It was a couple of months after the wedding, and Alex and Jaclyn had met several times on neutral territory. Cautiously, they each let the other further and further in. Alex went for dinner at Jaclyn’s flat. Jaclyn spent the day at Alex’s house. They enjoyed days wandering in the parks. There was the occasional theatre trip and sometimes dinner with friends. Jaclyn met the circle of musicians who were the best friends Alex had. He enjoyed banter with her lively colleagues.
Increasingly, they relaxed as each day passed. When they parted, they each wondered when… not if, but when… they would sleep together.
‘That was good,’ Jaclyn said one evening.
They’d been to see Warhorse before returning to Alex’s rather lovely house, collecting Lebanese takeaway to enjoy informally at home. Just as he’d hoped, Jaclyn had been delighted with where he lived, and how he’d decorated and furnished it.
The moon shone and the French windows of the dining room were open, letting in the warmth of the September evening and the faint perfume of late roses.
Alex slung his arm round her shoulders, and they went out into the soft summer night, a moon rising over the roofs of the houses. Sitting on a bench part way down the garden, he drew her into his arms, staring at her lovely face as her hand rested lightly on his hip. They’d exchanged plenty of heated kisses in the last few weeks but it seemed, almost by mutual decision, they’d hesitated to make that ultimate step. Alex thought it was probably because of the betrayal both had experienced with their previous partners. Now, he wondered if the time was right.
‘We...’ Alex cleared his throat and tried again. ‘We’ve got an hour or two before you have to leave. Bit soon, maybe, to suggest…’
His cheeks flushed as he looked at her. He wondered if he was pushing things, but he felt a connection to this woman far greater than the connection he’d had with Lauren. In fact, if his ex appeared before him now, begging his forgiveness, Alex knew he would turn his back, take Jaclyn by the hand, and metaphorically ride off into the sunset.
‘I thought maybe… we could go to bed?’
He watched her. Perhaps he’d totally blown it with his suggestive remark. Her hand still rested on his hip. For a moment, he was sure he’d blundered, and blundered badly, but then her hand slid round and she rested her fingers onto the buckle of his belt.
‘Hey,’ Jaclyn said, her smile widening, ‘why not?’
Returning to the house far quicker than they’d left, Alex pulled the French windows shut and bolted them. Hand in hand, rather like a pair of kids bunking off school, they ran laughing up the carpeted stairs to the golden wood door of Alex’s room. He opened it, drew Jaclyn through behind him, and once it was closed, he leaned back against the sturdy panels and pulling her into his arms.
His mouth descended onto hers with passion, even as he realised he’d been waiting for this woman all his life. There would be no other. As far as he was concerned, Jaclyn was it. He felt her hands run slowly up the cotton of his shirt and tangle in his hair, before sliding down to rest on his hips, pulling him closer. Within minutes, he was hard, and an ache grew, deep within him, to make her his, to take her, a primeval urge he was unfamiliar with. Alex had always enjoyed making love but the feelings sweeping through him now were making everything appear sharply ecstatic and super sensitive.
‘Fuck, Jaclyn!’ He tore his mouth from hers, his eyes wide. ‘What the hell are you doing to me?’
‘Pretty much what you’re doing to me,’ she panted. ‘Get your clothes off, Gardener. Now!’
‘Oh, I love a dominant woman,’ he grinned at her as he pulled his shirt free of his trousers and dropped his tie on the floor.
‘Watch this dress,’ Jaclyn warned. ‘It cost a fortune and I’ll have to wear it again lots of times.’
Turning, she presented her back to him.
He groaned in frustration. ‘Damn! The zip’s got caught!’
‘Then sort it. Carefully. Get it undone as soon as you can.’ Her hands slid round behind her back and brushed against his erection, making his fingers tremble.
‘Damn it, woman! Unhand me. Literally! I can’t concentrate on untangling this carefully, with you doing that!’
Laughing, Jaclyn stopped. A few moments of concentration and Alex had the zip undone. She slid her arms out and let the dress pool to the floor, leaving him with his mouth agape as he took in the outrageously expensive lacy bra and briefs, the high heels still on her feet.
