AND SO IT DID. Everything changed.
In so many ways Xavier never expected or even hoped for. He was dating a girl. He had a girlfriend. That was entirely new. Strange. Interesting. And Xavier liked it.
Karlee was always there for him. On his side. Easy to talk to. If he had free time, he was never bored now, he always had her for company. There were so many places to go. New and exciting places since she could afford so much more than he could. Dinners in Seattle. Parks, museums, and all the local attractions. Something he never had the time, money or energy to do before. He’d been to downtown Seattle and the surrounding area only a couple of times except for driving through. Now, he had fun exploring it like a tourist. Wow. He liked to live a little more. They took long walks and held hands. When they watched movies, they cuddled and Karlee rested her head on him. He liked those times too. The ease and comfort he felt around Karlee was unique; he never felt that comfortable with anyone.
And much to his surprise, with more time, a sense of ease also began to develop with her parents, Rebecca and Rob. It started slowly. Xavier started to come over more often and hang out in the living room or the kitchen. He and Karlee were always chaste and appropriate.
Most of their kissing took place in his rented room. Nothing else happened, not yet. They were deliberately taking it slow.
Xavier was careful not to push or mess anything up. Not for something as basic as sex.
He was invited to Karlee’s house for dinner more than once and pretty soon, he found himself talking to her mom about random subjects. Nothing too deep. She asked him about his classes, his favorite subject, what he liked to do after school. Xavier never spent much time in mom interactions, although he enjoyed her concern. Rebecca kind of fussed over him. She always asked him a lot of questions during dinner. Did he like the meat? Did he need more sauce? Was he cold? Or hot? Did he want a drink? Crap. Xavier never felt so coddled before. It was annoying at first, but also nice to know someone cared so much about him.
Xavier’s favorite times were when he and Rob discussed different rock bands. Songs. Singers. Guitars. Bass and drum players. All the quirks they liked and didn’t like. Everything was so real to Xavier at those times. The conversations stimulated his mind and creativity, since he participated as much as Rob. He even learned a few new songs. He sought Rob for his comments and respected his taste, and they made fun of the bands and singers they didn’t like. Rob and Xavier bonded over the single thing they both cherished: music. No wonder Xavier worshiped the man he constantly emulated and obsessed over. But to his unsuspecting mind, he soon realized he was infatuated with the entire family. Watching Rob and Rebecca together was always a treat and Xavier saw what a healthy family lifestyle looked like.
The few friends Xavier had growing up came mostly from the neighborhood. They liked to hang around together but they never frequented anybody’s house in particular. Xavier never formed real attachments to anyone in his life. By the time he reached high school, he stopped seeking friends and preferred to spend his time alone. Shunning his stupid, useless father, Xavier hid in the shed with his guitar, studying the music he liked by listening to it over and over. For hours, days, and weeks, Xavier memorized the sounds, doing whatever was necessary to perfect his attempts to play it. The rest of his time was spent at his horrible, menial jobs. God, he hated manual labor most of all.
He had no loving family or any other family to guide and encourage his wayward youth. Xavier Montgomery grew up in a place where no one cared about him. So he decided to survive and eventually, thrive. He detested the exhausting sawmill work that his father did. He feared he’d be a drunk or a dope addict by the age of forty and dead by fifty if he stayed there. Tedious, long, hard hours filled with stress and cigarettes. Bad diet choices. That was where his life was headed if he followed his father’s footsteps.
His plan to become a musician gave him the hope and motivation to find a path on which he could flourish.
After taking the first few steps down his path, damn! He was not only more rested and healthier, but he also found more time to relax. Suddenly, there were all kinds of things to do, like escorting Karlee on her endless, expensive adventures. But even little things like conversations became much more stimulating. Xavier never foresaw that. The only people he ever talked to were customers at work or the freaking professors that taught his classes.
Karlee and he got along well, so being around her was as nice as being alone. He never experienced that with anyone else, let alone, a woman. Xavier slept with a few girls, but never had any burning desire to know any of them beyond the bedroom. There was no connection behind the physical act. Even sex wasn’t all that wonderful for him. His passionate desire to sing and become famous were far more pressing and burning than his passion for any woman or sex.
