Quench Me
      Chapter 16
 

 
"What?" Danny asks.

"I said, not so fast. We're not going anywhere."

"Michelle," he says, and I interrupt him.

"Look, you're leaving in the morning for a week or more, and we have this house all to ourselves. You do the math, Danny."

"Michelle, I thought we were putting the brakes on, after what happened Friday night at my house."

"Well, I guess my good sense has taken a leave of absence, but I really don't want breakfast, at least not if we have to go out to get it."

He's standing a few feet away from me now, looking at me with those eyes that spin me into oblivion. I can tell he's searching me for the slightest hint of indecision, before he commits himself to this moment.

"Stay, Danny," I say quietly, biting my lower lip. "Please."

He closes the gap between our bodies and pulls my body to his in a kiss that feels so wonderful it threatens to erase the rest of my life. Our arms are wrapped around each other in a desperate attempt to cling to the most real feeling we've ever known, and our bodies meld together into one single being.

Danny breaks away from me and backs up, as if the intensity of the kiss frightened him. His breathing is heavy, and his eyes are glazed over with desire. The steely, in control Danny that I've seen up to this point is gone, and in his place is the vulnerable, precious man that I desperately want to know.

"Michelle," he says between gasps, "if there are going to be any rules or limits, you need to set them now, before this goes any further. Because I don't want to do anything that you don't want."

Knowing that there are limits which need to be set, I move toward him, my eyes never leaving his, and say, "Well, if you have any sort of contraceptive device in your wallet, you can just leave it there. I think some things are better left to our imaginations for the time being. Don't you agree?"

He smiles mischievously and nods. "Whatever you say, Michelle."

"But, everything else is fair game," I reply.

His mouth is on mine again, in another fiery frenzy, as we grope our way up the stairs and down the hall toward my bedroom. Danny kicks his shoes off in the hall outside my door, while I remove his belt and leave it beside his shoes. We stagger into the room, and Danny slams the door with his foot. I've completely unbuttoned his shirt now, and begin to slide it off his shoulders. It drops to the floor and I take a moment to look at him.

"You are a beautiful, beautiful man, Danny Santos," I say.

"Only when I'm with you, Michelle," he answers, as he grabs the bottom of my tee shirt and pulls it over my head. "Only when I'm with you."

His face finds its way to the crook of my neck, and he nuzzles me with kisses so sweet and tender that I feel like I'm flying. His hands slide lightly over the bare skin on my lower back in the most loving gesture I've ever felt. I've never known such gentleness before, not once in my entire life.

His lips move up my neck, and he presses hot kisses up toward my ear. I move my hands to the front of his jeans and begin to unbutton them. Suddenly, he stops what he's doing and looks up at me.

"Michelle, you'd tell me if you didn't want to do this, wouldn't you?" he asks. "I don't want to do something that you're going to regret tomorrow."

If it weren't for the genuineness of his concern, I might be frustrated at his question, but the look in his eyes tells me that he only wants to be certain that I'm sure. I move my hands to his face, lightly caressing his unshaven cheeks. "The only thing I'm going to regret tomorrow is that you'll be in Atlanta."

He runs his hands through my hair and kisses my forehead again. "You don't know how much I want this," he says.

"I think I do," I say, as his hands reach around my back to unhook my bra.

He's nibbling gently on my shoulder, as I slide his jeans to his ankles. Without looking up, he steps out of them, and moves our bodies toward the bed. The elastic waistband in my shorts makes them easy to remove, and he wastes no time with them. Silk boxers and satin panties soon find their way to the floor with the rest of our clothing, as our naked bodies entwine on my bed.

His hands have now found my breasts, and I gasp at the sensation he sends through me. His mouth finds them next, a soft cry of pleasure escapes my throat as I feel his tongue move across my nipples. I grasp his face in my hands and pull his mouth to mine. His lips are soft and wet, and my hunger for them cannot be satisfied.

Our mouths still locked together, I forcefully push him onto his back. I lift my head and look into his eyes, as my hands slide across his chest. He throws his head backwards and closes his eyes tightly, as my hand finds its way lower. I lightly begin to move my hand up and down, my own body reacting to the way he feels in my hand.

"Michelle," he says, trying to sit up. "You don't have to…"

I stop his protest with a gentle kiss. "Let me do this. Please."

Without a word he falls back on the bed. I don't know where this boldness is coming from. I've never been so brazen in all my life, but something from somewhere deep inside of me compels me. How I know just what to do to make him feel this way is a mystery to me, but I don't question it. There is a need in me to satisfy him, a need that I must quench.

