One of his hands was buried in her hair, the other inching its way under his shirt, which she was wearing. Casey wasn't sure what was happening but she did know she didn't want it to ever stop. Still there was a part of her, a part that was growing more and more panicked by the minute that needed some clarification. She needed to know what the hell was going on.
Her hand, resting on his chest, could feel his heart pounding against her palm and she knew hers was matching it beat for beat. Her leg had somehow found itself wound around his and her heel was digging into his calf as she struggled to bring herself closer to him, as if that were possible.
His tongue was bumping over her teeth, lashing at the roof of her mouth and stealing her breath with every delicious stroke. He tasted exactly like she remembered. He felt exactly like she remembered. The sounds he made that she swallowed down relentlessly, the smell of his skin, the look in his eyes when he drew away from their kiss long enough to catch his breath. It was all just like she remembered and she couldn't help the groan that escaped her lips when instead of plunging his tongue back into her mouth, he slid it along the side of her neck.
Her fingers tightened and twisted in the fabric of his shirt, desperately clutching at his shoulder like she had suddenly lost gravity control and he was the only thing holding her down.
There was a fire raging inside her. One that began the moment his lips meet hers and while she had always responded enthusiastically to Cappie's touch, it had never felt as powerful as what she was suddenly feeling. All thoughts of why this was happening were soon banished from her mind.
She needed him, felt like there was nothing as important in the world to her at the moment. His hand inched up further, drawing her shirt up as well and she arched her back into his palm when he finally found her breasts. It felt like she was starving for him. Every touch was exquisite and prefect. Her whole body tighten internally when his thumb brushed across her nipple.
At seeing her ardent response, he dropped his head and took her nipple into his mouth while his hand move to the other one.
Then he stopped suddenly and pulled his mouth from her body. The look on his face was something akin to fascinated as he stared down at her hardened nipple. " It looks different." He commented finally.
She raised her eyebrows at him in question.
" It's darker, bigger, maybe." He said, brushing his fingertips over it and causing her entire body to quiver all at once.
" Cappie," She said, getting his attention and looking him straight in the eye. Her hand came up to the back of his head and she fisted her fingers in his hair to emphasize her words. " It adorable and a little disturbing that you know my nipple that well, but right now, I don't care."
" Oh, right. Sorry." He muttered, physically shaking himself out of his sidetrack. Then he immediately took the nipple back into his mouth and flicked his tongue over the tip.
" Oh God," She groaned, arching her back and pushing more of her breast into his mouth.
" Wow, Case," He said, stopping again. " I've missed you, too."
She tightened her fingers in his hair, pulling it slightly and opened her eyes again. " Please shut up." She whispered, almost pleadingly.
He instantly compiled and went right back to doing what he had been doing before he interrupted himself.
She nearly howled at the sensation of his thumb flicking across one nipple and his mouth at the other. It was ridiculous the way she felt her body reacting to him. She felt like she hadn't had sex in months or maybe even years.
Every brush of his fingertip or lash from his tongue brought a whole new wave of pleasure over her and she caught herself time and again on the verge of crying out so loudly it was sure to alarm the entire house. She didn't want to groan his name, she wanted to shout it out loud.
When he pulled away from her, untangling his limbs from hers, she very nearly did scream at him. She had no idea where he was going or why, she only knew that she needed him back against her, needed to feel his body beside her, over her, under her, just there with her.
Reaching out she grasped blindly for whatever part of him she could find. And her eyes flashed opened when he caught her hand and kissed her palm before giving a quiet, little chuckle and raising up from the bed altogether.
He was stopping, backpedaling, changing his mind about the whole thing and there was no way she could just accept that now. It was too late. He had started the blazing inferno inside her and he was damn well going to put it out.
But when she found his face, her fears were immediately alleviated. The look in his eyes said he had no intention of stopping anything. When he reached the hem of his shirt and flung it over his head, she sighed in relief. Then he quickly and deftly discarded his pajama bottoms and stepped out of them, before coming back to her with heavily lidded eyes the darkest blue she had ever seen them. They sparkled as he stared down at her and she smiled in response.
