Sara sat alone on the porch swing. Gunmetal skies mirrored her mood, she decided, idly pushing off with one foot. Heat hung oppressively, and each time she breathed, she was sure she was taking in lungfuls of water. A storm was coming. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon, edging closer. So be it, she thought, looking forward to the thunder…the lightning…the raging winds. A part of her seemed to come alive when storms raged.
If only the storm within her would subside.
She sighed, relaxing back against the swing as it gently swayed back and forth. It all started here, she mused silently, closing her eyes, replaying that night in her mind…
Sara walked in the door, bone-tired and looking forward to slipping into a coma until morning. Colonel, the family dog, greeted her as he usually did, nearly knocking her over in his enthusiasm. “Hi, boy,” she said, dropping her bag to pet him, rubbing him behind the ears. “Did you miss me?” He licked her face in response. Sara laughed, wiping off dog-drool. “I missed you, too.”
“Colonel, down!” Dani commanded as she walked into the room.
Sara grinned at her roommate as Colonel jumped down. “He’s okay,” she said, giving Colonel one final pat before he trotted away with his tail down.
“Did you have a good trip?” Dani asked, bustling about the kitchen.
Sara watched Dani, suddenly wary. Dani seemed nervous about something. “Sure,” she said, dropping into a chair. “Traffic was light, so I got home faster than I thought I would.” She watched Dani straightening the canisters on top of the shelf. “Dani, what’s up?”
Dani kept straightening, carefully keeping her back to Sara. “I’ve invited someone over.”
“So, you and Richard…”
“Richard’s going out.”
The words hung in the air, full of her anger. Sara sighed, but decided not to worry about what Richard, Dani’s husband, had done now. Sara rose from her seat, stretching tired muscles. “Don’t worry about the noise,” she offered. “I’ll probably sleep like the dead until morning.”
“But you can’t!” Dani said, turning now to face her.
“What do you mean, I can’t? I’ve been up since dawn…” Sara turned and started for her room.
“He’s coming over to see you.”
Sara stopped in her tracks. Over her shoulder, she pinned Dani with her gaze. “Who’s coming over to see me?”
“Jim.”
“Jim?” Sara said, turning to face her friend, who looked decidedly uncomfortable. “The same Jim you called a whore and told me to be wary of?”
“You two are soul mates, I’m sure of it.”
Sara had no idea where the reasoning came from, and didn’t really care. Still, she was curious in spite of herself. “Soul mates?”
“Well, Jim told me months ago about this woman he dreamed about. She had long dark hair, dark eyes…”
Sara snorted, “The description fits a large number of the population, Dani.”
“I know, I know, but…talking to you is like talking to him. You two are so alike, it’s scary!”
Sara sighed, feeling somehow defeated and outmaneuvered. “So, when is he coming over.”
Dani grinned. “He’ll be here in about an hour.” She turned Sara around and gave her a push to her room. “That gives you just enough time to get ready.” She bustled away, humming softly.
Alone in her room, Sara stared longingly at her bed. She ran a hand over the blanket, imagined herself cocooned within it’s warmth. “Aw, hell,” she groaned, picking up a towel from the foot of the bed, and heading for the shower.
Sara dried off in her room, and dressed casually, going so far as to put on her Backstreet Boys t-shirt. She grinned to herself. “Best to be honest from the start,” she laughed softly, running her hand over the picture of her favorite Backstreet Boy, AJ McLean. “My obsession,” she chuckled.
Alyson, Richard and Dani’s daughter, poked her head through the open door. “He’s here,” she said with a grin. Biting back a groan, Sara followed her from the room.
In the living room, Sara paused. That smell…she knew that cologne. She took a deep breath, trying to remember. She shook her head. It would come to her, she decided, following Alyson through the doorway to her parent’s bedroom, then out the sliding glass door leading to the back porch….only to freeze on the top step.
