"Do you know how good your entire street smells right now? The neighbors are gonna show up and join us," Aerie informs McCoy as he lets her into his house. He smiles and grabs her coat to hang it up. She takes in her surroundings as he guides her to the kitchen.
"Being chief of medicine doesn't seem like such a bad gig anymore," she murmurs appreciatively as he gestures to a bar stool across the counter from him and she takes a seat.
"I rent," he replies with a wry smile. "Even my salary doesn't buy you a place in this neighborhood."
"It's weird, right? Like, why are all the houses by the campus so expensive? I thought this was supposed to be where students lived," she answers, turning around on the stool to get a better look at the place.
"I'll give you a tour in a little bit," he tells her. "What do you want to drink?"
"What are my options?" she asks back.
"Wine, beer, water, hard liquors… and sodas," he replies.
"I'll take one of those," she responds, nodding to the beer by his hand.
"Good choice," he says with a grin, grabbing her one from the fridge and opening it before handing the bottle to her. He holds his up and she clinks hers against it.
"So, can I help with anything?" she asks after taking a sip.
"Naw. It's all under control," he says, looking over at the oven and stovetop before turning back and giving her a peculiar look.
"What?" Aerie asks, feeling like she's done something to warrant the serious gaze he's giving her but unsure of what, exactly, she could have done within the two minutes she's been in his house.
"Why didn't you tell me…about your dad?" he finally asks her gently and she realizes the look he's been giving her is one of concern. Aerie groans.
"Nyota, I take it," she responds.
"Yeah," he admits. "Aerie, I'm so sorry. Here I busted into your office, wondering why you hadn't responded to my email…and you still got all that work done. Ny says you stay late at the library pretty regularly…and come in on the weekends too."
"We have weekend shifts during the school year," Aerie mutters, uncomfortable with his worry.
"Yeah, but she says you're there almost every Saturday AND Sunday. And that project – it had to have taken several hours. No wonder you were so short with me."
Aerie sighs in frustration. She hates conversations like this because she always ends up sounding like a jackass. But that's never stopped her before.
"I was short with you because I don't like talking to people that early in the morning. And I don't like surprise visits. My dad had been in hospice for a few months. I wasn't upset when he died. I was relieved. Sure, it was annoying to have to take the time off from work to be there, but it's done now."
He doesn't say anything after she finishes; just contemplates her and that's even more uncomfortable than being told she's unfeeling or unkind.
"Didn't like your old man much, huh?" He takes a sip of his beer.
"No, I wasn't a fan," she confirms.
"Wanna talk about it?" he asks delicately.
"How much has Ny already told you?" she replies testily. It's McCoy's turn to sigh and he rounds the counter to stand in front of her stool.
"I didn't mean to start the night with a serious conversation you don't want to have. Forget I said anything, okay?"
He's so close, she can see the flecks of green in his hazel eyes under the pendant lights. Good lord, how does one man cram so many gorgeous features into one face? And the look he's giving her. Aerie can't stay annoyed if she wants.
"It's okay," she says softly. "You probably haven't noticed, but I can be kinda prickly sometimes."
He laughs at that and she smiles, relieved to have broken some of the tension in the room.
"How 'bout that tour?" he asks her, grabbing his beer to take a gulp before setting it back down. She grabs a swig of hers and hops off the stool.
A few minutes later, in the family room, she holds up a picture of a young girl. "Is this your daughter?" she asks and he looks at her in surprise before shaking his head.
"Guess I wasn't the only one Nyota talked to," he says as he comes over to the built-in shelves she's standing in front of.
"She means well," Aerie murmurs as he takes the frame from her hands.
"I know," he answers. "And yes. This is my daughter, Joanna."
"She's got your eyes," Aerie tells him, looking into the aforementioned eyes to find that they're already fixed on her. He looks back at the picture and smiles. "She's a great kid. The only good thing to come out of an otherwise disastrous marriage."
"Speaking as a kid of divorced parents," Aerie says softly, "Don't ever let her hear you say that, okay?"
