A Fresh Start

by Lexi Bissen

  Kissing Gibson has become my favorite thing to do. Okay, maybe not favorite. Reading is still high up there, but having my lips move against this man is a close second. I’m not sure why the sudden kiss or the “thank you”, but I’m not complaining. I’ve wanted to do this again since the beach.

  A hand snakes around my neck, bringing the upper part of my body closer to Gibson’s while his other hand makes its way to my thigh, squeezing it. His mouth is hot and his tongue comes out to trace the seam of my lips, asking for entry. I allow it, gasping into his mouth at the feel of his tongue running along the roof of my mouth. Gibson is everywhere—his taste, his smell, his touch. I feel him at every inch of my body and wouldn’t have it any other way.

  I pull my mouth from Gibson’s, my breathing labored. He doesn’t go very far, though. His wet lips run down the side of my neck as he lifts my head to gain better access. The more he kisses me, the more I want him. A lot more. All the nerves over being alone with him and not knowing if he was expecting something more fly right out the window with each touch of his lips. His lips suck on my pulse point before he nips and soothes the sting away with his tongue. I moan and push myself closer before taking Gibson’s face in my hands and bringing him up so I can look into his eyes.

  “Hi,” I say, a little out of breath.

  He smiles at me and rubs the outside of my thigh with the hand resting there. “Hi back.”

  Ignoring the small voice in my head telling me to stop, I lay so my back is flat against the couch. Gibson tilts his head and I grab his hand to bring him down to me. He holds his body above mine, both his hands on either side of my head. When he looks down at me, there’s a softness in his face that makes the decision I’m that much easier. When I first slept with Rodger, he got straight to it, not stopping to ask if I was sure or considering me at all. Thinking back to it, everything about my first time was wrong. I didn’t have any feelings for Rodger and he had none for me other than being an easy lay. This moment right now with Gibson should have been my first time—spent with a guy I’m falling for and who I think is feeling the same. This is the perfect moment.

  Gibson stares down at me, gauging my reaction. My heart may be racing and my lower stomach may feel tight with nerves, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. “Are you sure about this? We can wait if you want. It doesn’t have to be now.” He’s so sweet. I know he doesn’t want to wait, can see it in his eyes and feel it, but he’s willing to for me. What he doesn’t know is I want this just as much as he does.

  Sliding my hands under his t-shirt and running my nails along his back, I say, “You may be okay with waiting, but I want you, Gibson. I don’t want to wait any longer.”

  That’s all he needed. He lowers his body to mine and settles himself between my legs. I gasp at the heaviness and he takes advantage, crushing his lips to mine and sweeping his tongue into my open mouth. I let out a loud moan and Gibson laughs at my reaction to having him on top of me. I turn my head a little to the right, getting a better angle to deepen the kiss and Gibson growls into my mouth. He’s growling…for me. My heart picks up speed from my new achievement.

  Kissing him isn’t enough, I want to feel him. I lift my hands, running them down his chest and over his abs, feeling every indent of muscle. Once I reach the bottom of his shirt, I flatten my hands against his warm stomach and make my way back up to his chest, dragging the shirt with me. Gibson must get what I’m trying to do because he rips his mouth from mine and grabs the hem of his shirt, tearing it off and throwing it somewhere behind him.

  Before he comes back down to me, I stop him with a hand to the chest. I don’t ever think I’ll get tired of seeing a shirtless Gibson. I run my hands along his chest to his shoulders, wanting to get a good look at his tattoos. Beautiful, colorful designs cover Gibson’s left arm. I’ve never given much thought to tattoos on a guy before, but seeing Gibson’s gives me visuals of running my tongue along every inch of that arm.

  Gibson leans down and plants an open kiss on my neck while I run the tips of my fingers along a small, yellow sun on his shoulder. My movement stops when he molds his warm body against mine. I shiver from the sensation of having him this close to me, on top of me, and Gibson notices. He pulls his head from my neck. “Are you cold? I can turn the air up.”

  Running my hands up into his hair, I shake my head. “No. Everything is perfect.” I pull him back down, bringing his lips to mine. He smiles against my lips and runs a hand up the side of my waist, lifting my shirt the higher up he goes.

