Chapter 44 (8/18/16)

“Wow, really?” I asked, rolling onto my side so I could look at him.  “What are you going to do?”

He shrugged.  “I have to interview first, so it’s not like it’s a done deal or anything.  I’m not sure.  I really don’t want to move back to Minnesota, but I don’t think I’ll ever get a job like that here.” 

“It’s cool that they even want to interview you,” I said, getting comfortable against him again.  He absently rubbed my shoulder with his thumb and nodded.

“I was pretty surprised,” he admitted.  “So we’ll see what happens, I guess.  I’m sure they have lots of other candidates too.”

I wondered briefly what, if anything, would change between us if he moved back to Minnesota.  Jamie and I had been good friends for a long time, and I was completely guilty of developing some feelings for him while we were also hooking up (before I started seeing Kevin).  I’d never told him because I knew he didn’t feel the same way and I didn’t want to screw anything up.  The timing was terrible, and then I’d met Kevin and it didn’t end up mattering. 

My tiredness from traveling eventually overruled my thoughts about Jamie and I dozed off a few minutes later.  I woke up when Jamie yawned and shifted.  I squinted at the clock and saw we’d been napping for about 40 minutes.  Groaning, I rolled away from Jamie and stretched. 

We managed to get up and I took a quick shower.  Then Jamie took me out to do a little sightseeing.  On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few things for the week.  I cooked dinner when we got back to his place, and then we relaxed on his couch with a couple drinks. 

I couldn’t stop yawning, and Jamie laughed.  “Are you going to sleep with me?” he asked me.

“Is that weird?” I asked, putting down my drink and looking at him.

“No, not at all,” he said immediately.  “As long as you don’t care that my alarm is going off awfully early tomorrow.”  Jamie had to work the next day, and I was going to be exploring on my own for the day.

“I’ll live,” I replied.  “Don’t forget that you’re two hours behind Minnesota time.  So ‘awfully early’ for you probably isn’t bad for me.” 

“That’s true,” he agreed.  He let me get ready for bed first and I was practically asleep by the time he climbed into bed next to me.  We used to spend the night together all the time, even before we started hooking up, so it didn’t feel weird at all. 

“Just so you know, I will take the blankets completely away from you if you try to hog them,” Jamie teased me.  I was a known blanket thief. 

“Just so you know, I will smother you in your sleep if you snore,” I shot back. 

Jamie laughed.  “I haven’t snored since I broke up with my ex,” he informed me.

“Only because you haven’t had anyone to complain about it!” I retorted. 

“I don’t even have an argument for that one,” he admitted, grinning.  “Now shut up and go to sleep.”

“Don’t boss me,” I told him, rolling onto my side, facing away from him. 

He chuckled and rolled over next to me, briefly wrapping an arm around me and kissing the back of my head.  “Goodnight babe,” he said.

“Goodnight honeybunny,” I replied, making both of us laugh.  He rolled away from me again and retreated to his side of the bed.  I yawned and got comfortable, and fell asleep relatively quickly. 

The next day I was already awake when Jamie’s alarm went off at 5.  Despite having fallen asleep fairly quickly, I hadn’t slept well.  I never did in a new place.  I got up while Jamie was in the shower and I got some coffee started.  I wouldn’t drink it, but I knew he would. 

When he came out of his room, showered and dressed, he took the cup of coffee I offered happily.  He gave me a few tips on getting around town and some recommendations of things to do and places to eat, then he took off. 

I got in the shower and got dressed.  As I was doing my makeup, my phone rang.  I looked at it and saw that it was Ryan.  I declined the call and sent a text that said, “I’m visiting a friend in Seattle at the moment.  Can I call you when I get back to MN?” Several seconds later, it rang again.  Exasperated, I stabbed at the “answer” button.  “Did you get my text?” I asked.

“Sure did, did you get my email?”  He worked hard to make it sound casual, but there was a slight edge to his voice that wasn’t normally there.

“Sure did,” I replied, trying to make my voice sound even more casual than his.

“Jenna, cut the shit,” he said, and now he did sound irritated.  “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing, Ryan,” I replied.  “Like I said, I’m in Seattle with my friend.”

