A/N: Starting this off with why Ned had run out of the cabin in Chapter 74 of TLF. There was more than one time when Katie looked too good for Ned to care how old she was at the moment... then we carry on through the years. Enjoy xx Mariah
Ned walked up the stairs of the cabin slowly. He couldn't get his mind off Katie. That swimsuit and the way it hugged her figure. He knew he shouldn't be thinking about Katie like this.
She was barely seventeen. He was about to turn twenty-one.
His pants tightened and he climbed the stairs slowly. Aaron was still outside, maybe he could get enough alone time in his room, but all he knew was he just needed to get a second alone. He knew he couldn't get that in the bathroom downstairs because Melinda was getting Mackenzie situated in the shower and he didn't want to hold up the room he was staying in just in case Aaron came in.
The upstairs bathroom light was on, but Ned was in such a fog he just walked in quietly and closed the door. It's only then that he realized someone was in the shower. The soft patter of water reached him from across the room along with the gentle glow of the vanity's lights. He leaned slightly to his left on the counter and was rewarded with the view of the shower stall's frosted glass door. He watched the water droplets trail downward in haphazard paths until his muddled mind registers that it was the same person as before.
It was Katie. Her shadowed figure turned sideways and raised her arms to massage shampoo through her hair. As she did so, her breasts jut forward, and he imagined her nipples peeking from under his hands. As the water rolled down her skin, he imagined licking the water droplets off her neck as he leaned her against the wall.
He turned then, cursing internally at his incredible timing as he left the bathroom and relaxed against the door once he shut it again. He couldn't get her out now. Katie was there, almost seventeen or not. She was naked and dripping wet in his mind. He was there, hands, mouth, and everything. He sighed and closed his eyes. His thigh muscles twitched as his cock jerked and stiffened in his pants. His legs fell open as he plunged his hand to fix his pants as he heard Melinda with Mackenzie in the room she was sharing with Katie now.
They were just feet away from him. Once he fixed his pants, he just kept walking, down the stairs and out the back door. Jim had called his name, but he was already to the first few steps, walking further down until he sat down at the bottom to breathe. He grasped the railing and closed his eyes.
Why couldn't he just get her out of his head? He needed to get Katie out of his head.
Being around her was like playing with fire. He knew he would eventually get burned, that it would blow up in his face, that it would end in catastrophe, but he found it harder and harder to care. He only managed to show some self-restraint when they weren't alone. Especially when they were around her father. He wanted to respect the man who had somehow become one of the few people in his life he was close to and actually cared about.
He should be able to control himself. He shouldn't want her so badly, but he did, and deep down she knew it. Then Ned started running and he didn't stop until she was gone from his mind.
It was during dinner the next night at the cabin when Ned almost let things boil over. Katie sat close to him, her eyes traveling over him, a secret, amused smirk on her lips.
She could look at him as much as she wanted. She could study him and laugh and smile without worry. He, however, avoided her eyes and kept his gaze down at his plate. He feared that looking at her would give him away. That her father would pick up on the lust in his eyes right now more than usual or that the feral need raging inside him to make her his would be glaringly obvious.
There was a lull in the conversation when he felt her elbow nudge him.
"Pass the pasta salad?" She asked nicely, pouring herself a glass of water. "Do you want some water?"
Her leg silently rubbed against his and she smiled as he passed her plastic container. He stiffened at first but didn't pull away. "Thanks, and sure," he said and she poured some water into his glass. He supposed he could deal with that, and then, before he could even consider it, her hand touched his knee once she put the water pitcher down.
He bit down hard on his bottom lip and hated himself when he didn't pull away immediately. Instead, he slid his hand (which rested on the armrest before) over and up her thigh a little.
Katie smiled and her eyes met him as she passed him the glass with her free hand. "Here you go," she said, sliding her other hand up his thigh then and his eyes fell closed, and the smirk on her lips grew a little before she pulled away.
Ned had his glass of water in his other hand in a death grip while he finally managed to retract his hand from between her legs. He didn't say anything for the rest of dinner, furious with himself for being so weak. For wanting to touch her and for reveling in what little he had.
