Perfection #3 Read online

  “Like what you see?” He teased me in a soft voice.

  “Sadly, yes.” Bullet pretended to look offended and I tapped his arm playfully. He reached for my hand and pulled me to him. There I was, my body stretched over him, Bullet’s obvious desire between us.

  “I cannot pretend that I don’t want you, Lilly. Don’t you want me too? I mean we did spend the night together, right?”

  I didn’t answer him. Instead I kissed him slowly, showing him exactly how I felt. If we were going to make love, it was going to be on my terms, my way. Bullet’s hands gently stroked my arms and rubbed the satin nightgown excitedly. I did not make him wait for long. I sat up on my knees slightly and pulled my nightgown up. Without being asked, Bullet slid down his pants. “Oh Lilly. You are so beautiful.” His hands eased my straps down so he could feel my breasts. I knew that he loved them; I mean he told me that more than once. I felt desirable and sexy and totally in control. I put my hands in his and leaned forward pinning him to the couch. My hips eased up and down slowly; I enjoyed watching the pleasure on his face. I could tell he wanted to use his hands but I whispered to him, “No! Let me do this!”

  He did. Soon my hips moved faster and faster until we both reached our crescendo. I released Bullet’s hands and he pulled me to him holding me tight. He groaned loudly and kissed my neck whispering my name again and again. I felt empowered and happy. We cuddled for a few minutes and then I popped up. “I am going to get a shower. You said that ferry comes at three?”

  “Yes, but I want to talk to you about that,” he said dressing himself and folding the blanket. “It is okay if you say no, but think about it before you do. I was wondering if you might consent to staying a few more days. I understand you have a schedule for school but I would like it very much.” He sat on the couch and put his head in his hands rubbing his hair. He peered up at me looking embarrassed. “I screwed up. I’ll admit that. I would like a chance to make it up to you. What you say?”

  I pulled my robe closer around me. Boy, it was chilly in here. Did I want to spend a few more days with this man? “When you say spend time together, what do you mean? Like sex or are we going to get to know one another?” I was not in favor of being Bullet’s booty call for two more days.

  “Both! I would like both. But if that is not possible then at least the latter. I’m willing to go out on a limb here and say that I like you and not just because you’re beautiful and smart and fun to be with. I don’t understand it. I just thought maybe. Period.”

  “Okay!” I gave him a big smile. “But won’t that be a problem for you? I mean don’t you have patients that will be waiting on you? I would hate to mess you up.”

  “I do not have any surgeries until the end of the week and the clients that I do have at the first part are pretty forgiving. If I call Page now, I’m sure she can work it out. So if we came back Tuesday, that would give me plenty of time to get all my appointments in before Friday surgeries.” My eyes widened; he was really into this.

  “Well, okay then. It sounds great. I will email my professors and give Kate a call. I’m sure that will be okay.”

  Bullet looked pleased. He had a big grin on his face. He stood up and stretched, showing off his muscular frame. Stop that! You know you are ridiculously hot. “Since we are going to stay in the cabin a few more days we’ll need to go into town to pick up a few supplies. Are you ready for that? I mean are you feeling better?”

  “That sounds perfect. I would love to check out the town. I guess we would have to go tomorrow since the ferry only runs once today.” We walked up the stairs together.

  “I hadn’t thought about that. Yes it’ll have to be tomorrow then. Still I am sure we will find plenty to do around here.” He arched his eyebrows playfully and I smacked his bottom in reply as we both went our separate ways. It was nice having the cabin to ourselves without Rafe and Eve dropping their clothes everywhere.