Picking the dress up, she laid it carefully on a chair.
‘Now,’ she said throatily, as she unhooked her bra, slipped out of her shoes and slid her briefs to the floor in a matter of seconds, while Alex stood and watched in awed fascination. ‘Your turn.’
Needing no further encouragement, he abandoned his trousers and boxers on the floor where they joined his shirt and tie. Slowly, he pulled her towards him and his mouth trailed kisses down her face, down her shoulder, onto her breast, before finishing its journey by taking her nipple into his mouth, tugging gently on the erect peak. He felt her hands on his body and his legs trembled when she kissed his own nipples and slid her hands down to touch him gently, before taking him in her hand.
‘Hell, woman! You’re going to kill me!’ He nudged her a step at a time backwards towards the bed. Falling onto the mattress, he allowed his hand to slide down between her thighs, his finger slipping into her wet heat.
From that moment, it simply exploded. His mouth searched her body as his hands tantalised, touched and stroked every bit of skin he could reach. She strained against him, grasping his hips, pulling him on top of her as she opened to let him enter. Before he allowed himself to let go, his fingers continued to stroke her until he felt her tension build and she arched up with a guttural cry, her body straining as she absorbed every part of her orgasm. That was his signal to take his own enjoyment. The gloriousness of feeling her tighten round him as he entered drove him to a new height of utter ecstasy until he convulsed inside her.
Apart from their panting breaths, silence fell as they lay sweat-slicked and satisfied on the bed, the storm of passion gone.
Minutes passed. Their breathing regulated as they held each closely.
Alex wondered if they’d rushed into bed too soon and Jaclyn would regret it. But they’d been going out for a couple of months, and he’d restrained himself until now. He knew they’d be good together but whoa, that had been more than just good! Their reaction to each other had been seismic. He wanted this woman for life, he really did!
‘Penny for them?’ Alex pulled her hair gently and dropped a kiss on her forehead.
‘Nothing really. Everything. Wow! Have we moved too fast, Alex?’
The moonlight was very bright, enough to show Alex looking thoughtful. ‘Do you regret what we’ve done?’ he whispered.
He saw Jaclyn look at him, her expression tender. ‘Truthfully? No. I was wondering if you did,’ she replied.
Alex took hold of her hand. ‘We don’t know each other very well, yet, do we? But… somehow, I feel we’ve recognised each other on a deeper level. Nothing I did this evening felt wrong. Far from it. It felt gloriously, wonderfully right! I hope—I hope you felt the same?’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘And I don’t regret a thing. If you want me to be completely honest, I’ve never had sex like that before. I don’t know what it is you did to me, but I was overwhelmed.’
The tension left his face, and he smiled at her, love shining from his eyes. ‘Thank you. I can say the same.’ He offered another soft kiss, this time on her nose. ‘I like your openness. I never talked to Lauren like this. We never discussed our feelings. I wanted to, but she was always too busy, always wanting to be going out to parties and social events. She was a bit like a rainbow, I suppose. Very beautiful, but difficult to pin down.’
Jaclyn heard the sadness in his voice. She leaned against him, breathing the scent of him deep into her lungs and felt comfortable. At home. At peace.
‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured softly. ‘But I understand. Gerry told me he loved me often enough, but he was always distant. I thought he was the one and only and I was devastated when I found him with Lauren. Seems strange, now, that I was so upset. I’m so relieved it ended. You… I feel so differently.’ She paused, then laughed. ‘How weird! How weird you and I should end up together!’
‘It is, isn’t it?’ She saw his grin flash white in the moonlight. ‘Do you feel Simon and Sue manipulated us?’
‘No. You were always going to be his best man just as I was always going to be the bridesmaid. Although they suggested we might match, it wouldn’t have worked, you know it wouldn’t, unless we both felt a connection. Which we did, didn’t we? I like you. I find talking to you easy, too. Like you said, as if we’ve recognised each other on some level we can’t access, but it’s there. Odd.’
‘Can we continue?’ His voice was diffident.
‘Yes,’ Jaclyn was reassuringly quick with her answer. ‘Oh, yes. I’m certain we can continue.’