Author's Note: This is a continuation of But Now… sort of. It takes place immediately after chapter 2 of But Now. That story was told in first person by Tony, but this idea… I couldn't quite get comfortable with him telling it, so I tried skipping this idea and going to my next idea, which was the day after the proposal. But alas, that wasn't coming together either.
I was corresponding with the great one, AlmeidaFluff (go read Love At First Date, if you haven't already!), and something she said seemed to inspire me to go back to my first idea and do it a little differently. I still couldn't have Tony telling the story (thus having a But Now chapter 3), so here's my second T/M fanfic.
I really labored over this, wanting it to be as perfect as possible and as perfect as our lovely couple deserves. I don't know if I succeeded but, if you read, I hope you enjoy…
Summary: Michelle gives Tony something that he was not expecting and it brings him to his knees… again.
She had said yes and he was the happiest man on the planet. He had not planned on asking her that night, it just happened.
Not only had it had been a hectic day at work, but the entire week had been hectic. Finally, it was Friday and they had gone out to dinner and come back to her place. She loved burning scented candles and listening to soft music to unwind and that night, they needed to unwind.
She lit the candles, flicked on the CD player and pulled a sloughing-on-the-couch Tony to his feet.
"Dance with me" she smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
He smiled back and obliged her as he draped his arms around her.
The moment is perfect, he thought several minutes later as they swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the music.
But this was not how it was suppose to be.
He had planned on giving her a dozen red and white roses, taking her out to a romantic restaurant, then taking her out to the beach and popping the question at midnight under the black moon and star lit sky.
She liked the black moon and star lit sky.
That was how it was supposed to be. But that was not how it was going to be.
"Remember when I told you I had decided to keep personal and professional stuff separate?" he asked.
The question resulted in him on bended knee, reciting a litany of words that could be described as poetic and her on bended knees, tears streaming down her cheeks, telling him yes over and over again before they met each other ½ way for a kiss.
"You done crying?" he asked after their kiss ended and he had cupped the sides of her face and wiped away the fresh tears with his thumbs.
"Almost" she whispered and cried all the more.
He pulled her crying face toward him again, met her ½ way again and covered her lips again.
Lips parted as he slid his tongue into her warm welcoming mouth. The kiss was sweet. The kiss was tender. The kiss was passion filled as their tongues sparred for position and danced to the melody of the soft music playing in the background.
Neither was conscious of, nor really cared about, the seconds that were ticking away. Eventually, they found themselves standing again, hands holding, foreheads pressing, eyes gazing, feet swaying to the pulse of the music.
"I think…" she murmured softly after several moments. "I think I'm ready" a bit of nervousness laced her voice.
He lifted his forehead from hers, not quite sure he heard right. Those eyes were looking up at him, offering him everything. They had already offered him her heart. They had already offered him her soul. And now, they offered him her body.
On more than a few occasions, they had come close, but she had always put the brakes on, saying she was not ready.
"You sure?" he asked, not believing that what he had been wanting for months now was finally being offered to him.
"I'm sure" she nodded tentatively but her gaze was bold.
When he finally accepted that she was offering him that final piece of her, he was ready to jump out of his skin. But instead, he loosed his hold on her hands, circled his arms around her waist and gave her a kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She hugged and squeezed his neck tighter as he lifted her off the ground.
Without another word, he took one step, then another as he headed toward her bedroom.
Her bedroom, in contrast to the other rooms in her townhouse, was dark. The walls were dark, the furniture was dark, the bedding was dark, the drapes were dark.
He set her feet back on the ground and grinned at her in the near total darkness.
"You wanna light some candles in here too?" he said huskily as he lowered his head to take another kiss.
He slowly opened her lips and ran his tongue over her lower lip before gently pulling on it with his teeth. He slid his hands from her lower back down over her soft derriere and caressed and pulled her into his groin as she let out a nervous but excited sigh.
The kiss continued and eventually, his hands began to move up her back again. His lips left hers and planted a feather light kiss on the corner of her mouth before leaving a trail of nibbles and kisses from that corner across her cheek to her ear.
