Matchmaker 11: November

I placed my hand on his arm. He didn't remove his hand from the wheel, but he glanced at me and smiled. Even in the dim light of the instrument panel lights I could tell it was forced. "You okay?" he asked as his attention returned to the road.

"No."

His lips quirked up in a tiny smile. "I know the feeling. The drive back to the cabin is going to suck. You kept me up last night... in more ways than one."

A smile tugged at my lips. "I needed the memories."

"I hope I gave you some good ones."

"Very good ones."

"It's not too late to change your mind and come home with me."

The urge to cry returned. "I know. I want to, but I need time to think." He nodded but said nothing. "You'll come see me?"

He nodded again. "Every weekend."

I returned my attention to the road. We'd agreed that he'd fly one weekend and I'd fly the next. When he came to see me the first time, he said he'd bring me a voucher. All I had to do was present it at the ECA gate and I could go anywhere the plane flew. It wasn't an ideal solution, but it'd work for a while.

We rode in relative silence, each of us lost in our thoughts. The early morning sun was beginning to paint the sky with rich reds and brilliant golds as we approached Duluth. It was snowing much harder as we approached the lake, the Tahoe crunching through the deepening snow. I found myself hoping they'd cancel my flight, thus removing the decision from my hands and forcing me to stay.

Duluth's airport was small, tiny even, compared to O'Hare in Chicago. Will parked in the deck so we didn't have to tromp through the snow. I waited for him to open my door, then stepped out of the warm vehicle into the bitterly cold Minnesota morning. I waited while he hefted my suitcase, the suitcase full of clothes he'd bought me, from the back of the SUV. Placing a hand on my ass to start me walking, his hand slid up and rested comfortably on my hip, my suitcase in his other hand, as he escorted me into the terminal. ECA didn't fly into Duluth, so I had no special privileges. I presented my ticket to the counter and checked my bag. My non-stop flight to Chicago left at eight, and as the man behind the counter tapped on his computer, the clock on the wall behind him clicked to six-fifteen.

I bit my lip. I should be at the cabin, in Will's bed, warm and comfortable in his embrace, not standing here, preparing to leave him behind.

"Thank you, Ms. Piper. You're departing from gate four. Enjoy your flight," the agent said, handing me my documents.

I nodded to the ticket agent. "Thank you," I murmured as I took the thin folder and turned away from the counter. The screening checkpoint was open but there was nobody in line. I pursed my lips so I wouldn't cry. "I guess this is it," I said, trying to keep the pain out of my voice.

"I guess."

"I'll see you Friday?"

"Count on it."

"It's going to be a long week."

He nodded and forced a smile before taking my hand and pulling me closer to the huge floor to ceiling windows for a bit of privacy. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

I expected him to ask me to stay with him, but he didn't. He'd never pressured me, but he'd made it clear he wanted me with him. "Part of the fun is the anticipation."

"Maybe."

He curled his pointer finger and tucked the knuckle under my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "If we want this to work, we'll find a way."

"I know."

He pulled me into a slow kiss. Since we were standing in a very open and public place, he kept it clean, but I could still sense the desire. He slowly relaxed his embrace as our lips parted. I sucked on my lips, savoring the lingering warmth of the kiss. I had to go before I started to cry.

"I should go," I whispered.

He nodded. "I'll be waiting in Ely, so call me when you get home."

I pressed my lips together for a moment to choke off the tears. "I will."

He kissed me a final time, a light brushing of his lips against mine in farewell. "See you Friday."

I nodded. "You'd better."

I turned and walked away, looking back and waving to him as I snaked through the stanchions that doubled back on themselves leading up to the security check point. There was only one person ahead of me and I was through in an instant. As I removed my purse from the x-ray machine, I glanced back. Will was still standing where we'd parted, watching me. I waved again, and he lifted his hand in acknowledgement, a tiny smile on his lips.

I followed the man who passed through security ahead of me as we walked to gate four. There were two others already there. The four of us took chairs that were spread across the small waiting area to give each of us as much privacy as possible. I had an almost a two-hour wait, two hours to dwell on what I was doing.