The only other man I've ever been with was Jesse, and even with him, I never did this. Our sex life, such as it was, wasn't exactly bad, but not exactly great either. We were kids, and I was completely inexperienced. I thought that he taught me things. I realize now how foolish that was. He taught me nothing. I didn't need to be taught anything. I just needed the right man to make me feel this way, and the rest happens naturally.

Before I even realize it, Danny is moaning my name, over and over again. I must admit that I'm rather proud of myself, as I slide myself back up his body to lay my face on the pillow next to his. He holds me tightly to him, and I listen as his breathing gradually slows.

He rolls onto his side to face me. "Michelle… you… what… I can't…" Finally he gives up trying to talk to me and rolls me to my back, as forcefully as I did to him earlier. His mouth is hot as he trails kisses along my neck and collarbone. He finds my breasts again, and suddenly his movements drastically slow down. He methodically and meticulously moves his lips and tongue on my right breast, covering every inch of skin. His fingers work magic on my other breast, before he moves his mouth to it, to give it the same attention he gave the first one.

Before long, his hand finds its way back to the part of me that he became acquainted with on Friday night at his house. He touches me like he's been touching me for years, like he knows every place on my body that longs for him, like he knows all my secret desires. I can hardly contain myself as it is, but when he moves his mouth to where his hand is, I know that the culmination is not far off.

"Oh God Danny… Danny," I moan.

He responds with an "Mmmmmmm", and the sensation drives me to the edge, and I tumble willfully over, as he grabs me by the hips and grinds his face into me even harder.

He crawls back up to the pillows and pulls me to him until my head is laying on his chest. Our skin is plastered together, not just by sweat and heat, but by the intimacy that we just experienced.

"Michelle, you are so… thank you," he says.

"Thank you, Danny," I say before we both doze off.

A half an hour later, I feel Danny begin to stir. I open my eyes, and the realization of what we just did hits me. My body feels hot all over again, just remembering.

"Hi," he says, gently stroking my hair.

"Hi," I reply.

"This has been an interesting morning," he says with a smile.

"Yeah, it certainly has," I say with a giggle, as I kiss his chest.

"I thought we'd had it when your brother found us this morning," he laughs.

"That's not exactly how I envisioned you meeting Rick," I respond. "But I'm glad that it went well, considering the circumstances."

"Me too," Danny says. "But I think if he came home now, and found us naked together in your bed, the circumstances might be different."

I sit up in the bed so that I can see him, the sheet still wrapped around my body. "Rick's really not that bad. I mean, he's your typical big brother, and he can be kind of territorial sometimes. It hasn't been easy for him, especially since he took care of me after Dad left the country, but he really has accepted that I'm an adult now. And he's the only family I have left, so I really wanted the two of you to get along."

"Your only family?" Danny questions. "What about your father?"

"My father," I say reflectively. "My dad… My dad's been gone a long time, Danny. I haven't seen him in almost two years, and even then it was only because he had to come back to the states for some kind of meeting. He didn't come when I graduated from college, and I doubt he'll come when I graduate from medical school."

"Michelle, I'm sorry," he says, raising his hand to caress my cheek.

"It's O.K., Danny," I reply. "I know that Dad still loves me, and I know he still loves Rick, but he's removed himself from our lives. It's been difficult for Rick and me to accept, but we have. You know, my dad buried two wives, and I guess somehow that changed him. He's still my dad, and I still love him, but he's just not a part of my life anymore."

"My mother hasn't been a part of my life for a long time… since long before she quit the business and left the country. I don't really know why. Part of it was her own selfishness. She was so damn wrapped up in her own life, that she failed to see what she was doing to her family. But a bigger part of it was that she just didn't know how to share herself with us, the way a mother should."

I place a gentle kiss on his lips, and I feel a smile spread across his face. "Let's change the subject."

"All right," he says with a naughty smile. "I've got a question for you."

"What?"

"Well, do you remember the other night at my house, when you told me that it had been five years since… well… you know?"

Embarrassed, I turn my face from his. "You would have to bring that up NOW."

He playfully grabs me and turns me back toward him and says, "I'm not trying to embarrass you. It's just that if you hadn't already told me that, I would've never guessed."

"I guess I should take that as a compliment," I say sheepishly.

"Yes, you should. Trust me."

"Well then, thank you."

"No, thank you," he says, kissing me once again with a tenderness that takes my breath away.