Afterward, as they were helping clean up in the kitchen, his mother and her parents disappeared outside to prepare a fire, and her siblings were all quietly doing their own thing outside as well.
The moment he knew they were alone, he turned on her in the kitchen. "What the hell are you doing? You're barely seventeen," he told her, flatly. "This can't happen, Katie."
"What if I want it to?" She asked, appearing genuinely hurt. "I should have a say in this, shouldn't I?" She looked so sad that she might start crying if he told her he didn't want anything to do with her, and that was far from the case. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her eyes actually beginning to glisten with tears. "I won't talk to you again if that's what you want. I didn't know I repulsed you that much."
"No, Katie... I didn't mean it like that." He said, shaking his head. She didn't know the effect she had on him. Not really. "You know I like you. We just... can't. I want to know why you are messing with me?" He forced himself to ask the question before he broke down and gathered her into his arms to soothe her.
She had the courage not to deny it. "I want you, Ned," she said simply with a shrug of her shoulders. "And you know that I have always liked you more than I should."
He turned away, unable to look into her eyes anymore. The truth has he wanted her too, but only in the last few years. He wished he'd been born earlier. That he wasn't four years older than right now. Why couldn't he be seventeen again?
"We could be so good together," he insisted, and she felt a shiver go through her at his words because they both knew he was right. He hadn't realized that he'd leaned her against the fridge now, his hand touching her cheek. "You're too young for me Katie."
"It's only four years, Ned... My parents are four years apart. It's not that much," she sighed, reasoning with him, but it fell on deaf ears. "We could try. I know we could be good."
"It would be different if you were eighteen, but you're not," he pulled away, shaking his head. That's what he had to keep telling himself. "Don't try anything like that again. Promise me."
He wasn't prepared to see the vulnerability on her face just then, the look in her eyes that told him that she really had no idea the effect she had on him. She was too young. Too innocent. Too untouchable.
"Promise me," he asked again.
She nodded, wiping away tears. "I promise. Just go away, Ned."
As her mother returned from outside, Ned made some half-hearted excuse that he was tired and went to bed early. He wasn't sure how much longer he could deny himself from being with her if she tried a stunt like that again.
It wasn't until a year later when Katie knocked on his bedroom door one day, he was sure that this was it. He was sure that he would tell her how he felt. She was eighteen now.
But when he answered the door she was holding a plate of cookies. Her hair was in a long braid down her back and she was in jean shorts and a t-shirt.
He raised an eyebrow at her and invited her into his room. "Who let you in?"
"Your mom. I made you cookies," she proclaimed happily, handing him the plate.
"Uhh...thanks," he laughed, touched and surprised by the gesture. "Why?"
She shrugged. "My dad thought it was the least I could do since you helped me pack and wouldn't let me pay you," she explained.
"I told him it was fine," he replied, taking a cookie from the plate.
She shrugged in response as he bit into the cookie. He clamped his jaw together as the disgusting taste invaded his mouth. He tried to keep his face normal, not wanting to give anything away and hurt her feelings.
Katie usually made such great cookies, but like always thought she could read him so easily. She studied his face carefully, her eyebrows pinching together in concern. "What is it?" she asked, eyes darting from his unmoving mouth and the plate in his hand. "Are they that bad?"
She grabbed a cookie from the plate and bit into it herself. After a few seconds her face scrunched up in disgust and she spat the offending treat back into her hand.
"Oh my god, that's disgusting!" she exclaimed.
"They're not that bad," he offered weakly, even as he spat out his own piece of cookie into a napkin discreetly. "But you're usually on top with cookies. What happened Katie?"
"They're awful!" She insisted. "Why didn't you say anything?"
He shrugged and avoided her eyes. He didn't say anything because he would rather swallow a mouthful of the worst cookie he had ever tasted than risk hurting her feelings again. He was touched by the gesture and he wanted to show her he appreciated it.
She studied him for a moment and realization seemed to dawn in her eyes. She knew that he was playing the nice guy. She knew he was just trying to spare her feelings. Like always. "I think I used salt instead of sugar," she finally said and they both dissolved into laughter. "God, I'm such a fucking idiot."
