This Side of the Sun (The Sun Trilogy) (9 page)

I struggled with the buttons on his shirt until each was freed. I found his waistband and untucked his top, moving my hands up his sides to feel his skin. He was softer than his rugged looks let on and his hard muscles contracted under my touch. The wine was making me feel dizzy and the effect of that mixed with his touch was electric. His mouth found one of my bare breasts and he twisted his tongue lightly around my nipple as he sucked gently. He was being so tender with me and I found myself getting lost in his affections.

“Hattie?” he said quietly as he released my breast to look up at me.

“Hmm?”

“Is it okay if I make love to you?”

I nodded approval and he sat back to take his shirt the rest of the way off. As his button-up fell off, it left him in an undershirt. I leaned forward and eagerly helped lift it above his head. His chest was sculpted and I ran a hand over one of his pecs. I could feel his eyes on me as I slowly explored the curves of his chest. His body was mesmerizing. I leaned forward and kissed him softly next to his left nipple. I heard him groan lightly, and took it as a cue to continue. I moved my mouth, trailing along until I felt his nipple beneath my lips. I gently drew his small nub into my mouth, tasting the saltiness of his skin. I really hadn’t a clue as to what I was doing, but his reaction told me that I was doing it well. As I got more involved, he winced.

“Not too hard, babe.” He sounded breathless.

I stopped and looked at him. I could feel my heart pounding with longing. Saul readjusted on the couch, eventually standing. He held an arm out for me, and I took his hand as I stood.

“Bedroom or here?” he asked.

“I’m not sure I can make it to the bedroom,” I huffed.

I reached forward and began to undo his belt. His jeans were tight from his erection and he was obviously uncomfortable.

“Here, I’ll get it,” he said, his voice even deeper than usual.

As he worked the buckle of his belt until it was undone, I began undoing my own jeans button.

“No, let me? Please?” he asked, interrupting me. “It kind of turns me on,” he explained.

I stopped and watched him slide his pants down. He was wearing boxers in gray and burgundy plaid, and they did little to hide his hardness. He moved forward and began working at the front of my pants.

“I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you,” he whispered.

He slid my pants down with obvious expertise, and stepped closer. Wrapping his arms around my nearly nude body, he kissed me hard. I reached my arms up and wrapped them around his shoulders, pulling myself against him in an effort to get even closer, if that was possible. His
thumbs hooked into the sides of my panties and he tugged them down. Eventually they fell to my feet and I kicked them off. Saul lifted me off the floor and I wrapped my legs around him as he backed up closer to the fireplace. His cock was pressing into me, eagerly searching. He carefully lay me down on the blankets where we had eaten dinner. I reached up and again traced the lines of his chest with my index finger, slowly trailing down to his abs. I felt his body shiver under my touch. As my fingers got to his boxers, I used both hands to tug them down to his hips. He pulled them down the rest of the way and continued to explore my body with his mouth, his hands, and his manhood. I could feel my own dampness between my legs and was more than ready for him to enter me.

“God I need you,” I moaned.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I felt his hand slide between my legs and he groaned loudly.

“Fuck, you’re so
wet…”

He dipped one of his fingers inside of me, and using my own wetness he began pleasuring me by tracing tiny circles on my clit with his fingertip.

“You like that, don’t you?” his voice was near-growling.

“Yeah,” I managed to breathe out. “
I really like that.”

His finger suddenly slid back inside of me, going deeper than before, and I felt him stroke my inner walls playfully. He continued, this time teasing my nub with his thumb while his finger searched deep within me. The combination made me arch my back and lift my hips in desire. I could feel his hard cock stroking my leg and he began breathing heavily.

“I know I need to grab a condom, Hattie, but can I just feel you for a second?”

I wasn't really sure how to answer. At the time all I knew was that I wanted him inside of me so badly that I was ready to cry out, begging
for it.

“Just for a second? I promise,” he
whimped.

He nuzzled his face against my chest and moved his hands to my arms, which I lifted over my head as he rearranged himself to lay on top of me. His cock was hard against me and I felt the tip slide against my dampness. As it touched my clit, I groaned. I let my legs fall open, inviting him to feel me any way that he needed to. His touch was light in exploring me as he slid his erection up and back down my folds, occasionally dipping the head in just half an inch or so. His whole body began tensing and I couldn’t make myself stay quiet. My whimpering soon turned to gasping as he began to enter me just a tiny bit more. Every shred of my being wanted to become one with him in that moment.

