Then Mari made her move. “I’m Mari.” Her eyes traveled down his chest and landed in his lap before they came back up, and she added, “So, Robby, are you big everywhere?”
Jonathan laughed out loud, and Robby’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. It only took him a moment to recover. He smirked. “Everything about me is above average in both size and performance capability.”
“Good to know,” Mari said as she sidled closer.
When I looked at Jonathan again, he was smiling and shaking his head. Reaching behind us, he took an empty chair and swung it in front of our table. He sat and stretched his bad leg along the length in front of the table. Thinking it was a little weird he didn’t seem concerned about me, I was turning to retrieve one for myself when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. My arm immediately went around his shoulders as I made sure to brace my weight on his good leg.
His arms tightened around my waist, stilling me. I looked down at him, and he stated, “I promise my leg’s fine. Now relax, because this is your seat for the night.”
I relaxed. Maybe even melted a little, too. I’d never thought it was hot to be told what to do by a guy. Until now. It felt strangely natural for me to be this close to him. Jonathan seemed satisfied at my acceptance of his order and turned his attention to my friends. He relaxed his arms slightly and stated, “All right. I know who Mari is, but I don’t think I caught the rest of your names.”
My friends went about introducing themselves, and I watched as Jonathan weaved his way into the group, like it wasn’t his first time meeting all of them. Of course I already knew he was a total charmer, but it was cool to watch the others fall under his spell. Being perched on his lap while it happened was just an added perk.
After the ladies had a few drinks, and we’d all filled up on appetizers, I was thoroughly enjoying myself. Even though my level of enjoyment had nothing to do with anyone but Leeann. My leg was far past numb, but every time she went to get up, I held her there. I’d decided it was her new spot. Whenever she needed to sit, she could just sit there. I could touch her, and she could touch me. Definitely a win-win situation however you looked at it. At least it was until she insisted she needed to get up. Something about basic bodily functions needing to be tended to before heading home.
That had my attention, because I wasn’t ready to end the evening. Robby and I waited by the exit while the ladies all filed into the restroom. Robby was talking, but I couldn’t focus on him. My stare was fixed on the door she’d be exiting any time now.
When Leeann reappeared, and her eyes found mine, I grinned. Next to me Robby snorted. “Dude, you got it bad. Can’t say I blame you though.”
I didn’t respond. There was no need to deny it, because it was a fact. Leeann had me wanting to do things I’d never even thought of with a girl. But then again, she was nothing like any girl I’d ever been with.
When she reached me, I wrapped my arm around her waist and led us out. Once outside, I slowed our pace so I could have her to myself. “Do you have to go home, or could I persuade you to hang out a little longer.”
She stopped us a few yards away from everyone. “Sorry, I drew the short straw and pulled DD tonight. And they’re all crashing at my place. This part of our date wasn’t thought through very well.”
Turning her to face me, I pressed my body against hers. Cradling her face in my hands, I stroked my thumbs across her cheekbones. “This wasn’t a date, Leeann.”
Her eyes widened, and I felt her flinch, so I continued. “This was more of a … prelude.”
“A prelude?” she whispered as her body relaxed against me. Her lips were closer to mine now, and I wasn’t sure if it was her or me who moved.
“Yeah, you know, like foreplay,” I said, moving even closer. My hands moved further back into her hair, angling her head perfectly for my lips to connect. But I hovered close instead and asked, “How do you feel about foreplay, Leeann?”
Her breath came out shaky as she replied, “If this is your idea of foreplay, I can’t wait to see what you have planned for the real thing.”
A wicked smile spread across my face. “And I can’t wait to show it to you.” When I heard her breath hitch, I closed my lips over hers and gave her a little more to look forward to.
Waking up to the smell of bacon, I knew there was no going back to sleep for me. Following the mouthwatering scent, I ambled toward the kitchen. It’d only been a day since I was able to ditch the crutches, and my leg felt a little unstable this early in the day. Better safe than sorry, I thought as I carried one of them with me. Despite my minor dance moves last night, I’d been careful. It felt fucking great to make progress with my knee. Combine that high with the high from Leeann last night, and I was smiling from ear to ear when I walked into the kitchen.