At first, the buzz of success nearly blew Xavier away. Being regularly invited to Rob’s house, he was often allowed to just be there. Hanging out. Doing homework. Watching TV. Crap. What else did he and Karlee do? A lot of talking. For hours. They never ran out of things to say. The effortless exchange was the same as when they were only friends, flowing perfectly like a placid river, smooth and calm, not terrifying and dramatic like the rapids.
Developing Karlee’s genuine interest in him was the next goal. That was easy too. She became softer, kinder, funnier, smarter and more interesting the longer he spent time with her. Her looks grew on him each day and he continued to find more reasons to watch her. She became more interesting and beautiful with every hour he observed her. The curve of her shoulder, the way her hair swept off her neck, covering the tiny hairs that reminded him of peach fuzz and were feathery soft.
His interest also grew as the days passed. The invitations to stay for dinner with them became more frequent. Sometimes, it was just Karlee and him grabbing a bite, and one parent or the other would join them. Xavier met Karlee’s two sisters and her brothers-in-law. Eric made his eyes pop when he walked in one day and Xavier couldn’t believe how huge he was. Upon learning he was head of their security, Xavier thought Damn! No one would dare to mess with that muscle-bound bodyguard. His wife, Kathy, was studying to become a pastor and seemed the polar opposite of him. Shy, reserved, and demure, she had sweet smiles and darting eyes that suddenly glimmered with embarrassment if she held his gaze too long during a casual conversation. He also met Pastor Jim and his wife, Kayla. They were moving back home from Montana after a life-changing adventure in a remote location that involved the rebuilding of a landmark church and the subsequent appeal to a newer, younger congregation. Kayla was fiery and confident, and Xavier easily distinguished her as the oldest sister.
Both Kathy and Kayla were very protective of their baby sister, Karlee. When they reverted to treating her as their little sister, she snapped at them until they backed off. They bickered and pretended to fight but it was in a teasing and affectionate way. They also got moody with each other although everyone accepted it as normal. Xavier had no siblings so family life was always a trip to him. He liked to quietly observe them whenever they were all together. So far, he got the impression her sisters approved of him being Karlee’s first boyfriend.
Xavier worked hard to prove himself worthy of Karlee to her family. He analyzed their personalities and interacted with them accordingly, trying his best to be well received. Kathy was quiet and shy, so he became quieter and more reserved. Kayla was fun and outspoken, so he easily fell into a witty banter with her. Eric was… well, hell! Everyone liked Eric because he got along with everybody. Jim appeared dour and Xavier found him hard to read, but after being coolly aloof around Jim, Xavier asked him a few thoughtful questions and Jim soon warmed up and relaxed.
Xavier always treated Karlee with his utmost respect. He let her speak and he listened. He might have teased her now and then, but he never made fun of her. He held her hand or wrapped his arm around her shoulders to show his affection, but never anything more than that when her family was present.
In the months that followed, they were the ones to suggest the next step to his plan.
Xavier, want to listen to Rob and Spencer down at the studio?
YES!
Of course, he eventually had to play with them on those special occasions.
“Xavier, want to hear the new song we’re working on?” Rob would ask.
Of course, he did and they played it while Xavier struggled to keep his cool when they asked for his opinion.
Xavier, want to jam with us?
Of course, he did! After a while, it wasn’t so strange and awkward when Rob or Karlee suggested they go out there, and he found himself playing music with the famous musicians.
Before long, Rob started working with him exclusively. Rob taught him and talked about techniques and let Xavier try them. Xavier began to regularly play music with Rob.
He loved learning new songs and he immersed himself into it. His guitar playing exploded with new techniques, skills, speed and accuracy. They were months of sheer heaven for Xavier. He sped through his classes and did his job, cutting back his hours at the coffee shop. He charged his expenses on a credit card, unwilling to waste any more time on a menial job when he could be learning and living his dream internship. It was like being dropped into a foreign country and having to learn the language and customs to survive. He couldn’t wait to start every day.
He soaked everything in. He let it simmer and stew inside him, knowing the luxury of playing with legends would only make his playing that much better.