There it was. The genuine Cappie smile she'd been looking for since she return. All he needed was her to make it reappear and she loved the thought of that. The thought of knowing that without her beside him, he simply wasn't him.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his body for a moment, before he pulled away in alarm and looked down at her.
" God, Casey. You're on fire. Are you sure you're okay ?" He asked, trying to pull further away.
" Fine." She mumbled an instant before grabbing his head and bringing his lips back to hers.
He was tugging at her shirt and she let him break the kiss long enough to rip it over her head and toss it away. Then his hands were at her sides, gliding over her smooth skin and leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.
He laid her back gently, easing her down onto the mattress like he thought she might break if he handled her too roughly.
" You're sure this is okay ?" He asked even as his head dropped down to find her breast again.
" Fine." She muttered again and let out of hiss as he grazed his teeth over her breastbone.
Her hands were clutching at his shoulders and tugging at him urgently. She had had enough of the build up. She just needed him now, needed to feel him everywhere.
Still he held back and continued to tease her with his tongue and lips and fingers. It was quickly becoming too much.
She dropped her hand from his shoulder and let it trail down his chest. The feel of his skin under her hand was mesmerizing and intoxicating and exhilarating. It was a quick journey. She didn't have time to re-familiarize herself with his body. The need inside her at the moment was too great for that and she needed to do something to get him on the same page with her.
Passing his navel, she let her fingers travel lithely through the trail of hair that ran down the center of his abdomen.
He jerked and threw his head back when he suddenly felt her hand surrounding his length and giving it a persuasive squeeze. Her fingers barely fit around him as he pulsed and throbbed in her hand, burning her palm with his heat.
He gave a strangled, choked cry before burying his face in her hair and panting into her ear.
She let her fingers begin to stroke over his hardness, rubbing her thumb against a particular large vein near the head and he cried out at the feeling, digging his fingers into her sides and fighting to pull air into his lungs.
Her lips found his and she delved her tongue into his mouth for a moment before pulling it out of his way. As soon as his tongue passed her lips, she closed them around it and began to suck feverishly.
He sank into her further, his whole body covering hers. She wrapped her legs around his thighs and continued to pump her hand around him and suck at his tongue, driving him to the limit of his composure.
Finally he pulled away from her mouth and let a long, deep groan escape his lips before tugging himself out of her reach.
She almost cried out at the loss and immediately began to grab for his length again.
He put a hand on her shoulder, stilling her for a moment as he took a deep breath.
" What has gotten into you ?" He asked in wonderment as he moved his fingers to the waistband of her panties and began to peel them from her body.
" Don't know." She shrugged as she raised her hips to help him rid her of the last piece of clothing between them. " Hormones, maybe."
" Trust me, I'm not complaining, just curious." He smiled brightly as he moved in to kiss her again.
He moved his body over hers, adjusting himself between her parted thighs as he reached for the nightstand drawer beside the bed.
" What the hell are you doing ?" She asked with a smile of her own.
" Getting a -" He stopped and laughed. " I suppose its a little late for that."
" A little." She nodded.
He raised an eyebrow at her. " You're sure its okay ?" He asked uncertainly.
" Are you afraid I might get pregnant ?" She smirked.
" I was thinking there are worse things than pregnant." He answered, suddenly very serious.
" Do you have something I don't know about ?" She asked, again with the smirk.
He shook his head. " Not that I know of."
" Are you questioning whether I'm okay ?" This time the smirk was quickly turning into a frown.
" Of course not." He told her immediately.
" Is there someone else here we should be worried about ?" She continued, looking at him like he was an idiot.
" Well, no. That's not-" He stopped himself from speaking and took a deep breath. " I just want to be sure that this is okay without, you know, something."
" Cappie, You're killing the mood. Now." She told him, grabbing his shoulders and yanking him down to her body.
He sighed and continued to hold himself away from her, though now she could feel him resting right against her. Her body pulsed with need at the feel of him so close, yet not nearly close enough. She tried to raise her hips and force him inside her but he was ready for the move and held her steady to the bed.
