Only The Beginning

Chapter Six

A/N Enjoy the gif. *sigh*

Craig lay on his side, looking at the empty half of the bed. He smoothed his hand over the pillow, dipping his palm into the curve that still held the shape of her head. His fingers tingled with the memory of her skin; the smoothness of her earlobe, the small dimple to pinch behind her elbow, how the goosebumps peppered her chest when he first entered her.

"Jesus." He sighed, rolling onto his back, remembering the way she'd moved under him, her hips undulating while her mouth claimed him with a kiss that seemed to last forever.

They had kicked off the sheets and kept the drapes open, letting the afternoon sunlight bleach their forms on the bed, leaving no room for mystery. It was as if they both craved to see the other in the full light. He needed to watch his hands touch her, to feel her pulse under his fingers, to prove that it was real and not a computer version.

Finally, real. Finally, in his arms.

He'd kept his emotions in check earlier, worried that the avatar he'd come to rely on to ease his stress wouldn't provide the same sensation, the same escape he'd been enjoying these past few months. But he was wrong. It was better. Better than any other time, actually.

Craig was certain he'd never forget how the sun shone behind her head when she was on top of him, setting her hair aglow, her head tilted back, lips parted, sighing his name.

"Damn." He sat up, swinging his legs to the floor, flinging back the sheets. She'd left him without saying goodbye. He checked the hotel alarm clock on the bedside table. It was four-twenty.

Stupid jetlag. He'd been out cold, in a dead sleep. She'd fallen asleep tucked into his side, and obviously at some point—he had no idea how long ago—she'd woken and made the decision to leave.

A heavy dullness weighed inside his chest. A faint ringing came from the end of the bed. Craig pulled away the richly textured coverlet, and saw his jeans, crumpled up beside his underwear. A memory of her undoing the zipper surfaced. She'd been wary with her touch, but with a calculated pace, a method that bordered on torture for him. Then her breath against his chest as she kissed her way downward.

There was a twinge in his balls as he stood there, staring at the floor, reliving the moment. The phone rang again. Sniffing, Craig felt the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out his cell phone. He saw the caller ID. His nerves tightened as all thoughts of pleasure were pushed to the back of his mind.

"Hey," he answered, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I'm just checking to make sure you got in all right." Lance's voice had a peculiar tone.

"Yeah, no problems." Craig yawned. "Just sleeping off a bit of jetlag."

"And you're staying at The Chestershire Suites?"

Craig glanced around the stately room, knowing it seemed foolish to pay for accommodations when he could be staying at the family home in just as much style. However, the emotional cost of staying under the same roof as his father was too great a price to pay. "Yeah," he answered. "Seemed to be the best option."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment. "Have you talked to Dad yet?" Lance asked cautiously.

"No." Craig let the word hand in the air. "I'm here for you and Sue Yin, remember?"

There was another gap of quiet on Lance's end.

Craig sat up straighter, a coolness drifting over his bare shoulders despite the late afternoon sun still creeping across the room. "What's wrong?" he asked.