How much fun could he have? He felt like a god. Making music with mostly Rob, but often Spencer too, he was doing what he knew he had to do. This was it. In that time, and those months, it all solidified. His destiny lay before him. It was this. There could be nothing else. Hell. He was the first to admit it sounded like a lark or even just a fun hobby. He was that unique athlete on the team who was ready for the Olympics just because he had that something more. It was his ticket to success. And there was no more denying it.
Things with Karlee proceeded almost in tandem, feeling as right and smooth as the music career he’d initiated. He landed in a utopian world where he was always lucky, good and almost happy.
Xavier changed. In the few weeks that they started dating, he became a lot more fun and easy going. The stress lines that used to bracket his mouth seemed to fade. He was more relaxed and confident, speaking his mind to Karlee as well as her parents. He got more familiar with Karlee and much better at expressing himself than before.
Things were so good between them and well, how to describe her joy? It was all the things her older sisters told her about but which she’d never felt. Until she met Xavier. Karlee tried so hard to feel it with boys, and with girls when it didn’t work for her on boys, but nothing happened. Neither sex could arouse her. She suspected she was asexual. But after a few heated exchanges, clashing ideas, teasing, and play fighting with Xavier, her insides warmed up and her most private places reacted by swelling and getting hotter, which also never happened before. She was definitely attracted to Xavier. The way his eyes focused on her as if she were the only female in the entire world. That was pretty potent. Oh, but his voice… God, her insides strummed in an ancient dance of desire that finally made her know she was indeed quite normal and human in her lust and desire for Xavier.
Horny.
She wanted Xavier more than anything. He kept kissing her in a respectful manner… So she had to push him for sex. He didn’t really pursue it yet… so Karlee had to take the first step.
His real excitement was about the music. Singing with Rob specifically, and she was not the least surprised. They were amazing together and she found it fun and awesome to listen to them play. She never grew bored. Whether it lasted ten minutes or ten hours, which it sometimes did, running late into the night, Karlee stayed there, listening. They played everything from classic rock to smashing alternative to brand new sounds that sometimes worked, sometimes not so much. It was always exhilarating and wonderful. Her strong desire for Xavier wasn’t based on a dream anymore but a reality; and she liked how healthy and excited he made her feel.
Few subjects could intimidate Karlee to the point that she would not bring them up. But when it came to intimacy, she was very intimidated. She didn’t know how to say what she most wanted.
However, she had to take control of the situation. She feared she’d be sprouting gray hair before Xavier ever got past being respectful with her.
They ate dinner at a small bistro in Seattle and played a game of mini-golf, just for something different to do. Her parents were in New York for Zenith to play a benefit concert. Karlee had the whole house to herself so tonight was the night she’d planned and dreamt about. She just hadn’t told Xavier yet.
She brought him into her bedroom and he commented how empty the house was. She nodded and smiled. “Right. Zenith is in New York for a benefit concert.”
Shaking his head as he kissed her lips, he suddenly drew his face back. “Your life still freaks me out. It’s so typical and usual for you, isn’t it? Sure it is. Parents off to New York to perform at a concert. Most parents would be attending one, not being featured onstage.”
She kissed him back, smiling when their lips met. “You’re entirely too obsessed with what my parents are up to. Especially now, when we have this entire house to ourselves. All night. Actually, we have it for two nights.”
He grabbed her shoulders and shoved her back. Startled, she blinked up at him. “Geez, try to relax.”
“Karlee, are you… suggesting something?”
“No.” She grabbed his face in her hands and stared hard at him. “I’m full-on propositioning you. We have this entire house to ourselves—”
“Not true. This compound is crawling with security.”
She sighed. “There’s nobody but us inside here. No one to pop in and check on what I’m doing and then report everything to Rob and Mom. No one to announce that little Karlee is having sex with Xavier.”
He visibly swallowed at hearing the word. She rolled her eyes. “You’ve had sex before, Xavier.”
“I have. But not with—”
“You’d better not say Rob’s daughter.” She tilted her head, her hand on her hip. She was ready to blast him.
He finally released a small grin that broke the strain on his face. “You. I was going to say you.”