“It’s barely after 6 there,” Ryan pointed out.  “I’m sure you’re not doing anything too important at the moment.”

“You don’t get to decide if what I’m doing is important or not,” I snapped.

I heard Ryan sigh, then suck in a deep breath.  “That’s not what I meant,” he said.  “Look, I don’t know if I did something to upset you.  Are you mad that I interfered in your argument with Kevin?”

“No,” I said, “I’m not.  I swear.  Ryan, the whole evening was a little weird.  I’m glad you came with me, but I wish I had just not gone at all.  The whole pretending to be a couple thing made things weird for me.  I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your email.  I just need a little space.”

Ryan didn’t say anything for several seconds.  “Okay,” he said.  “Take as much time as you need.  Let me know if you want to do something or talk about anything when you get back.  Seattle is great, so I hope you have a nice trip.”  The words were there but they sounded empty. 

“Thanks, I’m going to try!” I replied. 

“Alright, well, talk to you later,” Ryan said.  I said goodbye and hung up.  I closed my eyes briefly before I tossed my phone aside and picked up my mascara to finish my makeup.  I wasn’t going to let this put a damper on my trip.

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Chapter 43 (8/16/16)

            After talking to Jamie and looking for plane tickets, I settled on a trip out there in about two weeks.  I just barely had time to sneak in my request for the time off, but it was approved and I excitedly prepared.  I’d never been to Seattle, so I was looking forward to playing tourist and seeing Jamie.  

I saw Jesse once during the two weeks before I left for Seattle.  I had fun but I realized that I felt very little for him.  I ended up telling him I didn’t want to see him anymore.  I felt a little sad about it, but I knew it was the right decision.  He wanted more, and I wasn’t there.  And I didn’t anticipate myself getting there anytime soon.  I couldn’t keep him around just because it was fun for me.

I was really looking forward to my trip out to Seattle to clear my head.  I knew that Jamie would never be anything but a no-strings friend with benefits because he lived so far away.  I hadn’t responded to Ryan’s email, and he hadn’t pursued further communication.  I wasn’t ignoring him to be spiteful, I just truly didn’t know how to respond or what I wanted.  Either way, I spent far too much time thinking about it before I left for Seattle.  Once I left, though, I tried to put it out of my mind. 

I was spending 5 days in Seattle.  I flew out on Monday morning and got there around lunchtime.  Jamie had taken a half day off of work to come get me at the airport.  He had to work a couple of the days I would be there, but I didn’t mind entertaining myself a bit.

“I’m here!” I exclaimed excitedly into my phone when he answered after my plane landed. 

“Did you check a bag?” Jamie asked. 

            “Nope, I carried on,” I told him.  “I don’t have to wait.”

“Okay,” Jamie said.  “I’ll pull up at arrivals.”

I went outside and waited impatiently until I saw him pull up.  He parked next to the curb and put his hazards on and then jumped out.  “Hey, baby!” he called, throwing his arms around me.  I laughed at his use of the pet name.  Back in college we had started calling each other that while teasing a friend who never used her boyfriend’s name and only called him “baby” or “babe.” 

“Babe!” I exclaimed, laughing.  When we separated, he grabbed my carry on bag and tossed it easily into his trunk.  We stopped and grabbed some food on the way to his apartment and then ate on his couch as we caught up a little bit. 

“I have to admit that you surprised me when you called,” he said, raising his eyebrows at me over the edge of his water glass.  “I didn’t think you’d actually take me up on my invitation.” 

“Well, here I am!” I replied, grinning.  I hoped he didn’t notice my uncomfortable shift.  Ryan certainly wasn’t the only reason I was here, but it was a major catalyst to getting me to pull the trigger on the trip. 

He chuckled.  “That you are.  So anything in particular you want to do while you’re here?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” I told him.  “I’m just really looking forward to the break and being off of work.  And hanging out with you, of course.” 

“Of course,” he replied, grinning at me.  “Well, I have an air mattress for you that I can—“

“I’m sorry, what?” I interrupted, in mock outrage.  “An air mattress?  That’s all I’m worth to you?”

