The Retreat Ch. 02

"Hi," she said softly.

"Hi," he echoed.

It seemed like the most natural thing in the world for them to link hands as they walked away.

"You realize that you have my coworkers frothing at the mouth with curiosity," she said with a grin.

"Really? That's a relief. Does that mean they're not used to seeing you with a boyfriend?"

Jessica shot him a haughty glance. "Hardly. And you aren't my boyfriend."

Nick squeezed her hand and snared her gaze. His expression was anything but teasing.

"I'd like to be," he said softly.

"Yeah?" she asked, trying to coax him back into their usual playful banter.

"Yeah," he said firmly.

Jessica halted and turned to face him. They searched each other's faces, and several moments ticked by before Nick bent to kiss her.

At first, his lips lightly caressed hers, but sensing no resistance, he pulled her more firmly against him and deepened the kiss. Her lips were warm and pliant, and he tasted the warm cavity of her mouth with increasingly thorough strokes of his tongue against hers. When she began to respond more fully, he groaned. He finally ended the kiss, surprised by the depth of his hunger for her.

"Do you want to catch a late movie?" he asked softly.

Jessica nodded, and once again, he brushed a thumb across her cheekbone. This time, her cheeks were flushed with desire rather than embarrassment. The feelings of possessive pleasure that realization evoked in him were startling. Somehow, Nick knew in that moment that his world would never be quite the same.

For the next three weeks, Nick and Jessica spent every spare moment in each other's company. He walked her to or from many of her classes and met her after work to walk her home. They did laundry together every weekend, and almost all of their dinners were shared. They came to know each others likes and dislikes, pleased to find that they had many common interests and opinions.

Jessica sat on the bleachers and laughed at Nick's antics when he played a friendly game of football with his friends. He learned that she was on the swimming team, and he cheered her on at the division finals.

Their physical intimacy progressed as well. Kissing led to tentative touching, which eventually gave way to bolder caresses. They usually ended up in Nick's dorm room, sprawled on his twin bed. His roommate was obligingly absent most of the time, and they were afforded some privacy. Nick had never exercised as much self-control as he did with Jessica. He was used to women throwing their bodies at him.

Jessica was different. She was passionate and responsive, but somehow shy. Each time they were together, she allowed Nick to go further before she stopped him. Although Nick's sexual frustration was boiling over, he didn't rush her. He wanted their first time together to be special.

They lay panting, with their limbs entwined one evening. Jessica had called a halt, but not before Nick had tormented her nipples into throbbing, aching buds. She lay naked from the waist up, her blouse and bra discarded on the floor. Nick's shirt was unbuttoned, and she ran her hands over his well-muscled chest as she searched his eyes.

"I want you, Jess," Nick whispered.

Jess caught her breath, and she nibbled her bottom lip. "I know. I want you too, but I'm scared."

Nick heard the tremor in her voice, and his eyes widened. "Are you a virgin?" he asked with surprise.

Jess met his eye and nodded shyly. Nick felt an overwhelming sense of pleasure from that revelation. He cupped her cheek in his palm and kissed her softly.

"I would never hurt you, Jess. You know that, don't you?"

She nodded slowly. Nick kissed her again, deepening the kiss until she was once again panting beneath him before he drew back.

"I won't rush you into something you aren't ready for, but let me show you how pleasurable it can be." Seeing the confusion in her eyes, he smiled gently. "Trust me, Jess. Just trust me."

He held her gaze as he unfastened her jeans and pulled them down over her hips. He smiled at the sight of the same lacy red panties he had found in her laundry. When his gaze met hers teasingly, she blushed and hid her face against his shoulder.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered reverently, skimming his hand over her hip and thigh. "Let me show you, Jess. Will you do that?"

She nodded her head, and Nick slowly slid her panties off, leaving her wonderfully, magnificently naked beside him. He clamped down on his raging desires and made up his mind that this was her time for pleasure. His would have to wait until another day.

Nick touched her reverently, starting with her breasts. She had grown accustomed to him handling her nipples, and he toyed with them, smiling as her back arched and she made whimpering sounds of longing. He bent his head and suckled hard, taunting the hardened bud with his tongue as his fingers continued to torment her other nipple.

When he judged that she was ready, Nick skimmed a hand down over her belly, pausing to comb through her thatch of soft hair before seeking her pussy. He groaned when he reached her. She was swollen, hot and dripping with fluid. He caressed her, exploring her outer folds thoroughly and then venturing inside her velvety sheath. Her passage was delightfully snug, clamping around first one finger and then a second.

Nick could feel the thin barrier of her virginity, and he groaned again as he stroked her. God, she was sweet! He wanted nothing more than to sink into her scalding heat and wallow. Instead, he focused on her increasingly frantic cries of pleasure. She was writhing beneath him, her body the very epitome of his desires. He put every ounce of skill into worshipping her, letting her know how much he adored her.

When she climaxed for the first time, clenching around his fingers, it was all Nick could do to stop himself from ravishing her. He trembled as he watched her come slowly down from the pinnacle before slowly withdrawing his hand and placing one final kiss on her engorged nipple. He pulled her against his side and covered them with the blanket.

"Thank you," Jess whispered after a long time.

Nick caught her eye and grinned. "You're welcome. Next time, if you feel ready, you can repay me by alleviating my agony. I want you in the worst possible way, in case you haven't noticed."

To emphasize his point, Nick pressed her hand against the fly of his jeans, and Jess gasped from the heat of his throbbing erection. Her eyes flew to his.

"I'm sorry, Nick," she whispered. "I'm not trying to be a tease."

He cupped her face and kissed her. "I know, sweetheart. And I'm not trying to rush you, but I don't mind telling you that it's pure torture when you are so damned desirable."

Jess blushed with pleasure. "There's something you should know, Nick. I went to the health clinic a few days ago."

Nick frowned at her, both puzzled and concerned. "Is something wrong? Have you been sick?"

"No," she said softly, smiling secretively. "I got a prescription for contraceptive pills. The doctor said it takes a few days for them to become effective. By the day after tomorrow we should be protected."

Nick could feel his heart pounding against his ribs as he searched her face. "Jess, I could use a condom now."

"Please Nick, just a couple more days. When you make love to me, I don't want anything between us, even a thin piece of rubber."

The fantasy her words created had Nick's cock throbbing even more painfully than before. He kissed her deeply, drawing her over his chest and reveling in the feel of her soft breasts pressing into him. When he ended the kiss, they were both breathing raggedly.

"You are driving me insane," he growled, squeezing her bottom in his palms. "Two days, Jess. Promise me that in two days, you'll be mine."

"I promise," she said with a smile.

Nick felt his heart swell with love for her. She was everything he could want in a woman, and he felt like he was living a beautiful dream. Nick had no way of knowing that the next evening, his dream would be shattered. The following night was when he would learn that Jess had been lying to him all along.