Awakening Abigail

Chapter 13

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Andrew didn’t know what to say.  He could only stare.  How was it possible that in his 32 years he has never been stirred this way?  How come he never felt this unstable?  Surely there were many other women who caught his attention, one or two, some would argue, more attractive than Abi.  He shook his head.  Impossible, no woman could be more beautiful than his Tinkerbell. Not because of outer beauty, but because of the strength she emanated.  Her tiny frame was misleading.  As he was looking at her from her garden gate, she looked absolutely breathtaking.  Not because of her clothes, her hair, even her extraordinary eyes.  Because of what she’s been through.  Because she was walking his way, proud, head held high.  He would never imagine that any person who had gone through the kind of trauma she did, could stand up and move on.  He knew he couldn’t.    She was now smiling at him, her nose crinkling up, staring at him, curious.  He took a deep breath.  At least she was not glaring at him, throwing him with shoes.  With a smile he said:  “So, can I come in?  Is it save?  I don’t want to end up with a stiletto pegged in my forehead.”  She laughed, to his delight. 

“Well, it depends.  Do any snooping lately?”  He could tell she was only joking.  She seemed relaxed.

“You know Tink, I had a long hour of thinking today.  I realised that I barely knew you.  It’s been a month, and I feel like I may know a lot about you, but not really about who you are.  So, I put myself in a student’s shoes, and thought about what a student would do.”

She interrupted him, leaning against the other side of the wall.

“It must have taken a while, since it’s been ages since you were a student.”

“Haha, you are hilarious.  Yes, it took me two hours, exactly.  Anyway, we should start with a date.”

Abi looked confused.  “A date?  How do you mean?  You take me to a movie, and the whole university sees us?  I hate to state the obvious, but we don’t really love in a big town.”

Andrew sighed.

“Now you are not thinking straight, my dear.  This is where experience comes in.  Now, you go inside, put on your nicest dress, and the you trust me, a stranger, and get into my car.”  Abi was looking at him like he was crazy. 

“Are you serious?”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”  he put up his most stern face.  Abi frowned, backing up from the gate.

“You know, we still have to talk about a few stuff.”  She was very serious.  Clearly she wasn’t going to jump into his car on command.

“Relax Abi, I promise no funny business.  I want to talk to you, get to know you, but not here.  I want to woo you, take you out on a date.  That’s what men do when the feel romantically inclined towards a woman.  Please, you can trust me, even ask me anything.  You can let someone know that you are with me, if that would make you feel better.”  He could see that she was caught off guard with what he said.  She blushed.

“Its not like I don’t trust you, I just want you to know that we really do need to talk.”

“I know Tink, thats why we are doing this.  I promise, no strings attached.  I will have you home by midnight tonight.”  He then realized something.  “What about Tiny?”  He was eyeing the Great Dane, lying under Abi’s hammock, clearly unhappy about something.  She also looked in his direction, smiling.

“Don’t mind him, he’s sulking.  A cat put him in his place.  Anyway, he has his stoep and bed.  As long as I feed him, he’s happy.”

Andrew laughed.  “A cat?  Poor dog, I can understand his humiliation.  Speaking of which, can I please come in?”  Abi smiled, gesturing with her head for him to come in and follow her.  As he closed the gate behind him, Tiny got up to greet him.  Andrew couldn’t even see a trace of a fight on him, but still gave the dog more than the appropriate amount of sympathy.  Abi went inside, and after giving Tiny his treat, he followed.

Inside, he breathed in her smell.  Like frangipani flowers and vanilla. She was standing in the tiny kitchen, boiling the kettle.  Before he knew what he was doing, he was standing next to her, looking down on her surprised face.   

