More than a woman
Chapter 12: Wish you were here – Part 3
CC shivered with desire at his direct answer.
Taking matters in her hands, she ordered, 'Turn to the wall'.
Niles smirked and obeyed, 'I knew it. Here you feel safe to abuse me'.
'How nice to date such a quick minded guy', she answered, gluing her front to his back and biting his lobe.
His grunt was priceless.
She grinned, 'But, in fact, it was you who planned this, with all the sweet talking. You ended up giving me a free pass'.
'How nice to date such a quick minded guy', he teased, imitating her.
CC pulled away from him and slapped his butt, 'Behave'.
She laughed at his moan at her actions, took the soap and her sponge and started washing him.
She had all the patience in the world to do things slow and made him understand who was in command: she would dedicate her time and touches to the parts of his body she enjoyed most (shoulders, chest, thighs, buttocks, cock), and would rub herself on him every time she had to reach out for something, and would suck at his neck and slap his butt when he did something she decided was out of line.
He was so hard she decided to give a step ahead, 'Just a moment. I have to get something', she whispered, 'Try not to look, Yenta King'.
She got out of the shower place to take a pack of plastic gloves from a cabinet in the bathroom.
She saw Niles turning his head slightly, trying to disguise the fact he was really curious and fighting very hard the urge to know what she was doing.
Obviously, he would recognize the sound of a hand entering a latex glove, and he blinked in surprise, looking at her over his shoulder, 'Why are you using it?'
'Told you not to look'.
He was going to answer, but saw her severe stare and turned back to the wall.
CC got closer, and used her ungloved hand to caress the small of his back, 'Everybody is kind of dirty down there, Niles, no matter how careful and hygienic a person try to be', her caress went up, following the line of his spine, 'Do you get it?'
'Yes', he sighed, 'It was just unexpected'.
'I understand your surprise', she said, her knuckles grazing his nape, 'We don't have to be so through every time, but believe me: being inexperienced, you'll feel better if you know you have been properly cleaned'.
'All right', he said, shivering at her voice and fingers close to his ear.
'Uhum', she agreed, her fingers separating, so she was threading through the hair on the back of his head, 'Besides, my nails are longer than they should, for this. I could hurt you with them'.
'I'm sorry I overreacted'.
'Don't be. If you have any doubts, just ask', she answered, pulling lightly at his hair and receiving a startled gasp in response, 'I'm not here to abuse you – at least, not against your will'.
The last part was said with an obvious smile in her voice, and Niles groaned.
CC gave her throaty laugh, and he groaned louder.
She renewed the soap in her glove-covered hand and massaged his buttocks with it, getting closer and closer to where she wanted to reach, all the time keeping his head back by the pulled hair, giving her space to tease the flesh of his throat.
He separated his legs of his own volition when he felt it would make things easier for her, what CC found quite reassuring.
And arousing.
'I see you want to let me in', she said, in a soothing voice, her lips brushing his ear.
He almost whimpered.
She let go of his hair and moved her finger around her target, making sure all the area got slippery and stimulated enough, 'How does it feel?'
'Nice', he answered, and had to clear his throat to not sound so hoarse, 'It's different, but nice'.
'Uhum', she agreed, 'I'll start with just one finger, but it still may be a bit uncomfortable. Maybe a burning sensation, in the beginning. If it is too much, just tell me, ok?'
He nodded.
She rested her hand on his hip, in a delicate move to keep in contact, and at the same time a bossy gesture to keep him in place.
Her finger moved, finding the right spot, and she pressed a bit.
And a bit more.
And it entered him.
Niles gasped and his hands closed in fists, at the wall.
'Want me to stop?', she quickly asked.
'Just a moment', he said, breathing in and out to relax.
'If you want to stop, just tell me. It's not everybody who enjoys it. I'll understand if you…'
'Calm down, witch', he interrupted her, in a steady voice, 'You said it: I'm inexperienced. Give me some time to adjust and everything will be fine'.
CC kissed his shoulder to show she understood what he was saying.
However, she still feared he was in distress and would not tell her, so eager he was to try it and make what she wanted. So, she pulled her finger a bit out, in order to relieve some of the pressure in him.
Niles arched his back, 'Do it again'.
'What?', she asked, confused.
'This thing you just did felt really good', he explained, 'Put it in, and then a bit out'.
'Are you sure?'