Squinting, she held back a sigh. “Do you think it’s different with me?”
“Everything is different with you.”
“Why?” Both hands on her hips, she demanded, “What the hell are you talking about?”
He released her, getting up and sitting down on her bed. “Karlee, things with us… have to be different. Far different than I’ve ever experienced before. Hell, there was no one before you. The few girls I had sex with were just that, a few. No more than a quick lay. I’m probably not too good at it. I’ve never had a girlfriend like you because I barely even had friends.” He rubbed his hands together nervously. “I don’t want to screw up our friendship. It’s too precious to me.”
“Friends don’t stick their tongues down each other’s throat,” she replied with a dull tone of reason to her voice. She paused a moment before adding, “Unless they otherwise specify. So we are definitely past the only friend stage.”
“Friends… okay, might not usually kiss each other. But sex means…”
“Sex. If you’re not experienced or good at it, so what? Neither am I. Can’t we learn how to do it together? We had a damn good partnership during our school project, didn’t we?”
A smile appeared on his lips, even though his face stayed down, and his gaze was rooted to the floor. His mouth was bracketed in stress again. “I just don’t know how to keep it…”
“Our kisses are more than enough to suggest what it will be.”
“I don’t want it to be the usual. Nothing is special for me. I want us to be something special.”
She suddenly surprised him by sprawling onto his lap, splitting her legs and wrapping them around him. He was forced to look up at her. He appeared almost displeased as he frowned when he found her gripping his shoulders and tugging herself closer to him. “It’ll be so special you won’t be able to ever walk away from me again,” she seductively whispered into his ear. She licked his ear to punctuate her meaning and his hot erection grew heavy beneath her.
He leaned back and pulled her with him. For once, he finally engaged her without hesitation. He rolled her under him and stared down at her. His awkwardness and previous playfulness were gone. His heated gaze could have melted her to the core. His hungry eyes roved over her face, going down her neck and to her chest. They were both still covered. But he seemed to see through her to her very soul. “You are already special; so much that I can’t even look away from you. I didn’t expect this. Not at all. You have to know that.”
“I didn’t either.” Her voice was breathless and her heart was racing.
“Being with you is the most real I’ve ever been.” He stared into her eyes before lowering his forehead onto hers. “Means more than everything else to me.”
She let his confession fill her. Her heart expanded with joy at his words and how they made her feel. “Then you should want this.” She smiled up at him with her eyes wide and clear, as though her heart shone from inside them. She did something rare for her. She opened her feelings to him.
His smile was brief, but potent. It was just enough to make it sexy. Without becoming obnoxious and ruining the moment. “I do want to do this. I did from about the first time you smiled at me. My hesitation isn’t because I don’t want you. It’s because of how much I do.”
She stared at him. “Then let’s go with that. Show me how much you want me.” She lifted her hips until they touched his and slid her hands down his back to his butt. Cupping each cheek, she pushed his warm length between her open legs.
He groaned at the intimate contact and the intense heat that shot through his body, although their clothes dulled it. “I want you, Karlee. Just like this. In every way. I can’t imagine not.”
She shuddered at his touch and words. She was lost to the wonderful sensations he created. His mouth covered hers again in a long kiss before his tongue slid against hers. She twisted and tangoed her tongue with his. His mouth kissed the corner of her lips and her cheek and chin, descending to the sensitive skin of her neck. She tilted her head upwards, luxuriating at his tender touch. His tongue swirled around her clavicle. He pushed up her shirt and she lifted her arms to free them before tugging the shirt over her head and tossing it away. His gaze started on her shoulders and dipped lower, growing hungry and sparking with lust at the gentle swell of her pert breasts. Small but pointy, like twin soldiers, ready for action. His action. She almost giggled at her clever musing. But it never left her mouth when her gaze found his fastened on her. His eyes were burning for her. The lust was raw and evident. From the sight of her little boobs? Unmitigated desire pooled between her legs at her realization.
He leaned forward, releasing her bra before his thumb and index finger circled her nipple. Bending down, his hair tickled her naked breast as his mouth sealed the pointed, sensitive end and he started sucking. His teeth nipped her, and his tongue swirled and lapped the end of her nipple. Nerve endings radiated in swirls of delicious sensations that started at her nipple and spiraled down to the tips of her fingers and toes.