He cocks an eyebrow at her as he sets the picture frame back down on the shelf.
"It's hard…growing up…knowing how much your parents hate each other. Even if they never say anything to you, you blame yourself. And if they do talk about how horrible the other parent is, well, it sucks, you know? Kids don't ask to be put in these kinds of situations. They're like civilians caught in the crossfire of two militaries at war."
He continues to stare at her and she wonders what he's thinking.
"Sorry," she mumbles. "You don't need me to tell you how to be a parent. I kill half my plants so who knows what I'd do with an actual human being."
"Don't," he says, his voice husky.
"Don't what?" she asks in return, her own voice low.
"Don't put yourself down like that. Don't doubt yourself. I want to hear everything you have to say."
He touches her cheek, barely a graze of his fingers but Aerie feels like he just reached inside of her.
"You might regret admitting that," she whispers with a lopsided smile as he rests one hand on her hip.
"I'll take the risk," he whispers in response, his arm moving around her back to pull her closer.
"Should I tell you more about dealing with divorce?" she teases him. "Is that what gets you in the mood?"
He rests his forehead against hers and she catches a brief glimpse of a smirk.
"It's not the conversation that's gettin' me goin'," he growls into her ear and Aerie shivers, pulling away from McCoy.
"You've got a tour to finish and if we get too far off-course, you'll burn dinner and I'll never believe you can cook," she says lightly.
"You're gonna make me wait, huh?" he asks, moving to the hallway.
"Dessert is after dinner," she counters, following him.
He turns and she suddenly realizes there isn't much space in the hallway with him facing her, that look in his eyes.
"Sometimes, I like eating my dessert before dinner," he tells her, and this time, she doesn't stop him as he pulls her back into his arms.
"Me too," she confesses breathlessly as one of his hands weaves through her hair, grabbing a handful at the nape of her neck. Aerie wraps her arms around McCoy's shoulders.
"I'm not talkin' about food," he warns her, giving her one last chance to back out.
"I sure hope not," she replies, pressing herself against him. It's so nice to be with a man who is her height – everything lines up so well. Before she can think another thought, his lips are on hers and everything becomes feeling and sensation.
His lips are so warm and soft, Aerie has a moment of envy as they kiss. But she soon forgets to care as the kiss becomes more insistent. He smells amazing – a little like aftershave but mainly just that smell she associates with men. She breathes it in and feels a heady mix of desire and anticipation as his arms tighten around her. She can feel the muscles under his pullover and tee shirt, can feel his thighs against her own, his hips on hers. She runs her hands along his shoulders to his back, reveling in how good he feels underneath her touch – powerful, ready to spring into action. She wants to feel the weight of him on top of her in bed.
"We left a room with a perfectly good couch," he mumbles between kisses, pushing her against the wall, "so that we could end up here: the least conducive place for making out in the whole damn house."
"You're such a grump," she replies as he trails his mouth down her neck. She arches her back and he gives a moan of gratitude.
"Keep that up and I'll never say a negative word again," he whispers, his hands on her breasts.
She whimpers as he plays with her nipples through her cardigan and dress.
"You couldn't stay positive for more than a few minutes at a time," she gasps, her hands in his hair. He meets her mouth with his and she opens hers, letting his tongue lick against her own.
"You're right," he agrees when their lips break apart again. "But this is certainly making it hard for me to complain."
"That's not the only thing being made hard," she says with a wicked grin as she presses against him, rubbing against the firm ridge in his pants.
"I'm gonna burn dinner and it's your fault," he sighs before recapturing her lips in his. She loves how aggressively he kisses her, staking his claim on her with his mouth. It allows her to be as aggressive as she wants in return, conquering every part of his skin that her mouth can reach.
They continue to kiss deeply, pulling one another closer, tugging at each other's clothing till both of them realize there's a noise that has nothing to do with heavy breathing or moaning. There is, in fact, a persistent knocking at the front door.
"Goddammit," McCoy grumbles. "No one ever comes by here except for the one time I have a beautiful woman in my arms."