He turned his head to the side, 'I trust you won't hurt me. I have nothing to fear'.
'Thank you', she whispered, advancing enough to be by his side and to touch his lips with hers.
Finding this new position very enticing, she kept her lips on his, savoring them, while her front rubbed against his side and her hand stayed pressed against him, her finger making small gentle movements in and all of his ass.
So, Niles liked the feeling of stretching, and didn't mind being penetrated. That was promising.
At this point, most men would give up trying the experience of anal sex, feeling invaded and submissive at the hands of a woman something too degrading to be enjoyed.
She stayed in that position, kissing him while moving inside him, for a while, and just parted because she wanted to renew the soap and use more water, effectively cleaning him.
He seemed so comfortable with the situation that CC tried to insert a second finger, as carefully as she could. Seeing she managed, she started the scissoring movements she knew would make things easier later.
Niles sighed, and she could say distress was not the prevalent feeling, there.
It seemed he was a quick learner.
When she was sure her work was done in terms of cleaning and initial stretching, she inserted her fingers deeper and made a hook, looking for the back of his cock's base.
When she touched the right spot, Niles gasped again, startled, 'What is it?', he asked, out of breath.
'Is it good?', she asked, pressing again softly.
'Y-yes', he grunted, supporting his forehead on his forearm, on the wall.
'I think I have hit your sweet spot, baby', CC grinned, 'Say hello to your prostate, Niles'.
She moved her finger again, massaging it, and all he could do was moan and arch his back.
'It's like a pleasure button', she whispered close to his ear, 'It feels good just to press it; but, if you press it the right way, it expels pre cum and you get something quite different from the explosive orgasm you are used to'.
'Oh, dear', he said, in a hoarse voice, both his hands in fists on the sides of his head, now.
'Yeah', she approved that he was letting her do it, 'And we can make it last'.
'I'm not so sure', he managed to say.
'Trust me, we can', she smiled, and kept the massaging.
His breathing was ragged, his fists clenched, and she could feel his effort to control the feelings coursing through his body.
At some point he made a movement with his hips as if he intended to get out of her reach, and murmured something about almost coming and not wanting to.
CC could not refrain from grinning. A man that was a master with quips and zingers was communicating through key-words, such was his state of arousal at her skills.
'Shush', she ordered, in a low voice, 'You have to find out if it is an anal orgasm or the old one you already know', she grazed his nape with her nose, 'Just let it go. Trust me'.
Her fingers were moving slower, as if she was giving him time to adjust and decide how he wanted to proceed, but she was still teasing his prostate enough to put him on edge.
Niles was not able to articulate an answer for some moments.
It took CC as a surprise when he lowered his head, clenched around her finger and groaned deeply.
It was a long guttural sound, and CC reached out with her free hand to feel his cock.
It was expelling a long and thick line of pre cum.
When it stopped, she hugged Niles from the side, her free hand going up to rest over his heart, 'Are you ok?'
'It's almost too much', he breathed deeply, 'An it feels like it's not over'.
'And it's not', she answered, kissing his shoulder, 'I've told you we could make it last'.
'I should listen to you more'.
'Damn! Where is my tape recorder?'
They chuckled and he turned his head for a kiss.
While she covered his lips with hers, she realized that said tape recorder had his marriage proposal in it, and CC decided a freshly orgasmed Niles could find the moment appropriate for blurting out some stupidity, and her current feelings of empowerment and fondness for him would make her easily agree to his stupidity, and she had to divert the situation, 'Let's move it to the bed'.
She spoke and brought her fingers out, slowly but steadily, and turned off the water, reaching out for the towels while discarding the glove in the process.
A bit dazzled, Niles turned to her.
He gulped and licked his lips, his body showing all the signs of arousal she expected –flushed cheeks, hard member, parted lips – and some of insecurity – his fists were still bailed, as if he was hesitant to reach out and touch her, and his eyes were wandering on her face.
She approached to touch his lips with hers.
He answered to her tentative kiss with a deeper of his own, and luckily for them Niles grabbed the towels, because CC just forgot them, focusing solely in that delicious connection with him.
When they parted, they locked stares.
'Do you think I'm ready?', he asked, his eyes that dark shade of blue that showed his arousal and, still, how nervous he really was.
