An Unexpected Reunion

"Yes, I need to destress a little."

"Do you mind if I join you, or will that not work?"

"No, I welcome the company."

"Great, I could use a 'destressing' run, myself. I'll be just a minute."

After she changed, we headed out. There's a park not too far from my house and I run to it, then around it a few times and back to the house. It's about a 3-1/2 mile round trip. I asked Claire if that worked for her.

"That's perfect for me, and I'll try to keep up."

"Don't worry about that; you set the pace. I'm not doing this for cardio, just to relax."

We headed out and I was surprised by the pace she set. It was a comfortable jog for me. As we ran through the park and around, I let my mind wonder. Finally, I decided that when we got back, I was going to call Emily. I didn't want to wait for her to call. I needed to decide where we stood. I had too much going on to let this drag out. This was a real distraction and emotionally draining.

When we returned, we showered and made lunch. After lunch, I called.

"Hi Em, I hope we can talk. I know you said you would call when you were ready, but I'm really torn over this, and I just need to talk to you about it."

"Okay, we can talk. I've done a lot of thinking, and crying..."

"I'm so sorry, Emily. I am."

"It's okay, Jason. I just want you to know that it was hard for me to come to terms with this. But I have. And I want to take a break...from us. I'm pretty sure Claire has feelings for you, and in spite of what you say, I think you have feelings for her. So, I don't see how we can be a couple..."

She paused, and I could tell she had started crying.

"Em, I am sorry, but you are right. I was trying to deny it myself, but I do have feelings for Claire, and she revealed the same to me. I feel terrible about this. I see now how having Claire here was a mistake, but honestly, even if she had found a place, I think just working with her would have eventually led to this. I should have told you as soon as I found out that I was going to be working with her, that I had a crush on her in high school."

"Mm hmm, I kind of figured. So, I guess it is what it is. And I'm the one that pushed our relationship, not that I regret doing that. I just regret that things are the way they are now. I've gotta go...If things don't...um, I've gotta go. Goodbye, Jason."

"Goodbye, Emily."

I put my cell down, and rubbed my neck. I was tied up in knots. I thought it would help to clear the air with Emily, but I felt worse now than I did before. I was sitting on the deck and I heard Claire open the door.

"I saw that you ended the call, so I thought I would come out and sit with you."

"Sure, join me."

"How did it go?"

"Okay, I guess. But it didn't feel okay. Honestly, I feel like crap. We broke up. I admitted to Emily that I have feelings for you, and she said we couldn't be anything if that was the case, and she was right."

"I'm sorry, Jason. But I'm not. I didn't know how long I could go, pretending that I didn't have feelings for you. So, what do we do now?"

I gave a light laugh, "I don't know. I was hoping you did. Frankly, this feels awkward, the way things have developed. I mean, we've been dancing around our feelings, pretending one thing while feeling another, and now that everything is out in the open, it's like we're starting in the middle instead of the beginning of a relationship. I don't know if that makes sense, but I'm kind of off balance."

"No, it makes sense. I know what you mean...How about this. Let's go out tonight, like on a date, and start with that. Try to make that the beginning," she suggested.

"Sure, I like that. Where would you like to go?"

"Italian sounds good to me. You said that place near your office was good."

"I'll call and make sure we can get a table."

I was able to get a reservation for eight p.m., the earliest they had, being a Saturday.

Since this was an official date, I dressed accordingly - a nice dress shirt sans tie, a sports coat and a pair of slacks. I hadn't seen Claire for a while. She disappeared into her bedroom about six o'clock.

At a quarter after seven, she came out. I was sitting on the deck in the cool air, having a beer. I was keyed up, nervous. Silly, maybe, but I was.

"You look nice," she said when she came out.

I turned and started to say the same thing, but the words stuck in my throat.

She was wearing a slinky, three-quarter length, dark-blue dress that clung to her body, accentuating her lovely curves. She looked stunning. The bodice of the dress was cut in a deep 'V' that extended down between her breasts, revealing her cleavage and a hint of her breasts. I could tell she didn't have a bra on, and her nipples were faintly evident. She was wearing a silver, pendant necklace with a dark-blue gemstone in a teardrop cut. It hung between her breasts, drawing your eyes to that location, as if her cleavage wasn't enough to do that. And I think I had underestimated her bosom; she looked to have full D-cup breasts.