" Cappie." She whined and he smiled down at her with twinkling eyes and a mischievous smile that made her want to slap him.
" What is it, Case ? He asked between pulls at her bottom lip with his teeth.
" Stop it." She insisted, trying to raise up again.
" Stop what ?" He asked with a wiggle of his hips that caused his hardness to brush against her overly sensitive bundle of nerves and sent her back arching off the bed.
" Quit," She demanded, taking hold his shoulders and digging her nails into his skin. " teasing me."
He hissed in pain. " Am I teasing you ?" He asked once he recovered.
Then he reached up quickly and grabbed both her hands, yanking them down to the bed over her head and holding them there with one of his.
Now she was effectively trapped under him and completely at his mercy.
" What if I'm not ready for that yet ?" He asked, dragging his mouth down the side of her throat, then back up to her lips again. " What if I'm not done playing yet ?"
" But I am done. I want you now." She told him in a low dangerous voice.
His free hand came down and cupped her breast, " When are you going to learn that everything isn't about you ?" He said, before dropping his mouth over her nipple and sucking on it with a renewed fervor that nearly sent her body into convulsions.
" Cappie," She breathed out his name on the end of a pant and tried to pull her hands out of his hold. He just tightened his grip on her wrists and let his other hand trail down the center of her body.
" It's been a long time since I've had a chance to see you like this. I want to savor it for a little longer." He whispered against her skin.
His hand was still descending, fingertips easily gliding over her smooth, sweat moistened skin. When he got to her bikini line, her heart stopped beating in anticipation of him actually touching her. But instead, he moved off to the side, tracing the line of her curls over to the junction of her leg and hip. He followed the nature line of her body, sliding along her inner thigh at a punishingly slow pace.
When his knuckle brushed along her outer lips, she jerked and gasped out loud at the feeling.
He glanced up at her face to gauge her reaction better, clearly bewildered by her overly eager response.
" Wow." He said again.
" Cappie, I mean it, stop now. Please." She answered hating how desperate her voice sounded.
" Alright." He smiled, pulling his head from her breast. " I'll stop."
He let go of her arms and she immediately laced them around his shoulders.
He found her lips again and this time the kiss was much more heated, much more intense. It was as if he were trying to tell her something without knowing what words to use.
Then suddenly, so quickly it startled her, he was inside her, buried so deep she felt as if there was no possible way he could go any further.
His breath left his body in a gush of air that hit her in the face and she threw her head back and arched into him in celebration of the feeling of oneness she finally felt again.
After a long drawn out moment, he began to move, slowly, barely more than a slight rocking of his hips. Her legs fell naturally around his waist her and she inadvertently dug her heels into his ass, pulling him further inside her.
" I can't-" He panted as he started to move faster now. His sentence interrupted by his gasp for air. "You are so hot." He finally managed.
Her arms slipped off his shoulder and she had to keep readjusting them against his sweat slick skin.
" More," She gasped as she raised her hips from the bed and ground her pelvis into his.
He gathered her into his arms, slipping them under her back and raised her off the bed. Then he flipped them quickly so that she was straddling his hips and he was flat on the bed. " I'll just let you do this." He smiled up at her. Then pulled her flush against him before whispering in her ear. " Control freak."
She was just about to laugh when he wiggled his hips and plunged them upwards in an unexpected move that sent a multitude of quakes through her entire body.
She sat up and smiled down at him with a delighted glint in her eyes. Starting off slowing, she began to rock her hips over him, and he threw his head and clutched her waist in response.
" Casey," He murmured when he pulled her back down again and found her lips.
He held her tightly against his body, crushing her breasts into his solid chest and planted his feet on the bed.
Then he started to thrust himself upwards, sinking deeper into her with each stroke.
She couldn't stop the sounds escaping from her lips. She thought he recognized her name in the sounds coming from him as well. He was holding her so tightly against him she could barely breath. His lips plundered her in a endless kiss that muffled at least some of the noises they were making.
She shuddered in his arms and growled in his ear, helpless to stop the reaction. He was moving quickly now and she was meeting him stroke for stroke, thrust for thrust. Both of them barreling towards the release their bodies craved.
