Running High

[a_libertine]

JC wasn't terribly surprised at the lack of response from Nicole, and part of him wondered what it would take to shake her up enough for her to respond. Mentally shrugging it off he opened the door to the shower and grabbed a towel and handed it to Nicole. A second towel soon followed the first.

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel and dried himself off quickly, and efficiently. He watched as Nicole finished drying, his eyes ravenously gobbling her up.

"So, for breakfast your choices are bacon and eggs or cereal. Which will it be?"

 

[Angeleyz]

While JC didn't say anything, Nicole had a sense that she had somehow let him down and struggled with what to do. He had to know how far out of her comfort zone she was just by waking up at his place. He couldn't make pronouncements of his being the man for her and think she'd be able to process it without freezing up.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the moment passed when he leaned over and grabbed a towel and handed it to her. She murmured her thanks and took a step backwards to give her room to gather her hair up in the towel. Small shivers shook her frame as it protested the loss of his body heat, and she accepted the second towel gratefully.

JC exited the stall, and the two of them dried themselves in silence. It was more a companionable silence than anything, and Nicole studiously avoided looking in his direction while she rubbed the terry cloth against her back and arms.

So, for breakfast your choices are bacon and eggs or cereal. Which will it be?

She looked over at him and faltered for a minute when she noticed his hungry gaze, her nipples tightening in reaction. Holy cow... Wrapping the towel protectively around her, she said softly, "Whichever you want... I really don't normally eat much for breakfast..."

 

[a_libertine]

JC nodded and replied, "I figured as much, but if you are going to run, you have to eat breakfast."

He led the way from the bathroom into the kitchen with nothing more on than the towel wrapped around his waist. Opening the fridge he pulled out four eggs and some bacon. "How do you like your eggs?"

 

[Angeleyz]

Wrinkling her nose at the running reminder, Nicole was going to point out that it wasn't like she had either her workout clothes or running shoes with her, but she figured it was easier to humor him. Thinking back to his 'snack' at the movies the night before, she hoped that he wouldn't expect her to pack away a similar amount.

Wrapping the towel around her body and tucking in an end, she decided to hold onto it for good measure as she followed him into the kitchen. She wished she could be more comfortable like JC apparently was as he rummaged around the refrigerator, with his towel riding dangerously low on his hips, but she felt embarrassingly self conscious about her near nudity.

How do you like your eggs?

"Over hard I guess...," she admitted, "I can't stand my yolks to be runny."

 

[a_libertine]

JC smirked at her, "Hard you say?" As the blush crept across her face he smiled broadly and turned back to the stove. He dropped some bacon into the frying pan letting it start to cook. He grabbed four slices of bread and put them next to the toaster.

He checked the bacon and stirred it. He glanced over his shoulder and said, "Tell me how you feel."

 

[Angeleyz]

Hard you say?

Nicole saw the one corner of his mouth lift up in amusement a half a second before she saw his lips move, and it seemed to take her brain several long beats to process what he said. Wait... What?

Mortified, she felt the blush blossom on her cheeks, and it burned hotter when he turned up the wattage into an all out grin. 'Good grief, that should be outlawed,' she mused as he busied himself with getting breakfast ready. She felt a little guilty just standing there, doing nothing. She couldn't remember the last time someone had waited on her like this.

Tell me how you feel.

Shooting him a slightly rankled look, she tried to figure out how to respond. Embarrassed? Confused? Excitedly scared? Like she really needed to talk to Malinda about her unusual behavior with JC before she did something incredibly stupid? Like spend the night with him? Take a shower with him? Want to...

Cutting off her wayward thoughts, she smiled ruefully and said, "Like I should be doing more than just watch you putter around the kitchen?"

 

[a_libertine]

JC looked at her a moment with a grin and said, "Tell you what, if you stay the night again tonight, you can cook breakfast tomorrow, and I will play my guitar for you."

He took the bacon out of the pan then poured most of the grease out into a cup. He fried two eggs for each of them, hers hard, his over easy, in goodly portions of bacon fat.

As the eggs were finishing he dropped the bread into the toaster and heated them up.

A couple minutes later, he placed the plates on the dinning room table, "Shall we?"

 

[Angeleyz]

Tell you what, if you stay the night again tonight, you can cook breakfast tomorrow, and I will play my guitar for you.

