Kate Hoffmann - The Drifter

THE NIGHT WAS SILENT all around him. In the distance the sound of a car horn could be heard and then, silence again. Charlie sat on the porch of his house, a beer in his hand, his feet kicked up on the railing.

He used to love the silence of the outdoors-a thick forest, a desolate mountaintop, a remote beach. No human sounds except for the gentle rhythm of his breathing.

But that had changed. Now, he craved the sound of her voice, her laugh, her footsteps on his front porch. Charlie loved the way she hummed in the morning while making coffee for him or the awful songs she sang in the shower. With every sound Eve made, it reminded him that she was his-at least for the moment.

Since their argument earlier in the day, Charlie had considered calling her at least once every five minutes. But he’d decided to wait, to see if she followed form and showed up at his house after work. He glanced at his watch. She was already an hour overdue.

He cursed softly, then swung his legs down from the railing. If he wasn’t so determined to force her to make the next move, he’d go down to the restaurant, walk into her kitchen and kiss some sense into her. What was she so damned afraid of?

Maybe things wouldn’t work out between them. Maybe they were just fooling themselves. But they wouldn’t know unless they tried and she was too scared to even make an attempt. Either her marriage must have done a real number on her confidence or there was something else at work here.

He stood and walked over to the porch swing. His ankle was still a bit sore but on the mend. The doctor had diagnosed a bad sprain, but could find no permanent damage. Though Charlie had been searching for reasons not to go to Nepal, his ankle wouldn’t be one of them.

He stretched out on the cushioned seat and closed his eyes, letting images of Eve drift through his mind. Though they’d been physically intimate from the start, they still didn’t know each other emotionally. He could tell by the look in her eyes how she was feeling at any given moment. But he couldn’t always tell why.

They hadn’t spent much of their time talking about their pasts. He didn’t know much about her family, only that her parents lived in Arizona, her father loved to golf, her mother taught her to cook, and she was an only child. That wasn’t much-not for two people who loved each other.

He already knew she loved clover honey in her chamomile tea and that she preferred pinot noir over merlot. That she loved every kind of bean except lima beans. That the only thing she wanted after a long day of work was a foot massage. That was a helluva lot more than he knew about her five years ago.

The sound of footsteps on the front walk caught his attention and he held his breath. A moment later, Charlie saw her standing in front of the door. She reached out to knock, then decided to grab the key from its spot behind the mailbox.

“It’s unlocked,” he said.

She jumped at the sound of his voice, spinning around to face him. “You scared me!”

Charlie pushed to his feet. “Sorry.” Slowly, he approached her, trying to read her expression in the feeble light from the street lamps. “Sorry,” he repeated. “I am sorry.”

“I know. You said that.”

“I meant for earlier. The fight we had. I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t a fight,” Eve said. “More like a disagreement. We can’t possibly get along every moment of every day, can we?”

Charlie shook his head and took another step closer. One more step and their bodies touched. He reached down and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. He brushed his lips over hers in a teasing, fleeting kiss, daring her to ask for more. But she just stared up into his eyes.

“Are you going to Nepal?” she asked.

“Not right this minute,” he replied with a grin.

“Are you going next week?”

Charlie knew the job was something he ought to take. And at any other time in his life, he would have jumped at it. So why was he waffling now? Because he finally had a reason to stay in one place for a while-and that reason was standing right in front of him. “Do you want me to go?”

Eve hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity. And when either of us has a wonderful opportunity, we should take it. We were apart for five years and look at what happened when we got back together. I think we could probably stand to be apart for a few months.”

Charlie studied her for a long moment. She was absolutely right. Though he wanted her to beg him to stay, he knew it wasn’t in her nature to make demands on him. Maybe that was part of why he loved her-because she didn’t force him to be anyone but himself. “You’re right. The job is too good to turn down.” He paused. “I should go to Nepal,” Charlie said. “Next week. But right now, I’m going to bed.” He stepped away from her and walked to the door. “Are you coming?” She hesitated for a few seconds, then followed him. Charlie took her hand and drew her inside.

The moment the door closed, they began to shed their clothes, tossing them on the floor at their feet. They were naked before they got through the living room and Charlie pressed her back against the wall, her body warm against his.

He searched her mouth for some reassurance that their argument had been forgotten, but he didn’t find it there. Instead, he found it in her response to his caress. He slid down her body, finding her nipple and drawing it to a peak with his tongue. She moaned softly and he felt her surrender, her body going soft and pliant beneath his touch.

He moved back up to kiss her again, his fingers slipping between her legs and gently teasing at her desire. She reached out to touch him but the moment she did, Charlie had to stop her. He was so close to the edge already. One perfect caress might send him over.

Yet she wouldn’t be denied the pleasure of touching him. She began slowly, knowing exactly how to delay his release. They knew each other’s bodies so well already. But Charlie wanted more.

When he felt her rising toward her orgasm, he picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. A stab of pain shot up his leg from his sore ankle, but Charlie ignored it, focusing on the exquisite anticipation of their joining.

He drew her down on his shaft in one smooth motion. It happened so quickly, so easily, that she gasped in surprise. And then, as if she couldn’t help herself, Eve dissolved into the sweet spasms of her orgasm.

Though Charlie tried to hold back, the sound of her moans made it impossible. He drew back, then drove into her, pressing her against the wall, his hands clutching at her backside. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over him as he lost himself in the heat of her body. His legs suddenly went weak and his ankle began to throb. It was all he could do to keep them both upright.

When the sensations finally subsided, he carried her into his bedroom and gently laid her on the bed, bracing himself above her. He was still hard and he teased her a bit more, slowly sliding in and out of her. At first, she wriggled beneath him, trying to stop him. But then, gradually, he felt her reactions change.

This time Charlie didn’t rush. Instead, they played at lovemaking for a long time. The frantic connection they made against the wall had been purely for physical release. But this was for something more than raw desire. This was affection and trust. And love.

When he brought her to completion again, Charlie kissed her as she tumbled over the edge, her moans swallowed by his mouth covering hers. She did love him. He could feel it in the way she surrendered, the sound of her voice as she said his name.

Charlie had never been a patient man when it came to the opposite sex. He’d indulged his desires more often than he should have, seeking pleasure that was both immediate and intense. But this was different. With Eve, he felt as if they were moving toward something much bigger and better than the next great orgasm.