She had her hair down, and had obviously used a curling iron to give it some body. It hung down to her breasts, to just above her nipples, and looked sexy as hell. She had on heels that made her almost as tall as me. She was really gorgeous. I said as much to her.

"You look stunning, I feel like a toad with a princess."

She gave me a bright smile, "I'm glad you approve...and don't put yourself down. You're a very handsome toad."

I laughed, "I guess I set that up. Come on, let's get going."

When the hostess took us to our table, I noticed the stares Claire elicited, both from men and women. After we were seated, I pointed it out.

She laughed, "Jason, the women were staring at you."

"I don't think so..."

"Jason, you are very handsome. You don't give yourself credit. You're too humble, but I like that about you. Dex was always pretty egotistical. I know he saw himself as a real 'ladies' man." Then she chuckled, "But not so much, anymore. The last few years, he kind of let himself go, and he started losing his hair...but you, you've just gotten better with age."

"Stop it, you're going to make me blush."

We had a delightful meal, and I found myself relaxing. Now that we were no longer pretending about how we felt, things became even more comfortable between us. In fact, I hadn't felt this comfortable with a woman since Denise. That had to mean something.

When we got home, I made a couple Long Islands for us, not too strong, and we adjourned to the living room.

"So, you said your children were both in college. What do you have, I mean, boys or girls?" I asked.

"A son and a daughter. They're great kids and I'm very proud of them. How about your son?"

"He's a good kid, has his mother's personality, more outgoing, though he looks a lot like me, but taller, I think he's 6'-2" now, and still growing."

"Jason, would it be okay if we ended the evening with a soak. I've wanted to use the hot tub since I got here, but avoided that because of the situation, you know, with you and Emily. I didn't think it would be appropriate for us to go hot tubbing together."

"I get what you mean, but now, I think that's a lovely idea."

"I brought my swim suit," she smiled.

"Great, I'll get it set up while you change."

I fired up the hot tub, then went and changed into a t-shirt and swim trunks, grabbed a towel, then decided to make us a couple more drinks. While I was in the kitchen, Claire came in. She was wearing a coverup that hung to about mid-thigh. She had fabulous legs, well-toned, moderately muscular.

"Making drinks I see. Are you trying to get me drunk?" she joked.

"Absolutely, so I can take advantage of you," I kidded.

"You don't need to get me drunk to do that," she replied, coyly.

I got the drinks made and we headed to the hot tub. When we got there, I pulled my t-shirt off, and Claire commented.

"Wow, Jason, you are in great shape."

"Oh, thank you," I replied, feeling my ears reddening.

Then Claire removed her coverup and I almost swallowed my tongue. She was wearing a shimmery, silver two-piece, not quite a bikini, but it amply revealed her beautiful body. She saw me staring.

She looked down at her body, "I know I'm not as young as Emily, but I hope..."

"Claire, you are absolutely beautiful. Um, let's get in the hot tub before I embarrass myself."

She pointedly looked at my crotch and smiled.

She walked to the tub and set her drink in a cup holder, then bent and ran her hand through the bubbling water, and turned to me.

"Wow, hot!"

"Too hot?"

"Oh, I was talking about your body," she grinned, "No, the water's fine. It will just take a minute to acclimate," she said as she swung a leg over then climbed in and slowly sunk down into the churning water. When she had bent to test the water, I had gotten my first look at her derriere - full and firm-looking. My libido was kicked up a notch. I quickly followed and submerged myself before she noticed my arousal.

I sat across from her so I could look at her. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her womanly body was impressive, curvaceous and fit. She had clipped her hair up, revealing her long, elegant neck and prominent collar bones. I was taken in and mesmerized by her beauty.

"This is lovely," she commented, "I love that you didn't turn on all the lights. I like the feeling of being surrounded by night with just a little light to hold the darkness at bay, and with the crisp air, the light breeze wafting over us, and the subtle sounds of the night; well, it's lovely, magical."

"Yes, lovely," I replied, eyes fixed on her.

She smiled, "Thank you, Jason. Mmm, this drink is nice, not too strong."

"Yes, I make them that way on purpose. I'm kind of a lightweight when it comes to drinking."

"Oh, so I can get you drunk, and take advantage of you."

"You don't need to get me drunk to do that," I kidded, mimicking her.

