They Just Click Ch. 06

The doorbell rang. Jake walked over to it, wanting to run but knew that wouldn't look good. He reminded himself to keep his cool. He couldn't help but smile though as he walked to the door knowing who was there. A slight chuckle escaped from him as he realized again what Erikah was doing to him.

He opened the door and felt his breath catch slightly when he saw her standing there. She looked amazing. There was a black dress that clung to her every curve and her hair was piled on her head neatly. Jake's breath actually caught when he noticed her carrying his ... her ... well the prints in her hands. He let his eyes travel over her body once more before he blushed slightly, realizing he was staring.

"Hey there, come on in," he said and stood aside to let her pass.

Again Jake couldn't help but watch her as she walked past him. Her hips moved slightly, her body just walked with an ease and delicate grace. He could easily image her body moving like that under him as he touched her. He shook his head and let his mind come back to the moment instead of falling off into fantasy.

"Nice place," Erikah said as she looked around the apartment. Her eyes were drawn almost instantly to the windows and the view of the skyline. "Where should I set these?" she asked with a grin when she noticed him staring again. He was cute when she caught him doing that. It was almost like he was lost in the moment. She often wondered what he was thinking.

"Let me take them," was his simple reply as he took them and leaned them against the wall. Erikah watched him moving, the way his clothes fit his body. He was a fine looking man and she smiled as she watched.

The tension in the air was electric, thick as he turned to her, "Diner is almost ready. Would you like something to drink while I finish up? I have almost anything," he said with a smile as he moved into the kitchen.

Erikah followed him, after glancing over the rest of the living room. She thought there a few places her photos would look nice but that was up to him to decide on. She actually startled him slightly when she spoke. It had caught him of guard.

"The wine looks pretty inviting," she said from the doorway into the kitchen.

Jake poured a glass for her. "Make yourself comfortable," he said as he handed it to her then poured one for himself.

She took a sip and smiled, "Mmm, very nice." She sat on one of the bar stools by the small island in the kitchen and watched him for a moment. "Can I help with anything," she asked.

"If you want, you can get the stuff for the salad ready," Jake replied as he motioned to the lettuce and other vegetables sitting on the counter.

Erikah set her wine glass down next to the cutting board, took a knife from the block and started cutting and peeling. Every so often she ate a piece of tomato or cucumber, slipping over to Jake and giving him a piece. There was plenty of smiling going on as they put the finishing touched on dinner. She finished up ripping the lettuce when Jake looked at her strange. "The edges don't brown this way or so I've been told," she said taking a sip of her wine. "That smells wonderful," she said as he took the pan of lasagna from the oven.

"It's an ancient family secret," Jake said with a wink as he set it down to cool. He picked up the salad she had made and took it along with the oil and vinegar to the table, motioning for her to lead the way. This was the first time she saw the candle lit table. The plates were set neatly as though they were dinning at some five star restaurant. She knew he had taken a lot of time in planning dinner and that knowledge was powerful. Erikah was trying not to smile at it all but failed miserably. It even broadened when Jake slid her chair out for her.

He quickly went back into the kitchen and returned with the lasagna. Carefully he set it down and began to cut their pieces. Not sure how much she would eat he made the piece small and placed it on her plate. His slice was a little bigger then the one he cut for her but he knew his appetite was bigger. Jake refilled their wine glasses before they started eating. "I hope you like it," he said with a grin as he sat down and began to cut into his lasagna.

As they ate they talked about the days since they had last spoke and even seen each other. Erikah mentioned her studio and taking some new shots of the city, the park. She couldn't help but go a little over the top when she talked about taking photos. It really was her passion and she never failed to let it show. They laughed about the night Jake had pulled a fast one on his friend with her girlfriends. Silently though she wished she would have been there. She was really enjoying her time spent with Jake.