The noise level in the kitchen was typical for a Saturday morning with my family. It didn’t bother me, though, and I kind of missed it when away at school. Then again, that might be the whole absence makes the heart grow fonder crap.
Dylan and Ryan, my eleven year old brothers, as well as my three year old sister, Ella, crowded around my stepdad, Jake. Mom was dishing up food on their plates while they laughed at some video on Jake’s tablet. The only person missing from the scene was Madison. But since she’d managed to land some kind of scholarship that allowed her to study abroad her freshman year, I wasn’t feeling too bad for her not being there.
Mom caught sight of me standing on both legs and smiled. “Hey kiddo, how’s the knee today?”
“Bearing weight, so we’ll see. Ask me again later,” I said with a shrug, following her direction to take a seat. Seconds later, a plate full of eggs, potatoes, and bacon sat in front of me. There were definitely benefits to being home between semesters. Normally, I spent most of the week up at school, but with my recent surgery, I was staying in San Diego until the spring semester started. This was fine, though, considering Christmas was right around the corner. Not to mention a certain physical therapy assistant who seemed to be taking up all my focus.
“Make sure you don’t overdo it,” Mom said with a pat on my shoulder. “I know you’re anxious to get yourself healed, but overdoing it will only set you back.”
We’d had this discussion before, but I understood it was her job to say stuff like that. Not only because she was Mom, but a nurse too. I was about to tell her I knew that when Jake chimed in.
“I’m sure he’s got a handle on it, Gilly. Come sit down and eat while the food is still hot. It smells delicious by the way. Doesn’t it, kids?”
My younger siblings all voiced their prompted thanks around mouths full of food. Mom smiled before grabbing a plate for herself. I gave Jake a silent thanks for coming to my rescue. We both knew she worried, that’s just who she was, but Jake did a great job redirecting her when necessary. It reminded me of how good Jake was for her. There was a time when my dad did that, but he’d fucked that up. Thinking of my dad made me scowl. Surprisingly, Mom had forgiven him for his transgressions, but I hadn’t.
Everyone quieted down as we ate. Since most of my text conversations with Leeann tended to start off about food, I snapped a picture of my full plate. What better way to start off a conversation, right? Who cared if it was more common for a girl to do shit like that; it seemed to be our thing. I sent the picture with a message that read: Mmm, bacon ;-)
I repeatedly glanced at my phone while eating, waiting for her response. When she didn’t, I assumed she was still sleeping and then felt bad. Waking up early was the norm for me since I trained early. And even though I was still recovering, I didn’t want to change up my routine. It would only make things that much more difficult when I returned to school. Besides, in this house, either you woke with the crowd, or a certain three year old would lift your eyelids to see if you were awake. Ella really was lucky her super power was cuteness; it helped her get away with doing shit like that.
Speaking of cuteness, Ella was suddenly at my side. She batted her lo
ng lashes and smiled up at me. “What’s up, ladybug?” I asked, lifting her to my lap.
“Eat with you,” she said simply, taking my fork from me. She then proceeded to eat my food. Feeling like I’d just been robbed, I looked up at my mom and laughed.
“Well, I guess there’s no need to ask. Just climb up in my lap and eat my food.”
Mom smiled and shook her head before switching out my fork for Ella’s smaller one. “Why would she bother asking when she knows you wouldn’t say no? Besides, she’s the monster you men have made her. If she didn’t have all of you wrapped so tightly around her little fingers, maybe she’d be able to identify boundaries.”
Looking at Jake, I found him smiling and watching Ella in complete adoration. When he looked to me, he confessed with a shrug, “And I don’t feel even a little bit guilty about it.”
“Me neither,” I admitted. Mom placed Ella’s plate next to mine and managed to convince her to eat off her own while sitting on my lap. I scowled when she stole a piece of my bacon, but couldn’t resist taking a picture of us as she smiled around my bacon, that hung from her mouth. She was a total ham for the camera. Texting it to Leeann, I included the caption: The ham has stolen my bacon!
