Free Fall Ch. 03

My parents were still hoping I'd be going to medical school in a year, I knew, and a serious relationship would throw that into question. But so much had changed in my head and in my heart since I'd left school and moved in with my grandparents. I wasn't throwing the idea of grad school out the window entirely—I'd spent a lot of time exploring the possibility of getting a Master's degree in Psychology and had even looked into a program at a state school about an hour's drive from my grandparents' house—but I wasn't sure if it was what I wanted to do right away. I felt fairly certain my parents would have patience my uncertainty even if they didn't understand it, and that they would appreciate the fact that I'd given it serious thought.

So much of what I valued now, and so much of what I wanted to happen in my near future had nothing to do with a classroom and everything to do with being part of Nico's family. I knew it would take some convincing to make my parents see that as a sensible option. It had always been a foregone conclusion I'd start a career before a family.

If selling them on the idea of me not going back to school right away was going to be difficult, selling them on the idea of Nico as their potential son-in-law was going to be even harder. He wasn't the educated, white-collar professional they no doubt had in mind for their over-achieving superstar (and only) daughter. But he was intelligent and charming, and he was kind, and he was an honest man who worked hard, and I hoped once they met him and saw that, the differences wouldn't seem so important.

I confess I wasn't feeling completely confident their meeting wouldn't turn into a horrible mess.

//

I reached for the towel Nico had left me and wrapped it around me, glad it was big enough to really snuggle into because the bathroom was chilly, and stood, dripping for a second.

Nico was at the sink examining his face in the mirror.

"So you don't like the beard?" He turned his head back and forth, checking himself out. Then he flexed his biceps like a bodybuilder, framing his chest, and turned his naked body to me. "You don't think it makes me look rugged and manly?"

"Mmm. That is a problem for you, Nico. You're just not manly enough."

He flexed his muscles again and gave me what I thought was supposed to be a sexy look, but it made me laugh instead.

"It's not that I don't like it. Actually, you look really good with a beard." He did. It was at least a third grey, which kind of surprised me, but it didn't make him any less attractive. "It's just not my preference."

He let his muscles relax and his arms hang loose, frowning, trying to look hurt, but there was a smile at the corner of his mouth that ruined the effect.

"And here I thought the lumberjack look turned you on. Oh well. I'll shave it off," he said, stepping toward me. He reached out his hands and I stepped out of the shower onto the bathmat. I wasn't ready to bare my naked body to the chilly air, so I stayed wrapped in my towel as he hugged me to him. "I don't want to meet your parents looking like Paul Bunyan anyway."

"Hmm. Probably best not to," I agreed. I rested my head on his bare chest, loving the solidity and warmth of his body against mine. "Lumberjacks and beards aren't really my parents' thing. JD would appreciate it, though."

He laughed softly. "I bet he would."

JD and Nico had met the previous month (after I begged JD to take a weekend off and come see me), and they'd gotten along great. I'd never doubted they would. They were both artists in their ways, and both worked with their hands. The age thing had been a surprise, but JD hadn't cared that much once he'd gotten used to the idea. By the end of the night, JD was pretending to flirt with Nico, and Nico was pretending to be tempted, and there was a lot of teasing and joking all around, filling me up with a contented happiness that it had been so easy.

I doubted it would go so smoothly with my parents, but there wasn't much I could do about that. Either they'd love Nico like everyone else who met him did, or their concern about my future would get in the way and we'd have work to do to make it OK. Either way, we'd know in just a few days.

I sighed, my feelings of contentment deflated slightly by anxiety, and leaned against him, my cheek against his damp chest. Nico's voice was a rumble under my ear.

"What's up, Foxy?"

"I don't know. I'm just feeling...stuff. You know."

He didn't have to ask. I felt his arms tighten just a little and he kissed the top of my head.

"I just want it to work out," I said.

We'd talked a lot about it already, about all the possible reactions my parents might have, the concerns they were likely to voice, and how we'd handle it. I knew they'd like him, he was just too genuine and kind a man to dislike, but liking him wasn't the same as approving of him as a potential son-in-law.

