Butterflies
See Part 1 for Disclaimers, etc.
They spent the rest of the afternoon searching for clues as to Rick Manning's whereabouts and came up cold. He'd been reported missing by his sister the day before but police had not been able to track him down. There was no activity in any of his accounts but there had been a large cash withdrawal the day before he disappeared, meaning he could be very far away by now.
After speaking to some of his friends and family, Tim and Calleigh realized he hadn't given any of the people in his life a clue as to what was going on with him. They decided to do a search of his home to try and find some evidence that he had been preparing to take the baby. If Tim's suspicions were correct, Rick was waiting in the wings for Emma to leave her husband and be with him and their child. He refused to believe that Emma was the victim in all of this.
Tim and Calleigh came up with nothing at Rick Manning's residence and at that point they were ready to call it a day. They went back to headquarters and realized that the only thing left to do was confront Emma Pratt and they decided that could wait until tomorrow. Tim made arrangements to have detectives watch the Pratt residence for any unusual activity and then he grabbed Calleigh by the hand.
"Let's go someplace and grab dinner. I want to be alone with you." Calleigh felt her heart beat faster as Tim looked into her eyes.
"Do you want to meet at my place later? I wouldn't mind going home to freshen up first." She said, resisting the urge to kiss him because she knew that someone could walk in on them at any moment.
"That sounds like a plan. Should I come over in about an hour?"
"Works for me," Calleigh said cheerfully. "I'll see you then." Without warning he pulled her into his arms for a hug and just held her for a moment, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair. Calleigh closed her eyes, enjoying how it felt being so close to him. She pulled away first and gave him a regretful smile. "I should go, because the sooner I'm ready, the sooner we can begin our evening." Blowing him a kiss, she hurried out the door, leaving Tim smiling somewhat dazedly in her wake.
One hour and five minutes later to be precise, Tim showed up at Calleigh's door, carrying a bouquet of tiger lilies and wearing an uncharacteristic smile on his clean-shaven face. Calleigh opened the door and her eyes lit up at him when she saw the flowers. He handed them to her and kissed her.
"Thanks, Tim. These are beautiful. Come on in." She took his hand and pulled him into her apartment. "Welcome to my humble abode. It's not much but it works for me." Calleigh said modestly. Tim looked around, taking it in, as Calleigh put the flowers into a vase. It was actually a great apartment and Tim thought it definitely suited her.
"I like it, Calleigh. You've got a nice place here." Tim commented, as Calleigh came back into the room.
"Thank-you, now come here." Calleigh took him by the hand and led him over to her couch. "So, I was thinking we could order in," she said, pointing to some take-out menus on the coffee table. "Are you hungry?"
"Definitely," he said, putting a hand on her chin and gently pulling her toward him for a kiss. It quickly turned passionate and all of the emotions they'd been holding back during the day were set free in that kiss. Calleigh felt shivers of pleasure as Tim ran his hands over her body and she knew that she wanted him to stay tonight. Right now she really didn't care if they were moving too fast.
Taking the initiative, Calleigh starting undoing the buttons on Tim's shirt and had it open before he even realized what she was doing. She moved from his lips and left a trail of kisses down his neck onto his chest. The sensation of her lips on his bare skin was driving Tim crazy and he put his hands on her face, forcing her to stop and look up at him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, worried that she'd somehow crossed the line.
"Nothing's wrong, it's just that I need to make sure we're both wanting the same thing here. Are you sure about this Calleigh?" he asked with a smile, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"I'm so sure, Tim. I want you." With that, Calleigh kissed him long and hard and his response was to kiss her with equal passion. Before she knew it, Tim fell back on the couch, pulling her with him so she was on top. They made out for awhile, both feeling like a couple of teenagers and finally Calleigh sat up, straddling Tim's lap.
Tim looked up at her, feeling almost light-headed and couldn't believe they were really together. He had fantasized about this but had never imagined he'd actually have a chance with Calleigh. He felt very lucky and made a promise to himself to never take her for granted. While he watched, Calleigh shed her blouse leaving her bra on and leaned into him for another kiss.
