Chapter 4 - Just a Kiss

Grey orbs slowly slid down the body with the black mesh wings attached to it. "I didn't hurt you did I?" The baritone voice asked curiously.

"Umm No big man I'll be fine. It was my fault I shouldn't have been walking while looking at the ground." Alison stated honestly.

"I should've been paying attention as well instead of listening to my boys." He threw a thumb over his shoulder and watched as her amber eyes peered around him and could see his buddies chuckling in the hallway. "I've never seen you around here. Do you go to G-Tech?"

Alison pursed her lips as she shook her head negatively. "Nope, I attend Georgia State. My friend and I were invited by Reggie's girlfriend. So far it seems to be a decent Halloween bash. My friend got sucked on by Dracula and she is currently sucking face with him and I was watching half the football team do the Call Of Duty thing. I can't imagine what's next."

The grey eyed guy smiled before he stuck his hand out. "Leati Joseph Anoa'i. Everyone calls me Joe."

God his velvety baritone voice was enough to make her knees weak. "That's a mouth full. Hawaiian or Samoan?" She asked.

Joe couldn't help the smirk. "Samoan, how did you know?"

Alison chuckled. "Anoa'i isn't a normal American last name, it sounds Pacific Islander, probably looks Hawaiian, so it must be Samoan." She finally shook the hand he offered and felt like a bolt of lightning slid up her arm. "Alison Maria Merker. German and Scottish."

Joe couldn't help chuckling at her antics. She'd been the first person he'd ever met who understood his name and had a general idea of where it came from. "Have you been to the haunted house on campus yet?" He questioned. "If not I would enjoy escorting you."

"As long as you don't mind someone hanging onto your arm and screaming like a chicken shit I would love to go!" Alison for warned. She smiled as Joe held out his hand as she placed her smaller hand into his and watched as his long fingers closed around her hand.

Joe's deep laughter could be heard throughout the haunted house on the Georgia Tech campus. Alison hadn't been lying she really was a chicken shit and so easy to scare. He just enjoyed the fact that she clung to his left arm and continued to bury her face in his shoulder and bicep. She had honestly been the sweetest girl he'd ever met since being at G-Tech. "You sure you're okay?" He asked softly, but chuckled when he heard a muffled answer through his t-shirt and football jersey.

Joe chuckled harder. "I'm sorry I don't speak muffled jersey." He teased.

Alison laughed softly as she looked up from his gold jersey covered bicep. "I'm okay honest. Hey I warned you."

"Yes...yes you did." Joe felt her hand tighten around his as well as her arm around his arm as they continued walking. "C'mon there's a room up ahead where we get blindfolded and stick hands in stuff."

"Ewww I don't know if I want to stick my hands in things while I'm blindfolded."

"C'mon it will be fun." Joe tried coaxing.

"Alright." Alison agreed before she pointed at him. "But if I feel one penis someone is getting punched."

Joe laughed hard from the back of his throat as he led Alison down the hallway. "I don't think there will be any penis touching, but I'll warn the guys ahead of time."

"So is this something the football team does every year for Halloween?" Alison asked curiously.

Joe nodded. "Yea, we've done it all four years that I've been here. It's fun and Halloween has definitely turned into my favorite holiday so far."

She watched as he smiled charmingly down at her. She reached up and tugged on his goatee lightly as she returned his smile. They had been walking through the haunted house for the last hour. It was an old dorm building that had been abandoned on the back of the campus years prior. It was three stories tall and every year the Georgia Tech football team and cheerleaders got together and did different scare themes on each floor.

It had been one of the best Halloween's Alison had in a long time.

Once they left the haunted house, Alison got a text from Aria telling her to wait up. She laughed softly as she looked over at Joe who she suddenly noticed was now missing his friends that had been following them around most of the evening. She liked the fact that he made them disappear so they could be alone.

Alison sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. "You hungry?" She asked curiously.

Joe lifted a dark eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?" He asked back equally as curious.

"Greasy burgers and fries, maybe a chocolate shake or two." She offered.