  Before long, I have to pull back, panting. None of that stops Gibson, though. He makes his way down to my neck and continues lower, stopping where my shirt has shifted up to my belly button. I hold my breath in anticipation of what he’s going to do. Gibson begins kissing the strip of skin above the waistband of my shorts and I feel a tightness in my lower stomach that has never been there before. His lip ring feels cold against my hot skin. He looks up at me before planting a final kiss and it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. His hard, callused hands make their way up my stomach, pulling the shirt with them until he stops under my breasts. My bra was soaking wet from the rain, so my only choice was to go without. A few more inches and I’ll having nothing shielding myself from him. My hands lay beside me, wanting to stop him from bringing the thin material up, yet wanting to stay where they are. Before I can make a decision, Gibson has the shirt up and over my head in one fluid motion, leaving me bare to him.

  He hovers above me again, taking in every inch of my body. Worried about what he sees, I reach up and go to cover my chest, but Gibson grabs my wrists and pins them above my head, leaving me helpless and exposed. He’s staring into my eyes and after a soft kiss to my forehead, he takes in every part of my body on display for him. I’m not fat, but I wouldn’t say I’m skinny either. There are still some areas I’d like to work on, like the jiggle in my stomach and my thick thighs, and while most girls would love to have a large chest, I can vouch that it’s not all that great. We don’t have high, perky boobs. I want to reach for my shirt on the floor until Gibson tilts his head up, staring into my eyes. His eyes are hooded, hungry for what something…me. He lowers his head down to place a kiss at my lower stomach. “You.” He drops another kiss above my belly button. “Are.” A kiss between my breasts is next, cutting my breath short at having him so close to that area. “So.” One more to my sweaty neck. “Beautiful.” The last kiss lands on my open mouth.

  I love him. That’s all I can think as Gibson kisses me senseless. I love this man above me. I feel it in my gut. He’s it for me. No one has made me feel so beautiful and cherished before. The love Gibson has for me shows in his kisses, his soft touch, and the way he can’t take his eyes off of me. It’s all there and now I have to find the words to tell him how I feel. Before I can think about saying anything, Gibson cups my breast in his large hand, earning a moan that he captures with his mouth. He continues kneading while assaulting my lips and it all becomes too much. I run my nails down his back, needing more from him. My hands snake around to his front, squeezing their way in between us. The light dusting of hair starting at his belly button tickles my fingers until I reach the waist band of his jeans, where it disappears. I reach for the button and snap it open. Gibson stops kissing me, but doesn’t move his mouth away. Just as I’m lowering the zipper of his pants, the room goes bright.

  I gasp and pull Gibson down to shield my body from our guest. Gibson drops his head to my neck and punches the couch pillow beside my head, clearly frustrated that we’ve been interrupted. When I peek around his shoulder to see whom our guest is, Officer Dan is standing next to the front door in his uniform, face red and lips pinched together. Can’t say that I blame him. I wouldn’t be too happy coming home to find two half naked people on my couch either—especially when one of them is my nephew.

  He crosses his arms over his chest and plants his feet in an intimidating stance that has my entire body tensing. “I’m not stupid, so I don’t ne
ed to ask what’s going on here. I would like to ask you, Gibson, how stupid you are to bring a girl here and have sex on my couch?”

  Gibson pulls his head from my neck, aligning himself so he keeps me covered. “Honestly?”

  “No, I want you to fucking lie to me. Yes, honestly. What was going through you head when you brought her here.”

  Gibson’s stomach shakes as he tries to keep in the laugh he wants to let out. “That you weren’t home.”

  That seems to piss Officer Dan off even more. He rubs the bridge of his nose and lets out a frustrated breath. When he looks back up to us, his shoulders are slumped. “Both of you, get dressed. Gibson, see Ronnie to her car and get your ass right back inside. Ronnie, make sure you drive safe and let him know when you get home.” He walks away and the door to his bedroom clicks shut a moment later.

