All's Fair in Love and War Ch. 04

She bit her lip, and with gathered strength, she pushed him away.

He stumbled back. "What's wrong?" He asked.

She looked away from him, down at the floor. "This is insane. I can't do this."

He ran his fingers through his hair. He heard the uncertainty in her voice and the shakiness.

"I'm sorry. You're right...." He started.

She kept her head turned away from him.

"I shouldn't have barged into your life the way I did," he admitted. She still didn't say anything.

"Dana, please say something..."

After a long moment, she looked up at him. He gasped. He saw fear in her beautiful brown eyes. "Oh sweetie..." he began stepping back to her. She held up both hands to stop him.

"No. Don't," she said.

"Ok, okay...let's just talk." He urged gently.

"Rick. I can't do this. You don't know me. What were you expecting?" she asked furiously. "I am not what you think I am. I can't give you anything!"

He couldn't do anything but stare at her perplexed, wondering who she was and where the woman went who had just kissed his breath away.

This new woman was staring at him as if she had never seen him before. She was shaking and close to tears.

He began to raise his hands to touch hers, but she flinched. He dropped his hands and stared at her for a moment more.

"What do you want me to do, Dana?" His voice was hoarse. She bit her bottom lip and looked away.

"I need you to leave."

He ran his fingers through his hair once more, and shifted from one foot to the other.

"PLEASE! JUST GO!!!" she screamed.

He swore and walked away.

When the door closed shut, she crumbled against the wall and cried for what seemed like hours. When she finally pulled herself up to take a shower, she looked like hell.

Her eyes were puffy like someone had hit her in both eyes. Her makeup was smeared completely and all she wanted to do was cry some more.

He must think she's crazy. She thought. In truth, all she had wanted to do was keep kissing him. But something deep down told her that this...whatever it was, was going to end in heartache and it would be her heart breaking.

It always did.

It always started exciting and meaningful...full of promise and long kisses. All of the men she had ever loved had pretended to care, but they always found someone better. It was usually someone they could love freely.

She, on the other hand, was always just a truck stop – great for a good meal, gas up...and then they were off to their destination – where they really wanted to be. She couldn't go there again. Not this time. Not with Rickard. She knew the moment she woke up and looked into his beautiful eyes that he could break her heart.

"Your grand gesture almost had me," she said out loud. "What? I'm supposed to fling my panties off at hello, and wave good-bye at the airport tomorrow? Then wait patiently for you to make the rules, set the schedule and expect me to always be accessible. No, thank you."

She stripped off her clothes and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water cascade over her body and wash away the tears that kept flowing.

Meanwhile, Rick made his way back to the Hilton, in a shock. He ran the scene over and over in his head, but for the life of him he didn't know where things went wrong. She had been kissing him, for God's sake!

Yes, he should have walked away, and he was going to. But she was looking so good he had to kiss her. But then SHE pulled him close and welcomed his kisses and touch. It had been perfect.

He hadn't planned on anything more that a just a taste before he was going to leave and make a promise to see her the next day.

"That's all I wanted," he said aloud.

"Excuse me?" the taxi driver asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Nothing," Rickard said shaking his head, as if trying to clear it. Where did it all go wrong, he sighed to himself this time.

When the taxi driver arrived at his hotel, he paid him without looking at the bill before handing it over. He slowly made his way to his room, feeling like shit. Before he went to bed he tried to call her. The phone went straight to voice mail.

She was right. He barely knew her. But for the past three years, he had thought of nothing else but her. Her gorgeous almond shaped eyes, her smell...that feeling of need.

He had tried to erase her from his mind the moment he'd went to the American Embassy the day after their dinner. They had told him that she and Pete left – were heading back to the states.

She hadn't told him she was leaving early. He was angry. But the anger turned back into need...and he was never quite able to shake it.

Yes, he had been with other women since then. But there was something about her. He had never even considered falling in love with a black woman.

Not that he was against it, but because he really never been around many. In fact, with his line of work, there were very few women of any kind that did it for him. But Dana – damn! She was the complete package...fiesty, sexy, smart, fearless and smelled so damn good.

His friends thought that he was crazy for taking a vacation – the first in two years – so go "chase after a fantasy", as they put it. But he had to know if what he had felt was just based on meaningless desire.

Seeing her earlier, in the flesh, was intoxicating. And when she agreed to go to dinner with him, he knew this was fate and was going to work out.

Maybe he rushed it. Maybe he should not have gotten physical. It was his fault...he shouldn't have been so cave man like.

The next morning, he decided to purchase farewell flowers and took them to her job.

"What in God's name are you doing here?" she gasped, as soon as she spotted him.

He held his free hand up in surrender.

'I just wanted to apologize for barging into your life yesterday and upsetting up. I should not have done that. I very sorry." He said. She stared up at him.

'I don't know what to say," she admitted.

"Say you'll forgive me."

"I – I ..."

"For—give ---me." He said with a smile. She couldn't help but crack a smile, though it lasted a second.

"I really have to go..."

"Ok. I just wanted to bring a peace offering and say that I am sorry. I never meant to ..."

"I know. " she said. They never mean to....

