Dayna got out of the Uber and grabbed her luggage. She tried to keep her breath slow and steady. But it seemed like the butterflies in her stomach were flying all through her body. Everything tingled. All her thoughts were on him. Just him. Nothing else mattered.
She hoped she was moving normally. She felt her leg shake occasionally. She cast her eyes down so no one could see into her soul. Because she knew she couldn’t hide her genuine emotions. She couldn’t hide her joy. She just had a stupid smile on her face. All because of him.
She moved deliberately through the line at the airport. She had a purpose. She had a destination. She had never been on a plane before. She had never had a reason to go anywhere. That is, until she met him. It was some random dating app. When she saw his photo, she stopped breathing momentarily. He was absolutely stunning. At least to her, he was.
His dark brown hair barely lay on his shoulders. He had a full beard and mustache. His eyes were a beautiful almond color. Even in pictures, it seemed as though he could see her soul. She smiled at the first message sent. He had simply said Stunning.
They chatted back and forth for a couple of weeks before she gave him her phone number. After that, they were inseparable. As much as they could be being on opposite sides of the country. Which is why she was getting ready for her first plane ride ever. She was going to meet him. She had that stupid smile again.
Everything felt surreal: going through the line, walking to the gate, watching planes come and go as she sat in a chair that looked out the window. Her phone buzzed, and she jumped. She looked and saw a message from him. It simply said, “Not much longer now.” It was just a quick four-hour flight. That was it.
She sat there playing snippets of their conversations. Not just text. They talked on the phone almost every day. Sometimes video. Sometimes just audio. But not a day went by for the last six months that she didn’t see his face or hear his voice. There was no denying they had a connection. They talked about anything and everything.
She was lost in thought, and she almost missed the boarding announcement. She jumped up and nearly dropped her phone. She had absolutely no grace. But she didn’t care. She looked at the message again. Not much longer, indeed.
She found her seat, stored her bag overhead, and then sat in the seat next to the window. It wasn’t that she wanted it next to the window, but just thought that staring out of it, other people wouldn’t try to talk to her. He was her only focus.
She closed her eyes and saw his face in front of her. She couldn’t recall precisely how they had gotten on the subject of actually meeting in person. He told her one day he was craving her. Then she realized she was craving him, too. Then they decided she would fly to him since she had never been on a plane. He wanted to be her first. And he was her first for many things.
She had had a few relationships before him, but none of them felt whole. There was always something missing. And she never truly felt love, not for them or from them. But with him, she felt so special. She felt like a priority, not an option.
She was jolted back to reality when she felt the plane shaking. Then she realized they were landing. Did she seriously spend the last four hours lost in thoughts of him? Was that even possible?
She wasn’t sure why she waited for most of the people to get off first. Was that a moment of pause? Was that a question of whether this was the right thing to do or not? No. There was no doubt.
She walked through the airport, trying to find her way out. He had told her what to do when she got off the plane. Where to go. She went back to that message to get some clarity. As she found her way out, she saw a man holding a sign with her name on it.
She walked to the guy and told him her name. He opened the door to a very nice car. She buckled up as he went around to the driver's seat. He explained that he was hired to escort her to her destination, the hotel he had picked and paid for. He said he didn’t want her to feel any pressure, so he was putting her up at the hotel close to him.
She watched the city go by as the butterflies got stronger. At times, she thought she might throw up. What was she doing? This wasn’t her. But it was her. Who she was with him. He changed everything. All she knew was she wanted this to be real.
The driver pulled up to the fanciest hotel she had ever seen. Large ornate columns. The ceiling had to be at least 30 feet high. Giant chandeliers everywhere. A polished, shiny floor. She could almost see herself in it. She felt so out of place. So underdressed. She was worried people might be staring at her. Then she thought it didn’t matter if they were. She made her way to the Front Desk.
She wondered if the lady behind the desk knew anything. Could she tell by the look on her face what was happening? She continued to pay close attention to her breathing. She could barely hear the lady instruct her on how to reach the elevators that would take her to the 12th floor.
She had tunnel vision as she headed for the elevators. Seconds felt like minutes. Minutes felt like hours. Not long now. That kept replaying in her head. She felt the butterflies on the verge of shattering her body as they escaped. Slow, steady breaths.
She stood in the elevator's corner and watched as the floor numbers lit up one by one. All her senses seemed to be heightened. She could smell the other three people riding with her. She could hear their heartbeats—at least she thought she could. Could they hear and smell her? She hoped not. She was lost in thought again, and she almost missed her floor.
She looked at the sign before her, telling her which way to go. It was now that she felt hesitation. What was she doing? This has to be the most insane thing she has ever done. But what if it isn’t worth all of this? What if the last few months were really a dream? A hallucination? Why was she having doubts now?
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She waited until her heart rate slowed. She went the way the arrow told her to go. She was almost to the end of the hall before she found the room. She inserted the key. There was no hesitation now. It wasn’t until she opened the door that she realized she had been holding her breath.
She wasn’t sure what she expected, if she expected him to be here. Flowers. Soft music. But the room was empty. No one else was there. No flowers. Nothing. Just a regular hotel room. It was a nice hotel room. A king-size bed, where she put her suitcase. She opened the curtains and took in the breathtaking view. She could see the river walk and numerous small shops and cafés. It looked so, so what? Quaint. Yes. It all looked so quaint.
Her heart stopped when she turned around. He was there. She didn’t hear him come in. She was frozen. He was really right there in front of her. Neither of them moved. They just took each other in visually. In her eyes, he was absolutely beautiful. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have a six-pack. Or that his smile was a little crooked. It was him. And that was all that mattered.