Aerie laughs. "Ignore it," she recommends as she presses wet kisses up his throat. But the knocks continue and suddenly, they can hear yelling. A shrill female voice is added to the knocks and McCoy freezes, pulling away from Aerie.
"Fuck," he mutters, moving quickly through the hallway into the kitchen and then to the front foyer. Aerie follows him and he turns to her.
"Stay there," he orders her and she hangs back in the kitchen, unsure of what's going on, but increasingly convinced it isn't good. From her spot in the kitchen, she hears Leonard open the door.
"Took you long enough," a woman spits.
"Jocelyn, what're you doing here?" he replies and in a very different tone, "Hey Jo. How's my girl?"
"Hi daddy!" says a cheerful girl's voice.
"Something's come up and I need you to take Jo this weekend," the woman answers.
"Come on in, sweetie," he says. "Give your mom and me a second, okay? If you head to the kitchen, one of my friends is there and she'll get you something to drink."
"You've got female friends?" the woman scoffs. Aerie can't hear Leonard's response because the door closes and she realizes there's a child in the foyer who will be coming into the kitchen any second. So she moves towards the foyer and finds Joanna staring at the closed front door.
She crouches down to be at the girl's eye level.
"Hey, are you Joanna?"
The girl turns to face her and studies her intently for a moment before nodding.
"Who are you?" she asks Aerie.
"My name's Aerie," she replies, putting her hand out.
"Like fairy?" the girl asks, solemnly shaking her hand.
"I guess so."
"Is that why your hair is blue?" Joanna asks her and Aerie smiles.
"Maybe. Maybe I want to look like a fairy." She stands up and guides the girl into the kitchen, as they both hear an angry female voice outside the door.
"That's my mom," Joanna says to her in a small voice. "She yells a lot around Daddy."
Aerie crouches back down to be at Joanna's eye level. "I know. My mom used to do the same thing around my dad. And he yelled back, let me tell you. It wasn't any fun."
Joanna looks at Aerie with the kind of gaze a child who has grown up quicker than they should've gives.
"Are your parents divorced too?" she asks and Aerie has to fight the urge to hug the little girl tightly.
"Yep. They split up when I was 14. It was a good thing for everyone involved."
"My friend Suzy makes fun of me. She says I don't have a real family because my parents don't live together." Joanna looks down as if reliving the shame of being called out all over again.
"Suzy sounds like she's not very nice. She doesn't seem to understand that the word family can mean different things to different people," Aerie replies. Joanna looks up at her quizzically.
"If you have people who love you in your life, they can be your family. It's as simple as that," Aerie explains, hoping she isn't overstepping her bounds as someone on a first date with the girl's father. "So maybe you have a mom and dad and they stay together. Or maybe you only have one parent –"
"Or maybe you have two moms or two dads, like Jason," Joanna says enthusiastically. "Suzy makes fun of him too but I love Jason's dads. They're really funny."
"Exactly. See, Suzy doesn't know what she's talking about. Now, let's get you that drink your dad promised." Aerie moves farther into the kitchen, hoping the distance will prevent them from hearing the former Mrs. McCoy yell. She notes that she hasn't heard McCoy yell back. As gruff as he can be, he isn't the one yelling loud enough to be heard.
"I think you're too tall to be a fairy," Joanna says as she walks alongside Aerie and cranes her neck to look up at the woman.
"Well, that's too bad. I guess I'm just a tall girl with blue hair then."
"I like it. I'm tall too – one of the tallest in my class!" Joanna scrambles on top of one of the barstools and Aerie beams at the girl.
"That's great! Being tall is fun, right?" She hopes Joanna never goes through that phase all tall girls inevitably go through when they start to slouch because they're made fun of for being lanky or gangly. She hopes Joanna never feels like she doesn't fit in because she's the tallest person in the room and the men are afraid to approach her while the women think she's intimidating and snooty. It's nice to be reminded of how simple things are as a kid.
"How old are you?" she asks the girl as she takes her backpack and travel bag from her and sets them down on the stool next to Joanna.
