Chapter 30 (7/16/16)

After my busy weekend and my dance class Monday night, I was expecting to enjoy a nice quiet, relaxing night home alone Tuesday after work.  Instead, after eating dinner, I found myself crabby and restless.  I read for a little while, then turned on the TV, but when I couldn’t settle on something to watch, I pulled out my phone.  “What are you up to?”  I sent the text before I could think too hard about it.

Seconds later, my phone started to ring.  “Hello?” I answered.

“I’m cleaning my kitchen, but I’m guessing you care less about what I’m up to right now and more about if I’m free for the rest of the evening.”  I could hear water running in the background over Ryan’s voice.

“Why couldn’t you just text me back like a normal person?” I asked him.

He chuckled.  “I hate texting,” he replied.

“Well I hate talking on the phone,” I argued.

“Okay, then how about this?  You text me, I’ll call you and respond, then I’ll hang up, and you can text your response.”

“That’s a terrible idea.  Forget it.  Anyway, yeah, you’re right.  I’m far more interested in your plans for the rest of the night.  If you’re free, you should come over.”

“I’m free as soon as I finish with my kitchen.  Give me a half hour, 45 minutes.  Sound good?” 

“Sounds good,” I confirmed.  After we hung up I sent him my address then hurried upstairs.  After picking up the random dirty clothes and things laying around the room and tossing them into the laundry basket in my closet, I jumped in the shower and quickly shaved my legs.  

After my shower I pulled on a clean pair of leggings and t-shirt.  I didn’t anticipate having clothes on for very long, so I didn’t even bother trying to dress cute.   I did make my bed, though, because it seemed like a good thing to do.

I was just finishing tidying up my room when I heard Ryan’s knock on the door.  I trotted down the stairs and unlocked the front door, pulling it open for him.  He’d gone super casual too, in basketball shorts and a hoodie.  “Hi,” he said, looking around curiously. 

“Do you want a tour?” I asked, laughing. 

“Yeah, actually,” he replied.  “This place is way nicer than I was expecting with the neighborhood.”  I sighed and rolled my eyes and he said, “I take it you get that a lot.” 

“How’d you guess?” I asked sarcastically, leading him towards the kitchen.  “This part of the neighborhood is actually super quiet.”

“I apologize for insulting your neighborhood,” he said, raising an eyebrow at me.  “I didn’t know it was such a sore spot.” 

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. 

He shrugged and leaned against the counter in the kitchen.  “Don’t apologize.” 

I smirked.  “Too late for that,” I said.  He laughed, and just like that we moved back to a light mood.  “Sooo this is my kitchen,” I said, gesturing around me.  “I know you’ve probably never seen such a wonderful kitchen before.”

“It’s a very nice kitchen,” he agreed, chuckling.  “Do you cook in it?”

“I do, actually.  I’m probably not quite as talented as you are in the kitchen, but no one has ever turned their nose up at my cooking.”

“Hmm, good to know,” he said.  “Do you mind if I ask if you rent or own?”

“Own,” I replied.  “As of February, so I haven’t been here long.” 

He took one last look around and then straightened. “Anything fun downstairs?”

“An unfinished basement, washer, dryer, and a water heater,” I said.  “An electric water heater.  I will never forget that.”
            Ryan laughed.  “The joys of being a home owner, huh? I don’t even need to know the story to be able to imagine.” 

“Well, I guess all that’s left is upstairs,” I informed him.  I started past him to take him upstairs to continue the tour.

As I walked past him, he smacked my ass.  “I like these leggings,” he said, winking at me when I turned to glare at him. 

“I’m sure you’ll like taking them off even more,” I retorted.

“I won’t get to if you don’t wrap this tour up sometime tonight,” he said, cocking an eyebrow. 

“You’re the one that wanted it!” I said indignantly as I started up the stairs.

“Well, I can’t argue that.”

“I was starting to think you could argue anything,” I replied.  I pushed open the door to my second bedroom, flipped on the light, then turned it off and pulled the door shut again.  “So that’s that, and this is a bathroom.” I motioned at the bathroom and then walked into my room.  I turned on the light as I walked in and said, “And this is—“ but as I turned towards Ryan he effectively silenced me with his lips on mine.  His hands pushed into my hair, tipping my head up towards his, and my hands instinctively went to his chest. 

Pulling away, he said, “You were totally going to say that this is where the magic happens, right?”

I laughed and rested my head against his shoulder.  “Absolutely,” I replied.  “I mean, no real magic has happened in here yet, but we can change that.”