" Oh, God." She cried out as she threw her head back and felt everything inside her tense at once.
" Casey!" He practically screamed to the ceiling, his voice echoing off the walls as he joined her and plunged into her one last time.
She crumpled over him, her body splayed out over his in a useless heap of no longer responding body parts.
His arms were still wrapped around her, holding to him desperately, His large hands nearly covered her completely, one at her lower back,the other her shoulder blades.
Suddenly, he shifted under her and his hand came up to roughly trail through his hair, dragging it away from his face.
She raised her head, the only part of her body that she had full control over at the moment and looked at him, intrepidly. She was afraid of what she would find there. Afraid that there would be regret or at least apprehension looking back at her. But she'd have to wait to see his reaction. His eyes were closed and his hand still rested there, shielding his expression from her view. She wondered if he had done that on purpose, used his hand to hide his face from her. It hadn't been more than a few hours since he told her he didn't want to rekindle this thing between them, since he rejected her on the bridge and walked away, leaving her crying and alone, yet again.
She shifted, sliding out of the arm that was still wrapped around her waist and settled on the bed next to him. He started at the movement, opening his eyes and moving his hand, but letting her move without stopping her.
It was a little unsettling. Normally, she would have to insist before he reluctantly let her out of his arms. Usually, he was the one that kept holding on long after their breaths had returned to normal and their hearts stopped trying to escape their chests.
She wasn't touching him now. Her body was well on her own side of the bed and she watched as his chest continued to rise and fall with each breath he grasped for. Finally, he inhaled deeply and raised his hand to swipe at the sweat covering his forehead.
She waited, completely still, not wanting to risk any moment until she knew what his reaction would be. Internally she chastised herself for letting things get so out of hands. She should have stopped this. She should have insisted they talk first. Not knowing what was going to happen next was driving her insane. He was so unreadable and distant. It felt like he was miles away from her instead of just a mere few centimeters. And laying there beside him, completely unclothed, she felt vulnerable and scared and she hated that.
She decided to make the small movement necessary to pull the sheet over her hip and used it cover the bottom half of her, at least, granting her a touch more composure.
He noticed the movement and turned his head towards her. And her heart immediately began to thump again. But still he said nothing and his expression was guarded, hesitant and completely foreign to her.
With a frustrated huff she sat up and dragged the sheet to her chest at the same time. " Say something." She whispered, not trusting her own voice at the moment. " Please."
He shifted, turning towards her and reached up to touch her cheek. " I love you." He answered and it was exactly what she needed to hear.
She released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and let herself relax, unclenching muscles she hadn't realized she was clenching either.
She had no idea how much his reaction meant to her until he actually gave her one. Then she understood that something inside her felt like everything about her future was riding on that moment. Everything she wanted was in his power.
She snaked her tongue out to wet her suddenly dry lips and cleared her throat, trying to dislodge the lump that had formed there. But it did her no good and suddenly she was crying and she couldn't make herself stop and not just crying, that would have been a least a little reasonable. No, she was sobbing, gut wrenching, unstoppable sobs that wracked through her entire body and came from her core.
" I'm sorry." He squeaked as he jerked himself upright and wrapped his arms around her. " I didn't mean it. I take it back."
She was shaking her head against his chest, trying to tell him that that was the last thing she wanted but she couldn't get the words past her lips. All she could manage was a wail in protest.
" Case," He urged, trying to untangle her from his body so he could look at her, but she buried herself further into his chest and wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders. " You're scaring me a little here. What's wrong ?"
She still only managed to shake her head and it was clear that he didn't understand what she was trying to tell him.
" Did I say something, do something ? Whatever it was, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it." He continued. " If you don't want me to tell you I love you, just pretend it never happened."
She cried louder and he apparently decided the best thing he could do was wait until it was over, because he tighten his arms around her and started to smooth her hair as he whispered in her ear.
