Under LockDown

This one is for the Love the One(s) You're With Competition, as always, your votes and comments would be much appreciated. Hope you enjoy this, and Stay Safe!

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The moment the lockdown was announced, it seemed like everyone was fleeing like rats from a sinking ship.

Well, all except for my mysterious across-the-hallway neighbor Jace and I, who were the only ones left in our building.

After my office had closed down, deciding I'd better stock up, I'd stopped at a supermarket on my way home. And I was walking up the stairs to the top floor of our six unit apartment building struggling with two heavy bags of groceries, when I felt him come up behind me and take them off my hands. "I got it, Brooke. I'll take them up for you."

Once we were at my door, I thanked him and remarked, "So, I guess we're the only two left in here."

He nodded. "Yeah, I think everyone's gone to live with family or found somewhere to stay out of the city, till this thing blows over."

When I unlocked the door, I was a little surprised when he followed me all the way into the kitchen still carting my groceries. I'd always been curious about him. Jace had a bit of bad boy thing going on, covered in tats, with slightly longish dark hair, nicely trimmed GQ beard, and piercing steel blue eyes that always made me wonder what his deal was. He never talked much, only nodded with a quick hello and goodbye whenever we'd crossed paths, except for last summer when we'd spent some time chatting at the community barbecue out in back of the building, so it was kind of cool to finally have him in my apartment.

When he put my bags up on the counter and noticed a couple of frozen dinners sitting on top, his eyes flared and he suddenly looked at me like I was out of my mind. "Don't tell me this is the kind of stuff you use to fuel your body. It's not even food. That stuff'll kill you." Then he held up a box and showed me the teeny tiny writing on the side. I winced as I read through the mile long list of ingredients, mostly things I couldn't even pronounce. He did have a point, though, the list of chemicals and preservatives in a single helping of my favorite Lite Orange Chicken with Rice actually looked pretty scary, now that I'd taken the time to read it.

Not sure what to say, I shrugged, and feebly tried to explain, "Well, being on my own, it's not easy cooking for one. And when I run out of ideas, stuff like this is a quick fix, especially when I work late."

Rolling his eyes, he asked, "Do you like seafood?"

I nodded. "Yes, I do. Why?"

"Then I'll make us something for dinner tonight. Actually, why don't you come over while I cook? And you'll see it doesn't take long to eat healthy, and it's probably a lot cheaper than this frozen crap you've been eating, too."

"Okay." Wow. I couldn't believe this was the same guy, who'd barely spoken two words to me before; that was now carrying my stuff, taking an interest in what I ate, and even offering to cook for me. Strange, but still kind of interesting.

Once I'd put away what I'd bought, I grabbed a bottle of white wine from the fridge, along with a couple of Coronas and a lime, since I had no idea which he'd prefer, or if he even drank.

Seeing his door was ajar, I knocked and called out, "Hi, it's me, Brooke."

"Hey," he called back from the kitchen, "come on in."

Looking around as I walked through, his place was like a museum, just chock full of one fascinating thing after another. It felt like my eyes were darting everywhere at once trying to take it all in. The walls were covered in all different kinds of gorgeous art, and some of the walls had book shelves, stacked to the ceiling with interesting looking titles. And his taste in furniture was just as eclectic with pieces that looked Indian and some that appeared to be Chinese, with a little dark carved wood that might have come from Africa. But I decided it suited him, imagining a guy like Jace would never be happy living in a boring, beige neatly organized space like mine.

I held up my offerings as I walked into his kitchen. "Not sure if you drink, but thought I'd bring these, hoping they'd work with dinner."

He flashed me a smile. "I'm not a saint, Brooke, I enjoy a drink. I'm just careful about what I eat." Seeing the way his face lit up when he smiled, I just stood and stared, shocked at how a simple smile could transform him. Normally kind of sullen, the way his eyes were now glinting with mischief, had my heart skipping a beat. I decided as I looked him over, working his magic in the kitchen, that I was right about one thing, he was probably the sexiest, most dangerous looking man I'd ever encountered. Which in my mind, only made him that much hotter, and made me even more curious to know all his secrets.

While he got out a big steel wok from the under the counter, and set it on the stove to heat, I reached for some wine goblets on one of his open kitchen shelves, took the opener he handed me and did the honors, and handed him a glass.