"Seven. Can I have some water?"
"Of course!" Aerie replies, moving to the fridge and grabbing a Brita pitcher out of it. "I just need to find the glasses…"
"They're over there," Joanna says, pointing to a cabinet by the oven.
"Thanks!" Aerie pours the girl a drink and puts the pitcher back in the fridge.
"How do you know my daddy?" Joanna asks her after taking a gulp of water.
"We work at the university together. I help your dad do research for the articles he writes."
"Oh. Cool! Wanna see some pictures?" Joanna hops off the barstool and makes a beeline for the family room.
"Sure, why not?" Aerie replies, following her.
And that's how McCoy comes back into the family room to find his daughter sitting on the couch, snuggling in close to Aerie with a photo album open on her lap, pointing out her favorite horse at grandma's house to her captivated audience. He watches them for a moment before saying anything and Aerie, feeling his gaze, looks up and meets his eyes with her own.
"Sorry," he mouths silently, nodding to Joanna and the smile Aerie gives him assures him the date isn't ruined in the least by the unexpected addition of his daughter.
"Hey, Jo. You don't have to show Aerie the whole album now. Let's save something for after dinner, huh?"
"Daddy!" The album is cast aside and the girl flings herself off the couch and into her dad's arms. Aerie is pretty sure watching McCoy embrace his daughter tightly is one of the sweetest things she's ever seen. But then, she always gets weirdly sentimental about dads and daughters – like cry-at-commercials sappy – maybe because her own father was such a disappointment. She shakes her head slightly to get any thoughts of her dad out of it.
"Y'all hungry?" McCoy asks, looking over at Aerie while Joanna gives him an enthusiastic "YES!"
"Made your favorite," he tells his daughter as he sets her back on the ground. "Let's get a place at the table set for ya, okay?"
Within minutes, the threesome is sitting at the table, enjoying a delicious dinner of fried chicken, collared greens, and mashed potatoes with homemade biscuits to boot.
"Oh, wow," Aerie murmurs between bites. "This is so good!"
"See," McCoy grins at her. "Told ya I was a good cook."
"I'll never doubt you again," she replies with a grin and a wink. McCoy is certain that, but for his daughter's presence, he would climb over the table and carry Aerie to his bedroom right then and there. Instead, dinner passes in a blur of funny stories and laughter and when Joanna runs to change into her pajamas, Aerie helps McCoy clean off the table and kitchen.
"Thanks for being so understanding about the change in plans," he murmurs as they load the dishwasher.
"Hey, this kinda thing happens. Joanna's a great kid." Aerie hands him another plate.
"Yeah, she's pretty terrific. Got the best traits from both of us and none of the bad stuff," he replies with a smile.
"I haven't heard her complain once," Aerie notes with a raised eyebrow.
"Like I said…" McCoy answers, closing the dishwasher door and swatting her on the butt with his dishtowel.
He wraps his arms around her and Aerie leans back against him, feeling his chin rest on her shoulder. "Maybe I kinda like your huffing and puffing," she says softly.
"Well, you're in for a treat," he deadpans before pulling away at the sound of Joanna running down the hallway to join them.
"Can we watch a movie?" she asks both adults as she slides into the kitchen.
"Sounds good to me," Aerie replies, looking over at McCoy. "What do you say, dad?" Joanna doesn't stick around to hear his response, running into the family room and jumping on the couch.
"Careful what you agree to," McCoy says quietly to Aerie as he moves to follow his daughter. "We just got out of a huge Disney phase."
"The horror!" Aerie replies with a mock shiver. She removes her cardigan and, with the cap sleeves of her dress being so diminutive, McCoy can see the colorful tattoos on her upper arms. On one arm, she has a tattoo of a traditional Chinese clay doll and on the other, cherry blossoms. He stops and touches her arm briefly, tracing the outline of the blossoms on it and she looks down at his fingers on her.
"I have…a few tattoos," she admits. "Most are not as big as these two."