Nicole was surprised how tempting his offer was, and again, she fretted about how things were progressing so quickly with him. She toyed with the ends of her towel as she stewed over whether she was just lonely and susceptible to JC's charms or if there really was something deeper between them. It was too fast to be real, wasn't it?

Shall we?

Looking up from her musings, she realized JC had finished preparing breakfast and was ready to sit down. Blushing at her preoccupation, she hurried over to the table and sat down with a murmured, "Yes, sorry."

They ate in companionable silence, with him smiling reassuringly every time she got bold enough to look at him. He finished before her, and was watching her eat, a grin tugging at his lips and lighting up his eyes when a phone started to ring in the bedroom.

He excused him and padded quickly towards his room, the towel dipping even further down to leave her with a fleeting glimpse of a delectable backside. Quickly finishing up the rest of her breakfast, she was getting ready to clear the table when JC came back carrying his cell phone with the oddest look on his face.

When he held his phone out wordlessly to her, Nicole looked at him strangely before taking it out of his hands. Wondering what was going on, she said hesitantly, "Hello?"

Where the hell is your phone, Nicole?!?! I've been worried sick...

Nicole's eyes opened in horror as she listened to her best friend's voice crack before she went on to describe how she had been trying to reach her for hours with no luck. Malinda had even called around to local hospitals wondering if she had been in an accident. She had finally remembered that Nicole had given her JC's number and had taken a chance, hoping he might know where she was.

Murmuring her apologies, she rose from the table and went looking for her phone, unable to look JC in the eyes. It took her a minute to find where her phone had fallen out of her purse, and she frowned when she saw it was totally out of charge. She apologized profusely again and knew Malinda would expect a full accounting of what had gone on at some point soon.

Promising to call her later, Nicole hung up and turned around to return JC's phone when she saw him leaning against the door jam and looking at her with concern. Crossing the room to hand him the phone, she explained softly, "Sorry about that. Apparently my phone died sometime last night, and Malinda's been unable to find me."

 

[a_libertine]

JC was not really surprised by how little effort it took Malinda to absolutely destroy a damned good night and spectacular morning. The look in Nicole's eyes grew darker with each passing sentence and by the time she handed him the phone she looked utterly devastated.

He tossed the phone back toward the bed and took her up in his arms. JC kissed her on top of the head and quipped, "I didn't know bulldogs could speak English that well."

He tilted her head up and asked, "What do you want to do from here?"

 

[Angeleyz]

There was such a sweet look of concern in JC's eyes that Nicole tried to smile to reassure him, although based on the way he enfolded her in his arms and tucked her head under his chin, he wasn't fooled. She felt horrible. How could she be so inconsiderate to her best friend. Of course Malinda would have been worried - she had expected a call after what they both assumed would be a fairly short evening, albeit slightly extended by the side trip to the jazz club. But she would have expected Nicole to call and give her an accounting of what had happened, and instead she heard nothing.

I didn't know bulldogs could speak English that well.

Bristling at his comment, her mouth opened to defend Malinda, but she forced herself to be quiet. He wouldn't know how much the other woman had fought to get Nicole to rejoin the land of the living after Jason had died - the cajoling, the pleading and finally the harsh tough love. If it weren't for Malinda, she'd probably still be living at home with her parents, wrapped in her misery, instead of the 'progress' she had made to date.

Her eyes glinted with the hint of unshed tears when he lifted her chin to meet his gaze and asked, "What do you want to do from here?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she answered, "I should go home... W-would you mind taking me to my car?"

 

[a_libertine]

It was crushing. He felt defeated, devastated, and destroyed by her simple, logical request.

For one of the few times in his life, JC didn't trust his voice. He merely blinked and nodded. Letting go of her he turned into the bedroom and pulled out two pairs of shorts and two tee shirts. He handed one of each to Nicole and murmured, "You can dress in here."

He walked into the living room, closing the door behind him. He took a deep breath as he tossed his clothes onto the couch with a "Fuck."

It wasn't fair he thought. She had come so far and then like a light switch her best friend turned it off, and now Nicole was leaving. He took one last deep steadying breath and dressed. As she came out of the bedroom he gave her a warm smile, "Okay, all things considered, that was a pretty awesome first date, right?"

 

[Angeleyz]

Nicole waited until JC left the room before letting the towel she had clutch to her chest drop to the floor, although she wasn't sure why when he had practically mapped every inch of her body earlier in the shower as he washed her. That wasn't all he did...