“Challenge accepted,” Ryan said with a grin.  Then he reached down and picked me up, carrying me the two steps to the bed.  He turned and sat on the edge of the bed with me on his lap.  I wrapped my legs around his back for balance as I leaned back slightly to pull off my shirt and bra. 

“Let’s not dilly dally this time, alright?” I said as he nipped at my neck.

He stopped and laughed.  “Dilly dally?  Are you 80?”

“I can pretend to be, if you’re into that,” I replied, smirking at him.

Ryan fell backwards on the bed laughing and pushed me off of him.  I rolled to the side and pushed myself up on one elbow, watching him.  “I’m not into that,” he said, once he had regained control.  He rolled over so he was on top of me.  “But give me a couple minutes and I’ll be into you.”

Now it was my turn to laugh.  I giggled as he kissed my neck, getting more aggressive with his mouth as he moved downward.  “Mmm, I’m looking forward to that,” I said. 

“Me too,” he said, his breath hot on my stomach as he tugged at my leggings.  I happily lifted my hips to assist him.  “No underwear…convenient.  It’s like you knew you’d be getting some tonight.”

“How about you shut up and put that mouth to a more productive—ohhh…” He cut off my bossy suggestion with exactly what I wanted: his tongue against my skin.  He got me off skillfully and quickly, and had a condom out and on before I even stopped shaking. 

“Flip over,” he said, running his hands up my legs to my hips.

“Huh?” I replied, still a little out of it.  I’m pretty sure my brain shuts down completely after an orgasm.

He laughed, grabbed me by the hips, and flipped me onto my stomach with ease.  He leaned forward over my back, trailing kisses and nips up my spine.  When he got to my neck he said, “No dilly dallying, right?” I nodded and he pushed hard into me, making me cry out in surprise and pleasure.  He fucked me hard, kissing and biting my shoulder and neck as he slammed into me over and over.  I came twice more before he finally tensed, groaned, and shuddered as he finished.

He stayed on top of me for several seconds, his rapid breaths warm against my shoulder as I lay dazed and satisfied across the bed.  Ryan finally rolled away from me and got up briefly.  When he laid back down next to me, he rubbed one hand across my back.  “Gross, you’re all sweaty,” he said, laughing.

“So are you, asshole,” I mumbled, my face still half-pressed into the bed and turned away from him. 

“Of course I am,” he replied matter-of-factly.  “I did all the work.”

I finally lifted my head and rolled onto my side so I could give him a dirty look.  “It’s not like you gave me much of a chance to do anything useful,” I retorted. 

            He smirked at me.  “You were plenty useful.”

            “You’re disgusting,” I told him. 

            “You don’t seem to mind,” he replied lightly, grinning.  His eyes sparkled the way they always seemed to when he was teasing me, and despite my best efforts, the corners of my lips turned up to match his.  “Now that’s what I like to see after a job well done,” he said, pulling me towards him.  It still surprised me that a man who wanted nothing to do with a relationship and was so cocky wanted to cuddle after sex.  I didn’t mind though, and I settled my head against his chest and closed my eyes as he dragged his fingertips up and down my spine.  It didn’t matter if I fell asleep tonight, since he would still be free to leave. I couldn’t quite get comfortable, though, and I sighed heavily while I shifted around.

            “What’s the deal?” Ryan asked, moving his arm so I could move more freely.

            “Your chest is too high for my head and it’s not comfortable,” I complained.  I rolled onto my side and he followed, wrapping his arm around me again.

            “Better?” he asked, once I got settled.  I nodded, then pulled my hair together and slid it under my neck, away from his face.  Having a bunch of hair in your face while you’re cuddling seems like it would suck.  “That was considerate,” he said, chuckling. 

            But within a couple minutes I was wiggling and shifting again.  “Do you want me to go?” Ryan asked.

            “I should sleep,” I said, not really answering his question.  He rolled away and sat up, and I stayed where I was until I could hear him pulling his shorts on.  Then I sat up and started pulling my clothes back on too. 

            “Hey,” he said gently, pushing my hair out of my face and behind my ear, then using just the slightest pressure on my jaw to lift my face towards his.  “Is everything okay?”

            “Sorry, I guess I’m a little cranky tonight.  It has nothing to do with you,” I assured him.  “In fact, believe it or not, I’m quite a bit less cranky now than I was before you came over.”