“I have to stop, baby,” he said in little gasps.

“No,” I whispered. “No,” I pleaded.

“It’ll just take me a minute, I promise.”

“
Don’t go?” I begged, letting my knees fall to the sides even more. I reached down and touched myself, desperate for my fingers to be him inside of me. “Please, Saul?”

He leaned down and kissed my mouth. I could tell he was torn between what he knew was right and what he knew we both wanted. I moved my hands to his back and kneaded at his flesh while his cock again found its target. He slid the tip inside of me again and hesitated.

“Just for a minute,” he whispered while looking me in the eyes tenderly.

I barely nodded, but knew it was just enough for him to take my cue. He moved his cock carefully into me, this time half-way. I moaned with the pleasure, causing him to stop and his
entire body felt tense on top of me. He looked at me again and I nodded as I stared back into his eyes.

“Just for a minute,” he groaned as he buried himself into me slowly and deeply. It felt so good that my body begged for more by grinding against him. His eyes closed as he matched my rhythm, allowing him to go even deeper when our bodies met. Eventually he opened his eyes and watched me while we danced together. As he began thrusting faster, he had a pained look on his face.

“We have to stop, babe. Seriously.”

“Just for another minute?”

“I can’t. I can’t hold it that long.”

He slowed, to my dismay. I must have looked pathetically sad, because he leaned down and kissed my forehead, still lingering inside of me. He very slowly began pumping into me again, looking at my face the entire time as if watching for me to say “stop.” I never did. He continued on, slowly and almost hesitantly, for a long time. Eventually he sped his thrusting up, breaking his eye-lock with me. We both allowed ourselves to get lost in the pleasure and eventually fell apart in each other’s arms.

Both of us exhausted, we lay on the floor side-by-side, allowing the heat of the fire and the heat of each other to warm us. We didn’t talk, but rather fell asleep with our bodies entwined with each other.

We slept on the living room floor for hours. It was a knock on the front door that roused me from a restless sleep. I woke wrapped in Saul’s arms, wondering if I had dreamt the knocking. The fire was dying, the room lit only by glowing red and orange embers. I snuggled up closer to Saul and closed my eyes again. The knock came again. This time louder.

“Saul?” I whispered. He was sleeping deeply and didn’t respond, so I gently shook his shoulder. “Saul?”

“Hmm?” He sounded
exhausted.

“Someone’s knocking on your door.”

His eyes fluttered open at my words.

“What time is it?” he mumbled.

“I’m not sure. I left my phone on the coffee table.”

“Okay, hang on. I’ll see who it is and get rid of them.”

Whoever it was knocked again, this time calling out Saul’s name.

“Saul! Open up, it’s me, Carolina!”

I heard him struggle to slip into his jeans, grumbling as he collided against the coffee table.

“Hattie, it’s my sister. Mind slipping some clothes on?” he asked me quietly.

“Did you know she’s in town?”

“No…”

I stood and grabbed what looked like my shirts sitting in a heap on the floor. “I’ll get dressed in the bathroom,” I said quietly.

“Lina, hang on!” he called out. “I’ll be there in a sec!”

Zipping his fly, he leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. I gathered my jeans and panties and stumbled in the dark to where I recalled the bathroom being. Half way there, he turned the kitchen light on. I snuck into the bathroom and hurried to do girly business and dress. My sweater, one tank, and bra were missing, so I settled for my jeans and a single tank top. I could hear Saul and Carolina greeting each other. She was busy apologizing for arriving in the middle of the night and he was telling her that she’s welcome at any time - 24/7. I quickly borrowed a dab of Saul’s toothpaste and used my finger to scrub my teeth, hoping to rid myself of a horrible Chinese food and wine aftertaste. I ran my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath.

Never being the best at meeting new people, I forced myself to calm down and leave the safety of the bathroom. As I walked down the hall I could hear the clinking of dishes coming from the kitchen. Saul’s sister was busy asking him why he hadn’t returned her e-mails.

“Hold on, sis,” he said, sounding exasperated. “You know I hate e-mail. Why didn’t you call?”

As they grew within my sight, I slowed down, crossed my arms over my chest to hide my lack of a bra, and cleared my throat.

