BMB: Version 3-1

I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly as our kiss turned ravenous. His hands slid up my arms and then around my back. I was dizzy with desire. When I found myself wanting to do more, I realized I probably needed to slow down. If I could tell I was ready for something else, that effect he had talked about when we broke off the kiss the last time was probably back in full force. I pulled away slightly and cupped his face again before breaking our connection.

"Being that neither of us is new to this arena, we should probably decide what we want to do here," I said slowly because I was still trying to catch my breath.

"Agreed," Tom answered breathlessly and kissed the side of my forehead. Mmm, I loved when he did that. "How about this? How about we say out loud 'yes' or 'no' if we want to do this tonight. Wait," he said suddenly. "That's not the right way to say it. God, I want this," he clarified. "Should this happen tonight? Are you ready?" I nodded knowing he could feel my movement. "OK, one, two, three."

"No," we both said quietly, and not ironically, we both sighed.

"I want it too, Tom," I told him quickly. "God, I want this too, but..."

"Trin, it's not that we don't want it, but we should give it time," Tom spoke up and kissed my forehead again. "One day when we have kids, I don't want to tell them that we met at around 5pm and had sex seven hours later."

"Kids, huh?" I asked and laughed. I leaned forward and kissed him gently, and then I kissed him again more deeply.

"Hey, I said we should wait, but I'm no fool," Tom clarified when I stopped kissing him. "I'm making use of these two weeks as best I can. Part of me hopes to God you aren't able to get pregnant so I can see what sex without a condom is like, but I'm not gonna lie to either of us either. Part of me wants to knock you up so you'd be stuck with me forever. Kinda defeats the purpose of all this getting to know each other and honesty and respect we've been mastering tonight, huh?"

"Oh, it's happening and without them for sure because yes, I'm in my off month, so there's no chance of pregnancy," I shared though part of me kinda wished I could end up being stuck with him too. Ugh, this was so hard! If it was this intense on day one, what was it going to be like when we said goodbye in two weeks!

"Did you say 'them?'"

"Yep, because once the bandage is ripped off, we're not stopping," I told him and shook my head. "Tom, I'm no fool either. I am tired though, so can we settle in and go to sleep?"

"If you must let me go," Tom sighed and cupped my face.

"Oh, I didn't plan to let you go," I explained. "I was hoping to lie like this," I told him and cuddled up to his side with my hand on his chest. We were both wearing clothes. "But you have to tell me if you're not comfortable with this. Obviously, I don't know how you prefer to sleep. I've always wanted to do this. Never have. You realize the things you want when you lose what you had and receive a second chance at what you might like."

"Exactly how you are situated is how I'd like to sleep," Tom answered. "And see? I can do this when I want to wake you up," he teased and leaned down to kiss the top of my head. I looked up at him and received another kiss on my lips. And then another. And then another, until I burst out laughing. Then he went crazy and had me suddenly lying on my back while he put tiny peck kisses all over my face."

"Tom! What are you doing? I'm trying to sleep!" I argued and laughed again.

"Alright," Tom resigned and laughed after getting in one more kiss. "Good night, beautiful," he whispered. I settled back into my cuddle spot and smiled against his shirt.

"Good night," I told him and closed my eyes. Oh, my God. I was falling in love with this man. How? Why? Why now? And how?... again!

As sunlight began to stream through the blinds, I woke up in what I was pretty sure was the same exact position I'd fallen asleep in. I looked up at Tom and smiled. Mmm, still hot. I was about to sit up and move away from him so I could go to the bathroom, but Tom tightened his grip on my side and pulled me closer. I let out a little laugh.

"Nope, there's a..." Tom began and raised his head to look at the clock which read 7:35AM, "seven-hour limit on how long you can lie on someone before it's official. You just missed it. You're stuck with me now."

"That's going to be a little awkward as I make my way into the bathroom," I answered and tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"Oh, alright," he conceded and let me go. "Good morning, by the way," he teased as he watched me make my way toward the bathroom.

I turned at the doorway and smiled back at him. "Good morning, Tom. I'll be right back. Something about you lying there makes me want to return quicker than normal." I hurried through my routine, used mouthwash quickly while I washed my hands, and checked my hair in the mirror. I couldn't wait to see what this day would bring.

