Zodiac Girls Ch. 02

"Thank you," she whispered after a while, turning her face to him.

He smiled. "I'm glad you liked it." He hesitated a bit before going on with, "Arielle, I have something to tell you."

Arielle looked at him and waited for him to continue.

"I... I have been following you around on your holiday. Calcutta, Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, I've been there. I saw you in Calcutta and was instantly attracted to you. I can't explain it. Don't be angry please. I got to Simla a day later than you did. Couldn't get a flight. I'm sorry I kept this from you but I thought you'd be angry if I told this to you right at the beginning."

Arielle thought for a moment. "The flowers? Orchids..."

"I've been sending those," he confessed. "Please tell me you aren't angry."

"No, I guess I am not... I don't know what to say. This is a little unreal."

"Yes, it is but..." he shrugged. "I wanted to get everything out in the open."

"I appreciate that. But I don't know how to react."

"You're doing fine where reactions are concerned," he replied with a grin.

The topic changed to other things. They had a small picnic lunch, which Egan had carried in his backpack, sandwiches, apple juice and little figs to nibble on afterwards. They lay on the soft grass, engaged in comfortable conversation where they got to know more about each other. And then it was time to go back.

As they got back to the hotel, tired and dirty, Arielle turned back to Egan. "Thank you for a wonderful day. It really was the highpoint of the whole vacation for me. I really couldn't have imagined what I would have missed if you hadn't talked me into it."

"The pleasure was all mine, lady. Dinner tonight?"

"No, I can't," Arielle responded immediately. "I have a morning fight at nine, and I thought I'd have an early dinner, maybe room service, and then a good night's sleep."

Egan glanced at his watch. "It's 6:30. I'll meet you in half an hour in the dining room? Early enough? Or we can just get in there and eat right now."

"No Egan, I really don't think..."

He shushed her. "It's your last evening here. Don't spend it alone. Now or half an hour?"

She gave in. "Half an hour."

With that she turned and walked back into the hotel, and Egan went off to change.

Hair piled on top of her head, Arielle debated on what to wear as she stood naked in front of her open suitcase. A short bath had worked wonders and the hike's tiredness had seeped out of her limbs while she was in the warm, scented water. She rummaged around the dresses and found a bright blue dress, which she had packed just in case. It fell to just above her ankles and the material was extremely soft to the touch. Arielle loved it. She dressed quickly. A minimum of make-up, sapphire earrings and she was ready.

Her hand reached out to the doorknob and at the same time there was a knock. Arielle opened the door to the darkly handsome Egan. The soft lights in the corridor made him appear mystifying and a little romantic. He looked fabulous in an off-white shirt and dark trousers.

He smiled, "You're looking good."

She smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

The dinner was a repeat of last night, but subtly different. The talk was a step ahead of last night's getting to know each other, a bit more personal tonight. His eyes were a little more bold, her responses a little more breathless. There were isolated moments of easy familiarity that comes from knowing someone too well, and which surprised Arielle, since they had known each other for only a day and a half, if you counted last night.

The walk back to her room was different too. There was a strange silence to it, and unease. Not uncomfortable, but more like anticipation of something that you want and dread at the same time. He waited like last night until she had her room open and was inside it, but he didn't move when she turned back to say goodbye.

She didn't say goodbye.

They looked at each other across the threshold and then he moved a little towards her, as if to gauge her reaction. She lowered her eyes and raised her face, letting out a slow, inaudible breath.

"Arielle...?"

She didn't know whether it was a question or a request, but it felt like a command as she obeyed it and moved aside.

He walked in.

She closed the door.

They walked into the middle of the room and Egan turned, took her into his arms before she knew what was happening. It started as a light hug, built into a tighter embrace until their bodies were almost pushing into each other. Egan moved his lips against her neck and shoulder.

Arielle sighed. It had been too long. She shifted in his arms to a better position, leaning into his lips.

That's all the encouragement Egan needed as his hands found a firm hold on her waist and he kissed her. Arielle ran her hands into his hair. She smiled as she remembered the thoughts she had about his hair the first time she saw him walking out of the mist. It was thick and satisfying alright.

His hands brushed the sides of her face and he moved away for a moment, gazing into her eyes to look for any kind of hesitancy. All he saw was desire, and a touch of vulnerability. He moved his lips over to hers and touched them gently. She moved into him. Their kiss deepened.

Tender sucking, quiet nibbling, tongues entwined, hands moving over each others bodies, they swayed against each other. Their lips broke contact only to take in gulps of air as they stood there in the middle of the room.

"Oh My God, Arielle! I need to..." he didn't complete the sentence. Instead, propelled her over to the side of the bed where her open suitcase was lying. He slammed the lid over the clothes spilling out of it and dumped the whole thing down on the carpeted floor. Taking her hand in his, he looked into her eyes again.

Arielle lowered her eyes.

He tugged at her hand, moving over to the far side of the bed on his knees. Arielle followed him. She lay down, and he began opening the buttons down the front of her dress, careful to stop if she seemed the least bit uncomfortable.

Arielle had made her decision. She would have this night. She owed it to herself. It had been too long and it was not like this was going to happen again and again. She would go home tomorrow and forget about this handsome stranger who made her feel so special. Is this not what the fortune-teller had told her? Yes! This was it. Open your hands and embrace it... you do not like change but it will be for the good... do not let go of the treasure, which is written in your fate...

Her brain was suddenly jerked back from those contemplations, into the present, as she felt moist lips running down her neck, down to her bosom and clasping around a bared nipple, sucking gently. Her muscles tensed as she moved with the feelings running through her body. Twisting this way and that, yearning for the touches, not satisfied with what she was getting, wanting more, and then getting more.

She didn't know when their clothes came off. She only knew of Egan's naked, aroused body pressed against hers, and his voice whispering her name into the cool night, like a prayer. He slipped into her, and Arielle shifted her legs, moving to allow him into her. There was a slight twinge of pain and then he glided into her, filling her for a moment before they moved together, helping each other, pleasuring each other to that final release. Arielle came breathlessly, gasping and digging her nails into his shoulder and an instant later he orgasmed, bucking and jerking against her, his body slowing to a tremble before finally lying still on top of her.

They made love again, differently this time, slowly learning each other's pleasure points, revelling in reactions and the sighs and the gasps they roused from each other. Teasingly slow, achingly sensuous, urgently hurried – they went through it all throughout the night and when they finally fell asleep, exhausted, light was creeping into the room from the open balcony.

Arielle felt pleasantly achy all over as she turned over in her sleep, going into semi-wakefulness. She stretched, her arms taut at her side, slowly moving up and above her head, and her body arched in a graceful motion under the sheets.

She felt great!

Her eyes opened to a smiling Egan looking down at her from his side of the bed.

She stopped her stretching and dropped back against the bed. Frowned. "What are you smiling at?"

"It's 10. You missed your flight," he replied, looking like he had just had his most fervent wish answered. And he had.

~~~~~

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