by Loren
Gene bit her lip. “That didn’t sound creepy at all,” she said, and he grimaced.
He groaned, opening her car door. “Let’s just pretend I didn’t say that and listen to some music until we get home.”
She agreed and smiled as he turned from the radio to connect his iPod and handed the small device to her.
“Alright, DJ. So, let’s see what you can do,” he said as he started the car.
Gene loved music, and she loved how eclectic her own taste was. She scrolled through his artists to see just how diverse his own taste was.
“You got it,” she said, starting her music playlist with Frank Sinatra.
“A classic,” Liam said, bobbing his head. “Nice to know you appreciate the greats.”
“Of course,” Gene said, scrolling quickly to find something before “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” ended. Next, she chose “Livin’ On a Prayer” by Bon Jovi.
“Another good choice,” Liam said as he sang along teasing her at a red light by playing his air guitar and screaming the lyrics at the top of his lungs. He was interrupted by a car honk behind them. He took his foot off the brake and continued driving.
She quickly changed the song to “Lose Yourself” by Eminem and Liam laughed. “I went through an Eminem phase in high school, but I think most of us did.”
“Did you dye your hair with alcohol too?”
He smirked. “I’ll never tell.” She could imagine him with platinum blond hair. She gasped, and he said, “What?”
“I can’t believe you have this,” she said as she chose “Floetry Say Yes.”
“Of course, I do. This was like a moment in the 2000s.”
It really was. She could remember when she first heard the song on the radio.
She sang along to it under her breath and let the entire song play out before playing Ludacris’ “How Low.”
“You have a lot of Ludacris,” she said, scrolling through the albums.
“I have every album. He’s my favorite rapper.”
“What?” Gene said in disbelief.
“Yup, you better believe it. Ludacris should be in everyone’s top five, but he’s the most underrated rapper of all time which makes no sense because he has bars.”
Gene laughed and then frowned when she realized Liam had pulled into his own driveway. The date was over.
“Let me walk you to your door,” he said, walking around to her door and helped her get out. “The next time you come over, I will play you some of Ludacris’ top hits and not the commercial ones, the ones that are real hits that the rest of ya’ll are sleeping on.”
Gene laughed. “Okay. I look forward to it,” she said as she approached her door. She hadn’t left the porch light on before she left but the small lights she put in her grass along the driveway were automatic and cast a light faint enough for them to see but dark enough for them to be hidden against her house.
Suddenly nervous, she rummaged through her purse trying to find her keys with shaking hands. She found them once then dropped them again before grabbing them tightly in her hand.
“I really had a good time,” she said, looking down at the ground. “Thanks for everything.”
He tucked his hand under her chin, tipping her head back until he could see her eyes and smiled. “It was my absolute pleasure.”
“Um ...” she said, feeling closer to an anxiety attack than she had been in a while. “I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to do this,” Gene whispered.
“Well, what do you want to do?”
“Maybe ... kiss?”
“Okay,” he said. “We can do that.”
Liam leaned down slowly, holding her gaze until she closed her eyes, unable to take any more and waited until his lips were on hers. He was soft and unassuming, with soft pecks until she wrapped her arms around his neck. He took it as permission to go for more, kissing her deeper and when she opened her mouth to him, he moaned.
She was alive. She was kissing a man ... on her front porch ... after a first date, and she was turning him on.
That was her.
She was doing this, and she could feel herself getting hotter by the second.
Her purse hit the ground somewhere in the distance as she closed the gap between them, pressing up against him as her hands slid down his back and his hands slid down to her ass. She jumped as he squeezed her butt cheek, causing their lips to separate. He took the time to kiss across her jaw to her ear, sucking her lobe and awakening something she’d thought had long crawled inside of her and died.
“You want to let me come in?” Liam whispered in her ears, as they rubbed against each other. Heavy petting was exactly what it was. It was hot and childish like they were kids in high school who didn’t know what to do with themselves.
Yes.
“No,” she said, and like he had seized, his limbs went stiff, and he took a step back.
“Okay,” he said. “Then it was a pleasure to see you. Thank you for your presence at dinner, and I’ll see you, again hopefully, soon.”
“Okay,” she said with a soft smile. “Good night.”
“Good night,” he mumbled and walked back to his house.
Gene could hear her friends’ voices over the screaming of her own body in protest.
Take your own advice.
Be happy.
Live a little
His dick might be big. That was Ginger, and Gene laughed out loud. She hadn’t had fun in a long time and hadn’t been intimate for even longer. Her vibrator hadn’t gotten a lot of play in a while either. She thought a moment, facing her front door, chewing on her bottom lip, struggling to go with what she wanted over what was safe.
“Liam,” she called out, deciding to take a chance for once. “Wait.”
He had taken the long route walking down Gene’s driveway along the street and was at the base of his own driveway.
“Yeah?” he said, his voice strangely neutral.
“Come here,” she said, her voice dropping to an octave she hadn’t gone to in years.
He crossed the pavement in quick long strides.
“You sure?” he asked, looking in her eyes for certainty.