When I got back into bed, I was about to cuddle up to his side since he hadn't moved, but just as I was about to set my head on his chest, he slid out from under the covers and headed for the bathroom. It was so quick that I actually lost my balance and landed like a floppy fish with my head on the bed and my arm bent awkwardly behind me.

"Be right back," he said with a laugh. Did he see me do that? Did he do that on purpose? I righted myself and shook my head. What a punk.

When Tom came back to the bed, I was facing the other way on my own side and had my eyes closed. He climbed in on his side and scooted closer to me so that he was spooning my body. Mmm, that felt good too.

"Are you falling back asleep, or are you ready to get up?" Tom asked into my ear. It tickled.

"Mmm," I moaned. I could have gotten up, but I didn't want him to move from behind me.

"Well, OK," he sighed with exasperation. "I guess I'll just lie here and see what undiscovered world I can find to explore." I smiled and waited to see what he was going to do. At first, it was nothing. And then he began tracing his fingernail along my arm. Goose bumps appeared almost immediately. "Oh, well, that's interesting. Didn't know hot sleeping chicks got goose bumps while they slept. Hmm." I smiled again.

Slowly, unbelievably slowly, he began pulling away from me. Before I could object, I felt his fingers on the hem of my shirt. With slow, and I mean a pace that makes snails look like speed trains, slow movements, he began lifting my shirt to expose my back. I moaned and moved my arm to allow it to happen. He stopped, so I froze. This was a game, but a fun one.

As he brought my shirt up to the middle of my back where my bra strap should have been, Tom slipped his hand inside my shirt and ran his hand up my back. "Huh," he whispered and moved closer again to put his mouth against my neck. "Unless you say otherwise, I'm going to take your shirt off so I can give you a back rub." I refused to move. Hell yeah, I wanted his hands on my body.

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" he concluded, and I could hear the smile in his words. He moved back from me and went ahead with his plan to strip me from my shirt. I moved just enough for him to get it off me and remained still. This was so much better than just going back to sleep. And then he touched me. His hands were strong. He used his fingernails, his fingertips, and his full hands as he traced and teased and rubbed all along my skin. So much better than sleep.

He got to my side, and as I think he had suspected, he found my tickle spot. I jumped and held my breath. He stopped immediately and placed his whole palm on my side to keep from tickling. "Sorry, sorry," he whispered and leaned forward to kiss the center of my back. "I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure. I'll leave it alone." I let out a breath and sighed.

"It all feels so good, Tom," I whispered and relaxed.

"Mission accomplished," he said quietly and kissed my back again. For the next several minutes, he explored my back and sides and arms and neck. He'd touch, and then he'd kiss. He'd rub, and then he'd lick. I could have spent the day like that. Then I realized it takes two, and he deserved a turn.

I inhaled deeply and turned so that I could look back at him. I covered my breasts with my arm. He didn't get to have it all at once. He leaned forward and kissed me sweetly on my lips. I smiled and whispered, "It's my turn. Roll over please."

Tom did as he was asked and reached back to take off his shirt. Before pulling on the fabric, he turned and asked, "Can I take this off?"

"Sure," I answered and slid my hands up his back as the shirt made its way up his skin. When it was gone, I moved my hands under his arms to slide up over his stomach and landed on his chest. I kissed his back and put my chin on it. "I am loving this," I told him honestly and smiled as I kissed his back once more. He turned onto his side and extended his arm around me.

"Me too. More than you know," he responded and brought me in for a kiss. Before long, we were facing each other, wrapped up in the other's arms, and kissing passionately. My bare skin against his felt heavenly. When he took his lips off mine, I gasped until I felt him moving down my body to kiss my neck, my chest, my shoulder, and then my breast.

"Oh, that's, mmm, Tom," I moaned and put my hands on his head as he continued savoring the many parts of my breasts. He flicked and sucked. He kissed and tasted. He licked and cupped. It all felt so incredibly good. Minutes after he'd had his fill, he moved back up to my face and kissed me passionately.

"I want you," he shared and ran his hands up and down my back while resting his lips on my forehead.