“Hello Dayna,” he finally said when their eyes met again. She melted. She loved the way he said her name.
“Liam,” was all she could say. Words completely failed her. She had never been speechless before, but now she had no words.
She thought she would catch fire with each step he took towards her. So deliberate. So steady. He stopped just inches from her. She could feel heat coming off of him. She could smell him. She could hear his heart beating and rhythm with hers. The world had stopped.
Lightning shot through her when he grabbed her hand. She didn’t fight anything. Her eyes dropped as he grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips, gently kissing it. Then he placed her hand on his cheek. She automatically brought up the other hand, so she was holding his face with both of her hands.
“This is real?” she questioned. Looking into his eyes, her inner turmoil subsided. This felt so natural. He lowered his head and kissed her. His lips were soft, and his breath was sweet. She shook when she felt his tongue. Then they merged into one being. She fully surrendered to him. He knew she was his.
She could feel his arms engulfing her and bringing her closer. She couldn’t help thinking this was what heaven felt like. Just his kisses stirred up feelings inside her she had never had before. Any doubt she had had dissipated. All doubt was gone.
He pulled back to look at her again. He searched her face. He loved every inch of her. Her blue eyes. Her cute button nose. Her long black hair. He couldn’t wait to explore her. She couldn’t wait to explore him.
They kissed again, and this time she could feel his hands roaming over her body. He didn’t really grab or squeeze anything. He just caressed her. Her curves. Her flaws. Those are what made her her. And that was what he loved.
He slowly and methodically slid her shirt off her. As he looked in her eyes, his fingers grazed the top of her breast. She could feel flames raging inside her. Every nerve ending just caught fire.
He felt her shiver. He smiled that perfect crooked smile. He wanted her to know she was breathtaking—just the way she was. He pulled a bra strap down and leaned down to kiss her shoulder. She closed her eyes and grabbed hold of him as she swayed. Then, she was safe in his arms.
He moved to her neck. His lips were so soft. She unexpectedly let out a small moan. This made him smile. But he kept kissing her. He wanted to kiss every inch of her. He unclasped her bra so quickly. She didn’t even realize it until it was halfway to the floor.
She ran her fingers through his hair as he moved to her breast. He slowly licked and kissed all over them. She shuddered when he nibbled on her nipple. She couldn’t help but wonder if she could get any closer to him. She wanted more than their bodies just touching. She wanted to melt into him. Merge into one being.
He gently lifted her off the floor. She was now the same height as him. She looked at his lips before kissing him again. His kiss was everything she imagined, if not more. She then felt the fire, the genuine love pouring out of him. She had never felt that with anyone before.
He carried her to the bed and gently lowered her onto it. Even though he was on top of her, he was weightless. He raised just enough to look her in her eyes. He gazed at her adoringly. He couldn’t get enough of her. Nor she of him. He leaned down and kissed her. Harder now. More passion. More fury.
Liam pulled his shirt off, and she just stared. She ran both hands over his chest. She liked that he didn’t have a lot of hair. Just a little bit here and there. She pulled him to her and they kissed more.
After a few minutes of frenzied kissing and groping, Liam stood up and undressed. Dayna undressed and laid back down on the bed.
Then he was back on top of her. Her whole body could rival the sun for heat. He had to feel it. He reached down with one hand, and before she knew it, he was entering her. All the butterflies fighting to get out before were now doing cartwheels and flip-flops at his touch. He pulled back, then entered a little more. With how wet she was, it didn’t take long for him to be inside her fully. Now they truly felt like one being. One soul.
They stared into each other’s eyes as he slid in and out. Every nerve ending caught fire again with each thrust. She didn’t want to close her eyes for fear it wasn’t real. But he felt so amazing. With their eyes locked, they found a natural rhythm. He leaned in and kissed her. He was so gentle yet forceful. He was her liege. She was his vassal.
She wrapped her legs around him. He was entirely hers. She closed her eyes and held him close. Their bodies rocked steadily. In one quick motion, he wrapped his arm around her waist and rolled them over. Staying inside her the whole time. Now she was on top. He was good, she thought to herself.
She raised and arched her back as she rose up and down on him. He reached up and caressed her breast. She put her hands on top of his. She wasn’t sure why, but it just felt natural. He felt natural. He was everything. She looked down to see him staring at her. Usually, she would keep her eyes closed. She never knew why. But with him, she wanted to keep them open. She wanted to see his face. She wanted to see his body. She wanted to see his soul. She craved him.
She rode him intensely. She wanted every inch of him inside her. He held onto her hips, guiding them. She went up and down and back and forth. Their rhythm was steady. They were in sync. She didn’t want it to end. She wanted him inside her. She needed him inside her.
She leaned down to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled him over again so he was back on top. Never missing a beat. The rhythm was still solid. She adjusted her hips slightly. This caused him to hit that one spot. And when he did, she erupted. He moaned when he felt it, which made her do it again.
He started moving harder and faster and getting deeper. She held on tightly. She couldn’t get enough. He leaned down to kiss her as he filled her up. She tensed up and wrapped her legs around him to hold him inside. She wanted every drop.
He slid in and out several more times until he was completely done. Although it only lasted a few minutes, it was precisely what they wanted—those few minutes intertwined with each other. They would have the rest of the weekend to explore each other. But those few minutes were everything. They were heaven.
He rolled off of her. He propped up the pillows and laid back. He then pulled her to him. She curled up next to him and put her head on his chest. She didn’t want to think about what happened next. She just knew she didn’t want this to end. She felt so comfortable with him. Her body tingled as she felt his fingers in her hair. He kissed her forehead. He didn’t wanna let her go. She didn’t wanna let him go. They held onto each other as they drifted off.
