A/N: I think you're all going to like this chappie. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!
"I can't wait to see you tomorrow," said Michonne into the phone to Rick.
"Same here," he replied, as he sat on his sofa and removed his boots; he let out a little whimper.
"You okay?" she asked. "Is your foot still sore?"
"The swelling's completely gone," he offered. "But it's still a little tender when I put my boots on, or take 'em off."
"I should get you some sandals," she said in all seriousness.
He laughed at the thought of such casual footwear, and then said, "Nah, you don't have to do that."
"I just want you to be well," said Michonne, as she climbed into her bed.
"You're so sweet," he replied. "You're good to me."
"You deserve it," she said with a smile. "You're a good man."
"I'm your man," he answered flirtatiously, causing Michonne to giggle.
"Yes you are," she responded happily. "And I can't wait to get my hands on you tomorrow."
"Hmm," Rick agreed. "I like the sound of that. Tell me more…"
Just then, Judith came bounding down the stairs and interrupted the direction in which Rick and Michonne's conversation was heading.
"Daddy," she said.
"Just a minute, honey, I'm on the phone," Rick said to his daughter, before speaking again to his girlfriend. "Hey, I'm real sorry but I have to go; duty calls."
"That's okay. A certain little lady needs a bedtime story, eh?" asked Michonne.
"Yeah," he drawled in that way that Michonne found irresistible.
"Let me say goodnight?"
Rick held the phone out to Judith and said, "It's Michonne."
Judith took the phone from her father and said, in an excited voice, "Hi, Michonne."
"Hi Judy," she replied. "How are you?"
"I'm good, thank you," she offered. "How're you?"
"I'm doing just great now that I got to talk to you," said Michonne.
Judith smiled and asked, "Really?"
"Yes," Michonne answered. "Really."
"I love talkin' to you, too," Judith said with a smile; Rick mirrored the gesture.
"You're as sweet as candy, Judy," said Michonne. "And I just wanted to say goodnight to you."
"G'night and sweet dreams," the little girl said happily. "Can you please tell my Daddy to not be so long on the phone?"
"Of course," said Michonne. "I'll tell him right away."
"Thank you," Judith offered. "Bye."
"Bye, sweetie," Michonne said.
"Hey," said Rick as he took the phone from his daughter's hand.
"Hey," Michonne answered. "Judy asked me to tell you to hurry up."
"Alright," he said with an amused grin. "She's the boss."
"See you tomorrow," said Michonne.
"Yeah," Rick answered. "Tomorrow."
…..
The time displayed on his phone read 3:47PM. Rick let out an exasperated sigh and tossed the device back on his bed as he searched the nearby closet again for the fifth time. He could not find the scented candles anywhere. He really did want the evening to go well. Michonne would be there at six o'clock and Rick was feeling as if time were getting away from him.
He had already dropped the kids off with their Uncle Shane. He had also finished grocery shopping for the meal he was going to prepare for Michonne; chosen a bottle of wine; made sure he had something to wear; and tidied up the house after the kids had been shipped off. He had not even gotten around to making sure his bedroom was ready to receive a very special visitor. That was, he surmised, even if Michonne still wanted to be with him in the way that he wanted to be with her.
He assumed her mind had not changed, but he would not rush her into anything she did not want to do. As of their last conversation, he was sure they were on the same page about taking the step toward more intimacy. But if she had changed her mind, there were other things they could do. He had all of his bases covered.
If Michonne wasn't feeling in a particularly romantic mood, there were a number of board games for them to play; he recalled that she had mentioned once or twice that she was good at Scrabble. He was quite adept at Monopoly. Or they could sit and listen to music; he had asked Carl to show him how to use Spotify and made a playlist of Michonne's favorite artists. He had Netflix ready to go if she just wanted to snack and watch a movie. He also checked the local weather report in case she wanted to go for a walk.