He stopped doing that once he saw that every time he said something she just got louder. Hearing him tell her it was all going to be alright, listening as he assured her that he had her and he wasn't going anywhere, none of that was helping her collect her composer. In fact, it was just adding to the emotional deluge that she couldn't seem to make go away.
Everything felt like it was crashing down around her and at the same time she was happier than she had ever been. Back in his arms was exactly where she wanted to be. Knowing he was with her, going to stay beside her through everything made it all okay somehow. She didn't even understand why she was crying.
Someone knocked on the door and she jerked in his arms, startled by the sudden sound in the quietness of the room.
" Hang on." He whispered as he laid a kiss on top of her head and extracted her from his arms.
She let him go only after he promised her he'd be right back. As soon as he was off the bed, she grabbed the sheet more tightly around her and curled herself into a fetal ball in the center of the bed. Her eyes stayed glued to Cappie as he grabbed his pajama pants from the floor and slid into them before going to the door.
" What ?" He asked, jerking it opened only enough to peak outside.
" I heard crying." She heard Rusty's voice on the other side of the door. " What did you do to her ?"
His tone sounded very accusatory and confrontational and she tensed as she saw the muscles in Cappie's back flex in response.
" I didn't do anything. She's fine." He said. " We were just-" he paused, obviously not really knowing how to finish that sentence and drew his hang through his hair. " we're fine. Everything's fine."
" Apparently not if I can hear her sobbing all the way out here in the hall. Let me see her." Rusty demanded and the door moved as if he were trying to push his way inside.
" She's a little indisposed right now." Cappie argued.
" A little indisposed ?" Rusty barked. " What's going on in there ?"
" Not really your business, there, Little Buddy." Cappie answered. " Just, calm down and let me handle this. I've got it. It's all under control."
Rusty huffed and she decided it was time to intervene on Cappie's behalf, feeling like it was the only way her brother would go away.
She got up from the bed and wrapped the sheet tighter around her body.
" You've got it under control ?" Rusty was saying. " Forgive me if I'm not too convinced of your abilities to control anything right now."
Cappie's hand tightened on the door and Casey stepped under his arm before he had a chance to respond.
" I'm fine, Russ." She said, as Cappie's arm came around her waist. " We're good."
" Then why were you crying ?" Rusty continued, before he had a chance to take in her attire. When he did, he took a step back and closed his eyes for a moment. " I'm sorry. I thought something was wrong." He tried to explain. " I heard you crying and it sounded bad. I didn't know."
" It's okay." She smiled at him reassuringly. " Thank you for checking on me. But like I said. I'm fine."
" Sorry, Cap. I didn't mean to be so mean." He muttered as he glanced up at his best friend.
" I understand. I would have done the same thing if it was me." Cappie smiled back at him congenially.
" Do you need anything ?" He asked, as he started to step further away from their door.
Cappie pulled her tighter into his side and nuzzled her hair for a moment. " Maybe a bite to eat would be good. Something to drink."
Both Cartwrights jerked their eyes to his face in response.
He sighed in exasperation. " Water, juice, soft drink. I'm sure Casey could use something right about now." He explained as if they were both idiots.
" Yeah," Rusty nodded. " I'll take care of it. You just go back to doing whatever it was you were doing." He looked like he thought about that for a moment before he stumbled over his own feet and looked back at them with a shamed look on his face. " Or, don't. I don't know. Just, ah, I'll take care of the food."
Then he was gone and Cappie was smiling like an idiot as he watched him leave.
" I think we embarrassed him." He said as he ushered her inside and closed the door behind them.
" He'll be fine, once his eyes quit bleeding." Casey assured him. " I went through a similar experience about a month ago while Dana was visiting. I'm still considering therapy."
He stopped and pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her once again. " Are you really okay ?" He asked, his lips brushing her temple as he spoke.
She nodded and took a deep breath. " I'm sorry. I don't-"
He stopped her from finishing with a kiss. " Don't apologize. It's okay. I understand. I almost broke into tears myself."
She laughed as he led her over to the bed.
" We should probably talk about all this though." He said as he settled himself against the headboard and pulled her into his lap. " If you think you can handle it, now. That is."