            He smiled wryly and said, “I do believe it, considering I thought you might kick me out for commenting on your neighborhood.”  I blushed and he laughed softly.  I was surprised when he sat down next to me on the edge of the bed.  “Let me guess,” he said, pretending to think hard.  “Work woes.”

            I cocked an eyebrow and laughed.  “Don’t ever say ‘woes’ again,” I told him.  “And no, but seriously, I’m fine.  You don’t need to know all my problems.”

            “I do if I don’t want to be insecure that it secretly really does have something to do with me,” he said, smirking.  “Was three orgasms not enough?”

            “God, you’re the worst,” I said, shaking my head.  “It has nothing to do with you.  Or my orgasms, thank you.  I just reconnected with an old friend this weekend that I haven’t seen since my divorce.  She invited me to a cookout this Saturday with some of the people we used to hang out with.  ‘We’ being my ex and I, of course.  I’d love to see everyone but I can’t help but worry that she’s the only one that wants me there.  So it’s been on my mind, that’s all.  Stop being so self-absorbed that you think everything revolves around you and your dick.”

            “If I wasn’t out of here again on Thursday morning, you could take me with you and show them how much better off you are now, then you could dump all their beer, tell them to kiss your ass, and walk out.”  I rolled my eyes and he laughed.  “Seriously, though, I think you should go.  Say hi, feel it out, and if it sucks, then take off.  There’s no reason you have to stay, right?  So what if it pisses them off, if it’s awful enough that you’re taking off fast, then it doesn’t really matter what they think.”

            “Well, I guess so,” I said, skeptical.

            “If you don’t go and you don’t get another invitation, you’ll wonder what could have happened if you went,” he pointed out. 

            I had to admit that was probably true.  I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to go, but he made an excellent point or two.  He stood and pulled me to my feet.  “Orgasms and advice…what more could you ask for?” he asked, grinning at me.

“For you to get the hell out of here so I can go to bed,” I replied, but I returned his grin.

He laughed and kissed me softly on the lips.  “Luckily for you, I’m on my way out the door,” he said.  “My trip Thursday is a short one.  I’ll be back early next week.  I’ll give you a call?”

“Sounds like a plan,” I replied.  I trailed him down the stairs and watched him put on his shoes.  When he turned back to me, he slipped his hand under my hair and tilted my head up, then planted a passionate, sensual kiss on my lips.  I was breathless and considering asking him to stay for another round of sex when he pulled away.  I blinked in surprise.

“Something to remember me by,” he said, waggling his eyebrows at me suggestively and grinning.  “Good luck on Saturday!”  Then he pulled the door open and left without another word.

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Chapter 29 (7/15/16)

The next post is in the works.  I don't know the exact day I'll be posting, but it will be early next week!
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On Sunday I had brunch with Erica, Kelly, and their husbands.  Hanging out with two married couples could easily turn into a 5^th wheel situation, but more often than not, it ended up with the guys talking about guy stuff while Erica, Kelly, and I talked about our stuff.  I liked both of their husbands a lot too, which helped.  I was quietly filling Erica and Kelly in on my evening when suddenly John and Darrin fell silent.  “Telling secrets over there?” Darrin, Kelly’s husband, asked us jokingly.

“No,” I said, at the same time Kelly said, “yes”.  We all laughed.  “I was just telling them about my date yesterday.”  For simplicity’s sake, and to avoid having to refer to Ryan as my fuck buddy, calling it a date seemed like the best choice.

“He cooks!” Erica said pointedly, cocking an eyebrow at her husband John. 

“Well, how wonderful for him,” John replied.  “And for you too, I guess,” he added, looking at me.  Then he grinned and looked back at Erica.  “Trust me, it’s better for everyone if I don’t.” 

The guys got bored quickly with our conversation and went back to talking to each other so I could finish filling Kelly and Erica in.  “You are in so much trouble,” Kelly said, once I’d finished.

“What?  Why?” I asked.

She and Erica exchanged a look.  “He cooks?  He’s good in bed?  He’s attractive?  And emotionally unavailable to boot?  Come on, Jenna.  Good luck not catching feelings for this one.”

“It’s a little rude to suggest that emotionally unavailable is my type,” I said, slightly irritated.  Kelly and Erica exchanged another look, frustrating me more.  “So I spent a lot of my life with one person who was emotionally unavailable.  That doesn’t mean that’s a thing I look for in potential partners!  If anything, it’s made me more aware of it and how much it sucks.  I’m glad he was honest with me from the start about it.”  My voice was getting louder, and John paused and glanced at me.  I slumped a little in my seat, trying to calm down before I got angry.