However, if Michonne was still eager to explore their cravings, just as he was, Rick was prepared. He still had the condoms in his possession from their spontaneous date when he injured himself. He also went out and purchased massage oils and a new toothbrush, should Michonne want to spend the entire night at his place. He hoped that she would. He had changed his bedsheets, and made sure his Bluetooth speaker atop his dresser drawers was ready to go. All he needed now was the scented candles.
…..
"What about this one?" said Michonne while she FaceTimed with Andrea.
The other woman examined the dress her best friend was displaying. It was a mid-length turquoise-colored garment with thin straps.
"For dinner at his house?" she asked for clarification.
"Yes," said Michonne. "You know what it's for."
"Right, dinner at his house," she repeated.
"Exactly," Michonne said. "So, should I wear it?"
"You're obviously not following what I'm saying," Andrea started. "So I'll be blunt."
"Like always."
"Aw, thanks babe," Andrea smiled. "So, this dress; it's cute. It looks great on you, but how easy is it to get out of?"
"Uh?"
"Mich," said Andrea. "Listen to me: How easy is it to remove the dress from your body?"
"Oh, right," she answered. "Well, there's two zips on the side, and you just…hold on, lemme put the phone down…right, so there's the two zips under here…invisible ones that you undo...and then you sort of shimmy it down…"
"Shimmying?"
"Yeah, you know, you just shimmy it down…"
Andrea sighed and then said, "Let me stop you right there. No shimmying. Rick is not gonna be able to get you out of that dress. I don't care how many skills he has, he is not gonna find an invisible zipper."
"Andrea, it's not rocket science," Michonne countered.
"Babe, once you get all hot and heavy, he's not gonna know which way is up," said Andrea. "All the blood will be rushing somewhere else, away from his brain…"
"Okay, okay!" said Michonne. "I get what you're saying."
"Good," replied Andrea with a smile.
"So what do you suggest?"
….
When Rick opened the door, he smiled widely before drawing Michonne into a hug, followed by a chaste kiss to her lips.
"Hi," he greeted.
"Hey," she replied.
He then stepped back to admire her appearance. She was wearing a peach-colored mini shirtdress with pearl buttons that ran all the way from the top to the bottom. She accessorized the dress with pearl earrings, a gold bracelet, and white leather sandals.
"You look beautiful," he said in earnest, while holding her hand.
Michonne took in Rick's appearance. He wore a white button down shirt, and dark jeans. His hair framed his handsome face, and his beard was trimmed neatly.
"Thank you," she said. "You look great."
Rick smiled and then offered gratitude for her compliment. He then led her into the living room.
"You know where everything is," he said. "But please have a seat and I'll get you somethin' to drink."
She nodded, thanked him, and took a seat on the sofa, before saying, "Something smells good."
He gave her a pleased grin and then said, "You think? It's a noodle dish, Pad Thai; first time I've tried making it myself."
"Well, you've obviously done an amazing job because it smells delicious," she commented as Rick stood with his hands on his hips, and a satisfied expression on his face.
"Thank you," he drawled. "But you've still gotta taste it first."
"Well, let's get to it, then," she offered in a flirty manner.
"You hungry for a taste, eh?" he flirted in response.
Michonne gave him a seductive smile and then replied, "I'm famished."
xXxXx
The faint scent of Thai food still permeated the air in Rick's kitchen and living space. The meal had long since been finished; the couple had cleared the table. After a swift tidying up, they were now ready to choose what they would like to do for the rest of the date; for the rest of the night.
The empty wineglasses sat atop the coffee table; the remnants of red wine at the bottom shimmered softly in the glow of the lamp light. The playlist Rick had gotten Carl to help him with played quietly in the background and set the mood. Michonne appreciated his extra care and attention to making their date a special one. She was currently entangled with him on the sofa showing her gratitude with passionate kisses. Rick was eagerly returning the favor with his body covering hers.
He broke their kiss and pressed his brow against her. They each fought to catch their breath, and then Michonne smiled up at him before asking, "Are we gonna take this to your bedroom?"
"Yes," he smiled down at her, before holding her gaze with his intense stare. "If you want to?"