“Well, if you would have let me finish, I was going to say I have an air mattress for you that I can inflate if you don’t want to just sleep with me.  But you had to get all indignant and assume I wasn’t going to invite you to sleep in my bed with me, so now maybe I’ll make you sleep on it.”

I cocked an eyebrow.  “Make me, huh?  What will you do if I sneak into your bed in the middle of the night?  Wake up and throw me out?  Lock the door?”

Jamie grinned mischievously.  “Probably just tie you up,” he replied casually.  “Tie you up and drop you on the air mattress and put in my ear plugs so I can’t hear you swearing at me while I lay in my comfortable bed.”

“You would tie me up,” I said, rolling my eyes.  “I’d like to see you try.”

“Don’t tempt me,” he warned me, his eyes sparkling.  “You know I can’t turn down a challenge.”  I merely sat there and stared at him, one eyebrow slightly lifted. 

I yelped as he pounced on me, and we wrestled on the couch until he had both my arms pinned behind my back and my legs pinned between his.  “So, what were you saying?” he taunted me.

“If you’re going to be on top of me, at least make it worth my while,” I replied, looking up at him innocently.  He laughed and leaned down, kissing me lightly on the lips.  He shifted, letting go of my hands and rest on his forearms to kiss me again.  I wound my arms around his back and slipped my hands up under his shirt.

“Tell the truth,” Jamie teased, moving his lips to my neck.  It tickled when he talked, brushing them against my skin.  “You came out here just for this.”

I laughed.  “Did not,” I disagreed.  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Well you could at least let me pretend,” he said, shaking his head.  He sat up, and for a second I thought we were done, but he stood and then bent down and slipped one arm under my knees and wrapped the other around my back.  “Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping,” he said, carrying me into his bedroom.  He tossed me onto the bed and climbed up next to me.  “Will this do, princess?”

“Oh, don’t you even,” I said, laughing.  “Get over here and kiss me.”

He listened, scooting as close to me as he could get and kissing me.  We fumbled a bit, getting used to each other’s bodies again.  We laughed when we knocked our foreheads together, and then again when I accidentally kneed Jamie hard in the thigh.  Eventually we got it together, and I cuddled up to him when we were done, satisfied. 

“That was fun,” Jamie said, wrapping his arms around me and resting his cheek against my head. 

“Uh huh,” I agreed drowsily.  I’d had to get up pretty early to get to the airport on time, and I was quickly moving towards a post-orgasm nap. 

“Oh!” Jamie exclaimed suddenly, making me jump.  “Sorry,” he apologized quickly.  “I just realized I forgot to tell you my news.”

“What news?” I asked.  I shifted, trying to get comfortable again after being startled out of my comfortable position. 

When I finished wiggling, Jamie said, “I was contacted by a company in Duluth.  My dad apparently met the CEO while he was doing some business with them.  They want to interview me for a position they have opening up in a couple months.  I love Seattle, but this is pretty much my dream job, Jenna.”

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Sorry!

I thought I'd be able to get tonight's post edited, but I'm awfully tired.  It'll be up tomorrow evening!

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Chapter 42 (8/11/16)

Short post tonight, sorry about that, but it was a logical place to end!  Enjoy :)

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“What did we do?” I groaned to myself, leaning back against the door and covering my face with my hands.  “Fuck!” I slammed one foot back against the door and the stood.  I needed a shower. 

I stayed in the shower for a long time, as if I could wash away all the evidence of whatever had happened between Ryan and I over the past 18 hours.  I felt uneasy about it all.  Did I have feelings for Ryan?  I didn’t think so.  Did he have feelings for me?  That didn’t seem like him at all, at least not based on what he told me.  But it sure seemed like he might.  Feelings would change everything.  I was so happy with our no-strings sex arrangement. 

When I got out of the shower, I considered calling Jesse but I just didn’t feel like being social now.  Instead, I got in bed to take a nap.  I hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep last night, even though I had slept great for the few hours I was sleeping. 