“I’m sorry,” Erica said, even though she hadn’t been the one talking.  “Look, we love you.  We’re really happy that you’re happy.  Given the relationship you just got out of, we’re just worried about you and don’t want you to get hurt again, that’s all.”

“I’ve seen the guy twice, and you guys are already fast forwarding to me falling in love with him and him breaking my heart.  That’s not fair to me or him,” I pointed out, my voice calm now.  “I appreciate you both wanting to look out for me and wanting me to be happy.  I’m not upset with you.  I know you love me and worry about me and I appreciate that.  But let me see how this plays out before we jump the gun, okay?  I’m not interested in dating him.  I just want him to cook for me and sleep with me.”  Despite Erica and Kelly’s assumptions, the only feeling I had was attraction.  In fact, I found him a little weird and kind of annoying.  They weren’t completely wrong though—I knew I’d have to be careful.

“Okay,” Erica said.  She looked at Kelly, who nodded.

“I’m sorry,” Kelly apologized, which was rare for her.  “Are we good?  Do we need to go outside and trade a few punches like men?”

I laughed and shook my head.  “No, we’re good.  We were never not good.  Just don’t be a dick and we’ll stay good!”

“Deal,” Kelly said, grinning.  The rest of brunch was uneventful, and I was grateful for my friends looking out for me, even if they were sometimes a little misguided in how they went about it.  They had seen firsthand what my divorce (not to mention the months leading up to it and the months following it) had done to me, and I knew they just wanted me to be happy.

We were leaving the restaurant when my phone rang with a familiar name I hadn’t seen on its screen in quite some time.  I said goodbye to Erica, Kelly, John, and Darrin, and walked to my car, debating whether or not to call Grace back.

Grace was the wife of one of Kevin’s friends from college.  She was part of a small group of 4 or 5 couples that we saw fairly regularly while we were married.  I became pretty good friends with most of the people in the group, especially the women.  Grace was the one I grew closest too, and we occasionally hung out one on one.

Once news of our divorce traveled through the group, I stopped getting social invitations from them .  I shouldn’t have been surprised; they were Kevin’s friends first.  And now, looking back, I can imagine they were in a really difficult position.  Plus, I was reasonably certain that Kevin didn’t actually tell his friends we were divorcing because of his compulsive cheating.  So who knows what kind of bullshit they were told.  None of that stopped me from missing them.  They were my friends too, and it hurt to lose them because I decided to finally stand up for myself and get out of a terrible marriage.

Grace hadn’t left a message, and curiosity got the best of me.  I sat in my car and called her back.  “Jenna?” she asked hesitantly, when she answered the phone.

“Hi, Grace,” I replied.  The rush of feelings when I heard her voice made my voice shake a little.  I was nervous, relieved, angry, and happy all at once.  I missed her a lot, I had no idea why she was calling, and I was suddenly incredibly angry at her for abandoning me after the divorce.

We were both silent for several seconds, then Grace said, “What are you doing today?  Do you want to get coffee or something?”

“I would love to.”  The words were out of my mouth before my brain even fully processed that Grace wanted to see me.  I pushed off a small nagging voice in my head that suggested that maybe, just maybe, Grace’s intentions weren’t good.  Grace didn’t have an ounce of bad intention in her, and I knew I was just being paranoid.  “When are you free?  I’m downtown right now, but that’s probably not convenient for you.”

“I could be downtown in 15 minutes,” she replied, surprising me.  “Just tell me where.”

I picked my favorite tiny coffee shop downtown, just two blocks from where I was currently sitting in my car.  I then spent the next 5 minutes nervously waiting in my car, checking the time every 30 seconds.  Finally, I got out of my car and began to wander around outside.  It was a gorgeous day, and the walking relaxed me.  I took a long, meandering route to the coffee shop we were meeting at, and got there just a couple minutes before the time she’d promised to arrive.  I got in line and ordered a medium nonfat chai latte, then found a place to sit.

Grace walked in just as I was sitting down, and I caught her eye and waved.  She waved back, smiling nervously, then gestured to the counter.  She was going to get a drink first.  I nodded and focused on my chai, which was too hot to drink.

When Grace arrived at the table I’d picked, I debated whether I should get up and hug her.  She hesitated too, seeming to wonder the same, but then sat down abruptly.  “Hi,” she said.  She looked really nervous.  It had been so long since I’d seen her, since she’d last reached out, that I didn’t blame her.  I was nervous too.

“Hi,” I replied. 