She set her drink down, and moved across to me, gently placing her arms around my neck and leaning into me. Our lips met for the first time. I thought of all the times in school that I had imagined kissing her, and now, since she had come into my life again - I ached for her. She melted into me, pressing her full breasts into my chest and kissing me tenderly. Then she played the tip of her tongue on my lips, gradually separating them and engaging me in a passionate soul kiss. The feel of her sensuous, full lips and long tongue overwhelmed me, and my libido was piqued. Kissing Claire was almost a religious experience.

After we separated, Claire softly murmured, "That was lovely, Jason."

"It left me breathless," I replied.

She sat next to me and laid her head on my shoulder, bringing a hand down to stroke my leg under the water. It bumped up against my erection.

"Somebody else liked it too," she teased.

"Mm hmm. That's my happiness barometer," I kidded.

"I'm glad that made you 'happy'...and that's quite a barometer," she joked as she lightly ran her fingers the length of it.

"Um, you might not want to keep doing that," I cautioned.

"Or I might. What's the worst that could happen?" she looked at me, smiling mischievously.

"I could have an accident."

"Well I know how to avoid that."

"Um, I don't know..."

"Too soon?"

"I'm sorry. I've gotten used to being a little cautious, careful. And in this case, with the way I feel about you, I'm afraid of what happens when your job is done here. I worry that, well, I'll get too serious with you, then lose you."

In answer, she turned my head towards her, leaned up and softly pressed her lips to mine, "I won't hurt you, Jason."

"I hope not. It would be easy for you to do with the way I feel about you."

"How do you feel, Jason?"

"I feel like I've found what's been missing in my life since, um, since Denise..."

She wrapped her arms around me and hugged herself tightly to me. I reciprocated, and we held each other for the longest time.

Finally, she released me, "I'm getting a little too warm. Could we get out and cool off, now?"

We got out and damp dried, then went and showered. I got done before her, and went and waited in the kitchen nook, sipping ice water. She came in wearing a robe, sat kitty-corner to me and reached for my hand.

"Jason, thank you for what you said - that you felt like you found what was missing since Denise. That touched my heart; and I want you to know, I haven't felt this comfortable, this at ease with anyone in a very long time, maybe never. I certainly never felt this way with Dex. I mean I was deeply in love with him at one time, and he with me. But I never felt so connected to him, like I am feeling with you. Is that strange? I mean, how can I feel that way in such a short time?"

"I don't know, Claire, but I do feel that - connected; and it seems so natural, unforced...But, I'm still concerned about..."

"Yes, go ahead."

"When this job is over, what then? Do you leave and I never see you again? I'm afraid if we get serious, that I won't be able to handle it."

"Jason, honey, don't you think we already are?"

"Yes, I know I am, but I wasn't sure about you."

"I do feel the same. And Jason, I don't know what we do after this job is over, but if we still feel like this, like what we have is special, then we will work it out, okay?"

"Okay...Yes, we'll work it out."

VII. CONSUMMATION

Now that we were a couple, we continued our routine, except now we had the weekends for us. During the week, we were both busy. Whoever got home first prepared dinner. If neither of us felt like it, we ordered in. On Fridays, we went out to eat. Saturdays, we would go to the mountains, and in conjunction, we would go to the build so I could see the progress and check any issues that arose during the week. Sundays were kick back, house chores, and hot tubbing. For all intents and purposes, we functioned like a married couple, except we had not 'consummated' our relationship. Claire was patient with me, and I appreciated that. But truth be known, I wanted to bed her more than anything. I just felt that once we did, it was the final commitment, total commitment, all or nothing, no turning back. And I still wasn't sure how we would handle things when the job was completed.

One Saturday in August, a couple of months before the build was supposed to be done, we went hiking in the mountains. The weather was beautiful and we had a wonderful time. When we returned home, we were dirty and sweaty, so we took showers and ordered in. Neither of us wanted to get dressed up and go out. It was a pizza night, and after polishing off most of an extra-large pie, we retired to the deck for drinks and relaxation.

Claire was quieter than usual, so we sat, drank some wine, and just relaxed and enjoyed the evening.

"Thank you for a wonderful day, Jason."

"Thank you. It was pretty nice, wasn't it. Um, are you okay? You've been more quiet than usual."

"Yes, sorry. I've just had something on my mind..."

"Do you want to share, or..."

