Okay, I can't even begin to tell you how freaking long it took me to get this chapter out. I worked on it all flipping day! I hope it's worth the wait. Also, there is some sexual content. Hopefully it's readable. I never know how well I write that sort of thing, but hopefully it's hot enough. Please review afterwards and let me know what you think. I'm counting down the days for Christmas vacation. 4 1/2 days with my kiddos and it'll finally be time for a nice long break. We all need it desperately. ENJOY!
Those Three Little Words
That night, Skye stood in the bathroom eying her reflection in contemplation. She had already changed twice and then ended up putting back on the original outfit – a teal hi-lo dress with a denim jacket and flat, brown sandals.
"Stop analyzing things," a voice laughed and her eyes went to her phone propped up and Nikki's face on the screen. "You look HOT."
"Really," she questioned with a slight pout. "I don't feel hot."
"You're wearing his little present, right?"
Rolling her eyes, Skye answered, "Yes, I'm wearing it."
"Then who cares out about the outer layers – it's all about the yummy center. As long as you got that on, he's not going to care about anything else."
Skye grew nervous again – after all tonight was the night. She'd be surprised if she wasn't feeling anxious about where the night would hopefully go.
"Stop thinking about it," Nikki demanded, gently. "Orton doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."
"I really want tonight to go well," Skye muttered, sheepishly. "I mean up until now everything has been unbelievable. He's just been so incredible, Nik. He's just seems too good to be true at times and I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop..."
"The only thing I foresee dropping tonight is that man's drawers, honey," her friend stated confidently. "Stop having all these doubts. Everything will be just fine."
"I know, I know," Skye forced out, releasing a sigh. "I'm being ridiculous."
"You're scared that you're going to lose him," Nikki pointed out, soothingly. "It's okay, girl. I know you really care about this guy – hell, with the way that you go on and on about the man it's almost if you're ready to say those three little words."
Skye snorted, "I'm definitely not ready to throw those words around. I've only said them to two different men in my life and look where those relationships ended." Shaking her head, she continued, "I just can't say those words to him right now."
"Okay, fine, but you really, really like this guy – that's very much evident, Skye. He evidently feels the same way, so leads me to believe that tonight is going to be a night that you will always remember."
That brought a small smile to her friend's face. "I should probably head on over. He has requested that I check out of the hotel because I will not be returning anytime tonight." She flashed a wicked look at her friend on her phone's screen.
"I want full details the moment your ass arrives at the arena tomorrow, understand? No! The moment that you can manage to tear yourself away from that sexy specimen of a man – I want you to call me!"
Skye laughed, "I won't give you the play-by-play, but okay."
"Go get em," her friend encouraged.
Shaking her head, Skye answered, "Goodbye, Nicole." She reached forward and ended the video chat and her home screen returned. Swallowing, she ran her fingers lightly through her wavy-styled hair. "I can do this," she whispered to herself. With a firm nod, she finished getting ready.
As Joe put the final touches on the somewhat elaborate dinner that he was preparing, he heard a soft thunder through the opened door leading to the balcony just outside the living room. He glanced that way then looked over at the clock, seeing that it was almost time for Skye to arrive.
Hopefully she would make it before the sky opened up. Within minutes, he could hear and eventually see through the screen the rain drops starting to fall.
As he finished checking the chicken in the pan, a knock sounded at the door and moved the pan off the burner then headed that way.
When he pulled open the door, he saw a very wet and slightly shivering woman standing there with the handle of her rolling suitcase in hand. She was apparently unable to escape the downpour and now her dress was clinging to her quivering body – not that he minded to be perfectly honest.
"This better not be some kind of sign of what's to come," she joked slightly.
He gave her a comforting smile and motioned her forward taking quick note that she was limping. "What happened?"
Sensing that he was talking about her limp, she chuckled, "I tried to run, in sandals, in the rain and I fell in the parking lot. It's just a skinned up knee. I'll be fine."
He reached for her suitcase then waved her toward his room, "Let's go get you fixed up."
Nodding, she followed him until they were into his bathroom after he dropped off her suitcase on his bed.
He closed the distance between then and pressed his hands on her hips and said, "Hop up."
With a small smile, she allowed him to lift her to sit upon the counter. "It's the right knee, doctor," she teased, causing him to chuckle deeply.
"Oh, are we already starting the foreplay," he questioned, slyly as his hand lightly grazed the back of her leg.
"You wish," she threw back, kicking him with her other leg.
