Fourth Time's the Charm
A/N: Hey everyone! Okay so crazy, busy summer combined with some serious writer's block does not make me the most reliable person for updates…lol. I'm sorry! I'm aware there are quite a few people who will be disappointed this isn't an update for my other story, but I've seriously hit a brick wall with that one. Hopefully I'll have something for that in the coming weeks. In the meantime, this is just something I put together over the last few days that was just fun…I'm giving it a 'T' rating and a warning that there is some pretty detailed stuff in here. (If anyone's truly offended let me know. I can always increase the rating…)
Anyway, enough blabbering…Enjoy!
In the few seconds before her eyes finish adjusting to the dim light of the restaurant she feels his hand brush lightly against hers and her breathing increase rapidly. Her heart is pounding in her chest to the point where she feels like she might explode any second and all its taken is the slightest contact between her skin and his.
It is, quite possibly, because she is reminded of the last time something innocent turned into something more and the mere memory is what excites her now. Well, that and the slightly cocky, totally endearing smirk he's wearing when he notices the color rise in her cheeks. She stares dumbfounded for a second before offering a clumsy, not the least bit sweet or seductive or even friendly smile of her own before turning away again. If she'd allowed her gaze to linger a few seconds longer she would've noticed he's just as, if not more, nervous than she is.
This is different…this is awkward; and while he wants nothing more than to forget about work for the entire night and just enjoy her company he's beginning to wonder if maybe that's the only thing they have in common and the only thing they'll ever have to talk about …not exactly the foundation of a relationship.
Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.
Not that he isn't absolutely smitten with her or anything like that… Quite the opposite…he's convinced he's never been so attracted to anyone in his entire life and probably never will be again. The problem is…they're uncomfortable. A social situation, (specifically a social situation with each other), is a foreign concept to them, and as much as he wants to avoid talking about work for the remainder of the evening he has an inkling it might be necessary to break the ice.
He mutters something only slightly CTU related and very sarcastic into her ear about Ryan Chappelle and she laughs, causing the hostess to turn around and offer them a small, knowing grin. Her laugh is light and feminine without being overly giggly and it makes the knots in the pit of his stomach tighten that much more. She blushes again when he lingers beside her cheek long enough for her to feel his warmth radiating against her.
Things get a little easier after that.
When he walks her up to her apartment she isn't sure whether to expect a kiss goodnight and whether inviting him in just yet is the best idea…He studies her carefully for a few seconds before pressing his lips lightly against hers, almost in the same way one might kiss a relative, and tells her he'll see her in the morning.
She's left frowning and utterly confused at the chasteness of the whole act and he has to use every ounce of self-control he's got to keep walking towards the elevator, instead of pushing her up against the doorway and tangling his fingers in her hair.
The next day he asks her out again and she agrees, somewhat reluctantly; wondering how long they're going to pretend there's nothing worth writing home about between them and these friendly dates are exactly what they've been longing for since she started working there. If only he wasn't so damn irresistible.
The movie theatre is pitch black by the time they enter it and he leads her to a seat in its far recesses where they avoid being surrounded by people. It's halfway through the movie before he works up the courage to find her hand resting gently in her lap and trace gentle circles around the palm. She shivers slightly and he isn't sure if it's because she's cold or because of the gesture.
It scares her how strong her reaction is to his palm-circling and makes her wonder what in the world she'll do if he ever kisses her again like he did before. When it happened the first time she never had time to process it. It had been happening before she could think logically; take it all in. But now she's analyzed it, dreamed about it, relived it in bed practically every night since and if something like that were to happen again…
She's got a distinct feeling she might faint.
By the time their fourth date rolls around she's utterly fed up with the routine and the lack of interest he's showing. Sexually frustrated would probably be the understatement of the century. She's had about a thousand dreams involve them kissing in that hallway, him pinning her against the wall, and Carrie interrupting them at the most inopportune of times.
"You okay?" he asks when she emerges from her building and it's quite obvious she's not.
"Fine." She comments offhandedly, wondering when her voice became high and squeaky. He frowns and raises an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" he tugs her gently towards him and searches her face with genuine concern, hoping for a tell.
"I just…" she looks away. "I'm going crazy here."
"Michelle…"
She presses on, feeling emboldened.
"I mean after everything that happened that day and that…" she hesitates. "…that kiss…I just…do you even want this-?"
She's cut off when his lips seal passionately around hers and his body presses her against the concrete while his hands become nestled in her hair and around her waist. It takes almost no time for her to feel completely surrounded by his embrace and unable to focus on anything except the way he seems to be in complete control of what her body is doing at the moment.
