Chapter 7:  A Kiss of Maple Syrup

A ray of light broke through the window of Hugh’s bedroom window and cast its glow upon the two lovers who lay wrapped in each other’s arms; their bodies touching and entwining at every point possible.

It was early Saturday morning and Hugh and Jennifer seemed content to continue their slumber, but the condo maintenance men were out in full force that morning cutting the lawns.

Hugh was the first to awaken.  

He immediately realized that Jenn was wrapped in his arms, still naked and beautiful.  He couldn’t help but smile as his thoughts went back to the night before.  They had started making love in the kitchen and finished in the bedroom.  Then after falling asleep for a little while, they had both woken up and spent another hour having the most passionate sex he could remember having in….well, forever.  The first and second time had both been like that for him.

As he looked down at Jenn who was snuggled into his arm and chest, he tried to calm himself.  He had waited so long to show her how he felt.   Then to find out she felt the same way, made his heart soar.  He knew he was in love with her but he was afraid to tell her.  He didn’t want to scare her away.  

The chemistry the two shared was obvious.  The sexual attraction, undeniable.  And they had both professed harboring feelings for the other for the past couple of years…but love?  Was it possible she loved him?

Just then, the object of his thoughts started to wake.  Not realizing at first where she was, she reached her hands over her head and stretched her entire body against Hugh’s, letting out a yawn as she did so.  Her breasts rubbed up against his chest as she stretched and her lower half entwined more seductively with his.

Hugh bent down and lightly kissed her neck, whispering, “Good morning Sweetness.”  

Jenn’s eyes started to flutter open until she was staring into the cerulean blue eyes of the man she had fallen in love with.  He was smiling at her and memories of their evening together all came crashing back.

She had loved him from a distance for three years, and then last night the dam broke and she let herself be weak.  She knew she shouldn’t have allowed it.  He was still married, even though he said they were getting a divorce.  But God as her witness, it was the most beautiful experience of her life.  She couldn’t deny that.

It was hard for her to say that something that felt so right and that beautiful, could somehow be wrong.

“Don’t I even get a Good Morning in return?”

Jenn smiled at him and apologized, “I’m sorry.  Good Morning.  I was just…..”

Hugh finished her sentence for her… “remembering?”

Jenn lowered her eyes and nodded.

Hugh lifted her chin so that she was looking him in the eye and asked, “Jenn, are you O.K.?  Do you regret us being together?”

“I guess I’m just conflicted about some things.”

Hugh’s heart was caught in his throat as he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Jenn looked sad and replied, “I think we probably should.  But first I’d like to take a shower and get dressed if you don’t mind.”

Hugh reluctantly let go of her and said, “No problem Jenn, whatever you want.”

Jenn saw the hurt in his eyes.  Her negative feelings were not toward him they were toward herself, but she couldn’t explain all that right now.  As she wrapped a sheet around herself and got out of bed, she stopped at the bedroom door and turned around.

“Hugh?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t regret last night the way you think I do.  It was the most beautiful experience I’ve ever had.  Its feelings towards myself I’m having trouble with, not you.”

Before Hugh could reply, Jenn’s sullen form turned quickly and made her way to the guest room to take a shower.  Hugh was relieved and saddened at the same time.  He was thrilled that she didn’t regret what they had done last night, because Lord knows he didn’t.  Yet, he could tell she was beating herself up over something: maybe the fact that he wasn’t truly divorced yet…he wasn’t sure.  But he definitely intended to find out.

He thought about joining her in the shower and showing her how he felt about her, but decided against it.  He figured if she was conflicted right now, she needed the space.  He got up and jumped into his own shower and quickly got dressed.  He then went out to the kitchen to put on some coffee and whip something up for breakfast.

HJHJHJHJHJH

Jenn walked into the kitchen thirty minutes later.  She was overcome by two things immediately: first, the wonderful smell of pancakes and coffee….and second, the sight of Hugh standing at the stove flipping said pancakes, dressed in a pair of snug fitting, worn jeans and an old t-shirt that accentuated his muscles in all the right places.  He was barefoot and his hair was still wet from taking a shower.

Hugh flipped the last pancake on the pile, shut off the stove, and turned to go see if Jenn was out of the shower and dressed yet.  As he turned, he was met with a vision that stopped him in his tracks.  

There stood Jenn, in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt.  Her hair was still wet from having just taken a shower.  And even though her face didn’t have a trace of make-up on it, she looked absolutely beautiful, minus the purple bruise left by the coward.  She actually seemed to have gotten back some of the glow or life back into her complexion that had seemed to have been missing the past six months.  The most important thing Hugh noticed though is that when he turned, before she could mask it, she was observing him with obvious lust in her eyes.  Hell, that knowledge alone was making Hugh grow hard.

Jenn walked closer toward Hugh, both never taking their eyes off each other.  As she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and up his back while laying her head on his chest.

Hugh was overcome for a moment at the gesture but recovered quickly.  He engulfed her in his arms, squeezing hard enough for her to know whatever message was most important for her to know right now: she was safe; last night meant everything to him as did she; he loved her.  He wasn’t quite sure where her feelings were right at this point.  He just knew he wanted to be here for this woman.  Of course, he loved her and hoped she had fallen in love with him over the years as well, but he was a sensible man.  She could have anybody she wanted.  Why the bloody hell would she fall in love with a bloke who is twenty years older than her?

Just then, Jenn inhaled deeply and then looked up at him shyly and said, “I’m not sure which smells better: you or the pancakes.”

Hugh looked at her so devilishly she thought she would melt.  He reached over; poured syrup on the pile of pancakes he had made, and then said, “Well, let’s perform a taste test, shall we?”

Never letting go of Jenn with one arm, he took a fork with the other and cut a bite of pancakes on the fork, dripping in syrup.

“Open wide.”

Jenn opened her mouth, still staring into his eyes.  He placed the fork in her mouth and she closed her mouth around it, sliding the pancakes off.  She chewed slowly.

“Mmmm.  Those are REALLY good.”  She swallowed the remainder and then licked the syrup off of her lips.

Hugh smiled down at her, mesmerized by her licking the syrup.

“Really good, Huh?”

“Yea, REALLY g….”

Jenn never got to finish her reply, as Hugh crushed his lips to hers.  He threw the fork on the counter so both hands were free to roam.  He didn’t even need to run his tongue along her lip to get her to open her mouth; she opened her lips to him as soon as his lips touched hers.

His tongue immediately sought out the warmth of her mouth.  He could still taste the sweet maple left over from the pancakes she had tried.  Her tongue was at first playing with his back and forth; but it soon became much more frantic and hungry.  It was as if they had gone without water for days and had stumbled upon a tall glass of iced tea; they could not drink enough from the other.

Suddenly their world was shattered by the ringing of the telephone.  Reluctantly, they broke the kiss and Hugh picked up the cordless to look at the caller I.D. He looked back up at Jenn quickly before uttering the three words that would cause her world to start spinning out of control again….

“Shit.  It’s Jesse.”

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