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"They weren't kidding when they said 'small' cottages," Dean comments as he lifts our bags out of the trunk and onto the short brick driveway.
The cottage is tiny, just one story and it can't be more than a few hundred square feet. Still, it does look cozy and the garden is adorable with little gnomes, frogs and other whimsical creatures guarding the entryway. A small koi pond is built into a low stone wall.
"I think it's cute. Plus, it's just us. How much space do we really need?" I grab my tote from him and make my way to the front door.
Dean slips in front of me to punch a code into the lockbox secured onto the siding. He pops out the key and opens the door so I can step inside.
I slide my hand along the wall trying to reach a light switch. Unfortunately, I come up with nothing. It's dark now so I slowly make my way inside, careful to tuck my bag in to my side and not knock over anything we'll end up having to pay for later. I manage to locate a lamp and flip the switch on the base.
The room illuminates, a dim yellow, and I take a look around as Dean crosses the threshold with our bags.
"Wow. This…is really small!" Dean laughs looking around the crowded living room.
There is a floral patterned love seat which takes up the majority of the space. Across from it is a flatscreen television mounted on the wall above a narrow cabinet with a clear front which houses an assortment of videos and the equipment on which to play them. A miniature dining table sits beneath the one window in the room with two chairs on opposite sides. To the left of that, there's a meager section of the room which has been turned into a kitchen complete with a microwave mounted above a two-burner stove with a sink built into the side. The counter space is limited but they've managed to stock it with a one cup coffee machine and two mugs. Next to the microwave there are two long white shelves, one housing two complete place settings of plates, bowls and cups. The other holds four wine glasses, two white and two red.
"It's nice. And I'm totally taking the bigger room." I laugh as I walk towards the door across from the entryway and flip the wall switch to illuminate a bedroom. It's painted a muted beige with white trim, another white bordered window takes up most of the far wall. The bathroom is off to the right and boasts a standing shower with a small vanity next to it. I turn back to take in the room and my eyes land on the bed. A queen bed with a white tufted comforter and wooden head and footboards.
There's only one bed.
I walk back to the living room and look for another door leading to a second bedroom but all I am met with is a closet filled with some cleaning supplies and an ironing board.
Dean is busy scanning our entertainment options in the TV cabinet. I realize our dilemma and clear my throat until he looks up at me.
"Um, Dean. There's uh, there's just the one room and um, one bed." I look down at my feet then scan the room looking anywhere but at him.
"Seriously?" he stands and walks into the room I've just exited. I hear him swear under his breath and then he turns back to me. "I'm so sorry Jessie. I swear, I know it sounds like total bullshit, but I didn't plan this. The woman on the phone asked if I wanted two double rooms or a queen and I know I told her I wanted the two doubles. I'll call her right now and see if the other one is still available."
Dean rifles through his pockets until he comes up with the phone and quickly scrolls through until he finds what he's looking for.
The call is brief and unproductive.
"She claims that the other cottage was already rented when she booked us and didn't think we'd mind. She's a little senile so I guess I should've double checked on everything… Damn it, I'm really sorry Jess. I can sleep on the love seat. You take the bed."
Just by looking at him I can tell he's very clearly annoyed with the whole situation. I don't blame him, and I also don't think it's fair that he sleeps on the couch in a place he insisted on paying for.
"No Dean, it's okay. I mean, you've slept in my bed at the apartment. This isn't any different." I close the front door and lift my duffle so that I can take it to the bedroom and unpack.
"I know, but I don't want you to think that I planned this. Honestly, I'm not pushing anything. I wanted you to come with me so we could spend some time together and I could still get some good photos for my portfolio. I just thought it'd be better with you here with me. This isn't some scheme to get you into bed." Dean leans against the doorjamb in the bedroom as I pull clothes out of my bag and stack them in the tiny four drawer dresser.
"Dean, if I thought that's the only reason you brought me here, I wouldn't be here." I mean, that's mostly true. If it was the whole reason, I'd have said no. Probably.
"Okay well, I'll let you finish unpacking. You've gotta be starving. I'll go grab us some sandwiches from that deli we passed on our way in. Anything else you need?" He drops his own bag next to the bed and tosses his keys from hand to hand. If it wasn't a ridiculous notion I'd swear he was a little nervous too.