"It's going to work out. I promise we'll find a way."

I leaned back to look up at him. I knew he meant what he said and my heart surged with gratitude.

"But, it's going to be fine," he said, dropping his arms and pulling back to look at me. He grinned. "You and me, baby? We're awesome."

I laughed. "We really are," I said.

//

Nico had warned me when he invited me to Thanksgiving dinner how loud it would be. I'd had dinner with Nico, Rose, and her family before, so I had some idea of how lively they could be, but I wasn't quite prepared for what adding a few more family members to the mix would be like.

Before I'd even stepped onto the porch, I could hear the loud voices and laughter. I had to knock twice to be heard, but then the door opened and Nico let me through with a grin and a lingering kiss that made my whole body warm. I guessed by the way he hesitated he had the same longing I did at that moment—to kiss again, and again—but he stepped back and let me through the door instead.

"Here, give me that," he said. He took the pie I'd been carrying and I unbuttoned my coat, looking at him properly for the first time. His beard was gone.

"You shaved."

"Yeah, no more Paul Bunyan," he said, grinning. "But I still need a haircut. I'm overdue, in fact."

I shrugged my way out of my coat and hung it on one of the hooks on the wall.

"Not too short, I hope." I loved his curly hair. It was thick and soft and perfect for slipping my fingers through, or grabbing when he went down on me. My pussy throbbed hopefully at the thought of that, but the eruption of laughter from the other room brought me back to reality.

"Sounds exciting in there."

Nico raised his eyebrows. "They're just getting started." It sounded like a warning.

Once through the door, I was struck by how different it looked from the last time I'd be there, only a few days before. It was bright and warm, now fully furnished, with a fire in the fireplace, and the kitchen full of female relatives and delicious smells. The rest of the house was also full of people, and they all turned their heads as we came in. I felt my face color, to have all those eyes on me, but it was a friendly crowd, and within a few seconds, I was having the stuffing hugged out of me by Rose.

The next three hours were an adventure, a loud and lively affair. As had happened at previous family gatherings I'd attended, I was made to feel part of the family. Inside jokes were explained, well-known stories recounted for my benefit, and, for the most part, I felt like I knew what they were talking about—even though they tended to all talk at once. I was also included in the gentle teasing that was always present between family members, which thrilled me to no end.

I'd hoped to sit next to Nico at dinner, but there was some last-minute shuffling of places and I ended up at the end of the table between Nico's dad, who was sitting at the head of the table, and Nico's youngest brother Frank. Nico was a few seats down on the other side. It was probably better that way, though. Just the brief moments when our eyes met and lingered got my heart racing. It would have been much worse with him next to me, close enough to touch, but not touch as much or in the ways I wanted.

I didn't know Frank very well at all, so it was nice to get a chance to talk to him. He was the most physically attractive of the three Onassis boys, with slightly more delicate features than his brothers or dad, but he had a cockiness about him that his brothers didn't. It didn't make me like him any less, but he reminded me of some of the boys I'd dated in college—good-looking and absolutely certain just how powerful a trait that was to possess.

Nico's dad was just as loud as his kids, with a tremendous laugh and obvious affection for his whole family. Even though he was nothing but kind and generous toward me, I couldn't help but feel nervous around him. He was the family patriarch, and a big personality. I just hoped my slight reservedness didn't come across as snobby; I had nothing but love and admiration for the whole family. I hoped he could see that, even if I was quiet in the way I expressed it.

After dinner, groups formed in the living room, the kitchen, and back at the dining room table, and I moved from one to the other, joining in conversations or just observing the family dynamics. It was so different from my own family I found it fascinating.

I wasn't sure I'd ever seen a family laugh so easily or so often. And they touched each other frequently. Just a gentle hand on the arm or shoulder during a conversation, but it was true of the men, too. More than once I saw Nico put his arm around his brother's shoulder when he approached him. A sort of half hug move that looked utterly comfortable to both men. I loved it, that easy way they expressed their affection and closeness.

But what I loved most about that day was how easily I could imagine living there with Nico. Living there, raising Lena together, hosting family dinners. Together. In our house. It felt like the most natural, self-evident thing in the world, and I couldn't help basking in the happiness that fantasy gave me.