"How many is a few?" he asks, not in judgment, but curiosity.
"One for every country I've visited," she replies.
"And how many countries would that be?" he prods with a grin.
"I….I lost count after 75," she confesses and his grin grows wider.
"And you keep them covered?"
"Mostly," she whispers. "They're for me, not anyone else. But if you're lucky, maybe you'll get to see them," she says with a smile that makes McCoy feel a twitch below the belt. She passes him to enter the family room.
"What do you wanna watch?" McCoy asks Joanna as she jumps up and down on the couch. "Also, when'd you join the circus? Sit down!"
"Sorry," Joanna mumbles, sitting down. "I just got excited. I wanna watch Indiana Jones – the Crusade one!"
"Well, that sure isn't Disney," Aerie says in an undertone to McCoy. He gives her a look.
"It's fine. She'll be asleep before the end."
Aerie moves to the couch. "You're the parent, not me," she replies with a smile. She really has no idea what's appropriate for a seven-year-old to watch. She remembers seeing Indiana Jones for the first time but she's not sure how old she was – maybe a year or two older than Joanna? As the child of immigrants, Aerie always felt like she was a bit behind on pop culture anyway so she's always interested in observing children to see what they think is cool or note-worthy. She watches her students as well, under the guise of staying attuned to what the library can provide them.
"Okay, Jo," McCoy states. "What's the rule about big kid movies?"
"No repeating bad words and close my eyes if I get scared," Joanna says dutifully before turning to Aerie. "I learned how to do a French braid this week. Want me to show you?" Her eyes glide down to Aerie's arms and she takes a long look at the tattoos.
"Sure!" Aerie replies. "Wanna braid my hair?"
Joanna looks at her as though she's just offered the girl a free puppy.
"Can I really?" she whispers with such sincerity that Aerie almost laughs.
"Of course! I'll sit right here, okay?" She sits down on the floor, right in front of Joanna. McCoy turns on the TV, brings the movie up, turns out the lights in the room, and joins them on the couch. The look he gives Aerie just before sitting down – a mix of longing, disappointment that she's on the floor and not sitting next to him on the couch, and amusement at what his daughter is about to inflict on her – that look sets her on fire.
For the first forty-five minutes of the movie, Joanna plays with Aerie's hair, doing and then re-doing braids over and over. Aerie doesn't mind. It feels nice, having someone touch her hair and she's able to reach over and first poke at, then later caress McCoy's leg while Joanna is preoccupied. At one point, Joanna asks her dad to help by holding onto sections of Aerie's hair for her while she works. Aerie smiles and leans into it as McCoy fingers the strands, moving his hand up, until she can feel his hand against her head, rubbing gently.
"Isn't it soft?" Joanna whispers to her dad, referring to Aerie's hair.
"Sure is," he replies in an equally hushed tone.
"Can I dye my hair purple?" Joanna asks him and Aerie laughs quietly.
"Not sure how Mama would feel about that, sweetie," he replies, his hand drifting down, resting on Aerie's neck.
In the darkness, Joanna frowns for a minute, then shrugs. "Maybe when I'm older? Like 9 or 10?"
Aerie feels McCoy nudge her with his foot as if to say, "Look what you've done," and she tilts her head back to make eye contact with him. "Sorry," she mouths with a grin.
"Daddy, you have the coolest friends," Joanna whispers to McCoy a few minutes later and Aerie thinks her heart might explode.
"Yeah, I'm a pretty lucky guy," McCoy answers, his foot rubbing Aerie's thigh.
When Joanna is tired of playing with her hair, Aerie gets up and joins the other two on the couch. As McCoy predicted, Joanna grabs a pillow and moves to another part of the sectional so she can stretch out and lie down. McCoy hands her a blanket and moves closer to Aerie. By the final scene, Aerie is leaning against McCoy, one hand entwined with his, the other resting on his chest, with his free arm around her shoulders. Joanna sleeps quietly as the credits roll and then, it's just the two of them in the dark, with a sleeping child on the other end of the L-shaped couch. McCoy lets go of Aerie's hand to touch her cheek and he dips his head down to hers.