He was sitting on the far side of the porch swing, Dani on his right. Alyson took a seat at the small table facing the swing. Sara swallowed hard, trying to keep herself from gaping. He was handsome, she saw that at a glance. Wavy dark hair that fell to his shoulders. He looked up at her in the doorway, and her heart roared in her ears when he smiled at her. It’s not possible, she thought, forcing her lips to smile, ordering her feet to move down the steps. It can’t be, she thought.
But it was…it was him.
She’d seen him in her mind’s eye years ago, when her marriage had started to fall apart. She’d conjured a tall, dark and handsome fantasy lover to ease her loneliness and pain. When she wrote her stories, even the Backstreet Boys fan fiction, her hero always started out the same. He’d been her escape through the pain of her divorce, and then, later, when Ricky had broken her heart, her fantasy had helped her mend it.
Now here was her fantasy made flesh, smiling warmly at her. Sara swallowed hard, feeling totally off balance. “Hi,” she said shyly, ducking her head to keep from staring at him.
A phone rang in the house, and Alyson breezed by her to answer it. A moment later, she poked her head through the sliding glass door. “Mom, it’s for you.”
“I’ll be right back,” Dani said with a grin, then followed Alyson into the house, leaving Sara and Jim on the porch…alone.
They both watched her go, then turned to face one another. Their eyes met and held. Sara could feel underlying currents at work, almost as if there was a secret communication between the two of them. Communication without words. A shy smile curved her lips, and he smiled back. Sara looked down, embarrassed but not knowing why. Jim broke the silence. “Dani tells me you write poetry.”
What else has Dani told you? Sara wondered. “Yes, I write poetry,” she answered, daring to lift her gaze to his. “I…I have some I could show you, later, if you…”
“That was Chris on the phone,” Dani said, breezing back onto the porch. “He said he can come over later if you go pick him up.” She sat back down on the swing next to Jim.
Sara felt a twinge of jealousy, but squelched it fiercely. “Where’s Alyson?” she asked, keeping her voice even.
“Oh, she’s watching ‘Interview with the Vampire’.” Dani answered.
Sara had forgotten that the movie was going to be on. She grinned. She loved vampire movies, and that one in particular…Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Antonio Banderas. Her eyes widened as she rose from the chair. “It’s on?” she asked, making a bee-line for the door.
Sara curled up on the loveseat, tucking her feet beneath her. The movie was half over. She sighed, settling down to watch the remainder, then caught herself. Jim and Dani were coming inside. A sideways glance confirmed it: Dani was sitting next to Alyson, and Jim took the spot next to her. “We thought we’d come watch it with you,” Dani said.
The phone rang and Alyson jumped up to get it. Sara waited for Jim to get up and sit next to Dani. When he didn’t move, she blushed, and turned her gaze back to the TV. Lestat was arguing. The little girl vampire, what’s-her-name, was going to slit his throat. Sara was only dimly aware of the movie, tuned instead to the man beside her. He would be taller than her when they stood together, she knew. She traced his body with her mind’s eye, itching to touch him in truth. She wondered if he had any chest hair, and how much. His hard muscled thigh pressed close to hers, and she bit back a groan. How was she going to survive this night with him sitting beside her? His hand came down on her thigh as he said something to Dani, and she felt the warmth of his hand, his very large hand, before he took it away. The old adage about the size of a man’s hands and feet being in proportion to the size of his manhood popped unbidden into her mind. The heat within her went up another notch.
When Sara focused on the TV again, the credits were rolling. She blinked. She’d missed the end of the movie. New Orleans had burned without her, and she felt not a moment’s regret. Jim stood abruptly, mentioning something about going to get something from his house.. Keenly feeling the loss of him beside her, Sara managed a smile, and followed him, stopping in the living room doorway. “But you’ll be back?” she managed to say.
The look he gave her was full of promise. “Oh, I’ll be back,” he said, smiling. “Nothing could keep me away.” The door closed behind him, and Sara sagged against the doorframe.
