A/N: I wasn't entirely happy with the way chapter 2 turned out, mostly because I think John comes across as some shy college boy, which he's definitely not... so I'll probably fix that eventually. If necessary, I will do a complete rewrite of chapter 2. Just not today, because I really wanted to write this chapter first :) Chapter 3 follows the original outline I had in mind. So if it feels disconnected from chapter 2, you now know why.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think!
Everything inside Alicia focused on the sensation of John's hand finally touching hers, their fingers entwining. No, she wasn't dreaming, surrealistic as this whole thing may feel to her. John was here, and he was holding her hand. His gentle touch felt too real to be a dream. She released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in. For a moment there, she hadn't been entirely sure that she had judged the situation correctly. But they were really going to do this.
Just this once, she reminded herself firmly. Just to get it out of my system.
Holding on to his hand she stepped back through her front door, her gaze holding his. Now that they were on the same page, his tension seemed to have vanished. His eyes had gone darker and she couldn't look away from the longing she saw in them. It was mesmerizing.
Alicia didn't know who moved first. Suddenly they were kissing each other, and it felt like heaven. John let go of her hand to pull her up against him, walking her backwards while her hands were sliding under his jacket to try and push it off his shoulders, needing to get closer, needing to feel his skin beneath her fingertips. Somehow he managed to shut the door behind them while shrugging off the jacket. She wasted no time and got to work on unbuttoning his shirt.
The jacket landed on the floor with a thud that was loud in the silence of the apartment. John tensed and lifted his head. "Alicia, wait," he sounded slightly out of breath. His hands covered hers. A hint of a smile crossed his face when she couldn't hold back a frustrated sigh. Then he turned serious again. For a few moments they just looked at each other, the silence between them broken only by the ticking of the clock. "I don't think this is a good idea," he finally said, quietly.
The wheels in Alicia's head, that had come to a halt the second his lips had touched hers, started spinning again immediately. She had misread him after all. She pulled her hands away and stepped back, feeling her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "John… I'm so sorry. I… I got carried away because of… Never mind. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable… Again." He kept silent. She took a deep breath and crossed her arms. "Do you think we could just... forget this ever happened?" She fought off the disappointment that came from saying those words.
"I'm…" John looked at the floor, seconds ticking by. "I'm not sure I want to," he replied, as he looked back up.
"Then… What do you want?" She whispered.
"What I'm not supposed to want." He sounded as frustrated as she felt. "Because we work together. You're married. We could ruin both our careers. You don't have feelings for me. Or… Whatever." He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "It's just… You know..."
"…Bad timing," she finished quietly. A shiver ran along her spine.
"Yes." There was surprise in his voice. He looked at her intently. "But I still want…"
"So do I," Alicia blurted, closing the distance between them again. "So let's forget about what we are supposed to do and do what we want… Just for tonight." She put her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his. "No one has to know, right?"
"Alicia…" one of his hands started caressing her lower back, the other slid up in her hair. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "Just this once."
Alicia had barely uttered that last statement before John's mouth was on hers again and she could finally get to work on those buttons again. And this time, instead of stopping her, he let her. In fact, he put his own hands to good use, peeling off her dress. She guided him into her bedroom, their clothes seeming to vanish into thin air along the way. They fell down on her bed. They looked deep in each other's eyes when he finally entered her and made both their dreams come true, taking her to a place where only one man had ever taken her before.
The first hint of dawn was barely visible through the bedroom window when Alicia woke up to John kissing her. Being with him had been better than she ever could have dreamed... She smiled. "Hi," she whispered.
"Hi," he replied, and kissed her again. Then he leaned up on his elbow and looked at her, regret in his eyes. "I think I'd better go now, before anyone sees me leaving your apartment." But he made no move to get up. Instead, his hand started roaming her body.
As Alicia pulled his head down to kiss him some more, she started to realize that they may have made a mistake last night. But how could they have known?
"John?" she whispered, much later.
"What?"
"Do you think one night was enough?"
He smiled and slowly shook his head. "No," he said, "Not by a long shot. Do you?"
For the briefest of moments, she was tempted to lie. But she knew she couldn't ignore what she was feeling. Not again. So she told the truth.
"No… Not by a long shot."
As she spoke the words, she felt her heart settle.
The end
