It Just Feels Right Ch. 01

"Sorry about that...I haven't had a chance to get out here in a while."

She coughed as she shook her head at him. "Oh...it's fine."

When the air cleared, she stepped closer to it. Mike turned on some music in the background and came to her with a newly filled glass of sweet wine. She took a sip to soothe her throat. "What's this one?"

"This is my current project." He took a swig out of his own glass as he walked around it. "A 1965

Plymouth Fury. Found her in a junkyard about six months ago."

Shelly forced a tight smile as she looked at it. 'He should have left it there!' she thought to herself. There was rust all along each of the fenders, the interior was shot, the paint was cracked and bubbled, and one rear quarter panel had a huge dent creasing it right down the middle. The roof was rusted through. She highly doubted that it would run...and finding parts for this thing would be a nightmare.

"What do you think?" His voice interrupted her mental checklist of all the things he would have to fix.

She glanced up at him to find him surveying the car himself. "I know she looks pretty rough." He ran his hand along the drivers side door. "But...with some work...she can be at her best again."

Seeing his excitement and childlike candor as he talked about it, she couldn't bring herself to be negative. "If anyone can do it, I'm sure you can."

He smiled back at her as the song changed. Mike held his hand out to her. "Come here."

Slowly she made her way over to him. As she approached, she suddenly became very aware of her body. Whether it was his eyes raking up and down her or the fact that it had to be at eighty degrees in the building she couldn't tell. But all of the sudden, it was like she could feel every cell in her body. She could feel the bead of sweat that started behind her ear making its way down the side of her neck. She could feel her breasts straining against her shirt. She could feel the condensation from the glass in her hand trickling down her fingers. He made her feel so alive.

Mike took the glass from her hands and set it on the table before he swept her in his arms. He clicked a remote and the volume of the song increased. She smiled as she recognized the tune. It had a slow, steady beat that made you sway your hips to it. Mike began moving his body to the rhythm, taking her

with him as he traveled across the small space. She threw her head back and laughed when he dipped her. He took full advantage and laid a sensual kiss on her neck before bringing her back up to him. Upright again, she wrapped her arms around his neck, their hips swaying in harmony to the music.

"How is it that I've only known you for a few hours?" Shelly could have sworn she was using her inner monologue...but obviously not. She immediately turned beet red and tried to hide her face in his shoulder. Mike slowed his pace at her question and tipped her chin up, so she looked in his eyes.

"I was thinking the same thing." He kissed her again, making her knees weak as their bodies slowly moved as one. When their lips finally parted, he stared down at her, drinking all the details of her face in. Her stomach was doing flip flops again as the song ended.

Mike led her over to the couch and they sat. She finished another glass of wine as they talked. He found out she had an older brother who now lived in Colorado. Her dad still lived on the family farm and her mom had recently passed away.

"I'm sorry..." Mike's mind flashed back to what she had said about her shoes that morning.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's ok...we all knew it was coming. She was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma three years ago...so she actually held on a lot longer than anyone thought she would."

"Is that why it took you so long to leave home?" Mike immediately wondered if he had gone too far.

"Sorry...if that's too personal."

Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it was the company, but for once Shelly didn't mind divulging her business to him. She shook her head as she answered. "Mostly....yes. Everyone else was busy with their own lives and she needed someone to be with her." She, however, was not ready to let him in on the other reason.

Mike smiled sadly at her as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "That was good of you."

She forced a smile back at him as she quickly changed the subject. "What about you? Family?" Shelly gulped down the rest of her sweet wine, hoping to press back the memories that just popped in her head as he filled her in. Both parents still alive and together, living in Philadelphia...one older sister and a younger brother. She grinned as she imagined him as a child.

Mike finished his glass of wine and glanced over at her. Her eyes were a bit glossy and she had somewhat of a forlorn look on her face. Wanting to change that...he stood and pulled her to her feet. "Come on...let's go back to the house."

She smiled as she got to her feet. "Ok."

They walked back through the shop, leaving the bottle and glasses on the coffee table. Mike locked the door behind them as Shelly waited. She was looking up at the beautiful dark blue evening sky when suddenly he came from behind her and swooped her up in his arms.