We both just looked at each for several seconds, then she finally blurted out, “I’m really, really sorry that I haven’t even talked to you since we found out you guys were…” she paused, as though she wasn’t sure if she should say it out loud.

“Getting divorced?” I finished for her. 

She laughed nervously and nodded.  “Yeah.  He told us that…well, it doesn’t matter what he told us.  I should have just talked to you about it.  I knew what he told us didn’t seem like you, but everything got weird so fast and I just…I screwed up, Jenna.  And I understand if you’re really angry with me.  And with all of us.”

“I was never angry,” I said truthfully.  “I was hurt, though.  I guess I wasn’t super surprised, but that didn’t make it hurt less.”  Knowing full well that I would probably regret asking this, I continued, “What did he tell you guys?”

Grace blushed slightly and shook her head.  “It’s so ridiculous.  You don’t know what he was saying?” I shook my head.  She groaned.  “Okay, well, he told us all that you had a drinking problem and refused to get sober so that you guys could start trying to get pregnant.”

I blinked in surprise.  Of all the stories I’d imagined him possibly telling people, that wasn’t one of them.  I could see him telling people that I cheated on him, but not that I had a drinking problem.  “What the hell?” I said, anger quickly replacing my shock.  “Are you serious?  And people believed that?”

Grace cringed slightly.  “I’m not sure any of us actually believed it,” she said quickly.  “But he seemed so torn up about it that I guess we all assumed that you did something pretty awful.  I’m sorry, Jenna.  Now that I know what really happened, I feel really shitty for just taking him at his word.”

“Wait, so what do you think really happened, and how did you find out?” I asked.  In the months following my divorce and social ostracization, I had assumed he was spreading lies and I’d thought about reaching out to Grace, but there was no way to defend myself without throwing Kevin under the bus.  Since he was friends with them first, I had decided to be the bigger person and let him have his friends, at the risk of my reputation.  I also figured there was a chance that they wouldn’t believe me and I’d slip even lower in their eyes.  So I took my new status as their social outcast and kept my mouth shut, sticking with the friends who had been by my side the entire time.

“One of Nate’s friends knows someone you work with.  Rachael, maybe?”  She paused, looking to me for confirmation.

“Yeah, Rachael is a friend from work,” I confirmed. 

“Well, I guess Rachael mentioned something about going to some rock climbing thing with a friend who was divorced and somehow they put the pieces together.  And Nate’s friend reported back to Nate, who then asked Kevin about it, and Kevin ended up telling him the truth.  That he cheated on you.  More than once.”  She stopped abruptly, looking at me worriedly.

“I’m not fragile, Grace, it’s fine,” I reassured her.  I wasn’t surprised Rachael hadn’t told me about this.  She was super forgetful.  She’d probably randomly remember in a few weeks and tell me then.  “So…” I said, not sure where to go next.

“This was a few weeks ago,” Grace said, filling the awkward silence.  “The guys don’t seem to care either way, but Kevin hasn’t been hanging out much since then anyway.  I don’t know why.  And we—I mean, Emma, Sam, Rayne, and I—have been talking about reaching out to you since before we even found out.  But we were worried you’d be mad—and you should be.  I would be.  And the more time that went by, the weirder and weirder it got.  After hearing that though, I knew I had to try.  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry that we shut you out.  And I’m sorry that we didn’t question his version.  And I’m sorry that I waited so long to reach out to you.  I miss you, Jenna.” 

I didn’t say anything at first.  I was overwhelmed by her out of the blue call, overwhelmed by what he had told them, and just kind of overwhelmed in general.  Taking my silence as a negative response, Grace started talking again.  “And I completely understand if you don’t want to accept my apology.  You have every right to be angry and if you don’t ever want to see any of us again, I get that.  But I was wrong, and I couldn’t let any more time go on without telling you that I was wrong and I’m sorry.”  She paused, then looked down and said, “I can go now that I’ve told you that.”

Grace started to stand, and looked surprised when I put a hand on her arm.  “Sit down and stop being ridiculous,” I said.  “Thank you.”

“For what?” she asked, confused.

“For calling.  For apologizing.  For acknowledging that you were wrong.  That’s one of the most real and honest apologies I’ve ever gotten.  I was hurt by what happened, but I also understand why it happened.  I would hate to be in the position that you guys were in, having to choose or try to figure out how to manage navigating a friendship with two people that just got divorced for ugly reasons.  I don’t know how I’d handle it, but I’m sure I’d make choices that would end up hurting at least one of the people involved.  It’s impossible to avoid.  I accept your apology, Grace.  It means a lot to me and I miss you.  All of you, but especially you.  And I’d really love to have you back in my life.”

