Moments In Time by Mariah Stewart

minutes passing awkwardly. The sound of the phone ringing startled them both. She excused herself and went into the bedroom to answer it. As she reached for it and raised the receiver, she became aware that J.D. had followed her into the room, and she met his eyes as she turned around. He took the phone from her hand and replaced it on the base. Their eyes still locked, they stood still as stones.
    “Ah, do you want another beer?” she whispered hesitantly, mild panic and indecision clear in her face.
    The tiniest of smiles played across his lips.
    “No, I do not want another beer. Just you, Maggie. All I want is you.”
    Neither of them had moved, held by the moment and by the intensity of each other’s gaze.
    “Tell me now, Maggie, if you don’t want this to go any further. Because if I so much as touch you now, there’ll be no turning back … no way to stop it. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
    Her nod was barely perceptible.
    He touched her neck with the back of his hand, his fingers slowly tracing a path along the V of her blouse. When he reached the top button, he caressed the skin underneath. Still looking directly into his eyes, she reached her hands up slightly and began to unbutton his shirt. He brought her close to him and held her, found her face and kissed it, cheek to chin, then moved to her lips, which were waiting for his. The powerful heat that had sparked when he’d kissed her the night before ignited full blast, and it was unbearable.
    Later, they both lay in silence for a long time, J.D. cradling her, stroking her hair wordlessly, drinking in her sweet scent. Neither of them could think of a thing to say, both so stunned by the depth of what had passed between them. J.D. was thinking he’d never had a rush like that in his life, had never had a high better than the one he was coming down from now.
    After what seemed like hours, she cleared her throat. “Jamey?”
    He smiled in the darkness, moving his hand up and down her arm, savoring the feel of her skin.
    “You are only the second person who ever called me that.”
    “I’m sorry. It just came out. I don’t even know why I said it,” she apologized, embarrassed.
    “You don’t have to be sorry. I like it,” he told her.
    “Who was the first?” she asked after a few minutes had passed.
    “My grandmother. Everyone else in the family calls me J.D. I imagine she’d have a few other names for me right about now, since it’s been so long since I’ve paid her a visit. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen my mother in a while either. Or my sister, for that matter.” He lay back against the pillow and exhaled deeply. “It’s too easy to lose track when you’re moving about so much of the time.”
    “Don’t you like it? You’re living a life most guys only fantasize about.”
    “The truth is, after a few months, it’s not as much fun as you thought it would be. I don’t even know where I am most of the time. And after a while, I don’t even care, because it doesn’t matter. It’s all the same, every day. It all goes into a blur in my head. The hotels are different, but they all look the same, the crowds look the same, the scenery starts to all look the same. There’s no connection to anyone or anything. Except the band. That’s why you become closer than brothers. They’re the only constant in your life.”
    “Why do you do it then?”
    “Because it’s my job. Look, you want to make records, you sign a contract with a record company. You agree to do certain things after they let you make your record. One of those things usually is to do so many live appearances, to tour to promote the record, to get people familiar with your music so that they will want to buy your record. And if enough people hear you and like you and buy your record, then your record company is happy and you get to go back and make another record so that you can go on another tour. It’s like a big wheel, Maggie, it just keeps turning your life