CHAPTER 4
 

It was darker there along the side of the house, sheltered as it was from the light of the moon and the back porchlight.  Justin grabbed her hand and kissed it softly, hoping to ease her obvious frustration at his off-limits attitude.  He could now see her eyes, thanks to the moon finally peeking up around the house.

"I want to get to know you.  Is that so bad?  Once we start kissing, I get no further toward that goal.  I just end up naked, sweaty and out of breath.  I don't recall ever meeting a woman who grabbed my attention like you have.  You rock me to my core in every way.  I never thought I'd meet anyone more insatiable than I am!" Justin said as he grinned at Deb's shocked expression and took her in his arms.

As he leaned his face toward hers, he whispered, "I'm gonna kiss you now, Deb.  Promise me you'll talk to me afterwards?"

Deb nodded her head and met his lips with hers, stroking his cheek softly as she opened her mouth to taste his sweet kiss.  He let his tongue float into her mouth, tickling first the inside of her bottom lip and then her own tongue.  It wasn't a passionate kiss.  It was so much more than that.  It was the kind of long, slow kiss that stirs your blood, while leaving you light-headed and panting for more.  Deb silently thanked God that she had him to cling to or she would have melted onto the sand.

The kiss went on for several minutes, becoming hotter and hotter.  Deb heard herself moaning at one point, right before she jumped up and wrapped her legs around Justin's waist.  This only fueled the fire as his hands found her ass and he grinded himself against her. He broke the kiss to breathe for a moment.  Deb's arms were holding him tight with one hand tangled in his blond curls.  She placed one finger on his chin and turned his face toward her so she could see his eyes better.  They were dark but warm and alive.  Deb couldn't help but fall into his eyes as she said, "What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know.  Maybe something along the lines of 'what the hell just happened'?" he said, barely above a whisper as he ran his own hand through his hair and slowly let himself and Deb sink to the ground.

Having landed on his knees, Justin looked down at her, watching the silvery blue shadows made by the moonlight as they danced across her face.  Deb had landed down on the sand and she pulled him down to her level by the buckle of his belt.  They sprawled out on the sand, laughing at their total lack of control.

After the laughter ceased, they sat facing each other, their eyes exchanging unspoken feelings that took them both by surprise.  The telephone in the house broke their trance and Justin hopped up, pausing long enough to grab her hand and pull her along.  She watched him answer and then mouth the word "mom" to her, once they got inside.  He still seemed to be in a trance as he continued to gaze at Deb and stroke her cheek with his thumb.  She noticed he wasn't even listening. Deb heard Justin's normally soft-spoken mother, from what she had read, say his name loudly through the receiver.  'Yeah, yeah, sorry," he said, shaking his head and turning around to plop down on the bed.

He kicked off his sneakers and ripped off his socks, while also motioning to Deb to join him in amongst the rumpled bedcovers that were strewn about the rather large bed.  She crawled onto the bed and sat next to him, placing her hand on his leg.  As she rubbed the inside of his thigh, she leaned in close and felt his arm drape around her, drawing her closer.  She watched and listened to him talking to his mom for a few minutes and then put her head on his lap.  She was very tired from lack of sleep, not to mention the wine consumed with dinner.

Justin finally hung up from his mom and said, "I'm sorry, baby.  She had some messages from the guys.  I have to call JC now.  It'll only take a few minutes, I promise!"

He dialed the number and then leaned down to kiss her pouting lips.  Deb, never one to let a perfect opportunity pass, instantly buried her right hand in his hair and used the leverage to pull him into another kiss and another.  As they lazily licked and sucked each other's lips, JC's voice came over the phone line.  "Hello....Hello?" he said.

Justin finally broke Deb's grip on his hair and sat up, saying, "Hey JC!  Mom says you called.  What's up?"

"You need to come to Orlando, J.  We have to have a group meeting about the 2nd leg of the tour.  We've got to do some work on our VMA choreography and we also have to discuss this Christmas special that Johnny thinks we should do.  Sorry to cut your vacation short," JC said.