Grace grinned and we both stood up and threw our arms around each other, earning a couple glances from people around us.  Grace, who had always been a crier, was teary when we separated and sat back down.  “I’m such an idiot,” she said, shaking her head.  Then she got quiet for a second before saying, “Emma and Charlie are having a cookout next Saturday at their new house.  We’d love if you came.”

I hesitated.  As much as I wanted to go and see everyone again, I wasn’t sure if I could handle them all at once.  I had no idea how anyone else felt about me.  I didn’t know if Kevin would be there.  And would it be a bunch of couples and then me?  Seeming to read my thoughts, Grace hurried on.  “Justin is out of town this weekend so I’ll be flying solo, and Rayne and Andrew won’t be there.  It’ll just be me, Emma and Charlie, Sam and Nate, and I think a couple of people that Emma and Charlie work with.  And Kevin is on call next weekend, so he’s not coming.  Not that we’re only inviting you because he’s not going to be there.  I would have invited you either way, but I know it might make a difference to you.”

I laughed and her quick justification.  “I’d like to come,” I said honestly, “But this is all a little sudden and overwhelming.  Can I have a couple days to think about it?”

“Oh, of course,” she replied immediately.  “Yes, take as long as you need.  While you’re thinking about that, can you think about if you’d want to have to dinner or brunch or go shopping with me sometime in the near future too?  Because I’d love to make some real plans with you.”

“I don’t have to think about that, I love brunch!” I joked.  Grace laughed.  “Seriously though, brunch next Sunday?”

“Yes, please!” Grace agreed.  We made plans, and then we decided to quit while we were ahead and get on with our respective Sundays.  I wasn’t sure if I was quite ready to see half of the old gang at a cookout together, but I was definitely glad to have Grace back in my life.

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Chapter 28 (7/11/16)

Posting a little early :) The next post will be up on Friday morning!
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          Saturday dragged, despite my best attempts to make it go quickly.  I finally got in the shower, exfoliated, shaved, and washed and deep conditioned my hair.  By the time I was done, the water falling from the showerhead was lukewarm.  I dried my hair and pulled my straightener through it to smooth it, then did my makeup. 

I used my phone’s GPS to navigate to the address Ryan had texted me.  It was a modest townhome in a nice, quiet neighborhood.  I pulled into the driveway, per Ryan’s text, checked my makeup quickly in the visor mirror, took a deep breath, and got out.  Ryan pulled the door open right as I raised my hand to ring the bell.  “Excited to see me?” I asked, grinning. 

“No, just hungry,” he replied with a smirk, stepping back so I could come inside.  “And I couldn’t eat until you got here.”

“Oh, that makes far more sense,” I said. 

Ryan’s smirk turned into a smile and he leaned down and pressed his lips gently to my cheek.  “You do look great, though,” he said.  I’d gone casual with a cute v-neck long sleeved shirt and skinny jeans.  And even though he was just wearing ripped, worn jeans and a close-fitting navy blue henley shirt, he also looked great.  His shirt was almost the same color as his eyes, and his shaggy light brown hair fell across his forehead in an effortlessly attractive way that was wasted on a man.

“Thank you,” I said.  “You look pretty good yourself.”

“Pretty good!” he repeated.  “The nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” I laughed and rolled my eyes as I trailed him into the kitchen.  “Wine?”

“Please.”

“I brought this one back with me,” he said, holding up a bottle of white wine.  “I also grabbed a bottle of Pinot noir for you, but it won’t go as well with dinner.”  I was pleasantly surprised that he had remembered my wine choice from when we went out. 

“Well, I appreciate the Pinot noir, but if the other will go better with dinner, then let’s do that one.”

“Good choice,” he said, flashing me a perfect grin.  He opened the bottle and poured two glasses.  “Have a seat,” he said, motioning towards the table.  “Dinner is almost ready.”

“It smells amazing,” I told him as I sat.  “I’m impressed already.”

He glanced at me briefly, and he almost looked embarrassed.  “I love to cook,” he replied.  “And I really love to cook for other people.  I’ll take pretty much any excuse to cook for people.”

His statement felt surprisingly intimate.  Maybe it was the almost-sheepish look on his face as he brought over a salad bowl and then two plates.  As soon as he sat down though, his confident demeanor was back.

“I have a confession,” he said to me, pouring more wine into my glass.  I waited for him to continue, and his eyes sparkled as he grinned at me.  “I don’t actually have Hulu.”