I knew I was doing the right thing, the smart thing, but that didn't make it any easier. I sat for thirty minutes as my mind whirled in ever tighter circles, glancing up each time a new person arrived. An older couple, perhaps in their fifties, arrived and sat across from me. They were averagely dressed, neither slovenly nor impeccably, in clothes from some unidentifiable midrange retailer. They obviously had enough money to fly, but it was equally clear they weren't wealthy. She leaned into the man's side and he placed his hand on her knee. There was nothing overtly sexual about their actions, but it spoke of the love they shared.

The urge to cry came over me again. In twenty years would I have anyone that cared for me, or would I still be alone and searching for fulfillment? Will had more money than I could dream of, yet he claimed he'd trade it all for the love of a woman. Across from me sat a couple clearly in love, and just as clearly they were, at best, middle class.

Movement caught my eye. The flight crew had arrived. I watched as they walked down the jetway to the plane. What the fuck are you doing! my mind screamed. Are you really going to walk away from the best thing to ever happen to you? For what? To fucking think about it? What is there to think about? Are you fucking stupid?

I whimpered as I jumped to my feet. I began walking back to check in, my stride becoming faster with every step until I was almost trotting. What had I been thinking? I had to return to Chicago. I had to put my affairs in order, close my practice, and prepare to move, but if Will wanted me to join him in Cornelius, all that could wait.

I was forced down the steps to baggage claim, but I didn't stop, running up steps leading back to departures, praying Will hadn't left yet. I arrived at the top of the steps, panting slightly from my charge up the stairs. Will was gone, and my heart sank. It didn't matter. Maybe he was still in the airport, or if I had to, I'd rent a car and drive to the cabin myself. The only important thing was to be with him.

I paused and pulled my phone from my purse. I began to dial when I noticed a familiar form standing at the windows at the end of the terminal. I started walking, again my steps increasing in pace. As I approached, I became sure it was Will. I couldn't help myself and ran. He must have heard me coming because he turned, his surprise registering on his face as I threw myself into his arms.

"I couldn't leave!" I sobbed as he held me tight, the tears I'd been fighting for days pouring from me. "I don't want to go back to Chicago! I want to go to Cornelius with you!" He held me, my feet dangling off the floor as he slowly rocked me. "Please! Please, let me go with you!"

"Shhhh..." he hissed softly. "Of course."

"I'm sorry," I sniffed.

"For what?"

"For everything."

He shushed me again. "It's okay. I'm glad you changed your mind."

"Are you?" I sniffed.

He slowly placed me back on the floor. "Yes."

He held my gaze, and I sensed he had more to say, but he remained quiet. I sniffed again. "I think... I want..." I stammered, trying to put into words how I felt. "I think I can fall in love with you. I want that chance. I want to find out if we have something. I want..."

"What?" he asked softly when I didn't continue.

"I want to be the woman you think I am."

He touched my cheek, tracing the path of a tear. "You already are."

I smiled, trying to force away my tears. "I can fall for you, William Ogden, if you'll give me the chance."

His smile was soft and sweet. "That's good, because I've already started falling for you."

I began to cry again, my tears a mixture of sorrow and joy. Sorrow for how I treated him in the beginning, joy for him giving me another chance. I leaned into his chest and his arms closed around me to hold me tight.

"Why were you still here?" I murmured into his chest.

"I wasn't leaving until I saw your plane in the air."

"Hoping I'd come back?"

I felt him shake his head. "No. I thought you'd leave, but I wanted that last look, even if it was just the airplane you were on."

I couldn't explain why, but his words touched and pleased me beyond all reason. I tightened my embrace as my tears flowed more rapidly. I'd never walk away from him again, not so long as there was a chance for us.

"Can you forgive me?"

"For what?"

"For how I've acted."

"No." I waited, knowing him well enough to know there was more. "There's nothing to forgive. I wanted you with me, but it had to be your choice. You had to be sure."

I nodded. "I'm sure."

His embrace relaxed. "So am I," he whispered as his lips closed over mine.