He laughed and went to grab a towel and draped across her shoulders before rubbing the side of her arms to warm her up. "You make the whole wet look, look really good."
When she stuck her tongue out at him, he shook his head in amusement before reaching around her to open up the medicine cabinet to grab the Band-Aids and Neosporin.
As she watched him clean up the small gash from her fall, she commented, "You know I'm very capable of handling this on my own."
"True," he agreed, flashing a grin. "But maybe I just wanted to see I can catch a quick peek up your skirt..." When she whacked him playfully on the head, he laughed loudly and winked. "Or maybe I like taking care of you."
This made her face soften a bit. "You're already laying on the charm."
"I'm not trying to be charming," he stated as he rubbed on the Neosporin. His brown eyes gazed into hers. "Like I've told you before, baby girl, I take care of what is mine."
"What about you," she questioned, tilting her head. "Who takes care of you?"
"Well, there's definitely a vacancy in that area if you're interested," he answered simply as he placed large Band-Aid over injury.
A smile appeared upon her face. "Sounds like the perfect job for me."
He threw away the trash in a small trashcan nearby before helping her off the counter. As his hands stayed in place, locked against her hips, he grinned as he pressed his body into hers. "I'm glad you seem to think so. Now, I need to go check on our dinner and I will let you get cleaned up even though I like what I'm seeing under that dress."
Blushing, she lightly pushed him away, "Stop."
"Stop what," he implored.
"You know what," she accused. "Now go so I can change. I'm starving."
"When are you ever not starving," he questioned, teasingly.
"Out," she ordered, shoving him the best she could out of the bathroom.
"What," he asked in mock surprise. "I don't get a preview for tonight?"
"What? Seeing a wet, skin-tight dress is not enough for you," she asked, still pushing him toward the bedroom door. "I have to leave some things for later." She beamed at him. "Now out, big guy."
He chuckled and allowed himself to be pushed out of the door, but paused. "But you're wearing it right - the gift?" When she doesn't answer, he persists, "Come on. You gotta give me something, baby girl."
Licking her lips, she shrugged, "Possibly." Then she shut the door in his face and faintly heard him release some form of profanity at the other side, causing her to grin wickedly.
After rifling through the remainder of her clean clothes, she managed to find something semi-appropriate to wear for the rest of the evening. Luckily, it was teal dress made of lace and still was a bit sexy.
Once she slipped on her knee-high, brown leather boots, she walked into the bathroom with her small bag filled with her makeup and hair brush. She reapplied a little makeup and borrowed Joe's hairdryer.
Many minutes later, she walked out of his room and headed down the hallway, following the delectable smell that greeted her when she entered the kitchen. "It smells delicious."
He glanced her way as he was getting the plates from the cabinet and grinned, eyeing her up and down.
She did a little twirl, "I no longer look like a drowned rat." She joined him around the island where he was had the dinner all laid out. "Wow," she said as her eyes widened at the spread. "Samoan men can cook."
"Told ya," he said with a chuckle as he placed the plates on the counter then reached for her. Once her body was pressed to his, he spoke again, "I didn't get the chance to kiss you when you arrived."
"Kiss away," she encouraged, smiling up at him.
"Oh, I plan to," he assured her and his head dropped to do so.
She leaned into his kiss before pulling away when her stomach interrupted the moment. She giggled as he chuckled. "Uh yeah..."
"Let's feed you," he said shaking his head.
"So, what are we having," she asked as glanced over at the stove where the lovely smell was coming from.
"Sautéed Lemon Garlic Chicken served over rice and broccoli," he answered as he carried two bowls of salads over to the candlelit table. "Would you mind grabbing the wine glasses and the bottle of wine?"
"Sure," she answered, grabbing the items and bringing them over.
Once Joe had brought over entrée and poured the wine, they both sat and he held up his wine glass and she followed suit. "To a night that we'll always remember," he said smiling.
Grinning, she nodded and clinks her glass with his and took a sip. "This all looks wonderful."
"I wanted tonight to be perfect," he stated with a shrug. "It's the only way I can make you see how much you're worth all of this and more."
"I'm not completely blind to see such gestures," she pointed out, glancing down at her plate and raising a brow. "I can't remember a time when a man has ever made me dinner that didn't consist throwing it in the microwave. You've scored about 1000 bonus points, big guy."
"I wanted to do something nice," he answered as he took another sip of his wine.
"And it's deeply appreciated," she told him as she reached over to where he was sitting beside her and placed her hand over his.