She squealed in surprise as she clutched onto him. "What are you doing?" She couldn't help her laughter as he started walking.

"I don't want you limping all the way up there." He smiled as he carried her, taking long, purposeful strides.

She laughed again. "You can't carry me all that way...I'm too heavy."

"Psshhhtt....you are not."

She suddenly couldn't control her giggling as she bounced in his arms. "I really can walk you know."

Mike looked at her, still not missing a step. "I don't want you to walk."

There was something about how he said it...something about the look he gave her. He wasn't mad, and she wasn't frightened. But she knew. He had won. She bit her lip and planted a quick kiss on his cheek as he crossed onto his patio. Somehow, she knew it was important to him to let him carry her...as silly as it seemed to her.

Once they reached the sliding glass door, he set her down and opened it for her. It had gotten a little darker inside, and she was just a little bit wobbly from the wine. He placed a hand on the small of her back as he directed her towards the bathroom.

Shelly closed the door behind her, thankful that she could finally relieve her aching bladder. After doing so and flushing the toilet, she checked herself in the mirror. Her hair was all tousled from being outside...her makeup was wearing off quickly...and her mascara had run just a bit around her eyes. 'Shit,' she muttered as she tried to fix it. She washed her hands and tried to restore just a bit of order to her tangled tresses before deciding it would have to do. She switched off the light and opened the door...and ran right into a wall of muscle.

"Hey..." Mike was just going to knock when the door whipped open and she came barreling into him. "Aww crap...." She stumbled backwards, her hands covering her nose, as Mike's hands came out to catch her. He was laughing as he steadied her.

"Shit! I'm sorry...I was just coming to check on you." He chuckled again, trying to look at her face...which she was guarding. "Let me see..."

She started laughing back at him. "No!" She took a backwards step. "I'm scared my nose is bleeding." Her hands were still cupped around her nose, making her tone quite nasal.

Mike flipped the light back on and chortled as he grabbed her wrist, trying to get her hands away from face. "You're not bleeding. Come on...let me see."

Slowly, she lowered her hands and looked at them. Good. No blood.

His hands were gentle as he caressed her face. "Well...it was a close one...but I think you're gonna live, kid." She could hear the laughter still in his voice.

"It's all your....chest's fault..." She looked up at him...a shit eating grin all over his handsome face. She couldn't help but crack a smile herself. She poked a finger into his roc hard pectoral muscles.

He laughed as he hugged her to him. "Come on, Grace..." She took his hand as he led her through the maze of hallways again.

"Where are we going?"

"I thought...maybe a movie before dinner? If you're feeling up to it, that is."

She nodded, "Sure."

He led her back to the big sofa. They took off their shoes and settled in to watch the random Netflix movie he had selected. Shelly sat with her feet curled up underneath her as Mike sat on her left. His arm reached around and pulled her against him. She closed her eyes and let her body melt into his as she rested her head on his shoulder. He felt so right. She knew she was getting far too ahead of herself...but he felt so very right.

Mike glanced down at her face...loving the angles of her jawline...wanting to run his tongue along it. He felt the corner of his mouth lift in a half-smile as he thought of all the places he wanted his tongue on her. She seemed so innocent...so completely unaware of the effect she had on him. He sighed and pulled her even closer...grinning in satisfaction when she nestled against him. If you were to ask him what movie they were watching, he wouldn't be able to tell you. He was focused completely on her...trying to read her thoughts through the dark brown hair atop her lovely head.

She tried to focus on the movie. She tried to focus on what the characters were saying. It wasn't working. All she could think about was how perfect this man seemed to be. Shelly didn't understand why she was so drawn to him. She didn't know why she felt so compelled to 'please' him. She bit her lip as she tried to sort out the many things she was feeling. Just as she had decided that she should sit up straight and maintain some decorum, Mike's hand started idly running up and down her side. It was like he was blazing a trail of fire across her bare skin.