Walking into my apartment, I went straight for some water in the fridge. Mari walked into the kitchen, setting my phone on the counter as she passed me. “You’ve got some texts from super-sexy-soccer-man so check them quickly before you get in the shower. Your mom is expecting us in forty-five minutes.”
I snorted at the fact Mari knew I had texts from Jonathan. “I’m sorry, but did I leave my phone in your bedroom? ‘Cause I could’ve sworn I left it mine.”
“Like that would’ve stopped me from looking. I called you, but heard it ringing in your room. It was only a stroke of luck that I found the texts. You know you shouldn’t go running without your phone on you.” Mari punctuated her statement with a frown.
Walking up to her, I hugged her shoulders. “I love you, too, Mari. But I only went downstairs to use the treadmill in that sorry excuse for a gym.”
Mari leaned her head on my shoulder. “Good. Now I don’t have to tattle on you to Ma-Kristy. Go shower … I was already hungry, and then I saw the pics Jonathan sent you.”
Smiling, I retrieved my phone as I went to get cleaned up. “You’re lucky he doesn’t send dirty pics or anything,” I called over my shoulder.
“Are you kidding? That’s the only reason I snooped. I was so disappointed!” Mari yelled across the apartment as I closed my door.
Opening my messages, I found the texts from Jonathan and couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped. He seemed to have that effect on me … a lot. But seriously, who could blame a girl. Looking down at the picture of Jonathan smiling, he sat with a little girl, who I assumed was his sister. And she was cute—even with the large piece of bacon hanging from her lips. I shot off a text in response: But it looks like you caught the thief. I say tickle her until she gives up the bacon.
His response was immediate: I was gonna do that, but she smiled, and I forgot about everything else. Then she stole the rest of my bacon.
Wow. What’s a girl to say to that? This guy wasn’t technically mine yet, but the sweet stuff he said sure made me wish that were the case. My only response was a smiley face. I sent it and rushed to get ready so I wasn’t late for breakfast with my mom.
Almost an hour later, Mari and I walked in to my mom’s house, and the smell of pancakes and bacon filled my senses. “Mom? We’re here!” I called out to her.
Mari pushed ahead of me, her enthusiasm palpable, “Yay! She made pancakes. Damn, I hope there’s apple topping, too.”
How she kept the figure she had when she ate the way she did, I’ll never know. Following Mari into the kitchen, we found my mom standing at the stove with her back to us. Mari moved in quickly, giving a warning, “I’m coming in, Ma-Kristy. Don’t smack me with a wooden spoon!”
I laughed as I watched Mari bend at the knees so she could wrap her arms around my mom’s waist and squeeze playfully. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for making pancakes and apple topping for me.”
“As much as I love it when you hump my leg, Mari, how about we wait until after breakfast. We don’t want the food to get cold,” Mom said with a laugh.
“Okay. Rain check on the leg humping, you got it,” Mari said, standing up and kissing my mom on the cheek. Mari and I had been roommates since sophomore year, and we were practically sisters, so Mom was used to Mari’s antics. She even called Mari her adopted daughter.
Which was kind of funny because I actually was her adopted daughter, but she never called me that. She always said I was meant to be hers, and that’s why we found each other. Smiling, I moved in. Leaning over Mari, I kissed her cheek too. “Morning.”
“Hello my beautiful girl,” Mom said with that smile she always had for me. You know those motherly smiles that told you she loved you no matter what. The same smile that could reduce you to that little girl you’ll always be in her eyes, regardless of how old you got. Yeah, she may not have been the woman who gave birth to me, but she was definitely my mom.
“Sit down girls, I’m just getting the last of the pancakes off the griddle. Make sure you stuff your faces good, because we have lots of shopping to get done today. And I was hoping we could pick up the Christmas tree today,” Mom said.
Mari was already seated and filling her plate with apple-covered pancakes when she agreed, “I’ll do anything you tell me to, Ma-Kristy. You know your pancakes are my kryptonite.”
“Sure thing, Mom. I have plans tonight, but we’re all yours today,” I said, watching Mari dig in to her food. The look of pure bliss that spread across her face on the first bite had me giggling.
