Ch 3, Hot and Bothered

The previous week James had refused to sleep on the couch any longer, which was understandable, but to Teresa's unpleasant surprise he had rented a place two blocks south of the apartment for a short period of time, as he had said.

"Until things get in shape, and we figure out what is best for the long term!" He had looked her in the eyes, then had stared at Pote trying to impart on both that an average apartment in downtown Valletta, that could not reasonably be protected, whose configuration did not allow for observation of the entry and exit points, etc…was 'no good' for a growing op like theirs.

Pote had unwillingly agreed, Teresa had commented that the town center charm could not be replicated in the outskirts, which had resulted in James making a sour face as if questioning the validity of her argument.

"There's two more months on this place's rental anyways", James had said: "Right, Pote? That's what you told me…I am settled for now two blocks away …and will use this time to find us a place that is defendable and….just adequate for our needs!". And with that he had started putting his few personal effects in the duffel bag on his way out.

Teresa found herself distractedly walking to the south of their apartment building. She had walked along the shore to calm down but she still felt quite antsy and annoyed with Pote and his meddling in her cooking. She had decided that going back to the apartment and avoiding hi, when he most likely would be very merry after smoking ganja with George and the Somalis, was not going to make her feel any better. On the contrary it would make her insides continue to cringe with the vague feeling of impending trouble. And the more she told herself she was overreacting and worrying in vain, the worse the premonition felt.

So, when she found herself in front of #14, which she remembered was the address of James's short term rental, she exhaled begrudgingly and just rang the buzzer. The moment she heard the click she felt at a loss of words and only said softly: "It's me."

James was waiting at the door, hair tousled and towel dried, the frown between his eyebrows clearly visible, as she climbed the single landing of stairs to the 1st floor.

"What's wrong?" he said even before she had come to the door: "Did Rocco make contact?"

Teresa shook her head 'no' and walked inside past him as he turned and followed her.

She turned to him and saw him shrug, then lift his eyebrows in an unspoken question as his eyes were taking in her strained expression: "Wanna talk?" he said, eyes boring down on hers.

She exhaled and forced herself to speak: "I can't bear this tension anymore!" His eyebrows slightly went up.

"Tension between us!" she didn't know what else to say to his clueless look. Then she found herself take the two steps to him and kiss him hard on the mouth.

He froze and remained frozen for a few long seconds as his mind processed the situation. He didn't miss registering that every part of him had stirred. The excitement of a first kiss, the brand newness of it, the wondrous smell and taste of the woman he wanted! The surprise she was giving him! Her body, hard and young, pressed against his. He had never felt so lost, so heady and so weightless!

Until his brain started functioning again and his hands touched her face hesitantly. She kept pressing her lips to his and that's when he took charge: his mouth and arms executed a frontal assault on her and a few beats later a swift look into her eyes was more than enough to recognize desire that matched his own, the desire he had been suppressing for quite a while now. The instant they had touched, the tension had given way to urgency.

James had not expected that her mouth would be so hot, delicious, receptive…he would say even greedy. Her hands were bold and searching all over him.

Under her loose sweatshirt her skin was like satin. A scanty, see-through bra, the stuff of wet dreams, but bothersome as hell when he was trying to get his mouth around to a hard nipple. His brain was not functioning, just his body, he knew that. He was fine with the couch, the wall, the floor, but still glued together, they somehow stumbled their way into the bedroom.

Clothing was an aggravation, but Teresa managed to wiggle out of her jeans and underwear. Not wanting to waste precious time, James discarded his T-shirt in seconds and within a couple more seconds of levering himself above her, he got his belt unbuckled, zipper down, jeans shoved past his hips. She was wet, but tight, and it was incredible when he pushed into her… that he shuddered and said...something. Didn't he? Maybe.

He pressed into her until he couldn't press any farther, then began thrusting. He braced himself on his hands, arms straight and back arched. Her hands clutching his ass insistently, her nails digging in it. It was hard and fast and vigorous, breath-stealing and heart-pounding, and then they came together like a thunderbolt had stricken them. It was amazing …astounding!