With a sigh, Sara collected herself, turning to find Dani smiling at her. There was a question in Dani’s eyes. Sara smiled, grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, Dani, he’s…I mean…wow!”
Dani burst out laughing. “See, I told you…I know these things.”
Sara grinned at Dani, bowing slightly, “I bow before your wisdom.” Both women laughed, then, changing the subject, Sara said, “Come on, let me show you what I’m going to be hanging up in my room.”
Having just recently moved in, Sara had nothing on her bedroom walls as yet. She didn’t have much of anything yet, just a bedframe, blankets, and some of her clothes. A majority of her possessions were still in storage…and destined to stay there until she found her own place.
Dani followed Sara into her room, and Sara led her over to the bedframe. Draped across it were the posters she had intended to hang up tonight before she went to bed. Jim’s arrival had postponed the inevitable, but she couldn’t wait to share the posters with Dani. “See, here are some Backstreet Boys posters…”
“Of course,” Dani interjected.
“…and here,” Sara went on as if Dani hadn’t spoken, “are a few other things, too.” She showed off an Area 51 poster, as well as a Star Trek: TNG movie poster for First Contact, and a small poster of Taz surrounded by aliens. “I just have to find a place…for these…Dani, what’s wrong?”
Dani hadn’t taken her eyes off the science fiction posters. She held the Area 51 poster in her hands, then abruptly handed it to Sara. “You have got to show these to Jim, this especially.” She turned to leave the room.
Perplexed, Sara followed her, shutting the door behind her. “What? Why?”
Back in the living room, Dani explained, “Jim is heavily into Area 51 and Roswell and aliens.”
It was Sara’s turn to wear a poleaxed expression. It couldn’t be. She’d been into aliens, Roswell, Area 51, and government conspiracy for years. Jim was too? Had she finally met her Fox Mulder? “Seriously?” she asked, eyes wide.
Dani nodded sagely. “Yes…and he was even in charge of the group here who investigate alien encounters on the east coast.”
Sara sank onto the couch. Amazing, she thought. Her eyes fell on the spill of stones on the table. “I guess I forgot to put these away,” she said, idly toying with a rose quartz crystal and a small piece of carnelian.
“Didn’t you hear Jim and I talking about them?” Dani asked. Sara blushed and shook her head. “He’s gone home to get his stone…he wants to show it to you.”
Sara’s blush deepened. She could think of other hard things Jim could show her, and she wouldn’t mind in the least. She tried to shake off the thought, but it wouldn’t go away. It had been so long since she’d been with a man…months, now. Lanzo had been her last, and he had been decidedly…distant. Lately only a phone call here and there. And now, seemingly the fantasy she’d created years ago had come to life, had the same interests as her, and seemed interested in her to boot. The heat within her threatened to burn her to cinders. She looked down and realized she was clutching the red carnelian tightly. Carnelian…for passion. She dropped the stone to the tabletop.
A knock at the front door snapped her head up. Jim walked in a moment later, a huge grin on his face. “Let me show you my stone.” He held it out to her, placing it in her hand after he’d taken a seat beside her.
The stone was warm from contact with his body. She trembled, tumbling the stone in her hand, adding her own warmth. It fit in her palm as if made for her. Dimly she heard him mention that a woman had given it to him, and she found herself explaining about rose quartz. The stone was used, primarily, to draw love to the owner…love of others, love of God, and love of self. She looked up and their eyes met. Again, that feeling of unspoken conversation washed over her…silent communion. It was as if a door had opened inside her…a door that had been locked forever and was just now revealing the treasure inside…
….or welcoming someone in….
She shook off that thought, hastily handing him back the stone. I will not fall in love with him, she silently admonished herself. I won’t, I won’t. Sex is one thing… She once more appraised him from beneath her lashes. Oh, yes, sex is definitely one thing, but love??? She firmly shook off that thought.
“Show him the posters,” Dani suggested, breaking into her thoughts.