  Gibson pulls back to look me in the eyes. I know this is the wrong time, but I can’t help the laugh that escapes. Gibson joins in, making light of an awkward situation. It’s probably not the best that we think it’s funny being caught by his uncle, especially when I still want Gibson and the bulge in his pants tells me he feels the same way, but the situation is too funny not to laugh at.

  After we’ve calmed down, Gibson lifts himself off me and helps me to my feet. When he looks down at my naked chest, he squeezes his eyes shut and releases a slow breath. “Baby, could you put that shirt back on before I haul you back to my room, my uncle be damned?” I giggle and bend down for the shirt he let me borrow. Once I have it back in place, Gibson opens his eyes. After giving me a quick peck on the lips, he goes to grab his own shirt from the other side of the couch.

  “Your clothes should be dry by now.” When I look at the clock, I’m shocked that it’s already twelve-thirty. We must have been on that couch longer than I thought. My cheeks turn red at the thought of what we were so close to doing. Imagine if Officer Dan had come home ten minutes later. That would have been a lot worse than this.

  A hand grasps my cheek and I look up to see Gibson standing in front of me. “What are you thinking about over here?” he asks.

  I shake my head at him, too embarrassed to tell him I was picturing us fully naked on the couch and his uncle walking in.

  He brings his lips close to mine, touching but not kissing me. “You’re blushing and it’s sexy as fuck, but I can’t do anything about it with my uncle home.” His breath is hot against my lips and all I can think about now is his lips on my stomach, touching my neck, kissing my lip—

  “You’re damn right you can’t.” I jump back at the sound of Officer Dan’s voice. I never even heard him enter the room. “Where are your clothes, Ronnie?” he asks.

  I scramble, trying to think of where they are. “Oh, um, the…uh, dryer. I’ll go get them.” I run off before either of them can say anything. Collecting my now dry clothes, I head to the bathroom.

  I change as quickly as possible and splash some cold water on my face to get myself under control. Gibson has me all hot and bothered and I don’t want to walk back out there with my messy hair and flushed face. My hair is sticking up in every direction, looking like someone has had their hands in it all night, my lips are swollen from Gibson’s kisses, and my mascara is slightly smeared. There is no way I can go home with sex written all over my face—or almost sex.

  Whispered voices come from the hallway and by the tone of his voice, I can tell Officer Dan is giving Gibson a lecture. Not wanting to interrupt, I close the door making sure that it was loud enough so they know I’m not in the bathroom anymore. Coming around the corner, Gibson and his uncle come into view, both standing there deep in conversation and by the looks of their faces, not a good one.

  Not wanting to cause any more tension, I grab my phone and keys off the kitchen table and face the two of them. “Officer Dan, I’m sorry for what you walked in on earlier. Really, that wasn’t what we came here to do. Our date was rained out and we thought it would be a good idea to come here and watch a movie. I truly am sorry, please…don’t say anything about this to my parents. They’ll kill me. My dad already doesn’t like your nephew and I know this will give him another reason for why I have to stay away.” I’m rambling, but the thought of my dad forcing me to break it off with Gibson scares me.

  “You don’t have to worry about that, Ronnie. I won’t tell your parents about what happened tonight, as long as I don’t catch it again. I’ll be giving Gibson a new set of rules for my house now that he has a girlfriend.” The weight on my shoulders should feel good being lifted, but I’m too distracted by the mention of being Gibson’s girlfriend. My eyes slide toward Gibson to judge his reaction. There’s no expression on his face, but he doesn’t correct his uncle.

  “Gibson, walk her to her car and make sure she gets home safe. We’re talking once you come back inside. And, Ronnie, you can call me Dan. Just Dan.” He then heads for the kitchen.

  Gibson and I make our way out to my car. He hasn’t said a word or touched me since leaving his uncle and I’m nervous. The past few days he’s had at least one hand on me whenever I’m next to him. Maybe it was the girlfriend comment he’s worried about.

  “We don’t have to be like that if it’s not what you want.” Stupid, Ronnie. You make no sense.

  Judging by the crease in his brows, he has no idea what I’m talking about. “What I want?” he asks.