Then he asked, "I'm assuming you know how to make rice?" When I nodded that I did, he said, "Good," and pointed to a pot on the stove. "I've got some Jasmine rice cooking in there, and I'm just going to make sure these shrimp are clean then I'll get to the vegetables. And it should all be ready at the same time."

"So, what can I do to help?"

He lifted his gaze and slowly raked me over, from the top of my long, dark brown hair, down over my breasts all the way to the tips of my heels, and lordy, I could feel my nipples getting hard just from the heated look in his eyes. "I'll tell you when I need you," he said, his voice sounding all low and dark, and so incredibly sexy I swore I could almost feel it sliding over me.

Feeling slightly breathless, all I could do was nod, and try not to shiver, because I don't think I'd ever felt as aroused, especially from just a look. But I swore those teasing silver-blue eyes of his felt like they could see right through my clothes, which would explain why my panties were getting so damp, as I wondered if he could see right into those, too.

As he worked, he explained that he's careful about where his food comes from, and avoids anything with additives, dyes or chemicals, so that whatever he cooks tastes like it should, without extra stuff in it that it shouldn't have. But as he explained what to look for when I shopped, I realized I'd never given much thought before to what I ate. But it seemed that he was passionate about how he treated his body. And I've got to say, looking him over, he was doing a wonderful job.

Jace wasn't overly tall, just a nice height, probably around six foot, with a lean toned body, just covered in ink. Studying the confident way he moved, as he reached for a cutting board, I wondered what it would feel like to trace some of those tats with my fingers, or maybe even my tongue, especially where they disappeared under his clothes.

"Nice wine," he said, bringing me back to where I was as he lifted his glass to mine.

I smiled. "Thanks. But I doubt the grapes are organic."

Then he startled me when he actually threw back his head and laughed. It just seemed so out of character to see him letting go and cracking up. "Brooke, I'm not that much of a food freak. If a wine is good, that's all that matters to me. And this is a very nice wine."

Slightly embarrassed and seriously turned on, I could feel my skin starting to flush. There was so much more to him than I ever thought. Turns out, despite the way he normally kept to himself, appearing to be a bit of a loner, he was quite an intriguing man.

Then he surprised me again when walked around the center island, came up to me, slid his hand along my jaw, cupped the back of my head, and softly pressed his lips to mine and kissed me. Then he smiled and said, "You know I've always thought you were very pretty, and I think you've got an amazing smile."

I blinked. Okay, so that just happened. And at least I knew he wasn't shy.

Then when he asked, "How are your knife skills?"

Still lost in his kiss, I shook my head and said, "How are my what?" Because after he laid that kiss on me, I didn't know what the hell was going on anymore. Only thing I knew was that I wished he'd do it again, only for a lot longer.

He grinned. "I asked if you knew how to use a knife?"

"I think I do." Now I wasn't sure what I knew anymore, but I had a feeling he was about to show me.

He crooked his finger at me to come around to the other side and join him, then he handed me a big, long sharp knife. Since I was more comfortable using a puny little paring knife, I decided I'd better pay attention.

"Okay, now try to julienne this carrot," he said, setting a peeled carrot in front of me on the cutting board.

Though I was no gourmet cook, I knew he wanted me to try slicing it into thin little sticks. But as soon as I started to cut into the carrot, he stopped me, holding up his hand. "Wait. Curl your fingers under, and wrap your hand more firmly around the handle for better control, or you'll wind up cutting yourself."

As I tried to do what he asked, he came up behind me, slipped his arms around me, adjusted my grip on the knife, as well as the way I held my fingers, then with his hand over mine, he showed me how to slice into a carrot without hurting myself. But then he stopped, and I could feel the heat of his breath on my neck as his lips slid up to my ear. "Wow. Do you ever smell good," he whispered against my ear, as my heart pounded like crazy in my chest.

Breathing in his intoxicating scent, I thought, he did, too. I could detect a little musk and something kind of citrusy, but mostly red hot male. Feeling him growing hard against my backside, I thought I'd better put down the knife before I did some damage. Not a good idea to be cutting stuff up, when he had every inch of me tingling and my mind wandering off into some very naughty territory.