He assured her it was a mistake that could happen to anyone. "You're anything but an idiot Katie."
The hardest days for Ned were when he could tell his girlfriend was horny. Today it happened in the guest room at the cabin. They'd been dating for six months.
"Can you tell I'm not wearing a bra?" Katie asked, coming into the room and closing the door behind her.
He turned to find her in a white tank top that was two sizes too small for her. It ended well above the waistband of her shorts and revealed plenty of her midriff. It was also practically see-through, and he could easily make out the outline of her dark nipples.
"Little bit," he retorted, turning back to attempt to refocus on his work.
She approached him slowly from behind where he was sitting back on his heels. "Can I give you a massage?" she whispered in his ear, sinking down onto her knees, her hands gently squeezing at his taut shoulder muscles.
He gave in, her hands felt too good for him to deny.
"Does that feel good?" she murmured, reading his mind, her nose trailing along the skin of his neck until she was tugging his earlobe between her teeth.
His eyes were closed, his head was dropping back. He was slowly going insane from wanting her and struggling to concentrate on the file he was reading over for work when they came home on Monday.
"Ned..." she whispered, and for some reason, the sound of her voice like that saying his name snapped him back to his senses.
There was something in the sound of her voice that reached deep inside him. It wasn't just longing and lust, it was real and aching. He was almost afraid it was love. What if she didn't love him like that now that they were together?
"What's wrong?" She kissed his neck, rubbing her hands over his chest. "Talk to me..." He looked at her, smiling a little as she pulled back. "What's wrong?"
"Do you love me?" He asked.
"Of course, I do." She whispered, smiling at him. "Why would you think I didn't?" And now Katie was staring at him, arms crossed in front of her in annoyance.
He was just about to raise his hand, to explain himself when he saw her strip off that too-small tank top of hers. His mouth dropped open a little and he looked around to ensure no one else was getting the show he was, but it was unnecessary. There was no one but him and her and he'd heard her lock the door on her way in.
"Do I need to show you?" She whispered.
"Yes, please." he groaned, earning her laugh as he laid back and she turned, straddling him. Then she unbuttoned her jean shorts and pulled them with her panties down her hips, leaving her naked for his greedy eyes.
"Fuck..." he mumbled to himself, feeling himself twitch at the sight of her. "C'mere you."
It was that next summer when he knew he wanted to marry her.
He had got home from work and knew what he had to do. He was going next door to tell her father how he felt about his daughter. He was going to ask him for his suggestions on rings. He walked up to their front door so nervous, so nervous and out of sorts, that he didn't even notice that any of their cars were in the driveway as usual.
He rang the doorbell and then knocked a few times, patiently waiting for someone to answer. After a few minutes when no one appeared at the door, he stepped away, trying to catch a glimpse through the window.
He'd started to text Katie, wondering where everyone had gone.
"No one's home, boy!" He heard the neighbor, a nice old woman, yell from his porch. He laughed and looked back to her book in hand, swaying back and forth in her oversized rocking chair.
"Um...do you know where any of them are?" he asked nervously, stepping off the porch as he sent her a text. "I'm looking for Katie."
"Your girlfriend, right? She didn't tell you they took her dad in an ambulance not too long ago?" The woman asked, and he felt his blood run cold.
He ran back to his truck and called Katie's cell. She didn't pick up, and he was forced to leave her a rambling, frantic message.
"Katie...hey...your parent's neighbor just said something about an ambulance coming for your dad? Is he okay? I'm really worried. I hope everything is okay. Umm...I want to come to see you, wherever you guys are. I need to know you're alright. Please call me as soon as you get this. Love you. Umm...okay...bye."
He hung up with a knot in his stomach and an anxious feeling pressing down on his chest. He shook his head with a pained sort of laugh escaping from his lips. Of course, this would happen just as he finally felt like he figured out what he wanted.
He started to drive, being careful not to speed as he anxiously waited for his phone to ring.
Finally, as he was turning into the hospital parking lot, Katie called.