Grimacing as she stepped back into her lingerie from the day before, she tried not to think about the almost crestfallen look on JC's face when she asked to be taken back to her car. He couldn't really have meant it when he talked about her spending the night for a second night, right?

Rubbing her forehead at the stress headache that was starting to form, she slipped the tee shirt on before stepping into the shorts. The shorts were a little big, but between rolling the waistband over and the length of the shirt, she was covered up. She shook her head though when she picked up her socks and boots. 'Talk about odd fashion statements,' she thought with a rueful smile.

Once fully dressed, she exited his bedroom where JC greeted her with a smile and said, "Okay, all things considered, that was a pretty awesome first date, right?"

Her lips curled up into an answering smile as she replied shyly, "Based on my vast knowledge of first dates, I'd say it ranks right up there."

 

[a_libertine]

JC stood up and stepped up to Nicole. His hands found their way to her hips and he pulled her close. As her stomach made contact with his, JC could feel the blood rush to his loins and he began to stir.

His head lowered and he kissed her tenderly for a moment, and as she responded, JC's urgency took over. The kiss turned more urgent, his tongue pressing into her mouth as he tried to tickle her clit by snaking his tongue down her throat. It would not make it of course, but it was worth the effort.

His arms wrapped around her. One arm low between her waist and her ass. The other arm came up her spine until he twined his fingers in her hair at the base of her skull.

He eased off the kiss and looked down into her liquid honey eyes. "I will be home by 4:00, if you come by after that, it..." He paused a moment searching for the correct words.

Giving up on it, "I would love for you to come spend the night again. Sober this time."

 

[Angeleyz]

It felt perfectly natural to lean against him when JC gathered her in his arms and pulled her close, and she didn't hesitate a moment in responding when he kissed her. His lips were soft and sweet, and they left her feeling cherished by this charismatic man.

And then the kiss changed. His arms tightened around her as the kiss grew hotter, more intense. Hungrier... The kiss threatened to overwhelm her good senses, and she was once more reminded that this was so much different than what she had experienced with Jason... and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Thankfully, he broke off the kiss before she freaked out on him again, but the look in his eyes left her feeling all fluttery inside. She listened with a puzzled look on her face as JC talked about being away from his place until after 4pm, not understanding where he was going until he came right out and talked about her spending the night again.

Dropping her gaze, she stared unseeing at his chest as she tried to figure out what to say, although it was hard when she wasn't sure how she even felt. Most of her wanted to run for the hills and chalk up the experience as something ventured but never to be repeated, but there was a teeny tiny voice that wanted to come back, to see what would happen next regardless of where or not she'd end up regretting it the next day.

"JC...," she began hesitantly, "I don't think... I appreciate the..." Forcing herself to look up at him, she continued earnestly, "This is moving too fast for me... I-I-I can't..."

 

[a_libertine]

JC smiled and nodded knowingly, it was the expected reply. I figured that is what you would say."

He leaned back a little so he could see part of her face and said, "Talk to Malinda and see what she thinks. If I have to come over for dinner and meet the folks first, fine. Tell me when and where and I will be there at the appointed time."

He tilted her chin up, "Barring that,when will you see me again? '

 

[Angeleyz]

Nicole breathed a little easier when JC didn't seem upset about her refusal to spend the night, even going so far as to acknowledge that it had been expected. His smile was sincere even as it held the smallest tinge of disappointment, and it made her wish she wasn't so afraid to just let go and see what happened.

Her eyes dropped back to his broad chest, and she felt him ease back slightly as if to try to read her expression. Oh she had no doubt that she and Melinda would be spending quite a lot of time discussing what had happened on her date, but since she wasn't sure when Malinda was even going to be home again... the chances of them meeting any time soon was slim to none. 'And if he thinks she's a bulldog over the phone, just wait until he sees the pit bull she can be in person...' she thought, wincing at the idea. She really had to let Malinda know that it wasn't Jake's fault she had gotten so inebriated the night before.

Warm fingers hooked under her chin and slowly lifted it until their eyes met. His were filled with a quiet determination, while hers were awash in shy embarrassment.

Barring that, when will you see me again?

While the idea of spending the night terrified her, she was too honest to admit that she wasn't eager to see him again. Wetting her lower lip, she answered softly, "This weekend, maybe? Depending on my work schedule..."

 

[a_libertine]

JC looked at Natalie, "That long?" As much as he tried to keen it light he knew that the disappointment crept into his voice.