"Yeah, actually," I say as I tuck the last of my clothes away and fold up my bag to shove in the closet, "I know it's gonna sound weird, but could you grab some pickles and hot sauce? Don't ask, it's just my thing."
"Not weird at all, but you haven't lived until you've had fried pickles doused in hot sauce. Life changing." He smirks at me and makes his way out the door.
I smile and flop down on the now empty bed as the front door closes. It sinks gloriously under my weight and feels like a huge pile of down pillows stacked beneath me. That's the last thing I'm conscious of before I pass out cold.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty." Dean whispers in my ear while I pretend to be sleeping. I woke up when he opened the bedroom door, but I'm not quite ready to get out of this insanely comfortable bed yet.
I feel him brush the hair off my forehead before he whispers again, "Come on Jessie, time to get up. Or I'm feeding your pickles to the koi fish outside."
I almost laugh at that last bit, but I bite my cheek to keep from cracking a smile.
"So that's how it's gonna be, huh? Okay. Guess there's only one way to get you out of bed."
The next thing I know, Dean's lips are on mine and if I wasn't fully awake before, I certainly am now. He attempts to pull back but I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down to me.
We haven't been together like this since he kissed me goodbye yesterday morning. His body pressing me into the mattress drives me absolutely crazy, and I don't want him to break away so I shift and wrap my legs around him. This does something to Dean's usually steely resolve because his hips press against mine, the feeling causing an involuntary moan to climb its way up my throat. It shocks me because this is normally the point where either he pulls back, or I lose it and start to panic. Instead I grasp Dean's hair in my hands and take the kiss deeper. I arch my back and tighten my legs around him, bringing my hips up to his in an attempt to recreate the same feeling he incited just seconds before.
Dean's hands are suddenly on me. He grasps the back of my thigh and pulls me closer to him. His other hand snakes beneath my back and we're now practically plastered against each other, only a layer of cotton and denim separating us. He's matching the rhythm of my hips and the sensation is almost too much to bear. I panic a little because I know what's about to happen and it's the first time it will ever happen with another person. I tear my lips from his so I can catch my breath and he locks his onto my neck, just below my ear.
"Dean, I can't…I'm going to…" I can't form a sentence, my body won't let my brain work, so I just stop talking all together.
"It's okay, we won't go any further than this," he pants in my ear as he nips the lobe. "Just let go. I want to see you, to hear you."
His words decimate the panic and leave raging desire in its place. He's paused his movement and is looking into my eyes for an answer to the unasked question. Keep going, or stop right here? My chest is heaving with my uneven breaths. There are parts of me absolutely begging for him to continue. I can't even manage to wage a decent argument in my head. Instead, I grab him by the shirt and pull him back to me, dragging my teeth over his bottom lip before I slide my tongue across it.
Dean takes this as a green light and I feel every inch of him against me all at once. He moves his hand from my leg to my waist where our movements have bunched up my shirt to reveal the lightly tanned skin beneath. His fingers lightly scraping against my skin give me chills and he continues to move up under my shirt until he reaches the lace barrier between him and my breast. He hesitates but I am so wrapped up in him that I place my own hand over his and urge him on. Dean's thumb skims over the peak just as the movement of our hips sends me spiraling off a cliff I didn't even know I was standing on. I clutch my legs around him, holding him against me and his name escapes my lips with a strangled cry as every inch of me shatters into oblivion. The pieces fall back down into a trembling pile as I release him from my grasp and fall limply against the mattress.
He takes my face in both hands and, with his forehead against mine and our lips just barely touching, he whispers, "You are so damn beautiful."
My eyes are closed as I try to catch my breath, but a smile breaks out across my face anyway. "You keep saying that. I think I'm going to start believing it soon."
"Good." His silky lips rub against mine briefly. "That's the idea."
After several intense moments where I try to come back down to earth and Dean attempts to calm himself down, I bring my hands to gently grip his biceps as he leans over me. "So that…was really unexpected." Finally opening my eyes, I see him smiling down at me.
"Unexpected maybe, but definitely something I've been thinking about for a while. In some form, anyway." His smirk makes me feel a little self-conscious and I tug my shirt back into place between us as my cheeks heat.
"You're adorable when you blush."
"I don't blush," I say obstinately.
"Oh really? Then what's this?" He kisses one cheek, then the other.
"The result of physical exertion," I quip.
