Finding Opa! by Latrivia S. Nelson Page B

unsuccessfully crossed his mind, and he laughed aloud.
     
    The woman beside Hunter looked over at him curiously.
     
    “Sorry,” he said, turning up his MP3 player.
     
    Their arrangement was going to be harder than he had originally thought. True, he had been attracted to her since the moment that he laid eyes on her, but he had never imagined that she would taste so sweet, smell so fragrant, feel so good under his fingertips.
     
    How long had it been? Forever. Sex had become a thought of what used to be in his life – when he had one. There had not been one other woman since his wife died. In the past, old girlfriends called and dropped by without notice to try to comfort him. Colleagues offered it at conferences like it was candy. Random, nameless women suggested it every time that he was at the bar, but no matter who it was, there was a wall blocking him from exploring what sex would be like with another woman.
     
    Now the thoughts that had been suppressed due the trauma of his wife’s sudden passing were back and if possible, stronger. And they were leading him around like he was a lost puppy dog.
     
    Nevertheless, he had to remember himself with Stacey, because she obviously trusted him more than he trusted himself. The way that she shared the most intimate details of her life let him know that she was unsure of how to function in the dating scene, just like him. With their significant others, they had been open books, and after they had died, both he and Stacey had completely shut down. Now that they were trying to open up again, even if for just a while, there would be little room for games or lies.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Stacey had never enjoyed kissing a man so much. Leaning against his chest, as they watched television on her couch, she felt completely safe in his embrace. A quiet, Sunday afternoon passed as they sat cuddled up together by the fireplace and quizzed each other on the Brat pack. The Breakfast Club played on the television as they watched each other and reminisced about the 80’s.
     
    Under heavy lashes, Hunter went in and out of consciousness after half a bottle of wine and a bowl of extra greasy buttered popcorn.
     
    “Am I too heavy?” Stacey asked, placing her hand on the side of the sofa to push herself up.
     
    Hunter’s eyes flashed open as she tried to move. Grabbing her waist, he pulled her back down on him. “No, you’re as light as a feather,” he said, opening his legs to push her down in between them. “Don’t go.” His voice was tranquil and content.
     
    Smiling, she snuggled back down between his legs and hummed, happy as a lark. They both wore their college t-shirts and gray cotton jogging pants, which added to their lazy day comfort. His bare feet rubbed against Rapture, who had settled down at the end of the couch near them.
     
    Resting her head back down on his chest, she moved in to kiss his full mouth again. “I’ve never liked kissing this much in my life,” she admitted, tasting his bottom lip.
     
    “Me either,” he said, rubbing her sandy brown dreads.
     
    “Umm…But I need to get up and wash my hair.”
     
    “Let me do it for you,” he said, kissing her forehead.
     
    “Do you want to?” she asked, a little excited about having someone pamper her for a change.
     
    “Of course. Your hair is so different from mine. It feels like…I don’t know…bushels of cotton. But the smell is intoxicating like you put an entire bouquet of roses in it.”
     
    “I wash it with jasmine shampoo,” she whispered. “It’s to draw you in more.”
     
    “It’s working.” Hunter looked at her and ran his hand over the plains of her face. “Stacey, I can truly say that I haven’t been this happy in a long time.” His deep baritone shook in nervousness. “Thank you for doing this…for agreeing to be my friend.”
     
    Stacey blushed at his sincerity, although she felt like they were more than friends. A wrinkle formed across her forehead as her voice