Page 39 of A Sky Full of Stars
‘That would be great,’ Charlotte breathed. The anticipation became too much, and she was impatient to take a look, even before the sky had darkened. ‘May I?’
‘Of course.’ Tristan was obviously pleased by her excitement. ‘It would be great to have an expert at the helm.’
Charlotte bent over to investigate the eyepiece of the telescope. Its lenses had been cleaned and restored and were clear and sharp. She looked into the eyepiece and made a couple of adjustments so that she had a decent view of the sky. It still wasn’t dark enough to see much, but she could get a sense of the quality of the telescope and continued to tweak and amend its positioning as Tristan watched.
‘That should do the trick,’ she said as she stepped back again. ‘Later on, we’ll be able to see more. Even though it’s summer, there’ll be planets and some stars visible. If, er, I’m still here, when it’s dark, anyway.’ She couldn’t help blushing as she stumblingly finished speaking – it had crossed her mind more than once that she and Tristan might be heading in a more physical direction tonight.
Tristan’s expression showed that his thoughts were heading in a similar direction, as his eyes flitted between her lips and her slightly heated gaze. ‘Well,’ he murmured softly, ‘I hope you will still be here when it’s dark enough to see stars.’ He reached for her hand and placed it on his chest, before drawing her closer to him for a long, sensuous kiss. Charlotte’s hand, feeling the warmth of Tristan’s body beneath his clothing, grew shakier as the kiss deepened. She moved even closer to Tristan, until they were pressed together, breath shortening and kisses becoming more urgent as the seconds moved languorously by.
Eventually, the oven timer pinged from the kitchen. Charlotte reluctantly broke free from Tristan’s embrace and glanced up at him. ‘Can dinner wait for a little while?’
Tristan nodded. ‘It’s nothing that won’t keep. Let me go and switch off the oven.’
Charlotte stumbled slightly on wobbly legs as she followed him, watching from the doorway. She picked up her glass of white wine, which she’d left on the kitchen table, and took a big gulp, betraying her nerves. Tristan was beside her in a shot.
‘It’s all right.’ He took the glass from her hands and put it down carefully on the kitchen table. ‘If you’ve changed your mind, I mean.’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘I haven’t.’ She leaned up and kissed him again. ‘Now, are you going to join me and have a glass of something to give you Dutch courage?’
Tristan raised an eyebrow. ‘What about driving you home? I never drink and drive.’
Charlotte wouldn’t have expected anything less from this gorgeous, serious-minded, responsible man in front of her, but his statement banished any lingering doubts. ‘I don’t think I’ll be going home anytime soon.’And there’s always Uber, she thought,if things go pear shaped.
Tristan hesitated for a long moment before moving to grab another wine glass from the cupboard. ‘Well, that seems pretty conclusive.’ He gave a laugh that definitely had an undercurrent of nerves. ‘And a relief!’
Charlotte laughed too, but things gradually got more serious as the laughs turned to kisses, and the wine glasses were left on the kitchen table.
39
Once up the stairs in Tristan’s room, things took a far more passionate turn. Their playful banter, which had banished some of the awkwardness, ceased, and their communication was softer, huskier, briefer, but even more delicious. Comet, for his part, had seemed delighted to stretch out in the last rays of sunshine that were peering in through the bay window in Tristan’s living room. Charlotte had joked, when she’d seen her dog looking so cosy, that he was likely to get up onto the sofa when their backs were turned, but Tristan didn’t seem to mind. Just in case, though, he threw a tartan rug over the sofa before they headed upstairs.
Charlotte was touched by the gesture and wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him in for a long, luxurious kiss, before playfully tugging his soft cotton T-shirt out of his jeans. Running her hands up his back, she felt an exquisite pleasure as he drew in a sharp breath at her touch.
‘Are you sure we’re not moving too fast?’ Tristan murmured as they started to undress.
‘I’m more than happy with the pace, if you are,’ Charlotte replied. She paused before she unzipped her dress. ‘Are you OK with this?’
Tristan nodded, seemingly mesmerised at the sight of Charlotte’s dress gently slipping from her shoulders. He leaned forward and kissed her neck, and she arched towards him in pleasure, luxuriating in the sensation of his lips on her skin and then his body against hers as she wrapped her arms around him.
‘Shall we?’ he asked, glancing at the bed a few feet behind them.
Charlotte nodded, and stepped out of her dress, which had pooled at her feet. They collapsed down onto Tristan’s generous mattress, and as they did so, Charlotte felt the shift between them as their emotions stepped up a gear. She wrapped herself around him, wanting to feel every inch of him against her, and there was no doubt that he was as aroused as she was. She could feel his firm body pressing back against hers, and as her hands began to wander over his smooth, warm skin, she felt a surge of warmth and desire. This was what she’d been waiting for since they’d started to get to know each other, and although it had only been a little under three weeks since they’d met, Charlotte’s body, and her heart, were telling her that this was the perfect moment to take things to the next level.
It didn’t take long for both of them to lose their remaining layers of clothing, and then they began to take their time. Charlotte was glad that Comet was quiet and chilled out downstairs and completely indifferent to what was happening in the bed. She needed to fully relax and focus purely on the sensations that Tristan’s hands and lips were giving her.
‘That’s perfect,’ she breathed as his hands stroked and caressed. His fingertips were exploring her body in the gentlest way, and she felt the warmth of them as he brought her gradually closer to the summit. In return, she caressed him fully, marvelling at his heat, and thinking, in a giddy moment of heightened expectation, that she’d been right about the kind of energy he exuded.
Eventually, after a leisurely exploration, they were both ready to take that final step. Charlotte was relieved when Tristan grabbed a condom from his top drawer, and then all rational thoughts of practicality were chased away like shooting stars as he eased inside her. That intimate, immediate sensation of connection was enough to make them both draw a breath, and Charlotte matched her own on-the-edge rhythm to Tristan’s. A few moments later and she’d tumbled over the precipice, and it didn’t take long for Tristan to do the same.
As they lay in each other’s arms afterwards, Charlotte propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at Tristan, who was sprawled, eyes half closed, totally relaxed.
‘Well,’ she said eventually, once he’d opened his eyes again fully. ‘I’m glad we’re here and not in the annexe at Nightshade Cottage. I don’t think I could look Lorelai in the eye after that!’
Tristan shook his head. ‘That’s just what I need to be thinking about right now – my grandmother on the other side of the wall. Thanks!’
Charlotte giggled. ‘Am I to assume that, should we desire a repeat performance, it’ll have to be here, then?’
Raising an eyebrow, Tristan reached out and flipped Charlotte onto her back, so this time he was looking down at her. ‘Absolutely,’ he replied. ‘And next time, I might even let you bring the damned dog again, since he’s been so well behaved.’