"Oh man!  You're kidding!  I've only been here a few days!  Can't we have a conference call or something?" Justin said, scrunching up his face and looking down at Deb, still lying in his lap.

"Those conference calls never work for us.  Besides, how can we practice our footwork if you are in South Carolina?"

"Damn, JC.  I'm just starting to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet.  This is really bumming me out," Justin said, sighing and shaking his head.

"Take another day, but then you need to be here, ready to work," JC said.  "What are you doing, by the way?"

Justin looked down at Deb again, whose eyes were closed.  He traced a finger around her lips and said, "I met someone."

"Who?"

"Someone who is very good for me," Justin said, smiling as Deb's lips curved into a grin.

"I guess I'm happy for you, J.  But don't rush anything, ok?  You just broke up with Britney."

"Who is Britney?" Justin said softly.

JC said, "Justin....I hope you are moving slowly.  I hope it's not a fan or some tramp you met in a bar."

"Ok, well, JC, I'll see you in Orlando in a day or two.  Thanks for ruining my vacation," Justin whined.  "Bye..."

As he clicked the phone off, Deb sat up.  "You have to go?" she said, looking like she was going to cry.  He just nodded sadly as he held her gaze and then leaned in to rub his lips against hers.

He nudged her lips apart slowly and kissed her.  Deb put her hands to his face and kissed him deeply, trying to strangle the tears that threatened to consume her.  It was true that she did hunger for him, but he had become more precious to her than she thought possible.

She may have just met him, but it felt like she'd known him her whole life.  She crawled into his lap to get closer, her arms wrapped around his neck, her fingers deep in his messy hair.  Gone were the sweet, lingering kisses as they both lost themselves to the desperation they each felt.  Both were too entwined in the feelings to realize how deep they had become already.

The last few days came back, rushing through Deb's mind as she kissed Justin.  When she came back to herself, she was just holding him tightly and resting her head on his shoulder.

As she sat back to look him in the face, Justin softly said, "Come to Orlando with me."

Deb just stared at him.  Her mouth had dropped open so, with a grin, Justin leaned forward and stuck his finger in her mouth.  Playfully, she bit down and sucked on it erotically.  Justin's reaction to the playful teasing was to kiss her roughly.  All she could do was mumble against his lips, "Me?  Come to Orlando?"

He leaned back and focused his eyes again.  "Yeah you, do you see anyone else in the room, sitting on my lap, smothering me with kisses?"

She smiled at him and then slid off his lap to sit on the edge of the bed.  She felt rumpled like his covers as she straightened her clothes and hair and tried to think about his offer.  It wasn't working very well because he soon was sitting next to her on the edge of the bed, his leg hot against her own.  She looked up at him, confused.

"You don't want to come with me?" he said, pouting his bottom lip out like he did when he was sad.  She'd seen it a million times and thought it was exaggerated for the camera.  But it wasn't and she couldn't help but kiss his lips until he grinned again.  "You are trying to distract me, aren't you?" he mumbled.

"No, I'm trying to make your lips happy again," Deb said, simply.  "I do want to come with you more than anything."

"What's the problem then?" he said, stroking her face, noticing they were still sitting in the dark and bathed only in moonlight.  He turned on a light by the bed and then looked at her again.

"What's the problem?  It's not that easy, Justin.  I've got a life here and a job.  I have responsibilities.  Running off with you to Orlando seems a bit 'groupie-ish', don't you think?"

"Quit your job," he said and left a kiss on her lips before standing up and disappearing into the kitchen.

"Quit my job?" was all Deb said as she watched him, shaking her head with disbelief.

"Why are you repeating everything I say?" she heard him yell from the kitchen.

She just buried her face in her hands and laughed.  She couldn't believe how drastically her life had changed in the last few days.  Justin wanted her to accompany him to Orlando.  That would mean that her picture could possibly be on the internet and in tabloids.  That would mean she might be asked questions from her own family and friends.  But she would also get to meet the rest of *NSYNC.  That would mean she'd be spending time with her favorite group.  That would mean answering questions from them about how she and Justin met and what her intentions were.

