He felt it as Teddy moved. Together they convulsed, joining and separating, taking on the rhythm of their own, giving, taking, moving, writhing, learning each other. Taking the greatest pleasure on earth.
Then it happened. Adam couldn’t hold back any longer. He felt Teddy climbing with him, the two of them entering that singular place that was theirs alone, the place where they burst through time and where everything was suspended. A place where their rapture had substance and the world was theirs.
Adam held her there for as long as he could. Eons passed as his body was racked with wrenching excitement. A shocking torrent of emotion thundered through him until he thought he’d explode. Then he dropped back to earth, landing on a soft cloud. For the second time tonight, his breath came in ragged gulps. He was weak like a toddler spent from a full day of playing in the sun and sand.
And he never felt better in his life.
* * *
An insistent buzz woke Teddy. She ignored it, hoping it would stop. It came again and again. Groaning, she opened one eye. Hair obscured her view. Pushing it out of her face, she groped for her cell phone. On her first attempt, she missed, pushing the device farther away.
“Damn,” she cursed. Whoever it was should call back, she thought. Glancing at the clock, it was only six o’clock. Who would be calling her this early?
Then she remembered Adam. Quickly turning over, her hand slapped the phone to the floor. The phone continued its persistence, and she expected to find Adam lying next to her. The bed was empty.
The buzz stopped.
Teddy ran a hand through her hair, sighing heavily. Disappointment flowed through her. The pillow and sheets were rumpled; he’d straightened them because their bedroom gymnastics had worked them off the bed. The night had been indescribable. But this was morning. A new day. Fantasy over. Time to return to reality.
The phone buzzed again. Teddy groaned, more at Adam being gone than the phone.
Maybe it was him, she thought and picked up the device.
“You are there,” her mother said. “I thought you might have your phone off.”
“Mother?” Teddy questioned, as if she didn’t recognize her mother’s voice.
“Of course, dear. Did I wake you?”
Teddy’s mother was very active. She played tennis three mornings a week at seven o’clock. The other two mornings she swam laps in the pool at the local health club. She could swim in the university pool where she worked as an economics professor. They could also afford to have a pool in their yard, but Gemma Granville was a socializer and she met more people if she left the house than if she stayed in it.
“You were asleep. I’m sorry I woke you. I wanted to know how it went with Adam last night.”
Teddy’s entire blood supply bubbled to the surface, turning her red with embarrassment. She couldn’t answer that question, at least not with the truth.
“What do you mean?” She stalled.
“You two were very close-headed when you left the restaurant.”
“Close-headed?” Teddy didn’t know what that meant.
“Close together, speaking softly, secretively, holding hands, acting like you wanted to be alone.”
She was fishing for information. “We’re fine, Mother. He drove me home, saw me safely into the house and…”
“And?”
Teddy heard the anticipation in her mother’s voice.
“And we agreed to see each other again.”
“Wonderful! I knew you two would hit it off.” Gemma Granville was probably jumping up and down. “So I was right,” she said.
“Right about what?”
“About Adam. He’s The One.”
“Mother,” Teddy warned. “Don’t go jumping to conclusions.”
“I’m not.”
“Sure you’re not. You’ll probably be looking at wedding gowns as soon as the stores open.”
“I wouldn’t look at gowns. I assume you’ll design your own. After all, you are a designer.”
Teddy rolled her eyes. “We only agreed to go on a date. Let’s see how things work out?”
“But you do like him?”
Her mother was determined to get a commitment out of her. The truth was, Adam was gone. They hadn’t set a date for anything else, although after last night, she was sure they would.