“Can I help you?”  She was still looking a bit surprised, but answered.  “No thanks, I’m fine.”  She had a beautiful blush on her cheeks; he could tell his presence exited her.  He took a deep breath, holding her eyes.  He then lightly brushed his finger over her burning cheek, urgently checking for any sign of fear from her side.  But, all he saw was shyness, innocence.  She did not pull away, hit or bite him, as he would imagine his Tinkerbell to react.  He slowly took her face into his hands, looking deeper into her sapphire eyes.  She made him forget about everything.  He could lose himself, drown in the blue depths.  She was breathing deeper, her lips slightly parted.  He couldn’t stop himself, he had to kiss her.  He had to inhale her smell, taste her.  When their lips met, he felt electricity.  He just kissed her, his hands still cupping her face.  Nothing invasive, just a kiss. He could hear her intake of breath, feel her body momentarily tense.  Andrew was immediately sorry, but as he was about to pull away, she suddenly answered his kiss.  Her tiny body shuddered, her breathing quickening.  Her hands travelled up his back, fingers in his hair.  She unleashed all the pent up hunger inside him.  His hands were no longer on her face, but were cupping her ass, feeling how soft she was, pulling her into him.  Their lower bodies met, and another jolt of electricity surged through him. She wasn’t scared; she wanted him to kiss her.  He kissed her like he has never kissed a woman.  She kissed back, pressing her against him.  Before he realised, he picked her up, barely feeling her weight, and placed her on the counter.  She wrapped her legs around his waist, a slight moan escaping her. This made him go crazy.  He slipped his one hand under her shirt, feeling the warmness of her back.  Another moan escaped her, and she arched her back, their lips disconnecting.  In a daze he looked at her face, and froze.  Tears were streaming down her cheeks, her lips red from their kiss, eyes closed.  He immediately went cold, snatched his hand from under her shirt.

“I’m sorry Tink, I’m so sorry.”  He felt remorse, hatred towards his own hormones, lust.  How could he.  He never planned it to go this far, it was only a kiss...and then she spoke:  “Don’t stop, please.”  Tears were still streaming, but she was looking at him, her hands on his face.  “Just don’t stop kissing me.”  He could hear desperation, she needed this.  He abided.  She was holding his hand, and when he kissed her again, she kissed back with a force that blew him away.  This time he contained himself, kept his emotions in tack.  But when she guided his hand back inside her shirt, he lost all control.  He kissed her neck, her shoulder.  His other hand also crept into her shirt, both hands almost closing around her tiny waist. He felt the tiny muscles of her back, as she arched and moved under his hands.  She was exploring his back, her hands shyly moving down towards his ass.  He could feel her bra strap, but decided not to go there.  She needed to be touched, kissed.  She didn’t need too much.  He then extracted his hands from her shirt, avoiding certain temptation.  Instead he placed them on her thighs, her creamy legs feeling soft under his touch.  Thank heavens for a little short, he thought.  As if she realised his trail of thought, she pulled away a bit, their faces inches away.  She was still crying, but he could tell it was tears of joy.  He wiped of a stray tear from her face, tenderly pulling her closer to him.  They were in this intimate moment together, staring into each other’s eyes.  No words came to mind.  He pulled her into a hug, holding her.  She relaxed against him, her hands in his hair again, playing with the strands.  Her legs were still wrapped around his waist, but he didn’t mind.  They were already one, and he had a feeling they passed a huge barrier for Abi.  He would wait for her to say something, but he knew had had to tell her one important thing.

“I love you Michelle Abigail Matthews, with all that is in me.”  He didn’t expect anything in return.  But then he heard her soft voice, barely a whisper:  “And I love you...”

**Hehe, this was a difficult part to write.  As I am about to post it I am still blushing!  Romantic scenes are not easy, even if you are married, hehe.  I don’t want it to be too heavy, so I would love advice and comments on what you thought.  Too much?  Too little?  What would you guys prefer?    Anyway, thanks so much, hope I didn’t disappoint you guys.  It’s been a long wait.  Starting with the next part now.  As always, any comments and advice would be appreciated.  I told my husband today I don’t even want to get published, the reaction I get from you guys are enough to make my day.  Love you all!! =)**