She'd never even thought about quitting her job and leaving her life.  She'd just been living in this fantasy that their time together wouldn't end and if it did, she'd deal with it then.  It was inevitable from the beginning that he wouldn't be staying here on her beach forever.  He had to go back to his life.

She came to notice him standing in front of her, holding out a glass of iced tea.  She took it but not before looking up at him.  He was smiling at her, the big friendly smile, and his eyes grinned at her too.  "What?" he said and sat beside her again.

She rolled her eyes at her total lack of concentration.  It was easy to just lose herself in him and now he was turning on all his charms, trying to convince her to do his bidding.  'God!  He is merciless!'

"Why do you want me to come to Orlando with you?" Deb said, trying to ignore him and concentrate on her tea.

He set his drink down and turned sideways to face her.  "I just met you.  I want to get to know you.  We haven't even got to explore this, whatever this is," he said, as he rubbed the inside of her thigh and kissed her cheek.

The kiss on the cheek became a nuzzle to her neck, and then a quick lick of her earlobe, before he leaned back again and looked lovingly into her eyes.  Deb couldn't believe what she was seeing.  Justin's eyes told her what hadn't come from his lips...yet.  Justin was falling for her too!

Deb took a long drink of her tea before saying anything.  The look in Justin's eyes positively terrified her and she didn't know why.  It was beautiful.  It made her feel beautiful.  She stood up and set her drink down.

"Um, I don't know what to say.  I'm all of a sudden very confused and feeling a little queasy.  I'm terrified!  Oh, God!" was all Deb said as she disappeared into the bathroom.

Justin, shaking his head, said to himself, "Well, Timberlake, you ask a lady to go to Orlando with you and she throws up."

Justin gathered a few sweaters and wandered out to the beach, leaving the door open so Deb would know where he was.  The waves that were breaking on the beach were almost flourescent in the moonlight.  He used a lighter and with some wood he'd been collecting for a week, he started a little fire before sitting down in the sand.  He snuggled into a sweater that looked big enough to fit one of *NSYNC's bodyguards and was just about to go check on Deb when she joined him by the fire, looking a little less distraught.  He handed her a sweater that she shrugged on.  "Thanks," she said, softly.  "I'm sorry for back there.  Sometimes, when I get nervous or scared, I just lose it."

"Why are you nervous?" he asked.

"You just asked me to quit my job and follow you to Orlando!" Deb said with frustration.

"And?" he said, grinning at her wild eyes and nervous smile.

"And I'm just trying to figure out how I can climb out of my own life and dive into yours!"

Justin laughed at Deb's drama play but suddenly felt that maybe he was asking too much.  He'd just met her.  He didn't even know her last name.  He knew nothing about Deb, the person, because he'd been so crazed with the exploration of Deb, the woman.  All of a sudden, he was a little ashamed of himself and felt he should give Deb an out, in case it was too much, too soon.

"Deb, I could just go take care of all this and then come back.  That way, you don't have to abandon what you have," he said, putting his arm around her shoulders and drawing her close.

Deb looked at him thoughtfully.  She didn't want to watch him leave. Would he ever come back?  She watched him as he watched the fire, noticing the serious look on his face.  He was rubbing her arm with his hand which made her feel warm all over.  She reached up to push one of his curls off his forehead and stroked his face.  Kissing his cheek and then his nose, she said, "You won't come back."

Justin turned his face to look at her.  "What makes you think that?" he said, his eyes roaming her face.

"Once they get you, you'll be swept up in the huge *NSYNC wave and you'll be too busy to come back," Deb said sadly as she wrapped both her arms around him...afraid he'd disappear into thin air.

He knew she was right.  There was a list a mile long of things to do once he got home, among them, reworking the tour and heading back out again.  Desperately, Justin leaned in closer and kissed her pouting lips.  She responded, meeting his lips and opening her own to let him deepen the kiss, which he did, burying his hand in her hair.  As he pushed her back into the sand and covered her with his body, her only thought was of him, filling all her senses.