She bit her bottom lip, nodded her head, and replied, "Yes, I do."
…..
Rick and Michonne walked to his bedroom hand-in-hand. She examined the space a moment, while he started the music and lit the candles. Suddenly, he extinguished the lights and made his way to stand behind her. He ran his hands up and down her arms before wrapped one arm around her waist and began kissing her neck. She let out a pleasured moan and tilted her head to the side.
Rick's hand travelled up her flat stomach as his lips worked over the soft skin of her neck. She leaned back into him and felt his arousal pressed firmly against her backside. She ground against him and elicited a deep moan from him close to her ear, which in turn caused a shiver to dance over her whole body.
Bringing his other hand to rest on her hip, Rick used the free one to slip inside of her dress at the top. He cupped her breast and was happy to find that his instinct was correct: She was not wearing a bra. His fingertips flitted over her sensitive nipple and it grew stiff.
"God, you're so beautiful," he whispered before shifting his hand from her hip and bringing it up under the hem of her dress. His eager fingers found their way to the meeting of her thighs. He brushed them against the fabric of her underwear, before drawing her panties to the side.
"Is this okay?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. Her breath hitched when he touched her there. He was pleased to find her aroused. He slowly undid the small pearl buttons on her dress as he pleasured her with deft, keen fingers.
Rick teased Michonne, all while kissing and sucking at her neck. He brought her to the brink, and then slowed his ministrations before finally withdrawing his sodden fingers. She went to protest, but he took hold of her arms and turned her so she was facing him.
They shared a smile. Her eyes were filled with lust and need; his were awash with fire and craving. Their lips met slowly at first, but soon the urgency took over once more. Rick broke the kiss first. He held Michonne's gaze a moment and became lost in the deepness of obsidian eyes. Her hand caressing his face drew him from his reverie. He clasped it, and then pressed a tender kiss to her palm.
"Can I take this off you?" he asked, gesturing to her dress.
Michonne glanced up at Rick through her lashes, bit her lip, and said, "Yes."
He offered her a smile and then moved his hands forward. Slowly, he undid her buttons and then placed his hands under the soft fabric. He then drew the garment off of her shoulders, causing it to fall to the floor and bunch at her feet.
She stood before him wearing nothing but her lace panties. He took a moment to take in her nakedness. His eyes roamed over every curve.
"You're perfect," he whispered as he closed the small distance between them and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. The couple shared another deep kiss before Rick swept Michonne up in his arms. She wrapped her legs about his hips as he carried her toward his bed.
He placed her down gently and then offered her a grin; she beamed back at him as she waited. He made easy work of removing his shirt and jeans. Not once did he take his eyes off hers.
The anticipation filled the dimly lit room as Rick slowly drew his shorts off his hips. His fully erect manhood sprung forward. Michonne's gaze fell to his hardness. She watched as he took one of the condoms and rolled it over his thick length. The pulsing between her thighs beat with more intensity as she parted her legs instinctively to receive him.
He leaned down and ran both hands up her strong, firm legs. When he reached the waistband of her panties, he drew them off her hips and removed them completely. Her dark curls and pretty, swollen lips framed her pink center perfectly. Rick felt his sex quiver at the exquisite sight.
Soon, he lowered himself on top of Michonne and continued to drink her sweet kisses. She gripped his tresses and met his eagerness with her own. They were both drunk from their closeness; from the tastes and touches.
They drew apart shortly and stared into each other's eyes. He was mesmerised by her beauty being caressed in the warm light of the candles. He stroked her face with the back of his hand before whispering, "You're beautiful."
They shared a languid kiss before Michonne replied, "So are you."
They kissed once more as Rick positioned himself at her delta. He was aching to be enveloped by her. To come together with her. To be one with her. Their eyes locked as he said, "I want you, Michonne. Can I have you?"
"You can have me," she replied as she reached a hand between their heated bodies, took hold of his throbbing length, and guided it between her swollen lips. "Hmmmmm, Rick, you can have all of me."