Sara nodded, turning beside her for the posters. “I’m still getting my room ready,” she said, “and here are a few of the posters I’m going to be hanging up. I’ve had them for years.”
His eyes locked on the Area 51 poster. Sara noted the stunned expression on his face, filed it away for later contemplation. He set the poster down, and his eyes met hers as he grinned.
One again, that unspoken communication. His grin turned wolfish, and she blushed rosily.
“Jim, why don’t you go pick up Chris and bring him over?”
Jim looked at her, opened his mouth, then nodded. “Right,” he said, turning back to Sara. “Chris.” His smile warmed her to her toes. “I’ll be right back,” he said softly.
“I’ll be waiting,” she replied just as softly. She didn’t move as she watched him get up and let himself out. She leaned against the cushions, eyes closed as she tried to calm her racing heart. This is insane, she thought. It’s just got to be that I haven’t been with anyone. Yes, that must be it. I can’t be falling in love with him! I just met the man! But we’re so much alike. And that soft southern drawl of his… she fought down a shudder. God, I just want to…no…no…not going to think it. Must be calm, in control. That’s it, take a deep breath. Okay. She opened her eyes, and found Dani grinning at her. “What?” she asked.
Dani just grinned back. “Nothing.”
Sara’s nose wriggled as she fought for control. In the back of her mind, she could hear Lanzo telling her that she looked like a bunny when she did that. Thinking of bunnies, led her to AJ….all because of that damned story her best friend, Kat, wrote so long ago. Changing the subject, Sara said, “Why don’t we watch a video real quick?”
“We don’t have time…”
Sara shook her head, already on her knees and rifling through her box of videotapes. “No, no, no…not a video-video.” She pulled out her Backstreet Boys videotape. “A music video.”
“Trying to convert me?” Dani asked as Sara popped the tape in and fast forwarded to her fave video. “I already told you I like that one song…what’s it called? You know how it goes…” She hummed the melody.
Sara passed her fave video and went to it. “It’s called, ‘I Want it That Way.” Her lips quirked in a grin as Kev’s line from the Billboard awards flitted through her mind, “We want it the cheesy meat way.” She giggled, but at Dani’s questioning glance, she just shook her head. It would take too long to explain. They sang along to the song, and too soon it was over. Sara rewound it, playing it again. Dani got up, swaying to the music. Sara just sat on the couch, eyes fixed on AJ. “Only two hours,” she said softly. “AJ, just give me two hours. What I could do in two hours…” she sighed dreamily. Dani never heard her.
When the song ended the second time, Sara rewound the tape to her fave video. “You’ve got to check this out. The first time I saw this was in Orlando, when Kat first gave me the tape. I just about fell off the damned bed when I looked at AJ. He’s so fine in this one.” The opening strains of ‘Quit Playing Games (with my Heart)’ made Sara smile, especially as she watched AJ on screen. Dani sang along, apparently knowing this song, too.
“Oh, my God, I can’t believe I’m lusting after these boys,” Dani said, eyes on the screen as they sang in the rain…as Howie’s naked chest undulated on screen.
Sara had eyes only for AJ, her thoughts centered on licking the raindrops off his chest, his belly. Down, girl, she commanded herself. When the video was over, she grinned at Dani. “Again?” she asked hopefully. Dani nodded, and Sara rewound the tape.
As it started a second time, Jim and another man came in. “I’m back!” Jim announced. Sara clicked off the tape and turned toward the door. “What’cha watchin’?”
Sara swallowed hastily. It had been her experience that men did not like the Backstreet Boys. “Just a couple of videos.” Dani quickly introduced Chris, and Sara mumbled a hello.
Jim took a seat next to Sara…again. A rush of warmth flowed over her, delicately tinting her cheeks. Damn, I haven’t blushed this much in…I’ve never blushed this much.
“Well, put it on. Let’s see it,” Jim said.