He gave her a small smile and turned his hand over to grasp her then bring it to his lips.
Smiling, she pulled her hand from his and stated, "Now let's eat."
After enjoying the tasteful meal, Skye leaned back after finishing her seconds of chicken and patted her stomach. "I hope you're not too full," Joe pointed out as he finished off his wine. "I have dessert in the fridge."
Her eyes brightened as he stood to clear away their plates. "What kind of dessert." She reached for her own plates, but he quickly waved her off and cleared the table.
When he dropped off the dishes into the sink, he walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out the dessert. He brought it over, but doesn't place it on the table. "Come," he beckoned, motioning his head at her. "Let's eat these over on the couch. Do mind grabbing our wine glasses and the wine?"
"Not at all," she answered and does so.
As they passed the glass doors leading out the balcony, the storm outside could be clearly heard as the rain continued to pound against the window panes.
Once they were situated on the couch, he uncovered the dessert and her eyes met his as she grinned. "Chocolate covered strawberries?"
"They are the classic, seductive treat," he reasoned, placing the plate onto the coffee table and grabbed the wine bottle from her. He proceeded to pour them each fresh glass of wine before placing the bottle on the table as well. He plucked a strawberry from the plate and presented it to her mouth for her to open and take a bite.
With a smirk, she opened her mouth and allowed him to feed her the sweet, savory treat. When she took a bite, she giggled when some of the fruit's juices dripped down her chin.
Grinning, he leaned forward and brought a finger up to wipe away the juice and then placed the digit into his mouth.
She watched him completely intrigued before reaching for another strawberry and holding it up to him. "Open up," she requested and he obliged. She fed him the strawberry and the same result that she had been hoping would happen happened. With a seductive look, she leaned forward, watching the juices made a trail from his lips through his goatee. She swallowed back the nervousness of what she was about to do and went forward to lick away the juices slowly, causing him to suck in a breath.
He swallowed heavily as her tongue trailed up from chin to the corner of his mouth. "Shit," he breathed as she leaned back with a satisfied look.
"Delectable," she remarked, slyly.
"You certainly are," he responded with dark eyes.
"You have no idea," she said sexily as she tossed the half eaten strawberry onto the plate then proceeded to lick her fingers as they kept their eyes connected. "You know as much as I would love to eat every last strawberry on that plate...I'm afraid that I have other things on my mind."
"Do you now," he inquired, sitting back against the arm of the couch and watching her as she crawled toward him, giving him a nice cleavage shot. When she threw a leg across his lap, he placed his hands on her thighs as she now straddled him. "Ah, I see."
"I've eaten a lot tonight and if I'm going to be fighting shape on Monday night I'm going to need to work off some of this food," she noted with a wide grin.
"Perhaps I can assist," he hinted as he rubbed his large hands up and down her exposed thighs.
"Hmm," she pondered, thoughtfully. "Perhaps you can."
Their lips locked onto one another's and that's all that they needed to get things going. His hands left her thighs to weave into her hair, holding her in place as their lips moved over the others.
Skye's hand lifted from clutching his shoulder to cupping his jaw as his teeth tugged at her bottom lip, wanting permission. Once her lips parted, granting consent and enjoying the sweetness of the strawberries that they had just been eaten take over her senses as their tongues swirled around, fighting for control.
They remained like that – locked into this embrace as their tongues continued to duel before he finally pulled back causing her to raise a brow. "What's wrong," she panted.
"Nothing, baby girl," he quickly assured her. "I just want to continue this elsewhere." He grabbed hold of her wrists and guided her arms to wrap around his neck. "Hold on."
She locked her arms and he grabbed hold of her thighs before pushing off the couch to stand. He supported her as legs locked around his waist and his hand snaked up to cup her ass.
Their eyes locked and she leaned forward to lightly kiss his lips as his feet shuffled toward the hallway, the thunder of the storm being the only sound that was heard through the apartment other than the hammering of their racing hearts.
Completely taken by the intensity of her lips upon his, Joe paused midway through the hallway and pressed her against the nearest wall and grinded against into her, causing her to pry her lips off and releasing a soft moan when she felt the bulge confined in his nicely fitted jeans.
"Yeah, baby girl," he confirmed, kissing her jawline. "You definitely caused that."
She went to respond, but a loud clap of thunder sounded and the lights in the apartment flickered before going completely out, leaving them in complete darkness.
"Shit," he cursed, causing her to giggle softly. "This is not a sign, I swear. It's just really, really bad timing." He released his hold on her and she slowly slid down his warm body and to her feet.
