Chapter 26
I hit the brakes, my heart pumping in time with the turn signal.
Once I made the left onto the dirt road, there was no turning back.
The angel and the devil in my head were both making their case, but I decisively drove the car toward Teddy.
We were meeting at the home of Herman and Estelle, the prior camp owners.
They were visiting their grandchildren and had asked Teddy to keep an eye on the place.
My palms started to sweat—the steering wheel almost slipped through my hands. The sun flashed off the gold of my wedding band. I twisted it off and placed it in the cup holder, sliding the cover closed.
I passed several large houses on the opposite side of the lake from the camp.
The fifth one was a two-story monstrosity of different kinds of architecture.
It was as if the builder couldn’t decide on a style so included them all: beach house, ski chalet, and log cabin.
There was a wooden plaque above the garage that read, THE HOUSE THAT CAMP BUILT.
When I pulled into the driveway, Teddy was leaning against the stone fence, his face illuminated by the late afternoon sun.
He looked like a golden Adonis. I didn’t get to go to Greece, but I was about to have a Grecian fantasy.
He wore a plaid short-sleeved button-down shirt with tight, low-slung jeans, and his ever-present green converse sneakers.
No socks. He also wore the same roguish grin as the first time we’d met.
Every fiber of my body was on fire.
He strolled over to the car, opened the door, and took my hand, helping me out.
He brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles.
I felt a vibration move from my hand and spread through my veins.
He reached into the back seat, grabbed my overnight bag, and threw it over his shoulder.
He took both my hands in his and we stood in front of the house, gazing at each other.
Teddy broke the silence. “How’d I do?”
“Is it just us?”
“Just us.” He nodded toward the door. “Shall we?”
I didn’t answer right away. I took a deep breath. “I’m nervous.”
He smiled. “Why?”
“I haven’t been with . . . I haven’t had as many partners . . .”
He squeezed my hands. “If the way we kiss is any indication, I think we’ll be just fine.”
He put his arm around my waist, and we walked into the house.
The sun shone through the large picture windows that looked out onto the lake, and the room glowed.
I paused in the living room, glancing at photos and tchotchkes on a table behind the couch.
There was a fireplace with a weathered Woodlands sign hanging above it.
I felt Teddy watching me as I walked out onto the porch, stalling.
I gripped the handrail, trying to compose myself.
Behind me I heard cabinets and drawers opening and closing.
Teddy joined me carrying a bottle of wine and two long-stemmed glasses. “Herman doesn’t drink, but Estelle loves her wine.” He set everything down on a table against the wall, slid a corkscrew out of his back pocket, and skillfully uncorked the wine. He handed me a glass and said, “To us.”
We clinked, and I took a gulp.
He put down his wine, took my chin in his hand, and tenderly kissed me.
Our first kiss had ignited something, or should I say reignited something, that I hadn’t felt in a long time—desire.
Even though my mind was screaming Stop, I had no control over how my body responded to his scent, his nearness, his kiss.
I placed my glass next to his and threw my arms around his neck, passionately kissing him back.
He lifted me, holding me the way he did the night of the break-in.
We continued kissing as he carried me upstairs.
He gently put me down in front of the king-sized bed.
The room was cavernous with two large windows and a skylight.
It was decorated in early American Holiday Inn, but instead of mass-produced landscapes there were photos of grandkids interspersed with kitschy signs lining the walls: NO LIFE LIKE LAKE LIFE, RELAX, YOU’RE ON LAKE TIME NOW, and Memories Made at the Lake Last a Lifetime.
We faced each other expectantly. If I was doing this, I was going to own it and enjoy myself.
I started unbuttoning his shirt as he lifted my sundress over my head.
I felt nervous about my body. Since working all day at camp, I was in the best shape I’d been in a long time, but no one besides Ronnie had seen me naked in over fifteen years.
I had stretch marks, and worse, Teddy was about to uncover that I wasn’t a natural redhead.
I began fumbling with his jeans, but he stopped me, pulling me into him and nimbly unhooking my bra. Then he stepped out of his pants, took a condom from his pocket, and tossed it on the bed.
Contraceptives—something I stupidly hadn’t thought about. I looked at the shiny wrapper and laughed.
“Did I miss something?”
“The condom. I haven’t used one of those . . . I’m thinking since I was in college.”