'You seem to be a natural, Niles', she smiled, pecking his cheek, taking a towel for herself and observing him toweling his chest with his, 'But it's not about being ready. It's about experimenting things to discover what we both enjoy'.
'I stand corrected', he smiled shyly, 'I just want it to be perfect, and it's kinda difficult to do anything when I have no idea where we are going'.
'Aren't you enjoying the surprises?', she smirked at him, the towel reaching parts of her that visibly unfocused him.
'Of course I am', he forced his eyes up to her face again, 'It's just new to me being in the receiving end of… some things', he licked his lips, 'I live to serve, as I told you, but…'
'…but now it seems you'll have to put yourself in my hands'.
'There's no way out for me, at this point'.
The way Niles said it gave no space for CC to think he regretted his situation.
Feeling a rush of arousal at how accepting and desiring he was, she pulled him by the hand, exiting the shower area and walking quickly to the door that leaded to the bedroom.
She grabbed both towels to throw them at the bathroom sink in the process and, seeing his furrowed brow, warned, 'Don't you dare caring about it now'.
'I'd never', he defended himself, but still his eyes lingered on the towels for a moment, what made CC pull at him harder.
As if it was a punishment, she pushed him on the bed with enough force for him to understand she wanted him in the middle of it, and he obeyed, being exactly where she wanted him to be: lying on his back, under her, where she could straddle his hips and dedicate her time to savor his mouth.
He was eagerly touching her body, kissing her back and rubbing their middles against each other and, as much as she was finding his desire an irresistible invitation, she wanted to show him they had all the time in the world just for themselves.
It felt like a first time.
Oh, well, it was a first time.
She separated their mouths to look into his eyes.
He stopped moving and looked at her.
He lifted a hand to caress her hair and put a lock behind her ear.
She nose kissed him, in a tender gesture that surprised Niles and made him smile, moved.
She tilted her head, her nose grazing his cheek and feeling the scent of his skin.
His smile turned into a grin.
She planted her lips on his jaw, tracing the line of it.
He hummed and his hands caressed her back in feathering touches.
She reached his neck and felt it with her tongue.
She could feel the moment he realized she was changing the pace by the way his hands grabbed her hips.
CC took his hands and put them on the sheets, her eyes in his, showing she intended to get things on her hands, again.
He nodded and rested his head on the mattress, too.
Glad he had got her meaning, she pecked his lips and went down again, showering Niles' body with kisses and licks and eventual bites.
She saw him closing his eyes and flexing his hands on the sheet, focusing on being passive while she made her trail slowly.
CC breathes deeply in the smell of coffee, again, her hand going to her neck and loosening a bit the scarf she is wearing: how is it people doesn't complain about the temperature in a public place like an airport?
It feels hot as hell in here.
And you would know, she listens to Niles' voice in her head and knows that she deserved the teasing, once she is being obtuse on purpose.
(One of the worst things about doing this relationship thing is her sheer inability to keep a healthy level of denial.)
CC pushes the cup away from her. Drinking coffee is not helping.
She must pay more attention to the mix of Niles and coffee, by the way. She should have known better than to keep thinking of him while drinking it. Too many delicious things associated.
Yeah, delicious, she thinks, looking at her watch and realizing it is almost time.
And addicting, she adds, while trying to look cool and composed, even if her heart is beating wildly and her mind is insisting on thinking of what happened that night.
That night.
She bits her lower lip, resisting the urge to fawn herself.
There is no good in it if Niles is not there to say she should take her hormones, anyway.
She smiles fondly – she had been able to shut up that delicious mouth, that night. The King of All Retorts had been incapable of articulating anything that resembled teasing while under her skilled ministrations.
Of course, he was not exactly quiet, either…
She remembers him lying there on his back, in the middle of her enormous penthouse bed, with a pillow she had put under his buttocks to raise his body.
He used his forearms to keep his knees parted and high, giving her total access to his middle.
She would never forget his moans while she was on her knees, between his legs, doing all she wanted with him, using fingers, lips and tongue, putting him on edge and pulling back, letting him go through the new threshold of pleasure he had discovered in the shower and, at his pleading, teaching him how to stay there even when the urge to reach the peak seemed overwhelming.
CC had promised herself she would follow Niles' reactions closely when they tried this, looking for hints of what he was feeling. She had been with a handful of different men in her life, and she knew that some of them would not tell her if they were uncomfortable or really hurting, during sex. The paid ones would never complain, even if she told them clearly to warn her, and some love sick puppies would follow the same martyr-trend, thinking they were all macho when they wouldn't deny nothing to their lover.
