Cherish Every Moment Book 1: A Chance Encounter

7 Promises

The promise had been made. Avi knew beyond the shadow of any doubt that he would hold true to the words that he had given Rayne; for that was the very nature of his soul. With practiced grace, she gently coaxed his shirt over his head. Her hands trailed along his skin as he raised his arms. The tips of her fingers brushed lightly over his ribs, gently tickling him in the most sensuous of ways. Rayne's touch left him breathless, tiny lights danced before his eyes. Good gods she was going to make him lose control before he even got her shirt off. The thought of Rayne's shirt hitting the floor, dizzied him. Avi could picture it in his mind's eye, her lithe body uncovered and revealed to him. He'd been in this situation before, a woman he cared for on his lap, touching him gently, seducing him, driving him wild, kissing him stupid. Even though he cared for them all greatly, Avi never intended to give himself over to them fully. He never did. Avi intended to give Rayne every bit of himself, his body, heart and soul. Every time before, Avi never let it get past touching and pleasing her with precise touches and blazing kisses. The woman that sat over him would leave pleased. Emotionally, spiritually Avi would be satisfied, yet physically unfulfilled. It wasn't that he couldn't have fulfilled his body's desire. His body would be satiated, but Avi's heart and spirit could not abide the slight of laying with a woman he would not wed. Damn his moral code. Those evenings always concluded with a lot of gentle touching, kissing, hugging and some explanation as to why he couldn't go any further. He'd do his level best, which always seemed to be more than enough the first few times he was intimate with a woman, to offer her pleasure with just his hands and mouth; that offer never included his body.

Avi was very talented with his hands, could incite a riot within a woman with them. His kiss could leave his love a breathless puddle of tangled feelings and naked nerves. Eventually the woman would grow impatient with him and insist that Avi was holding back for reasons other than the ones he had stated, it seemed the concept was a bit more dated than he was. His girlfriend would become more demanding than he could accept, attempting to coerce him into having sex with her every time they were intimate. Sooner or later Avi would grow weary of the pressure and let them leave his life, or force them to if he had to. This time everything was very different. The woman that sat over him now, was more precious to him than he cared to admit to himself. She was strong and elegant, sweet and kind, clearly very intelligent and well spoken; beautiful. She had a confidence to her that could not be denied and a soft tenderness filled with humility and a touch of weakness. Rayne had captured Avi's heart. She held if firmly in her grasp. Avi prayed she never let it go. She was everything he'd ever dreamt of even though he didn't know he was dreaming. Once again in the span of a micro second, the thought of all that could happen next, left Avi weak and breathless. If he had been standing, his knees would have buckled. As his shirt collar approached his chin they broke their kiss so that his shirt could pass between them. In the moments, mere seconds, that their lips were separated, Avi missed her taste, agonized over the loss of their connection. He wanted nothing more than to have it back. He was hopelessly lost in Rayne and he'd never been more grateful for the way he was feeling. He knew where she was leading him, knew he would follow blindly, tumble, helplessly, without complaint, down whatever abyss Rayne took him to and pushed him in. Once his shirt was freed from his body, Avi yearned to renew that tender Kiss. She hadn't yet given him the words his tender heart longed to hear. Avi wanted to give himself to Rayne and only Rayne for the rest of his days. He deemed it was far too soon to tell her as much. He wanted to tell her more than anything. It would have to wait. Avi knew as sure as he was struggling for breath under her tender touch, that he had finally met his one. Though he was positive she would give him her promise, Avi questioned whether or not he actually needed to hear the words. Her earlier plea made it abundantly clear that Rayne was as solidly invested in him as he was her. Rayne wasn't going anywhere but still, his heart needed those words, it meant so much more to Avi than he could possibly know. He didn't know what he would do if she didn't give them to him. He was uncertain that he would be able to give himself to her without them no matter how he rationalized it. He wasn't sure he could stop himself either. His body was crying, YES; his heart and mind were screaming, NO. For the tiniest fraction of a second Avi thought his body was going to write a check his heart couldn't cash. He'd already waited this long, held tightly to his dream, his virtue. That virtue ended so many relationships for Avi as he was inflexible on the matter. But now, he found himself willing to bend and flex; he hoped it would not break him. His virtue had come between him and the only woman in the band and their pursuit of a bond more physical than the emotional connection they still shared. They handled it like adults when they had to, setting aside those emotions in favor of keeping the band together and chasing their musical dreams. Like everyone else before, Avi had denied Kirstin his body for the sake of his virtue and fear. Now, he was ready to give in, give himself to a woman he'd just met. Yet, he knew he loved her with all his heart. He was ready to let lust take over his actions and give himself to a woman who hadn't taken his name, or given her promise to him.