Falling Hard

Her eyes closed. Her groans became high-pitched. The cloth had fallen away now and my fingers danced around her naked clitty, coaxing it more as her cries sounded more desperate. My ears were my guide. Soon she climaxed, but I continued, and she came again in two more waves.

She drew my hand away to her tummy. She was tender and tired and grinned at me slyly. I helped her lie down to rest, then quickly cleaned her and took away the laundry.

While she snoozed, I cleaned up the bathroom, thinking, 'Holy shit, dude, did that really just happen to you?' For the whole next 24 hours I did, actually.

# # #

"Oh, baby."

Kiki called me baby!

She was naked for the bed bath I gave her the next morning. And she was coming again on my hand.

After the first climax, she surprised me. She raised on her knees and with a hand on my chest, pushed me on my back. "Get out of those."

I wore the baggy shorts I slept in. Baggy by design. Without them, I sprang out, taut and red. We were naked together for the first time.

She prowled over me like the tigress. Eyeing the rig around her head, I almost told her to be careful and that this was a bad idea, but her sudden animation checked my tongue. There are no words for some moments. She had my prick and she pounced.

"Whoa." I felt her tongue flicking my tip. I felt her lips popping around the edges of my mushroom head. I felt the ticklish sensations of her mouth moving about the end of my cock.

But she couldn't get any traction. It seemed that I wasn't...ugh, it couldn't clear the halo!

With a grunt of frustration, she drew away. I thought I was finished, ruined. I was wrong.

Kiki sat on my legs. She reached down with both hands, and now she was the snake charmer. She was expert. Soon I was flat on my back as if I'd been punched. Then she reached behind her for lotion.

Fast--maybe faster than I could do myself--I sprayed on my chest, and gushed in a pool on my stomach. Breathless, I watched Kiki swipe her fingertips in it and suck them clean wearing an expression of both innocence and sin. I knew better than to ask how she knew all that. After all, she could very well ask me the same--and I was making it all up as I went along, totally out of my depth!

So it was that we "co-habitated," as they say. I ran errands, cleaned the temporary pins on her forehead, washed her hair, got her on her way to therapy in the mornings, and she provided a spontaneous and often wacky spark, a purpose and joy to life that I hadn't felt since a child. There were no discussions or decisions or declarations. Out of necessity and mutual need, we simply cemented. Instantly, improbably (yes, I noticed the "What's she doing with him?" looks, especially after she got rid of the halo), we were a couple. Other than the week of Christmas when her family visited and I stayed away, we were inseparable.

Weeks went by, and we were in the depths of January winter, bleak and dark, with the entire city encrusted by jagged ice. Kiki had a big appointment. It was finally time to get the halo removed.

She waited at the curb where I left her, while I tried backing the car in a space near her building. It was not the smallest space I'd ever parked in, but the street made it difficult. It was grooved and crunchy with the grimy, treacherous kind of ice that's everywhere when the winter becomes old and spiteful. Checking the clock, I worked the car back and forth in the space.

There was a great thump behind me. Like I ran over something. I looked back. Kiki was nowhere in sight.

"What the fuck!" I flew out the door.

Sure enough, Kiki lay under the car, little more than her head visible.

"Fuck! What the fucking fuck! How did you--"

"I know, I know, I'm all right. I slipped."

"How did you slip? I told you to--"

"I know, I slipped. What can I say, I'm a klutz." The car sputtered a puff of exhaust in her face.

Clouds of frosty breath shot out of me in place of all the things I was thinking. I made certain she was clear of the car and tires. "Do not move." I rolled down my window and pulled out as slow as a snail.

As it turned out we were going to just the right place to get her checked out. The x-rays showed she may have irritated the fracture. Three more weeks in the halo.

Kiki pouted on the way home. Throughout the ordeal, she had been incredibly patient and cheerful, a rare kind of fortitude that endeared her to me. That day, not so. That day was a setback. It hung in the air. I didn't blame her for feeling glum. I said nothing at all as I parked the car in the frigid evening and we made our way to the apartment.

We ate simple soup and sandwiches at the little table, uttering not a word as the radio played. I cleaned up and she went to sit on the couch.

When I turned out the kitchen light, she still sat in the shadows. In the middle of the couch, her hands pulled up in her sleeves.

"You OK?"

