A Second Chance (36 page)

It
was a simple question, Jade thought. But it was more than just
the
inquiry
of a man who had made love to a willing woman. He was waiting for her to make her choice
.
W
ould
she dismiss it as a quick affair out of sentimental memories from the past, or take the risk and bare her soul to him
?

She was tempted to play it cool, her mouth ready to stretch in a
non-committal
smile that would allow both of them to walk away with no need to talk about what
had
happened. Her heart got in the way,
however.
I
t
rebelled against such a blatant lie, the opportunity to turn the
incident
into nothing more than a moment of fun lacking any appeal. She didn’t want him to think she
’d
slept with him to make him feel better
, moved by his sad story about his failed love affair. They were past that, she thought now, smiling at him and nodding
.

‘
I c
an’t
remember
ever
being better, Liam
,
’ she
sai
d
, only to be rewarded by his wide smile.
It held
relief and joy, warmth and tenderness. He rolled to his back, pulling her with him, so she was on top now, her long hair falling like a curtain around both of them.

‘
It
is only fair for me to be on my back and feel the floor
.
’
H
e
grinned, his voice light and happy
.
‘
S
hould
have thought about it before. I really like the view like
th
is
.
’

She couldn’t help blushing at his wicked words, the barely veiled intent only too clear as she followed his gaze to her
hanging
breasts, only inches from his lips.

‘But I was very preoccupied
,
’ he continued, his hands pulling her lower as his mouth closed over her puckered nipple. He suckled it
,
and tiny zigzags of electricity travelled straight to her brain, any sane thought abandoning her again. She gasped as his hands reached her buttocks,
squeezing
the firm flesh and pressing her against his rock hard erection. His hips jutted forward, insistent and demanding, as he played with her breasts,
bathing
them with his tongue. She didn
’t remember sliding up or mounting him, the touch of his lips driving her crazy with
desire
that needed to be satisfied. Yet she was on him, her hips moving enticingly as she felt him inside her once again. Watching him from under her heavy lids, she rocked back and forth, his moans of pleasure spurring her on to continue.

Suddenly his hand left her bottom
,
reaching forward to the junction of her thighs and finding the tiny bud of pleasure hidden in the slick folds of her womanhood. He caressed it slowly, teasingly.
The
sob that she wasn’t able to stifle brought a smile to his tense face
,
and
he watched her greedily, taking in every nuance of her ever
-
mounting desire. The touch of his fingers became more insistent, flicking over the nub faster and faster, until she screamed aloud, her back arching in pleasure that was almost too intense to bear.
His
hands
press
ed
her hips
down
into him as he
repeatedly
thrust himself into her contracting body,
penetrating deep
into
her inner muscles that kept squeezing around his shaft
.
With a loud groan
,
he came violently
, his large body shaking under hers in spasms of pleasure
.

She collapsed on top of him, breathless and
limp,
like a puppet with strings cut down at the end of the performance. The thin sheen of perspiration that covered her skin cooled her as she
la
y
there, her cheek against his chest, his arms going around her to hold her tight
ly
even now, after he was coming back from his journey beyond the boundaries of the universe. Finally she realized that she had to do something, anything really. Lying like that could not and would not last forever, the most prosaic facts of life resurfacing once again, now that her desire had been sated. Like the fact that it was getting late, the darkness outside slowly creeping into the room and covering it with its velvety shadows. Laura would be wondering where she was, she thought guiltily, as the haze that surrounded her brain finally started to
dissipate
. She lifted herself from Liam, gently sliding to the side, her long hair trailing against the smooth skin of his chest like a rippling river.

‘
It
’
s getting late
.
’
S
he
had no idea what else there
was
to be said. Maybe it wasn’t the most original or sensitive opening, but it was true
,
and she could only hope he played along.

He did, to a certain degree, at least. He watched her gather her clothes, his long lashes
hiding
the true expression
in
his dark eyes.
He
smiled and rose too, oblivious of his
beauty
as he stood there naked.
H
e was absolutely breathtaking
,
Jade thought, her mouth drying as she looked at his broad, muscular shoulders, ribbed abs
,
and narrow hips above long, sculpted legs.

Yet it wasn’t his physical attributes, however perfect he seemed, that made him so incredibly irresistible.
The
air of effortlessness and
cat
-
like grace about him, his total lack of inhibition and concern for others
’
views
of him
were
what made him so much more appealing. He was like a
drug, she
thought,
aware of how
less
th
an
perfect
the
comparison
was
. But it was the only one she could think of at the moment. Like a forbidden fruit, he enticed and cajoled with his nomadic ways and aloof attitude that defied the norms of society and expectations, the faraway look in his dark eyes making one think of places distant and unexplored. Like a challenge, he made one want to find a way to his heart, if only to see his eyes soften with a promise of emotion.