"Yes, I do...Jason, I need to tell you something, and I'm concerned how you will react. I don't want you to say something you don't mean, don't really feel, just because of what I say. Will you promise me that?"

"Of course, Claire. I hope I haven't done something..."

"No, no. It's nothing like that. Though it could be awkward...Okay, I just have to put this out there."

We were sitting side by side in loungers, looking out at the back yard in the twilight. The glow from the deck lights played softly on her features. Her face was so beautiful it made my heart hurt.

"Jason, I am very much in love with you...and like I said, I absolutely don't want you to say something you don't mean just because I said it."

"Claire, honey, I am madly in love with you. I was afraid to say so. I was afraid of disappointment."

"Are you sure, Jason..."

"Claire, I've only been in love once before in my life, but I know what that felt like, and that's how I feel now."

I stood and pulled her up with me, wrapping her up in my arms. She started crying.

"What are we going to do, Jason? I mean, when this build is completed. I'll have to go home. I have a house. I have to find a job..."

"Claire, I've been thinking about that, and I think I have a solution, but that's not what's on my mind right now."

"Okay, what is?"

"I think it's time for you to give up your bedroom."

"What? Why?"

"Because you are moving into mine. It's time. It's been time. I was just afraid to make that final commitment, knowing that in the end, I might never see you again. But that's not going to happen. I won't let it. Now, let's go make love."

She nodded into my shoulder, "Yes, let's."

We walked hand in hand to my bedroom.

Claire had on a blouse and jeans. When we got to the bedroom, she stopped by the bed and began unbuttoning her blouse. I pulled my polo shirt off over my head and tossed it aside as she removed her blouse. She unbuttoned, unzipped and slid her jeans down, stepping out of them. I followed suit. Then we were standing in our underwear, looking at each other. Slowly, she reached behind and undid her bra. She removed it, freeing her beautiful, full, exquisitely shaped breasts. My heart stuck in my throat. They were amazing, full D-cup globes with large, dark areolae and pinky-sized nipples. Her breasts lay perfectly on her chest, with the nominal declination for breasts that size, and for her age. Then she hooked her thumbs in her panties, peeled them down and straightened up. Her vulva was covered in a full triangle of dense, dark-blond pubic hair. As I took in the sight of her shapely, womanly body, I was entranced by her beauty. I felt my cock swell, and realized she was waiting on me. I pulled my boxers down and my swollen member sprung free. We both stood there, frozen in place, looking at each other nude for the first time.

She closed the distance between us, then dropped to one knee, reaching for my growing erection. She lifted it in her hand and without preamble, engulfed the head, sliding down the shaft till my cockhead pressed against the back of her throat. Her mouth was deep, wet and warm. It felt divine. Slowly she slid back up, dragging her lips up my veiny shaft, maintaining light suction, and leaving it slick with saliva. I felt myself swell to a full erection.

Holding onto my erection, Claire stood, "Jason, that is a pretty impressive muscle. You must exercise it a lot," she said with a sly smile.

"Not as much as you would think," I replied, "Well, until recently."

"Young Emily?"

"Um, yes. She was...energetic."

"Well, I'll have to see if I can compete with her 'energetic' lovemaking."

"I hope not. She almost killed me."

"Well, I promise not to kill you, just bring you to the brink," she said in a husky voice.

"Oh my," I croaked as she ran her hand firmly over my cockhead, squeezing it.

"Now, if you'll get on the bed, I'll finish what I started," she invited.

"Um, that would be wonderful, but I would like to pleasure you first," I replied.

"Oh, ladies first. I like that," she smiled and released my cock, turning to reach for the comforter to pull it back.

As she pulled it aside, I grasped the bottom edge and pulled it the rest of the way to the side. She looked at me questioningly.

"I'm going to have you position yourself with you beautiful ass at the edge of the bed here. I have a neck injury and this works better for me."

"Oh, okay. Whatever works best," she smiled sweetly as she walked to the end of the bed, sat, then lay back with her buttocks right at the edge.

I retrieved a pillow, put it down and got in position. She had her feet planted next to her beautiful, full ass, and knees akimbo, opening up her lovely vulva for me. Her shaved labia were nominal in size, not puffy, but long, with long, sleek inner labia, which featured slightly crinkled lips. As I slipped my hands under her buttocks, she automatically put her feet on my shoulders.