So the basis for this chapter was a one-shot I wrote privately, inspired by friends. And then it almost perfectly fit into this story and well another friend worked her magic on this and I guess... now you get to enjoy a special interlude and that party through the eyes of a different pair.
Chris knew the outfit wasn't entirely fair. Especially after they had agreed to keep their relationship, their attempt at a relationship still to themselves. The next few days simply belonged to their friends. Bonnie and Victor had invited them to a combined housewarming and wedding party, so it was clear that they had to keep a low profile here.
But she had bought the top with Bonnie and it had fallen into her hands. The flowy fabric in the front hugs her torso and the back is completely bare.
She smiles at herself in the mirror as she reaches for her jacket. Yes, she can leave the house like this.
The traffic through town was a bit much and so Chris is a bit late. It doesn't matter, though, because Bonnie pulls her through the door, beaming, and recognizes the top immediately. "Why don't you take off your jacket? It's warm enough." The blonde suggests and as they head into the garden, Chris immediately gets a slight chill. She feels his gaze on her back and as she turns briefly in his direction she knows she will pay for this choice tonight.
"Hi, Chris you're finally here!" Tan calls out, who is chatting with Hondo and Nichelle. She walks over to the three of them.
"Hey, sorry, but traffic was really awful, somehow I caught everyone's closing time." She laughs and the others join in.
"It doesn't matter, the important thing is you're finally here and the party can begin." Nichelle walks over, wrapping her arms around Hondo's waist and smiling happily. The group is now joined by Luca and he immediately cracks some jokes to make everyone laugh. He even brought Duke with him, the four-legged friend is lying on the grass and chewing contentedly on a dried beef ear. Deacon and Annie chat with Street.
"How's my little Lila doing?" He's totally smitten with the little one and the other way around as well. "I really need to take her to the zoo again sometime." He adds.
"Oh my god, she'll love you even more than she already does." Annie laughs heartily and Deac strokes her back.
"Even our little girl is falling for his charm. I can't believe it." Deacon says laughing and rolling his eyes playfully.
During the conversation, Street keeps squinting over at Chris. He can't believe what she's doing to him tonight with her outfit. She looks simply stunning and sexy. Again and again, he briefly searches her gaze and the moment their eyes meet, he grins mischievously at her and gets a wink back from Chris in return. He knows they have to be careful not to give themselves away, but he just can't help it. He still has to pinch himself to realize that she really is his girlfriend now. Sometimes he wonders what he did to deserve her in the first place. He is jolted out of his thoughts by a friendly tap on his shoulder.
"How about a beer?" Rocker doesn't really wait for his answer but holds one right in front of him.
"Oh yeah, just the thing to cool you down." Street replies.
"Are you having a hot flash? It's barely 70 degrees." Rocker frowns and Street feels caught.
"Uhm yeah, I don't know, maybe I should just take my jacket off." As he does so, Bonnie drums a fork against her champagne glass.
"Now that everyone is here, Victor and I would like to welcome you all to our, well, very delayed wedding party." She pauses and everyone starts laughing. "We are so happy that you are spending this evening with us and yes, what else can I say, make yourselves at home and - " But Tan interrupts her.
"Yeah, but don't act like it, uhm Street, ok?" Tan winks at him and Street makes an offended grimace. Once again, everyone laughs heartily.
"Ok, so here's to a good night and this is to open the buffet." Everyone claps and cheers and devours the fantastic-looking food.
The mood couldn't be better. Everyone is laughing, having fun, and clearly enjoying themselves. Street sits next to Annie and diagonally across from Chris and Luca. Under the table, he feels a leg and he is firmly convinced that it is Chris'. Slowly he starts to run his foot up the shin and draws small circles. His gaze is directed at Chris, but when he doesn't register any reaction on her part, he frowns slightly. Luca looks at him with a skeptical look in return.
"Hey buddy, could it be that you're flirting with me right now?" He says in a played erotic tone. Street, who has just taken a sip of beer, instantly chokes and coughs loudly. Annie pats him motherly on the back.
"Are you okay Jim?" She wants to know. He nods and waves it off.
"Sorry Luca, I oh man, this is embarrassing. I thought it was the table." He says apologetically and embarrassed. The whole table bursts into laughter and Chris feels somehow uncomfortable.
What kind of nonsense was he up to?
