Dream Lover by Té Russ Page B

Liz was laughing and trying to put a large scoop of ice cream in her mouth, some of it slid down the sides of her mouth. He turned to her and stared at her for a moment. Then he reached over and wiped one side of her mouth with his thumb. He'd done this many many times before, but this time, he took his thumb and tasted the ice cream on it. It was mixed with peaches flambé, ice cream and her strawberry lip-gloss.
    That was his undoing.
    He leaned towards her and when she didn't pull away as she did before, he slowly licked the ice cream from the other side of her mouth.
    She let out a small gasp and his mouth covered hers quickly. He vaguely heard the sound of her dropping the spoon. When he felt her wrap her arms around his neck and open her mouth to him, he stood and put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, dipping his tongue in her mouth and swirling it around to taste her.
    The combination of the dessert and her own sweet taste was intoxicating. He could kiss her forever. Suddenly, he heard her gasp and she pushed away.
    She looked terrified. “What are we doing?” she said trying to steady her breath.
    He stepped towards her. “Lizzie...”
    She shook her head as the tears welled up in her eyes. “No,” she said with her hands out in front of her to block him from her. “This can't be happening. It just can't!” Then she turned and ran, leaving him alone in the kitchen. He pounded his fist on the island and cursed. He hadn't meant for that to happen. His control had momentarily slipped.
    “Just give her time, she'll come around.” He turned to see Lila standing in the doorway where Liz had retreated from moments earlier.
    “You know our girl can be quite stubborn.”
    He nodded looking over her shoulder. Then he asked, “How long have you been around?”
    “I was coming down one of the halls and caught a glimpse of Liz running to her room. She looked too upset to bother right now.” She sniffed and walked over to the bowl of melting ice cream over peaches. “You gonna finish that?”
    He gave her smile that did not reach his eyes, then pushed the bowl towards her. “Have at it. I've lost my appetite.”
     
    Liz was rushing around her room, throwing her stuff into her bag she'd brought with her. She couldn't stay under the same roof as him any longer. She needed space from him. She'd called a cab to take her home.
    She'd taken a cab to the chateau because John was going to take her home after the ball and it was pointless to drive her car. That was before the storm had kept them there for the night. Before the kiss.
    She stopped and touched her fingers to her lips. She had never been kissed like that before. She'd lost all conscious thought when he kissed her. Somehow logic fought it's way to the surface and when she realized what she was doing and who she was doing it with, she felt she needed to put as much distance between them as she could for the time being.
    As soon as she finished packing her bag, her phone rang. It was her cab driver letting her know he was outside. It was still pouring down rain, but she couldn't stay. She looked at the bathroom door and wondered if John had returned to his room.
    She knew she was being a coward running away, but she didn't know what else to do. She grabbed her bag and stuck her head out the door. The coast was clear so she made her way out as quickly and quietly as possible. When she got to the cab door she looked over her shoulder one last time, as the rain drenched her.
She got in the cab and gave the driver her address. She rode in tortured silence all the way home. When she got home, she changed into some dry clothes. She tried lying in bed for a while, but was unsuccessful. She threw the covers off of her and went to her studio. She looked out the large window and saw John's window.
    She shut her curtains with more force than they deserved then slumped down in a chair nearby. Finally, the tears fell and she cried until she was all cried