"Are you okay? What happened?" He could feel himself trembling, and he realized just how important Katie and her family had become in his life. They were all he really had besides his mom and Tim.
Slowly, relief started to wash over him as Katie explained what had happened.
She was fine. So was her dad. He had had a mild heart attack, and her mom had called 911. The doctors ran plenty of tests and determined Jim would be okay, but that he needed to start taking medication to prevent any future problems. He needed to lay off the sweets and heavy fatty foods.
"Where are you?" The phone crinkled. "It's really overwhelming here. My mom is still crying."
"In the parking lot," he said, sitting back in his seat, eyes closed, overcome with exhaustion now that he knew everything was okay.
"Of course you are," she said. "I'll be right out."
He insisted on coming in to see everyone, but Katie pleaded with him not to. She explained that he was going to be getting released sometime soon which meant either late tonight or early tomorrow morning and her mom needed to focus all her energy on taking care of the paperwork and getting her father out of there. She promised to come out to see him.
He hung up feeling better, but there was still a nagging feeling in his chest that he couldn't shake. He realized as he sat alone in his car for a moment, that it was the fact that he had been planning to approach her dad about his feelings for Katie and hadn't gotten the chance. And now, with Jim recovering from a mild heart attack, he was going to be hard-pressed to find a good time to bring that up.
She slid into his truck a few moments later, looking frazzled and tired. "I'm so glad you came. I meant to call you," she whispered, enveloping him in a hug. "I just didn't want to worry you at work."
"It's okay Katie. He's gonna be okay." He whispered, kissing her cheek. He could feel her cry, letting go into his jacket. She'd been strong for her mother, holding her hand while they waited for news. "He'll be okay."
Later that night, in the wee hours of the head and instead of being in bed, Ned was in his living room. He'd just recently moved into his own place and was attempting to read a file to cure his insomnia, but he couldn't focus. His mind kept wandering to Katie and her father, his gaze drifting out the window to where he could see the hospital across the square from him.
At some point, he must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew, he was being awoken by the sound of soft knocks at his door. He sat up in surprise, his face dry from where it had been resting against the pages of the file. He ran a hand through his hair and approached the front door.
He didn't even get a chance to properly look at her.
He was only able to briefly recognize the figure on his doorstep as Katie before she flung herself at him, wrapping her hands around his neck, pulling his mouth down for a kiss.
He was so surprised at first that his mouth was simply slack, not returning the passion of her kiss. And then, when his brain processed that this was really happening, he closed the door and pulled her more firmly against him. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, he cradled her face with his hand, he tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her closer, and even closer still.
"Ned..." she whimpered when they pulled away to catch their breath, but he couldn't bear the idea of not kissing her now that he knew what it felt like. "I couldn't sleep at my parents. I know it's what I wanted to do so I could help out... but it was too.. tense."
"I understand," he whispered, nodding. "Did you at least leave a note so no one worries where you are in the morning?"
She nodded and then he kissed her again. His tongue sought entry to her mouth eagerly, pushing and stroking and tasting. She melted into him; they were breathing through each other, ragged gasps and wandering hands.
"Please... make it all go away," she started chanting over and over again, and his brain didn't even register her plea until he felt her leading him to his bedroom.
She pushed him down to sit on the edge of the bed, and he looked up at her stunned, his brain clouded with lust and adoration for this woman in front of him.
He watched in a daze as she reached up under the soft cotton sundress she was wearing to remove her panties. And then she was on her knees pulling at the button of his pajama pants. He didn't protest, just lifted his hips to help her as she dragged his pants and boxers down to his ankles, which he promptly kicked off.
His cock was humming with desire, hard and aching for her even as a small voice in the back of his mind still tried to protest. They should talk about why she was here. About why she was here with no notice at two in the morning.
"Katie..." he started to say, trying to form a coherent thought, trying to maintain his composure even now.
"No, Ned, please..." she whimpered, lowering herself to straddle one of his legs. "I'll tell you later."