She did her best to re-focus on the TV screen. Her head was against the side of Mike's chest and she soon found herself listening to his heart beat more than the movie. Her mind wandered as she felt his chest rise and fall with his breathing...how was it that she felt so....so....protected with this man. It was a question she had asked herself at least a hundred times in the past few hours...but the answer eluded her nonetheless. Mike's chuckle brought her back to the present as she took a deep breath and made a conscious effort to clear her mind. She was just going to be here in the present for now. She wasn't going to worry about implications, past experiences, "where it was all going,' or anything else. She decided that she was just going to be here now, with this man that made her feel so very good.

Mike liked how she felt against him. He had his right arm around her shoulders and held her tightly against his chest. She burrowed her cheek into him like a child would...and he liked that too. He could tell she was still trying to find some answers...still searching for a reason as to why she was in her current situation. He was a bit disoriented as well. Never had he been like this with anyone. Normally he kept his distance for a while...then slowly worked his way up to the physical stuff. But...even he had to admit...he had a hard time keeping his hands off her. 'I deserve a goddamn medal for not having already thrown her down on my bed,' he grumbled to himself.

Shelly shifted her position and snuggled herself even closer to him as she sighed in contentment. Maybe it was the wine...maybe it was the painkillers...but she was feeling so relaxed and content in this moment. She smiled against him, idly running her hand across one side of his chest...not realizing the affect she was having on him as she let herself daydream once again.

Mike smiled as he rubbed the outside of her thigh...not taking his eyes off the television screen...a bit fearful of what he might do if he looked at her. He could just imagine it. She'd be all doe-eyed and innocent...biting that lip of hers as she stared up at him...her body begging him to touch it...her breasts straining against that top...her tongue wetting her lips...her hair brushing the top of her shoulders...making him want even more to put his mouth there... 'Stop!' he scolded himself. 'Watch the damn movie and....just watch the damn movie. Have some self-control, Harding!'

He managed to make it to the end and caressed Shelly's side as the credits began to roll.

"Did you like it?"

His question seemed to startle her. "I..." she giggled, "I'm sorry Mike...I wasn't really paying much attention to the movie." She gazed up at him...unbridled passion flaring in her eyes.

Mike knew that look...he knew it very well. She wanted him. He knew he was playing with fire as he lowered his face to hers. "Me either."

Their lips met, and Shelly felt an explosion of desire race through her. All rational thought was lost as she was suddenly ravenous for him. All her pain was forgotten...all her reservations and insecurities gone as her arms went around his neck. She crawled on top of him...straddling his lap as he sat. She whimpered and moaned as she tried to get closer to him...suddenly very mad at all the clothes they had on. She kissed him ferociously...drawing his tongue into her mouth and caressing it with her own.

Mike groaned as his hands clamped on her waist...holding her there while he ground his hips up into her. Shelly ripped her lips from his and arched on top of him...closing her eyes and reveling in feeling his erection pressed against her. Mike growled and brought her mouth back down to his with his hand at the back of her head. He dominated her mouth then...holding her head still as he took what he wanted from her pretty lips. He kissed her savagely while he thrust his still clad hips up into her again. She moaned as his tongue snaked into her mouth and sucked hers into his. She arched her back again...exposing her throat to him as he pressed his very evident erection against her again.

Mike seized the opportunity and planted his mouth on her delicate neck...gently sinking his teeth into her pretty flesh. His hands came to her front and cupped her breasts firmly above her shirt...his fingers gently digging into her.

Shelly yelped as she felt the perfect mixture of pain and raw pleasure course through her...making her grind her hips down onto him harder. She threaded her fingers through the hair on the back of his head as she clung to him. "Please, Mike...." He continued sucking on her neck as she begged him. "Please Mike....I need you so bad..." She felt his chest rumble as he ripped his mouth away and pressed her lips to his once again.

Somehow...he managed to grasp onto the one rational thought he had left as he slowed their movements. His hands settled back on her waist as he began soothing her...trying to bring her back around to conscious thought. Shelly whimpered and mewed at him...trying to deepen their kiss again as

he slowly pulled away. "Wait baby...." He gritted his teeth as she moved herself in his lap again. "Let's slow down..."