He tilted his hand to the side and eyed her. "Won't you accept the flowers?"

She stared at the gorgeous bouquet of white roses. "They're beautiful."

"They remind me of you."

"You shouldn't have ..."

"I wanted to."

She took them from him, and sniffed them. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He said. "Have a good day." He started to walk away.

Just as he was about to round the corner at the end of the corridor, she called his name. He froze.

She placed the flowers on the receptionist desk and caught up with him.

"Rickard -." She said his name again.

He turned around. "Yes?"

"When do you return to Europe?"

"Tomorrow."

She bit her bottom lip.

"Why?"

She looked away nervously, then back at him.

"I – I'd like to invite you to dinner."

"Really? Tonight?"

"Yes. My place – 7?"

He smiled..."I will be there." He did a salute and walked away, hoping the pep in his step was not too obvious.

That evening he came over and they talked softly over dinner. They took dessert over to the sofa and just as she was about bite into her chocolate cake he asked her...

"Can we talk about the other night?"

"I would rather not." She said softly, putting her plate down. He pulled her close into his arms.

"I understand that it's difficult, but I'd like to learn more about you. What makes you tick...? What makes you snap...?" He smiled.

She covered her face and groaned.

He laughed.

"Sorry...I shouldn't have said that."

"No, it's okay...you deserve to know." She proceeded to share her story of "love 'em. Leave 'em with him. He sat and listened attentively.

When she was finished, he took her hand and kissed the front and then the palm.

"I would never – ever hurt you like that." He swore, staring deeply into her eyes.

She nodded.

"I promise you, baby." He said.

"What do you want from me?" she asked.

"I want you, like I've never wanted any other woman." He admitted. She gasped.

"I promise you, I will not hurt you." He breathed.

"Promise?"

"Swear."

She kissed him slowly, tasting the chocolate and his taste. He moaned, careful not to do anything to scare her.

She kissed him again, sliding a hand behind his head. He growled, opening his mouth for her tongue.

When they pulled away breathless, they stared into each other eyes deeply.

"My flight leaves at 6am," he said, rubbing her bottom lip with his thumb.

She nodded and closed her eyes.

"You should ...go."

"I would much rather stay here with you..." he breathed, nuzzling her ear with his nose. She enhaled...

"Rick –"

"Yes?" he said just before taking her mouth again in a soul searing kiss.

She slid her arms around his neck, and he pulled her on hip lap so that she straddled him.

"Rickard – " she gasped, arching when she felt his big, hard hands slide up the inside of her blouse.

She sighed. "You should go. You only have a few hours...." She said.

"You're right." He groaned, burying his head in her cleavage.

They both didn't move for what seemed like 20 minutes. She could feel his erection pressing against her pussy. She couldn't help but grind against it...just once.

He cried out, sliding his hand beneath her cherry colored skirt and cupping her bottom, pressing her down harder on him. He could feel her wetness through her panties and his trousers.

She cupped the back of his head and pulled it up so that she could kiss him one last time.

He took over the kiss with a fierce growl, and slid his hands inside her panties – cupping her smooth bottom as he ground up into her mimicking what he really wanted to do. She cried out and his tongue hungrily sought every crevice of her mouth and hers his.

He tore his mouth away, to find her nipple pressing angrily against her blouse. He bit it through the blouse and bra causing her to cry out again.

In five hours he was to board a plane and go back overseas. They were in her apartment on her sofa doing everything but having intercourse.

Her hand was rubbing him hungrily, his hand was squeezing the breast he was sucking on. They both wanted so much more –

"Rickhhhh..." she moaned.

He lifted his head and dropped it on the back of the sofa. They were both breathing hard and extremely aroused.

"This is very difficult." She started.

"You have no idea." He said.

He ripped open her blouse and pulled her breast out of her silk bra and proceeded licking her nipple then sucking on it like a starving man.

"God, I've been dying to taste you for years," he groaned, sliding a hand down her stomach and dipped his finger inside of her.

He pulled it out wet and stuck it inside his mouth. "Mmmm..." he moaned.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, kissing him.

"Phone sex. Lots and lots and lots..." he said.

"Hmmm.." she thought about it as she nibbled on his delectable earlobe.

He groaned, undoing his pants, and pulling himself out to rub against her moist center. Her smell was driving him crazy – dizzy with desire.

She gasped, sucking on his bottom lip.

"Baby I need you." He said, rubbing harder against her core. She rubbed back. She was close to coming...he knew it.

She clung to him and rubbed against him faster she tossed her head back, exposing her throat. He licked it, sucked on the side – leaving a mark just as she came.

When she came back down, he took her hand and wrapped it around himself, burying his face in her nape. She rubbed him up and down until she heard him groan in her neck and stiffen in her hand – he exploded.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close .

At two in the morning, she went back to his place with him, helped him pack and together they went to the airport.

They held hands until he had to board the plane. She didn't want to let him go. He felt the same way.

"I'll be back soon." He whispered, as they held each other.

The airlines called his flight.

"I miss you already," she pouted.

"Me too, but I will call you as soon as I land."

She nodded, kissed him and watched him walk away.