Quietly chuckling, he hugged me against his chest, pressed a kiss to the side of my neck, and suggested, "How about I get this over with and you can just watch. Then we can eat and..." He grinned. "...see where the evening goes."

I smiled back at him and nodded. Turns out he was smart, too. Since we were on the same page as far as getting dinner over with and then... maybe doing a little intimate exploring, I was more than happy just to watch him cook.

As he effortlessly tossed everything together in the sizzling wok, I asked him, "So, do you work in a kitchen?"

He shook his head as he added a little stock to get everything steaming, then covered it, before he mixed up some other things in a bowl to add later, he said to add flavor and thicken the sauce. "I've worked lots of places over the years, including a few kitchens. But right now I've got a few things going on, working with a lot of talented people that I'm really enjoying."

"Oh." From that, I had no idea what he did, but it still sounded a lot more interesting than working nine to five as a paralegal in a busy law firm, mostly dealing in real estate.

Turns out he was right about the quality of the food. As we sat together at his little dining table in the middle of his fascinating living area, I don't think I'd ever tasted anything as good, or as fresh. When he'd handed me a bowl half-filled with steaming fluffy white rice, topped with succulent shrimp, and lots of tender-crisp veggies, I couldn't help it, I actually moaned as I ate.

Every bite tasted like a party in my mouth as I savored every morsel; a crunchy snow pea, a warm succulent mushroom, tender-crisp broccoli and slivers of carrot, then perfectly cooked ginger-garlic shrimp with a delectable spoonful of sauce infused rice. "Wow!" I said, after I'd swallowed, pointing into my bowl with my chopsticks. "After tasting this, I'm going home and tossing out those frozen dinners. There's no way I can go back to eating that boxed stuff now that you've shown me how easy it is to make something this good. It's just so fresh and bursting with flavor."

Jace seemed pleased that I was enjoying his efforts with the way he smiled, making his eyes crinkle at the corners, which I thought only made him look sexier. I imagined he was at least ten years older than I am, but it didn't matter to me, not with how much I was enjoying his company.

"Glad you like it," he said, "Maybe we can cook something else tomorrow." With how I kept moaning over every bite, I wasn't about to argue. The man was a genius in the kitchen, but now peeking at him from under my lashes, he had me wondering what he'd be like between the sheets.

When we were done and finished loading the dishwasher, he went into the fridge and said, "Now try this." He handed me a glass bowl filled with juicy honeydew melon balls. And the moment I took my first bite, I swear I almost came in my panties, it just tasted so amazing.

He laughed at the way my eyes rolled as I licked my lips, savoring every juicy bite. "It's just melon marinated in Grand Marnier," he told me as I shamelessly licked at my spoon to make sure I got every last drop, while wondering how he could be so good at this stuff.

"Wow, is that ever good," I said, surprised that adding a little booze could really amp up the taste of the fruit.

"Okay, now try this," he said, handing me a glass of something sparkling.

"Ooh, that's really nice, too," I said, once I'd had a sip. It was slightly sweet, and I really enjoyed the way the bubbles tickled my tongue.

Smiling into my eyes, he leaned in and said, "Then let me have a taste." When he slipped his tongue between my lips, I don't know which of us was moaning louder as we soon got lost in the taste of our kiss. It was warm and sweet and oh so arousing, as his hands slid up along my waist, under my blouse, till he was teasing my breasts with his thumbs. Then when he pulled back and looked into my eyes, I'm guessing to see my reaction, I knew I wanted him, and I just hoped he wanted me, too.

Jace playfully brushed his nose against mine. Making me realize how sweet he could be when he said, "So, guess it's up to you now. I'd love it if you'd stay with me tonight. But, if you'd rather just go home, I'm good with that, too. Choice is yours, Brooke."

Talk about a no-brainer. Go home to an empty apartment and spend the night alone, kicking myself for turning him down -- or, get naked with this intriguing man and live out a fantasy I felt sure I'd never forget.

My fingers were winding into his hair, as I smiled into his teasing gaze and said, "I'm thinking a sleep-over might be fun."

We both chuckled, as he lifted me off my feet and planted a big warm kiss on my lips. Seems like Jace thought so, too.

So, now I was curious to know what it would feel like to go all the way with my sexy, mysterious neighbor.

