Along for the Ride Read Online Free PDF

garden.
    “Last week was…” Lauren began.
    She meant to say that it was new to her, that she’d never done anything like it before. She had, in fact, never slept with a man before the fourth date, a rule that despite its arbitrariness had served her well, she thought.
    Until now.
    “It was amazing,” Rafi finished. “Lauren, you are an incredible lover. You have been in my mind all week.”
    “But how…” Lauren trailed off, striving to find the words to express her doubts. “I am not a skilled lover. And I'm not strong, not flexible. You gave me pleasure. I did nothing. I just—” Lay there , she thought, drinking in every touch, every taste of him. As he’d rocked against her, she’d held on desperately, aching to feel every bit of him, but it was his rhythm she clung to. “I gave nothing.”
    “Lauren.” His voice was sharp. He stopped abruptly, spinning her to face him. Far off she could hear the sounds of the expressway; at her feet a few dried leaves scuttled past. “You think I speak of acrobatic skill when I describe your lovemaking? You think I expect you to contort yourself into elaborate positions?”
    Lauren flushed at the intensity of his stare. As always, when he was provoked, his eyes sparked brilliantly, and she reacted hungrily.
    “I only meant—”
    “What a woman brings to lovemaking—a man who pays attention can know her secrets. So many women bring their bodies and little else. Some bring their expectations, their demands, and even while they are making love you see in their eyes that they are far away, calculating how they can trade for what they want.
    “But you, Lauren—” Rafi cupped her face in his hands, the warmth of his touch melting against her. “You love with your heart. Your mind. Your body. When you press against me, I feel your hunger for me, and it makes my own desire soar. Your kisses are guided by what is inside…” He traced a finger down her lapels, circling her breasts, her heart. “That is the most erotic thing of all.”
    Lauren felt her breath come in ragged gasps. “You...” she swallowed hard. “You make me want you. You make me want more. I only wish I wasn't so old. I want to be...”
    She wanted to be a riveting lover, one worthy of him. A vixen. A temptress.
    Immediately she was ashamed of her desires, and tucked her head under his chin, hoping he would not notice the hot surge of blood coloring her face. But even as she rested against the crisp cotton of his white shirt, she inhaled him, the combination of scents that defied detection and drove her crazy.
    Rafi slipped his hands inside her coat and circled her waist, drawing her closer. “And so we shall. We shall learn together.”
    They walked, Rafi's arm still around her. And they talked. “How did you find this place?” Lauren asked.
    “A friend showed it to me.”
    “A…woman friend?”
    Rafi was silent for a moment. “Yes. I have been blessed with many friends since I arrived in this country. I did not leave relatives, family behind, so you see, it has been a great comfort to find friendship here.”
    Lauren felt a stab of jealousy, and wanted to ask if he slept with all the good friends he made. But she chastised herself for the thought. Of course he’d had many lovers; that was how he’d come by his skill. And wasn’t that what she wanted? To drink in this unfamiliar pleasure, take what he offered, salve for the pain of Philip’s rejection? She mustn’t have any illusions of this affair being any more than it was. For Rafi, an older woman must be a novelty, but eventually youth and beauty would draw him back.
    Lauren renewed her vow to accept Rafi’s gifts of pleasure, but not to ask for more than was offered. “And, you like the gardens?” she asked, willing her voice to neutrality.
    He nodded. “My family once had a garden. I would like to have some land of my own. Not much, a small yard, some shady trees, an herb garden. I will someday have a house here.”
    Lauren