As tired as I was, I couldn’t fall asleep.  I tried to tell myself it wasn’t a big deal, and I had no idea why I was so upset.  I sat up and sent a text to Kelly and Erica, asking to do brunch.  Erica responded that she was busy, but Kelly was up for it.  We made some plans for a little later and I finally dozed off for a bit.

I got up in time to get ready and meet Kelly on time.  Kelly cocked her head at me and said, “So what’s the emergency?”

“What?” I asked, frowning

She chuckled.  “You can’t fool me.  You don’t do last minute plans with us unless something is wrong.”

I sighed and shook my head.  “I don’t even know, Kel,” I said.  She waited patiently, so I verbally vomited the events of the last 24 hours at her. 

When I finished, Kelly smiled sympathetically.  “Well, you made it a lot longer without developing feelings than a lot of people do!” she said.

“What?  No!” I said, horrified.  “I don’t have feelings.  He has feelings.”

“You have feelings, Jenna,” she insisted.  “It’s okay.”

            “Why did I even come here?” I groaned. 

“Okay,” Kelly said, changing her approach.  “So what if he does?  Does that change things?”

“Of course it does,” I replied.  “This is not a thing that can happen.”  I gave Kelly a look that clearly said this was not up for debate, and she obligingly changed the subject.  While we ate, I got a text from Jesse asking me if I wanted to do something in the next couple days.  I read it and ignored it. 

After brunch with Kelly, I busied myself cleaning my house, even though it didn’t really need to be cleaned.  I made excuses to Jesse, and I managed to hold him off for an entire week.  Over the course of that week I went to dance class, went to work, and otherwise carried on as normal.  But on Saturday, Jesse called me and I couldn't avoid him any more. 

“Hello?” I answered hesitantly.

“Hi,” he answered.  “Is everything okay?”

“What? Yeah, why?”

He laughed.  “Come on, Jenna, what’s up?  I haven’t seen you in well over a week.”

“I’ve been busy,” I insisted. 

“I don’t believe you,” he replied boldly.  “Look, if you’re upset about something, you can just tell me.  Or if you don’t want to see me anymore…”

I sighed loudly.  “Seriously, Jesse, this is exactly why I don’t want a relationship.  I don’t want to have to answer to someone about my whereabouts.  We’re not together, you don’t get to demand to know where I’ve been.”

He was silent for several seconds, and then he said, “That’s not how I meant it at all.  I was only wondering if something was up that I should know about.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling shitty.  I was being awful.  “Look, Jesse, I just have a lot going on right now, I need a little space.  Please don’t take it personally.”  I was still irritated, but I didn’t want to be so mean to him.  

Sounding defeated, Jesse said, “Okay, that’s cool.  Just give me a call when you’re feeling up to doing something?”

“I will,” I promised.  “Bye, Jesse.”  He said goodbye and we hung up. 

I saw that I had gotten an email while I was on the phone.  When I opened it I groaned, because it was from Ryan.  I took a deep breath and started to read:

Jenna,
Things felt weird when I left last week and I just wanted to check in and make sure everything is okay.  Email is probably the best way to get a hold of me with the time difference and all.  Let me know how you’re doing, okay?

Ryan

Irritated, I clicked my phone’s display off and threw it on the couch.  “Why the hell does everyone think there’s something wrong with me?” I snapped out loud to myself.  “Jesus, leave me alone!”  I realized I sounded like a crazy person and stopped talking, rubbing my face and taking a deep breath.   

From the couch, my phone vibrated.  Looking at it suspiciously, I picked it up and saw a text from Kelly.  I breathed a sigh of relief, because I knew she wasn’t going to ask me if I was okay.  But I let out a frustrated yelp when I read the text.  “Have you heard from Ryan?  Are you feeling better about everything?” 

Kelly’s text was the last straw.  I opened my contacts and stabbed at a name.  The phone rang 4 times before the person I was calling finally picked up.  “Jamie?  Is that offer to come visit still on the table?”   

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Chapter 41 (8/8/16)

This is Monday's post for the week, since I posted a bonus yesterday.  I make no promises on a Thursday post but I will have something up on Friday at the latest!
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            I was silent for the first several minutes of the drive until Ryan asked, “Are you okay?”