His kiss, so slow and loving, was scintillating. Now that I'd committed myself to him, all my worries and doubts had vanished, like my breath in the cold Minnesota air. He slowly drew back from the kiss and pulled me into his chest once more, his hand on the back of my head like he was protecting me. I was one fucked up chick, or had been, but in this past month, he'd unfucked me up without even trying. I'd started this adventure wanting Will for his money, but now I wanted him simply for who he was.

"I'll pay for the ticket if you can't get a refund," I murmured, my eyes closed, soaking up the feelings of warmth and contentment like a sponge.

"Fuck the ticket," he whispered. "I couldn't care less about the money."

I nodded, believing him. "Do you think you can get me a seat to Charlotte on such short notice?"

He slowly pushed me back. "I think I can arrange something."

I yawned hugely as I nodded. Tension I didn't know I was holding was draining out of me like water out of a sink. I fell into his chest again. I could go to sleep right here. "Good, but my clothes are going to be in Chicago."

"I'll buy you new clothes."

"Just a few, just for a few days. I have to go home before I can stay with you, but I couldn't leave. Not today. Not until I told you how I felt."

"Are you ready to go home?" I nodded but said nothing, my eyes closed. He stood me up again. "I'm glad you're coming with me." I waited, the look on his face clearly telegraphing he had more to say. "I love you, Sage."

I whimpered, bit my lip to try to hold my tears, but I might have as well been trying to empty Lake Superior with a spoon. I whimpered again. I was suddenly exhausted. I nodded, still trying to hold my tears but failing. It was time to admit it.

"I love you too, Billy-Ray."

His face softened. "Do you? Do you really?"

I nodded again and sniffed. "Yes. I think so. I don't know. I've never been in love, but yes, I think I'm falling in love with you. Maybe that's why I couldn't leave. Maybe deep inside, I knew, but I couldn't admit it to myself, at least not until I was about to leave."

"Let's go home," he murmured, placing his hand my ass to start me moving, and then placing it on my hip with his arm around my back.

It was such a simple gesture, but it was comforting, like wrapping myself in my favorite sweater after being outside on a cold Chicago day. I reaffirmed to myself he'd never know, never suspect, the reason I'd first signed up with Brooklyn. That part of me was dead and buried. He said he didn't care about what I did in the past, only what I did with him.

I was going to strive every day to be worthy of him. What had started out as a lie had become the truth. I was going to be the woman he thought I was, and I was going to prove that to him every day. I tucked in closer to his side.

"Yes, let's," I said as he guided me out of the terminal and into our future together.

Ryan stepped into my office wearing nothing but a tight pair of stretchy underwear and a smile. I instantly flooded in desire. I'd left him sleeping in our bed this morning after he'd fucked me until I was squirming in bliss. I used to be an early riser, but he'd had taken care of that. I still woke early, but the only thing rising was his manhood.

He padded across my small office and stopped behind me to nuzzle my neck as his hands cupped my breasts. "Come back to bed," he rumbled in his deep and sexy voice.

I smiled as I luxuriated in his touch. I missed seeing him in the evening, and I wasn't getting much work done, but this week the sex had been utterly fantastic. He was covering for someone on vacation, and during the past three days, with two left to go, he was fucking me stupid in the morning, then again in the afternoon before he left for his shift, and then a third time as soon as he arrived home. That left me only a couple of hours to work in the morning and another two or three in the afternoon, but I really didn't care.

"I can't. I have to work."

"All work and no play..." he growled softly in my ear.

I couldn't stand it and twisted my head to find his lips waiting for mine. Fuck it. "Let me make a phone call and then I'll come upstairs and join you."

He kissed me again and settled into a chair across from me, his eyes hungry as he watched me. Normally I wouldn't conduct business in front of him, but this was only a follow up call. I picked up my phone and dialed. As the phone purred in my ear, I blew him an air kiss and smiled. I was forty-four years old, but I felt like an eighteen-year-old with my first crush, and I loved it.

"Billy-Ray."

I quickly focused my attention on the business at hand. Ryan might have me giggling like a schoolgirl in private, but with my clients I was strictly professional. "Mr. Ogden, this is Brooklyn Lancaster. Do you have a few moments?"