  As I turned on the hot water and shimmied out of my clothing I had time to think about all that happened this past weekend. Was this really happening? Was the guy I made love to this morning the real Bullet? I sure hoped so. I was running out of second chances to give him. This would absolutely be the last one. If he couldn’t behave himself then I would have to say no to continue our relationship—or whatever this was. For now, I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he did open up to me and share some painful parts of his life. I couldn’t believe how similar our pasts were and even more so, how differently we handled grief and personal tragedy. He was showing me that he could be a real man, a real guy, not just a caricature of himself. As I soaped up my body and stood under the hot water, I had to admit that I was conflicted. My brain, heart and other parts of my body were not in agreement at all on the topic of Bullet. For the moment, I was listening to my heart. It was hard to do — I barely trusted it and yet I did plan to trust it one more time. I wondered what his intentions were. I guess only time would tell.

  I stepped out of the shower and wrapped my hair in a towel. I dried off my body and reached for my silky, black robe. I loved this luxurious garment. What a thoughtful gift! With my phone in hand I sat on the edge of the bed. A few emails and a couple of pings on my social media sites but nothing else, not even a voicemail. I thought about calling Kate but there was so much to tell I knew we would be in for an hour-long conversation and I did not have that kind of time to invest right now. Instead, I tapped in a text message. What a weekend! Chased by a bear — not kidding. I’m okay, spending a few more days with B. TTYS I quickly added, PS don’t get married without me! Love, Lilly

  I waited a few minutes to see if she would respond, but as usual, nothing. It was Sunday and it was kind of early for Kate to be up and about. I imagined she was still snuggling with her man, Riley. I wondered how that was going. 15 minutes later, I was dressed in a fresh pair of blue jeans and a fitted, long-sleeved T-shirt. I slipped socks on my feet to keep them warm but didn’t bother putting on any shoes. I suspected we would be hanging around the cabin today but I was not sure what Bullet had in mind. I guess I would find out.

  I was not surprised to see I was the first one downstairs. Bullet had major shifts in his schedule to contend with. I wasn’t convinced that all of his clients would be as happy about his impromptu vacation as he was. However, I had spoken with Page before, and she was both efficient and dedicated. I was sure she could handle it. Curiously, I opened the refrigerator looking for something to cook for a late breakfast. I found everything I needed to make some ham and cheese omelets. I may not be the best cook on the planet but I could cook a mean omelet.

  I melted butter on the stove and prepped the cheese and ham. The eggs were ready to go and about the time the first omelet was completed, my cabin mate walked into the kitchen with his phone to his ear. He had also put on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I was happy to see him looking so relaxed and casual. “Yes, yes. Tell her we can do that. Wednesday works fine for me,” he looked over my shoulder appreciatively and gave me a thumbs up. “Did we receive the blood work back from last week? Right, Pendleton and Henson — those two. Well if they can’t speed it up we will have to find another lab. Will you stress that to them when you talk to them again? Yep. Let me grab a piece of paper and pen.” Bullet searched his kitchen looking for a notepad. I remembered seeing one by the refrigerator and pointed to it. He wrote down a phone number and promised Page to call a client who had some questions about an upcoming procedure.

  I scooped the omelet out of the pan and slid it onto a plate. We had not used the dining room very much on our trip so I thought it would be a nice treat this morning. I set the table as Bullet stepped out of the room to make his phone call. I understood the need for privacy and respected him for it. I took the orange juice out of the refrigerator placed it on the table — Andre was such a thoughtful chef. I wondered if he had squeezed this juice himself. I didn’t stand on ceremony, I was starving. I dug in, enjoying the buttery flavor of the omelet. I felt like I had not
eaten in a month!

  “Sorry about that. I think everything is squared away now. Wow, this looks great. Thank you.”

  I poured myself some juice and offered him some too. “No problem but I have to admit this is about the extent of my culinary skills. Unless you want omelets morning, noon and night, you better plan to cook the next meal.”

  He took a big bite. “Mmm…delicious, I could eat these three times a day.”

  I frowned at him. “Okay now, total honesty from this moment forward. Even I know my omelets aren’t that great.”

  He chuckled at first but then gave me a serious stare. “So, totally honest, from this point on?”

