The Alibi

Finally ending the kiss, he said, “This is rash and reckless and—”

“Totally irresponsible.”

“But I can’t help it.”

“Neither can I.”

“I want so much to—”

“I want you to,” she sighed as his hands slipped beneath her top and covered her breasts.

Any misgivings he had that the desire was one-sided vanished when her head fell back, offering her throat to his lips while he caressed her. Her breath caught and held when he fumbled with the front clasp of her brassiere, but she released a soft murmur of pleasure when his fingertips brushed her bare skin.

Her hands moved over his back. He felt all ten of her fingers kneading muscle and exploring ribs and spine. Her palms skimmed over his belt, settled on his butt, pulled him into her.

They kissed once more, a long, deep, provocative kiss.

Then he took her hand again and pulled her along behind him as he felt his way across the living area into the bedroom. The cabin wasn’t luxurious by any means, but he hadn’t sacrificed all creature comforts. Into a room too small for one, he had crammed a king-size bed.

It was across this that they fell, coming together in its center and twining around one another with the blind, mindless craving of new lovers.

* * *

She lay on her side facing away from him.

Hammond tried to think of something appropriate to say, but he discarded possibilities before they were fully formed. Everything that came to mind sounded either false, corny, clichéd, or a combination thereof. He even thought about telling her the truth.

My God, that was incredible.

You are incredible.

I’ve never felt like this in my life.

I don’t want this night ever to end.

But he knew she wouldn’t believe any of it, so he said none of it. The long, strained silence became even longer and more strained. Eventually he rolled to his side and switched on the nightstand lamp. She reacted to the light by pulling her knees up closer to her chest, if anything becoming more withdrawn and untouchable.

Discouraged, he sat up. His shirt was twisted and unbuttoned, his pants unzipped, but he was still wearing both. Getting up, he removed everything except his boxers. When he looked up again toward the bed, she had rolled onto her back and was watching him, her eyes wide and apprehensive.

“This is an awkward moment. That’s fair to say, isn’t it?”

Hammond gingerly sat down on the edge of the bed. “It’s fair, yes.”

She wet her lips, rolled them inward, averted her eyes from his, and nodded. “Are you trying to think of a graceful way to get rid of me now?”

“What?” he exclaimed softly. “No. No.” He extended his hand to touch her hair, but let it fall before it reached her. “I was trying to think of a way to get you to stay the night without making a complete fool of myself.”

He could tell that pleased her. Her eyes found his again. She smiled shyly. Still sex-flushed, her lips slightly swollen from hard kissing, her hair tousled around her face, clothes in more disarray than his had been, she looked incredibly seductive. Her breasts, freed from her brassiere, lay softly against her chest beneath her top. But her nipples were distinct against the weave. He started getting hard again.

“I’m a mess.” Self-consciously she tugged her skirt down over her thighs. Both of them ignored the pair of panties lying on top of the bedspread at the foot of the bed. “May I use your bathroom?”

“Right through that door.” He stood to leave so she would have more privacy. “I’ll get us something to drink. Are you hungry?”

“After eating all that junk food at the fair?”

He returned her smile. “How about some water? Juice? Tea? Soft drink? Beer?”

“Water’s fine.”