Jake just listened through dinner. He loved the voice that was filling his ears. The way that Erikah spoke about her photography you couldn't help but picture everything. She was vivid with detail. Her words so full of the love she had for her art. Then with the mention of him and her friends, they laughed. He actually thought he could listen to that sound forever. There was something about being with this woman that made him happy, so much more then he felt he'd ever been.

Too soon though dinner finished and they both sat sipping their wine. The talking had lulled; it was quiet and actually very nice. The silence was comfortable, not the type that you felt you needed to fill. They both had never experienced such a thing and it was nice, a welcomed experience.

Jake stood first and began to pick up the plates and move them into the kitchen. Erikah sat there quiet, her hand on her wine glass as she felt him leave the room. She then saw a stereo and walked to it finding some music she thought would be nice to listen to. It was a soft, mellow jazz. The strains of the sax filled the room and she took her wine into the kitchen and smiled at Jake.

"Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. I just thought I would get these cleaned up and in the washer so we could enjoy the rest of the night," he told her.

She nodded and moved to help him in putting things away. Their hands would brush against each other, or their legs would touch and each time it seemed a spark would jump between them. Neither mentioned it but inside they felt it. Before too long the dinner was cleaned up and put away and they moved into his living room.

"Mind if I ask Jake where you are planning on putting your new photos?"

"I thought here on this wall. What do you think?"

The wall was already a little sparse and would fit the size of the photo's yet Erikah thought they would look better over the couch and move the small ones that were there over to the wall he was thinking of.

"Mind if I make a recommendation Jake?"

"Please do," he smiled liking the fact that she wanted to help him.

"Move these photos over to that wall," she said standing. "Then hang the new photos here. The light from your amazing view will offset the colors and really make them pop. If you would like I'll help you hang them?"

He just smiled. He loved the idea and moved quickly to get the tools needed. When Jake walked back in to the room he was treated to a view. Erikah was kneeling on his couch, stretching for photos. Her arms raised her dress and it pulled up her beautiful legs. The woman was an angel. He moved behind her and she didn't realize it until she stepped into his arms. Almost loosing her balance she smiled up at him and he caught her around the waist.

They looked at each other, eyes caught up in the moment and so very slowly his lips moved down to hers. There was no pressure just the soft feeling of his lips touching hers. Her hands held fast to his arms, and then his shoulders as slowly the kiss grew. Her lips moved against his, kissing him back. Time seemed to stop for them as they were so sweetly connected.

"I uh..." he said.

"Uh well..." said Erikah.

Then they both laughed. It broke what could have been a strange moment. Their hands still touched lightly. She looked up at Jake and spoke first. "I don't regret that Jake. I've wanted to kiss you for awhile."

"So have I Erikah," he said running a hand over her cheek. "Should we hang these up then?"

She nodded and they moved the photos and hung the new ones. They stood together smiling after they were hung. It really did look so much better this way Jake had to admit. He smiled at the woman next to him. He wondered if it was possible to fall so quickly for someone. He wasn't sure of his feeling yet he knew he had some and caught himself wondering if she did as well.

Jake took Erikah by the hand and led her to the couch. As she sat, he realized their glasses were almost empty. "Let me get the bottle," he said smiling at her. "Make yourself comfy."

When he returned, Erikah had done just that. She had taken her shoes off and was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked up, her head resting back. Jake bent and started to fill her glass. He couldn't resist and bent a little further wanting to kiss her. It was a great idea except that in the process, the wine bottle shifted and poured out onto her dress.

"Oh shit. I am so sorry," Jake said when Erikah let out a little gasp as the cool liquid soaked into her dress. "You know, I'm never this clumsy. With you though I'm all ... I don't know ... flustered," he said as his cheeks matched the color of the wine. That brought a giggle from her.

"At least it's on a black dress. It would have been really bad on something lighter," Erikah said with a smile. It wasn't going to be a big deal, she herself had done worse. Jake was a little surprised at her reaction, he had been thinking that she'd be more upset about it.