  I blushed knowing that I had probably embarrassed him. I did not mean to keep dragging up the past. I knew he had lied to me about a few things and I was willing to let that go. I had not intended to bring it up again, if that was what he was thinking. “I was just making a joke. I’m not asking for commitment — I promise.”

  “What if I told you I was willing to try to be totally honest with you? Could you handle that? I mean total honesty can be hard to hear.” He cut into his omelet and took another bite. “I don’t mean to clump you into the category of ‘most women’. But in my experience most women don’t want to hear the truth. Are you one of those women? I mean, if I were to be totally honest with you would you condemn me for it? Would you hate me?”

  I put my fork down and wiped my face with a napkin. “Let me ask you this? When was the last time you were completely honest with a woman and I don’t mean your assistant, Page?”

  To his credit, he thought about the question before he answered it. “Talk about hitting all the sore subjects — I guess that would have been about six years ago. That did not go so well.”

  “Really? Was that the last time you were serious with someone?”

  Bullet took a big swig of his orange juice. “Yeah, it was about that time. I am willing to be honest with you, Lilly but it won’t be easy and not because I want to lie to you. I have done a lot of things that I am ashamed of — you know, things you do not want anyone else to know about. I have been a man of the world and I have enjoyed it. Being honest with you could definitely put me in a bad light. Are you prepared to be shocked?”

  With wide eyes and an incredulous look I asked, “After this weekend with Rafe and Eve? How much more could there be?”

  Bullet leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. He lingered a few inches from my face and whispered in my ear. “That is just the beginning of who I have been. I don’t know why, but I care about what you think. Do not judge me too harshly.”

  I smiled nervously at him. “I am a big girl — I think I can handle it. You know, you are not the only one with secrets. I might just shock you before this trip is over.”

  With the throaty laugh Bullet said, “I bet you will. I look forward to it.” I knew exactly what he had in mind.

  Chapter Six

  Bullet

  We walked along the shore of Blue Lake. I threw rocks and tried my best to impress her by skipping them across the lake. It had been many years since I skipped rocks and my lack of skills was obvious. It took a bit of convincing to get her outside again. I assured her that the bear had been found and taken away and that the animal control folks assured us that no other bears were in the area. “Besides, that was quite a ways into the woods; they don’t come to the shore of the lake, at least not that I have ever seen.” In the end, I had to promise to bring my pistol so I did.

  A crisp breeze blew off of the lake. I thought about taking the boat out again but it would be kind of chilly out on the open water. Plus I wanted Lilly to forget about our recent trip to Taylors Island. Those two were ridiculous. I was glad they were gone. “So what shall we do since we can’t go into town until tomorrow? Did you happen to bring your violin?”

  She laughed — it was a pretty sound from a pretty woman. Her wild blonde waves tossed around in the wind. Her small nose and cheeks were pink from the fresh air. I was glad to be here with her and a little surprised that she was still here. So what did that say about her? Don’t be so damn negative, Bullet!

  “Have you ever heard of truth or dare?” She slid her arm through mine as we walked along the sand.

  I looked down at her puzzled. “You mean a kids game? Sure, I think I have heard of it. What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, you get to pick. You get to tell the truth about something or you have to take a dare. It’s that simple.” Oh, here we go again with the truth thing. Well, I warned her.

  “Why don’t you show me how it is played — you go first.”

  “Okay so you have to ask me truth or dare?” She walked backwards in front of me, her arms crossed challengingly. I loved her in those blue jeans.

  “Truth or Dare, Lilly?”

  “I will take truth for five hundred, Alex,” she said laughingly, imitating a popular game show host. “Now you have to ask me a question and I have to tell you the truth. So what do you want to ask me?”

  “Hmm…that’s a toughie. Let’s see…Alright, I’ve got one. I noticed that you keep certain areas of your body nice and smooth. Do you wax or shave?”

  “What? That is your question?” Lilly laughed aloud.

  “Hey, you never said what kind of question.” She raised her hands as if to say, you got me.

