Chapter Five

Wilma was already gone when Alison descended the stairs the following morning. Nick was nowhere to be seen, which both annoyed and pleased her.  She didn’t like the odd, uncomfortable pull that she felt when she was around him, so she was glad not to run into him.  Yet, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that sensational kiss and wouldn’t have minded kissing again to see if her reaction was a fluke or if she’s practically swoon in his arms once more. 

 She smoothed her wavy blonde hair over her shoulders and adjusted the headband she’d positioned to hold it out of her face. She’d taken great pains in dressing. The tan linen pants and pale blue silk shirt she wore were practically new.  She remembered that Nick agreed with Arthur about the way powder blue brought out the color of her rich blue eyes, so she made sure to wear the color again. With a sigh of disappointment, she looked in the direction of the guest house for signs of Nick while she headed for her Mini Cooper.

She pulled out her cell phone and checked if she had service before heading down the long drive toward the macadam road.  She didn’t.  Perhaps it would come back once she got into town.  She was remise in calling her long-time friend and roommate, Vanessa, to tell her where she was.

When she’d arrived at the estate, it was dark and rainy, so she wasn’t able to appreciate the beauty of the landscape like she could just then.  The house may be old, but it and its grounds were truly grand and beautiful.  She wasn’t certain where her property line ended, and the state’s preserve line started, but it really didn’t matter.  With no immediate neighbors, whether the land was hers or whether it belonged to the state of Georgia, it mattered little.  It still meant that the beautiful scene before her would remain untouched by modern technology.

The realization of her thoughts took her by surprise.  Since when did she prefer old and historic over new and modern?  Wasn’t she a street lights and sidewalk girl?

She pondered – and worried- over the sudden change in her for the fifteen-mile drive into Fort Oglethorpe. 

Alison was prone to worrying.  Her father used to tease her about it.  He’d say she wasn’t content unless she had something to worry about at least once per day. He was exaggerating, of course.  Although she’d admit that she tended to worry about things most people considered inconsequential.

The wringing of her cell phone startled her into awareness of her surroundings.  Once again, she’d been so deep in thought that she couldn’t remember the drive to her destination.  This was a very bad habit that she just couldn’t seem to break.  She grabbed the phone from her handbag and looked at caller I.D.  It was her longtime friend, and roommate,

Vanessa.

With a sigh, she answered, “What’s up?”

“What’s up?  You take off in the middle of the night without telling me where you’re going and don’t come back and all you have to say is what’s up?”  complained her friend.

“There’s no cell service at the house,” Alison replied.

“Since when doesn’t Arthur have cell phone service?” Vanessa asked with confusion.

“Sarah answered the door, so I kept driving to the estate house,” she explained.

“You drove out into the boonies in that horrific storm?” Vanessa worried.

Vanessa was her best friend and roommate in Atlanta.  She knew she owed her an explanation, but she still wasn’t up to thinking about Arthur and the hurt he caused. 

She sighed. “Sarah answered Arthur’s door.  She was wearing that tee shirt I got him for Christmas. You remember.  It has a picture of…”

“I thought he was finished with her,” Vanessa screeched.

“I didn’t wait to find out,” she replied.

“Didn’t he even try to explain?” her good friend asked with obvious frustration.  “I have half a mind to go over there and knock him silly. I thought you two were locked in the throes of passion and that’s why I didn’t hear from you.”

“He chased me down the drive, but I didn’t stop to hear his bull,” Alison volunteered. “I don’t know how he thought that could have explained away her standing in his doorway wearing nothing but his tee shirt and a pair of panties. Does he really think I’m that naïve and stupid?”

“Do you want me to come to visit you for a bit?” Vanessa offered.  “I saved some time off at work. I can be there Friday.”

“I’d love it,” Alison said eagerly.

“I was going to tell you last night, but you never called,” Vanessa pouted. “This house has a phone, right?”

“I haven’t been myself.  This whole deal with my great aunts’ Will has me flustered.  I’m still trying to adjust to it all,” Alison said apologetically. “I never even checked for a house phone, but, I’m sure there is one.”

“Did you contact the University of Tennessee yet?” Vanessa asked.

“I was thinking of taking the year off school,” she replied. 