Shelly was nearly frantic, kissing his neck and jawline. "But why?"

Mike brought her face to his and stared deep into her eyes. "Because I said so."

She was still breathing heavily.... still unconsciously moving her hips in circles on top of him...her arousal even more evident by the way her nipples were erect underneath her shirt. She was quite literally throwing herself at him. Her fingers frantically tried to undo the buttons on his shirt until he placed on of his on top of them. Mike groaned as her desperate eyes searched his. All at once, her ministrations stopped as she felt a wave of humiliation wash over her. Her mouth froze, half open...her body stiffened, and her eyes left his as the realization hit her. He didn't want her. She had gone too far. "I...." she began to awkwardly crawl off him...as embarrassed as she had ever been. "I'm sorry..."

"No." Mike hauled her back on his lap, lifting her face to his. "No." He shook his head as he held onto her tightly.

She half-heartedly tried to get out of his grasp...not wanting to see his face.... not wanting him to see her. Her whole body was beet red, and she wouldn't meet his eyes. Oh how she wished she could crawl into a hole...or at least hide under his enormous couch right now. What the hell did she let herself do? She just attacked this man...and of course he had refused her...and holy hell...what had she done? Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!! She closed her eyes and smiled nervously...desperately trying to think of something to say.

"You're misunderstanding me, Michelle." Mike held her on top of him tightly...his erection still throbbing and she struggled to get out of his hold. "I want you. God knows I've wanted you from the first second I saw you...I just don't want our first time to be on this couch."

Shelly was shaking her head as he spoke. "No...no...I'm sorry. I...I don't know what came over me. It was entirely inappropriate..."

He placed a finger over her lips. "Would you listen to me please?"

So many thoughts were swirling through her head...humiliated...embarrassed...ashamed.... all of them rebounding around those ideals. 'I want to die...holy crap...I want to die.' Shelly cursed herself as Mike again tried to get her eyes to meet his. 'Wait a second.... did he say "first time?' She snuck a glance up at him. "First time?"

Mike glared back down at her. "First of many, I'm hoping." Their eyes locked for what seemed like an eternity.

Shelly felt embarrassed all over again. Holy smokes, what was the matter with her? She cleared her throat as he slowly loosened his grip on her. "I see."

He chuckled as he watched her trying to sort all of it out. She slowly climbed off his lap and sat next to him once again.

"Does that sound like something you would want?"

She gasped at his direct question. She laughed nervously...too high pitched to be perceived as in any way normal. She turned to look at him and felt her breath catch in her throat. "Yes, Sir."

Mike smiled broadly. She was a natural.

He stood and pulled her up with him. "Good." He kissed her quickly and fiercely. "Then come with me."

He led her to the kitchen.

'Are you freaking kidding me?!?' Shelly was screaming inside her head. She could still feel her arousal throbbing between her legs...her breasts were aching to feel his hands again...she could barely walk...and he was taking her to the kitchen? Frustration didn't even begin to describe how she felt.

Mike chuckled to himself...imagining what she must be thinking right now. He could sense her arousal...and was deeply mindful of his own. As he reached in the cupboard for the Tylenol, he glanced down at her. She was standing with her arms crossed, glaring a hole in his kitchen floor. He shook his head as he watched her shirt strain over her heaving chest. The shaking of the bottle of pills seemed to rouse her.

"It's a good idea to stay ahead of the pain."

She glanced up at him as he held two pills out to her. A smile broke out across her face as she took them from him and popped them in her mouth. How could she be upset as someone when they looked like that?

Mike handed her a bottle of water from the fridge, then took two of the pills for himself. He watched her as she went to put the bottle back in the refrigerator. Her body was so...so.... perfectly proportioned. He had to stop himself from grabbing a handful of her ass. His cock was still throbbing from feeling her on top of him before...and even though he seemed cool and together...he knew his own restraint was hanging by a very thin thread.

Shelly took a deep breath as she set the bottle on the shelf. She turned to speak as she closed the door...and of course lost her balance as a shooting pain developed in her hip. Mike caught her and steadied her against him as she once again took in the feeling of being in his arms.