She nodded without turning and held up her arms for me.

"I'm sorry." Her voice sounded small, weepy. "Hold me."

We sat together a long time, with the radio on, in one of our "halo hugs." I had closed my eyes, smelling her hair that we washed in the morning, and getting into Cake or whatever was on at the time, when I noticed her hands roaming. Over my chest, under my shirt, over my jeans.

All right, I thought, massaging her through her blouse. That's all it took to start the fuse. Kiki was like that, once you got her started...and she liked to be started often. She made me feel like a sex god. I know that's laughable: me, who got a date every time there was a solar eclipse, who infamously (in Iowa) got conned into bringing the captain of the cheerleading squad to the prom only in order to make her boyfriend jealous (and she left with him). Me, who was well used to going to movies alone and dining out alone. I was going to say something smart, like, 'So is this make-up sex?' but I held my tongue. Who was I to argue?

Kiki was already through my clothes and was removing her blouse and bra. Naked, I helped her out of everything else and saw her slide to the end of the couch.

"Come on, baby." She lay back and brought my hand up along the inside of her thigh. She was wet and tender. I got very good at bringing her off with my hand, with learning the intricacies and rhythms of her pussy. But as I got started, she nudged my hand away. "I'm ready."

When a guy is being led around literally by his dick, his rational mind is on life support. Now I summoned whatever resources were left there. We had played with her on top some, out of longing and sheer frustration, but never too far or uncontrolled: It was only dress rehearsal. It forced us to have fun and be creative. The last thing we needed to injure her again.

"I don't want to do this. It's only three weeks." While I tried to sound decisive, her thumbs tickled the sensitive underside of my cock near the tip.

"I do want to do this."

All right, I decided, that was enough. It was a frustrating day, it was a frustrating situation, I was a frustrated man pleading with a frustrated goddess who was totally ignoring my common sense on her behalf. Enough, enough!

Standing up, I turned on the lamp. Before she could say a word, I pointed at her to stay put and stormed out of the room.

I threw open her bedroom closet. More than anything, more than even shoes, Kiki owned belts. Flashy belts, funky belts, belts, belts, belts. It was her look. I grabbed the whole lot of them. A few scarves. Bungy cords from the front closet where she kept her skis.

With plenty of dramatic clatter, I piled them all on the coffee table. "Now you're going to get what you want."

The couch was a sleeper sofa, though the bed was never used. I shoved the center cushion part way forward so I could reach inside and loop one of the heavier belts to the frame. Kiki laughed in disbelief.

"Engineers are problem-solvers." I shoved the cushion back in place and reached into the front to loop another belt.

"Then get solving." Her legs were curled up out of the way, her toes pointed. She was playing with herself. "Hurry."

I tossed down a pillow, patted it. "Up."

With her hips propped up, I ran a thick leather belt through the other two and muscled it as tight as I could. It sat tightly, snugly across Kiki's waist, hiding most of her belly button. Her breath escaped in surprise as I yanked tighter. Her lower body was immobilized.

"My god, you are pervert."

"Brace yourself with your hands, or they're next. And your mouth too, while I'm at it." What the hell, the hard-ass shtick seemed to be working for me. I pulled out the end cushion and flung it (a little too hard) across the room.

Kneeling inside the divot, I kissed her knee and positioned it against the back of the couch. The other one fell open gently on its own. So completely exposed, she moaned almost sheepishly. I could smell her anticipation.

In my wallet was a condom. I bit open the wrapper, pulled down my jeans and got the rubber started while I kissed the softest skin of her innermost thighs. To stir the honeypot, I traced her labia with the tip of my tongue. She was slick, sweet, aching.

Quickly I was lubricated and at her door. Grasping her inner thighs, I slid inside her. So snug, she exhaled to let me deeper.

I'd only been with two other girls, but it was just awkward screwing. With Kiki this was only the next stage of our bond together, making love, being inside her. It's a long way of saying I knew then exactly what I was doing. Loving her, and feeling her gripping me, urging me for more and more. All seamless and natural, primal and urgent.

We were so in sync that I let go my hold of her. I took each of her hands in mine and leaned close to look squarely in her eyes. That did it, and her gaze rolled away as the first wave washed over her. I kept with her throughout, on top of her, stroking away like treading water until she could catch up with me once more, until the waves broke over her again, and then...and then I let go. The waves overtook us both together.