Sara looked up at him, their eyes met and held. “Well, okay,” she said, rewinding the tape a little to the beginning of the video. The opening strains of ‘Quit Playing Games’ once more filled the air.
“Hey, I like this one,” Jim said, humming softly.
Sara’s head whipped around to face him, her jaw dropping open slightly as Jim sang along. She turned back to the TV before he could comment. The Backstreet Boys, she thought, he’s actually singing the Backstreet Boys. He likes the Backstreet Boys. She took a deep breath. God, am I dead? I’ve never, ever met any man who likes BsB! This is incredible! Sara sang along, turning slightly to see the grin on Jim’s face as he listened to her, sang with her. She turned back to the screen, then blushed rosily as AJ sang in the rain. Her mind flitted to the man beside her. What did his bare chest look like? What did he taste like? She fought down a groan, eyes riveted to the TV screen.
Sara fast forwarded to ‘Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)’, where BsB are monsters. Everyone seemed to like the makeup, and Sara made the off-hand comment that she had always liked the Phantom. Dani giggled, and Jim looked at Sara curiously. Sara merely smiled. It was just coincidence that AJ was the Phantom in the video. She fast-forwarded to another video. “If you like Sci-fi, you’re gonna love this,’ she said. “’Larger than Life’.”
At first sight of the huge ship at the beginning, she noticed Jim sitting forward slightly. She grinned. Apparently, she had his attention. As the music began, she added, “They wrote this one for the fans, saying that we’re ‘larger than life’.” Jim’s hazel eyes met hers, and she found herself grinning. Yes, she thought with a nod in his direction, I am a Backstreet Boys fan.
As if hearing her thought, Jim grinned back at her, then turned back to the video.
Of course, since they watched ‘Larger than Life’, they had to watch ‘I Want it That Way’ again. After that, Sara shut off the tape, explaining there weren’t many more videos on it, mostly older ones. She wasn’t about to hear what any of them had to say about the Boxers or Briefs question that was coming up next. Nor the press conference where BsB were asked if one of them was “a little bit fairy.” She coughed, stifling a chuckle that she had no way to explain. Jim looked at her curiously, but declined to comment. Conversation flowed again, and Sara learned that Chris was a computer geek. He blushed modestly as Dani boasted for him, and Jim ribbed him. Dani and Chris talked back and forth, Jim interjecting his two cents every once in awhile. What they talked about, Sara wasn’t sure.
Sara stayed tuned to the man beside her. Her fingers itched abominably to touch him. She wanted to be alone with him. Talk with him. Pick his brain. Strip his clothes off…
No! she commanded herself. Calm down! Yes, calm. Breathe…that’s it. “Uh, Jim?” Great, you sound good. He turned to her, and her words faltered. Come on, keep it going… Before she could think, she blurted, “Wanna go out on the porch? We could talk?” In the back of her mind, there came a soft, Doh!
He blinked, surprised. “Sure,” he said, rising and following her though Dani’s bedroom.
Sara? Don’t look at the bed, Sara, keep moving. That’s it. Open the door. Step through. The swing, Sara. Sit on the swing…where he was. Good…that’s good.
Sara sat on the swing, and Jim joined her, sitting on her right. They sat in silence for a long moment, and Sara pushed off with one foot. They started to sway gently. “I hope you don’t mind,” she said, her hands fiddling nervously in her lap. “I just wanted to be alone with you, get to know you a little.”
That’s it! I give up! You’re on your own, and God help you! her conscience roared.
“I’m glad you did,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.
Still not looking at him, she reached over, took his hand in hers. Her heart roared in her ears, but she didn’t miss his swift intake of breath…or the shock that raced up her arm as they touched. She forgot how to breathe for a startled moment as warmth flowed like honey between them as his fingers twined with hers. He turned to her, and she saw the grin on his face. She blushed, looking down at her lap again. They swung quietly for a moment.
Jim broke the silence. “Dani told you about my soul mate dream, didn’t she?”