  “You are right. There is no such thing as a stupid question. At least, that is what my professors tell me. If you must know, I wax. Now it is my turn. So what will it be, Bullet? Truth or dare?”

  “I will take truth. I’m turning over a new leaf, right? This seems like a good way to practice.”

  “So truth… Here is a question for you. Who was the first girl you ever kissed? And it can’t be a relative.”

  “That’s easy. Bailey Parker — we were in the third grade. I kissed her right on the lips during our school’s Christmas program. I caused quite the scandal.” The memory of Bailey in her snowflake costume brought a smile to my face. I had not thought of her in years. “So what about you?” I wondered who Lilly’s first kiss came from. With her natural openness and sexual enthusiasm I had no illusions that I was her first anything. I did not hold that against her. I had never been the kind of guy that liked dating inexperienced women. Lilly was not a floozy by any stretch of the imagination; I could tell she was basically a good girl.

  She wiggled her finger at me. “No, no doctor. No cheating. You have to ask me, ‘Truth or Dare?”

  I felt a little aggravated. Why couldn’t we just talk instead of playing a silly game? Well, it made her happy so I guess that was what mattered. I really hoped I would get to see her naked body a few more times during her stay with me. “Truth or dare?”

  “Truth!”

  “Who was your first?” By her facial expression I could tell I picked the wrong question. Damn! She wanted honesty — she should be prepared to give it too.

  “My first was Evan. We dated for two years.”

  I thought about that for a minute. I wanted to ask her a few more questions about this Evan but she wanted to play this game. “Your turn. Ask me.”

  “Truth or dare?”

  “Dare!” The conversation was getting too heavy, too quickly and we needed to change the subject. Time for some fun.

  “Oh wow! I wasn’t prepared for a dare. Let me think.” She tapped her little finger on her bottom lip to show me she was thinking. “I dare you to tell me you love me.”

  I froze. What? How was I supposed to respond to that? Lilly gave me an expectant look — I had to respond. Did I love her? Was that what she wanted to hear? Was this some sort of test? I swore to be honest but what was I supposed to say? I wasn’t sure myself how I felt, much less ready to declare my love for her. I had not done that since…well. I wasn’t ready and I didn’t know. I frowned at her. “That’s more like a truth question, not a dare. Do you really want to hear me say, ‘I love you’ on a dare?”

  Lilly turned and walked ahead of me, then spun around with a smile. �
�Just testing you. No, I wouldn’t want that at all. I’ve got another dare you can do…”

  “Nope, I’m not an aficionado at this game but I am pretty sure you can’t just propose another dare. It’s my turn. You forfeited yours.” I ignored her pouty lips. “Truth or dare.” Please say dare. She did! “I dare you to show me those perfect breasts.”

  She pretended to look shocked but she carefully rolled up her shirt and gave me a nice long look. Her golden-hued skin practically glistened in the sun. “Perfect!” I told her.

  She eased her shirt down and looked at me from lowered lashes. “You really think they are perfect?”

  “Oh yes, in every way. As I told you before, they are the perfect shape. It’s hard to find those beautiful breasts without surgery.” Spontaneously, she kissed me and held my hand. I didn’t pull away. We walked along in silence for a while. I was glad the game was over. That could have been awkward. Did I love her? Well, I knew for sure I loved things about her, like the shape of her round bottom and of course her gravity-defying breasts, but what else? I loved to hear her laugh. I loved that she was playful and not sexually afraid. Some women hate trying anything new. Despite her inexperience, I mean, I assumed she was inexperienced, she was curious. I liked that she was intelligent and that she played music. But actually loving her? The idea seemed strange to me.

  I dealt in black and white; what I could see, feel and touch. Love was an intangible. Not a constant thing. I was not a big fan of that. So far for me, love had been merely an idea. Not to say I hadn’t given it a try — I did once and it didn’t work out. Why put myself through that again? It seemed like needless punishment and I was not into pain, at least as far as I knew.