"You won't ever regret marrying me" he breathed huskily in her ear as he slowly wiped his hand up and down her rear end.
His breath was hot, his words were intense… and they made her quiver inside.
The tip of his moist tongue teased her ear and she was defenseless against the warm, sweet sensation that began in the pit of her stomach and quickly moved south.
His hands left off their backside massaging and began their trek up her back as his tongue abandoned teasing her ear and his lips parked just below her earlobe to suckle, nibble and kiss. Once his wandering hands found her shoulders, his lips began to make their way, kiss by inch, down her neck to meet his hand on her shoulder.
"Let's… light… those… candles" he whispered to her shoulder in between nibbles and kisses as he pulled on the spaghetti straps of her top. "I… wanna… see… you" his voice was heavy with craving.
His words, the way he said them, crawled all over her skin. His words, the way he said them, made her tremble. His words, the way he said them, made her stomach flip a thousand times. His words, the way he said them, made that warm sweet southern sensation just a bit warmer.
She squeezed her already closed eyes tighter and bit firmly down on her bottom lip in an attempt to hold back the guttural panting that threatened to escape her lips.
He wanted to see her… naked.
She knew this moment would come – eventually. But that did not ease the dread or nervousness she was feeling. She had been overweight most of her life. It was not until her senior year in college that she began to deal with the issues that caused her to overeat and gain control over her eating. At the end of her senior year, she began an exercise program and was on her way to becoming physically fit. Since graduating from college, she had be on a steady path to healthy eating and exercising and now, she was in excellent shape.
But still… she was self-conscious… self-conscious about her body, self-conscious about her naked body.
That was why she had sent him home more than a few times to take a cold shower. That was why she was now dreading turning on the lights.
But… he wanted to see her… naked.
And for some reason… no, not for some reason, but because she was so in love with him, she was done denying him... she was denying herself… even if it cost her her self-consciousness.
"I have to get the matches" she timidly whispered back when he continued to caress her shoulder with his lips.
He released his hold on her and she made her way over to the nightstand. He heard the scratch of the match then saw the tiny flicker of light. He moved over to her as she lit the first candle that was sitting on the nightstand. He was behind her, wrapping his arms around her as she lit the second candle. He was back to kissing her bare shoulder when she lit the third candle.
After she blew out the match and dropped it in the tray, he turned her around and guided her the few steps to the edge of the side of the bed.
He circled his arm around her waist as he ran his fingertip down her cheek and looked into those eyes. The first day he saw those eyes, he thought that she was beautiful. After getting to know her and falling head over heals in love with her, he did not think he could put into words how much more beautiful she had become to him.
"I never thought… I could fall… this hard for someone" his voice, full of affection, full of love, cracked as his emotions for her started to overwhelm him.
He made her cry again.
His words and the affection in them wrapped themselves around her like a blanket and warmed her to her very core.
The love in his eyes, the love in his words, the love in his touch…. In this special moment between them, words escaped her and I love you just seemed much too inadequate.
"I don't know what to say" she cried softly.
"Just say you love me" he whispered as he leaned his forehead against hers.
"I love you" she cried more as heavy tears gushed over her eyelids and down her cheeks.
They stood there for a few moments, not moving, but just letting the emotions in them, the emotions on them and the emotions between them, wash over them.
When it looked like she had finally stopped crying, he cupped the sides of her face and wiped her tears again and smiled at her. He moved his hands down to her sides and rubbed his thumbs back and forth over her ribcage for a few seconds before he reached for the last button on her top.
One button unbuttoned. Two buttons unbuttoned. Three buttons unbuttoned. Four buttons unbuttoned. Five buttons unbuttoned. Six buttons unbuttoned.
He took the edges and opened her top, revealing the strapless bra she was wearing. He pulled on the top and watched as it slid effortlessly down to the floor. His fingertips touched the naked skin of the sides of her torso before they ease around to her back and met at her spine. He rubbed his fingertips over the bones of her vertebrae a few times before he reached for the hooks of her bra.