His hand was warm on her waist and then her back as he moved his hand up under her sweater and shirt, pulled her closer.  His lips were warm and soft against her neck.  She could feel his breath, hot next to her ear as he whispered, "You are so beautiful."

He rose up to look at her and found Deb looking at him through teary eyes.  "Deb, don't cry!  If you can't come with me, I understand," he said and kissed her softly for several moments.  She didn't say a word, just allowing herself to be kissed by him.

Awhile later, she watched Justin sit up and start throwing sand on the fire to put it out.  Deb helped him and then walked toward the white waves, watching them lap up on the beach.  Once Justin was gone, this beautiful beach would be the loneliest place on Earth.  She warmed up considerably as Justin came to stand behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders.  She leaned back into his arms, and softly moaned as he kissed along her neck.

She turned in his arms as she said, with a grin, "I can't let this be a sad memory or it'll ruin this beach for me, Justin."

"What do you mean?" he said, watching the moonlight play with the shadows on her face.

"I know we've only known each other a few days, but remember, I had a bit of a headstart on this.  I already knew I wanted to meet you before I ever did.  I just had a feeling we'd connect if we got a chance," Deb said, scrunching her face.  "I'm not saying this very well."

Justin smiled and kissed her softly, whispering, "You're doing fine."

Deb returned his soft kisses and stroked his face and blowing curls.  "I love you," she said, with her eyes closed and a little smile on her lips.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the shocked look on his beautiful face as his mouth dropped open a bit.  "Whoa," he said, breathing out slowly, seriously returning her gaze.

"I know it's sudden, but it's so simple.  I already knew you were beautiful on the outside and meeting you, I learned how really sweet you are inside.  The real Justin is a million times better than the image.  You are kind, gentle, sensitive and funny.  I was already primed because I had a feeling about you," Deb said with a lump in her throat.  "I realize that you probably aren't where I am, having just met me, and that's ok.  I'm patient with those I love."

"You're completely overwhelmed, aren't you baby?" she whispered against his lips as she kissed them softly.  Justin's silence didn't bother her because he was holding her tightly and stroking her face with his thumb.

He kissed her cheek and buried his face against Deb's neck.  "I don't know what to say.  I feel your love radiate out of you and over me, and it leaves me out of breath and speechless.  I'm sorry," he murmured.

"It's ok.  Don't be sorry," she said quietly.  As she stepped back from his embrace and held his hand, she watched him run his other hand over his face.  They'd both begun to shiver the moment they stepped apart and Justin buried his hands in his pockets.

"Maybe we should go in," he said, smiling shyly, which made Deb's heart ache.  She threaded her hands through his arms and held him tight before turning to walk with him toward the fire.  He kicked some more sand on the smouldering embers and they turned toward the house.

Once inside, they both closed windows and kicked off their shoes.  Justin busied himself making a fire in the fireplace and Deb grabbed a blanket around her shoulders and watched.  He'd turn and look at her every few minutes as if he wanted to say something.  She could tell from his eyes that what she'd said meant something to him.  The man was a show business veteran, but still couldn't hide his feelings from her.

The blaze warmed the room considerably and Deb shucked the blanket.  Justin watched her from his spot by the fireplace as she peeled off one shirt and then two.  Her shorts and panties, she left in a bundle on the floor and she crawled into his bed....all done with her eyes never leaving his.

He watched her as he wiped the dirt off his hands and walked slowly to the side of the bed.  He fluidly took the hem of both shirts and pulled them over his head, dropping them on the floor.  His eyes were dark with emotions he wasn't speaking and as Deb crawled to where he was standing, seeing the mixture of love and longing that were now coming from him.  Justin watched her slide his belt through the loops of his jeans, licking his lips and not saying a word.  She unbuttoned the top button on his jeans and then kissed his stomach softly as she drew him into bed with her.  They worked together to pull off his pants and drop them to the floor as he fell beside her.

Not saying a word, he held her tight against him, molding her body around him.  "Are you okay, baby?" she whispered, stroking his back and fondling the curls at the base of his neck.

