Matchmaker 11: November

Our love making had always been intense, but now it was amazingly so. She'd given me several orgasms of such unimaginable power I swore I could never come harder... until I did. But there was more than physical pleasure. It was how she looked at me, and I had the sense she was no longer fucking me but making love to me. She'd always been a giving lover, but now it was different. Her technique was as good as ever, but since she'd told me about how she'd help pay for school, she'd added something I couldn't readily identify but certainly felt. It was almost as if she no longer tried to twist me into knots, but allowed it to happen naturally, organically. The unidentifiable change had taken our love making to heights I'd never experienced with another woman.

Even more stark than her change in bed was how she was when we weren't making love. She'd softened. She was the same Sage, but the sharp edges were being polished smooth. She laughed more, was more playful, and she didn't seem to take herself so seriously. One day we'd engaged in a snowball fight and made snow angels. Another day we'd made a snowman before she decided he needed a companion. I had a video on my phone of her as she compared her curves to that of the snowwoman we'd built, before giving my snowman a woody by jamming a stick into his lower region, laughing hysterically as I doubled over with a groan, covering my manhood as if I were in extreme pain.

We'd also played hide and seek in the woods. After I'd finished loading the wood box, I'd called her name. When she hadn't answered, I'd searched the cabin, finding a note on our bed telling me to go to the front door. On the door I'd found another note directing me to walk straight to the trees. There I'd found a third note pinned to the tree with an arrow directing me deeper into the woods. I'd followed her paper trail as she directed me on a merry chase until I'd found her sitting on a fallen tree. She'd rewarded my persistence with an amazing kiss. Had it not been so cold I was certain I'd have claimed the remainder of my reward without having to wait until we returned to the cabin.

But more than the games and jokes, it was like she'd finally relaxed, almost as if she'd finally become comfortable with herself. I thought I'd caught glimpses of the true Sage before, but I was wrong. This was the true Sage, and I very much liked what I saw.

We snogged for over an hour, enjoying another lazy morning. As she lay on my chest, our lips and fingers softly dancing, I developed another erection. In the past I was usually good for two shots but needed an hour or so to recharge. That was still true, but my recharge time had shrunk to minutes, despite the power of my orgasms. I simply couldn't get enough of her.

She sighed as our lips parted. I watched her eyes. "I'm hungry," she whispered, her eyes bright and full of mischief.

I groaned, twisting my face into comic distress. "I swear, woman, you're insatiable."

Her smile spread. "You're doing a pretty good job keeping me satisfied, but I meant for food. Breakfast. I want to try making pancakes again. The last batch was a little lumpy."

"I like your lumps," I rumbled as I slowly drew a finger along the top of one of her flattened breasts.

"I like lumps too," she said, squirming her hips, "especially yours, but in my pancakes... not so much."

I smiled at her before gently tugging her lips to mine to have all my needs met with her kiss. The kiss began to ramp up as our passions started taking us.

"Dammit," she muttered as our lips slowly parted. "I also have to go to the bathroom."

I snickered. "You could come back to bed."

She kissed me one more time, a quick brushing of the lips with hers. "Later. Breakfast first."

We relieved ourselves, brushed our teeth, and showered together, kissing and caressing our slippery bodies until the cold water drove us out of the tile enclosure. After dressing, we made our bed before I chased her down the steps, tickling her ass to make her squeal.

While I added wood to the fire, poking and prodding the flame back to life, she prepared pancake batter. When I finished, I started preparing eggs and bacon as she poured dollops of batter onto the griddle, carefully flipping them when they were golden brown.

We'd become comfortable together, even more so this last week. I couldn't say I loved her, but I was certainly developing an attachment to her, and I wanted to find out if we had something worth pursuing. I'd spent a couple of days trying to work out my feelings. It wasn't love, but it was more than friendship. Maybe I was starting to fall for her, but I wasn't certain. All I knew for sure was I wasn't anxious for our time together to end.

I'd also spent the last two days working up the courage to broach the subject occupying my every spare thought. I wanted us to stay together, to explore what we were sharing, but I didn't know if she felt the same way about me. Having her tell me it had been fun, but she wasn't interested in continuing, wouldn't destroy me, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt.

