"FREEDOM!!!!!!!!" The guys and gals were so excited that they finally had some time to themselves.
The guys rented a nice van for the drive out to Justin's retreat. Lonnie went with them just to be on the safe side. They had shopped for food and all kinds of goodies. They rented some movies and JC and Justin and the girls picked out some good romance movies. They had CD's for dancing and just setting the mood. In any case, this was the few days to really fire things up for Lance and Elaine.
They left out early in the morning so they would have the better part of the day to relax and just have fun. Rickii and Lynne had taken Elaine shopping and they all bought two piece bathing suits because all they were allowed to have for school outings was a one piece. They vowed that they were going to grab the attention of some certain young men this weekend.
When they arrived at the retreat, the caretakers greeted them at the gates and led them back to the main house which was a two-story old-fashioned house with a wrap around porch and balcony. On the porch were rocking chairs and swings. There were huge, old trees in the yard and swings hanging from some of those.
Everyone gathered their bags and went upstairs to look for their rooms. Their names had been put on the doors by the caretakers when they were made ready and, upon Justin's instructions, Lance and Elaine had been given the two rooms at the end of the hall. These rooms had an adjoining balcony and the most peaceful and beautiful view of the whole area. The house was built on the side of a mountain and the view stretched for miles. It could really be romantic, under the right conditions, and everyone was determined to make it as romantic as possible. There were going to be romantic dinners in the gazebo in back overlooking the valley and dancing. In other words, they were pulling out all the stops.
Everyone took their bags into their rooms and unpacked and were to meet downstairs for a tour of the place. After Elaine had put her things away, she opened the doors onto the balcony and walked out. The view was absolutely breathtaking. She thought she heard something and she looked over and Lance was out on his part of the balcony looking over the valley. As he stood there, he pulled off his T-shirt and laid it on the railing. He was stretching after the cramped drive out and as he moved, his muscles flexed and it took Elaine's breath away. Every time she thought he couldn't be more gorgeous, he went and blew her away again. She watched as he moved about and tried to stay back so he would not see her.
He suddenly stopped what he was doing and just stood there. The hair on his neck prickled and he felt as though someone were watching him. His eyes darted from side to side and he saw nothing. All of a sudden, he spun around and caught Elaine watching him.
Elaine tried to make it look like she had just come out onto the balcony and Lance was gentleman enough not to embarrass her. "Are you all settled in already?" she asked, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah. I'm low maintenance so I travel light on trips like this. You all settled?"
"Yes, the room is really nice and this view is incredible," she said as she walked toward him, all the time watching his arms and muscles flex.
He turned and looked out over the valley and said, "When I see something like this, it puts me in awe of the creation around me."
"I know what you mean. It amazes me that someone can look at something like this and not believe there is a God." She came up beside him and their arms brushed each other and there was a definite spark that transferred between them.
"How is your room?" asked Elaine.
"It's pretty nice. Would you like to see it?" offered Lance.
"Sure." They walked over to the double doors and Elaine looked in on an almost identical room to hers. "It's just like mine, except I've got a cannonball four-poster bed in my room."
"You really like old stuff, don't you?"
"Yeah, old furniture, old movies, old music. There is a lot to be gleaned from the past. It can help you grow and do better in the future."
Lance stood amazed at the wisdom of this young woman standing by him. "Such old wisdom in one so young. You are really amazing, Elaine."
"Hey, I'm going to be an old woman here in a few weeks. Tell me, will you still love me when I'm old and gray?" she said in a kidding manner.
However, Lance didn't look at her in a kidding way. "I'd love you no matter what." It was out of his mouth before he knew it. All he could do was turn and walk back onto the balcony.
Elaine stood there, speechless. She turned and looked at Lance as he stood by the balcony railing. His head was lowered and her heart ached for him. She quietly turned and walked over behind him and slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him to her in a hug so tender, it brought tears to his eyes.
She laid her cheek against his bare back and she could still smell the soap he had bathed with. She gave him another hug and whispered in his ear, "I'm glad," and then she turned to walk back into her room.
Lance reached out his hand and took hold of her arm and pulled her back to him. Both of his arms pulled her to him as they circled her waist and held her in front of him. He just looked at her sweet face taking in how her hair framed her face, her eyes, her nose, her chin, and yes, her lips. They were wet looking from the lip gloss she wore and they looked so inviting.