"Okay then, let me get my keys." He turned and picked his keys and wallet up from their normal resting place.

Turning back around he asked, "Shall we?"

 

[Angeleyz]

Feeling strangely bereft when he released her and turned away to retrieve his keys, Nicole felt like she owed JC an explanation, something to counter the disappointment she had heard in his voice. Hugging her hands around her middle, she waited until he came back, tucking his wallet into the side pocket of his shorts and jangling his keys.

Shall we?

Nodding, she snagged her purse from where she had placed it earlier and turned back towards him. "JC," she began hesitantly, "I really don't know when I could see you again. I'm pulling more shifts than normal right now because Malinda is out of town." Taking a breath, she continued, "I really won't have any free time until the weekend... Really..."

 

[a_libertine]

JC looked at Nicole and she looked pretty much how he felt. Less than terrific. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Alright. That will give you a few days to figure things out I guess. "

He opened the door for Nicole and watched her pert ass as she walked out and a part of him, the more animalistic part, regretted very deeply not sleeping with her. It put odds of 80-20 that this was likely the last time he saw her. Unless he stalked her.

Closing the door behind himself he lcoked the dead bolt and followed her down the stairs. "If you get lonely between now and then, you do have my number and know where I live."

 

[Angeleyz]

Nicole ducked her head at his comment about the few days giving her time to figure things out. She certainly hoped so! If anything, she hoped she'd be able to figure out why things seemed so much different with JC than they ever felt with Jason.

Slipping past him when he opened the door, she waited quietly for him to lock the door before heading down the stairs. She had to remind herself not to hurry too much, or he'd think she was trying to run away. Aren't you?!?

If you get lonely between now and then, you do have my number and know where I live.

She gave him a noncommittal smile, although she was fairly sure he was just kidding about her stopping by his place. Surely that was taking things a lot further than she was ready for... her just popping by unannounced.

The ride back to the multiplex went by faster than she thought with JC easily jumping from one conversation topic to the next. She directed him to where her car was parked, and he pulled into the spot next to it and put the truck in park.

Not wanting to drag out their goodbyes, she turned to face him. "Thank you for everything, JC," she smiled before leaning over and giving him the merest brush of her lips on his cheek. "I hope you have a good week."

Before he had a chance to do or say anything, she exited the truck and scurried to her car, almost afraid of what temptation he'd offer if she stayed in his presence any longer. She noticed that he waited until she reversed and drove off, giving him a little wave in the rear view mirror, before backing the truck out and heading in the opposite direction.

 

[a_libertine]

He sat and watched Nicole pull out and speed away. The good bye kiss was less than satisfactory. A peck on the cheek was what he could count on from his mom. Still his cock raged in his shorts, desperate for release which he knew wasn't coming anytime soon.

He pulled out and headed back to his apartment. He still had classes to attend and a degree to finish. Part of him was deeply concerned that he would never see her again. Shit she hadn't even given him her number.

He could hear his uncle Tommy tell him to man up and move on. Which was not what he wanted but the degree had to come first regardless of his less than satisfying sex life.

"Fuck," he breathed out. He called his uncle setting up time for them to meet that night and just bullshit. Maybe play some music.

Classes came and went and he went to his uncle's house after class and swam in the pool until he got home.

They talked the evening away, JC with a guitar and his uncle with a set of drums. They drank little and talked until JC sought to avoid the conversation then they played.

 

[Angeleyz]

Nicole had no sooner stepped inside the door to the townhouse when the phone started ringing. Running over to the landline, she heard the voice of a panicked Bob Smith who was looking to see if she could come in and help with the lunch rush. Assuring him that she could be there in under 15 minutes, Nicole hung up, plugged her cell phone in to charge and hurried to get changed. Eight minutes later, she sent a text to Malinda about her change in work schedule and was out the door.

She had assumed that working would help distract her from her looming conversation with her best friend, and five hours later when she was told she could finally head home and not worry about her evening shift, she found that she had been correct. There had been a steady stream of foot traffic that had her constant moving with little down time, which kept her from obsessing about the tough questions ahead.

Sure enough when she finally got back home and texted Malinda that she was off her shift, the phone rang minutes later. Thankfully her friend had calmed down once she knew that Nicole was alright so their conversation has been more centered around Malinda's gentle cross examination of her date with JC and not a rehashing of her worry and panic when she couldn't reach her.