Sara nodded, not looking at him. “Only a little. She’s convinced I’m…” she let the sentence falter. Dani was convinced, but was she? Food for thought…later, she decided.
She heard him take a deep breath, and then he started telling her about the dream. Her heart thundered in her ears, and her breath seemed to stop. All the evidence pointed to her. Impossible, she thought again. I can’t be. She swallowed hard.
He paused, and she found herself looking up at him. His lips were so close, her eyes darted to them, then back to his eyes. He closed the distance between them, and her eyes slid shut as their lips met.
She trembled. She burned. Her right hand tightened convulsively on his as her other hand came up to caress his cheek, holding him still as their lips moved. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest, exploded in a blossom of heat…a rose unfurling in the sun. His name throbbed in her mind. Air fled her lungs as his tongue gently parted her lips. His tongue danced within hers, and her left hand slid into his hair, clutching him tightly, pulling his mouth closer. A groan filled her ears, and in one heartstopping moment, she realized that it was herself. She felt more than heard his answering groan as his hands were on her body, touching her. She shuddered as his nimble fingers found her hard nipple.
The sound of the sliding glass door opening seemed very loud and much too close. Jim and Sara pulled apart, only to snuggle on the swing. Her hands wouldn’t let go, and she couldn’t have moved away even if she’d wanted to. Her body betrayed her, sidling close to him. She was still trembling slightly. Jim held her close, nuzzling her neck as Dani and Chris joined them.
“We just thought we’d join you,” Dani said, sitting across from Sara. Sara blushed hotly when their gazes met, and Dani smiled knowingly. Dani’s smile faded as she added bitterly, “I just wanted to make sure I’m not alone with Chris if Richard walks in, because then I’ll be accused of sleeping with him, too.”
Sara opened her mouth to comment, then closed it again, a piece of the larger puzzle fitting into place. She filed the comment away. Later, she thought, when I remember how to think again. Jim made some comment, but Sara wasn’t really aware of what it was. Her passion fogged brain wasn’t functioning too logically at the moment. Their kiss replayed in her mind, over and over. Her lips tingled, and she wanted to taste him again…and again…and again. She wanted to feel his bare skin pressed to hers. Wanted his naked body pressed close to hers…within hers. Their joined hands rested in his lap, and it took all her willpower not to rub his crotch. She wanted him…badly... more than she could remember wanting anyone else.
Abruptly, she pulled away. “I’ll be back,” she said, then quickly escaped.
She ran to the bathroom, closed the door, and sat on the toilet. As her bladder emptied, she buried her face in her hands. “Insane,” she whispered. “This is just insane!” She flushed the toilet, and as she was washing her hands, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were glowed rosily, and her lips were swollen. It hit her painfully that she actually might be pretty. She shook away her vanity, dried her hands on a towel, and walked back through the house. She stopped in the living room. Her journal was on the far side of the loveseat. She’d shared poems with Dani the night before and had neglected to retrieve it. She glanced at the door to Dani’s bedroom, her mind on the porch where he waited.
She sat on the loveseat. Maybe if she put some of this down, she would regain some control. Maybe… She wrote:
Feeling pretty weird right about now. Just met someone and freaking right now. I’ve seen him before, he looks a lot…A LOT like the man who stars in most of my stories before the characters develop.
We click. The music we like. Things we believe.
Mercy, but I’ve been finding myself looking at his jawline and neck, wondering how he would taste there, wondering how it would feel if we…
Jim’s arms slid around her waist, and he nuzzled the back of her neck. “What’cha doin’?” he asked, sitting beside her.
She swallowed hard. “Just writing.” She closed the book and dropped it on the coffee-table.
He pulled back. “Oh, sorry, I’ll just…”
“No!” She turned to him quickly, sliding into his arms again. “No, no, really, it’s okay…I’ll just finish it…later.” Before he could speak, and before she could think, she kissed him. Her body was in control now. One hand slipped behind his neck to hold him in place and the other roamed his chest. She could feel the springy hairs beneath his shirt, and knew they didn’t cover his chest.