He wasn’t aloof now, though. He smiled at her as she buttoned her shirt, his
own
t-shirt
once again
covering his broad chest. He surprised her with his sudden gesture, his long fingers going to her cheek and stroking it gently, while he watched her with his enigmatic gaze.

‘I don’t know what to say, Jade
.
’
T
ruthful
as always, he gazed at her, his dark eyes warm. ‘
This
was the most wonderful end to this rather difficult day. I
don’t
deserve you
,
but it would be a lie if I said I wasn’t dying for exactly
that
.’

‘Don’t say anything
,
then
.
’
S
he
smiled at him, acutely aware of her fear
of appearing
needy. She didn’t want him to think she expected anything after the love they
’d
made. Not after he had said that he didn’t believe in love anymore. Or that he
didn’t
want to be in a relationship, for
that
matter. He had been honest from the start, she mused, her mask of happy indifference convincing enough, she hoped. He had made it clear twelve years ago and just two weeks ago
,
too
.
A
s
such he must have thought that she accepted it and made her choice to have sex with him, not expecting anything more than intense
,
yet fleeting
,
pleasure
. And she would rather die than prove him wrong.

‘
You
’
re making it all too easy
.
’
H
e
shook his head, something coming and going in his eyes, dark
and defying
to be named. ‘I have plenty of things to say
.
I
’
m just not very good at it, you know
.
’
H
e
pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head in a swift, unexpected move. ‘
You
are just
… too good to be here with me, J
ade.’

Suddenly his phone started
ringing
, the insistent noise breaking the silence that followed his words. He glanced at her apologetically before flipping it open and listening, his dark
eye
brows snapping together
.

‘
What
? Yeah, I left all the plans ready
. Y
es,
everything
is downloaded and ready to be assessed.’ He listened quietly, his lips pressed together in annoyance
.
‘I see
.
I will come by one more time tonight, no problem. In about
—
’
H
e
looked at his watch and finished, reluctance coloring his voice
.
‘
L
et’s say, half an hour, all right? As soon as I
’
m done with something else,
OK
?’

She could feel the mood change, going from intimate to charged and
goal
-
oriented in a span of seconds. He was in full recovery mode
now
,
ready
to tackle whatever problem was in his office.
She didn’t want him to have to explain it to her,
d
idn’t want to wait for him to search for an excuse, however plausible it might be. The moment was gone
,
and there was nothing more to do but to leave this house and return to the rest of humanity.

‘Let’s go, Liam
,
’ she offered, eager to make the first move. ‘Laura will be
wondering
what
happened to me, anyway.
I didn’t leave her any message
,
and my phone is still lying in the apartment.
And let’s not forget about tomorrow. I
’
m already in knots, just thinking about it
.
’

She was babbling, but she
really
didn’t care. They had to get out of this room that smelled like love and sex, even though she knew that no amount of distance
would be
able to erase the memories of the heaven that she had glimpsed on its carpeted floor. God knew how
she would
be able to work here again, she thought as she
ascended
the stairs to the main level
.
Liam’s explanation about some last
-minute
problem at the office barely
register
ed
in her feverish brain.

The car was waiting for them in the driveway, the normal
ity
of it all surprising her even more. How could everything be so utterly
normal when
she felt so different inside? The trees, the
sky,
even the moon
—
everything was just as
usual,
the chirping of the cicadas in the warm
night air as loud and intense as any other given evening. But wasn’t
that
the way world was?

A
s they started their
descen
t
towards the city, Liam’s attention
was
thankfully diverted
by
the darkness outside. The world moved on no matter what, people’s heartache
s
and problems barely registering in the bigger scheme of things
,
especially something as trivial as her love for Liam
—
because she knew with sudden clarity that she loved
him
and had
never really stopped doing so, even when planning her life without him. She loved his smile and the way he always tried to take care of people around him, his thoughtful
, humble
generosity
never meant to bring him anything in return. She loved the way he would dip his head while answering someone’s question, his politeness and respect
seeing
no difference
among
people of many walks of life. The way he would pause before saying something, his magnificent control always in place when dealing with others. She loved everything about him, she thought desperately, her heart aching for him as she remembered the visibly tattered picture of the ultrasound he was still carrying around. She knew she truly loved him,
because
there was no hesitation in her mind whatsoever that if she could bring Jess back to life and make him happy
,
she would
and would
never
regret
her decision.