"Len," she whispers, nodding to Joanna.
"She sleeps through everything," he whispers back. "Gets it from her dad." But he doesn't draw in closer, waiting for Aerie to let him know it's okay.
"Must be nice," she murmurs, her own hand making its way to his face.
"Not a good sleeper?" he asks as he brushes his lips against her forehead. Aerie shivers at the sensation, not sure what it says about her that she's so turned-on when a seven-year-old is in the same room, maybe a meter away.
"Nope," she sighs as he trails his mouth down the side of her face and buries his face against her neck.
"Always been that way or did something trigger the insomnia?" he asks against her skin and Aerie wonders why more doctors don't use this approach to getting information out of their patients. Of course, more doctors would need to look like the man next to her.
"Started when my parents split up," she says, her breath catching at the end of the sentence because he moves his mouth up her throat and the burn of his stubble against her skin feels so fucking good.
And suddenly, he's kissing her, deeply, possessively, and Aerie doesn't care who's in the room. She shifts to face him, not quite in his lap but not far from it. His hands are in her hair and hers are at his sides, pulling him close, as close as she can get him and then she hears a sigh and pulls away quickly because the sigh isn't him. It's a little girl shifting in her sleep.
McCoy looks at the panic in Aerie's eyes and chuckles softly.
"I'm gonna put Jo to bed," he growls softly. "Can you grab her bear from the kitchen?"
"Okay," she agrees, getting up with him and following him as he picks up the sleeping girl and carries her upstairs to her bedroom. Aerie grabs the stuffed animal in question and when McCoy has gotten Jo situated, Aerie places the bear next to the sleeping girl, who remains completely undisturbed through the entire process.
After he closes the door to Joanna's room, McCoy turns to Aerie, his eyes hungry. But he doesn't make a move to her except to extend his hand. She takes it and they walk down the stairs, him in front of her. Once they're on the first floor again, McCoy doesn't hold back as he turns to face Aerie. Wordlessly, he moves his arms down her back, to her ass and pulls her towards him, lifting her so that she can wrap her legs around him. His mouth is on hers, and she doesn't know how he manages to navigate back to the family room without hitting anything but she doesn't care because he sets her down on the couch and looms over her and all she wants is to feel him on top of her. She drops one leg off the couch to give him room for his own body and he bends down over her, kissing her repeatedly. She feels him climb on the couch and then his weight is on her and Aerie moans because it feels so good to be this close, to feel his chest on hers, to feel him growing hard against her.
"Len," she gasps as he releases her mouth from his.
"My God, darlin', I couldn't stop thinkin' of what I'd do when we got a moment alone together," he murmurs against her chest and she feels his breath on her sternum. His hands clutch her breasts and Aerie bucks her hips against his without thinking.
For several minutes, there are no words – just their mouths on each other's bodies, their hands roving, exploring new valleys and plateaus of skin and muscle. McCoy finds the zipper on Aerie's dress and undoes it, pulling the bodice away from her chest and helping her free her arms from the delicate sleeves. He looks appreciatively at her bare midriff and heaving breasts in a sheer lilac bra but when his eyes meet hers, there's an unasked question in them.
"My back," she answers him. "Most of the tattoos are on my back."
He draws away from her so she can sit up and extract her legs from his and she turns around so he can see the tattoos, moving her hair over her shoulder so his view is unobstructed.
McCoy says nothing, enraptured by the work of art that is Aerie's back. The individual tattoos are tiny, but taken as a whole, they cover her entire back from her shoulders to below where her dress pools at her waist. Hesitantly, he reaches out and pushes the dress material down so he can see how far down her back the tattoos travel. They continue till just under the low-riding waistband of her sheer panties that match the lilac bra and McCoy sucks in a breath as he enjoys the view of her ass.
"Beautiful," he whispers, referring to more than the tattoos. Aerie turns her head over her shoulder, trying to see his reaction.
"You like them?"
