Title: Lonely No More
A/N: Ugh! I've had this chapter ready to post since Friday night, but FF was experiencing a 'technical glitch' that apparently lasted for about a day and a half. So, I apologize for keeping you ladies waiting! Thanks for all the great reviews, favorites, and alerts! Here's a nice, long chapter for you all. Enjoy :D
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"Go baby, go!" Eric yelled at the television, engrossed in the college football game on television.
"Dad, you do realize that guy running on TV can't hear you, right?" Julie asked, arching her eyebrow at her father.
Eric sighed, giving his daughter a frown before turning his attention back to the television.
Julie grinned. "You can't be yellin' that loud anyways. You're gonna wake Gracie up from her nap."
"She's fine. That kid could sleep through a tornado." Eric stated, his eyes never leaving the screen.
"Can't we watch something else? Anything else." She sighed, dropping her head back against the couch.
"Julie, it's Saturday. There's nothin' else to watch on Saturday's but college football."
"I should have gone to the store with mom." Julie muttered to herself, closing her eyes.
After the Panthers' loss to Arnett Mead the night before, her dad wasn't in the best of moods.
Shopping for groceries hadn't sounded very appealing when her mom left, but now Julie was thinking that pushing around a grocery cart sounded heavenly compared to this.
Julie opened her eyes a few seconds later, hearing a knock on the front door.
"Who the hell's that?" Eric muttered, not bothering to get up from his seat. "You want to get that honey?"
"No, I don't." Julie muttered. "But I guess I will. I'd hate for you to miss any of your game." She said with fake sweetness.
Julie made her way to the door, surprise and happiness apparent on her face as she opened the door to see the visitor standing on the doorstep.
"Tim." Julie said, giving him a bright smile.
"Hey, Taylor." He replied, a smirk on his lips as he looked at Julie, his gaze taking in her raggedy t-shirt and old jogging pants.
Damn it, why couldn't she be wearing something cute? Of course she'd be wearing the oldest clothes she owned.
While he looked gorgeous as always, wearing black swim trunks and an old Panthers shirt with the sleeves cut off, giving her a lovely view of his muscular arms.
"Uh, so what are you doin' here?" She asked a little nervously, trying to focus on forming coherent words.
Tim shrugged. "I was bored. Thought you might want to go for a swim. It's hot as hell out here."
"Uh, sure." Julie said quickly, giving him a grin. "Let me just ask my dad, and then get changed."
"Julie!" Eric yelled. "Who is it?"
Julie rolled her eyes, huffing lightly. "Come on in. Let me forewarn you that he's a little edgy today."
"Understandable." Tim muttered, giving her a smirk as he followed her into the house.
"It's just Tim, dad." Julie stated, walking into the living room with Tim close behind her.
"Well, hey son. How are yah?" Eric asked, giving Tim a questioning look.
"I'm good, Coach." Tim answered.
"Uh, dad, would it be okay if I went down to the pool with Tim for a little while?" Julie asked, biting her bottom lip and pleading with her eyes.
Eric sighed deeply, frowning as he looked back and forth between the two of them.
Please, please, please, Julie prayed silently, nodding slightly at her dad, trying to encourage him to say yes.
"Alright." He finally answered. "But y'all are just to go swimming, now. Then come on back home."
"Yes sir." Julie said happily, feeling down right giddy at the thought of spending the afternoon with Tim. "Let me run and change into my swimsuit. I'll be right back." She told Tim, before escaping into her bedroom.
Tim nodded, standing there awkwardly for a few seconds before finally meeting Coach's gaze.
"Have a seat, son. Women always take forever gettin' ready." Eric drawled, motioning for Tim to have a seat on the couch.
"Thanks." Tim replied, turning his gaze toward the game on television.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, both focusing on the game.
"You played a good game last night." Eric said, breaking the silence.
"Not good enough." Tim replied, shaking his head slightly.
Eric looked over at Tim, giving him a serious look. "We just weren't prepared for Arnett Mead last night. We lost, but that doesn't change the fact that you played a hell of a game, son."
"Thanks, Coach." Tim said quietly.
"Okay, I'm ready if you are." Julie announced, walking back into the room, a tank top and shorts covering her bathing suit and a bag slung over her shoulder. "I'll be home later, dad."
"You kids be careful. And remember what I said. Swimming and then home." Eric repeated, looking at them both.
"Yes sir." Tim replied, giving Coach a nod.
"I understand." Julie said, leaning over to give her dad a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye." She called, grabbing Tim's hand and pulling him out of the house.
"You in a hurry, Jules?" Tim asked with a chuckle as she continued pulling him toward his truck.
Julie laughed. "I'm just wanting to hurry and leave before he changes his mind."
Tim grinned, opening her door and waiting for her to hop inside before walking around and climbing in himself.
Julie couldn't keep the grin off of her face as Tim started the truck and they made their way through town.
She glanced over at him, biting her lip.
He looked so good. And relaxed.
He looked like he didn't have a care in the world, when she felt like she was a ball of nerves.