I could tell by the smile Nico wore most of the day that he was feeling something similar. When he pulled me aside in the kitchen late in the day and kissed me, pulling me tight against his body, I wasn't surprised to hear him express exactly what I'd been feeling.

"I love this. Being here with you. I feel like it's real. Like you're already my wife."

We had never talked about marriage explicitly, but there was no doubt in either of our minds what we wanted. We were both avoiding the conversation, for our own reasons, and we'd talked around it plenty, so to hear him say it so plainly kind of took my breath away.

"I can't wait to marry you, Foxy."

I'm not sure how I would have responded if he'd given me the chance. My whole body was suddenly throbbing with excitement. And then he kissed me again, and the throbbing concentrated between my legs.

We were out of view of anyone in the living room and dining room, but I was keenly aware that any member of his family could walk into that kitchen at any moment. So when Nico's hands slid down my back and over my ass, I was torn between wanting those strong hands there and imagining how embarrassed I'd be if his mom walked in to that sight.

For a half a minute, wanting won and we kissed. His strong hands stayed where they were, flexing slightly over my backside, and I ached inside for wholly inappropriate things to happen next. I could feel the desire in him, too. In the tension in his body and the way he was holding me so close. If I hadn't known it, he made it clear when his mouth slipped from mine to my ear and he whispered, "I wish everyone would leave. I want you so bad, baby."

I gasped from the thrill that rushed through me, and I would have replied, but his hand slid around my body and landed on my breast, turning my gasp into a soft moan. He pulled away almost immediately, and his hand dropped to my waist.

"Can you stay? After everyone else leaves? I know you can't stay the night, but maybe a couple of hours? Even one hour?"

My answer of 'yes' was immediate and a little desperate. It made him smile, and then he kissed me once more before he released me from his embrace.

"We should go join the others," I said, "before someone comes looking for us. I don't really want your mom catching us making out."

"You go. I'll be a minute. I need to...think about something else for a bit. Anything but how sexy you are." He looked down and I let my eyes drop, too. His erection was straining the front of his jeans. I couldn't help but smile a thrilled little smile.

"Looks like you'll need more than a minute."

//

It was several more hours before everyone left, the goodbyes taking at least a half hour as leftovers were distributed, plans were made for the next big family gathering, and everyone was hugged and re-hugged by everyone else. It was late when the last family members finally left. Lena had gone home with her grandparents for a sleepover with her cousins, not clinging to me or Nico for a change when she hugged us goodbye.

"I guess she's over us," Nico said, shrugging as he closed the door. "I'm old news, and not even the magnificent Zoe O'Reilly can compete with a sleepover at Grandma and Papa's."

He stepped toward me and took my face in his hands. Automatically, mine went to his chest, my right hand searching for the familiar beat of his heart. I'd been feeling mildly aroused since we'd kissed earlier, so when his warm hands touched my face and he leaned down to kiss me, my arousal surged. I was achingly aware of how much I wanted him, how much I wanted to taste him. His lips reached mine and immediately I opened my mouth, inviting a deeper kiss. He responded with a small noise of surprise, and then his lips parted too and what might have been a tender kiss of love and affection became a hungry display of need.

I don't know which one of us was more assertive. Nico had my head in his wide spread fingers, holding me so firmly as his tongue explored my open mouth, I was more or less a passive partner in the kiss. I wasn't, however, entirely passive. While he kissed me, I was busy lowering the zipper on his jeans and working my hand into the open front in search of his thickening cock.

When my fingers curled around it, he groaned against my open mouth and drew back. He pressed his forehead to mine and looked at me with an expression of distress as I stroked him to his full hardness. It didn't even take a minute.

"I wanted to make love to you tonight," he said in a strained voice. "I wanted to take you upstairs, undress you completely, lay you out on the bed, kiss every inch of your body, tease you until you were breathless, and then fill you up slowly and make it last. But I don't think I'd last five minutes right now."

"I don't care how long you last. I just want you inside me. I want you so much Nico."