“I could understand taking a year off -maybe even two years off- to travel and see the world, but to sit in a dilapidated old house in the middle of nowhere?” Vanessa said.

“It’s old, but it’s not dilapidated,” Alison said.  “You’ll see when you get here.”

“Text me the directions,” Vanessa said.  “The world’s best barista is expected at work in fifteen minutes.”

“You make a mean latté,” Alison chuckled.  “I’ll text you the directions right now.  When I go back to the house, I’ll lose cell reception again.”

She took a moment to send the directions to Vanessa’s cell phone before leaving the car in the community parking lot that was adjacent to the main street.  With her list in hand, she idly window shopped while she searched for the stores that she knew her great aunts’ estate held accounts with. The first place she stopped at was Montgomery’s Appliances.  She arranged to have a dishwasher delivered the following day.  Since she wasn’t sure about Nick’s skills with installation, she arranged to have the store install it as well.  After that, she sought out the other stores and picked up items that were small enough to carry.  

She’d skipped lunch with the intention of having an early dinner. That way, she’d only have to eat alone in public at one meal instead of two. It was still too early. She need to kill a little time. She didn’t feel like going into Chattanooga and had no desire to go back to that big, empty house.  After taking her packages back to her car, she decided to visit the nearby library until it was closer to dinner time. 

The serene ambiance, mixed with the energy of the authors who put their imagination and thoughts into a format that the world could enjoy had a calming, yet invigorating effect on her. She thought she’d pick up a light romance to pass the time away with, but found herself diving into a book about haunted houses instead.

She’d just finished mentally chastising herself for feeding her superstitions and fears with books of that nature and was hurrying to return it to the shelf when she accidently slammed into a firm, immobile body.  At first, she thought it was a mannequin, but she soon realized that there was life in that smooth smile and those sparkling brown dark eyes.

Her pathetic attempt at apologizing went by the wayside as she stared into the mesmerizing eyes of the second super- sexy man she’d encountered since she arrived.  He wasn’t as tall as Nick and his body wasn’t quite as broad and muscular.  His build was leaner; like a swimmer verses a wrestler. Both were strong, but conditioned for different skills.  His eyes were a dark brown that glittered with light when he smiled.  They were positioned evenly below thick, well-groomed brows on either side of a straight, slender nose that ended with a neatly trimmed mustache that framed his slender lips.  She wasn’t sure if it was the florescent lighting playing tricks or if his hair really was a dark auburn.  She’d have to see him in the light of day to be sure.

He held her shoulders in a light grip as he separated their bodies.  It took a moment for her to realize he didn’t let go.

“I’m so sorry,” she managed to whisper.  “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I’m glad you weren’t,” the stranger replied.  When she looked at him curiously, he added, “I would have had to come up with a way to meet you, otherwise.”

“Oh,” she blushed.

His smooth, masculine tone of southern assuredness vibrated through her body as he said, “I’m Martin Somerson.”

“Alison,” she stammered. “Colby, Alison Colby.”

He raised a curious brow. “The great niece?”

“You knew my great aunts?” she asked with surprise.

“They were wonderful ladies,” he said with a smile. “I can see the resemblance.”

As hard as it was for her to take her eyes off his handsome face, it was even harder for her to come up with the courage to ask him to release her.  He’d held her just a little longer than seemed acceptable for two strangers.  Her eyes focused on his hands holding her arms in hopes he’d get the hint.  He did.

She noticed how well-manicured his slender hands were just before he released her and stood back.  A sense of loss swept over her as he backed away and started to make his leave.

“Did you know them well?” she asked after him in a desperate attempt to keep him around just a bit longer.

“I knew them, but I wouldn’t say well,” he replied with a smile and a nod before disappearing down a long, narrow, and shadowy book aisle.

A driving force within her wouldn’t let him leave.  Not yet.  She quickly came up with the excuse that she was searching for the section that she’d gotten her book from so that she could return it to its proper place as she started down the aisle after him.

With her eyes and ears on the alert for him, Alison made a show of studying the titles of the books as she looked for the location to return the one in her arms. To her surprise, she found it.  With a slight gasp, she double checked the titles and numbers on the books to make sure she was in the right spot.  She could have sworn she’d gotten the book from the opposite side of the room.