“Yeah. This is what I want,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing up on her tiptoes. “Come inside with me,” she whispered before leaning forward, kissing him with new found confidence. When she pulled back, she said, “I want this more than ever.”
9
Her hands shook as she turned her key in the deadlock and when she opened it, she turned to Liam, kissing him as he stepped forward, pushing her through the door.
“Get the key,” he mumbled, turning their bodies, so she was facing the door again.
He grabbed her waist, holding her steady as she took her key out and closed the door again. The keys fell from her hands scattering somewhere in the dark, but she didn’t care. She turned the deadbolt and turned to face him in the dark.
His hands skimmed up her bare legs, right to her core where only a layer of lace separated them.
He nuzzled her neck and nipped her ear. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Upstairs,” she gasped, writhing against him as his fingers toyed with her clit through the material.
He leaned forward, kissing her again, long drugging kisses that made her forget what the hell they were talking about. “Are you going to lead the way or do I have to find it for myself?”
Her brain felt foggy, unclear as she stumbled forward, pushing him out of the way. He grabbed her hand, and through the darkness, they went up the stairs and down the hall to the left. She didn’t turn on any lights until she reached the nightstand beside her bed.
Liam was right beside her ready, and he pulled her to him. His lips shifted to her jaw, her neck, her collarbone, kissing and sucking while his hands bunched her dress up until it was ready to pull over her head. She didn’t stop him. When she was naked, clad only in her panties, she said, “You have too many clothes on.”
He pulled
back slowly and reached to pull the hem of his shirt up. Gene reached forward to run her hands along his bare chest and shoulders as her mouth found his throat. Her heart raced as he moaned deep in his chest. She could hear the shuffling of his hands working his pants undone. She brought her hands down to follow the soft dusting of hair trailing down his abdomen. His muscles contracted as she got closer to his crotch where thankfully his jeans were already waiting to be pushed to the floor. She preferred to caress the length of him over the fabric of his boxer briefs. His quiet intake of breath preceded him pushing her hands away to strip fully.
He stood confidently not bothering to cover up as Gene stared at his erection jutting proudly, slightly curved to the left, heavy and thick. He was one hell of a man. She couldn’t even be mad at his arrogance. If she looked like him, she would pose too. She made sure to look long and good. That kind of mental picture would help her in the future lonely nights. She only planned to do this once.
He put his hands around her waist, bringing their bodies together. She closed her eyes at the warmth. This was what she wanted. His hands fisted in her hair, and pulled her head back and up so he could access her mouth. He sucked her tongue for a moment, and then slowly withdrew to bite her bottom lip. He began to walk her slowly backward until the back of her knees hit the bed, and pulled back to allow her to scoot onto the bed. He bent to grab something from his pants before crawling onto the bed and towards her.
Her hands were everywhere as he covered her body. His chest, his shoulders, his back, until they finally rested on his ass and squeezed, pulling him forward to rock against her.
“Please tell me you have a condom.”
He moaned as he rocked against her. Her panties were a thin protection. “I do.”
“Then stop teasing me,” she panted.
His eyes were a lusty haze as his gaze took her in from head to toe. “Not yet.”
His eyes skimmed her face, her pale skin, and small breasts. His head dropped and nuzzled them before his mouth clamped over her nipple and sucked. She arched into him, giving him more flesh to taste. Her nipples were her favorite body part to have touched.
“Yes.” Gene’s hands found their way into his hair, twisting and pulling his face up to meet hers. “Now?”
“Not yet,” he said, aroused and amused. His mouth went to her other breast, laving it with the same attention before his hands settled under her and lifted. He was playing with her, moving in circles against her and they both gasp. They were too old to be dry humping.
“Fuck me. Now,” she said, her eyes closing on their own.
“Okay.” He ripped her panties down her legs and threw them somewhere behind him.
Finally.
The condom wrapper tore loudly, crinkling in his hand before he sheathed his erection. Secure, he bent to grab one of her legs, lifting it over his shoulder. “How do you want this?”
It was nice of him to ask. Since she stopped sleeping with Arnold the moment she realized he was sleeping with other women, she hadn’t had sex in almost five years. Considering that, if she was smart she would ask for it nice and slow.
“Hard and fast.”
This wasn’t a rom-com. She didn’t have the luxury of slow and intimate. They were already too intimate by being face-to-face and kissing.
He groaned. “Done.”
Before he pushed in, his fingers skimmed her opening, checking to make sure she was wet. At least he was considerate. Seeing she was more than ready, he eased inside of her, pushing inch by inch, moaning when he couldn’t get any deeper. She felt a whole lot tighter than she had last time. Maybe the dildos just weren’t up to the same level as a regular dick. Her face must have said what her mouth didn’t.
“You okay?” Liam asked.
She didn’t trust herself to say yes. She nodded. “Go ahead.”
He waited instead, allowing her time to adjust and only when she finally unclenched her muscles did he pull out to thrust back in. His hips moved slowly, picking up the pace as he thrust inside her hard and deep, over and over again until his breath became ragged. Little beads of sweat dotted his brow, and although Gene was enjoying it, she was stuck, unable to turn off her own inner dialogue.