"Five years is a long time, Michelle," he says. "And if I can subtract correctly, you were only nineteen five years ago."

"You don't really want to know about my old boyfriend, do you?" I ask.

"I want to know everything about you, Michelle," he answers.

"We were kids, Jesse and I," I begin. "It's not easy to describe, because I don't want to make it sound any more or less than what it was. We were young, and what we had was very sweet. We were there for each other during some really difficult times in both our lives. I thought it was love, you know? I thought it was what would make my life complete. But then, I went to college, and Jesse started working at a club across town, and painting a lot. He's an artist. We were both busy, and we spent less and less time together. And when we were together, it just wasn't the same. We had less to talk about, less in common. And one day, we just both realized that it was over. It wasn't harsh or hurtful or anything like that. It was mutual, and bittersweet. Jesse had an opportunity to go to New York and display his paintings, and when he left, we said goodbye forever. I was nineteen at the time."

"And there hasn't been anyone else since?" Danny asks.

"When Jesse left, even though it was sad, it was kind of exciting. I felt like my entire future was laying wide open in front of me, you know? I felt like I had so many opportunities, so many choices. And I did. I finished college and got into medical school, just like I'd always wanted. But relationships just kind of eluded me. I don't know why really. I mean, I went out on dates, but rarely more than one with the same guy. I don't know, I guess I was just too picky. I was beginning to think I was expecting too much. It's just that every guy that I went out with didn't seem the least bit interested in actually having a conversation with me or getting to know me. They all had the same intentions. It just seemed really transparent to me, and I didn't find it attractive at all."

"What's different now?" Danny asks. "Why am I different?"

"Because you're not transparent," I answer honestly. "You're the most complicated person I've ever met, and I like the fact that I can't figure you out. It drives me crazy sometimes, but I like it. And, if you recall, we've had several conversations, and you even 'doctored' me that night I had a migraine. You're a lot more genuine than any man I've ever gone out with, even Jesse."

A look of concern grows across Danny's face, and I realize that I've probably scared the hell out of him. "I've revealed just a little too much to you, haven't I? You didn't really want to hear all of that, did you?"

"Michelle, it's not that," he says. "I just, I can't believe that you see me that way."

"Why?"

"Because I'm just as big a jerk as those guys you dated in college," he replies. "I used to be one of those guys who didn't care about having a conversation with a woman or getting to know her. I was one of those guys until the day I found you in my office. Here you are, this wonderful, virtuous woman, and you think I'm an honorable guy, and I know I'm not. I don't deserve you or the way you see me."

"Yes you do, Danny," I say, moving my body in front of his on the bed. Looking directly in his eyes, I say, "I don't care who you were or what you were like, the only thing that matters to me is what's between us right here and right now. The only thing that's real to me is the way you are and the way you've been with me since we met."

"I don't deserve this, Michelle. I don't."

"Look at me," I say, grabbing his face and forcing him to look at me. "I told you the other night at your house that I wanted to know if the same thing that's happening in my heart is happening in yours. I'm not saying that I want an answer right now, but I am asking you to think about it while you're in Atlanta. I want you to really think about it, honestly, and don't worry about what you think you deserve. Because if it's happening in your heart, too, then I don't care about anything from your past. Do you hear me? I don't care? You let me decide what you deserve. Let me decide."

He grabs my face and kisses me, hard and forcefully. "I have to go, Michelle," he says as he breaks the kiss. "I have to get ready to leave in the morning."

"I know," I say, our foreheads still pressed together.

"I don't want to, but I have to," he says.

"I know," I say again, as I reach over the edge of the bed and grab his boxers and his jeans.

We both get dressed in silence, neither one wanting to think about the inevitable moment when he will leave.

When we're both dressed, he takes me in his arms and kisses me again. "I really have to go now."

I push him toward the bedroom door, and say, "I'll walk you out."

He smiles and takes me by the hand.

"Am I going to talk to you?" I ask. "Or will you be too busy?"

"I'll call you," he answers. "I'm not sure what my schedule will be like, but I'll call you. I want to know how you do on that Pharmacology final," he says with a smile.

"Good," I say, as I open the front door for him.

He kisses me one last time, and then he's gone. I turn and walk back into the house, not wanting to watch him drive away. If I had known I wouldn't scare him off forever, I would've told him that he's taking my heart with him to Atlanta. I want to tell him so badly, but he's not ready to hear it. "I can wait," I say to myself. "I'll wait as long as I have to. He's worth it."