She slid the last of the two golden circles to a plate as I scraped eggs into a serving bowl and added eight pieces of bacon to the plate beside the stack of perfect pancakes.

"Are you ready to get home?" I asked as we ate, looking for a crack, some opening I could peer into and gain an insight to what she was thinking and how she felt.

Her gaze held mine for a moment before she glanced down to focus on her plate. "Are you?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"Not really, but I have to go. It's not good for the boss to be gone all the time. The mice might begin to play."

She smiled as she looked up again, but there wasn't any humor in it. "Yeah, I know the feeling. I wonder how many potential clients I've lost since I've been gone."

I forked another bite of eggs into my mouth and chewed slowly, trying to decide how to proceed. I tried to think of something to say, but nothing I came up with sounded right. The things I wanted to say sounded like I was either begging or demanding. I didn't want her to join me out of sympathy or a sense of obligation, so I intentionally turned the conversation to other topics. I'd dropped a hint about what I was thinking, and I could bring it up again later after she had time to digest the idea.

I was so comfortable around her, more comfortable than I'd been with any other woman. Was it because I'd never been so isolated with a woman before? Had our forced closeness created feelings that were only superficial, or were they real? Was I simply enamored by her beauty and sexual prowess, or was there something more? I didn't know, and I didn't know how to find out. We needed more time, needed to go back to our lives and allow nature to take its course, but she was in Chicago and I was in Cornelius. That was too far, and even if we did have something, it was still fragile and new. The distance could easily tear apart what we had, even if it was real.

It was a frustrating situation, but I was determined that before we returned to our lives, we'd work out what we were going to do, including forgetting about each other. I hoped that wasn't the result we came too, but I was willing to accept it if that's what she wanted.

ECA flew into Chicago, and I was willing to fly there every weekend if need be, but that wasn't a long-term solution. For this to work long term, she had to relocate to North Carolina. She could open her practice again, or perhaps she'd prefer working corporate law. ECA contracted with a law firm rather than having a roomful of lawyers on staff, but I was sure a few whispers in the right ears would open doors for her.

"Will," she called in a soft sing-song voice.

I snapped back to the moment. "What?"

"Wow. You were really out there. I asked if you wanted the last two pancakes."

"No. You can have them."

She puffed her cheeks out. "Can't. Too full."

I studied them a moment. We'd come a long way in the month we'd been together. A month ago, she didn't like cooking, despite her willingness to help in the kitchen, and I was mostly hopeless, with the exception of eggs. Now we could prepare a variety of meals that were often quite tasty and not worry about severing a finger. Best of all, I was starting to enjoy cooking, and I think she was too. There was something inherently enjoyable about working together in the kitchen as we prepared meals.

I picked up one of the nearly cold pancakes, wrapped it around the last piece of bacon, and ate both like a sandwich as I stood. Fifteen minutes later, the dishes were in the washer and the kitchen was clean, the cleanup going quickly with us working at a team. I glanced out the window. It was a dreary, overcast day, and there were a few tiny flakes swirling in the air. As November began to fade into December, it had become progressively colder, and the snow had stopped melting during the day.

More snow was predicted later in the afternoon and I smiled to myself. I was starting to like cold, yucky days. When the weather wasn't conducive to walking, Sage and I usually ended up back in bed for a slow, lazy, love making session, and I couldn't think of a better way to while away a cold and nasty afternoon. My private smile widened slightly. We told ourselves it was to make sure we got in our daily exercise, but that wasn't the only reason I enjoyed it.

Once the kitchen was ready for lunch, I poked and prodded the fire, adding more wood to the flame. When I had it popping and crackling with gusto, I retrieved more wood from the pile I'd split and added it to the large brass wood box beside the hearth. It took several trips to fill the box, but I didn't mind. Sage was sitting on the couch, basking in the glow from the fire while watching me with hungry eyes as I bustled back and forth to the woodpile.

