To The Bone

"I love you to the bone, I love every piece of you. All the pieces that you don't. That face you pull for strangers, the voice you assume on the phone. And I'm so glad that you let me in. You are not a prize for me to win but with every piece we share. I'm a kid at county fair and you are the giant teddy bear" - Sammy Copley

"Do you know how much love you? " she says giving me a small smile over the rim of her teacup.

I lower my chin to my chest feeling the warmth of a blush creep over my cheeks because I am once again losing myself over the girl next door whose smile shines brighter than a thousand suns. She is the moon and I am the tide helpless to fight against her pull.

Perhaps it's the sway of the skirts she wears, the jeans that caressed her curves in all the right sort of places; the smell of her perfume that clings to my shirts after shes hugged me, but being close to her is like being struck by lightning. Right now her feet are tucked underneath me and I'm struggling to maintain an aire of decorum, but if she doesn't stop wiggling her toes under my thigh... I clear my throat and cast her a sideways glance over my Pearpad.

She blinks expectantly.

"I have to respond to this email Miss Shay." I say feigning annoyance. I'm pretty sure I have typed this same sentence about three times in the past five minutes. "You would do well to let me finish."

So she does it again. I give up and set my pad down on the end table next to me. I am becoming increasingly aware how uncomfortable my jeans are.

"I believe I asked you a question Mr. Benson", another wiggle.

Oh its on.

I take one of her ankles, pulling her foot into my lap tracing a line on her shin with my fingertip to her knee. Goose flesh raises on her skin and I revel in the fact she reacts this way simply by my touch.

"Benson."

"Yes." I say. It's a simple answer to a complex question, but that is what she has always been to me. An enigma ,wrapped in a riddle ,wrapped in a Chinese puzzle box. Something to be solved but also delighted in. The night she told me she loved me back on the rooftop there were desperate kisses, hurried hands, missing buttons as we pressed each other against doorways and walls. That's not good enough for her though, I want her in my bed with her hair haloed over my pillows.

At her swift intake of breath, I push us a little further letting my hand come to rest on her upper thigh. I brush my thumb at the edge of her panties.

This earns me the dare face. I love the dare face.

"Bit presumptuous aren't we?" she says pushing her black tresses behind one ear. She arches a perfect brow at me, a slight blush creeping up her cheek. She pushes my hand away. "Talk like that, one might get ideas you fancy me sir."

"I do. " I say drumming my fingers on the top of her foot. " I fancy all of you."

I would like more nights like this, nights where it's just she and I on the sofa with a book in our hands pretending we haven't read the same paragraph five times already because we can't seem to focus on anything else but each other. No demons from our past chasing us. no monsters to fight. Where the only mysteries we have left to solve are the ones found in the words of Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

She sets her teacup down on the coffee table, leaning back on the pillows behind her and closes her eyes. I smile softly. Its domestic, a little more so than I am accustomed to but its nice. I could get used to it.

"Are you tired, babe?" I ask as she lets out a drawn out sigh, " Because we could go to bed if you like."'

" You use that on all the girls?" She says giving me a smirk.

"I have better lines." I say giving her a scowl.

"Oh I cant wait to hear this." Carly cocks her head in anticipation and takes her other foot from under me setting it in my lap wiggling her toes, I wrap my hand around her heel pressing the pad of my thumb in the ball of her foot. She makes a delicious humming sound at the back of her throat, and I swallow hard. " Lets see." I say putting a finger to my chin in mock contemplation.

She crosses her arms pressing her foot in my thigh causing me to yelp, " I'm waiting."

"OK, give me a bit. It's a fine art. This takes a certain amount of panache." I push the sleeves of my shirt to my elbows exposing my forearms and I hear Carly gasp. I make make a mental note to put that in my arsenal for future use.

"Oh well please do continue." she says with a dismissive wave.

I clap my hands together flashing her a maniac grin. I arch my brow and give her my best Cary Grant look, " How do you take your eggs in the morning?"

She is un-phased outside the small tug of a smile at the corner of her lips. " Too late to answer Unfertilized now thank you very much."

I smirk. Yeah it is. I give myself a mental high five.

"If I could arrange the alphabet I would put U and I together."

"Oh Lord."

"If beauty were measured in seconds, you'd be an hour."

"Christ"

"I'm no photographer, but I could picture us together."

" God. Please. Stop." she pinches my side, making me flinch."Don't make me laugh, I might pee." that wasn't very sexy but I let slide. She is growing a tiny human.

"I'm not trying to impress you or anything but…I'm Batman."

"You are insane." her laughter echoes through the living room as I reach down to touch her, drawing circles on the top of her stocking sliding my thumb under the lace edge, She rakes her teeth over her lower lip and I smile.

"You look familiar. Were we ever in the same class before? I could swear we had chemistry."

" 15 years and that's your best game ?" she says lifting her chin. "And we did have chemistry together, 4th period."

"Pot-ay-to, Po-tah-to" I chide and she rolls her eyes.

"Are those space pants?" I say pulling her stocking down her leg leaning down to kiss her kneecap. "Because your ass is out of this world."

She scrunches her nose ,"James Bates. Freshman year of college."

"Did it work?" I say pulling at the other stocking exposing the smooth skin of her bare legs, I trace her calves with my fingertips. Before I can even have the chance to calm the beating of my heart, Carly is pushing me back deeper into the cushions of the sofa straddling my lap. My hands grasp the green cotton of her skirt, pushing it up over her thighs. She pins me with a fiery gaze, one that states she will destroy me later. God help me I hope she will.

"Not even first base." She says giving my collar a tug. Her fingers make quick work of the buttons on my shirt before grabbing the bottom of my T-shirt pulling it from the waist of my jeans. I still her movements taking her hands and threading my fingers with hers. Bringing them to my lips and kissing her palm tenderly.

"Thank you for making me a father." I say it because I haven't said it yet and she deserves to hear it. I cup her cheek with my hand, her watery gaze meets mine and I am completely lost in their dark depths. "Thank you so much beloved."

"I don't know why I am crying." she says softly. "Say it again please."

"Beloved." I bring her closer, capturing her lips in mine.

"Now that's a pick up line." She says smiling against my lips.