However, Niles was not being very subtle about what he was feeling, and CC didn't really have to look for clues and hints: his body language was all about surrender and pleasure, from the slightly open mouth to the hard cock between his wide open legs.
She couldn't wait anymore, and parted from him enough to take a pack of condoms she had left in a corner of the bed.
While she opened one and put it on herself, she inclined over him again, kissing him leisurely.
Niles let go of his legs to touch her and feel how wet she was, with one hand, while he caressed her length and helped her to put the condom with the other.
When they completed the task she knelt between his legs again, now that they were resting on the bed.
He raised his head to observe while she spread some lube over the condom and on his entrance.
'So', she spoke, her voice low and seductive when she got closer, supporting her hands on the bed, at his sides, 'Let's give it a try?'
He nodded, his chest rising and falling quickly.
She saw how nervous he was and took her time, her tip just touching his hole, without pressing, and she brought a hand closer to caress the side of his face, 'Will you tell me if it hurts?'
He nodded.
'Relax', she whispered, the head of her cock rubbing against him, 'You'll feel it stretching, as in the shower. Don't worry and try not to resist'.
He closed his eyes and nodded.
'I'll push slowly, and you tell me if it's too uncomfortable'.
He opened his eyes and nodded.
'Cat ate your tongue?'
He chuckled, embarrassed, 'I feel too giddy'.
CC smiled and leaned to kiss him, 'And I feel honored, baby. Seriously'.
Their eyes met in a loving stare, and she pressed a bit more on him.
Niles had his mouth slightly open in expectation.
His cock was pressed between them, not as hard as before, what showed how anxious he was.
CC pushed a bit more, and the head got in.
He took a sharp intake of air and tensed.
'Want me to get out?', she hurried to ask, bending enough to shower soothing kisses on his jaw and chin.
'No, no', he reached out to touch her thighs, 'Just give me a moment'.
She waited.
He used his feet, that were planted firmly on the mattress, to help his hips to move slowly.
CC knew he was just getting used to the feeling of her, but the sight of Niles moving his hips while she was inside him made her loose some of her control, and she went a bit ahead, just to regret it and come backwards again.
'Wow', he was wide eyed, looking at her face, 'That's what you did with your finger, before. In and out'.
She nodded, not sure of what he was trying to say.
'I like it', he clarified, now really relaxing, 'Do it again'.
It was her time to stay quiet and obey, glad he had turned verbal enough to guide her and tell how he wanted things to be done.
She established a steady pace, stretching him while she went forward, went back, and then forward again, little by little, but never stopping.
She cared so much for Niles she wanted it to be perfect, too, as he had said he wanted it to be.
If he only knew she felt like bursting when he did things like that – when he relaxed and showed her how much pleasure she gave him…
He usually was not shy to express his pleasure when he was servicing her – in bed and out of it – and she knew he still was not very comfortable when the roles were reversed. For some reason, maybe related to his training, or to his years as a servant, Niles still felt somewhat embarrassed and kind of guilty when CC went down on her knees to pleasure him.
She had every intention of helping him to get free of those difficulties. She loved the feeling of him in her mouth.
But that night, the roles were suddenly reversed, because she was the one doing things, and still they were not that reversed, because it was still him who had got out of his comfort zone to try something new that would please her.
Luckily for them, he didn't mind trying new things for her; and the things they had been trying had been satisfying for both of them.
CC got out of her contemplative state at the feeling of Niles reaching out to touch her breasts, massaging them.
His ministrations made her moan – the man was a genius with his hands...
She wanted to keep things slow, but the heavenly feeling of his hands on her was not helping.
Suddenly, she felt him pinching her nipples.
She growled and glared at him, in a familiar mix of desire and annoyance.
'Come on', he growled back, 'I want you all. What are you waiting to take me, Miss Babcock?'
Yes, the man was a genius. He knew how to push her buttons as no one else.
She fastened and deepened the pace.
Niles rolled his eyes and his head fell behind.
In a few strokes she was buried in him, and she stayed there, making small circles with her hips.
She rested her body on his to kiss his lips and give them both something else to focus on.
'Are you all inside?', he whispered when their lips parted.