At the same time, Elaine was doing the same thing. She had never seen Lance look so handsome. His eyes were a sparkling green, so alive from what they had been a few weeks before. He had stubble from where he had not shaved, but it was somehow so masculine for him while he was roughing it. And his lips were so sensual. She looked back and forth between his eyes and his lips and her heart felt as though it would catch in her throat.
Finally, it was her turn to not be able to resist kissing him. She moved slowly and placed her soft hands on either side of his face and she held his face as she kissed his chin, and then, she lightly kissed his lips. As she pulled from the kiss, he opened his eyes and looked at her with such a hunger in his eyes. She took her right hand and traced his jawline and over his lips with her fingers. As she did, he took hold of her hand and kissed her finger tips, repeatedly, never losing contact with her eyes.
Elaine could feel her heart pounding so hard that she thought it would pound right out of her chest. And, she was sure that he could feel it. Lance's breath was almost catching in his throat, but the look in Elaine's eyes took his breath away completely. Her eyes were so full of love and they only looked at him. Her hand went into the hair at this neck and pulled him back to her and she gently kissed him, letting him know how much she needed him.
The message was well conveyed because Lance soon took charge of the kiss. Both of his hands came up to cup her face and he tilted his head to try and deepen the kiss. His tongue traced the crease in her lips as though knocking on the door for entrance and the knock was answered. The kiss was deep and passionate and they were both lost in one another. Their embrace was tender and respectful.
Finally, they slowly pulled apart, except for their foreheads touching. They both were trying to catch their breath. As they both started calming down, they finally looked into each others eyes. It was a revelation what they saw. Lance was almost taken aback, for in Elaine's eyes there was a 'new' maturity there and it was awesome how she was making him feel. Elaine was spellbound by Lance's eyes. She had never seen that look, directed at her, at least. His eyes were so full of love and passion, that she thought she would faint.
"Elaine, I ..."
"Lance, don't you dare apologize for THAT KISS," Elaine said breathlessly. "Do you have any idea how long I have wanted to do that?"
He looked at her and smiled that little wicked smile he could do so well. "I wasn't going to apologize at all. In fact, I was going to say that I had been waiting a long time to do that, as well." Lance hugged her in a way that seemed to reach her very soul. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her shoulder.
"Lance, if you start that, we will never make it down to meet the others," she remarked in a breathless tone, as she gave him a quick kiss.
"I would much rather look at the view from here," he said as he smiled and pulled her even closer to him.
"Yeah, but I hear there are horses on the grounds," interjected Elaine, knowing his love for the four legged creatures.
"I would much prefer the view here to that of horses," he said, seriously.
Elaine could not believe her ears. "But you love horses and jump at any opportunity to ride them."
"Sometimes there are more important things to attend to, like you for instance." With that, he leaned down and kissed her long and hard. His one arm went around her waist and pulled her as close to him as he could get her.
His other hand came up and cupped under her chin and it was as though he wanted to pull her inside of him and hold her close to his heart.
Elaine's hands rubbed over his shoulder muscles and pulled him into her. Their tongues did battle and they were flying high on the emotions that were flowing through their bodies. Elaine began feeling strange sensations throughout her body that she had never felt before. They were good feelings, in fact, very good feelings, but at the same time, they scared her a little. She suddenly realized she was moaning into the kiss, and so was Lance.
Reluctantly, she pulled from the kiss and placed her hands on Lance's bare chest. She slowly looked into his penetrating eyes, and was overwhelmed at the passion she saw. There was a hunger and a need. His lips were pink and swollen from the 'abuse' they had endured. She reached up to her own lips and felt that hers were swollen as well. This was all so new to her. She had been kissed, but NEVER like this. It was both exciting and scary at the same time.
"Lance, we need to stop," she said in a raspy voice as she tried to catch her breath. He looked at her with a questioning look and then it suddenly dawned on him that she was a little overwhelmed by what had happened. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her. "Are you okay? Do you need to change before we go down to meet the others?" he asked, trying to lighten the moment. He gently rubbed her back as he held her in a simple embrace.
Elaine shook her head that she was all right and that she needed to change. "I'll meet you in the hallway to go downstairs in ten minutes, okay?"
"I'll be waiting," replied Lance as he watched her go back into her room. His arms suddenly seemed so empty, but, his heart was full. He turned to go to his room to get ready.
Elaine leaned against the balcony doors and she closed her eyes. "Oh Lord, I never knew that I could feel like this. I never knew there were so many emotions to love. Please help me to handle all of this." She ended her prayer and ran to get changed so that she could meet Lance as she promised. This was going to be an interesting few days.