"I like it all – the tattoos, you – breathtaking," he says as his head moves closer to her back so he can look more closely at each one, trying to guess which countries they represent. "Did you use the same artist for each of them?"
She nods. "I have a guy I go to when I visit my mom," she explains.
"He's done an amazing job," McCoy states almost reverently, tracing the patterns and colors on her back. He's never seen anything quite like it and even though he's never found tattoos particularly appealing, on her, they come together to tell a vibrant, gorgeous story. They're like a coded map of the world as she's experienced it. Aerie, with her blue hair and tats, is turning his previous notion of what he wants in a woman on its head.
She feels his breath on her lower spine a moment before she feels his lips and she leans into him with a sigh of contentment as he slowly moves his mouth up her back, stopping only to undo her bra and slide the straps down her shoulders. Aerie freezes as she hears a noise and feels his smile against her skin.
"Don't worry," he murmurs, the hot breath tickling her, "She's not waking up anytime soon."
"You say that, but I'm the only one half naked in here," Aerie mutters, relaxing her shoulders under the ministrations of his hands.
"We can change that," he says, pulling away from her. She turns around again to face him and in doing so, discards her bra. His eyes study her from the top of her head down to her feet, one resting on the couch, the other on the floor. She lets him take in the view as she leans over and reaches out to the hem of his pullover, tugging it up. He lifts his hands above his head to assist and when the pullover is off, she repeats the process with his tee shirt, but this time, he holds her arms still after she gets the shirt over his head.
"Don't move," he says in a low voice and when his breath hits her, she realizes why. Her breasts are practically in his face and he takes full advantage of it, lowering his hands to grab each one and burying his face in the valley between them. He tweaks her nipples, rubs them, plays relentlessly with them until they are hard and pebbled and then he takes one in his mouth, while wrapping an arm around her back to pull her onto his lap. Aerie straddles Len with a groan, the feeling of his tongue laving her nipple so exquisite, she worries she might come and be forced to explain how long it's been since she's let someone else pleasure her like this. He switches his oral attentions to her other nipple and she rests her arms on his shoulders, her hands tangling in his hear.
"Oh God, Len," she pleads. "You feel so good."
Once his desire for her breasts has been at least somewhat sated, he wraps his other arm around her back and seeks her mouth with his.
"I don't know if I've ever seen anything more beautiful than you," he whispers before kissing her passionately, his tongue in her mouth. At the same time, he guides her back down to the couch so they're lying down once more. He grinds against her, his cock fully erect, and she matches his rhythm, canting her hips up to meet his, delighting in the sensations he's eliciting through the repeated contact.
"Darlin', the things I want to do to you," he gasps as her hands play with the button and zipper of his pants.
"Tell me," she demands.
"I'm not sure I should. They're all filthy," he replies as she brushes her hands against his boxer briefs. He props himself up, bracing his arms on either side of her.
She gives him a hard look. "I've got blue hair and I'm covered in tattoos. There's nothing you're gonna say that'll shock me."
He gives her a smirk, as though ready to meet her challenge but still, he hesitates, even as she reaches a hand under the waistline of his boxers and strokes him, appreciating his size and girth.
"I'm not exactly shy," she starts again. "You shouldn't be shy about what you want. Chances are, I want it too."
He raises an eyebrow and lowers himself onto her, whispering something in her ear. He then shifts to make eye contact with her. "I don't want you to think I'm disrespecting you or looking at this as a one-night stand –"
"You dirty dog," she cuts him off with an unreadable look on her face but when his face falls, she laughs.
"I'm kidding, Len," she assures him and he raises his eyebrow at her, ready to mutter some curses back at her but she stops him by touching his cheek softly.
"Yes," she whispers, her hand caressing his face. "Yes, let's do it. I want it. I want you. Stop worrying about whether you're being a gentleman."
