The Traveling Woman

  Zef’s eyes lit up when he saw her, and Mirelle tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled at him. I slid into the chair next to her and Kes sat opposite me, leaving Mirelle and Zef to flirt across the table.

  Mirelle managed to peel her eyes off of Zef for all of two seconds, and she stared at me critically.

  “What’s up, chica? You look all glowy. Did ya get some already?”

  “Mir! How many Margaritas have you had?”

  “One,” she grinned at me. “So come on, spill. Did ya?”

  I ignored her, and Kes reached out to hold my hand across the table.

  “We’ve got some news,” I said, unable to stop the huge smile that spread across my face.

  “Oh my God! You’re pregnant!” she shrieked at the top of her voice, causing heads to turn in our direction.

  Kes laughed as my face turned scarlet.

  “No!” I hissed. “I’m not pregnant. Jeez, Mirelle!”

  “Oh,” she said, looking disappointed. “So what’s the big announcement?”

  “I’ll tell you if you let me get a word in edgeways!”

  She giggled and waved her glass at me. “The floor is yours, chica!”

  “I’m going to be going on the road with Kes after Thanksgiving. For good.”

  “Holy shit!” Mirelle yelled again. “About time! I thought I was going to have to kick your skinny butt to knock some sense into you. You don’t let a guy like him get away,” and she pointed at Kes.

  He laughed and grinned at me, happiness shining in his eyes.

  “Oh, um, if that’s okay with you, Zef?” I muttered, realizing that there might be one person at this table who didn’t think it was good news.

  But Zef just shrugged, looking amused.

  “Can’t say I’m shocked. I knew you two would get your shit together sooner or later. Gotta say I thought it was going to be a bit sooner, but this guy must have landed on his head one too many times,” and he punched Kes in the arm.

  Mirelle leaned over to hug me.

  “God, I’ll miss you!” I sniffed.

  Kes winced and Zef stared up at the ceiling.

  “Don’t worry, guys. She’s not going to get all sappy on you. We’re going to party it up tonight. I think we should order champagne!”

  “This is on me,” Kes announced with a huge smile. “Have what you want.”

  While we were waiting for the drinks, I noticed that Mirelle was side-eyeing me. I stood up and causally announced that I was going to the bathroom. Mirelle followed me.

  “Say what you need to, Mir,” I said, raising an eyebrow at her.

  “Okay, but promise not to bite my head off?”

  “I promise to try,” I said honestly.

  “It’s just . . . have you really thought this through? I mean, what about your life? You love teaching and you’re a great teacher . . .”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She hesitated. “I know you don’t want to hear this . . .”

  “Probably not. Five minutes ago you were saying it was great!”

  Mirelled frowned. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the guys. But Aimee, what about health insurance, dental, and a retirement fund? What about paying off your student loans? What about having your own money? Are you going to rely on Kes for everything? Are you really just gonna be the little woman? Because I know you, Aimee, you’d end up resenting being so dependent.”

  I sighed. “I know this all seems sudden to you, but trust me, everything you’re saying is what haunted me all summer. It’s part of why I came back.”

  “So what’s changed?”

  “Everything.”

  “Because Kes told you a few things about his past?”

  Oh, she had no idea.

  “It’s not just that.”

  “Then what?”

  “If I walk away from him again, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.” I shrugged. “He’s the one, Mir. He always has been. No one ever made me feel the way he does.”

  She sighed. “I’m trying to understand, Aimee, and I get it, I do—you’re in love. The whole rainbows, unicorns, stars in your eyes—but what about real life?”

  “I’m not being completely irresponsible,” I said, stung by her harshness. “I have enough savings to pay off a chunk of my student loan and . . .”

  Mirelle interrupted.

  “But not all your loan! You’ll need a job to pay off the rest. And what about when you’ve spent all your savings and you have to go to Kes to ask for money so you can buy a new pair of jeans? How much are you going to love that?”

  I winced. Mirelle was throwing in my face every argument that I’d ever had with myself.