"Let's get that wiped up at least," he said and held his hand to her. They made their way through the apartment and into the bathroom. He found her a towel and handed it to her while he wet a wash cloth.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"It's not ruined Hun, but I think I'm going to need something to put on. This is pretty wet and should dry out." she said, looking at herself in the mirror. "What do you have that a girl could wear?"

"I'll see what I can find," he said leaving her and going to his bedroom. Not sure what she might want, he decided to lay a couple of different options on the bed. Some sweats, one of his shirts, some shorts and a t-shirt.

"That shirt will work great," Erikah said from the doorway, startling Jake.

Erikah looked around the room as she walked deeper into it. In doing so she realized that he had the same view of the sky line from this room. Though he had the curtains drawn they were sheer enough that she could picture lying on the bed being held by him as they looked out over the city. The simple thought made her smile.

"You have to let me pay for getting the dress cleaned," Jake said apologetically, snapping her back to reality.

"Don't worry about it. We can figure that out later," she said with a smile as she walked up to him, stood on her toe and kissed him on the cheek. "Unzip me please," she asked as she turned.

Jakes hand shook a little as he unzipped her dress for her. He resisted the urge to run his hands down the smooth skin of her back as he bared her soft skin. "I'm going to go wipe off the couch," he said and quickly left the room. He closed the door behind him, and avoiding eye contact with her. He didn't want to betray the feelings that were blazing through his mind.

Erikah giggled softly at him as he quickly left the room. She stepped out of her dress and took the shirt from the bed. She first held it to her nose, breathing in the smell. Even though it was clearly freshly cleaned, she could still smell him on it. She closed her eyes softly and took in the aroma for a moment before slipping it on, leaving the top couple of buttons undone.

He wiped the wine from the leather of the couch. Jake was trying to let his mind cool and not imagine the woman in the next room slipping into one of his button down dress shirts. She would look amazing he knew.

"Maybe I should take care of this tonight, we don't want you to spill any more of it," she said with a wink as she handed him his glass having come back into the room.

The sight of her in his shirt left him speechless. Jake could only smile and nod as he took his glass from her. Well, that and stare that is. "How is it that a beautiful woman can make even the simplest shirt look amazing?" he asked when he regained some sort of composure.

"We're good that way," she said with a wink as she took a sip before sitting down on the couch again. She felt herself relaxing more around him. Her legs curled up under her, and while most of her was hidden her legs seemed not to ever end.

Jake walked over to the french doors that led to the balcony and opened them. They were high enough that the sounds of the city below didn't make it too loud. "It's such a beautiful night, I though I'd let some fresh air in. It's not to cold is it?"

"Not at all. In fact ..." Erikah said as she stood and took Jakes hand. She led him outside onto the balcony. It was only then she saw that the balcony extended past the bedroom. It sent all sorts of beautiful images through her head.

They stood by the rail, looking out over the city. The music from the stereo filtered through the air between them. After a few moments, Erikah turned to him and took his wine glass from him. "Dance with me," she said softly as she laid her hands on his chest.

He put his hands around her waist as her head rested against him. The smell of her hair drifted up between them as they began to sway to the music. Her fingers found their way between the buttons of his shirt and traced little lines on his warm skin. Carefully she undid the top couple of buttons; she wanted to actually feel her palm touching him.

Jake bent his head slightly and kissed the top of her head as he moved his hands down just enough that they rested on the top of her butt cheeks. He could feel the muscles contract in her as they moved. They swayed together, their bodies brushing against each other.

Erikah lifted her head and looked into his eyes as her hand moved from his chest, over his shoulders and into his hair. She pulled his lips to hers in a deep kiss that they both had wanted for so long. Their tongues touched, caressed each other. The taste was so sweet; it fed the kiss, prolonging it. That was until Jake felt Erikah begin to shiver, whether it was from the cold or him he wasn't sure but took her by the hand and back into the apartment.