One hook unhooked. Two hooks unhooked.
Her hand immediately went to her chest to secure the bra as she lowered her head.
"Michelle?" she heard the pleading in his voice.
…
"I'll stop… if you want me to" he said to the top of her head.
From the top of his head to the soles of his feet, he wanted this, he wanted her, all of her. But damn! If she wanted to stop… he had no choice but to stop.
…
…
"I…" her voice shook almost uncontrollably. "I'm nervous" she admitted.
He breathed a mental sigh of relief that he did not get the usual I'm so sorry… I think you'd better go.
"I've never done this before" she whispered shyly.
It took a few moments before her words registered completely.
He lifted her chin to look at her but she kept her eyes downcast.
"Michelle…" he whispered softly.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes until she met his.
She was a virgin. Those eyes told him so.
Never in a million years would have he believed it. Not that he thought she slept around, but he presumed that she had her share of boyfriends. And though he made an effort not to dwell on it, he figured she at least slept with one, maybe two of them.
She was a virgin. He would be her first. And last, his male ego added.
If he did not know better, he would have sworn that he was tearing up at the thought that he would be her first.
And now, he was almost afraid to touch her, to touch the innocence that she was ready to give him… the innocence that he was ready to take.
"I want you to stay" her whispered words interrupted his thoughts.
She was determined, no matter how nervous she was, that this would be the night. This would be the night she would give him everything. Her heart, her soul, her body.
He grinned.
He saw how nervous, almost afraid, she was. But he also saw how brave was trying to be, how brave she was being. She was not going to let that nervousness stop her this time.
Damn, he loved her.
And then suddenly, her hand dropped to her side and the bra followed suit. She was standing there ½ naked in front of him… and she did not drop dead from sheer embarrassment. Mentally, she laughed at herself. Maybe she would make it through the night after all.
He reached for her, cupping the back of her head, and pulled her close, crushing her naked breasts against his chest. He smothered her lips with his and engaged her in searing tongue-play before he gently pulled on the mass of curls at the base of her head and caused her head to tilt back.
He suckled and pulled on her bottom lip before kissing her chin, then under her chin. He left a moist trail down the center of her neck before he nestled his face between her breasts.
Her heartbeat quickened when he nibbled on the soft flesh of her mound and she let out a pleased gasp when he latched onto her nipple and stroked it with his tongue. After tending to both breasts, he kissed his way back up to the side of her neck, then her cheek, then her ear.
"I wanna kiss you everywhere" he whispered in her ear.
Goose bumps popped up everywhere.
She knew exactly what he wanted to do to her and erotic excitement raced through her body. Her breathing became labored at the image her mind conjured up. An unintelligent language escaped her lips as she threw her head back and imagined what it would feel like.
She would soon know what it would feel like.
He dropped to his knees and settled his hands on her hips. He leaned in and kissed her stomach before he reached for the button on her jeans. The zipper came down easy and he pulled the jeans down over her hips and pushed them down over her smooth legs to the floor. He reached for her hips again planted kisses on her stomach. As he kissed over her belly, he rubbed his hands up and down her soft thighs several times before his fingers hooked themselves inside the sides her panties.
He stopped kissing her when he began pulling down her panties and his eyes followed the panties' slow decent to the floor. Then his eyes traveled back up her body to her eyes.
"Hey" he whispered when he saw her with her eyes closed.
She opened her eyes and looked down at him.
"I love you" he declared just before he gently pushed her to sit down on the bed.
He hooked his hands behind her knees and spread them just enough so that he could fill the space between them. He was pleasantly surprised when she reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head.
He pulled her by the back of the knees toward him as he leaned in and kissed her lips before he began his descent. After his tongue, lips and hands fondled one breast then the other, he gently pushed her on her back and allowed his tongue, lips and hands to continue their fondling down her torso.
When he reached the area over her womb, he thought about the babies he would one day plant there.
And then he went lower.
She let out an excited squeal when he kissed her triangular patch of hair.