As Calleigh's hand went in between their bodies and started to loosen Tim's belt buckle he knew that if he wanted this to last he would need to stop her before she started. Running his hands down her back, Tim realized that he really wanted to draw this out.
Their first time together would never happen again and the last thing he wanted was a quickie. While he loved the fact that Calleigh was a take-charge kind of woman, apparently even in bed, he decided it was time to take the driver's seat for a little while, so-to-speak and focus some attention on her. Sitting up suddenly, Tim gently pushed Calleigh onto her back, smiling at her surprised gasp.
"You've got too many clothes on, Calleigh." Tim said, gently tugging on her skirt.
"I was just thinking the same thing about you." She said, smiling innocently at him.
"You first." Calleigh obliged him, unzipping her skirt and letting him pull it off her. Calleigh was feeling so incredibly turned on just watching him, imagining what he was going to do to her and it surprised her that she was allowing this to happen so quickly. Normally when she was with a man she had a hard time letting go and being vulnerable.
When she was young she'd built a wall up around herself and found that it took a while for her to let it crumble, even when she became intimate with someone. She felt safer being the dominant one and most men really didn't have a problem with her taking over. With Tim she could already tell it was going to be different. She fully trusted him and was ready to give herself over to him, body and soul.
Calleigh looked into his eyes and saw love, desire and hoped he could see the same in her own. Calleigh reached for Tim's hands and kissed him, pulling him close to her. Thoughts of dinner were a distant memory, as Tim and Calleigh finally gave in to the passion they'd shared for so long but had never been able to acknowledge until this night.
Calleigh woke up and smiled, remembering whose warm chest she was resting her head on. She was happy they'd made it from the couch to her bed and wondered how long she'd been sleeping. Then she realized the sound that had woken her up was Tim's stomach grumbling and she started to giggle at him. Tim had been lying there, watching her sleep and starting laughing right along with her.
"Hey, I can't help it, okay?" He said, putting a mock stern expression on his face. "I did skip dinner, after all. Not that it wasn't worth it." Tim grabbed her hand from his chest and brought her fingers to his lips.
"It was amazing, Tim. I don't think it's ever been like that for me."
"You were the amazing one Calleigh." Sitting up, she just laughed and shook her head.
"No really, " he insisted, kissing her forehead and then her lips. Wrapped in his arms, kissing him, Calleigh was amazed at how natural this felt. There hadn't been any of those awkward moments that sometimes happened after sleeping with a person for the first time. It was just right with Tim and she knew this hadn't just been sex for either of them.
She knew she was falling in love with him and while it made her happy, she was also afraid. She was afraid of hurting him and also of losing herself in him and getting hurt as a result. Tim told her that he loved her after they had made love and Calleigh was sure he was genuine. She'd returned the sentiment and just hoped that she didn't regret it.
This relationship was breaking new ground for her in many ways. She wasn't used to things happening so fast and she'd never fallen in love so quickly either. They both knew that it had been building for awhile though. Having known each other for a couple of years, they had developed a somewhat playful, caring friendship. There had always been other feelings there but sometimes it's just easier not to act on them. Calleigh had to admit that it wasn't nearly as fun though.
"We really should think about food, huh Calleigh?" Tim asked, when they finally came up for air. Calleigh had to agree with him--food would be a good thing right now.
"Do you feel like Chinese food? I know a great place that's usually pretty fast."
"I'd love it." Tim said.
Thirty minutes later they sat in Calleigh's living room feasting on the Chinese food that was spread out on her coffee table.
"That was awesome," Tim stated, patting his stomach. "I could handle eating like that more often.
"It was good, but come on, nothing beats a home-cooked meal. Don't you think?"
"Are you offering to cook for me, Calleigh?"
"Sure, I like to cook. Maybe if you're a good boy, I'll let you sample my culinary skills sometime." She said teasingly.
"Baby, I'll do anything you want." Tim responded, feeling the smooth skin of her legs under his fingers. Calleigh closed her eyes at the sensations he was causing.
"Better be careful, I may take you up on that." She said softly.
"I'm counting on it." Tim said, capturing her mouth with his.
TBC...