I laughed.  “I feel so misled,” I said.

“Well, since I misled you, I decided that you deserve scallops tonight,” he replied.  The plate he’d set down in front of me had pasta with scallops and what looked like a lemon cream sauce.  It smelled delicious and I couldn’t wait to eat it.

As it turned out, it tasted even better than it smelled.  The wine went perfectly with the food, and Ryan and I talked easily while we ate.  I tried to help him clean up but he kicked me out of the kitchen, threatening to take my wine away if I didn’t get out immediately.  Not wanting to lose my wine, I wandered into Ryan’s living room, wine glass in hand. 

I was checking out his impressive movie collection when he came in.  “I don’t think I’ve even seen half of these,” I told him, very aware of how close he was to me.

“No?” he asked, moving closer and laying a hand on my lower back.  He grabbed one of them off the shelf and said, “Have you seen this one?” 

“Nope,” I said.  He set it aside and leaned past me to grab a different one.  When he straightened again, he was so close that our bodies were almost touching.  “Not that one either,” I told him, though I was distracted now by his closeness.  He set that one aside too.  He pulled out 3 more, getting closer and closer each time until our bodies were touching in several places. 

“I thought you didn’t do sleepovers.  You seem to think I’m going to be here all weekend,” I said, looking up at him. 

He grinned lazily at me.  “Nah, I’m just planning ahead,” he replied.

“How about you stop planning and kiss me or something?”

He laughed, grabbed me by the waist and turned me to face him, and kissed me.  Unlike our brief kiss the first time we hung out, there was nothing gentle about it.  It was controlled yet aggressive. His lips parted mine easily, and my tongue automatically sought his.  He kissed me for several seconds, then stopped.  I worked on catching my breath while he sorted through the small stack of movies he’d created.  He held one up called Brick, and he seemed completely unaffected by our kiss.  “Do you want to watch it down here or up in my room?”

“You are unbelievable,” I said, rolling my eyes.  “Your room I guess, but only if it isn’t full of dirty clothes and unwashed sheets.”

“It’s your lucky day,” he replied, his familiar smirk creeping across his face.  “I cleaned today.”  He took my hand and pulled me towards the stairs. 

When we got to his room, he put the movie in his DVD player and then looked me up and down.  “These jeans don’t look comfortable,” he said, running his hands down my hips.  “You can take them off if you want.”  He unbuttoned and unzipped his own jeans and let them fall to the floor before climbing into bed.

I simply stared at him.  This was the weirdest night ever.  It had started off almost like a date with dinner and wine, and now he was lying in his bed in his boxers, waiting for me to take off my pants.  But, I had to admit that he was right; skinny jeans didn’t lend themselves well to relaxing in bed.  So without thinking about it too much more, I shimmied out of them and got in bed next to him.

I think we made it about 10 minutes into the movie before he kissed me, firmly pulling me towards him.  

“How convenient that neither of us have to wrestle those tight jeans off of you,” he said in my ear as he trailed his fingers up the side of my bare leg. 

I snorted.  “It’s almost as though someone planned it,” I replied, then I groaned softly as he tugged on my earlobe with his teeth. 

“Almost,” he said, laughing quietly.  I closed my eyes as he worked his mouth slowly down my neck, his fingers moving deliberately over my hips and up under the back of my shirt.  My own hands trailed over his chest and stomach and tugged at his shirt.  “Are you trying to tell me something?” he asked, teasing me.  We made eye contact for the first time since he kissed me and I had to resist the urge to rip both our clothes off right then.  I wanted him now.

“Get this off,” I demanded, pulling the hem of his shirt upwards.

“Bossy,” he said, grinning.  “I like it.  I’ve got mine if you’ve got yours.”

He didn’t need to tell me twice, and I sat up to pull my own shirt off while he quickly removed his.  I took a minute to admire him, sitting shirtless in his bed.  He was lean and taut—not quite as muscular as I usually liked, but there was certainly nothing to complain about.  He wrapped his hands around my waist and easily lifted me onto his lap.  I settled my legs on either side of his as he kissed me hard, running his hands up my back and into my hair.  One hand took hold of a fistful of hair and tugged my head back.  I gripped his arms and sighed as he kissed down my throat to the hollow at its base.  After giving both sides of my collarbone some attention, he kissed further down my chest until his mouth stopped at the edge of my bra.  He dragged his tongue along the skin there as he quickly unfastened it and pulled it down my arms, tossing it to the side.  Then he planted one hand firmly on my back while he brought the other up to tease one nipple.  His teeth and tongue and lips began to work the other, and I couldn’t help but moan and move my hips against his. 

