be,” he said as they sat down in the small den her parents had loved to use, lined with books, with a fireplace. “But I have to admit, I’m relieved to hear it. I thought maybe he was your boyfriend.”
“Not at all. Why are you relieved?” she asked innocently, and he moved slightly closer to her on the couch, and put an arm around her casually. She didn’t feel threatened by it. He was a familiar figure to her now, more than ever, like Sam, except there was something subtly different about the way Ed looked at her, and she wasn’t sure what it meant. He had been very attentive to her ever since her parents’ death, and taken his role as trustee and advisor very seriously. He looked into her eyes then before answering.
“You haven’t noticed anything, Coco?” he asked gently, speaking softly. “I didn’t want to crowd you while you were getting over what happened. I’m falling in love with you, more every day. I have a hard time staying away from you, and not showing up here every night.” She looked stunned, and before she could react, he kissed her, and felt her body with his strong sensual hands. No man had ever touched her quite that way, or made her body come so alive at his touch. She was breathless when he stopped kissing her, with his hand still on her breast.
“I didn’t…I didn’t realize…” She didn’t know what to say. She had never thought of him that way, and suddenly she didn’t want him to stop. She felt both safe and aroused at the same time. He kissed her again, and then they were lying on the couch together. She’d had sex before, but not often, and it had never felt like this. She felt drunk from his touch. “What are we doing, Ed?” she asked in a small voice. “Marielle?” He was a married man.
“We’ve been over for years. We stayed together for the children, and now we have an arrangement. We have an understanding. For all intents and purposes, I’m a free man.” She felt better when he said that, and only mildly guilty when she abandoned herself to him. He smelled wonderful, he was so handsome, and he knew exactly how and where to touch her. She had never thought of him this way before. Even before he took her clothes off, she could sense that he was an expert lover. And then suddenly, they were making love, and she felt as though she were flying through space with him. He drove her to the edge of ecstasy and then pulled her back, then led her to the edge again, he played her body like a finely tuned instrument. When it was over finally, she knew that something extraordinary had happened between them. She lay in his arms smiling at him, and he kissed her again, more peacefully that time.
“I’ve never felt for any woman the way I feel about you,” he said with raw emotion in his voice, ran a finger down her belly again, and touched her irresistibly. And then it all started again.
They made love until midnight, and then wandered into the kitchen naked, and ate ice cream. It was odd being with him that way, but he made it seem normal and natural. And then he led her to her bedroom, and made love to her one more time.
“I’ve wanted you for so long, Coco,” he said, admiring her afterward. “Sometimes I think your father wanted us to be together, which is why he made me your trustee. It’s almost like being married to you,” he said. “Maybe one day that could happen too. I may be old enough to be your father, but I don’t have fatherly feelings for you, most of the time.” She wondered what her father would have thought, if he would have been pleased, or shocked. He wouldn’t have made Ed her trustee if he hadn’t trusted him completely, which gave some sort of benediction to their union, and made it almost sacred, with her father’s blessing.
“I don’t care how old you are,” she said in a soft, sensual voice. She was dazzled by him, and totally at ease with him. He had introduced her to things she had never done or felt before.
“When can I see you again? I’ll come by for lunch tomorrow.” She nodded, and he finally tore himself away from her at two in the morning, and