He nodded and nestled his body between her legs, letting her feel his hardness.  The kiss he drew her into was long and deep, so much so that Deb was gasping for air when he drew away slowly, panting a little himself.  This was different, Justin more intense than he had been since they met and Deb reveled in his fiery kisses covering her breasts.  His soft lips and tongue, lapping and sucking on her nipples, felt more divine than ever before and she held him so tight, he had to pull away to breathe.

Hands on his cheeks, Deb gazed at him for what seemed like forever, watching the different feelings as they displayed in his eyes.  There was passion there, as always, but also something else.  He kissed her finally, again, parting her lips with his tongue and as he did so, he entered her slowly, his whole body tensing as he did so.  He moaned into her mouth as he kissed her deeper and thrust hard with his hips, filling her completely.  Deb gasped against his mouth as her hands groped at him, trying to pull him deeper inside.  Her mind was whirling with the desire her body felt and she wrapped her arms tighter around the man who breathed heavily against her throat.

His strokes inside her were slow yet urgent; the kind of screwing together that made her come repeatedly.  Justin felt Deb's release over and over, holding back on his own to watch her blooming beneath him.  He continued his passionate assault, kissing and licking and sucking her lips, her neck, her nipples and felt her clinging to him, begging for more.  He winced a little when she even bit his shoulder as one of her orgasms shook them both and then grinned against her neck as he nipped her back.

When Justin finally allowed himself to let go, Deb came again, just from the sheer feeling of his release inside her.  They lay together for several minutes, still kissing and still entwined in each others' bodies.  When he finally did withdraw, he still held her tight and was so quiet, Deb thought he'd fallen asleep.  Then she heard him say, as he rolled onto his back, "God, that was amazing..."

His arm, still threaded around her waist, drew her against him and he looked at her.  Moonlight was the only light in the room and he was struck by how it made Deb's skin look like perfect porcelain.  She loved him.  And it didn't seem to be about his celebrity or money.  She'd practically turned him down flat when he asked her to come with him to Orlando.  He hadn't been turned down in four years!  Yet, here she was, in his bed, beautiful and independent as she was.  His head spun with possibilities as he drifted off into dreamland, holding on to her firmly.

* * * * * * *

The next morning, Justin awoke to find Deb gone.  He squinted against the light as he looked around the room for a sign of her.  As he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he found his jeans and pulled them on.  He walked around the house, not finding a trace of her.  Had it all been a dream?

As he came to the bathroom door, oddly closed, a note taped to the door caught his attention.  He opened it up and read it as he walked back and sat on his bed.

Justin,

Thank you for last night.  It was incredible.  I woke up early and didn't want to wake you.  You always look so angelic when you sleep!  I'm at home if you want to come down when you wake up.

I love you,
Deb

Justin folded the note and tossed it on the table by the bed.  As he buried his face in Deb's pillow, he fell asleep again, mulling over the three words at the bottom of Deb's note.

Deb, sitting on her deck, was doodling in a tablet on her lap.  She was having a hard time concentrating on her dilemma because her mind kept drifting to Justin.  She laughed then because they were one and the same.  Justin WAS her dilemma.   "What is wrong with me?" she yelled into the breeze blowing in from the ocean.

Her thoughts were broken by the doorbell, chiming inside the house.  As she hurried to answer the door, she was hoping it was Justin.  But when she opened the door, her hopes fell and she looked at the face of her friend, Janet, who she'd been neglecting since a certain, gorgeous curly-headed adonis had waltzed into her life.  She immediately fell into Janet's arms and said, "Oh, I'm so glad to see you."

Janet hugged her back, saying, "I was worried.  I haven't heard from you in a few days.  Are you ok?"

Deb pulled Janet inside and hugged her again.  "I'm sorry," she said as she stepped back, shaking her head.  "I've been preoccupied."

They walked out to the deck and sat down, facing each other.  Before Justin, the two women had seen each other every day and if not, they at least phoned each other.  Janet hadn't heard from Deb in 4 days.  AND it was after noon, yet Deb was still dressed in her sweats and tank top.  "What is going on?" she said to her friend, doodling on the tablet in front of her.