That's all she has to say. He pulls his pants and boxers down low enough to free his cock and she cups the outsides of her breasts as he bends down and licks the interior edges of her cleavage to create enough lubrication and then his cock is between her breasts and he's thrusting as she pushes her tits together to give him the tightness she knows he wants. The head of his cock pokes out of her cleavage as he thrusts and she drops her chin to her chest so she can lick it as it peeks out. He moans with each lick and begins to thrust more slowly, until his cock is still, resting between her breasts so she can work her tongue over it. Soon, she's sucking on the head and she realizes their objectives have changed so she stops, moves to sit up, and he looks down at her in confusion. She pushes him lightly in the chest with a devious smile and he understands, lying back on the couch, so she can reposition herself between his legs and focus solely on giving him head.
"My God… yes… Aerie… yes…," he murmurs as she sucks and strokes. He tangles his hands in her hair and caresses her as she pleasures him, her mouth drawing noises out of him that he didn't know he could make. Soon, he's thrusting into her mouth and she's no longer fucking him with her lips; he's fucking her mouth.
"Daddy?" a voice calls out from the far end of the kitchen and they both freeze, their eyes mirror images of panic. In an instant, Aerie pulls away, but stays crouching, ready to grab a blanket and throw it over herself. She has no idea where her bra is but she pulls her dress back up and onto her shoulders so she isn't half naked.
"Stay there, Jo," McCoy calls out as he pulls his pants up from his ankles and quickly throws his t-shirt on. "What's wrong, sweetie?" he asks as he rises up from the couch and walks towards the kitchen.
"Is Aerie gone? I didn't say goodbye," comes the reply and Aerie curses softly because she doesn't want him to lie but she also has no idea what she looks like. Will a seven-year-old know what JBF hair is? Probably not. So she gets up from the couch while she hears McCoy talking to Joanna and joins them in the kitchen, quickly snatching her cardigan from the back of a chair and throwing it on in an effort to hide her bra-less, unzipped state.
"Hey Joanna," she says softly, crouching down in front of the half-asleep child.
Joanna's eyes light up and she crosses the space between them quickly, hugging Aerie tightly. "Will I see you again?" she asks as Aerie hugged her back. Aerie looks up at McCoy who's watching them with a mix of amusement and embarrassment.
"I think so," she replies and he smiles at her. "I sure hope so. Now go on back to bed, okay?" She pulls away and the girl nods, turning around and moving towards the upstairs. McCoy follows after her and Aerie goes back to the family room to find her bra, which she finally discovers behind the couch. She's hooking it back together and pulling her dress sleeves back up when McCoy saunters back in.
"I should probably go," she says to him shyly, unsure of why she feels timid around a man who was balls-deep in her mouth just moments ago.
"I guess so," he sighs. "I'm so sorry. Normally, she doesn't get up…I didn't mean to put you in that position." He looks at her with the same mix of guilt and bashfulness that she feels and her heart melts. She approaches him and turns around.
"Zip me up?" she asks. He does and after, his fingers linger on the edge of the dress.
"Let me make tonight up to you," she begins and he cuts her off.
"You? I'm the one who invited you over for a romantic dinner, then added my daughter to the mix, then promised you my kid wouldn't walk in on us. I should be making things up to you."
"Okay, then make it up to me by coming to my place the next Friday you're free. I'll make dinner and we can re-do tonight, with a different outcome…if you want." Aerie turns and looks at him.
"Deal?" she asks, worried that maybe he's decided she's more trouble than she's worth.
"Of course," he replies. "You sure? I'd understand if you ran away in terror, you know."
She grins. "Nope. It'll take more than this to scare me away." She kisses his cheek and he wraps his arms around her for a moment, just holding her close.
"I'm free next Friday," he whispers in her ear. "Joce and I switched weekends so if you really mean it –"
"See you Friday," she says definitively. "And, if we're lucky, maybe even before then, around campus." He smiles and lets her go, helping her find her bag and coat, then walking her to the door, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.
As Aerie drives home, she realizes her feelings for Leonard McCoy are a lot more intense than she'd anticipated. She isn't sure she's ready to feel this way about someone, especially with the changes she wants to make to her life. Still, another part of her argues, it's only been one date. Why not see where it might go?