She opened her mouth to tell him that she thought she'd be okay when there was another knock on the door.
" What ?" Cappie yelled towards it, not willing to move to answer it this time.
" It's me." Heath's voice sounded from the other side of the door. " Can I come in ? Is everybody descent ?"
" As descent as we're going to be." Cappie answered and Casey could tell he was trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.
The door opened slowly and Heath stepped in with two glasses of orange juice and an understanding smile.
" Can I talk to Casey for a sec ?" He asked, " Alone, I mean."
Cappie's eyebrow's rose at him questioningly. " Is there something wrong ?" He asked.
" Oh, no." Heath shook his head. " Rusty was just telling me about something that was going on with one of Casey's friends and I thought, since I'm premed, I might be able to help her friend out, a little anyway."
Cappie took his glass of juice and handed the other one to Casey. She accepted it with a thanks and took a huge drink from it.
" He knows, Heath." She said, after setting the glass on the table by the bed. " He knows everything."
Cappie laughed and rolled his eyes. " That was the most ridiculous cover story I've ever heard. If I didn't know already I would certainly be suspicious. Really, Heath ? A friend ? I thought I'd taught you better than that."
He shrugged and dropped his hands to his sides. " I'm sorry, Cap. I guess we can't all be gifted bullshit artists like you." He came to the side of the bed and looked at it for a second before Cappie moved his leg over enough to give him room to sit. Then he looked at Casey. " Are you okay ?"
" I'm fine." She answered a bit snappishly. " I already told Rusty that."
" I know and I told him the same thing. But he made me promise to come and check on you myself. So here I am." He smiled.
" Well, tell him the only thing wrong with me right now is that he is irritating the hell out of me." She said with a smile of her own.
" He said you haven't seen a doctor yet."
" I'm going to make an appointment first thing in the morning." Cappie answered this time.
Heath glanced up at him and there was a brief moment of surprise on his face but he hid it quickly.
" I'm asking because one of my professors is also a practicing OBGYN and I'm sure I can get her to work you in to see her pretty quickly." He explained.
She snuggled a little tighter into Cappie's embrace. " That would be great. I'd really appreciate that."
Cappie shifted a little under her as he reached to put his own glass down beside hers. " So, Rusty has informed the entire household of our news ?" he asked.
" No," Heath shook his head immediately. " Just me. Beaver and Wade don't know what to think about all the crying." He looked down at his hands like he was suddenly very uncomfortable. " Or all the other stuff for that matter. And Rusty wasn't around for the other stuff. He was making dinner."
" The other stuff ?" Casey asked, sitting up a little straighter.
Heath got up from the bed and buried his hands in his pockets. " Well there were noises..." He trailed. " They're pretty sure they know what that was about." His cheeks were flushed a bright shade of red. "But then the crying started and they didn't know what to think."
" What the hell ? Were you are sitting outside the door ?" Cappie asked as Casey buried her face in his chest in embarrassment.
" We were in Beav's room playing Call of Duty." Heath explained quickly.
Casey glanced at the wall to her left, the one less than a couple of feet from the bed. She knew that Beaver's bed was directly on the other side of that wall, pushed right up against it. She also knew from many hours spent playing video games in that room that Wade, Beaver and Heath had all been sitting either right against that wall or very close to it. She was very glad to know that at least her brother had been present for the whole episode.
" I'm sorry." He shrugged again. " We wanted to be close if you needed anything. You know, we didn't know what was going on."
" It's okay." Casey said, burying her face again. " I'm just going to die of embarrassment now. It'll be okay."
" It's good to see you looking better." He told Cappie as he got to the door. " You really had us worried for a minute."
Cappie shifted again, picking Casey's shoulders up and sliding out from under her. " I'll be right back. I just want to check on something." He told her, brushing a kiss against her lips. " You'll be okay for a sec ?"
" I'm fine." She insisted a lot more forcefully this time.
" You really are, you know." Heath said from the door. " The crying is completely normal. My mother was a wreck the entire time she was pregnant with my sister. A box of Cheerios could set her off."
" Thank you." She told him before both men stepped out of the room.