“Gene,” Liam said, leaning down until they were face to face and all she could see were his green eyes. “Stay with me. Right here.” His hands massaged her clit and sending all her body’s focus to that one spot. “You with me?”
His eyes were dilated, and she wondered if hers were as well. “Yeah,” she said, tightening her legs around his back. “I’m here.” Her fingers dug into his flesh, and for a moment she felt like a lightning rod getting hit with an unexpected wave of ecstasy as she let go, crying out as a wave of her orgasm took her over the edge. His muscles tensed and he buried himself inside her, freezing as a guttural groan rumbled deep in his throat. He flinched, letting his pleasure play out fully before his grip eased. He pulled out and kissed her shoulder.
A bittersweet feeling sat in her chest and covered her tongue. She didn’t know what she was doing, or what to do next. He climbed off her and wandered into her bathroom. The combined light was too much, so she reached up to turn off the lamp on the nightstand.
She had never had a one-night stand before and wasn’t sure of the protocol or how to ask him to leave, but she was too tired to put up much of a fight. She figured he might take the hint and closed her heavy-lidded eyes.
She saw his shadow walk across the room one last time before she closed her eyes for the night.
10
Gene woke slowly, smirking at the last remnants of her dreams. For once she felt rested. She stretched her body, pulling her body taut, arms outstretched and her toes pointing, shifting the covers with her body until she ran into a hard body beside her.
What?
She flinched back, taking the covers with her and tucking them under her chin, instinctively covering her nakedness as she stared at the man who was wide awake and looking at her with a knowing grin. His brown hair was tousled, and in the sunlight, she could see natural blond highlights.
“Good morning.” His voice was gravel, sex, and temptation rolled into one, and her heart raced as the truth of last night caught up to her in the morning light.
“Hi,” she said, still holding herself away from him as if he was a stranger.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
No. She was very much not okay, but she couldn’t say that aloud. There was what appeared to be a naked man in her bed ... a bed that hadn’t seen a man since she moved in. But how could she say that without sounding like a crazy person? Of course, there was a naked man in her bed. She had invited him there.
“Yeah,” she said, though still unmoving. He stayed still too as if knowing that any movement would set her off. She was really close to running away... from her own bed. To where? She wasn’t sure there was anywhere she could be alone to think. She needed to process.
“You don’t look okay,” he said, stating the obvious, and she nodded. “Can you take a deep breath for me?”
Gene nodded but didn’t breathe.
“Just inhale,” he said, pleading with his eyes and she did. “Now let it out,” he coached her, and she exhaled loudly out her mouth. “And again.”
She followed his prompting as if she had forgotten how to breathe on her own and slowly, her muscles relaxed and the violent grip she had on her covers loosened.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yeah,” she said.
“Want to tell me what’s going on over there?” he asked, relaxing onto his back, though his eyes never left Gene’s face.
The stance eased Gene’s mind, and she found herself mirroring him. Lying on their backs, head turned to each other, she answered as close to the truth as she could. She still didn’t really know how to be honest with anyone but herself.
“Not really,” she said.
“Gene,” he said, his hand inching over across the sheet-covered expanse between them to where her h
and lay slightly curled on its side. She watched his hand, struggling not to flinch as it grasped hers. Holding her hand, he turned her palm over so it touched his and interlocked their fingers in a soft hold.
“You can talk to me,” he said. If it weren’t for the silence of the room, it might have been considered a whisper, but she could hear him clearly.
No, she couldn’t. “I know.”
“Are you sure you know that?”
“Yeah,” she said. They didn’t know each other well enough for this.
“It doesn’t seem like you do. Maybe you don’t believe it,” he said as his thumb rubbed a tiny circle into the skin between her thumb and index finger.
What could she say to that? She didn’t believe it or him.
“It doesn’t seem like you trust me at all.”
“Why should I?” she said, finding words closer to the truth.
“Because I’m asking you to,” he said, still rubbing that circle on her hand. “You’ve trusted me with your body,” he said, stating the obvious and making her feel a deep seed of regret. “And I appreciate that,” he added, cooling the growing doubt and sting of judgment. “But if you can trust me with that, why can’t you trust me with anything else?”
It was a good question. Valid, but not one she was going to answer.
“Because,” she said. Because wasn’t good enough.
“Because what, Gene?”
She shrugged. It was childish, and she couldn’t stop herself. What she wanted to say wouldn’t come out right.
“You can trust me, Gene. I just want you to talk to me.”
“The last time I trusted someone, they hurt me.” That was closer to the truth.
“But have I done something to earn that same treatment?” His voice was sad and tinged with disappointment.
“No... but I don’t know you,” she said, turning her head to stare at the ceiling. “I just met you.”
“So?” he said, turning on his side and propping his head up so he could still see her face. “What does that matter? We like each other. We had a good time. I’m in your bed... your house. Why can’t I be in your heart too?”