After, I stared at her radiant face, at her moist puffy lips as succulent as a pink orchid.

"What?"

"I can't believe how gorgeous you are. I can't believe you're with me."

She glanced at her brace and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm such a catch."

"Serious. If it wasn't for all that, we wouldn't be together. You know it."

"Stop that. Now I'm serious. You need to figure everything out, to understand how things work. I get that. But life, it goes its own direction. May as well go with it. Let it happen." Her fingers played reassuringly through my hair while her words sunk in. "But you can do that with the belts to me anytime!"

She laughed one of her dorky snorkel laughs through her nose, just to remind me I was still on Planet Kiki.

# # #

By the beginning of March, Kiki was unchained, unshackled, free and clear, and we were both feeling restless. We drove for a weekend in Northern Wisconsin. Kiki hadn't used her skis all year.

I realize how this makes me look: Idiot! But please understand I didn't know what I was skiing into, since all of the attention was on me. I had never skied before, and never wanted to. A full 90 percent of the weekend's project was focused on me, getting me up and running and helping me appreciate the relaxing winter pastime. Ah, snow in my socks, up my butt, in my ears, I grumbled behind my smile the entire time.

Kiki was in her element, graceful as a swan, delightful. She would pirouette past me while I tried stopping like she taught me, pigeon-toed like Steve Urkel. "There you go!" It would have been much more irritating if she didn't look so delicious, in fuzzy earmuffs that matched her white ski jacket, blue jeans that fit just right, and her ivory smile setting it all aglow.

At last I was making a nice run. All day I had crashed every 15 or 20 feet. Now I had some momentum. Yes, now I was skiing.

A line of dots waddled across the base of the hill. Children, being led by an adult for some kind of class. Directly in my path.

I turned my skis inward. Nothing.

Come on, Urkel, show me something. No, now I was flying.

Now kids here and there noticed me, observed me fast approaching. Urkel, you fucker!

I had no choice. I wiped out on purpose.

The entire line of six- and seven-year-olds looked at me like I was pathetic. I guess I didn't kill any kids, but it felt like I got blitzed by Brian Urlacher and all the rest of the Bears.

Then the pixie stopped by. "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it." Kiki smiled and sped away. "We've got all day tomorrow!"

"Ah, tomorrow." Any thoughts I could have had about strangling her were dissipated by the vision of that perfect ass gliding off to play.

Tomorrow did indeed arrive. Oh, I was so happy.

Surprisingly, I took right to it! I started down the medium slope, with Kiki by my side. We did a wide and an easygoing slalom.

"That's it! You just needed to relax."

Yeah, relax. Enjoy things. Skiing is fun.

When I turned to wink some gratitude at Kiki for being so patient, is when I saw her disappear into the trees.

At the end of the season, with low snow, it happens. It does funny things under your skis. So said everyone afterward, pointing to the signs.

# # #

That night found us in our lodge room, once more negotiating new terrain together.

"Should I stop?"

"Stop and I'll kill you."

"You can't kill me now." I looked up from my work. "My tongue rules your world."

"Shut up." She pulled my head into place and kept me there, muffling me in the sweet folds of her sex.

I loved mouthfucking her. Dipping my tongue up and down the length of her moist slit. Exploring and hunting down her hot spots with my sucking lips. Honing in and french-kissing her clitty. I loved her taste, her smell, her excitement. I loved it all.

Particularly I liked figuring it out, how it worked. Her pussy and orgasms were a far more complex system than any watch or generator I'd taken apart as a kid. Of course when I said so out loud, Kiki hit me on the head. She obviously preferred more mystery and magic in her romance. Maybe women do, I don't know.

To me, the results spoke for themselves. Her low growls that wound up like an awakening feral cat inside of her. The urgent gasps and exclamations that escaped her. Her eyes twisted up tight, and her nipples standing up even tighter. Her hips bucking, her pussy gushing like ripe citrus, her entire body electrified and pulsing--all on the tip of my tongue. To me, this was the magic. As her climaxes cycled on and on, I felt like Merlin, I felt like Tesla, I felt--

"Ow!"

Her brand new leg cast gashed my ear, but good. I probed with my fingertips to see if I was bleeding. Already it felt inflated and hot like a cartoon ear.