"Five guys burgers?' Joe asked with a smirk.

"Five guys." Alison nodded as they both walked towards the parking lot.

Two cheeseburgers, two fries, two chocolate shakes and one dark motel room. Alison was just about as content as she had ever been. She and Joe had shared stories of their lives growing up; her in Santa Monica California and him in Pensacola Florida.

Her amber eyes stared at the Samoan man leaning against the headboard of her motel room bed. She was sitting sideways with her right shoulder against the headboard; her fingers touching the hem of the left sleeve of his jersey. She never realized she could sit and listen to him talk about whatever.

The curtains were pulled open and the only light in the room came from the moon outside. Even with no actual like on it was still fairly bright in the room; just enough for them to see each other.

"So what is it you really hope to accomplish by going to different colleges for only a semester?" Joe asked curiously.

"Honestly...I don't know. I just want to experience something different on each campus. I mean since the degree I want is so pliable it's easy to get my credits transferred to virtually any accredited college. I just want to do something different and I want to have fun doing it."

Joe watched as the smile appeared on her face. he could tell she was really enjoying this time in her life. "What do your parents have to say about all the traveling?" He questioned.

"They were killed in a plane crash 3 months before I graduated high school." She stated softly; she looked up as a tanned hand covered hers.

"I'm sorry Alison, I shouldn't have asked that."

Alison shook her head. "Don't worry about it. You couldn't have possibly known unless you asked." Alison sniffled softly trying to keep the tears at bay. "I really hope they are smiling and I hope they approve of my traveling education. It still feels surreal. I feel like I'm still just waiting for them to come home from their European vacation. Like they are going to call me any minutes and ask how college life at UCLA is going."

"UCLA? Were you supposed to go there?" Joe asked surprised; trying to figure out why anyone would give up UCLA for any other college.

"Yea I had gotten my acceptance letter the day before they left for their vacation. Dad took us out to dinner to celebrate and I stayed up late laying in the middle of their bed as they finished packing their suitcases. I was reading up on UCLA groups and campus life and how to get a dorm room and if I could get the courses I wanted. I will never forget that last night I had with them. I think that's the main reason I haven't gone back." Her voice dropped a few octaves as she reigned in her emotions.

Joe licked his top lip and rolled his bottom lip against the underside of his tongue to wet it as well. Alison noticed that was the way he wet both lips. She felt him squeeze her hand as he moved around slightly before lifting her gently and placing her directly beside himself before wrapping his arm around her and pulling her into his side more.

Joe enjoyed having her rest her head on his chest. "I think they are watching you and I think they are very proud of the path you've chosen for your college education; whether you are traveling from college to college or stationary at one place. They want you happy and they can tell how happy you are by just going your own way. Parents...they only ever want the best for you but they want you to enjoy your life as well. My parents are the same way. when I got my full ride scholarship for G-Tech I couldn't have been happier. I love football, it's been my life since I was in Pee-Wees. Don't get me wrong I love all sports, but football has always been my go to sport."

"My parents supported anything I did, every single thing I decided to do from jr high to high school." She softly rubbed her face against the jersey. "Tell me about your parents...please." She requested.

Joe smiled down at her. "Patricia and Sika Anoa'i. My mom was a house wife and mother. My dad was a husband and a father. The only difference is my dad is or was a professional wrestler. He and his brother my Uncle Afa were the tag team called The Wild Samoan's. I love watching old footage of them in the ring together. By the time I was born in 1985, dad was just about done in the ring by 1988; he and my uncle decided to start their own training center in Florida not to mention their own promotion in 1999."

"And still you chose football?"

"And still I chose football." Joe nodded. "Have you ever watched pro-wrestling?" He questioned.

"Gosh, I don't think I've ever watched it no. I mean everyone heard about it after Cyndi Lauper had those wrestlers in her music video years ago, but I've definitely never watched it." Alison admitted.

"You should see it some time. I bet you'd enjoy it."

Alison smiled up at Joe. "Really? I loved listening to Cyndi Lauper, she's got an unusual voice about her."