  “I’ve got a few things I want to try. I’m going to switch my Masters program to an online course.”

  “Okay, that’s good,” she said, looking encouraged. “How are you going to pay for it?”

  I gave her a half smile. “I don’t have all the answers yet. But I looked into some of those places that offer online learning to kids who are home-educated, or live in really remote places. I thought I might be able to get a job like that. Hell, Mir, there’s a whole world out there via the internet—just because I’m not based in a school, it doesn’t mean that I can’t still teach.” I shrugged. “I haven’t looked into it all, but I will, I promise.”

  She shook her head, not looking entirely convinced.

  “So, you’ve really thought it through? You’re not just doing this because you’re high on great sex?”

  “Yes to both questions,” I laughed, and then became serious again.

  “I know it’s sudden and I know it seems crazy, but trust me, Mir, it would be crazier to go back to being miserable, to go back to losing the only man I’ve ever loved. I’m not in this alone—I’ve got Kes.”

  And that was the simplest answer of all.

  She nodded slowly, and I could see that she’d accepted my decision, even if it was a little reluctantly.

  “When are you going to tell the school?” she asked.

  “I’m going to hand in my notice tomorrow.”

  She smile and kissed me on the cheek.

  “Proud of you, chica.”

  We went back to join the guys and Kes held my hand tightly, as if he’d never let me go.

  I sat there, bathed in joy, a weight lifted from my shoulders now that I’d made a decision. I was with the man I loved and people who cared about me. We were celebrating life, our life together.

  We drank champagne while Kes sipped his water, our eyes meeting frequently, smiles never far from our lips.

  The more I drank, the more I wanted to touch him—or maybe I was drunk on Kes. His broad shoulders, his ridged stomach, the wide cheekbones, those silver-gray eyes blazing at me. I was drunk on the way he looked at me, the way he held me, the heat I could feel in his touch and his gaze, the way I knew our bodies would lock together again. I was drunk, drowning, falling, floating—lost and found in a sea of lust and love.

  “Cut it out!” Mirelle hissed at me, pinching my arm so that I’d pay attention.

  “Ow! What?” I scowled at her.

  “You!” she laughed. “You and carnie boy. You’re burning this place up.” Then she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Hell, you’re making me wet just watching the two of you.”

  Color flooded my face. “I can’t believe you just said that! We’re in a family restaurant!”

  Zef laughed loudly and leaned back in his chair. His eyes never left Mirelle, and I could see that there was some serious attraction going on. I hoped he knew what he was getting himself into.

  “Let’s go clubbing!” Mirelle insisted. “I’m not ready to stop partying yet.”

  “We have school tomorrow,” I reminded her.

  “Oh, don’t pretend to be Miss Sensible now!” she snorted. “You’re the one who’s running away to join the circus.”

  “Carnival,” Kes and I said at the same time.

  “Whatever. Tonight
we party.”

  “I second that!” Zef said, and clinked his glass against hers.

  “Up to you, Aimee,” Kes said.

  I slung the rest of my champagne down my throat. “Hell, yeah! We’re partying.”

  We opted for a club in Manchester where there was more of a choice than in sleepy Concord. And with Kes driving, we didn’t have to worry about cab fare.

  There was a long line outside the club, and I groaned as we joined the end.

  “Maybe we’d better go somewhere else,” I sighed, not relishing the idea of waiting around outside.

  But Kes just walked up to the doorman, slipped him a twenty, and we were waved in.

  Kes wrapped his arm around me as the hostess led us to table on a raised platform near the dance floor. A waitress came over immediately, and Kes ordered more champagne and water for himself. I wondered how much money he’d laid out to get the five-star service.

  I’d never seen this side of him before and it intrigued me.

  “Wanna dance?” he whispered, nuzzling my throat.

  “I think I’m a bit drunk,” I admitted with a laugh.