  I stare down at my hands and wring my fingers together, unable to look him in the face. “About what your uncle said and me being your girlfriend. I know you’ve never had one and we don’t have to be like that if you—”

  He smashes his lips against mine, silencing me. A moment later, he pulls back, but stays close enough for me to feel the brush of his lips as he talks. “Do you want to be my girlfriend, yes or no?” I go to say something when he kisses me again. “Nod yes or no, Ronnie. It doesn’t matter what my answer is. I want to know what you want.” I take a deep breath and nod yes. Gibson smiles and whispers, “Good answer,” before kissing the breath out of me.

  When we break apart, I have the goofiest smile on my face. Opening my eyes, I see Gibson looking at me with a smile I’m sure matches my own. “So, I’m your girlfriend, huh?”

  “Damn right you are,” he says with a sexy growl, wrapping me up in his arms and burrowing his face in my neck. I laugh and push at his shoulders, which only encourages him more. He pulls me up so my feet are off the ground.

  “What are you doing, crazy?” I can’t stop laughing at how playful this Gibson is. I love bringing out this side of him.

  He lifts me higher, trying to get me to wrap my legs around his waist. I do as he wishes, locking them tightly so I won’t fall. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m carrying my sexy as fuck girlfriend to her car like a gentleman.”

  I roll my eyes at his sarcasm. “Oh, a gentleman, huh? I don’t know about you, but most gentlemen don’t carry their girlfriends around like this.” To show what I mean, I squeeze him once around the waist with my legs.

  Gibson lets out an agonizing groan. “Don’t do that, babe. I’m already sporting the most painful case of blue balls here. Let’s try not to make them worse.” He kisses me on the cheek and slides me down his body once we arrive at my truck, but I don’t want to leave him. I want to stay here and go back to what we were doing, or hell, even finish watching the movie. My gut drops at the thought of having to go home and not being around Gibson.

  My face must show what I’m thinking because Gibson asks me exactly that. “It’s stupid, but I don’t want to leave you,” I say, my voice low.

  Brushing a piece of hair out of my face and tucking it behind my ear, Gibson smiles down at me. “It’s okay to grow attached, princess. I won’t judge your obsession with me.” He winks, earning himself a smack on the arm. “All right, no need for violence. I get what you’re saying, though. I don’t want you to leave either.”

  “Will I see you tomorrow?” I ask, hoping he says yes.

  “Are you working?” I shake my head no. “Then
you will most definitely be seeing me tomorrow. How about we head to our spot and you can work on that paper of yours while I sit there and look pretty?”

  I roll my eyes at him, but that does sound like a perfect day. “Okay. I would like to get it over and done with so I can focus on other assignments.”

  “And your boyfriend,” he says, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

  “Yes, I need to focus on my assignments and my hotter than hell boyfriend.” He kisses me on my nose and leans over to open my car door for me.

  “Tomorrow morning? Say ten?”

  “That works for me. I know you need your beauty sleep.” I hop into the car and Gibson gives me a light pat on the ass, shocking me.

  “Watch it, princess.” He shuts my door and I roll down the manual window so he can poke his head in. “Tomorrow,” he says.

  “Tomorrow,” I whisper back. Gibson pulls himself up through the window, giving me a proper goodbye kiss, making me not want to leave him more. I think it’s the lip ring I’ve grown so found of.

  After he pulls away, taking a nip at my bottom lip as he does, I pull out of the driveway while watching the man I fell in love with standing there, looking too good to resist.

  Once I’m out of sight from his house, I pull over to the side of the road. It’s almost one in the morning now, too late for me to go home without being questioned where I am. I decide to call Allen and see if I can crash at his house since that’s where I told my parents I would be anyway.

  “‘Low,” he answers on the third ring, sounding like he had just woken up. Given the time I’m sure I was the reason.

  “Hey, it’s me. Is it okay if I come stay the night? It’s too late for me to go home.”

  I hear him moving around in his bed, probably sitting up. “What do you mean it’s too late? Where have you been? It’s one in the morning.” He still sounds a bit sleepy, but more awake now.