"Same," I sighed and ran my fingers up into his hair. "But I owe you a back rub, and then we should get up and get moving. Breakfast, your luggage, showers, shopping, maybe a little drive out to a place I like, and then there's the whole getting to know each other part." Tom rolled over as I was speaking and allowed me to run my fingers along his back before I settled in to give him a full massage. Each time my nipple touched his skin, he sighed.

"Getting to know each other? Sounds like I already know which part of the day I'll enjoy the most."

"You're probably right," I answered and kissed his shoulder. I gave him probably fifteen minutes of my best massage techniques and then rested my hands on his chest again.

He sighed. "Why don't I go out and grab my stuff and then pick up some breakfast. In the meantime, maybe take a shower and get ready for the day? Grab your list of things you need at the store. I'll assess what I have and add to it when I figure out if I need anything."

"Are you used to barking orders?" I teased and pulled gently on him to roll over to face me. Before he could argue, I pulled his face to mine and kissed him hungrily. He lost his fight and reached around to hold me to him tightly. He moaned and matched my desires with his own.

"You know what? I don't need anything," he said carelessly. "Let's just stay in bed all day," he suggested and pulled the covers back up over us and attempted to bring me into another kiss. I laughed and pulled away from him.

"Nice try," I accused and managed to grab my tank top to hold against myself as I willed myself to walk away from the bed to head into the shower. "Go. My keys are on the rack in the kitchen. Just leave the front door unlocked. You have your phone for directions, right?"

"Yep," he answered and pulled his jeans on over his boxers. "Talking about that, did you ever check your phone last night?"

"Oh, I didn't," I answered thoughtfully as I stood in the doorway watching him. He still hadn't put his shirt on. I enjoyed the view immensely. "I should probably do that. I wonder if my co-workers ever texted me about why they didn't show up."

"Check it when you're done so they don't send a search party," he requested. "I'll be back soon."

"Drive safe," I encouraged and smiled as he walked toward me. I had to bite my tongue to keep from saying anything else. I'd known this gorgeous man for about sixteen hours, and I already wanted to pledge my love to him. What in the world? He stopped in front of me and put his finger under my chin.

"I will," he promised and kissed me sweetly before heading out of the room toward the rest of the house.

When I was done with my shower, I walked into my room and found my phone sitting on the bed with a note. "Check it!" he'd written. I laughed. When I opened it, I found three unread texts and two missed calls.

Thursday, August 29, 2024 5:06pm

Cindy - work: "Didn't want you to think we skipped out on you, but when we saw you sitting at the bar talking to a super hot guy, we decided to let you have your fun. Promise to see you before you move away from us forever. -Cindy"

"So, they didn't ditch me," I told my empty room and laughed. What a favor they did for me though. I smiled as I went on to read the next text from my best friend.

Thursday, August 29, 2024 8:03pm

Jen: "Just heard from Miguel that you were at Chili's with a guy. I have questions. You owe me answers. Love you."

I got dressed while I thought about what that message had meant. Miguel was a tattletale. My best friend, Jen, must have been going out of her mind at this point. She was already mad at me for my plans to leave her to make a life of my own, but she was also talking about coming to New York to make a life for herself as well. In fact, it was actually her idea for me to look for a job in another state. And Miguel, who worked at Chili's and had managed to avoid being seen by me the prior night, must have had a field day spying on me. Had I really not even thought about seeing Miguel while we were out? I have to admit I was entirely focused on Tom. It was nice to feel that desire to focus on just him for a while.

The third text was from my mom.

Thursday, August 29, 2024 8:37pm

Mom: "Honey, are you sure you want to move away? It seems awfully far, and I'm not sure I feel comfortable having you so far away from home. What if you need something? What if your car breaks down? You won't know anyone there! Maybe you could still sell your house and buy something in town and get another job."

I rolled my eyes. I texted back quickly acting as if I hadn't read her text.

Friday, August 30, 2024 9:17am

(me): "My house sold! Closing is on the 15th! All is falling into place so well! I'm excited to make this move and can't wait to get all settled so you and Daddy can come visit me!"

The two missed calls were Cindy's (with a voicemail) and a random number I deleted right away. I read Cindy's message, and it was basically just asking me to check in with her, so she knew I wasn't dead on the side of the road. I quickly texted back that I was fine and appreciated her text letting me know they didn't stand me up.

