on Monday? What would the weekends be like? Prom? Graduation? Another missing piece of the puzzle was what would happen when Nina was done with Wexley Falls High School and college bound.

She pulled into the driveway and felt her heart lurch at what she saw. Sitting on her front steps looking incredible pissed was James. He stood up as he saw her and she began to panic as he walked toward her, waiting for her to get out of the driver’s seat. Nina slinked out and gave him an uneasy look.