“A necessary precaution.” He kissed my wrist and said, “I have a confession to make.”
“I’m listening.”
He looked mischievous. “I looked up your skirt the night of the diner caper.”
I smiled. “I guess you must have liked what you saw.”
He motioned to me to sit on the bed. “Since that night, I’ve been fantasizing about how your naked arse would feel in my hands.” He deftly tugged my underwear off, then stepped out of his and pulled me up. “Yes.” He gave it a squeeze. “It has more than lived up to my expectations.”
I did the same to his and felt him pressing against my stomach. An electric pulse surged through my body. “Here’s my confession. When I saw you at the lake with your shirt off, all I wanted to do was . . .” I placed my face against the hair on his chest, inhaling his scent—suntan lotion and musk.
He lifted me onto the bed as we kissed. Once I was naked in his arms, all my inhibitions were gone.
We took our time licking, nibbling, and caressing.
He brought out a passion and excitement in me that I’d never felt before.
He rolled on top of me, and I officially became an extremely satisfied and separated woman.
I lay on his chest while he ran his fingers through my hair. I wanted to tell him in detail how he made my body tremble and climax in a way I had never experienced. But he said this time together was just about us, in the moment, so instead I said, “That was worth waiting for.”
“Yes. Yes, it was.”
I was enjoying the afterglow when he asked, “Are you hungry?”
I rolled over and kissed him, slowly, tenderly. I could feel his excitement, which aroused me again. “For you.”
Half awake and somewhat disoriented, I had no idea where I was, but I was filled with a sense of serenity. Opening my eyes, I remembered: I was on a furlough from my life. I was naked in an enormous comfy bed. I hadn’t slept in the nude in years.
Smiling, I reached for him, but he wasn’t there. I heard noises coming from downstairs. I went to shower. As the water washed over me, I thought about what I’d experienced last night—passionate sex, several times, with a man who was not my husband. I couldn’t wait to do it again.
I toweled off in front of the mirror, trying to look at myself objectively. Farmer’s tan, tits still had some perk—thank you, yoga. I turned to look at my ass and blushed, thinking about how Teddy admired it, when I heard footsteps on the stairs.
Teddy walked in carrying a steaming mug in each hand. “Good morning, my love.”
Those four words were wonderful to hear, but even more so in his British accent.
I fluffed up the pillows, tossed the towel, and sat on the bed, my back against the headboard. “It is a good morning. Coffee in bed delivered by a handsome bare-chested man.”
He placed the cups on the night table and sat next to me, taking my face in his hands, and gently kissed me. “I have no idea how you take your coffee, so I guessed.” He had on his impish grin. “Hot and sweet.”
I burst out laughing and scooched over so he could slip in next to me. We were sipping when I asked, “Should we make a plan for today?”
He put his mug down and said, “Well, since we’re still in bed . . .”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had sex first thing in the morning.
We were entangled in the sheets and each other when I said, “What a lovely way to start our day.”
He drew me in closer. “It is, isn’t it?”
My stomach growled. “You sent me to bed without any supper.”
He nibbled my ear. “Come to think of it, I’m famished. Let’s go raid the kitchen.”
I saw his button-down shirt crumpled on the floor—I picked it up and put it on. It was soft against my skin and smelled
like him.
He smiled. “That shirt never looked so good.”
We went downstairs and I turned on the faucet. “I’m thirsty. You must need a glass of water too. We have literally been sucking all the moisture out of each other.”
He smiled as I handed him a glass.
I was refilling our coffee cups when Teddy asked, “Why do you suppose they call these English muffins? There’s nothing English about them.”
I squeezed his butt. “The only English muffins I see are yours.”
We took our breakfast out to the screened terrace overlooking the lake and sat next to each other on Adirondack chairs.
The lake and ski dock were barely visible through the cover of weeping willows that lined the back of the property.
That was good—if we couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see us.
We were so close to the camp but so far away.
He took my hand and kissed it. “I’ve been a cad, seducing you and taking you to bed. I hope you’re not feeling remorseful this morning.”
“I made a choice.” I squeezed his hand. “And I’m delighted with the outcome.”
The relief that washed over his face gave way to a huge grin. “In that case, I was wondering, if I could arrange to change my days off to match yours for the rest of the summer, would you join me here again?”