He pulled out his cellphone and soon there a tiny beam of light from his flashlight app and he led her toward the bedroom where she watched him digging through his bedside table and produced a few candles then began lighting them and placing them various places in the room.
Once the room was dimly lit, he turned back to her and she saw him smiling. "There we go. Now come over here, beautiful" He summoned her forward.
She took a few anxious steps toward him and soon she was back into his arms and their lips were now locked back onto the others and his hands were back on her hips, gripping at her dress.
He pried his lips from hers to order, "Sit."
When she does so, he kneeled in front of her and reached for her foot. He began to unzip her leather boots. When the second had been pulled off, he grabbed her ankle, bringing her leg up so that he could press a hot kiss against her exposed calf muscle. He continued his kisses to her knee and upward to inner thigh.
She sucked in a breath as he near the bottom of her dress, scrunched up and only hiding her heated center by just inches of fabric.
"Do you like that, baby girl?"
She nudged him away with her other foot. "What do you think," she asked as she pulled him up by his shirt as she stood up as well. "Now get this dress off me, baby."
"With pleasure," he whispered, passionately. Her body turned and his fingers reached for the dress's clasp then slowly brought the zipper down, exposing the skin of her back. The zipper stopped at the small of her back and he brought his hands back up to slide the dress off her shoulders. She pulled her arms from the sleeves then allowed the laced fabric slide down and with the help from his hands and a wiggle from her hips - the dress fell to the ground.
After kicking the pool of fabric aside, she turned around and his eyes drank her in.
His dark, brown orbs took in every inch of the lingerie that she wore and a slow, wide grin appeared. "Is this it?"
Biting her bottom lip, she nodded nervously. "Nikki's idea."
"Nikki has great taste, but like everything that you wear, baby girl – you have nothing to worry about. You can pull off just about anything."
"Do you like it though," she questioned, uneasily. She released a yelp when her body was suddenly pulled to his and he pressed himself against her and then she knew how much he liked it for she could feel his excitement from the bulge in his jeans.
"What's this tell you, Skye?" His head dropped and he leaned down to kiss her again, but was stopped by her hands on his shoulders. When he was pushed back, he furrowed his brow in question.
"I think we need to even things up a bit," she pointed out, slyly.
When the man was out of his shoes and socks, she reached for the hem of his polo and slid her hands underneath, allowing her hands to rub over his ab muscles. Once the shirt was off and his chest revealed, her eyes took him in and she began tracing every dip of his upper body in great interest.
"Baby girl," he groaned as her hands continued their soft exploration of his pectoral muscles.
She doesn't listen to his pleas as she leaned forward to begin to lightly pepper kisses to his bronze skin. As she does so, she inhaled his masculine scent which sent a tingling feeling down to her core.
He grabbed her by the shoulder and chuckled, "You're driving me crazy."
She merely stared at him in mock innocence and commented, "It's only fair, right, Joe?" Before he could respond, she reached for his belt. She unhooked it and then whipped it from the loops, tossing it aside then going for the button of his jeans.
Swallowing slightly, she pushed the button through the hole and then grasped at the zipper, hauling it down to reveal his dark gray boxer briefs. She tugged down his jeans, letting them fall to his ankles.
He stepped out of them as her eyes devoured the newly revealed article of clothing.
Good god, she thought as she eyed the evident bulge hiding behind the cotton material.
He closed the distance between them and she eventually felt the back of her knees hit the bed. He slowly pushed her back to lay in the middle of it and hovered over her, bringing his hands up to cup her breast through the red, laced bra that she wore causing her to gasp.
He gave it a little squeeze before smirking when he was able to receive the same sound again. "You like that," he questioned in wonderment. He doesn't allow her the chance to answer for his hand moved from fondling her to travel across the skin over her ribcage and downward toward the juncture between her legs. His long fingers slowly slid over the fabric of the thong she wore and he let them slip between slightly part thighs to feel just how much she liked his touches. "Mm," he moaned. "Yeah, you're definitely ready to continue."
Minutes later, both of them were completely naked and his body was positioned between her open thighs as their lips assaulted the others.
When his cock brushed against her wet center, she pried her lips from his and whimpered.
"What is it, Skye," he murmured, sliding his hand between them to slightly trace her inner folds. "Does my attention need to be here," he asked, inserting a finger into her causing her hips to buck up.