“Physically or mentally?” I asked bitterly. 

“Both,” he replied. 

“I’m fine physically,” I said.  “And I’ll be fine mentally shortly.  How much did you see?”

“All of it,” he replied.  “I wanted to let you fight your own battle.  At least until he grabbed you, and then I got pissed.”

“You didn’t look pissed,” I said.

He chuckled.  “My pissed and your pissed look a little different, Jenna.  Hey, do you mind if we stop at my place quick?”

“That’s fine,” I said, not even bothering to ask why. 

When we got to Ryan’s house, I went inside with him.  He went upstairs and then came back down in athletic shorts and a t-shirt.  “Seriously?” I asked, laughing.  “You wanted to stop here to change?”

He shrugged.  “Comfort is important,” he responded.  He tipped my chin up and the intensity of his gaze was mildly uncomfortable.  “You’re good?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said, shoving him playfully.  “I promise.  While we’re here, though, maybe you should follow through on all that teasing you did to me all day long.”

“Yeah?” he asked, his eyes sparkling.  “Don’t act like that dress wasn’t torturing me just as much as I was torturing you.”  He ran one finger along the strap of my sundress, then traced it across the sweetheart neckline and back up along the other strap.  He slipped his fingers into my hair and tipped my head up so he could bring his lips down to mine.  His kiss was slow and sensual, not at all what I was expecting from him.  I sighed as he tugged on my lower lip with his teeth and stroked the back of my neck with his fingertips. 

“Let’s go upstairs,” he said, pulling away and looking down at me hungrily.  I let him lead me up the stairs and to his room.  I was expecting him to lose his clothes immediately upon entering the room, but he sat on his bed against the headboard fully clothed and pulled me onto his lap.  We made out like teenagers for several minutes before his fingers found my dress’s zipper.  He dragged it slowly down, the fingers of his other hand dancing along the skin he was revealing as he unzipped me. 

Ryan took his time teasing me, stroking me, kissing as much of my body as he could get his mouth to.  I was practically begging for him by the time he finally eased into me and started moving against me.  I came almost immediately, then twice more before he finished, leaving us both a sweaty, breathless mess on his bed.

“Come here,” he said, shifting to a more comfortable position and reaching for me.  I settled against him with my head on his chest and my hand at the base of his head, gently rubbing his scalp and the top of his neck.  He sighed happily and we laid there silently until I dozed off.

I woke up with a start at some point.  The lamp next to the bed was still on, but I had no idea what time it was.  Ryan didn’t keep a clock in his room.  “Shit,” I said, sitting up and yawning.  “Sorry.”

Ryan yawned and rubbed his eyes, then squinted at his watch.  “Mmm, it’s late,” he groaned.  “Why don’t you just stay?”

“Are you sure?” I asked hesitantly.  We’d been sleeping together for a few months at this point and still had not spent the night together. 

He rolled over and looked up at me.  “It’s 2 in the morning, I’m tired, you’re clearly tired, I don’t really want to take you home right now.  So yeah, I’m sure.”  He gave me a sleepy smile and I shrugged and settled back into bed next to him.  It didn’t take long for me to fall back to sleep.

  Ryan was still asleep in the morning when I slipped out of his bed and into the bathroom.  But when I came back he was awake and he hungrily watched me walk—naked—back towards the bed.  When I got close, he lifted the blankets, silently inviting me back in next to him.  Against my better judgment, I slid back into his bed and pressed my back up against his bare chest. 

            I was surprised when the arm he was laying on wiggled its way under my body, coming up to wrap around my waist and pull me even more tightly against him.  Meanwhile, the fingertips of his other hand were lightly stroking the inside of my wrist, which made me shiver.  They continued all the way up my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.  After stroking gently across my jaw and throat, they trailed down across my collarbone, then down further.  Their path continued, brushing lightly over my breasts and down my stomach.  He skirted deftly past where I was hoping his fingers were going and continued over my hip and down my leg. 