His tongue, his lips, his hands turned to teasing one inner thigh and then the other, causing her limbs to quiver slightly. The teasing also elicited throaty, breathless groans and more unintelligent words.
Satisfied that he was making her feel good, he wanted to make that feel good feel even better.
His hands lead the way as they slid up the smooth skin of her inner thighs to the focal point of her femininity. His fingertips parted her just before his lips covered her tiny bud and his finger slid into her warm, moist tunnel.
Her back arched, her hands grabbed for the comforter, her eyes squeezed tight, her throat emitted several oh god's as his tongue, his mouth, his fingers made love to her.
The slow lapping of his tongue made her damp canal constrict around his sliding finger and achingly pushed her body to the edge.
"Feel good?" he whispered in the sexiest voice she had ever heard.
"um… huh" she panted hard and nodded in the affirmative.
His lapping tongue and sliding finger began to move a little faster… then a little faster… then a little faster as the tension in her body increased more and more. The warmness between her legs turned hot. The sensation was burning, even searing, but it was oh so sweet.
His sweet, erotic assault turned her body stiff with tension.
And then she came.
And he continued his erotic assault until she came again.
One more time.
He wanted to feel her body shiver one more time. He wanted to hear her panting, gasping for breath one more time. He wanted to feel her body tense up one more time. He wanted to hear her cry out one more time. He wanted to feel her body let go one more time. He wanted to hear her satisfied whimper one more time.
And then she came… one more time.
Then he broke contact with her for the few seconds it took him to get to his feet, kick off his shoes and strip down. Moments later he was hovering over her with his hand behind one bent knee as he positioned himself between her legs.
He was like marble and was past ready to invade her snug, warm hideaway.
With his faced inches away from hers, he gazed at her for a moment.
"Michelle" he whispered.
"huh?" she sighed, her eyes closed, a smile on her face.
"Open your eyes."
He wanted to see those eyes.
He wanted to see those eyes when he knocked at the gateway of her nest. He wanted to see those eyes as he broke through her entrance. He wanted to see those eyes when he was seated firmly inside her.
Looking into those eyes, his tip met her aperture and the two became acquainted.
Damn! He felt like he was having an emotional orgasm and he knew he would never be able to adequately express just how much he loved her.
She reached up and wiped her thumb across his cheek. And he'd be damned if he didn't think she had just wiped away a tear.
He gritted his teeth as he pushed passed her opening into her tightness. She winced as he stretched her virgin body.
"Am I hurting you?" he grunted as he strained keep to slow his penetration.
"A little" she said as she rubbed her thumb across his cheek again. "But it's OK" she assured him.
He continued his slow, but strained advance, all the while looking into those eyes, those beautiful eyes. Once he was fully embedded in her warmth, he lowered his head for another sweet kiss.
It was not long before he began to move against her. He pulled back and pushed forward and rotated his hips against her. His tongue darted around the inside of her mouth trying to match the tempo of his hips.
It was not long before his pace increased and his breathing became heavy.
"Baby… you feel so good" he moaned into her open mouth as he sped up his sliding in and sliding out and the gyration of his hips.
He was now lost in her. He was lost in the feeling of her warm wetness. He was lost in the feeling of being surrounded by her. He was lost in the feeling of being squeezed by her.
He was lost in the feeling of being loved by her.
And then he came… like he never came before.
He collapsed on top of her and she wrapped her arms tightly around him and rubbed her soft hands over his strong back.
"You're something special Ms. Dessler" he kissed her cheek after his heart rate returned to normal.
"So are you, Mr. Almeida" she retuned as she continued to rub his back.
Both had drifted back to that day when they were first introduced at CTU.
"Tony, Michelle Dessler. Ms Dessler, Tony Almeida… Ms Dessler… Mr. Almeida"
Neither dreamed at the time that their meeting would one day lead to a night like this. Neither dreamed at the time that it would lead to a proposal. Neither dreamed at the time that it would lead to her first time, their first time.
Her first time. Their first time.
It was a time that both would dream about on more than a few occasions and a time neither would ever forget.