He rubbed her clit and she slowly moved her hips to the rhythm he was setting, but she finally couldn't take the teasing. "Please," she begged. "I want you, inside me, now!"
"If that's what you want," he stated, smirking. He pulled his fingers out and brought them to his mouth to lick clean – her eyes watching closely. "You taste wonderful, baby girl." His warm body left hers momentarily to retrieve a condom from his bedside table then tore the foil packet open, sliding it over his erection.
She reached out to touch him, but he grabbed her wrist and shook his head.
"Later," he assured, settling back between her legs and lowering himself down. "I need to be inside you, now," he whispered against her ear causing her to rock her hips against his own, feeling the head of his cock brush against her opening. "Are you ready, baby?" When she nodded quickly, he pushed himself inside her, not stopping until he was completely within her.
When he was completely seated inside, her back arched and she released a soft gasp as he placed soft kisses to her neck while she adjusted to him. It took her a few moments to fully adjust to the feeling of him, stretching her from the mere size of him, and she enjoyed every moment of it especially since he was trying to remain still until she was ready for them to continue.
"I'm ready," she whispered, lifting her hips to get her point across.
Joe's lips found hers in the dimly lit room as he pulled out slowly then pushing back harder, trying to set the rhythm that had them both pull from their kiss and moaning in pleasure.
As he kept up the pace of slow out and hard in, her hands that had been clutching his shoulders slid up his neck to his hair which had fallen slightly from its bun. She pulled the tie out, causing his hair to fall down like dark curtains around their faces. He looked incredibly sexy with his hair down like this. It made him seem so wild and strong.
Their movements continued to move in sync as she angled her hips every now and again so that he could brush against the spot inside her that her back arching every time he managed to hit it. "Right there, baby," she encouraged, lowly, licking her lips and cried out when he quickened his thrust. "Yes..."
She was close. She couldn't believe how quickly she had gotten to this point since it just seemed like they had just started, but she felt it burning the pit of her stomach. She drew her legs up and tightened them around his hips as they kept up with the change of speed. "Oh god, Joe," she moaned, her eyes squeezing shut as she tried to hold out her release as long as she could until he was ready, but he made it extremely difficult to do so.
His arm draped around her, pulling her upward and closer to him as he finally found that precise spot that drove her wild and he angled himself to hit it over and over.
She dug her fingers into his skin as she cried out in ecstasy as his free hand left her hips and moved between their bodies to rub her slick nub. Holy shit, she thought wildly as she bit her bottom lip for the millionth time.
After a few more flicks of her clit along with him hitting that special spot inside her, she was gone. Her body jerked off the bed, clutching to him as she came with his name on her lips. Her inner walls completely tightened around him, gripping his cock, and pretty soon his body suddenly stiffened as his own release racked through his body. He let out a groan as he filled the condom with his seed.
"Fuck," he managed to let out as his body collapsed on hers. He tried to shift his weight onto his elbow to avoid crushing her with his weight. He pressed his forehead against hers as he felt her fingers run through his thick hair, brushing the strands away from his face and tucked them behind his ear. He pressed a few soft kisses to her lips as they tried to regain their breaths.
When his eyes managed to lock onto hers, he was surprised by her gaze. Her eyes seemed unsure, and filled with worry.
It clicked to him and he softly chuckled, "You have nothing to worry about – you were perfect."
Relief filled her face and suddenly her demeanor quickly changed and he found himself being pushed over onto his back with her suddenly straddling him. "Good, because you haven't seen nothing yet," she declared, as she captured his lips in a fierce kiss.
The next morning, Joe awoke from his wonderful slumber with a slight groan. He rubbed his eyes and glanced over to where Skye was sleeping beside him, snuggling up to her pillow.
Smiling, he reached over and softly placed a kiss to her forehead, careful not to wake her before slowly slipping from the bed to answer the calls of nature. When he finished, he bent down to retrieve his boxer briefs and yanked them on.
After their late night of – he smiled – three times, he was completely starving from some kind of food. As he passed the bed, his eyes drifted to her naked form, hidden partially from the sheet draped over her body with her bare back and left thigh being the only visible body parts.
That familiar feeling of wanting to be buried deep inside her quickly appeared, but he quickly looked away for he wanted her to sleep. Though the feeling grew only stronger when he realized he just had a few more hours with her before she'd have to leave again.
Deciding to let her sleep, he turned and left the room to head to the kitchen in search of something to eat.
As he waited for the bagels to heat up in the toaster, he sipped a cup of coffee.