He looked her way, a smirk on his lips as he caught her staring openly.
"You alright, Jules?" He drawled.
"Um, yeah." Julie said quickly, turning to look out the window, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "Hey, you missed the turn for the pool." She said, noticing that Tim had passed the road leading to the community pool.
"We're not goin' to the pool." He replied.
"I thought you said we were goin' swimming."
"We are." Tim said simply. "I never said we were goin' to the pool though."
Julie grinned. She had just assumed that they would be going to the community pool, but apparently she was wrong.
"You heard me tell my dad that we were goin' to the pool. Why didn't you correct me?" She asked, looking over at him.
Tim shrugged. "Figured Coach might not mind the pool, but he probably wouldn't be too happy about us goin' off to the lake by ourselves."
"You thought right." Julie agreed, giving him a smile before turning her attention back to the window and the passing scenery.
They rode in comfortable silence, southern rock music filling the air as they drove down the road with the windows down, the wind in their hair.
Coming to the outskirts of town, Tim pulled onto a dirt road that seemed to go on forever. Finally, the road gave way to a clearing and view of the lake.
"This is nice." Julie said softly, grabbing her bag and stepping out of the truck.
"Yeah. It's pretty sweet." Tim drawled, walking around to stand beside her.
"Who's property is this?" She questioned. "It's got a pier, so it's obviously somebody's."
"A friend of Billy's." Tim replied, as they started to make their way out onto the pier. "They come huntin' out here in the winter. And they party down here some in the summer."
"That's good. I'd hate to get caught trespassing." Julie grinned. "I wouldn't look good in prison garb. Black and white stripes aren't my thing."
Tim smirked. "I don't know, Jules. I figure you'd look good in just about anything." He said softly, meeting her gaze.
Oh Lord. Was he flirting with her? Or was he just teasing her?
Julie couldn't tell, but between the words and the look he was giving her, she was finding it a little hard to breath.
"Uh, thanks." She mumbled, turning to sit her bag on the pier, mentally telling herself to breath.
She turned back to find Tim in midair, jumping into the water and landing with a big splash.
"Hey!" She yelled playfully, as water flew up and soaked her.
"You're gonna get wet anyways, Taylor." Tim laughed, pushing his hair back from his face as he treaded water.
"A little notice would be nice though." She responded with a grin, stepping out of her shorts and taking off her tank top, revealing her turquoise bikini.
It wasn't risqué, but it was showing more skin than she'd ever showed Tim before. He usually saw her in her one-piece lifeguard suit. And this was far from that.
She liked her body okay. Maybe her hips could have been a little slimmer, and she was always a little self conscious about the size of her breasts, but standing in front of Tim made her feel completely awkward.
This was Tim Riggins. He was like a damn connoisseur of female bodies, and she wasn't sure how she'd measure up to all his other women.
She finally met his gaze to find his eyes running over her body slowly, making her shiver.
She watched as a sexy grin came over his lips. "Come on in, Jules." He said, his voice sounding a little huskier than usual.
"How deep is it?" She asked, walking up to the edge of the pier.
Tim shrugged. "I don't know. You can't touch right here."
Julie nodded, arching her body and diving flawlessly into the lake, coming up a few feet in front of Tim.
"Jesus! It's cold." She said loudly, pushing her wet hair back from her face.
"You get used to it."
"Ugh!" Julie shivered, laughing as she treaded water.
"That Texas sun'll warm you up in a bit." He said, squinting his eyes as he looked up in the sky.
"You feelin' okay after last night's game?" Julie asked, drawing his gaze back to her face.
"Yeah. I'm good." Tim drawled. "Sucks that we lost, but we've still got a chance to make it to state if we don't lose anymore games."
Julie nodded slowly. "I'm sure you guys will make it."
Tim nodded, leaning back and floating on top of the water, holding his arms out to his sides.
"It would probably help if you worked out a little more though." Julie said cheekily. "You know, if you were in better shape and all."
She was joking of course, just trying to get a rise out of him.
Tim could be a poster boy for a fitness magazine with his rock-hard abs, toned legs, and lean, muscular arms.
Breathe, Julie. Breathe.
Tim jerked up, a smirk on his face. "You callin' me out?"
"I don't know." Julie grinned. "I'm just sayin' that maybe you've had one too many bottles of beer lately."
"Alright." Tim replied, swimming closer to her. "Let's see how out of shape I am. Race you to the end of the slew and back."
Julie bit her lip, playfully considering his challenge. "Alright. To the end of the slew and back."
Tim grinned cockily. "Ready. Set. Go!"
They both took off, their bodies slicing through the cool water as fast as each could go.
Julie kept him in her peripheral vision, surprised by how good of a swimmer Tim was. She hadn't seen him do much swimming at the pool. He spent most of his time lounging on floats with random girls.
As they made it to the edge of the inlet, both turned and headed back to the pier, still side by side.
Julie felt that Taylor competitiveness kick in as she gave it all she had as they both neared the pier. With a final kick, her hand touched the pier a fraction of a second quicker than Tim's.