            When he got to my knee, he put his palm flat against my leg and slid it back up the way his fingers had just come.  Up to my hip, then straight up my side to my ribs.  This time, he cupped my breast and let his thumb linger on and around my nipple, drawing a contented sigh from my lips.  No sooner was I relaxing back against him, enjoying the sensations radiating from his thumb, when he moved his hand.  He moved his palm down my stomach and finally stroked between my legs.  I moaned and arched my back, then pushed my hips toward his hand.

            His fingers moved against me slowly, building my pleasure but not pushing me towards orgasm.  He paused briefly, then moved the hand that had been wrapped around me to replace his other hand.  He leaned away slightly and I heard a condom wrapper rip open.  After several seconds of fumbling, he gently pushed my shoulders forward, bending me slightly.  I felt him behind me, and he slowly eased into me.  I tried to push my hips back against him, but he clamped a hand down on them, holding me in place.  Once he was inside me, he pulled me back against him and began to move in and out of me, excruciatingly slowly.   I tried again to grind my hips back against his, but his grip prevented it. 

            I felt like I would spontaneously combust if I didn’t come soon.  I moved my own hand towards my clit, desperate for release, but he beat me there, pressing his middle and index finger against me but not moving them.  He was still thrusting slowly, rhythmically.  “Ryan,” I gasped in frustration.

            “Be patient,” he whispered back.  He pressed his lips against my neck and alternated between sucking and gently biting.  I groaned and squirmed, trying to get his fingers to do something useful.

            He picked up the pace slightly, but he was still thrusting far too slowly for me.  I moaned when his thumb and index finger found my nipple, gently tugging and rolling it.  I’d never had such a slow, intense buildup to an orgasm before, and I felt like I’d been teetering right on the edge for hours, even though only 15 minutes had passed since I’d returned from the bathroom.  I whimpered and groaned, still desperately chasing the orgasm that Ryan was teasing me with. 

            He withdrew almost all the way, and then all at once he began circling his fingers around my clit, slammed into me, twisted my nipple, and bit down on my neck.  I came hard with a guttural moan, writhing and shaking against him.  He sucked on the spot he’d just bitten and continued lightly stroking my clit as I rode out the most intense orgasm I’d ever had.  I pulled his hand away from me when I couldn’t handle any more, and he stilled, allowing me to recover.  “Jesus,” I groaned.  I was twisted so my upper body was face down, my hips still pressed back against his.  One of my legs had wrapped around his at a painful angle, but I couldn’t move. 

            He chuckled softly and stroked my arm before coaxing my body back up against his and resuming his thrusting.  He went at a normal speed this time, and it only took about 30 seconds for me to come again.  This time, he didn’t stop, slamming into me over and over while I cried out and dug my fingers into his wrist.  Finally, he tensed and shuddered, finishing with a low moan and clutching my body against his.

            I could feel the blood pulsing under my skin all over my body, and when he stroked my arm again, I shivered and groaned.  I rolled away from him, my skin too sensitive to be touched.  I winced as my tender flesh clung to his, sticky with sweat, before separating and allowing me to roll onto my stomach and catch my breath.

            Several minutes passed before I started to feel normal again.  I sucked in a deep breath and turned my head towards Ryan, opening my eyes.  He was watching me through hooded lids, and he smiled a slow, sexy smile when we made eye contact.  “What the fuck was that?” I asked softly. 

            He raised one eyebrow.  “That was really amazing sex,” he responded.

            “But…” I trailed off.  It was really amazing sex.  The best I’d ever had.  But…why?  Where did it come from?  We’d always had good sex (if it wasn’t good, I wouldn’t keep doing it), but this felt different.  In fact, last night felt different too.  I got a pit in my stomach as I considered this.

            “But?” he prompted.  When I didn’t respond, he tried again.  “But what?”

            I shook my head and moved my eyes down, away from his.  Instead, I focused on the hollow where either of his collarbones ended at his throat.  “Come here,” he coaxed, dragging his thumb across my jawbone and curling his fingertips lightly into the hair at the base of my skull. I didn’t move.  “Jenna, what’s wrong?”

