Under the Elms

Love in a Garden

What do you think my body is telling you, Sofia?' His voice was soft, sensual, deep with meaning. Her name was said as a caress, smooth and intimate. Combined with the heady scent of the garden surrounding them, she was intoxicated without a drop to drink.

'I'm afraid to say; I don't want to speak for you and get it wrong,' she whispered, their mouths so close to each other they were almost touching.

'Listen again,' he murmured against her lips, and kissed her again. This kiss was just as tender, but so intense Sofia felt as connected as she did when they were making love. The moan it evoked motivated Prince to pull her completely onto his lap, so his hands could touch the skin of her back. The slow, delicate strokes he made down her spine combined with the beautiful kiss were Sofia's undoing. Tears she wasn't aware of began rolling down her face. Prince felt wetness on his cheek, and slowly stopped the kiss. He simultaneously moved his hand up to cradle the back of her head, fingers threading through her hair.

'What's the matter, babe?' As he spoke, he carefully wiped the tears from her sparkling eyes, their color intensified by the unshed tears pooling along her lower lashes.

'It's so intense, what you make me feel. It's so much, the emotion crashes over me. I lose myself, then find myself, then I'm completely undone. I don't know what to do with all this.'

'You can believe in it.' The thumb of the hand that wiped the tears from her eyes traced down her jaw, lingering just under her lower lip, moving back and forth in a hypnotic motion. Prince's eyes focused on her lips, giving her a chance to regroup. He knew the intensity of his gaze could make her skittish, which was the opposite of what he wanted.

'But isn't it too soon? Today is Tuesday. We haven't spent a week's worth of days together yet.'

'Do you think I can manufacture those feelings?' He placed a quick kiss at the corner of her mouth. 'This isn't acting, Sofia. I've kissed women when acting, and it's nothing like this, you get me?' He paused to let his lips caress her cheek; her eyes fell closed in response. Moving over to her ear, he murmured in a seductive almost-whisper, 'We feel what we feel. Believe in what my body is saying. You feel like home to me, a safe and beautiful haven where my soul wants to stay.'

'I want that, I do-' Prince could hear the hesitation, and didn't want to let it dissuade her.

'Good,' he interrupted. 'That's enough for now. Just keep listening.' He captured her lips in yet another kiss, swallowing the moan he received in response.

Coming up for air, Sofia rested her forehead on his. 'You can tell me things with words, too. You are known for your way with a lyric.'

'Remember, I played several songs for you. Lyrics work for me. I can revise them until they're saying exactly what I want to say. Just talking is hard sometimes; the words don't come out right, but if I write them out too far in advance, it sounds insincere. Sofia, believe me when I say no other woman has given me this sense of peace, while making me desire her all the time. This is what I've been searching for. My heart knew where it needed to be all along, but I wasn't listening.'

'I'll try, I really will,' she replied. How do I get past my fear of history repeating itself?

Prince caught her change of demeanor immediately. 'What's got you so thoughtful all of a sudden? Are you worrying about something?'

'Not really. Just thinking about what you said.'

'Look, I know there's a cloud hanging over us filled with your memories of our past, of how I treated you before. I think it's distracting you from living in the present. I know the only way to get past it is to prove I've changed, and I know that takes time. But you have to be willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. Can you do that, babe? It's the only way this is gonna work.'