In fact not talking to her face-to-face made it easier for Nicole to be more open about what had really happened over the course of the evening and that morning... well what she could remember anyway... and Malinda probably thought she was hiding her celebratory dance although it was pretty apparent in her tone of voice when she teased Nicole about taking a page out of her play book. They talked for over ninety minutes before Malinda had to ring off, but she harassed Nicole until she promised that she'd try to reach out to JC before the night was over.

Hanging up the phone, she muttered, "Yeah, but you didn't say how I needed to do that" before trudging up the stairs to slip into more comfortable clothes.

With the evening suddenly free, Nicole wasn't sure what she wanted to do but finally decided on catching up on some reading. She curled up on her bed and read for a couple hours before her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast, which of course reminded her of JC.

Grabbing her phone, she padded downstairs to fix a snack while debating the best way to fulfill her promise to Malinda. Rummaging around the refrigerator for some cheese and grapes, she concluded that outright calling him was out of the question. He's probably out at the jazz bar anyway...

Before she could talk herself out of it, she located his number on her cell and typed out a simple message: Hi. Had a nice time. Thanks. Hitting send, she popped a grape in her mouth before she realized something and typed out a quick additional message.

Oops... This is Nicole. Thx again.

Feeling foolish, she put the phone on the table and went back to the refrigerator to pour herself a large glass of water. 'He's going to think I'm such an idiot,' she thought.

 

[a_libertine]

JC's phone rang with the unfamiliar number ring tone and he snatched it up and looked at the message. It was different, he thought. "Nice"

He set the phone down and thought about things a moment then it buzzed again. He barked out a laugh at the second message.

His Uncle Tommy asked, "That her?"

JC nodded and sighed, "She had a nice time, Uncle Tommy."

JC's uncle smiled and said, "Don't worry boy. Nice is probably all she can admit to herself. The fact that she texted you the same day counts for something."

JC looked at his uncle crossly and retorted, "At the risk of sounding like a petulant teen aged boy, it was a pretty fucking awesome morning, Uncle Tommy. I haven't had as much fun not fucking, ever."

He put the guitar in the stand and stretched. "Hell, it's more fun being with her than playing a guitar."

Tommy looked at JC, "Well what are you going to do about it?"

JC stood, "Stay the course Uncle Tommy. Stay the course. She is a prize, loving, lovely, and I think capable of pleasing me."

Tommy's eyebrow shot up, "Have you had that conversation yet?"

JC shook his head almost violently. "No. She's a rabbit and would dart off into the brush if I did."

Tommy sat there behind his drums and fired a stick at JC, hitting him square in the chest, point first. "Boy..." he growled.

JC's head hung, "Yeah, I know. Be honest. Be upfront."

Tommy nodded. "You damn sure can't change you and expect to be happy. She can't be happy unless she is willing to serve that role for you willingly and lovingly."

"Dammit Uncle Tommy!" JC spat out. "How the fuck do you do it!?"

"By being honest boy."

JC snatched up his phone and took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, a count of 15.

Yeah, it was. Does this mean I can text you whenever I want?




Like now?




And now?




And now






​

 

[Angeleyz]

Nicole was gathering up her stuff to head back upstairs when her phone chirped a number of times in rapid succession. Assuming it was Malinda prodding her to contact JC, she snatched up the phone prepared to give her friend her version of a 'what for' and was surprised when she saw the messages were from JC.

Placing the phone in her pocket, she carefully made her way back up to her room, mulling over the little course of excitement flowing through her veins at his unexpected response. God, she felt like she was in grade school, but there was no denying the warm fuzzies it gave her to see his responses so quickly when she had assumed he'd be out.

Curling up against the headboard with her water on her nightstand and the small plate on her lap, she texted him back.

Guess it's a good thing I have unlimited texting then... but ok.

Forcing herself to put the phone down, she tried to focus on the next chapter of the book instead of wondering if he'd write back, but she found herself reading the same paragraph over and over and over again.

 

[a_libertine]

JC brought a couple beers from the fridge and handed one over to his Uncle. Sipping it, his phone chimed and he saw Nicole's response.

He typed:

How was your day? Long here
​

He placed the phone down and looked at Uncle Tommy, "Let's pretend I tell her next time, and she runs like hell."

Tommy shrugged, "If she does, you were wrong about her being the one. Look elsewhere, there are tens of thousands of beautiful women on campus. One will like what you do."