Her hand swept into his hair and she brushed through the soft, feathery strands with her fingers. His hand replaced his mouth and he took her other breast in a warm, wet embrace of his tongue. She loved it and she moaned when he took both of her nipples, that were hard and sensitive, and gently manipulated them.
He kneeled back, releasing her for a moment and tugging off his shirt. His torso was revealed only inches at a time as he slowly threw the t-shirt off. She sat up and touched his chest, making circles over his pecs on the flat spot where his nipples were. She swirled her fingers around his thin, flat stomach and the skin that stretched tautly over his abs. He was wiry but very strong. Her heart was filled with desire for him.
He leaned forward and kissed her when she dropped her hands to his jeans and started working on his pants. He did the same for her. Finally, with beaming grins, they released each other. She quickly removed her leggings as he started on his button and zipper. Dropping their pants, including their underwear, their gazes practically devoured each other. All their clothes were gone and their eyes drank in the delicious novelty of their nakedness.
He reached for her waist and drew her towards him. Kneeling on the bed, he kissed her long and hard with a wonderful, dizzying speed of his tongue sliding inside her mouth and tasting hers. She moaned and let out a little gasp.
His hands slid everywhere, to her shoulders and down her arms. He clasped her hands and brought them to his chest. She gripped his shoulders while he continued his exploration of her naked, sensitized skin. “Your skin is soft and smooth, you feel so amazing,” he muttered before his lips touched her neck while his hands felt the contour of her waist and dropped down to her bare butt. He gripped her cheeks and pulled her closer to him. She groaned and tipped her head back, relishing the new sensations. Delicious and satisfying. Both of them were hungry with lust, and achy with need. The anticipation of being almost there was torturous.
One hand slipped to her front and he cupped her, gently stroking her soft curls and petting her. Moisture was already pooling inside her and she whimpered at his touch. Her knees began to buckle and give out. She leaned on his shoulder, kissing his skin and biting him gently when his fingers slid along her vaginal lips, running over the opening once, then twice.
His fingers found the hooded nub that made her whimper and groan, releasing more wetness inside her. He played with her, using his fingers by dipping them inside her and curling them up. He inserted two and withdrew them before doing it over and over. She shook and trembled as she started to ride his hand and her entire body zeroed in on that exciting sensation. Closing her eyes, the feelings started to grow and she let them totally consume her. Sparks shot behind her closed eyes. Warmth rushed through her bloodstream and hot pinpricks ignited all of her nerve endings. She moved with mindless abandon and whimpered her ceaseless want. When he leaned forward to grab her breast in his mouth, she arched into him, riding onto his hand and gasping. Needing him. Wanting him. All at once, in a rush of wetness, she came and he devoured her moans with his mouth.
Breathing hard, she all but fell on him. Peppering small, sweet kisses along her jaw and up to her forehead, he waited for her to speak. Finally, her eyelids fluttered open and she said, “Let me grab a condom.”
Reaching over him, she searched her nightstand and took out the box she bought recently as Xavier eyed it suspiciously. “You were planning this?”
“Duh. You were taking way too long.” She grinned at her naughty fun. Taking one out, she opened it and reached for him. Her fingers slid down his warm, silky, hard length and he responded to her warm touch by getting harder and pulsing with need. The skin covering his hardness felt so satiny under her fingertips. His breath exhaled with a harsh gasp. She stroked his penis for several long moments while he gripped her waist with tight hands.
Leaning forward, she opened the condom and used both hands to roll the latex tube over him. His erection strained towards her touch. She slid her hands over his chest and he gasped at the contact when her hands met behind his neck. She rose onto her knees and they faced each other in a kiss that was long and deep, brimming with feelings not yet expressed.
But everything wonderful was all right there.