“Oh, hey, Lina. This is Hattie.”

He was standing there in bare feet and a bare chest, wearing only his jeans.

“Oh, God. I didn’t know you had company,” she said, obviously embarrassed to have interrupted our night.

I smiled at her. My first impression was that she was a sweet girl, likely taking after her older brother.

“It’s okay,” I mumbled. “Really.”

Saul held an arm out, indicating I should step beside him. As I did so, Carolina stood and walked toward us. She held a hand out and I took hers in mine.

“Good to meet you,” she said.

“Hattie, I’m just making tea. Do you want some?” Saul asked me.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Lina flew in because she hadn’t heard from me since the explosion. I guess I didn’t check my e-mail and she didn’t check her texts.”

“Oops,” I said. “You must have been really worried about him.”

“Yeah, that’s an understatement,” said the girl with a soft smile.

She looked a bit like her brother with the same coloring but finer features, as well as being a head shorter.

“How long are you in town for?” Saul asked.

“Just a couple days. I have to get back to work, stuff like that.”

“How’d you get from the airport to here?”

He was busy pouring hot water into three mugs.

“I rented a car. No biggie.”

“Your bags out front?” he asked.

Lina nodded.

“I’ll grab them.”

“Saul, I can stay at a hotel. It’s not a big deal.”

“Nonsense,” he said. “You know you’re always welcome here.”

“Still have a couch?” she asked.

“I do. I’d let you crash in my bed and take the couch but Hattie’s staying here tonight.”

“I can head home if you want, Saul,” I offered.

“No…don’t do that!” said Lina. “I’m totally fine on the couch.”

Of course I felt bad, and the situation was a bit awkward.

“What time is it anyway?” asked Saul, yawning.

Lina looked at her watch and followed suit with yawning. “Almost two o’clock.”

“Hattie, do you mind finishing the tea while I grab Lina’s bags?”

“Sure. No problem.”

Of course it meant uncrossing my arms, but I took his place in front of the steaming mugs and added tea bags to each as he walked outside to gather luggage.

“So where did you guys meet?” his sister asked me.

I looked up and tucked a few stray hairs behind my left ear. “The explosion,” I said. “He saved me.”

“Seriously? Wow…that’s so like him.”

“Yeah I was pretty lucky. I guess we both were. You know, to make it out of there.”

“The list of deceased didn’t have his name on it, but I was so worried since he didn’t answer my e-mails or calls.”

“He never mentioned you calling,” I said quietly in his defense.

“He probably changed his number again. He’s had to do that a couple of times with the big family feud going on.”

“You girls behaving?” came Saul’s voice from the front door. He had left it open and the cold of the night was creeping in. I could feel goose bumps on my bare arms.

“Of course not, Saul,” said Lina, obviously joking.

“Just the three bags Lina?”

“Yup. Thanks for hauling them in.”

“Anytime. I know you’re a wimp and all.”

She swatted at him and rolled her eyes.

“Hattie you look half frozen. I’ll add some logs to the stove.”

“Let’s take the tea in there,” suggested Lina. “It’s always been the warmest room. I had forgotten how cold it is here this time of year.”

“Days have been pretty warm here,” I added. “Nights are still chilly.”

Lina carried her mug as well as Saul’s and I took my own. We followed him into the living room, where I scurried around picking up our remaining clothes from the floor. I knew I was blushing, but Carolina was tactful enough to not say anything. Saul made quick work of stoking the fire and adding a piece of wood, and picked up the blankets we had slept on without explaining. Lina settled in
to the only easy chair in the room and slumped into it, looking exhausted. I did nearly the same, settling in on one end of the couch. Saul joined me, sitting close and wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

“So Saul it sounds like you’re a big time hero now, huh?” said his sister.

“I guess so,” he said, looking at me with a softness in his eyes. That look actually made my stomach do a flip-flop.

“So you guys didn’t know each other beforehand?”

“Nope,” was all he said, eventually breaking his gaze upon me and looking over at her.

I sipped at my tea, which was warming and soothing.

“I’m so tired,” yawned Carolina. “That flight sucked.”

“Yeah we should all hit the hay. I’ll treat to breakfast at Moe’s tomorrow.”

A large smile spread across Lina’s face, making her look even more like Saul.

“I love Moe’s,” she said with the faintest of giggles.

“I know you do. I’ll grab some blankets and a pillow from the linen closet.”