"I'll show you physical exertion." He wraps one arm under my back and the other under my backside as he lifts me off the bed with him. Once he's got both feet under him, he tosses me over his shoulder and smacks me on the butt.
"Hey!" I laugh and yell at the same time. "Put me down caveman, you've made your point."
He walks me into the living room before placing me on my feet. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
He moves to the tiny table and pulls out my chair. There's that stupid little flutter again. I sit, and he takes his seat across from me.
"So," he says as he unwraps his sandwich, "what do you think about getting up early and coming to the beach with me so I can get some sunrise shots?"
"Sure, what time is sunrise tomorrow morning?" I pour some hot sauce onto the paper from my sandwich and dip a pickle slice in it before taking a bite.
"A little before seven. I figure if we head out around six we'll be good to go. The beach is only about a fifteen minute walk from here."
"I can't wait to get out there. I think I want to try surfing while we're here."
Dean looks at me with a raised eyebrow as we eat, then he shakes his head with a smile. "I knew I would rub off on you eventually. This is actually a good place for you to learn if you're really interested. The waves are pretty tame and this time of year the water is actually warmer than it is in the summer."
I narrow my eyes at him. "You've either got Rain Man-like knowledge of surfing, or you've been looking into this for a while."
He gives me an exaggerated look of innocence. "Are you insinuating that I was planning to lure you out onto a board while we're here?"
"Sure would seem like it from where I'm sitting."
"Hey, just because I called ahead to Monterey Bay Surf Lessons and booked a private session for tomorrow afternoon doesn't mean a thing."
I can't help but grin at him.
"Your confidence in your ability to talk me into things is astounding, but I'll let it go since I'm actually really excited to try this out."
He looks relieved and happy that I'm not pissed at him for making plans without talking to me first. I actually find it really sweet that he thought ahead and obviously wants me to have a memorable trip.
"We should probably get to bed then, since we have to be up at dawn, literally." He rolls up the trash from our dinner and shoves it into a plastic bag, then the trash can.
I stretch and head into the bedroom to find something to sleep in. Seeing the rumpled blanket on the bed reminds me of what we were doing not quite half an hour ago in that exact spot. Suddenly I'm a little nervous about climbing into bed with him.
"I'm gonna take a quick shower, is that okay?" I ask.
"Sure, I'll grab one after you," he replies.
I bring a t-shirt and pair of shorts into the bathroom and close the door behind me. Looking in the mirror above the sink, I give myself an internal pep talk.
Just because you're sleeping in the same bed together doesn't mean he expects you to have sex with him.
Um, really? After what happened earlier, how could he NOT want sex?
Wanting it and expecting it are two different things.
True, but he was sort of left hanging earlier…
But he didn't seem angry or frustrated did he? No. Stop projecting other assholes' feelings onto Dean! He's a great guy.
He is a great guy.
And you really like him.
I do really like him.
You might even…
Hey now, let's not get crazy here.
Okay, but you know you want to be with Dean. You trust him. You want him to be your first.
I blink a few times.
I do want him to be my first.
I stare at my reflection for another few seconds before pushing off the counter and climbing into the shower.
When I finally exit the bathroom, Dean is laying on the bed tapping around on his phone. He looks up as I toss my dirty clothes into a pile and climb onto the bed next to him.
"I didn't know you were a fan," he says, nodding at the band on my t-shirt.
"Yeah," I look down and tug at the edges of the shirt, "Jamie cringes when I blare Yellowcard while I'm cleaning or studying. He's more of a top forty fan. I can't help it, I've got a thing for pop-punk."
He gives me an odd look before heading in to take his own shower.
I feel the day weighing down on me, so I make sure the front door is locked then come back in the bedroom and turn off the lights. I pull the covers down and slide into bed.
A few minutes later Dean is walking out of the bathroom and, with the light of the moon shining through the window, I can see that he's wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. My heartbeat accelerates and I work to control my breathing. He lays down next to me and pulls the covers up over him. I'm on my side, facing away from him, and I can feel him turn so that his front is pressed lightly to my back. His arm comes around me and slips just under the edge of my t-shirt to rest against my stomach. I know he can feel it jump at the contact but he says nothing. Instead he just pulls me into his chest, presses a kiss to my hair, and rests his head close to mine.
I sigh lightly before closing my eyes and snuggling back against him. I rest my hand over his and drift off to sleep with his arm wrapped around me and my heart just that much closer to falling at his feet.