His head turned when he heard soft footsteps coming down the hallway. His face broke out into a grin when he saw his lovely girlfriend appear wearing a familiar Georgia Tech t-shirt, the same one that she had kept from their first meeting.
His heart swelled when he recognized it and even more so when he realized that she still wore it from time to time.
"Morning," she greeted, sporting some very sexy, but messy bed hair.
"Morning," he said in return, watching her as she made her way around the island where he immediately pulled her to his bare chest. "Sleep well?"
He felt her finger dip under the waistband of his underwear as she answered, "You know I did."
"Did I wear you out," he questioned, slyly.
"And then some," she responded with a soft chuckle. "I used some muscles that I haven't used in a long time."
"Perhaps I should massage them," he offered thoughtfully.
"Maybe later," she relented, pinching his side playfully.
"Are you hungry," he asked. "You can have this bagel if want."
"No, you eat that one," she insisted, smiling.
"We could always share it," he suggested, gripping her hips and lifting her up onto the island behind her then allowed his hands to travel up her bare, tanned legs upward to where the bottom of his t-shirt hit. "I have to say that you look incredibly sexy in my shirt." His hands disappeared beneath the clothing further up her thigh to discover... "Fuck," he groaned as his cock twitched at his realization. "Forget to put on something, baby girl?"
"What do you mean," she asked, coyly. The sound of his bagel popping up could be heard, but he paid it no mind. She giggled. "Aren't you going to get that?"
His eyes darkened, "I'm suddenly hungry for something else."
"Are you now," she questioned, grinning.
"Yes," he hissed, pushing her lightly by the shoulder to lay her back atop the counter. He grabbed the t-shirt that had ridden up slightly from the movement and pushed it upward to reveal her delectable sex, glistening in anticipation. "Gorgeous," he whispered lowly as grabbed thighs, lifting her legs up to drape over his shoulders so that he could get a closer view of her inner lips.
Licking his lips, he readied himself to take a taste, but a noise stopped him and he glanced toward the front door. He heard the faint sound of the lock clicking and his eyes widened when heard his sister, Summer's voice, call out, "Leati?"
"Shit," he uttered, quickly helping Skye off the counter and spun her around where she was facing forward and with him behind her, hiding the bulge in his boxer briefs.
When his sister appeared around the corner, she froze at the sight of them. "Well, hello there. Did I come at a bad time?"
"You could have called or knocked," Joe stated tightly, trying not to let his frustration show.
"I did call," she defended. "I was running some errands nearby and thought I'd drop in." Her eyes never left the woman standing in front of her younger brother. "You must be the woman that my brother can't stop talking about."
"Yeah," Skye answered nervously. "That's me, I suppose."
"Summer, could you wait out on the balcony while we..."
Summer interrupted, "Get more clothes on? You should be thankful that I wasn't mom."
"Oh, believe me I am," Joe remarked, shaking head. "Sis, please?"
"Fine, but don't try and sneak her out. I'd like to get to know the girl."
"Sure thing," Joe answered, watching his sister head over and disappear out on the balcony. With a sigh, he grabbed Skye's hand and led her to his bedroom where he closed and locked the door then walked over to plop down on the edge of the bed. "Well that was a mood killer."
She chuckled, "We'll try and finish it later if we have the time."
"Knowing my sister, she's already called the family and let them know that you're here. Plans are probably being made as we speak and we'll be roped into lunch with them." He eyed her cautiously. "Are you okay with meeting them?"
She shrugged a shoulder, "I'm going to have to eventually - might as well not delay the inevitable."
"Are you sure," he asked gently.
"Yes," she laughed as she walked over to rifle through open suitcase for something to wear.
As she did so, the shirt rode up and he got a glimpse of a bit of her ass.
"Fuck," he gasped as he adjusted himself. Great, now he was going to have to go talk to his sister with a raging hard-on.
Skye turned in his direction when she heard his obscenity and grinned when she saw him grabbing at his lap. "Do you have some kind of problem?"
He glared playfully in her direction. "Don't act innocent. You came out there knowing that I'd find out you weren't wearing any panties and get aroused. Now I can't do anything about it."
"But I can," she offered and motioned with her head toward the bathroom.
Ten minutes later, he closed his bedroom door behind him and he released a slow breath trying to come down from the complete high of what just happened.
Closing his eyes, he could still feel Skye's hands rubbing his shaft as she tried to help him with the release that desperately needed. Afterwards, the extraordinary woman just smile completely unfazed by the fact that his seed covered her hands, but simply leaned up to kiss him before going over and turning on the shower.