Joe chuckled deeply as his free hand came up and cupped her left cheek as he stared at her amber eyes. She had only been in his life for the last 3 hours and he already knew she was someone he wanted in his life forever. He couldn't stop himself as he hooked his index knuckle under her chin and tipped her head up slightly before he dipped down and kissed her lips slowly and softly.

Alison's eyes fluttered closed as she enjoyed the warmth and softness of Joe's lips against hers. It should be illegal for kisses to feel THIS good; was the only thing going through Alison's mind.

His lips...against hers...This was something she could get used to.

His goatee tickled her lips; even more so when his lips left hers and traveled down her jaw line to her neck. Her neck had always been sensitive and for some reason Joe's lips seemed to know exactly where all sensitive places on her neck were.

Not that she was complaining or anything.

Joe's lips found hers once again before he softly sucked her bottom lip between his to bring the kiss to an end. He reluctantly pulled back as his eyes blinked open and he watched as her pink tongue came out and licked both of her lips as she exhaled slowly through purse lips. Her amber eyes flickered open.

"Do you want me to leave now?" Joe asked.

Alison smiled softly before she shook her head negatively. "No, why would I?"

Joe chuckled. "The last girl I kissed threw me out on my ass because I didn't ask for her permission to kiss her."

Alison couldn't stop the giggles as they erupted from her lips. "What do you mean she threw you out?" She laughed again as she felt Joe's laughing next to her.

"I mean she shamed me and yelled at me and as I was leaving she put her foot on my ass and SHOVED me out. It was quite embarrassing. The other girls in her dorm room were laughing. I swear they were all standing in the hallway, none of them had lives or anywhere else to be. I tried apologizing to her the next day and yea...it wasn't happening." Joe explained as he enjoyed Alison's giggles. He never knew just making someone laugh like that could make his insides feel so warm.

"She totally kicked your ass." Alison erupted in laughter.

Joe's eyebrows slid down to the bridge of his nose in what Alison would always deem the sexiest look on his face from that night moving forward. She reached up and ran her thumb between his eyes. "Oh gosh, don't make that face it will freeze that way. She wounded your pride."

"Not as much a beautiful girl pointing out the football's team captain got his ass kicked by a girl." Joe grumbled out.

Alison poked her bottom lip out before a smile replaced the pout. She pushed up slightly and brushed a soft kiss between Joe's eyes, before placing soft kisses down the bridge of his nose before it was her turn to claim his lips.

Joe's hands cupped her face first before they slid down and once again, lifted her, then deposited her on his lap. He felt her legs move around until she was straddling his lap. He smiled against her lips as her hands tugged his jersey up and off. He loved feeling her hands roaming his t-shirt covered torso. He was letting her make all the moves. Joe groaned as she weaved her fingers into his dark hair. It was slightly past his shoulders but he had taken to pulling it back into a low tail at the nape of his neck. But he had to admit it felt fucking great.

Alison whimpered against his lips when her mouth dropped open slightly and his tongue slipped between her lips and caressed her own tongue. Their chests pressed together and the quiet of the room it was absolutely the perfect moment for anything to happen.

Alison brought the kiss to a slow end before she rested her forehead against his as her amber eyes stared into his grey orbs as if they were hypnotizing her. "As much as I would like this to go further; I just can't let it. But I don't want you to leave yet."

Joe nodded. "I can understand it. Why don't you go change out of your costume and I'll clean up the mess." He watched as it was her turn to nod as he helped her stand up off the bed as she grabbed a few things and disappeared into the bathroom.

Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright
No I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight

When she emerged she was in black cotton shorts and a red form fitting t-shirt, she'd taken her hair down from the bun. Her mahogany colored hair suited her perfectly and made her amber eyes warm and soft.

Joe laid down on his left side and watched as Alison walked over and crawled into the motel bed she laid on her right side facing him; Joe reached out and wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. He couldn't keep the smile off his face when she burrowed into his chest. He buried his nose in the top of her hair as the two of them drifted off to sleep.

The night couldn't have ended much better between two strangers.