"I just didn't want to…" he looks slightly embarrassed as he pulls away. "Hurt you…"
Her ragged breathing slows when he breaks the kiss and she smiles genuinely; completely aware that she's still wrapped up in his arms and he's still mere inches from her face. It's sweet, what he's said, but she wonders how completely true it is… Especially since his past disasters are the reason it took so long for them to get off the ground in the first place...
"I'll chance it…" she tells him brazenly.
He continues to watch her seriously. "I won't."
When she starts laughing she could kick herself.
"I'm sorry…" she grins and averts his gaze. "I'm starting to wonder if you kiss me like that because you want to or you want to shut me up."
He chuckles softly and glides his thumb across her cheek.
"A little of both I think."
She studies him for a second, her lips curved slightly upward, before they start kissing again.
This time it's slower and much more relaxed. He takes time to brush the hair away from her face and cups her cheek gently as their noses bump together more than once. It isn't long before their tongues end up entwined. She gasps slightly into his warm; wet lips and tries, in vain, to remember a time when she's ever felt more alive than she did at that moment. She realizes it was the last time they had a kiss as good as this one…
"Hi Michelle!" a voice shouts from the corner and they break apart quickly; though Tony's arm remains pressed against the side of the building, as though in adamant refusal to let her escape.
"Hey kiddo." Michelle smiles at her 5-year-old neighbor whose mother is no doubt a few seconds behind her. She's acutely aware Tony's still dangerously close to her, her cheeks are red, her lips are swollen and her hair is a disaster.
Lucy turns away shyly in search of her mother when she notices Tony and he quickly runs his hand through his hair and releases Michelle completely.
"Tony this is Lucy." Michelle interjects quickly.
He smiles somewhat uncomfortably at her and she smiles back, feeling a little better now.
"Sorry Michelle." Her mother calls apologetically and Michelle blushes further when the woman notices Tony.
"It's okay." She waves away the apology. "You know how much I love to see Lucy, right kiddo?"
Lucy smiles brightly and nods.
"Michelle makes the best hot chocolate." She states happily.
Michelle feels herself turn red. Yeah, that's about all Michelle can make.
Tony shifts his gaze between the two before declaring how much he'd like to try some of Michelle's world famous hot chocolate. She groans internally, shoots him a dirty look and escorts everyone into her apartment; trying hard not to think about it took a kindergartener and hot chocolate to get him inside.
They drink leisurely; Lucy chatting about the latest adventures of her class and how many friends she has before adding that Michelle was, most definitely, her favorite person in the world to play with. Tony casually mumbles his agreement of the latter, and kicks Michelle's foot lightly under the table. She blushes.
Lucy's mom, Evelyn, soon announces it is time for bed and thanks Michelle earnestly for spending the night with them as "Lucy just adores her".
Tony watches with a grin as the little girl embraces Michelle and makes her promise to come visit soon, even if she had to bring the boy with her since he wasn't so bad.
He shakes his head slightly in a combination of admiration and amusement as she beams contentedly after closing the door.
"Cute kid." He states, relaxed.
She laughs as she clears the mugs off the kitchen table. "Chatty too. They moved into the building a few months ago. Her dad left…"
He can tell she's bitter and changes the subject quickly.
"Nice apartment." He comments offhandedly.
She sighs, feeling dejected.
"Thanks."
But when she meets his eyes she can feel the spark again; the energy has returned and this time there'll be no interruptions.
She practically swoons when his lips slam against hers and he steers them so she's leaning against the counter. His one arm encircles her waist and his hand claws at her shoulders through the t-shirt she's wearing while the other buries itself deeply in her hair.
It's not long before her hands are tugging unabashedly at the buttons of his shirt and he tears away.
"You sure?" he asks breathlessly as he cups her face tenderly in both hands and she nods, feeling completely confident for the first time.
Somehow they end up in the bedroom and he's trying to be careful and loving when all he really wants to do is slam her against the door and rip away her clothes. He presses her against the wall and tugs at her bottom lip as his hands cup the back of her thighs and pulls her snugly against him. They then wrap comfortably around her hips as their tongues get tied up with each other. She's trying desperately to think clearly and do something brilliantly sexy that will drive him as crazy as he's driving her. When she moans softly in his mouth it seems to clear his head because he pulls away, both their breathing heavy. He stares at her somewhat apologetically before kissing her lightly on her lips, and making his way across her jaw down to her neck.