“Thanks, Saul.”

Lina looked ready to collapse. I stood to make room for her on the sofa. Gathering the three mugs to return them to the kitchen, Lina looked up at me and smiled. I could tell we’d easily become friends if given a chance. She didn’t seem stuck on herself like other girls our age. I liked that.

“Glad I could meet you, Hattie,” she said, followed by another yawn.

“Me too. We’ll talk more tomorrow, ok?”

She nodded as Saul returned with his arms full of bedding.

“Night, Carolina. Sleep well,” I said as I left the two of them alone and walked toward Saul’s bedroom.

“I’ll be right there, Hattie,” called Saul softly as I walked away.

“Okay.”

Once in his bedroom, I turned on the lamp on the dresser and gently shut the door. He had made his bed since we had slept there the night before and it looked inviting. I slipped my jeans off, folded them, and set them in an empty chair in the corner. I took notice that he had plugged my cell phone into a charger cord on the nightstand and smiled. I walked to the large area rug that covered most of the floor, hoping to give my bare feet a break from the cold wood beneath them. I could hear Lina and Saul’s muffled voices from the other room and figured they might need some time alone to discuss secret sibling stuff, so pul
led the covers back and climbed into the bed. The sheets smelled of fresh laundry soap and fabric softener. I slid under the covers and nestled in, hoping my legs would soon warm.

I was just beginning to fall asleep when I heard the door open. I looked up and saw Saul. He looked as tired as I felt.

“Got her all settled in,” he said.

“You sure you don’t want me to go home?” I asked.

“No chance. It’s freezing in here. Who would keep me warm?”

I watched as he slipped his jeans off, leaving just his boxers.

“Mind if I sleep in here?” he asked.

His question made me chuckle. “It’s your bed; of course you can sleep in here.”

As he turned off the lamp, the room was bathed in darkness. I scooted over to make room for him, glad to have him near me again. I had begun to notice that I felt calmer just by his being near. I could sense him lean down and soon he was kissing me passionately.

“Thanks for staying,” he whispered as he backed away.

I cuddled into the crook of his arm, resting my head on his chest.

“Your sister seems really nice.”

“Yeah, she’s pretty sweet. Always has been.”

He ran a toe up my leg, causing me to flinch.

“Your feet are cold,” I said quietly.

“Hattie. We need to talk.”

His words made my stomach drop.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No…no. Nothing like that. It’s what we did, together. We can’t do that again.”

“Do what?” I asked, slightly confused.

“Unprotected sex.”

“Oh.” I could feel my face turn several shades of red in the dark. “Sorry.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I loved every second of it. I can’t even begin to tell you how good you felt…but I don’t want to risk anything. I mean, I assume you’re not on birth control?”

“This is so embarrassing,” I said, burying my face into his chest.

“No, babe…nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re gorgeous and what we’re doing is fine, really. Never be embarrassed talking to me about it, ok?”

I nodded into his chest
.

He continued, now stroking my hair gently. “I just wouldn’t want us to get into a situation we’re not ready for when we’ve only known each other for what has it been? Three days?”

“I’ve never used birth control,” I said as I unburied my head from him.

“Do you have a doctor? I mean for women stuff?”

“Just my family doctor. She’s mentioned pills or shots before, but I’ve never needed anything. Her office was downtown, though, by the courthouse.”

He sighed and kissed my forehead. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to keep using condoms. We just can’t get carried away like that again.”

“It was fun though, wasn't it?”

“Yes, Hattie, you naughty girl.”

He ran a hand over my bare thigh, causing me to shiver.

“Okay, so here’s the embarrassing part,” he sighed. “When’s your period due?”

“Ewww,” I said.

He chuckled. “It’s a serious question.”

“Just in a few days,” I admitted.

“Good. That means it’s not likely you’d get pregnant from tonight.”

“That’d suck,” I admitted.

“Yeah, right now it would.”

“Right now?”

“Well, I kinda like you. Maybe someday?”

I ran a hand down over his crotch, trying to lighten the mood. I was a bit surprised to find him hard again already. I stroked him gently yet firmly, massaging, knowing full well what kind of reaction I would get.

“That’s not fair,” he said as his breathing deepened.

Being daring, I slipped my hand beneath the waistband of his boxers until I felt the soft hair that surrounded his cock.