He jumped when he felt her slick wetness on his thigh, and his hands immediately went to her hips. She gripped onto his shoulders and began rocking back and forth against his thigh, rubbing her center and spreading her arousal on the bare skin of his leg.
"I need you so much," she panted, whimpering as her hips started rocking faster against him. "I just need to forget about this entire day with you." He made a pained sound as if he held back a second longer it would actually kill him. She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "I'm aching for you."
Then they were on the bed, and one of her legs was over his shoulder. He was buried inside her, each of them making sounds that almost sounded like they were in ecstasy. The feeling of finally being joined again was too much to process.
He could not hold back. She was perfect. She was hot and wet and tight and met each of his thrusts with equal fervor. She was his. She screamed his name over and over again. He could feel her nails digging into his back.
"How do you feel now?" He growled into her ear. "How do you feel now that it's filled with me?"
She whimpered in response, head thrashing from side to side. And then his hand dipped down to where they were joined to find her center. He rubbed her in tight, hard circles, and he could feel her clench around him as she came.
She went limp, and he could feel the tremors of her orgasm still surging through her body. He paused his thrusts to catch his breath and lowered her leg off his shoulder.
Then he sat back on his knees and grabbed her hips to pull her with him, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist. His hands were on her lower back as he pulled her toward him. He gazed down at her, flush skin, messy hair. Beautiful. His beautiful girl.
He pulled on one strap of her dress and was rewarded to discover she was without a bra. He tugged her dress down to reveal her breasts to his hungry eyes and when he began to knead the flesh, she moaned her approval and started to rock her hips again, encouraging him to continue moving into her.
He was in a trance. He had never felt like this before. He had fucked a handful of women in his life, and he thought it had been good, great even. But this was something else entirely. This was them, in their best and worst moments. But it was more than that. He had spent his entire life keeping her at a distance, floating by completely unattached to her. But this last December changed everything.
She was fearless and sometimes reckless, but she was most like him. A little lost and alone, just needing someone to connect with, who understood her.
He admired her. He was amazed by her, the way she never hesitated to go after what she wanted. He loved her. He could admit that now and it wasn't scary. He loved her, and yet he lusted after her. He wanted to fuck her into oblivion, fuck her into submission for all those times she had driven him crazy with want.
His hands were on her lower back, and his thumbs gripped around the curve of her hips. They knew each other's bodies so well. It was innate-like they had done this a thousand times before.
He pulled her to him as he slipped through her tight, wet folds. Again and again and again. He set a hectic pace, and she started to moan and whimper. Then his hand found her clit again, making her back arch. He could feel his own release fast approaching and he could only focus on the sight of him disappearing inside her. He was pounding her, the sound of their bodies slapping together and his labored grunts and her mewls of delight filling the room.
She came for the second time before he did, and the feel of her insides squeezing him and her body spasming beneath him pushed him over the edge. He rocked his hips into her in time with his release, filling her up.
He collapsed against her and tried to catch his breath. He rolled to his side and pulled her against him. He thought about how right it felt to hold her in his arms and decided that was where she was always supposed to be. He was able to function again before she was. He gathered her into his arms and kissed her cheek.
"What happened?" He asked, seeing she was watching him later.
"I needed to get out of there. The couch was too uncomfortable with me and Aaron on it," she said, curling into him. "Is that terrible of me?"
"No," he laughed, "You're welcome here whenever. You know that."
She nodded, kissing his cheek as she closed her eyes. He decided it wasn't too bad of an idea to get some sleep.
He woke when sunlight was just starting to pour into his bedroom, his eyes closing at the brightness. His cock stirred then, feeling something trace up against it. Warm, wet. His eyes opened as she took him in her mouth.
"Katie," he gasped, his hand balling her hair into his hand. He couldn't see her, the sheet rustling as she moved against him, taking more and more of his erection into his mouth. "Oh, Katie. Yes..."
This time she was on top, and she rode him, moving her hips in a way that had him calling her name. He held onto her, shouting his name as he thrust up into her. His hands covered her ass as she leaned into his chest.
After they finished in his bed, and then went once more in the shower, they talked about going to see her father. Everything was back to normal, just like it should be.