Kiki was coming back to her senses. She stretched out her arms. "Come. Let me kiss, make it better."

I crawled into her arms and let her kiss my ear, with a fair amount of licking too. She continued across my cheek, and began sucking her juices from around my lips. Wow.

My heavy cock dropped on her bare leg.

That got her attention. "Goodness."

"Goodness has nothing to do with it." I bent her knee out of the way. She was soaked and swollen and oh so ready.

"Ah! Ahh...my, my goodness."

# # #

In spring and early summer, the city scrubs itself down and welcomes the return of color, the songbirds in the trees, the vivid flowers and noisy children to the parks. Like all the other seasonal parolees (that's how we feel), Kiki and I were climbing and scratching to be outside.

After such a difficult winter, we felt like latecomers to the party. We hit the lakefront every day. Kiki wanted to bicycle it. I said no way. By this time I had earned a little veto power. So, it was walking and jogging. Once I let her talk me into renting Segways, just for fun, to see how it was done. It was more enjoyable for her than me, because Kiki was not in full football gear and there were no Fisher Price models available. Someday we would get bikes, because the city is so much easier when you've got one. Only she was on Kiki Probation, which, whenever I invoked it, I made her repeat the terms:

1. No breaking anything. 2. No falling over anything. 3. No other shit like that.

She wrote down the terms and put them on the refrigerator door. Pleased, she spun into my arms. "Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye."

"No to any of that. But I will kiss on it." I squeezed her bottom for good measure.

"Works for me. Horndog."

We joined the Y, and started tae kwon do together, all to build her up. Really, to build us up. I'd never had interest in anything physical. In high school I was no athlete, I was a mathlete. Now though, I was motivated to do things I'd never wanted before. To excel in them. It was dawning on me that maybe this was what a true relationship was about. Maybe this was why the hell people got married to the same person forever...and willingly. Maybe the right relationship can complete you in ways you can't even imagine when you are casting about alone. This idea, and watching it play out, was a strange thing indeed.

Besides all that, or maybe the addition to it, we still liked spending time with each other. All the time. We could scarcely believe it, too, how perfect and natural it can be. No games, no drama. When does that happen? It was like the other shoe had to drop or something--but it never did.

The summer went by blissfully and quickly. Smoothly too: There were no infractions of the Kiki Probation. It was just the way I liked it. But with the winding down of the calendar toward Labor Day, there was something I needed to do, something I had been putting off.

It was after Tuesday Night Tae. Kiki was really up. She earned her blue belt that night. (I was still a green belt, working for my blue tip.) Her smile was at its biggest and brightest. We walked for an ice cream cone afterwards. When she smiled like that, she literally stopped people on the street, like she did that evening.

She ordered blueberry, I remember, in honor of her achievement. It tasted good. "So, this isn't the surprise you mentioned, right?"

She held my cone while I fished in my gym bag and handed her an envelope. A few seconds later her jaw dropped. She jumped in my arms.

"Skydiving!"

"I promised I would do it. I checked the mortality and casualty figures. It's not so much worse than driving. I picked a good place."

"This is going to be brilliant, life-changing. You'll see!"

"I'll see. Saturday."

"Saturday."

Kiki skydived the year before and loved it. She had been challenging me with it all summer long. 'Pleading' with me is the better word. The actual challenge was within myself. But that seemed to be our theme of the summer, to push each other, challenge each other. Maybe it was the theme of our entire relationship. So in that spirit, I bit the bullet, shelled out the cash and was determined to make it a lifetime memory for both of us. I was "letting life happen."

In either case, I looked at enough statistics, online news reports and YouTube videos in the course of the week that I was convinced any spastic could do it. By Friday I was stone cold convinced I could do this.

We had an early jump time and a bit of a drive to get there, so we turned in early Friday night. Kiki was kissing my chest, so I slid my hand in her panties and my finger was prying between her soft little cheeks.

"No." Her voice was as small as a kitten's as she nestled against me. "Hold me."

"What's wrong? Are you nervous? About tomorrow?"

"A little."

"Look, we don't have to go. If you've got a bad feeling--"

"No, no. What about you?"

"Am I nervous? No."

Kiki sighed and squeezed the pectoral muscle on my chest, which was showing some results from the past few months of working out. "Just hold me."