I laughed louder when my mom sat down and said, “Geez, Mari, you look like you’re having an orgasm over there. And there are no orgasms at the breakfast table. It’s a hard rule.”
Mari’s eyebrows shot up, and she stopped chewing, looking at me in question. I wasn’t sure if she was asking if she did, in fact, look like she was having an orgasm, or if she was questioning whether or not that was a rule. So I answered for both. “It’s true; if I had a nickel for every time she said that when I was little … I’d have a lot of nickels. And yes, you totally looked like you were.”
Trying to look apologetic, she sat up tall in her chair, and, with a mouth full of food, said, “Sorry. But it’d be totally your fault if I had an orgasm.”
My mom just huffed a laugh. “That’s what he said.” She shoved a bite of food in her own mouth and moaned. It really wasn’t a mystery where I got my sarcastic mouth and witty humor. Looking at my plate, I decided it was only appropriate for me to send Jonathan a picture of my breakfast with the same message as he’d sent me: Mmm, bacon ;-)
“Oh, are you sending that to Jonathan?” Mari asked, smirking at me. I nodded as I set my phone down and began to eat. Then Mari grabbed my phone and wormed her way onto my lap. When I noticed she was taking one of us, and she had bacon hanging from her mouth, I laughed out loud. “You have to send him that one, too.”
It was a great picture, in spite of the bacon. I sent it, saying: I think your ham is cuter than mine. And I’ll slap her if she takes any more of my bacon!
When I set my phone down, I noticed my mom watching. She raised her eyebrows in question, but I played dumb. “What?”
Then I filled my mouth with food. It was a standard avoidance tactic I knew wouldn’t work, but I did it anyway.
“Nice try, Lee. But you know Mari can always fill me in on who Jonathan is,” Mom said with a smirk as she swung her inquisitive gaze to Mari. My mouth was too full of food to stop her, and I knew she would sing like a damn canary. And sing she did. Dammit!
It wasn’t until the third store when Mom finally cornered me. Mari, being the traitor she was, had left me stranded in the checkout line while she ran to the store across the way, allowing Mom to swoop in. Knowing I was a captive audience, Mom slipped her arm through m
ine, leaned her head on my shoulder, and smiled up at me. She wasn’t tall, only coming in at around five feet two inches. So when standing next to my five-eight height, combined with the heel on my boots, I definitely had the advantage. As I continued to outgrow her in my youth, she made sure to remind me knees were a weak point and, since she was so close to them, I should be careful. Ma-Kristy was on the short side, but she more than made up for it in personality.
“So, are you going to fill me in, or just let me hang on to Mari’s version of this Jonathan guy?” Mom asked as the line moved us forward. I sighed, a little exasperated as I tried to decide what to tell her. Mari made it sound as if I was seducing some unwilling patient of mine. I was sure Mom knew she was joking, but still. Taking in all the Christmas decorations around me, I sought a diversion. My thoughts about Jonathan were conflicted—caught somewhere between hopeful and totally resistant. I could make up any number of excuses for why I shouldn’t go out with him. But they all seemed to be overruled by my want. A want that seemed to be more than just physical. Although the physical want was getting a bit out of hand. I could tell the guy had some mad skills in that department, and he’d only kissed me. Again, I sighed at my school-girl crush.
Mom interrupted my completely unsuccessful diversion planning, “Well, that sigh sure speaks for itself. You like this guy.”
It wasn’t a question. She knew me better than I knew myself sometimes. I’d always enjoyed how easy it was to be honest with her, how I always wanted to be honest. Even if I was trying to find another subject to discuss. Knowing it was inevitable, I admitted my dilemma, “I barely know the guy. But the little I do, and what he’s done so far, makes me want to know this guy more. Does that make sense?”
“Of course it does. Have you two been on a date yet?”
“No, yes … not really. I mean, he said it wasn’t a date. He called it a ‘prelude’ to our date.” I smiled thinking about his foreplay comment. Not wanting my thoughts to wander, I quickly continued, “We met at a club last night, with our friends. And I’ve had lunch with him a few times. They really felt like dates.”
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