See Part 1 for Disclaimers, etc.
They spent the rest of the afternoon searching for clues as to Rick Manning's whereabouts and came up cold. He'd been reported missing by his sister the day before but police had not been able to track him down. There was no activity in any of his accounts but there had been a large cash withdrawal the day before he disappeared, meaning he could be very far away by now.
After speaking to some of his friends and family, Tim and Calleigh realized he hadn't given any of the people in his life a clue as to what was going on with him. They decided to do a search of his home to try and find some evidence that he had been preparing to take the baby. If Tim's suspicions were correct, Rick was waiting in the wings for Emma to leave her husband and be with him and their child. He refused to believe that Emma was the victim in all of this.
Tim and Calleigh came up with nothing at Rick Manning's residence and at that point they were ready to call it a day. They went back to headquarters and realized that the only thing left to do was confront Emma Pratt and they decided that could wait until tomorrow. Tim made arrangements to have detectives watch the Pratt residence for any unusual activity and then he grabbed Calleigh by the hand.
"Let's go someplace and grab dinner. I want to be alone with you." Calleigh felt her heart beat faster as Tim looked into her eyes.
"Do you want to meet at my place later? I wouldn't mind going home to freshen up first." She said, resisting the urge to kiss him because she knew that someone could walk in on them at any moment.
"That sounds like a plan. Should I come over in about an hour?"
"Works for me," Calleigh said cheerfully. "I'll see you then." Without warning he pulled her into his arms for a hug and just held her for a moment, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair. Calleigh closed her eyes, enjoying how it felt being so close to him. She pulled away first and gave him a regretful smile. "I should go, because the sooner I'm ready, the sooner we can begin our evening." Blowing him a kiss, she hurried out the door, leaving Tim smiling somewhat dazedly in her wake.
One hour and five minutes later to be precise, Tim showed up at Calleigh's door, carrying a bouquet of tiger lilies and wearing an uncharacteristic smile on his clean-shaven face. Calleigh opened the door and her eyes lit up at him when she saw the flowers. He handed them to her and kissed her.
"Thanks, Tim. These are beautiful. Come on in." She took his hand and pulled him into her apartment. "Welcome to my humble abode. It's not much but it works for me." Calleigh said modestly. Tim looked around, taking it in, as Calleigh put the flowers into a vase. It was actually a great apartment and Tim thought it definitely suited her.
"I like it, Calleigh. You've got a nice place here." Tim commented, as Calleigh came back into the room.
"Thank-you, now come here." Calleigh took him by the hand and led him over to her couch. "So, I was thinking we could order in," she said, pointing to some take-out menus on the coffee table. "Are you hungry?"
"Definitely," he said, putting a hand on her chin and gently pulling her toward him for a kiss. It quickly turned passionate and all of the emotions they'd been holding back during the day were set free in that kiss. Calleigh felt shivers of pleasure as Tim ran his hands over her body and she knew that she wanted him to stay tonight. Right now she really didn't care if they were moving too fast.
Taking the initiative, Calleigh starting undoing the buttons on Tim's shirt and had it open before he even realized what she was doing. She moved from his lips and left a trail of kisses down his neck onto his chest. The sensation of her lips on his bare skin was driving Tim crazy and he put his hands on her face, forcing her to stop and look up at him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, worried that she'd somehow crossed the line.
"Nothing's wrong, it's just that I need to make sure we're both wanting the same thing here. Are you sure about this Calleigh?" he asked with a smile, caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"I'm so sure, Tim. I want you." With that, Calleigh kissed him long and hard and his response was to kiss her with equal passion. Before she knew it, Tim fell back on the couch, pulling her with him so she was on top. They made out for awhile, both feeling like a couple of teenagers and finally Calleigh sat up, straddling Tim's lap.
Tim looked up at her, feeling almost light-headed and couldn't believe they were really together. He had fantasized about this but had never imagined he'd actually have a chance with Calleigh. He felt very lucky and made a promise to himself to never take her for granted. While he watched, Calleigh shed her blouse leaving her bra on and leaned into him for another kiss.