Ryan wasn’t in any hurry and he made that very obvious, loosely grabbing my wrists and holding them when I tried to wriggle out of my underwear.  He was very clearly enjoying himself and getting turned on by turning me on, and he picked up on my cues easily.  It had been a long time since I’d been with someone so invested in my pleasure and once I figured out that he had no intentions on rushing anything, I was happy to enjoy myself and his attention. 

Even so, it took me a long time and a lot of that attention before I finally came for the first time.  It was always like that for me with someone new, and I got anxious about 15 minutes after he’d finally slid my underwear off, and I tried to explain myself.  “Jenna,” he said, cutting me off mid-excuse.  “I’m not worried about it.  As long as you’re enjoying yourself, that’s good enough for me.”  I was, and it was just a few minutes later that I finally relaxed enough to have my first (of many) orgasm of the evening.

I ended up having a second shortly after, before he even took his boxers off.  This was obviously the best decision I’d ever made in my life.  I managed enough conscious effort to wrap my hand around him and stroke him as he continued exploring my body, and I was pleased with what I felt.  He groaned and pressed his face into my neck, which was incredibly sexy in the moment.  Finally, he moved his mouth back up to my ear, sucked lightly on my earlobe, and then said, “Do you want to keep going, or…?”

My brain struggled to come up with words as he slowly worked a finger inside me, and I gasped and just nodded, my head moving against his neck.  “Condom?” I managed. 

“Of course,” he replied, and without stopping his fingers moving inside me and against me, he reached for the drawer of his nightstand and fumbled blindly until he finally said, “A ha!” and raised the packet to his teeth to rip it open.

While he was distracted getting the condom open, I wriggled away from him and then pushed him down onto his back.  I wrapped my lips around him while he watched me, condom still gripped tightly in one hand.  As I moved my head, taking more of him into my mouth, he closed his eyes and groaned, “Oh fuck, Jenna.”  Shortly after, he pulled me up and flipped me onto my back.  He pushed my legs apart with his knees while he rolled the condom on, and then guided himself into me.

The sex was just as good as the foreplay, and by the time we were done, we were both sweaty and out of breath.  “So that—“ Ryan started after a few minutes.

“Shhhh, you’ll ruin it,” I said.  He laughed and rolled onto his side, his hand slipping across my stomach and wrapping around my side.  He pulled me closer and I rolled over and snuggled up against him.  I relaxed against him and he stroked my hair, then moved it out of the way and began to massage my neck.  “If you don’t do sleepovers, you should probably stop that,” I mumbled sleepily.  “You’ll put me right to sleep.”

“I don’t have a problem waking you up and kicking you out,” he replied, continuing to knead the muscles of my neck. 

“You’re such a dick,” I muttered, shifting into a more comfortable position. 

“Mmm, you weren’t saying that 20 minutes ago,” he said, his hand leaving my neck and running down my back.  It paused just above my ass, then dropped lower and squeezed.  He laughed as my head popped up and I gave him a dirty look, but my mock-irritation faded quickly when his hand snaked between my legs and began stroking lightly against me.

I stayed for about a half hour after round 2.  Ryan turned out to be a big fan of post-sex cuddling, which was fine with me until I started to get really sleepy.  I extricated myself from our tangle of limbs and sat up, yawning.  “I need to go,” I said.  I felt around me for my underwear and bra, but they were nowhere to be found. 

Ryan turned on a lamp next to the bed, stood up, and stretched.  I took the opportunity to admire his body from behind.  The muscles in his back rippled and moved as he stretched, and he had an incredible ass.  He turned around and caught me checking him out, and he smirked at me.  “Here,” he said, bending and then tossing my underwear at me.  “You’ll probably need those.”

I retrieved my clothes and got dressed while he pulled on a pair of sweatpants.  He walked me downstairs and kissed my cheek at the front door.  “I’m glad you came over,” he said.  “Let’s do it again soon.”

“You set the bar high with that dinner and the several orgasms I had,” I said, smirking.  “It’s going to be such a letdown if you just booty call me from now on.” 

He laughed.  “I won’t promise dinner every time, but I told you that I love to cook for people, so I think more food can be arranged in the future.”
          We said goodbye and I yawned as I walked out to my car.  It was late and I was exhausted, but I was also feeling really great about my new friend with excellent benefits.

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