Releasing his mouth, she tipped her body back and pulled him with her, letting him fall onto the welcoming spot between her legs. Her body supported his weight and it felt heavenly. He kissed her and lifted his hips, aiming his eager penis into her wet, ripe opening. He rubbed her, eliciting more groans and shifted her forward until she parted her thighs. Her channel was soaking wet and slick and ready. She felt more than ready. When he fully entered her body, and became encased inside her, both of them began groaning, sighing, and making other sounds of ecstasy. He tilted his hips to a better angle for more access and she arched her back in response, saying, “Oh… oh! That feels so good…” He withdrew before slamming back inside her, tilting the angle again, and pumping his hips even harder. Her wet haven welcomed him. Her body felt so glorious under his. Xavier moved fast and his lovemaking consumed her. How different it felt this time. No comparison to the faceless boy from high school. This was amazing. Toe-curling. Soul-freeing.
She came when he pounded deep inside her and screamed with no inhibition or reserve. She felt him release her slightly when he came right after she did. His body tightened and he started to let go before his body curled around hers and he stopped moving.
He collapsed on top of her like a balloon suddenly deflating. He remained silent for several long moments.
She rubbed his back, feeling resplendent, joyful and totally unlike herself. She seemed completely open to the world and a riot of sensations were bubbling up in her.
“That wasn’t like any other time,” Xavier eventually remarked.
“No? Same for me. It was actually well worth repeating.”
He lifted his head, and his gaze landed on her eyes. “Yeah? Honestly, it was the same for me too. Sex used to be a clinical, cold, and a pretty quick act. Nothing to remember. This was…”
“The opposite of that? Going from warm to scorching hot to…”
He nodded, and a cocky, crooked smile on his face took her breath and her heart away. “Yeah, it was fucking amazing.” He suddenly grabbed her and flipped her around, putting her on top. “You are so fucking amazing. I just can’t… I can’t believe I’m here with you right now.”
She laughed, flinging her head back, and letting her hair cascade over her naked shoulders. She was so free, young, wanton, glorious, and outrageous. All the things she never felt before.
“You’re pretty amazing too. Together we are fucking amazing.”
She dropped her hands to his chest and leaned forward, letting her lips hover above his.
“I hope you realize this is just the start for us.”
His hand gripped the back of her head and he brought her face closer to his, connecting their lips in a long, wet kiss. “I know.” He smiled and began fumbling around. She realized why when she saw the condom box. Xavier was pulling out another one.
“With you, I don’t suck so much…”
She grinned salaciously. “You don’t. But I might.” He frowned at first but his eyes rounded as she slid down his body, releasing the condom from his hand and throwing it off her bed. She set her lips on him. “I’ve never done this before. So you have to let me know when I do something wrong… or right.” She had a cocky smile, literally. Licking the tip of his penis, she used her hand to hold, pet, stroke and jerk him. Meanwhile, she licked him several more times.
He grabbed her hair and tugged on it. “Perfect…” he gasped breathlessly.
She knew she wasn’t but seeing that he didn’t know or care made it perfect for them. She slipped him inside her mouth and played around to see how much pressure and movement he needed to react. How much before he tugged her hair and had to change her position because she was wiggling so much with raw lust. She lifted her face up and quickly slid the condom down his shaft before sliding her body over him and planting her hips on him fully. He lay still, his eyes closed and appearing quite pleased. She smiled at him and at herself. Sex was glorious with Xavier. She moved her hips, in complete control. This time, she angled her body forward, gripping him tightly inside her channel. Then she squeezed him and jerked back and forth, exactly like she wanted, hitting the sweet spot until she felt greedy. She loved guiding his body so that it pleased her with every stroke, and in doing so, ecstasy shone on his face.
They kissed and groped each other, then they moaned and screamed when they climaxed over and over. There were so many. This was just the start of a long, sensual night and day and night. They stopped intermittently for showers, to eat, and to talk and cuddle. They were both in freaking heaven. The closest she ever came to it with anyone. The intimacy that always escaped her was finally hers. It was always so elusive with the opposite sex. She had it now, and it was all in one. Xavier. And much to her delight was the knowledge that he felt the same way right back.
Everything changed after that weekend, and nothing would ever be the same.
Karlee was in love for the first time in her life. She fully believed in her heart, it would be the last time for her too.
And instead of getting scared or confused or unsure, Karlee smiled. It was the best thing that ever happened to her.