"Brooklyn! So good to hear from you. How are you?"

My gaze flicked to Ryan as he watched me, the bulge in his underwear clearly visible. "I'm doing well, Mr. Ogden. Thank you for asking. The reason for my call is to follow up and make sure you are satisfied with my services."

"More than satisfied. Have you used the vouchers I sent you?"

I smiled. For Christmas I'd received a voucher that allowed me and up to three of my friends to fly anywhere ECA flew, at any time, with no limitations, restrictions, or expiration dates. Ryan and I could fly free as often as we wanted until Billy-Ray revoked the privilege.

"Not yet, but I'm planning on taking some vacation this summer and I may use it then."

"Good. It's the least I could do for what you did for me."

"That means things are going well for you and Ms. Piper?"

"Very well. Couldn't be better. She's not here right now. She had to fly back to Chicago to meet with one of her clients, but she's almost completed all her work there. Another few trips and she won't have to go back again."

"She's in North Carolina now?"

"Yes. She moved here right after the first of the year, and she's in the process of opening her own practice. She's changed her focus and is going into real estate law."

I nodded to myself, unable to pull my gaze away from Ryan. "That's good to hear. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Thank you, Mr. Ogden. May I count on you for a future reference and referrals?"

"Of course. Anything I can do to help."

I smiled. I wanted to wrap this up. I had something else to do. "Thank you for that."

"My pleasure."

"I wish you and Ms. Piper the best of luck, and if there's anything I can do to be of assistance in the future..."

"I understand, but I don't think I'll be needing your services again."

I smiled and nodded even though he couldn't see me. "Yes, I understand. I'm the rare case where a happy client is never a repeat client."

Billy-Ray chuckled. "Exactly."

"Enjoy the rest of your day."

"Same to you."

"Oh, I will," I murmured too softly for him to hear as I placed the handset back in the cradle. I smiled across my desk at Ryan as he slowly rose to his feet. "Now, what was it you wanted?" I asked as I slowly slid my chair back and stood.

He said nothing as he deliberately circled my desk and pulled me into his arms, his hard cock pressing against my stomach. He kissed me deeply, our tongues exploring as we wrapped each other up, grinding our bodies together as our passions began to overwhelm us. He wrapped his hand in my hair and pulled my lips from his, his slightly rough handling exciting me even more. I loved how he took charge of me, taking pleasure from me while giving back even more.

"You," he rumbled, his voice low and full of desire.

Such a simple word, but the way he said made me feel hot and squirmy. "And I want you," I purred.

He held my gaze for a long moment before his slow, sexy smile teased his lips. He gripped my hand and tugged me gently away from my desk before he swooped lower and picked me up. The first time he'd done that I'd shrieked in fear and surprise before clinging tightly to him, but now I could relax, confident in his strength and secure in his arms. He carried me up the steps to our bedroom. I smiled. We weren't living together yet, but I still thought of the bedroom as our bedroom.

As we entered our bedroom, he gently placed me on the ground before pulling me into another torrid kiss. I'd enjoyed the company of men, both in my bed and out, but they'd been mere dalliances, a means to have an itch scratched or a need met. But it was different with Ryan. For more than ten years I'd devoted my life to finding companions for the rich and powerful, but I'd never known love, not like this, until now.

I gasped out of the kiss as his lips traveled my throat before moving lower to explore the valley between my breasts while his big, strong hands grasped my ass, pulling me tightly into him, his desire pouring over me like rain. I'd never felt sexier or more desired than I did with Ryan. Men had desired me in the past, and I was proud of the fact I could still sometimes pull men twenty years my junior, but with Ryan I felt like he wanted more than my body.

He made me feel special and wanted in ways I'd never felt before, and I was thriving under his attention. He may not be a multi-millionaire or a billionaire like my clients, but none of that mattered. He made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. I smiled as he slowly stepped behind me, his hands softly roaming my body as he began to undress me. For years I'd found the perfect match for men and women, the person who completed them. Now... at long last... I'd found the person that completed me.