I tossed my phone on the bed and made my way back into the bathroom to fix my hair quickly before heading out into the living room. I remembered that we had left a few dishes in the sink, so I headed for the kitchen to wash those up. It wasn't but two minutes before Tom had returned with breakfast and his bag of clothes. He smiled when he saw me and wrapped his arms around me.

"I missed you," he moaned and brought me into a mouthwatering kiss.

"Mmm," I moaned and hurried to dry my hands before wrapping them around him to treat him back with some earth-shatteringly yummy kisses in return.

"Did you check your phone?" he asked and held my hips.

"I did," I assured him and smiled. "No one was sending search parties yet. I guess I had a spy at dinner last night who's a total tattletale. And my mom wants me to reconsider moving." I shrugged. "The usual."

"OK, come eat with me," he said and motioned with his head toward the food sitting on the kitchen table. "I'll go take a shower right after that, and then we can head out."

"Yes, sir," I teased and took his offered hand to hold as we walked to the table.

"Am I really that bossy?"

"You just seem to know what you want to get done," I countered. "I'm guessing you want to get back here after all else is done and do some more getting to know each other. I can't imagine why."

We ate, and then I cleaned up as he headed back to the room to take his shower. I called Jen and clued her in on how I'd met "the guy" and what happened at dinner, but I left out the fact that he'd stayed with me or that the date was still going. I told her I had most everything done for the closing and the move and planned to lay low for the two weeks. I had vacation time. I intended to use it.

"But tell me about this guy!" Jen told me and squealed. That was not like her. "Where's he from? What happened that you've suddenly decided to throw caution to the wind for the first time in fifteen months and actually give a guy some of your time? Is he cute? Nice? Hot? Oh my gosh! He's hot, right? Did you kiss him? Are you seeing him again? Can I meet him?"

"His name is Tom, and he came to my rescue, actually, while I was at the bar where I was supposed to meet Cindy and the crew from work. They had decided to invite me out to The Tavern to celebrate my final day and that my house was finally under contract. While I was waiting for them, a creep came up and tried hitting on me. I showed no interest and told him I was waiting on friends. He kept attempting to get me to go with him, so Tom walked up and stopped him from further pursuing me. When the creepy guy told me I should have just led with the fact that I had a boyfriend, Tom spoke up before I could say anything and told him that the boyfriend was there now, so the creep could leave. He walked away muttering."

"This Tom guy called himself your boyfriend?"

"It worked to get the creep to leave me alone, so I was fine with it. Tom ordered a Coke and told the bartender to add my drink to his order, and then he paid."

"Amaretto stoned sour?" Jen guessed and laughed when I gasped.

"Am I that obvious?"

"A little, but the fact that you had a drink tells me you let loose too. What's it been?"

"It's been over fifteen months," I admitted.

"Wow," Jen breathed. "So, what's he like? You still haven't told me anything about him."

"I did too!" I argued playfully. "He looks like a hero. Hot, sexy, sweet. He asked me if I wanted to stay there or go somewhere quieter. We chose to go to a restaurant, and when I asked what he wanted, he told me a good burger. I was just thrilled he didn't pull the whole 'oh, whatever you want.'"

"Didn't you just have a drink though?"

"Yeah, he drove my car. He had been in the back of a car being driven to someplace when he saw me walking into the bar, or so he told me. He told the driver to let him out. I guess he liked what he saw."

"Trinity Irelyn! What has gotten into you?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "It felt good to let loose, and I just felt it in my gut that he was a good person. The more we talked, the surer I was. But yes, he really is hot. He's so nice and thoughtful. He's here visiting a place for work but already did what he had to do, so he's got two weeks, ironically, to chill and visit our quaint little town."

"Trin, our quaint little town is the second largest city in the state," Jen argued. "So, you're going to see him again?" Talking about irony. Tom walked into the kitchen just as she asked that question.

"Yeah, I hope to see a lot of him over the next two weeks," I answered, definitely meaning it in every way that it sounded. Tom smiled and nodded. "Oh, hey," I told Jen suddenly. "That's Tom now. Let me handle this, and I'll be in touch."

"You're gonna introduce us, right?" she asked quickly.

"I'll make sure of it," I promised and winked at Tom. "Talk to you later." We hung up, and I let out a sigh.

"She doesn't know I'm here?"