The first week or two after we'd arrived at the cabin, she was a bundle of energy, always wanting to go somewhere or do something. In contrast, after a couple of days, I'd thoroughly enjoyed being disconnected from the world. I delighted in my peaceful walks in the forest or sitting by the fire and watching it snow. It took her longer, but now she seemed to enjoy the quiet and solitude as much as I did, and her new, relaxed attitude made her more beautiful than ever.

I dumped the last armload of wood into the box with a rumbling clatter. The lid wouldn't quite close, but I solved that problem by tossing two more logs onto the fire before settling beside her. She smiled and snuggled close as I draped my arm around her shoulders.

We sat in companionable silence for a long moment, and I wondered what she was thinking. I dreaded hearing the answer, but there wouldn't be a better time than now to ask the question I wanted to ask, and waiting wouldn't make it any easier.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked, my voice slow and soft.

"Sure."

"What do you think about the idea of moving to North Carolina?"

She was quiet for so long I glanced down. She was staring at the dancing flakes beyond the window. I waited.

"I don't know. I'm not opposed to the idea, but that's a big step. My practice is finally starting to get traction, and..."

"And?"

"And... are you sure that's what you want? You barely know me."

I hitched one shoulder. "That's true, but I'd like to know more."

There was another long pause, but I waited her out. I wasn't going to pressure her. "Maybe."

That was something at least. "Charlotte isn't Chicago, but it's still a big city. You might even do better there because the cost of living is probably much lower."

A smile ticked her lips. "There is that."

"The weather is warmer too."

"Another benefit, at least in the winter."

"It's not that much hotter in the summer, but it's a lot warmer in the winter, and we get all four seasons."

"Is the weather and the cost of living the only thing to recommend it?"

"Isn't that enough?" I asked, my smile in my voice.

"Maybe, but if I'm going to close my practice and move, I need more than good weather and a low cost of living."

"Maybe... we could be together."

"Is that what you want?" she asked, looking at me, her face serious.

"Yes."

"But you agreed, you hardly know me."

I nodded. "I know, but how am I supposed to get to know you if you're way up in Chicago?"

She held my gaze for a long moment. "I need to think about this, Will."

I nodded. "You do that."

"Are you mad?"

"No, of course not."

"You sound mad."

"No, I'm not mad. If you need time to think, then take all the time you need. I won't pressure you."

"Thank you," she murmured.

"But I'd like to keep seeing you. Maybe we'll find out we have something special."

"You think we do?"

"I don't know. That's what I want to find out."

"You own an airline. Is there any reason you can't fly up to see me?"

"No, and I will, but that will only work in the short term."

"Why?"

"Because, Sage, I want to see you more than a couple days a week. I've gotten used to having you around. Besides, if we find out we do have something special, I don't want you living in Chicago and me in Cornelius."

"How far did you say Cornelius was from Charlotte?"

"About twenty minutes to downtown."

"And to Concord?"

"About the same." She nodded slowly. "I don't need an answer now," I said and smiled to let her know what I was going to say next was teasing. "You still have two days to think about it."

She smiled, but there wasn't much humor in it. "What if I said I didn't want to move to Charlotte?"

"How about Cornelius?"

That won me a larger smile. "Or Cornelius."

"I'll be disappointed, but I won't try to force you. It's your decision."

She nodded again and snuggled a little closer. "Let me think about it." It was my turn to nod. "I think I'd miss sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold winter's day with you."

"Good thing my house has a fireplace."

"Yeah, but how cold does it get? Fifty?"

"It gets colder than that at night, of course, but we can always turn on the air conditioning if you get homesick."

She snickered as she slowly shook her head. "Running the air conditioner in the winter."

"I can always warm you up if you get too cold."

"You're good at that."

"So are you."

She smiled at me and nodded at the large windows overlooking the lake. "It's starting to snow harder."

"Need me to warm you up?"

She shook her head. "I'm perfectly comfortable just as I am."

"Okay," I replied, keeping the disappointment out of my voice. Maybe she'd be in the mood later.

She sighed and looked at me with a small smile. "You're just too damned agreeable."

"What do you mean?"

"I said I was warm and comfortable. I didn't say I didn't want you to take me back to bed."

"Is that what you want?"

She nodded. "We've only got a couple of days left. I don't want to waste any of them."