'Uhum', she answered, 'How does it feel?'
'It's... different'.
'Does it hurt?'
'Just the right amount', he breathed deeply, 'And, still, I can feel you reaching a lot of right places', he made an awed face, 'I didn't even know I had so much right places'.
She chuckled, 'Now I'm sure you're a natural'.
'Let's find out', he answered, his eyes the darkest blue she had ever seen, 'Show me what you can do, witch'.
And CC showed.
She went in and out of him, resuming the maddening slow pace from before, just to make him squirm in the kind of impatience that just a good foreplay can bring up.
She increased the pace suddenly, just to get that reaction of him – the gasping followed by the surrender, when he would let his head fall behind, as if he had given up any control and just offered himself to her.
She kept her angle of entry pointed up, so she hit his prostate with every deep stroke, taking him to that threshold again, and making pre cum to be expelled from time to time.
CC had to stop again, or she would come really fast – Niles was tight, he was moaning loudly (thank God they had not tried it in the mansion!) and he had an expression on his face she knew was ecstasy and agony at every wave of the edging sensation that hit him.
She straightened her back and reached out a hand to caress his hard-as-rock length and take some of that wetness, now pooling around the base, to her mouth.
He followed her gestures attentively.
She licked her fingers deliberately slow.
Niles rocked his hips against her, trying to get her to move.
CC put her hands on his hips to still them.
He whimpered.
She smirked and inclined to bite his neck while she grazed her nails on his chest, 'What is it, baby?'
He shivered, 'Please, don't stop'.
Oh, well. That was too much for her to deal with.
CC straightened her back again and pounded on Niles: her cock invaded him mercilessly, throbbing inside him, hitting his prostate at every turn of her hips.
He reached blindly for her in a desperate search for something, anything that grounded him, because she had promised the sensation could last, and it was lasting – the pre cum was leaking in thick blurts, and she knew each one was a delicious edging thing that was torture and bliss.
When she groaned something that she hoped sounded like Coming (and she was not even sure if she was warning him or just sharing the feeling), CC barely heard his Yes (and she didn't know if it was an authorization or an agreement).
What she knew was that she exploded inside him, felt him clenching around her cock, the grip on his thighs against her hips got tighter and he moaned hoarsely while pulling her against him.
CC let her body lay down on his, and the fact she was still buried in him made his body shiver and a new portion of pre cum to be expelled.
She planted her lips on his neck to feel his fastened pulse and the salty taste of sweat, while she tried to gather some of her mind back.
His cock was hard between them, jerking against her belly, his hands massaging her buttocks in an attempt to keep her close and maybe instinctively get rubbing enough to reach his own orgasm.
'Wait', she whispered, lifting her hips enough to get out of him.
She took out the condom and threw it aside, seizing the rare opportunity of a distracted Niles to not fuss about neatness.
She positioned herself on top of him, making him enter her.
'Oh, my God', was all he could say at the sensations cursing through his body.
'I'd prefer Goddess', she teased him, supporting her hands on his thighs, arching her back backward, and moving her hips slowly.
'That's what you seem to be, right now', he told her in awe, 'You're truly beautiful, Miss Babcock'.
'Damn, it's sexy', she growled.
'Yes, it is', he reached out to trace a line between her breasts, descending to her navel and then caressing her softening length.
She straightened her back to be able to see his face when she grinded on him more forcefully.
Niles moaned, 'That's amazing, but I don't know if I can come any soon…'
'Who said it must be any soon?'
He closed his eyes, 'Wow'.
She grinned, 'Just relax and enjoy it'.
He did as she ordered, and for some time she just rode him, with no hurry to feel anything besides the other's lasting pleasure.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and took her hands in his, 'May I ask something from you, Mistress?'
Her breathing faltered, but she managed to speak, 'Anything'.
'I would like to make love with you on my lap, so I can have you in my arms while we do it', his eyes never left hers, 'What you just taught me was wonderful. I'm not ready to be this apart'.
She knew what he meant. She felt like melting her body in his, too.
She licked her lips and made sure not to sound too moved and out of character, 'Wish granted'.
'Thank you'.
They moved, so he could support his back on the headboard of her bed, and he hugged her tight when she adjusted herself to resume riding him.
It's nice not to know what comes next, CC remembers the words he said to her after they spent a lot of time embracing and kissing and slowly building their arousals until, eventually, both came.