Only when his arms folded beneath him, and he settled on top of her, and buried his face in her fragrant neck, nipped her soft skin, heard her sigh his name as she whisked her lips across his cheekbone, felt her sweet body go languid beneath his weight, did it occur to him that this hadn't been the strategized step-by-step-until-climax action he was accustomed to give women. No, he'd been seized by a primal streak of possessiveness and had lost himself in it. His suppressed feelings for her and his need to claim her had come to the surface. His desire to become one with her had been primordial. He had mated! And for James the raw realization that he had been caught off guard by something new, was a first!

The man he knew himself to be would cast off things he no longer had use for: possessions, guns, even people…once they were out of his life, he successfully never thought of them again, and went on to the next stage, whatever it was. He had wanted Teresa Mendoza for the last year now, he had admitted to himself his feelings were affection and love, but he had been in the same boat before. However, feeling her heartbeat against his at this precise moment, he realized that he'd found something he needed to keep to feel whole.

They had remained sprawled on their backs for a few minutes, slowing their hearts and minds. When James could no longer hear his heartbeat in his ears, he turned on his side and caressed her hair, which soft touch prompted her to open her eyes.

He simply put his mouth on hers and gave her a slow lovers' exploration kiss, that made her mind swim with the realization that there were oceans of unexplored feelings and sensations under the surface of their crazed physical attraction.

When he finally pulled his head up, he looked her tenderly in the eyes and whispered: "That tension better now?"

She only smiled shyly, and he added: "You took me by surprise and I …had no protection…I'm sorry…"

"It's okay", Teresa whispered and as he kept looking at her intently, she added: "I can…ahh…wash."

"Please!", he said softly, then noted looking at the ceiling: "But I got only one towel…I haven't really done any shopping…".

She repeated that it was okay and smiling again at him got off the bed and walked to the bathroom. She must have felt his eyes on her naked back as something made her turn back, but before she could speak, he whispered: "You're so beautiful!"

It took Teresa some time to calm down her inner self as the excitement that they had hooked up and had clicked had overwhelmed her.

She had felt despondent and worried to her core because of the events with the dead girls, upset and pissed because of Pote's cooking lecture, hot and bothered because of her constant pull to James, whose actions spoke volumes but who seemed perfectly capable to handle the tension and be 'cool' around her. With these churning thoughts in her head, she hesitantly left the bathroom, the one towel tied around her body, her hair up in a messy bun, and snuck under the sheet next to him.

He had turned the TV on and was zapping through the channels as he leisurely offered her his arm and she lay on it, closing her eyes.

"I wanna watch this episode…", James said. "It's this series about cops and border officers…and what they are looking for in passengers, the special training they get…You mind?"

Teresa was glad he had opted not to talk about what had just happened between them, so she mumbled 'no' and adjusted her head to watch as well.

She had dozed off when she felt James's scratchy cheek on her palm, then it was substituted by his mouth, which moved up her arm; then he shifted positions and she felt his face on her belly, moving steadily down.

His fingers caressed the inner side of her leg, gliding from the ankle to the thigh, after which slow dance his mouth took charge of her center. A moan escaped her lips and she felt quite awake.

Guero had gone down on her before, so the act was not new to her, but the experience James was giving her now was amazingly different: it was slow and languid, letting her relax and savor the sensations his hot mouth and scratchy cheeks gave her supersensitive skin.

She moved her hips upward as her hands dug in his thick hair, guiding him. He made her come in about a minute, then turned her around and his body glided on top of hers as he entered her smoothly.

Sometime after the third climax, Teresa stopped counting. They had changed positions several times, and despite feeling sated, she knew she could go on another and then another exploration with him. It seemed that he was unable to get his fill of her, so she just went with the flow.

Sometime later she realized she had no clue if it was his mouth, hands or cock that were giving her little jerking orgasms every few minutes, making her experience the most pleasurable deliverance, exploring her body, moving inside her, caressing her skin, kissing and nuzzling her...It all felt like a giant wave made of smaller waves that kept coming and overflowing, making her moan with pleasure in a complete surrender. Or maybe it was one long climax that lasted forever, she couldn't say. And she hadn't had this with her other man, this much she knew for sure.

Teresa felt her nails dig in James's back, her teeth pulled his lower lip or bit his shoulder…but he wasn't complaining; on the contrary he kept touching her and arousing her, carrying her further, deeper...challenging her…and she let him, no matter the marks they were both bound to have in the morning.

She was certain that it hadn't been presumptuous of her to just show up at his place: It had been what she had needed and had wanted.