I didn't move for a long moment but then gently pushed her out of our snuggle and took her lips. She sighed out of the kiss.

"Is that what you wanted?" I whispered.

"That, and more."

I kissed her again, my tongue exploring her mouth before I slowly drew back, rose to my feet, and took her hand to pull her gently to her feet. I drew her into another kiss, clasping her tightly to me as the passion of our kiss increased.

She slowly drew back, her gaze never leaving mine. "Forget the bed. I want you here, in front of the fireplace."

I smiled down at her. We hadn't made love in front of the fireplace in over a week, not since she'd admitted to her affairs during college. I knew from experience that without the extra space in the bed to move around, the couch forced us into a very tightly wrapped human pretzel, and that had made our love making unusually intense. The enforced tightness of our embrace and the lack of room, coupled with our newfound passion, could make this our most fervid romp yet.

I smiled down at her. "Are you sure?"

She began unbuttoning my shirt. "Very sure," she murmured as the buttons parted.

"Remember the last time?"

She smiled as she slid my shirt over my shoulders and allowed it to fall to the floor. "Why do you think I want to do it here again?" She bit the corner of her bottom lip as she held my gaze. "Besides, even if I decide to come to North Carolina, I need some memories to help keep me warm at night until I can move."

I lowered my lips until they were only millimeters from hers. "In that case, I'm going to make sure to give you plenty of good ones."

"Oh, God... I hope so," she breathed as my lips closed over hers.

I stared out the windshield of the Tahoe, its powerful headlamps peeling away the darkness as snowflakes danced in their beams. The snow that had started yesterday afternoon had continued overnight. With snow covered roads and an early fight, we'd left the cabin before four a.m. Dark and bleak, the morning perfectly matched my mood.

We literally hadn't slept last night. We'd gone to bed early and made love continuously until the alarm on Will's phone began chiming. He'd been tucked in warm and comfortable behind me, his strong arms surrounding me and holding me close as he cupped my breasts in his hands, his lips soft on my shoulder as his thumbs slowly caressed my hard nipples. Then his phone began playing a disgustingly happy ditty that had made me want to cry. Had his phone not interrupted us, it would only have been a matter of time before our passion would have taken us and we'd have made love again.

It had taken enormous effort to not cry in the shower. I didn't want to go home. This week had been without question the happiest of my life, despite our looming separation weighing me down. The topic of how we could be together had dominated our conversations, but we'd resolved nothing. I knew he couldn't relocate to Chicago, but the idea of moving, of making the commitment to him, terrified me. Other than my mother, I'd never depended on anyone, and the idea of giving myself to someone was both exhilarating and terrifying.

I was starting to fall for Will. Of that I no longer had any doubt, but I was starting to fall. What if I was feeling nothing more than infatuation? What if it was only how he made me feel between the sheets? I knew no matter how good the sex, that wasn't enough for a relationship to last. Worse, what if the attraction I felt for him was his wealth? I told myself I no longer cared about his money, but what if deep down inside that was still what drew me to him?

I hated the uncertainty. I'd never had any doubt about myself or what I wanted to do... until now. In the past I knew what I wanted, and I knew how to get it, but I no longer felt that way. I'd always appreciated the company of men, enjoying what they could do for me both in and out of bed, but I didn't feel that way with Will. Except I did.

I valued his company more than any other man I'd been with. I wanted to be with him, to feel his hardness inside me as we made love, to feel the brush of his hand on my ass as he stepped past me while we cooked, to have him holding my hand as we strolled through the forest surrounding the cabin. My feelings for him were different than other men, yet the same.

I growled to myself in frustration. I needed more time! I'd wasted two weeks with my stupid ass games, and now I was afraid I was going to lose him. Maybe I should. It would be a fitting punishment for my past sins. Except I didn't want to lose him. I'd changed, was changing, and I wanted him in my life, and he seemed to want me in his.

It was all happening too fast! In less than four hours I'd be on a plane bound for Chicago, and the next day, he'd leave for Cornelius. Maybe that was what we needed. Maybe the distance would allow me to clear my head and discover what I really wanted. I glanced at Will as he focused on the road. I knew what I wanted. I wanted him.