When he took hold of my hand, I could actually feel my heart pounding in my ears, he had me so turned on. Before him, I'd never so much as kissed on a first date, usually preferring not to rush into anything I might regret. So this was definitely groundbreaking for me, agreeing to sleep with a man I barely knew after sharing only a few hours together.

As out of character as it was, I had no intention of changing my mind. I wanted to spend the night with him, eager to discover what a man of his many talents would be like as a lover.

Fully expecting him to lead me straight into his bedroom to start getting busy with me, he surprised me when he stopped in the middle of his living room with my hand in his, turned up the volume on his sound system and Etta James's sultry rendition of At Last washed over us.

"Oh, I love this song," I told him, as he pulled me into his arms, and began to slowly move us to the music with his gaze locked on mine and his lips curled up in teasing a smile.

"Could have been written for us," he murmured, brushing his lips across my temple and sliding his hand up my back and into my long, dark hair. Where soon he had me wondering if I might actually be in danger of melting in his arms as he massaged my nape, working his magical fingers over my scalp, sending the most delightful tingles down my spine, getting me so aroused with the sweetest method of foreplay I think ever conceived. I liked that he was taking his time and gently coaxing me into surrender, rather than just stripping me off and having his way with me. I also liked to think that he was showing me his sweet side, and not just proving his mastery of seduction.

As Etta's smooth voice crooned, 'At last, My love has come along, My lonely days are over, and life is like a song...' I hugged him a little closer. Smiling up into his eyes, I murmured, "Such beautiful words. And you're right, this really could be about us, finally finding ourselves alone together now, though we've known each other for years."

When Jace nodded and tipped up my chin and brushed a feather light kiss to my lips, the sinfully delicious sensation of heat pooling between my thighs told me I was right where I wanted to be. Alone with him tonight, sharing this perfect moment. Though the world outside was in turmoil, at least for this one night we'd have each other.

After we danced cheek to cheek for a few more songs, he had me so relaxed that I barely noticed that he'd managed to dance us to the doorway of his bedroom. Smirking at him, as he grinned at me, I imagined we were about to cross more than just the threshold into his room, but also into uncharted territory as friends, hopefully with some pretty amazing benefits.

No surprise Jace's bed, like the man himself was one of a kind. I'd never seen anything like it. It was big and beautiful, set up high on a carved dark wooden platform, like something from the Middle Ages, complete with a white canopy over the top.

And the soft blue lighting bouncing off the wall behind the intricately carved headboard, was enough to let us see each other grinning as we began to strip each other's clothes off.

Ooh, and the feel of Jace's lips trailing over my shivering flesh, as his tongue explored every inch of me he uncovered, just felt so erotic, I thought I'd come before he even got me out of my clothes. When my blouse and skirt fell to the floor his gaze grew even darker, as slowly he raked me over from the top of my head to the tips of my black stilettos, while I stood trembling before him, hoping he was enjoying the sight of me in just my pale blue bra and matching panties.

In a heartbeat he had me whimpering as he slid his thumbs back and forth across my nipples, making them ache with need, as he pulled me close and kissed me almost senseless.

While he was toying with the girls, desperate to see more of him, pushing his black linen shirt off his shoulders, suddenly my eyes opened wide, mesmerized by the display of ink I'd uncovered, artfully etched over every hard plane and ridge on his gorgeous body. Amazingly everything within these walls was a like a work of art, including Jace I began to realize, who now had me curious to know just how far south his body art went.

I soon found out though, when he unzipped his jeans and kicked them aside along with boxers, till he was standing naked in my arms, awash in swirls of color from his collarbone to his waist, including his arms and legs, like a human canvas, just waiting for me to explore.

His heart pounded against mine as he thrust his tongue between my lips, kissing me deeply as he lifted me off my feet and set me down on his bed. I could feel him working my bra and panties free, till we were skin to skin, lost in the feel of each other as we slid down onto the mattress, with his eyes smiling playfully into mine.

A shiver of anticipation ran through me as his lips traced a path along my jaw, across my collar bone, till finally he was making me gasp with the way he was sucking hard on my breasts, and teasing my nipples between his teeth. He had me wanting to throw back my head and scream it all just felt so good, I could hardly remember how to breathe. As hard as he had me quivering, I realized he was only getting warmed up as his mouth trailed even lower, till he was parting my thighs and lashing his tongue deep into my sex.