"Tony…" she breathes softly into his hair and her eyes flutter shut as his lips sprinkle kisses across her neck and collarbone. His fingers glide beneath the fabric of her shirt and trace across her cool stomach, making her moan again.
He smiles into her neck when she does and lifts up his head. She's leaning back against the wall and her eyes are tightly shut.
"You okay?" he was starting to worry he might've been a little too forceful, but she smiles sweetly and nods and says something that sounds vaguely like an exasperated "yeah".
She pulls his hand to her mouth and kisses his palm before placing it firmly on top of her heaving chest.
"I'm…a little nervous I guess."
He stares at her tenderly for a few seconds and kisses her again, this time a lot more gently.
Both their shirts are gone soon afterwards and his fingers work their way from the edge of her jeans to the top of her bra. He kneels down and heats her skin for a few seconds with his breath and she shivers uncontrollably at how very close he is to her at that very moment and how the layers of clothes between them are slowly dwindling.
And then her jeans are gone and he takes a few seconds to study her body before reaching behind her head and pulling her hair elastic out. It's trickier than he anticipated and he's wary of pulling too hard or tangling the stupid thing in even deeper than it already is.
She laughs for the first time and eases his hands away, tossing the offending elastic in the corner with the rest of her clothes. He buries his hands into her mass of curls and kisses her again, nibbling on her lower lip, wanting to hear the noises she'll make when he does. When he moves down to her neck again it's with the same calmness as he attempts to soothe away the red marks he started to leave behind.
She rids him of his own jeans quickly and he groans heavily when her nimble fingers linger across the front of his boxers for a few seconds and then move to the waistband. Just as quickly they're gone though, and he can't quite get over the disappointment.
They maneuver away from the wall and tumble onto the bed, her bra lost in the process, and it's only a few more seconds before they're both naked and he's on top of her and can't seem to figure out how much longer either of them wants to draw this out. His eyes meet hers and he knows she's not ready yet.
That's fine. He can wait.
His hand slides down her body, caressing the skin directly below her belly button for a few seconds before moving between her legs. She gasps when they hit their mark and twists and turns amidst the sheets in an attempt to keep still long enough for him to finish what he started.
And just when she thinks she can't take it anymore; just when the tension feels like far, far too much for her to handle; just when she thinks the torture she's feeling in that very instant can't possibly be worth the release she'll feel in what seems like an eternity…her muscles spasm and she cries out and falls back against the pillows. It's the idea that it's him doing it as much as it is anything else that pushes her over the edge.
He grins somewhat cockily at her and pushes back a few strands of sweaty hair as she pants heavily. He kisses her and she eagerly reciprocates, her head leaving the pillow again and her fingers wrapping around his neck and caressing his face while her tongue searches his own out.
He breaks away and adjusts his weight on top of her, positioning himself for entry as he spreads her knees apart. She can feel herself getting excited at just the notion of it – oh god what if he can tell it's been nine months since she last did this – as he slides into her.
He moves inside her in a way she's never felt before and she thinks if this is what nine months of nothing results in it's well, well worth it. The tension between them builds and they pound a steady rhythm, him conscious all the while of her body's every reaction to his every movement. The sounds she would've normally made when the orgasm finally overtakes her are muted when his lips smoother hers and she collapses sweaty and shaking against the bed while his mouth comes to rest in the crook of her neck.
"Oh my god…" she moans euphorically as she brushes the sweaty hair from his forehead. There's a hint of vulnerability in his eyes that wasn't there before, and it makes the bile in the back of her throat thicken and her chest constrict.
It's a few seconds before he finally responds by pressing his lips against her collarbone and rolling over to the other side of the bed.
"Michelle…" he groans a little while later. "You asleep?"
She shakes her head.
"No…"
His arm pulls her back towards him and she's grateful to be snuggling into his chest now, instead of as they were before.
"Listen uh…" he looks tormented by what he is about to say. "I'm sorry I took so long…not just these last couple of weeks but in general…"
His hand brushes the damp curls from the back of her neck and continues to toy with them. It's gone again, the vulnerability, but the fact that it was ever there and she got to see it at all say a lot.
"It's okay."
He leans down and kisses her half-heartedly, unaware of how he managed to fight off sleep for as long as he did.
"Good."
She feels the corners of her lips twitching upwards as she admires him sleeping amidst her sheets and pillows. It's a nice sight, she decides. A comforting one, to say the least… He fits there and that notion relaxes her, and eases Michelle into her own sleep against him.
Because the thing is, waiting forever for something you want is what makes it worth it in the end.