  “Just hold onto me.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  The music’s thumping bass line matched the rhythm of my heart as Kes pulled me toward him. My arms wrapped around his neck, winding a lock of his hair around my fingers. My body was pressed flat against his, not even an inch between us. His muscular thigh pushed between my knees as we swayed to the music, his hands resting on my hips, his long fingers almost meeting in the small of my bare back.

  Between the champagne, my heels, and the closeness of Kes’s hard body, I felt off balance. He steadied me between his hands, his gaze flitting between my breasts and my lips. His face was stern, his eyes flashing black with need, and I felt the solid length of his erection against my hip.

  The pulse of the music was in my blood, which Kes was slowly bringing to the boil.

  Our lower bodies pressed together, and I arched away from him, leaning out so my long hair swung down my back.

  I felt one of Kes’s hands move from my hip to wrap my hair around his fist. He hovered over me, his breath hot on my chest.

  “I fuckin’ love your hair,” he growled.

  A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his head, and I pulled myself in close again to lick it. Kes’s eyes fluttered closed, then opened again quickly.

  I slid my hands over his chest and stomach, feeling the muscles tremble under my touch. His t-shirt was damp under my fingers; he’d long ago pulled off his long-sleeved shirt and tied it around his waist.

  “You wanna get some . . . air?” he asked, his tongue licking up the sweat at the base of my throat.

  I had to swallow several times before I could reply.

  “Okay.” My voice sounded husky.

  He grabbed my hand immediately and led me from the dance floor. I had a quick glimpse of Zef and Mirelle joined at the lips, and I smiled to myself.

  Kes steered me through the crowd until we reached the hallway that led to the bathrooms, but he kept going, finally pushing through a door at the rear of the building. We were in a dark alley where crates of empty bottles were stacked up. It smelled of beer and trash, making me wrinkle my nostrils, but then Kes’s mouth was on mine, and it was the scent of my shower gel and Kes’s clean sweat that surrounded me.

  I wrapped my leg around his waist and ground against him. He caught my knee with one hand and pushed me backwards. My bare skin hit the rough brick, and I cried out.

  “Shit!” he muttered.

  Then he picked me up, turning around so his own back was braced against the wall.

  “Kes, please!”

  He chuckled lightly. “Are you begging, Aimee? Is the good little schoolmarm begging for sex in a dirty alley?”

  “God, yes,” I moaned.

  A surprised laugh stuttered out of him. “Shit, really?”

  “Yes! A thousand times yes!”

  He hesitated. “This isn’t you; it’s the champagne talking.”

  I fisted his shirt and pulled him toward me.

  “It is me, Kes. It’s the girl who let a strange boy climb in her window; it’s the 16-year old girl who stroked you until you were hard while we lay on the grass at the back of the carnival field; it’s the girl who gave you her virginity, even though she knew that you were leaving in a few days. The girl who’s been lost for years, sleepwalking through her life. Until I found you.”

  He stared into my eyes, searching for any sign of doubt.

  Satisfied by what he saw, he placed my feet back on the ground and flicked open the button on my jeans.

  “Oh crap,” I complained, hopping as I kicked off a shoe and tried to work the skin tight pants down one leg.

  It was messy and awkward, and so freakin’ hot as Kes unbuckled his belt and pushed his jeans over the curve of his ass.

  He picked me up again and I wrapped my legs around his body, holding on as he pushed inside, the weight of my body balanced on his forearms, as quick, urgent thrusts sent my heart rate soaring.

  I was wet, needy for him, high on adrenalin, the rush, the buzz; high on life.

  I moaned loudly and his mouth clamped down on mine, swallowing every sound.

  “Gotta be quiet, baby,” he hissed, his voice rough with tension.

  Sparks began to ignite my body, spinning and fizzing through my blood, and I buried my face against Kes’s neck, whimpering softly, then more loudly, until I was almost screaming.

  Kes gave up trying to keep me quiet, and pressed his thumb against my clit, launching me like a firework, until I hit the stratosphere and fell back to earth, panting and gasping.