"I won!" She said breathlessly, holding onto the edge of the pier as she looked over at Tim.
"No way." Tim said, breathing deeply. "I beat you, Jules."
Julie shook her head, laughing as she tried to catch her breath. "I touched the pier before you did, Tim. It was close, but I won."
"Nah." Tim said, a smirk on his face. "I think I got it before you."
"You are such a liar." Julie laughed, splashing water in his face with her hand. "You just can't stand the thought of losing to a girl."
Tim smirked, splashing water back at her playfully. "I guess we'll never know who really won."
Julie snorted. "I know who won." She stated. "Me."
"You're fast."
"I'm a lifeguard. You have no idea how much I have to swim for that. All the drills and stuff we have to do, including holding your breath."
"I could hold my breath longer than you, too." He challenged.
Julie laughed. "Not now. I've gotta catch my breath first." She said, causing Tim to chuckle.
"Break time." Tim drawled, reaching up and effortlessly pulling his body out of the water and onto the pier.
He stood, shaking the water out of his hair before turning and looking down at Julie.
Julie looked up at him, admiring the chiseled abs and the way that the drops of water ran down his chest, over his abs, and disappeared beneath the waistband of his swim trunks into places that made her hot just thinking about.
There simply weren't words to describe him.
He looked down at her with a sexy smirk, fully aware that Julie was enjoying the view. She tried to keep the blush off her cheeks, but couldn't succeed.
"Come on." He drawled, reaching down and sliding his hands underneath her arms, his fingers grazing the sides of her breasts as he easily lifted her small body out of the water.
"Um, thanks." She muttered, as he placed her on her feet, the feel of his hands on her body making her feel almost dizzy.
"No problem." He muttered, slowly removing his hands, surprising her as he reached out to trace the puckered scar on her side from the accident.
"That hurt?" He asked softly.
"Uh, not anymore." Julie stammered, shivering as he fingers traced over the scar lightly. "I'm just glad to have the stitches out. Those things itch like hell."
Tim smiled, dropping his hand to his side and clearing his throat. "Uh, you want a beer? I packed some in a cooler."
"Yeah, sure." Julie said quickly, glad for the distraction.
Tim nodded slightly, turning and heading back toward the truck. Julie shook her head, trying to stay focused as she grabbed her towel out of her bag and sat on the edge of the pier, placing her feet in the water.
"Here yah go." Tim muttered, handing her a beer before dropping down beside her, placing his feet in the cool water himself.
"Thanks." Julie replied, trying unsuccessfully to twist the cap off of her bottle.
Tim chuckled, taking the bottle out of her hand and popping the top off before returning it to her.
"Thanks." She repeated, chuckling along with him as she took a drink of the amber liquid.
She sat there quietly for several seconds, not sure what to say, but enjoying the feel of Tim's warm body beside her own.
"This is nice." She said, kicking her feet slowly as she turned to look at him.
Tim nodded. "Yeah." He mumbled, looking down at her, a small smirk on his lips.
"You know..." Julie began, about to comment on the weather of all things, when Tim shocked the hell out of her by swooping down and placing his lips on hers.
Julie froze, unable to move for a few seconds as Tim brushed his full lips across hers, goosebumps covering her body.
Jesus. This is really happening.
Tim Riggins is kissing me - Julie Taylor.
She grinned beneath his lips, placing her hand on his damp chest and returning the kiss.
Tim pulled back slightly, meeting her gaze as if to ask if this was all okay.
Julie just grinned, leaning in and capturing his mouth with hers once again.
The contrast between his soft lips and his hot mouth was enough to make Julie feel tingly all over, and as he slanted his head to deepen the kiss, Julie felt like she was about to melt into a big puddle of Riggins-induced goo.
She sighed as his large hand came up to cup her face, tilting her head back slightly. She returned the favor, sliding her hand up his hard chest and wrapping it around his neck, her fingers tangling in the wet hair at the nape of his neck.
Damn, but Tim was a good kisser. He was kissing her long and hard, leisurely learning her mouth like he had all the time in the world.
Not that Julie was complaining. She was sure she had never felt like this before – like her skin was on fire, but completely at peace at the same time.
She almost whimpered as he finally pulled back, not wanting the sweet sensations to end.
She smiled almost shyly, looking up at him as they both tried to catch their breath. His lips were turned up in the sweetest smile, his hand still cupping the side of her face.
"So, um…" Julie stammered, licking her lips as she looked up at him.
Awkward, she thought to herself. What do I say now?
"Anyone ever told you that you talk too much, Jules?" He questioned playfully, his voice low.
Julie grinned. "Maybe once or twice." She said quietly.
Tim smirked before once again bringing his lips to hers for another kiss.
Julie sighed, leaning into him as he once again began to explore her mouth, making her happier than she ever thought possible.
Tim obviously wanted to be more than friends with her, just as she did with him.
But now definitely wasn't the time to be thinking about that.
She had a very kissable Tim Riggins to enjoy, and she wasn't passing up a minute of that.
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A/N: Okay ladies, are we happy now? ;D