He groaned, kissed me deeply once more, and then drew back and scooped me up in his arms. I let go of his cock, my palm coated with sticky precum, and held onto his neck as he carried me to the couch. He laid me down and leaned over me. He pushed my skirt high and hooked his fingers into the waistband of my leggings, dragging them down and off my legs in one swift motion. The next second his knee slid between my thighs, pushing them apart, and his hand slid over my sex, making me groan. He made two swirling motions with his fingers pressed against me and then he moved his hand to slip it down the front of my panties. His fingers curled around my sex and he made a noise of desire deep in his throat.

I cried out; his haste surprised me. I'd never known him to be so impatient, but he wasn't the only one over-aroused. When he spread my labia with his fingers and one searching finger slid between them I whimpered with pleasure. I was already so wet his finger slid inside me easily, deep inside me until I felt his palm come to rest on my pubic mound.

"God yesss," I whimpered. "That's what I want."

"You're so wet." His eyes dropped from mine to my sex.

We both watched as he withdrew his hand and then slid two fingers inside me. I felt my body yield to the thickness and pleasure spread through me as he very slowly pressed both fingers deep. He was watching too, with an expression of awe on his face as he gently slid his fingers back out and pressed them deep once more.

"You're so hot and wet, Zoe. God, that's sexy."

He moved his eyes back to mine and leaned over me again to kiss me. I slid my hands up to unbutton his shirt as we kissed, my arousal growing more and more intense by the second as he filled me again and again with slow strokes of his fingers. I loved the feel of his wet mouth on mine and was genuinely disappointed when he drew back to look at me.

"I was so hard at dinner," he said.

"What?"

He nodded, a flicker of embarrassment showing in his aroused expression.

"Seriously?"

"I don't know. That's never happened before. My mind was wandering and I looked over at you, and...I don't know. I couldn't stop it. I remember thinking, my entire family is here, my parents are here, this can't be happening. But then the next second I thought about you—about earlier this week—and I could see you on the table on your back, your legs open..." His expression was intense as he spoke, all the while, very slowly sliding his fingers in and out of my soaking sex. "I tried not to think about it, but I could still feel..." He paused and lowered his voice, his brow shifting in excitement. "I could feel your pussy on my fingers...just like this, hot and wet. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't. I couldn't stop thinking about you, about how hard you came, how it felt on my fingers."

I swore, thrilled by his words as much as the way his thick fingers were urging me closer and closer to an orgasm. I held perfectly still as he stroked my soaking pussy, my efforts to undo his shirt buttons long forgotten. I stared up at him, at the look of desire in his dark eyes and realized I was already very close to coming.

He realized it too, he always did.

"Do you want to come like this?" His voice was thick with emotion. I could hear how turned on he was. "Or do you want me inside you?"

I didn't want him to stop, I was so close, but I knew how much more intense my orgasm would be with his hard cock inside me. And I wanted to see him come, too. He said it wouldn't take long and i believed him from the look on his face as he continued to fill me again and again.

"I want to come with your cock inside me, Nico."

He swore under his breath, then stood, his hands already pushing down his jeans. I pulled my skirt and wet panties down and off, then sat up to unbutton my shirt. I felt my wet sex as I moved, throbbing with longing to be filled, and shivered with excitement knowing it would be in just a matter of minutes. I had just dropped my bra to the floor when he pulled me toward him and moved over me. He was inside me so quickly it took my breath away—he lowered himself, pressing my thighs open, and then pushed deep into my body in one easy motion. I groaned, he groaned, and for a second he just looked down at me, holding himself inside me.

"It's not going to take long," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm just so turned on."

"I don't care, just do it, Nico. I want it so bad." I shifted beneath him, enjoying the sensation of being full of him, and was immediately rewarded with a rush of pleasure. "I'm so turned on, too. Please, please."

"I want you to come first."

"Oh god, yes." I was impatient, now. I rocked my hips, stared up at him. "Nico, yes."

A second later he drew back and began to slowly thrust inside me. He was moving slowly, dragging himself out until just the tip of his penis penetrated me, and then pressing down again, a little more quickly until our bodies met.