“Stoppp! I’m gonna pee.”
Easing up the torture, I said, “I didn’t know you were this ticklish.”
“Ooh. I have to catch my breath. And yes, now you know.”
I stared at her chest rising and falling. Her gorgeous nipples were erect and pointed toward the ceiling and it dawned on me I’d spent very little time enjoying them. After I inched my way up, my mouth surrounded one and I sucked and flicked my tongue over one, while pinching and tweaking the other with my hand.
From the sounds of things, she was into it. Fingers delved into my hair as she became more aroused. She arched her back as I explored the rest of her body with my lips and tongue. Goosebumps broke out across her flesh with my ministrations. My mouth reached the apex of her thighs and her heady scent was intoxicating. Soft murmurs spurred me on as I spread her lips and tasted her. English was so responsive, it didn’t take much time for her to peak into another climax.
Being with English was comfortable in every way. There were no stilted conversations, uncomfortable silences, or awkward moments even in bed. I’d never imagined myself being like this with a woman before, especially a wife. I was even dreading getting on the plane and leaving her, something else I’d never imagined. I would miss her body next to mine in bed, but I’d also miss her wittiness and warm heart. What was happening to me? When this harebrained scheme of Stanton’s had flowered, I’d never seen this part of it coming, but I was smitten with her. No, not smitten. I was hooked. She was everything and more I wanted in a woman.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Yes, but I wish I didn’t have to go.”
“Tristian, this is your dream trip.”
“It was my dream trip, but not anymore. I’ll worry about you here alone.”
She put her arms around my waist. “Don’t spend a second doing that. I’ll be fine and if I get a little spooked or something, I’ll go to my parents. They have a guest apartment they built for me when I lived there.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh. It was when I was pregnant, so they have plenty of room. I want you to enjoy this trip. You and Dad will have a great time.”
Easier said than done when the woman I… how exactly did I feel about her? She sparked emotions in me no one ever had. Was it love? No, it couldn’t be. It had only been a couple of months. Was it even possible to love someone this fast? I doubted it. Yeah, this trip was coming at the exact right time. It would tell me what I needed to know. If I missed her more than I should, then I’d have my answer.
“Such a pensive look. What’s up?”
“I was thinking about the long flight and if I’d be able to sleep.” Not a chance I’d disclose the truth.
“It’s brutal. When I went with Dad, we spent a few days’ layover in Oregon, which helped. But coming back we flew straight here and I thought I’d never get over the time change.”
“Thanks, starshine. You made me feel better.”
She made a face. “Sorry. That wasn’t very helpful. But I’ll say, once there, the travel is worth it.”
We piled my things into the car and rode over to her mom’s so I could say goodbye to Easton. It was fairly painless as her great-grandfather was picking her up soon to go puppy-hunting.
“Mom, remind him to find something smallish,” English said.
Sheridan chuckled. “I’ll do my best.”
On the way to the airport, I gave English a few instructions. “Stanton knows you have access to everything you want at the house. Landry is prepared for your visit with Easton and won’t leave you alone with the women.”
“Tristian, I am an adult and can take care of myself.”
“Right, but I’m just taking extra precautions. Oh, one other thing. I left a key to my apartment, along with all the entry codes. Can you run up there to check on things maybe once a week while I’m gone? I put a change of address in, but just in case, I have a mail slot in the door.”
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
We arrived at the international terminal to a line of cars. I finally made it to the curb and parked. I had enough bags for a dozen people so I called a skycap over for help. All the photography equipment was a pain to travel with, but I needed it so might as well not complain.
When the cart was loaded, I kissed my wife goodbye.
“Safe travels, and call or text when you arrive, please,” English said.
“I will, and be safe while I’m away.”
Dread filled me as I walked away, leaving her standing there on the sidewalk.
Chapter Forty-One
English
Tristian’s absence put a huge hole in my heart and home. Easton’s bubbly personality usually pulled me out of my glum moods, but not this time. All I thought of was the number of days he’d be gone and it was a lot.
The next day I texted Landry to make sure he was still up for the riding lesson with Easton. My phone rang immediately.
“You didn’t think I’d bail, did you?” Landry asked.
“Not bail, just change your mind.” His pleasant tone was a pick-me-up.
“Not at all. Come on out. When can you be here?”
“How’s an hour?”
“Works great for me. I’ll be out front when you arrive.”
Easton was watching one of her favorite TV shows, so I went and told her of our planned excursion. “Guess what? I have a surprise.”
“What?”
“I’m not going to tell you, but we have to get dressed and go.”
“Okay.” She hopped off the couch and asked, “Where are we going? To get pizza?”
“No, someplace better, but if I tell you, then it won’t be a surprise. Let’s go and change our clothes.”
We went upstairs and into her room. I laid out some clothes, but she wanted to wear one of her princess dresses.
“You can bring it along, but you can’t wear it for what we’re going to do.”
“But why?”
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
Her puzzled expression brought a grin to my face, but I didn’t give anything away. I wanted her to see the horses first. She’d be so excited.
She dressed in the jeans, sweatshirt, and sneakers I handed her. Then I went and did the same. When we were ready, I texted Landry to let him know we were headed out the door, but that Easton had no idea where we were going.
He sent me the upward-pointing thumb. This was going to be so much fun for her. I made sure to bring a jacket, as he requested, and then I grabbed her bike helmet out of the garage. Off we went.
Her chatter filled my ears all the way. She informed me about the puppies she’d seen yesterday.
“Did you see any you liked?”
“I liked them all, but Geepa said we had to pick it special so it wouldn’t grow very big.”
“That’s right. He has to be small.”
“Like small enough to fit in a tiny cage?”
“No, honey, he can be bigger than that, but not as big as Boonior was.”
“How big was Boonior?”
“Bigger than you are.”