All too soon, Chris and Dani were walking in. Sara blushed to the roots of her hair, embarrassed beyond belief. Caught necking not once, but twice! Dani’s knowing grin was back as she sat on the couch.
Chris didn’t sit. “Jim, man, it’s been fun, but I have to go home.”
Jim rose and went to stand with him. His hazel eyes were all for Sara as he said, “I’ll be back.”
Sara nodded, watching as both men walked though the kitchen then out the front door. In spite of herself, Sara followed their progress through the living room window. Chris was talking enthusiastically to Jim and Jim grinned back at him. He glanced once over his shoulder at the house, and Sara was glad she was sitting so he wouldn’t see her. They climbed into Jim’s white car, and Sara turned away from the window.
Dani was still grinning. “You two are just made for each other. You look so good together!”
Sara blushed, ducking her head. “He’s…I dunno…we just…” she swallowed hard, trying to put her finger on it. The answer eluded her. She settled for, “I’ve never met anyone like him.”
“I have, and I’m talking to her right now.”
Sara decided the blush on her cheeks must be permanent at this point. “Well,” she stammered, “I guess we are a little bit alike.”
Dani snorted, “I’d call you twins.”
Sara turned away, her thoughts in turmoil as she rewound the tape, then played an older video. They were so alike. They liked the same things, or, at least, he seemed interested in the same things she was interested in. But he was married. Dani had warned her of that fact when she’d first told her about him. That, and he had a girlfriend…named Sammie, or Sandy…no, Sandra was his wife’s name. Sally? No, it wasn’t that either. Suzie. Yes, that was it. He had a girlfriend named Suzie.
So where exactly would she, Sara, fit in?
On screen, AJ promised to never break her heart, and she smiled. If only it were that simple.
In no time at all, Jim was back. They retreated once more to the swing, and he sat next to her again. He captured her hands in his own, and once more that old adage filled her mind. Heat blossomed in her cheeks, and she groaned silently. Well, she had blushing down to an art form at this point, now didn’t she? She had no other time for thought as Jim tipped her chin so their eyes met. He smiled, and warmth flowed through her. His lips drew nearer and nearer. She forgot once more how to breathe as his mouth melded with hers. She sighed into his open mouth, as their tongues once more began to mate.
Sara pulled back, allowing logic to assert it’s head for a moment. Her hand lay against his chest, and his heart beat beneath her palm. Her head was spinning, and her own heartbeat was racing in her ears. She was breathing hard as she sat back. She trembled, and he held her close. She wondered if he was having as much trouble getting under control as she was. She needed control…needed to break this spell he was weaving.
“You okay?” he asked, holding her tight, his hand running up and down her arm.
No, I’m not all right, she thought but didn’t say. I’m hot as a firecracker on July 4th, my heart is racing, and I’m panting like a bitch in heat. No, I’m definitely not all right. “Fine,” she replied in a breathless voice. “It’s just…”
“We’re moving so fast?” he asked when she faltered.
She blinked, leaning back to look at him. He was smiling. “Mind reading is not allowed,” she said softly, smiling back at him.
Again there was that breathless pause, that moment of silent communication between them. “Can’t help it,” he said softly, one hand coming up to stroke her cheek. In spite of herself, she leaned into his touch. “We’re like a mirror image, you know? We’re so alike,” he shook his head, as if the thought was unbelievable to even him. He looked at her, and something in her shifted…almost a click. We belong together, she thought suddenly.
“Reflections,” she said softly.
He nodded, leaning back slightly. He took one of her hands and put his hand against hers, palm up. He pantomimed looking in a mirror, turning their hands. “Mirror, mirror,” he said, grinning. Their eyes met and held. The passion so bright and alive between them flared anew, and he bent his head to hers, once more claiming her lips.
Part Two