Quite a while later, Chris is standing in the kitchen when the door opens quietly for a moment and then is pushed into the lock in a flash. She doesn't need to turn around to know who has just entered the room. The pleasant shiver that runs down her spine as his lips meet her neck is clue enough. He places his hands gently on her hips and murmurs against her cupped leg "Do you have any idea how much self-control it takes not to touch you with that outfit?" She turns in his embrace and glares at him.
"What was that about Luca's leg earlier?" She asks him with a smirk on her face.
"Uh yeah, I thought it was your leg." He says dryly and she immediately realizes how embarrassed he still is. Her grin widens and she can't stop a short loud laugh.
Street raises his finger in front of her mouth.
"Psssssh, or do you want someone to hear us." Seductively, she shakes her head and kisses his finger. "You're driving me crazy, you know that?" His hand moves to her neck and he kisses her passionately and the fire that blazes between them is obvious.
Just as they become more intimate and Street's hands slide down her bare back the kitchen door suddenly opens.
"Oh, uh, sorry?" Comes from Tan's brother Jacob. Startled, the two pull apart, and Street places himself in front of Chris protectively.
"Hi Jacob, we - " He looks briefly at Chris. "We were rehearsing something for uh, a performance for Deacon's kids." The sentence comes out of his mouth a little uncertainly. Chris can't help it, holding a hand to her forehead and rolling her eyes. He couldn't have come up with a more stupid excuse.
"Aha, well then. I'll go again so you can keep "practicing"." He grins and is about to leave.
"Stop Jacob, wait please." It's Chris who stops him and Street looks at her in wonder. "We haven't rehearsed anything. We're together, well really, but only recently and we don't want, well, anyone to know yet. It's not like it's that easy with us. You know?" She fervently hopes Jacob will shut up.
"Don't worry you two, I'll keep quiet, no one will find out from me." Relieved, Chris exhales and beats Street's chest.
"We're just rehearsing something. You've never come up with a more moronic excuse," She shakes her head but still has to laugh. He stands awkwardly in front of her and shrugs.
For the rest of the evening, Chris couldn't get the tone of his voice and the phrase "Do you have any idea how much self-control it takes not to touch you in that outfit?" out of his head. A sentence that had promised so much. She has to shake her head for a moment and concentrate on the traffic again. Tan's brother had come into the kitchen at the exact right moment because Chris didn't want to imagine now what exactly he would have seen had he come in two minutes later.
She's about to pick up the phone, they hadn't talked about whether they'd see each other again tonight. But maybe it was better that way. This week was going to be her friends' after all.
As Chris pulls into her parking spot, she sees the motorcycle parked directly in the visitor's lot and can't suppress the slight flutter in her stomach. Street hadn't taken his eyes off her all evening. She could feel it.
As she comes around the corner on her floor, he leans casually next to the door and his gaze only makes the flutter in her stomach grow stronger. Chris doesn't need to take that last step.
Street pulls her to him and with a little twist her back hits the door. Protesting is futile and also not possible because he closes her lips directly with a firm kiss. As his hands slowly move under her jacket and up her back Chris has to smile. The feathering movements on her skin directly trigger pleasant goosebumps again.
A short time later, his lips travel down her neck and Chris manages to whisper, "Should we take this inside?" Street's lips don't leave her neck, but a hand takes her key and opens the door.
After stumbling together a few steps into the apartment without breaking away from each other Street pushes the door shut with his foot and at the same time, her jacket falls off her shoulders.
Even before her jacket reaches the floor Chris feels his fingers on her back. She has to lean on him with one hand and plays with his shirt collar with the other.
With one finger she slowly wanders down the button placket and opens each one slowly and teasingly. Suddenly she feels his lips no longer on her collarbone, but again very close to her ear.
And before she knows what's happening to her, he has turned her in his arms and is holding her hands in front of her body.
"What?" she whispers, briefly startled, but then enjoys the exploration of his lips over her neck and down her spine.
At some point his hands must have released hers as well, because she leans against the wall and braces herself while his fingers slowly dance over the waistband of her pants, first following the path of his lips and then leading the way.
For a short time, she can't think clearly at all, just reacting to his gestures. When she feels his fingers on her chin, she opens her eyes and looks at him. It doesn't take a second and he lifts her out of her shoes and his lips find hers in a fiery kiss. A kiss that tells her he's not done with her and this top.
Okay, again I feel the need to thank you guys for your support and especially claira8683, CercandoUnaVoce and Kris1986 for their respective roles in the development of this chapter and everything else since :)