She picks a napkin to clean her lips from the coffee without getting off much of her lipstick, and notices she has turned uncomfortable in her pants.
Luckily, she has a big purse with her. It has proved useful in a lot of situations, and this is going to be one of those. Niles has provoked that reaction on her many times, but it seemed to get worst (or better) since they got officially together, because before she had his presence and her fantasies; now, besides her new awareness of him and her knowledge of how delicious he tasted, there was an awesome collection of experiences with him to assault her.
CC's eyes get large when she hears that his plane has arrived.
She rises from the table (bag in front of her), pays for the coffee and goes to the arrival gates.
She stays there, in the middle of the crowd, feeling her heart beating madly in anticipation, her eyes glued to the spot where he is expected to emerge.
She hopes she is able to not attack the man right there.
After her thoughts from just now, all she can think of is ravishing him.
It seems an impossible feature to have lived three whole days without him.
Maybe she should have rented a room someplace closer than her penthouse.
How was she supposed to wait until they reached it? How was she supposed to behave inside a taxi?
She is already pondering if the airport bathrooms would be suitable for her desires when her eyes finally find Niles, who has appeared carrying his shoulder bag.
He is disheveled, has an annoyed face, is probably tired by the jetlag and looks around with a glare that says he is currently the sort of endearing childish grumpy just Niles can be.
He is looking down while trying to put a ticket in the right pocket of his coat, what seems to put him in a further state of aggravation.
CC wonders what may have happened in London to keep him so unhappy after such a long trip.
When he finally manages to make the ticket to disappear, he raises his head, and their eyes meet as if he has sensed she is directly in front of him, just a few steps ahead.
He stops in his tracks.
And he grins as if he has just found a treasure.
All of his annoyance, sadness, or whatever it was, is gone the moment he sees her there.
CC feels a warm feeling hit her again and, surprisingly, it is not the deep raw desire that was consuming her some moments ago.
It is affection.
Deep raw affection, if something like that exists.
They walk to each other and, when they finally meet, his hands rest on her lower back, pulling her to him as he loves to, and her hands go to the sides of his face, positioning him where she wants him to be for a deep kiss, as she loves to.
Their mouths find each other in a greeting that is relief and caress.
When they part, Niles has that adoring look on his face, 'You have no idea how much I missed you'.
She hugs him tight, and her voice sounds much more fragile than she wished it to, 'You really think so?'
He hugs her back, realizing she is there because she has been waiting for him, and that the coffee he has tasted in her mouth is probably from that cafeteria she has mentioned a million times as the one that serves something comfortingly similar to what he prepares to her in the mansion.
He caresses her back and her hair in silence, overwhelmed by the revelation that it had been as hard to her as it had been to him.
She kisses his neck and ends their embrace suddenly, 'Wrap a scarf around that. It's cold outside, and you're grumpy enough without catching a cold'.
He obediently opens his bag and picks the scarf she had chosen for him to take to London. She helps him to put it, as if he needs any help putting his own clothes after a lifetime of providing it for himself, and he can't contain a smile, touched by her pretense of annoyance while being so caring.
When she grabs his hand and they start walking side by side, he comments, 'I'm not grumpy'.
'You should have seen your face at the gates'.
'I was thinking of you'.
'This is not soothing, Niles'.
He pulls at her hand to stop her, and takes both of her hands in his, making her turn to him, 'I mean I was thinking of how badly I was missing you, and wondering how much I still had to wait for us to meet', he suddenly has the saddest eyes, 'I know we have talked to each other through the phone; I know we never really lost contact', he lowers his eyes to her hands, as if in shame, 'But it was not the same. I went through hell without you by my side', he brings her hands to his lips to kiss them, 'I can't live without you'.
CC gulps, alarmed. He is on the verge of doing something stupid.
And she is on the verge of agreeing with him.
'I can't live without you, either', she says, firmly.
His eyes snap at her.
'And, if you really are being truthful about it all, you'll stop whining over what is past and will follow me to the place we have agreed we would go as soon as you were back'.
Niles has his mouth open for some moments, surprised at her how quick she had changed gears.
And then he smiles, knowing she is still scared of all the tenderness going on between them, but intends her invitation to go testing Home Depot as a proof that nothing she ever says to him is to be taken lightly.
He finds it promising, and let her lead him.