As Calleigh's hand went in between their bodies and started to loosen Tim's belt buckle he knew that if he wanted this to last he would need to stop her before she started. Running his hands down her back, Tim realized that he really wanted to draw this out.
Their first time together would never happen again and the last thing he wanted was a quickie. While he loved the fact that Calleigh was a take-charge kind of woman, apparently even in bed, he decided it was time to take the driver's seat for a little while, so-to-speak and focus some attention on her. Sitting up suddenly, Tim gently pushed Calleigh onto her back, smiling at her surprised gasp.
"You've got too many clothes on, Calleigh." Tim said, gently tugging on her skirt.
"I was just thinking the same thing about you." She said, smiling innocently at him.
"You first." Calleigh obliged him, unzipping her skirt and letting him pull it off her. Calleigh was feeling so incredibly turned on just watching him, imagining what he was going to do to her and it surprised her that she was allowing this to happen so quickly. Normally when she was with a man she had a hard time letting go and being vulnerable.
When she was young she'd built a wall up around herself and found that it took a while for her to let it crumble, even when she became intimate with someone. She felt safer being the dominant one and most men really didn't have a problem with her taking over. With Tim she could already tell it was going to be different. She fully trusted him and was ready to give herself over to him, body and soul.
Calleigh looked into his eyes and saw love, desire and hoped he could see the same in her own. Calleigh reached for Tim's hands and kissed him, pulling him close to her. Thoughts of dinner were a distant memory, as Tim and Calleigh finally gave in to the passion they'd shared for so long but had never been able to acknowledge until this night.
Calleigh woke up and smiled, remembering whose warm chest she was resting her head on. She was happy they'd made it from the couch to her bed and wondered how long she'd been sleeping. Then she realized the sound that had woken her up was Tim's stomach grumbling and she started to giggle at him. Tim had been lying there, watching her sleep and starting laughing right along with her.
"Hey, I can't help it, okay?" He said, putting a mock stern expression on his face. "I did skip dinner, after all. Not that it wasn't worth it." Tim grabbed her hand from his chest and brought her fingers to his lips.
"It was amazing, Tim. I don't think it's ever been like that for me."
"You were the amazing one Calleigh." Sitting up, she just laughed and shook her head.
"No really, " he insisted, kissing her forehead and then her lips. Wrapped in his arms, kissing him, Calleigh was amazed at how natural this felt. There hadn't been any of those awkward moments that sometimes happened after sleeping with a person for the first time. It was just right with Tim and she knew this hadn't just been sex for either of them.
She knew she was falling in love with him and while it made her happy, she was also afraid. She was afraid of hurting him and also of losing herself in him and getting hurt as a result. Tim told her that he loved her after they had made love and Calleigh was sure he was genuine. She'd returned the sentiment and just hoped that she didn't regret it.
This relationship was breaking new ground for her in many ways. She wasn't used to things happening so fast and she'd never fallen in love so quickly either. They both knew that it had been building for awhile though. Having known each other for a couple of years, they had developed a somewhat playful, caring friendship. There had always been other feelings there but sometimes it's just easier not to act on them. Calleigh had to admit that it wasn't nearly as fun though.
"We really should think about food, huh Calleigh?" Tim asked, when they finally came up for air. Calleigh had to agree with him--food would be a good thing right now.
"Do you feel like Chinese food? I know a great place that's usually pretty fast."
"I'd love it." Tim said.
Thirty minutes later they sat in Calleigh's living room feasting on the Chinese food that was spread out on her coffee table.
"That was awesome," Tim stated, patting his stomach. "I could handle eating like that more often.
"It was good, but come on, nothing beats a home-cooked meal. Don't you think?"
"Are you offering to cook for me, Calleigh?"
"Sure, I like to cook. Maybe if you're a good boy, I'll let you sample my culinary skills sometime." She said teasingly.
"Baby, I'll do anything you want." Tim responded, feeling the smooth skin of her legs under his fingers. Calleigh closed her eyes at the sensations he was causing.
"Better be careful, I may take you up on that." She said softly.
"I'm counting on it." Tim said, capturing her mouth with his.
TBC...
