It smelled like Febreze.
He guided me over to the bed. "Right then, you lay down and I'm gonna put this on your back. It should feel better. I promise I won't peek," he stated, as I stood in front of him. I stretched up on my tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his neck and then kicked off my sneakers.
"Close your eyes," I whispered. He grinned and his eyes slammed shut dramatically.
I lifted my shirt off over my head and tossed it on the floor in front of me. As it hit the tops of his feet, he smiled again.
"You promised, no peeking," I scolded, moving over to his bed.
"I know. I'm trying. You're kind of killin' me here. Let me know when you're settled," he said softly.
"All right, I'm good. You can open now," I answered. I had settled myself on the middle of his bed, lying on my tummy, facing him. I had grabbed a pillow and placed it below me and it was keeping me covered. Mostly. I might have arranged my cleavage a little. He opened his eyes and took me in.
"Why the hell couldn't you have spilled some on your pants, too, Grace?" he joked, sitting next to me. "Hold still, here comes the ice." He gently placed the towel wrapped ice bag on the place where it was the most red and I hissed involuntarily.
"Does that hurt much?" he asked, his other hand running up and down my arm soothingly.
"No, not too much. It's just the cold."
We both smiled at each other again. I looked around his room and noticed a guitar in the corner. I would have to remember to ask him about that.
I sighed. "What's that about?" he asked, noticing the sigh.
"It's nothing. When I imagined me being topless in your bedroom, there wasn't an ice pack involved," I joked.
"You are not the only one who has imagined you topless in here. Who knew you would sustain an injury, though?" he answered.
"Well, I'm here. And I am topless."
"Yes, and still burned. I wouldn't want you to injure yourself further," he stated firmly.
I looked at him. He was sitting cross legged on the bed next to me with the ice bag in one hand, holding it to my back. The other was still on my arm. He looked like a piece of heaven. I couldn't resist him; he was too delicious.
I sat up, with my hands still covering me. He slid the ice off my back. I reached out my hands to him, leaving me open to his gaze. His eyes widened and a slow grin spread across his face. I pushed him back onto the pillows and swung one leg over.
"It's OK, Hamilton. I'll just have to be on top."
"Beautiful," he breathed.
Nice move, Grace, now go get yours.
***
We did not do the deed. That would have been too easy, too soon. It would've been amazing, but amazing too soon. I thought about what had transpired between us as I drove home. My mind kept flashing on images that were particularly pleasant.
His eyes, staring up at me as I straddled him, running my hands through my hair, smirking down at him…
His hands, when he touched me for the first time. He'd run them slowly from my hips to my belly, and then proceeded, with agonizing slowness, to my breasts. He watched my face for approval as he circled me, caressing the sides of each before gently kneading my skin. I had moaned when his fingertips brushed against my nipples, which hardened instantly.
His soft smile, as he watched me begin to come undone…
His strength, as he sat up underneath me, nuzzling at my neck. He had been so careful not to touch my back, and he used my hips to guide me closer to him. I only cringed slightly when he grasped me there; I wasn't quite as self conscious as I had once been. I had lost my hands in his hair again. His breath had gotten heavier and more uneven as I pressed my hips downward onto him, eliciting a groan that made my blood boil and my tummy flip.
His lips, as he pressed them further down my neck towards my breasts. I had arched backwards to get better leverage and he kissed down between them. He had planted soft kisses all over, between, below, and around.
His tongue, when he finally took my right nipple into his mouth. He had sucked tortuously, running his tongue back and forth before releasing it with a nibble. He had grinned wickedly at me, as he watched my reaction.
It had been unreal. There were truly no words.
When we'd finally broken apart, panting heavily, we just stared at each other with unmistakable lust. My lips had been swollen from his more passionate kisses, and the subtle scratches from his stubble. I had still been sitting on his lap, my legs wrapped around him. He had laid his head on my chest, nudging my head back so he could snuggle into the nook between my shoulder and breast. His strong arms had encircled me, making sure there was no space between our skin. I'd trailed my hands through his hair again, more gently, using my fingernails to massage his scalp. This was something I'd quickly discovered that he loved.
He had sighed contentedly and asked, "How is it possible that I have only known you a few days?"
"I know. I know," I soothed, pulling him even closer to me. The franticness of earlier had segued into a smooth and easy pace of touching and feeling and comforting and closeness. It was sweet.
"How's your back?" he asked, not pulling away. If anything, he had cuddled closer to me. I felt his warm breath on my chest.
"It's better. Thanks for the distraction," I had replied, kissing his forehead, his temples, his nose, his eyelids, his eyebrows. He had sighed again, making a light humming sound in the back of his throat that I'd filed it away as "Jack's Happy Sound".
A horn honking brought me back down to earth, snapping me out of my memory. I brushed my fingertips over my still swollen lips and grinned. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the rear view mirror and my heart flipped as I remembered what I was wearing. My shirt had still been wet with coffee, so when I left I was wearing one of his shirts, a long sleeved white thermal. It would have fit him snugly, but I was swimming in it. He took the time to roll up my sleeves for me, while I stood in front of him at his front door. I noticed, and not for the first time, how much taller than me he was. He was easily over six feet, and he gazed down at me adoringly. He handed me my ruined shirt in a baggie and smiled at me. I wondered if things would change now. We had made out all morning, hardly joking at all.
Would we be friends now? Would we be mushy now? Would we be anything now?
He leaned to kiss me goodbye and whispered in my ear, "In case I didn't tell you, you have gorgeous tits."
I grinned inwardly, then placed my mouth right next to his ear. "I know, wait until you see the rest of me."
We both cracked huge smiles and I trotted away towards my car. When I got there, I looked back and saw him still standing there, watching me.
"See ya, Hamilton!"
"Later, Sheridan."
Yeah, things will be just fine.
***
Jack and I had agreed that for the rest of the day, I was working. He was in between jobs right now, although he was doing more and more press for the film. Holly also had him taking meetings all over town, making sure that the doors were open when this movie premiered. All the industry trackers were predicting a commercial success, possibly even forty million plus opening weekend. If all went well, Jack would have significant bargaining power when choosing his next few jobs. Holly was determined that they would use his new power position to secure his career, rather than capitalize on just the next eighteen months while he was the new "it boy".
Because he wasn't technically working right now, he was enjoying his last few months of relaxation in relative anonymity, although even that was no longer guaranteed. I thought about the pictures from yesterday and I thought how a picture of me leaving his apartment in what was obviously his shirt could affect him.