First Kiss

As everyone, who is anyone knows, the first kiss determines the final outcome of any relationship. She knew this better than anyone else. After almost 7 years of being single again, she found herself continuously disappointed by the many near misses of the first "not it" kiss. That was about to change in one unforeseen evening of mishaps.

As she was leaving the gym one evening, she approached her car only to realize that her keys were locked inside. She never did things like that. What had come over her lately? It was about the time she asked this question, that she realized her cell phone was inside the car on the seat next to the keys. She laughed briefly aloud to herself just to relieve the tension. She headed inside the gym to call for roadside service, and then left to wait outside.

As luck would have it, it began to rain. She waited under the awning in a rocker and decided to take this time to consider her options for the upcoming benefit on no other day, but Valentines Day. Yes, she had promised her son and her mother that she would find her own date. After the many bad set ups by her mother of the "perfect guy" for her, she had determined that this would not be another night of bad conversation and meeting a new "friend". For weeks, she had postponed even looking for a date. She wanted him to be handsome, strong, determined, and most of all, a lover. As always, easier said that acted on.

As she sat, weighing her decision between the 3 men met in the last week, the red tow truck arrived out front. She gathered her things and headed towards the parking lot. Just as she was approaching the truck, a man stepped out. He was dressed in jeans, a white shirt, and a baseball cap. Before she even gave instruction, he nodded towards her car and asked if it was hers. She nodded and followed closely behind him. She was in shock of the instant attraction she felt towards this stranger. He was rugged, muscular and wet from the rain.

He asked if she would like to wait in his truck to avoid the rain and she politely declined. As she stood watching him easily begin to unlock her door, she decided that this was her one chance. She had never done anything like this. Why now? Why this man? She didn't know, but felt the urge to try.

As she stood closely behind him, she slowly began the remnants of a conversation. His name was Brant. They made small talk as she continued working on her lock. He had incredibly deep blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. Before she knew what she was rambling on about, she had finished explaining the entire Valentine's benefit to him.

He was laughing about the stories of dates gone wrong and almost seemed to be enjoying the conversation. Then, before she could catch herself, she asked what he was doing on Saturday. He slowly turned to look at her and began to laugh. When she asked again, he smiled slyly and replied "Would you like me to accompany you to the benefit?" She couldn't believe she had done it, but it was out there.

She suddenly felt shy and said "yes, I would love that." A stranger, a stranger!! What was wrong with her? As they exchanged numbers, he unlocked her car and asked her to call the following day to finalize plans.

Her son and mother were more amazed than she was that the plan had worked. As she was getting dressed on Saturday in the new black dress with sequins and a slit up the side, the nerves were taking over. She breathed deeply and reminded herself that he was probably just going out of pity. Her long blonde hair was swept up accentuating her slender neck. She heard the doorbell ring and headed downstairs. Breathing deeply before opening the door, she was as prepared as she was going to be.

The man standing in her door did not even have the same appearance as the man unlocking her car in the rain. He was much more handsome and rugged than she remembered. She reached for her purse and saw him staring at her. She smiled and finally got enough words together and commented on how great he looked. "You look incredible" was all she heard of his response.

As he took her arm and started out the door, he stopped and gently turned her towards him. "Here I am, a stranger, asked on a date by a strange woman in a parking lot in the rain, and I haven't even been given the opportunity to kiss you?!" She didn't know if it was question or request. But, as he pulled her close to him, she felt her body give way to his suggestion.

His mouth was sweetly slanted over hers and all options to deny him were taken away. Her arms slid around his middle and she felt the hard muscles of his back. All of the emotions that had been simmering under the surface rose like a tempest and her heart felt like it was on a rampage. His hands buried in her hair, fingers twisting and tangling in the thickness, and bunched at the back of her head. His mouth was soft, yet possessive. As his tongue breeched her lips, she gave a small moan. The kiss quickly began passionate and deep. After what seemed like forever, he slowly lifted his lips from hers. For moments afterwards, her eyes were still closed. She could still feel the warmth of his lips and the quivering of her legs. When her eyes finally opened, she looked up to see him staring down at her. Then in the space of a heartbeat, he slowly lowered his mouth back to hers. Unable to stop, she sighed deeply and leaned into his strong arms. Her legs felt like rubber and her head was spinning. Her hands crept up his chest and around his collar. This kiss was passionate and long. It was ....the sweetest kiss she had ever known.

As he lifted his mouth from hers, he smiled. "I would have asked you if had not asked me first", he said. What she never understood, was that this man thought she was attractive, loving and confident. He knew that even if she had never called, he would have pursued her. She stood there for a few more minutes staring up into those deep blue eyes and realizing that this was "the first kiss" she had been waiting for.