Shaking his head, he glanced back at the door and muttered, "Damn woman is going to be the death of me."
After spending the early afternoon meeting Joe's family which had consisted of his parents, older brother and sisters, and their families at Sika and Patty's house, the time had come for Skye to head on to Tampa for Monday Night Raw.
As the stood locked in each other's arms while other airport patrons passed them by, Skye lifted her head from where it had been buried into his chest. "This just gets harder each time we have to do it," she whispered, pitifully.
"I know," he agreed. "Just remember how much we make up for it when we get to finally return to each other."
Smiling sadly, she leaned upward to kiss him and his arms pulled her closer.
Joe tried his hardest to put everything that he had into their kiss and tried to fight of that sudden feeling that had been eating at him since that day at the zoo. Last night had seemed to solidify the fact that he knew what had been feeling was love after the two of them had shared those many intimate moments the night before. Every touch, every kiss, and the moment that their bodies had molded as one had been proof that his feelings were very real.
As they pulled away, the words seem to flow from his mouth before he fully registered the fact that he was saying them.
At first, he thought that he had just been thinking of them and hadn't had said them out loud.
When she felt her stiffen in his arms, he had come to realize that he had said those three little words and she had very much heard them.
She pulled hastily out of his hold and her blue eyes frantically searched his.
"I..." he began, shakily.
Her flight was announced over the intercom and her head turned in the direction the gate. She glanced back his way trying to speak. "I, um," she uttered. "I have to go."
At those words, Joe's heart seemed to plummet to his gut. Wasn't she going to acknowledge what he just said? "Skye," he started to plea, but she swiftly shook her head.
"No, I don't know how to deal with this right now," she interjected, quickly. "I can't... I just can't." She spun around, grabbing her suitcase.
His eyes watched her as she practically ran across the terminal to where the line for her flight was boarding. She threw a look over her shoulder, her eyes pleading for him to forgive her for her hasty reaction.
He could only stare at her, dumbfounded. He watched as she never again tried to look his way and soon disappeared onto the flight.
Swallowing back the huge lump in his throat, he released a deep, subdued sigh as he placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. "Damn it," he muttered, defeated. He knew he shouldn't have said those words aloud. Granted, they sort of just came out without him meaning them to, but still.
They freaked her out. He clearly saw that. What if they had scared her off? What if he had blew it because he couldn't keep his damn feelings to himself till she was ready for them to be said?
Shaking his head, he turned and swiped a hand over his face.
What was he going to do now?
Hours later, the sun had now gone down and Joe was sitting outside on his balcony staring out at the city of Pensacola below, smelling the nearby ocean as he drowned his sorrows for his slip up with alcohol. Granted, getting hammered wasn't going to help matters, but it did numb the anxiety a bit.
He figured Skye's flight would have landed in Tampa hours ago, so that would've given her enough time to sort through her feelings and call him if she wanted to.
Even though in his head, he clearly thought that it was very much over, but his heart still held out hope that there was just that small chance that she'd at least forgive him for saying those words when evidently she did not feel the same way or she wasn't ready to say the words back. He hoped for the latter. He would be willing to wait for as long as she needed. He just hope that it wasn't the end that hadn't had put too much pressure on her especially with knowing how much she was still hurting from those past relationships.
He released a sigh, hoping that he hadn't lost her for good. Time will tell, I suppose. As he downed the rest of the contents from the bottle, he placed it on the small metal table beside him with the other two that he had already drunk in the past hour or so.
Clearing his throat, he settled back into his chair. As his mind began to drift, his ears picked up the distinct sound of knocking at his door, and he found himself turning that direction.
He glanced down at his watch, taking note that it was nearly ten. "Who the hell could that be," he questioned, aloud. He jumped to his feet and stepped into the living room. When he reached the door, he took a quick peek into the peephole as he reached for the handle.
When he saw the figure of Skye standing outside, seemingly hugging herself, he sucked in a breath.
With a calming demeanor, he slowly unlocked the door and pulled it open.
Her grief stricken gaze met his. "I'm sorry," she immediately choked out. Her red eyes looked downward. "I...there was a layover in Orlando and I just found myself renting a car and driving myself back here because I wanted to say that I was sorry for leaving so quickly after you..." Swallowing, she continued, "After you told me that you, uh, you know..."
"Loved you," he supplied, softly.
Nodding in confirmation, she answered, "Yeah. I'm so sorry, Joe. Please don't hate me for not saying it back..."
