Coming Together: Special Hurricane Relief Edition Read Online Free Page B

a twirl, cotton skirt swinging out and spraying
off water. I feel guilty for the images that spring to mind as she
spins, her wet dress plastered against her chest and showing clearly
what does, or in one case, does not lie beneath it.
    It
is not that I don't think of her like that. It is just the way things
have worked out. I have always been aware of how pretty Susan is and
very aware of the effect it had on me. But the time has never been
right, and it certainly is not so tonight, with her crying over Derek
and both of us soaked. At least the night and the rain are both warm
and we don't have to worry about freezing.
    So
lost am I in thought that I bump right into her where she has stopped
in front of the swings. She looks over her shoulder with laughing
eyes, and I wonder at the sudden change in her demeanor. She does not
say anything, but pulls me around her and I have no choice but to
drop into the seat of the swing she is standing in front of—not
unless I want us to both be sprawling in the mud.
    I
look up at her, puzzled, but I can't really see her face. The rain
clouds have covered the moon, and there is much less light here in
the park than there was from the streetlights as we were walking over
here. What is she thinking, standing over me in the rain?
    Susan
catches the chains over my head in each hand and does the last thing
I expect, straddling me in the swing, face to face. She drops her
hands off the chains and locks her fingers behind my neck.
    "Susan,
what are you mmmfff ," the words cut off as her lips are
suddenly on mine and her tongue takes advantage of my open mouth. I
am so surprised by her kiss that it takes me a moment to shut up and
return it. When I realize that I am not dreaming this, I return the
kiss with an intensity that catches even me by surprise. Oh, how I
want this! I have wanted it for months, especially the last six. The
quick goodnight kisses we shared before only teased; they were more
polite than passionate. This kiss is one I shall remember: the first
time I really kissed her. It is over far sooner than I want it to be.
    I
look into her eyes through the gloom of the rainy night. "What
was that?" I ask her gently.
    "That
was me making up for being so stupid. All this time, you have been
right here and it takes this for me to realize it. That asshole
doesn't deserve me. I did everything for him and where is he and what
is he doing? Meanwhile, when I need you, you're there. No questions,
no complaints. Even in the rain. All I ever give you back for it is
more heartache."
    "Look,
Susan, that is just not true. You give me mmmfff..."
    This
time Susan keeps the kiss going for a while longer, and I have no
intention of being the one to break away. I have been waiting for
this for too long. I return her kisses deeply and really allow myself
to enjoy it. Finally, she breaks her lip lock on my willpower and
pulls gently back, placing her finger on my lips in a shushing
gesture.
    "Don't
do it, Scott. Don't talk me out of this. For once in your life, don't
be the one to act all noble. Just sit there and enjoy."
    She
leans forward to kiss me again and as I embrace her, she reaches down
and runs her hands up underneath my shirt. I can feel her nails on my
chest as our tongues play tag, and my heart begins to race even
harder. We are totally soaked now, and I can feel every curve of her
body as I run my hands up and down her sides and over her back. The
rain has made a second skin of her dress, and I only wish the light
were stronger so that I could see how the fabric grips her. I
completely lose track of everything except the way she feels beneath
my hands, the tickling touch of her fingertips on my chest, and the
warm taste of her on my mouth. It could be thirty seconds or thirty
minutes that we explore each other this way before she makes the next
move.
    Her
hands slide down, and I feel the first button give way on my Levi's.
    "Susan,
are you sure…"
    "Shut
up, damn it!"
    She
has never taken