That Moment

The rest of the week seemed to pass by with a blur. I rode in Beth’s car to avoid having to see him. The distraction was much needed and helped me to focus on my job rather than a man who changed his mind like a teenage girl.

We left Colorado on a rainy Monday night headed for Las Vegas. This would be our last stop for this season. I lay awake that night thinking about what might happen when we were finished filming, where would I go from here? Would I come back for the next season or move on? Would I keep in touch with Leland, would we part as friends or nothing more than what we are right now? The answers to those questions seemed to escape me.

I checked my phone, the time showing 3:30 am. I really should get some sleep, I thought to myself as I rolled onto my side. Sliding open my curtain, I saw him lying there sleeping on his side, unlike me he never closed his curtain. The moon shone through the window behind him casting an almost angelic glow over his sleeping form.

He looked at peace for once.

I wondered what had happened in his last relationship, why she’d left him? I had heard she got back together with her Ex but that was just the rumor going around.

To me, Leland seemed like a nice enough guy, he was a loving son and seemed to be an amazing father but I didn’t truly know him. After all, he was an ass toward me when we first met but I suspected he was just confused or maybe he was hurting, I couldn’t really say.

He stirred and opened his eyes, blinking a few times. I half smiled as he looked over at me.

“Go to sleep, I can hear you thinking all the way over here.” he tells me.

‘I can’t sleep.” I whisper back to him.

A moment later he sits up on the side of his bunk, “Scoot over.” he says, sleepily.

I obey and move as close as I can to the window, he climbs into my bunk and lies down facing me, pulling the cover over us. He slides an arm underneath my pillow and places the other across my waist, pulling me closer to him.

A soft kiss is placed on my forehead before he says in a raspy voice, “Don’t overthink it, I just wanna hold you.”

His skin was warm and soft yet firm and muscular as he lay there shirtless in my bed. He rubbed small circles on my back with his fingertips as we both tried to get comfortable with limited space to move.

I reached out, hesitantly to wrap my own arm around him. We lay this way quietly for a while. I listened to the steady in and out of his breathing; it was comforting, almost mesmerizing.

Sometime later his hand left my back and rested on my hip, he kissed my forehead again and lifted his hand momentarily and placed it back on my hip. He was hesitating, maybe he wondered if I was sleeping; his thumb sliding underneath the edge of my tank top a moment later. My heart raced with anticipation yet my mind scolded me for wanting more. I was anything but sleeping.

Slowly he pushed my top up, coming to rest just under my boobs. He pulled me into his chest, a faint moan escaping my lips as our skin touched for the first time. “I wanna feel your skin against mine” he whispers sweetly into my ear.

I leaned my head back as he kisses my jaw softly before capturing my lips in his own, parting them with his tongue. My hand resting on the small of his back. He moved me onto my back, our lips never parting. We must have kissed for half an hour, I thought to myself as he finally breaks apart from me, lingering over me, studying my face in the pale moonlight.

“You’re beautiful.” he says to me.

“So are you.” I reply.

His hands roamed my stomach, my sides, my back. Before I had a chance to chicken out I took hold of his right hand placing it on my breast. He squeezes it momentarily and looks into my eyes, as if to ask me, are you sure about this?

I nod, sliding my hand into his hair as he moves to lay on top of me. He removes my tank top and presses his body against into mine. Looking at me with sly smile. He leans down to place kisses here and there on my skin. My flesh quivering under each kiss.

“The sun is going to come up soon.” he says, slowly letting go of my breast, he slides his hand over my body and down my hip then wraps my leg around him.

“Yeah...I know.” I reply, sad that this moment might end.

We studied each other quietly. I reach out to push his hair out of his eyes.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” he asks before lowering his head and putting his lips around my nipple, his eyes never leaving mine as his tongue darts out to lick my hardening nipple.

I let out a ragged breath and nod, yes.

“Not here, not like this.” he tells me then kisses me, almost lovingly.

I nod again, afraid to speak, afraid to ruin this moment.

Leland looks at me thoughtfully and says, “I should get back to my bunk before everyone wakes up.”