When her eyes lifted to meet his, she saw his look of bewilderment and soon she was pulled to his chest in a strong hold. "Baby girl, I couldn't possibly ever hate you especially for not saying those words back. I get it. You don't feel that way about me yet – it's okay."
Shaking her head, she pulled out of his embrace and walked past him into the apartment.
As he closed the door, he watched her as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Skye?"
"I hate myself for being so scared of telling you how I feel," she began, shakily. "Everything that we've done up until this point has solidified just how much you mean to me, and I want to tell you because I do care." The tears began pooling in her eyes and it broke his heart to watch her struggling with this. "I told you from the beginning that I wasn't ready for a guy like you!"
"Skye," he whispered, soothingly. "Come here."
She backed away from his hands. "No, I need to stop being so afraid of feeling something for someone. You aren't Randy. You're not AJ. I know that, I see that. I'm just afraid of falling in love with you and you realizing later on that..."
"Stop that," he ordered, firmly. "I don't know how many times that I have to tell you, prove to you that I am not going to change my mind about you. I have fallen in love – you make me happier than I have ever been. I never thought I'd ever care this much about anyone again and yet here we are. I've been drinking away these thoughts that I've lost you because I came on too strong, but you're now. You came back. You are strong enough to handle those feelings that you have for me. You don't have say those words to me right now, Skye. I know you care. I see it right now in those beautiful eyes. The moment you feel ready to tell me will be the moment that I will cherish forever."
Slowly, she nodded as she took in his words. Her gaze left his for a moment and cleared her throat. "Say it again," she requested softly.
"Say what again," he questioned in confusion certainly she didn't want him to repeat his whole speech. Then it dawned on him. She wanted him to say those three words again. He swallowed. "Skye, I don't think I should say them again."
"Please," she pleaded. "Say them again, Joe."
Running a hand over his face, he sighed, "Okay. Come here." She took a few steps forward to stand before him. Cupping her face in his large hands, he gently traced her cheeks with his thumbs, wiping away her fallen tears. "I love you, Skye, with all of my heart."
Her eyes stared up into his as her breathing slowed. Suddenly her arms wrapped around his neck as she let out a slow breath.
He gave her a gentle smile as he lowered his lips to hers, kissing her lightly. When their lips separated, their foreheads pressed against the others while their eyes remained closed.
Nothing was said, no other sound could be heard other than their steady breathing.
He was content to stay that way, just thankful that she was right there in his arms. Nothing to make this moment better except...
"I love you, too."
At first, he had thought that he had imagined it. He pulled back to look at her with wide eyes. "What did you say?"
Her eyes never wavered as they remained locked onto his. "I love you, too," she repeated, strongly. "It's what I feel deep inside me and I'm not going to keep in because of some assholes that broke my heart in the past. I'm done thinking about them and what they did. I want to just be in love with you and just be happy."
He released a strangled laugh as he reached down and lifted her off the ground.
With a soft squeal, her legs locked around his waist.
"Say it again, baby girl."
"I love you," she obliged and immediately was pulled into the man's kiss.
After the two stood there locked into the embraced, he pulled back to question, "What about Raw?"
"I don't have to be there till around 1," she answered simply. "I figured I'd leave here pretty early tomorrow morning and drive down to Tampa."
"Would you like some company," he asked, slyly. "I've got a match down there this Thursday."
Her eyes brightened, "Why didn't you say something sooner? We could have avoided the whole weepy moment at the airport."
"I didn't know till a couple of hours ago when another guy had to back out of the match. Granted, I was going to drive down there Wednesday, but I wouldn't mind the road trip with the woman I love."
Her cheeks reddened slightly. "I suppose we should probably get some sleep. We've got a long drive ahead of us."
"We could," he stated, slyly. "Or I could take you back to my room and make love to you for the rest of the night."
"Tempting," she responded, thoughtfully. "You may have to convince me a bit more because I'm pretty tired after my six hour drive."
"Oh believe me, you won't be sleeping anytime soon, baby girl." He lowered his mouth to her neck and she released a yelp when he nipped at the skin then carried her to his room where they stayed for the remainder of the evening.
Thoughts? I've been battling back and forth with the whole "I love you" thing for a while and I know it's early on in the relationship, but there isn't a time period that one must wait before saying those words. I had wondered if maybe I should have waited for Skye to say them back, but decided to go this route. Hopefully, it didn't disappoint. :) Remember to review.