  His body tensed suddenly, and he bit down on my neck, masking his own soft cry of pleasure. He shuddered and poured himself inside me, and then as he pulled out, his cum dripped down to the concrete below.

  I giggled uncontrollably as he placed my Bambi-legs back on the ground.

  “Shit, I’m a mess!” I laughed.

  Kes shook his head, grinning at me. “Do you have a tissue or something?”

  “Yes, in my purse.”

  He looked around him. “Where’s your purse?”

  “In the club,” I said, choking on another fit of giggles.

  Kes shook his head again, then untied his shirt from his waist, quickly wiping between my legs before he tossed the stained cotton over his shoulder into a trashcan.

  Then he helped me into my jeans, and I heard his belt buckle jingle as he yanked his pants up.

  We walked back into the club. My giggles and Kes’s smirk made it pretty obvious what we’d been doing. I was sure that Mirelle would say something, but when we looked for her and Zef, they were nowhere to be seen. Kes reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

  “Huh, didn’t hear that text come in,” he smiled. “Zef says he’s taking Mirelle home.”

  We stayed for a while, dancing until my feet ached. I’d been right about Kes: the man had some serious moves. His body understood its frame of bone and muscle, gliding sensuously, threading through the music. Whatever the reason, he was getting a lot of attention from men as well as women.

  I could hardly believe that this beautiful man, this blazing star was with me. But he was. And I loved it.

  Everything was rushing forward and it was hard to catch my breath.

  The practicalities of moving my life from New Hampshire seemed endless. Kes didn’t understand why I was so frantic. Moving for him was getting into the driver’s seat of his RV and starting the engine.

  He tried to help as I sorted through what I was keeping and what I was leaving, but mostly his comments boiled down to, “You have a lot of shi— stuff.”

  I gritted my teeth and plowed on.

  Telling Principal Browne that I was abandoning my class in the middle of the school year was one of the hardest tasks on my to-do list, but he was surprisingly sympathetic and wished me luck in my new life. When he said it like that, my new lif
e, a shiver ran up my spine, a mixture of fear and excitement.

  My other colleagues were curious, but Gregg was the biggest surprise of all. He hugged me in the middle of the staffroom and said that he hoped I’d be happy. I hugged him back because I believed that he was sincere.

  I’d put off calling my sister. She liked Kes and she’d been there for most of the drama of our teenage years, as well as more recently. But I wasn’t sure what she’d think about me leaving my job to follow Kes.

  “Hey, little sis! I was beginning to think you’d dropped off the face of the Earth. Is a certain hot stuntman taking up all of your time?”

  I laughed. “You know it!”

  “Aw, I’m happy for you, Aimee. I still can’t believe he drove all the way from California for you. That is so romantic!”

  “Do you think so?”

  “God, yes! I can’t remember the last time a hot guy, or even a moderately warm one, crossed the street to say hello to me, let alone the whole country!”

  I smiled into the phone. “I know! I’m still stunned . . . but I guess I’m kind of returning the favor?”

  “Speak slowly and use words of one syllable,” Jennifer ordered.

  “I’m going on the road with Kes. We want to be together, so I’ve given my notice at work. I’m really going, Jen.”

  There was a long silence, and I checked to see that the call wasn’t dropped.

  “Hello?”

  “Wow!” Jennifer said softly. “That’s just . . . wow! I guess I’m not surprised . . . well, I am, but not really, if you know what I mean. It’s just . . . after last summer, I thought you’d decided that teaching, your career . . .”

  Her words tailed off.

  “I thought the same, but I missed him like crazy. I felt like I’d left half my body behind when I came back. It was . . . awful.”

  Jennifer sighed. “I knew you were struggling, but I didn’t think it was that bad.”

  “It was.”

  She was silent for a few seconds.

  “Well, I’m happy for you, Aimee. For both of you. It’s never been easy for you, falling for your traveling man. You couldn’t have had many more mountains to climb. You deserve happiness.”