“Can I help you find anything?” Martin whispered in her ear as he slid up next to her and leaned his handsome frame against the bookshelf.

Alison did her best to hide the shiver of delight his whisper caressing her ear caused as she leaned, with what she hoped was equal casualness, against the bookcase as well.

“I was just killing time until dinner,” she said without thinking. 

He looked at her thoughtfully. “You eat early.

“I skipped lunch, so I thought I’d have an early dinner before I go home,” she explained.

“Won’t Janice have dinner waiting for you?” he asked.

“Janice passed just before my great aunts did,” Alison explained.

“So, now, Wilma is your cook?” he asked.

“She’s…” Alison was just about to admit that Wilma was off for the day, when she thought better of it.  He was a stranger, after all.  “not the cook.  She’s the live -in housekeeper.”

“My apologies,” he said. “So, you cook your own food?”

“I’m a fairly decent cook,” she smiled.

 “Are you inviting me to dine with you?” he teased.

“I… no... I mean,” she stammered.

“Well then, why don’t I invite you to dine with me?  I could do with an early dinner,” he said in such an irresistibly smooth tone that all she could do was nod her head.  “I must warn you that I’m a vegetarian,” he continued.

“Me too,” she lied, remembering the lamb stew she’d eaten the night before.

A broad, satisfied smile consumed his face. “All the better.”

It wasn’t exactly a lie about her being a vegetarian.  The lamb stew Wilma fed her the night before was the first meat she’d eaten in almost a year.  She normally found meat not to her liking, so she ate very little of it.

Martin took her to a small Italian restaurant on the outskirts of the little city.  Alison ordered spinach ravioli, while Martin made due with an enormous salad; which he picked at, but never finished during their hours of conversation.

“You weren’t really hungry, were you?” she asked sheepishly.

“I wanted to spend time with you,” he admitted, “but it is a little early for me to have much of an appetite.”

“I feel bad,” she said.

“Don’t…” he began, but she held up her hand to stop him.

“Not about you not being hungry, but about my lying,” she said with a sigh. “It’s not exactly the truth that I’m a vegetarian.  I don’t eat much meat, but I do eat meat on occasion.  I don’t know why I told you I was a vegetarian.”

“I see,” he said with mock disappointment as he paid the bill and stood to leave.  The look on her face made it easy to see that she believed he was abandoning her for lying. He chuckled to himself at her purity and seeming innocence as he held his hand out to her and said, “Shall we go?”

A bright smile spread across her face as she accepted the hand he offered and stood up.  As she turned to walk away, he continued to hold her hand. She stopped and looked questioningly at him.

“There’s something about you that I find totally irresistible,” he said with earnest.

She swallowed hard as she fought back the blush that threatened to consume her face.

Although she knew she was a good-looking woman, she was no raving beauty.  Her experience with boys in school was hindered by the fact that her intelligence level exceeded theirs, which they found intimidating.  Other than Arthur, she’d never really been involved with a man and then, she’d kept it on a light level.

Thinking of Arthur brought Sarah to mind and her pink blush turned to red rage.

Seeing the change in her, he asked, “Did I say something wrong?”

“I was just remembering something,” she said as she re-composed herself. “Forgive me.”

“Let me walk you to your car,” he offered as he put his arm around her shoulder and guided her out of the tiny restaurant.  “The next time we go out, you’ll let me pick you up.  This is no way to part on a first date,” he whispered close to her ear before lightly kissing her cheek.

Flustered once again, Alison got into her car and drove away. She watched Martin through her rear-view mirror as he stood and watch her car until his body was too small to see clearly.

She’d managed to stay out far later than planned. It was almost nine o’clock before she pulled into the estate’s drive and parked her car in front of the house.  She sat there for a moment and debated about putting it into the garage, but that would mean she’d have to walk past the guest house and she wasn’t in the mood to run into Nick.  So, she filled her arms with her shopping bags and entered through the front of the house.

“That wood floor isn’t the easiest to maintain,” Nick said from the shadows.  “The old ladies rarely used the front door to spare wearing it down.”

“I’ll keep that I mind,” Alison said as she tried to hide the fact that he’d startled her half to death.

He moved closer and took some of the bags from her overloaded arms. “Did I startle you?”

“I wasn’t expecting to see you,” she explained.  “Wilma said you take a few days off at this time of the month.”