            Everything.  Everything was wrong.  We made a mistake.  We did too well playing at being a happy couple.  We spent the whole day pretending to be a happy couple.  We came back to his house and had happy couple sex.  And then I made the worst mistake of them all—the one that changed everything.  Like a happy-couple girlfriend, I’d spent the night.  That caused us to have mind-blowing happy couple morning sex, and now everything was wrong.

            But, of course, I said none of that.  “Nothing.  Nothing’s wrong.  I just have a lot to do today, so I should probably get going.”  I sat up and stretched casually, desperate to pretend that nothing had changed.

            “Really?  It’s not even 8:00.  At least have breakfast with me before you take off.”

            “I’m not hungry,” I lied.  I was starving.  “And it’s early.  You should stay in bed and get some more sleep.”  I stood and searched for my clothes, quickly and clumsily starting to pull them on.

            “How do you plan on getting home then?” he asked wryly.

            I paused and looked at him.  Good question.  “I can take a cab.” 

He was already standing up though, pulling on a pair of jeans that had been laying on the floor, discarded.  “You’ll do no such thing.  I’ll take you.”  He walked over to me, holding my thong out to me.  I blushed furiously and snatched it from him, yanking it on.  I twisted, trying to contort myself enough to zip up the back of the dress.  I was still shaky from the amazing orgasms I’d had, plus lack of sleep, and I stumbled as I lost my balance.  Ryan caught my arm and easily righted me, then turned me away from him and deftly zipped me up. 

“Thanks,” I muttered.

He turned me back around to face him and slid his hands down my arms, lightly taking hold of my wrists.  “Don’t freak out, Jenna,” he said softly.  “It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”  I yanked my hands away from him and turned, searching for my shoes.   “They’re by the door.”  I walked away, out of his room and towards the door.  I shoved my feet into my sandals and snatched my purse, looking up in time to see Ryan emerge from his bedroom.  He’d found a t-shirt to pull on, but his hair was tousled and his eyes still a little sleepy.  He looked so good that I had to turn away before I talked myself into staying for breakfast. 

Ryan grabbed his keys and pushed open the door to the garage, motioning for me to go out.  I did, but I yanked open his passenger side door before he could do it for me.  He held it as I got in, though, and shut it carefully behind me. 

The ride to my house was quiet, and I was thankful that he didn’t try to talk.  I stared out the window and wished for it to be over soon.  When he pulled up in front of my house and put it in park, I sighed.  “You don’t have to walk me to the door,” I assured him as he turned off his car.  He didn’t respond and got out anyway. 

When we got to the door, he leaned against it, preventing me from pushing past him and going right inside.  I looked at him, forcing a neutral expression onto my face.  “I leave for three weeks on Tuesday,” he reminded me. “Can I see you tomorrow before I go?”

I shook my head.  “Tomorrow isn’t good for me,” I said, offering no explanation.  He frowned, looking skeptical.  “Sorry,” I added with a shrug.

“When I come back, then,” he said.  He looked…sad?  I nodded.  He took a step closer to me and kissed me.  Without thinking, I melted against him, allowing his tongue access to mine and gripping his waist tightly.  His thumb traced my cheekbone and then ran along the outer edge of my ear, causing me to sigh lightly against his lips.  I felt his mouth turn into a smile against mine as he pushed his hand into my hair and tangled his fingers there, holding my head in place as his teeth tugged gently on my lower lip. Then he pressed his lips back against mine, ending the kiss as tenderly as it had started.

I pulled away as our mouths separated and fumbled with my keys.  “Have a safe trip,” I stammered, dropping my keys as I tried to force the wrong one into the lock.  “Goddamn it!” I snapped, irritated that one kiss had just overwhelmed me so completely that I couldn’t even work a key.  Ryan tried to hide his smirk as he bent and picked up the keys for me.  I snatched them away from him and finally worked the correct one into the lock.  “Thanks,” I said, turning back.  “And, um, thanks for yesterday.  And driving.  I appreciate it.” 

“You’re welcome,” he said warmly.  Then he winked.  “Thanks for this morning.”  I blushed, he smirked, and we both turned and headed our separate ways.

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