“Next week,” he replied bluntly.

“You disappeared all day yesterday,” she said over her shoulder as she made her way to the kitchen with the bags she still carried.

“Did you need me for something?” he asked.

“No,” she replied.

“You just missed me, then?” he said with a smirk.

“You flatter yourself,” she said as she set her bags on the table. She turned to find him so close behind her that she almost molded into him.

His strong hands swept her into his arms without warning.  Taken aback, she had all she could do to maintain consciousness as his mouth consumed hers with a passion one could only imagine possible.  His kiss was hot, moist, and all consuming.  Her head literally spun and her legs went weak. If it wasn’t for the strength of his muscular arms, she would have fallen to the floor in a heap.

Something in her abdomen felt as if it snapped

free from its bindings. She experienced an unexplainable urgency to be closer to him, to mold with him, to climb inside him. She buried her face into his solid chest, her arms locked around his neck, and her legs wrapped around his waist as soon as he lifted her feet from the floor.   He carried her up the stairs to her bedroom as if she weighed no more than one of the bags he’d helped her carry into the kitchen. 

She felt the softness of the mattress as he lowered her onto it.  His body hovered over hers as he continued to kiss her passionately.  His hands roamed over her torso until he could slip his strong, work worn fingers beneath her silk blouse and cup her breast.  She had no idea how he managed, but he somehow unfastened her bra so that he had better access to her pert nipples.

Although she was still a virgin, Alison was no stranger to foreplay. It was something Arthur introduced her to at the onset of their dating.  He would have liked to have taken it further, but she never felt right about it.  With Nick, it felt right. It felt very, very right. It didn’t matter that they’d only met two days ago.  She experienced a drawing force whenever he was near and she was sure he felt it too. She’d never believed in love at first sight until she met Nick.

Buttons flew here and there when she shocked them both by ripping her shirt open to allow him easy access to her wanting breasts.  A deep, lusty chuckle escaped his throat just before he lowered his lips to take her in.  His mouth felt hot and moist against her flesh.  It was so very different from the dry, almost irritating sensation Arthur produced whenever he fondled her in such a way.

The difference between lovers was so acute, Alison couldn’t help wondering what else would be different.  She longed to have him move lower with his ministrations, but hesitated in asking.

Alison soon felt a sensation within her loins that could only be described as erotic ecstasy.  She arched her hips toward him, as if seeking his body and begging him to enter her. He unfastened her silk slacks and explored inside them until his strong fingers settled on her sensitive spot.  His mouth continued to consume her breast has he worked his magic to put her body into such a frenzy of delight that he practically had to subdue her with the weight of his own.

“Take me,” she whispered breathlessly.

“You’re a virgin,” he said softly.

“I need you to take me,” she insisted.

“I don’t sleep with virgins,” he said before he stood up and left the room.

Alison was left lying on the bed in total shock over what just occurred.  Her body felt satiated, but still longing for more.  She thought of how quickly Arthur would have accepted the opportunity to take her virginity before she thought of how easily Nick walked away when she offered it to him.  Was there something wrong with Nick or with her?

She decided it was her.  After all, from all she knew and heard about boys, it was natural for them to see how far they could go with a girl.  What wasn’t natural was for them to refuse sex when it was offered to them on a silver platter.  The only times she’d heard talk of that happening was either when the girl was super ugly or super loose.  Fear of catching a disease was a good reason to walk away; especially if the guy was a hunk and had no problem attracting the opposite sex.  Never had Alison heard of a guy saying he didn’t sleep with virgins.  That had to be an excuse because he was afraid of catching something from her.  After all, she certainly didn’t act the prude whenever they were alone together.   You didn’t need to have actual intercourse to contract a disease.  Everyone knew that.  That was it. He considered her to be a loose woman.

Alison was mortified at the thought. 

She climbed off the bed and removed her wrinkled and damaged clothes. She headed for the shower.  Her first thought was to wash away her humiliation, but then she stopped.   She wasn’t ready to lose his musky scent or the tingling sensations his lips and hands left behind. It was clearly the last taste of him she’d have and, for some crazy reason that she couldn’t explain, she wanted to savor it.

She climbed naked into bed and went to sleep wondering how she’d ever face him again.