by Ivy Black
“Hi,” I said as he got in the car. He leaned over and kissed me, and my heart leaped up. I thought it would take a little more effort getting intimacy from him after the theme park, but he seemed as happy as ever to see me. “I’m glad you’re letting me do this.”
“Me, too. I missed you.”
He missed me? How could he say things like that so simply and have me backtracking any resolve I’d built up? What was this mysterious power he had?
“I missed you,” I responded. “I’m sorry I made things weird between us again.”
He set his hand on my cheek and leaned across again and kissed me. “Let’s leave it behind us.”
I nodded. “Deal.”
“So, where are you taking me?” he asked as we pulled off.
“Somewhere special.”
I’d purposely not told Harry he was coming to “my” apartment for dinner. I wanted him to see that I wasn’t embarrassed for him to meet my friends and I wasn’t afraid to show him more of my life.
At least convince him that I was all in.
We pulled up in front of the complex and parked, and Harry looked over at me. “Here?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Come on. I’m told dinner should just about be ready.” We climbed out of the car and I led Harry inside, up the stairs, and down to Laura’s apartment. The door was left unlocked, so I opened it and led the way inside. “Honey, I’m home!” I called out.
Laura poked her head out of the kitchen with a smile. “Hey! I’ll be there in just a second, I’m just pulling the chicken out.”
Harry looked around the place, touched a jacket of mine he spied on the coat rack, looked at some of the pictures of Laura and me and our friends that were still hanging from when I lived there.
“Uh, yeah, so this is my place. It’s not a whole house like you have, but it gets the job done,” I explained.
“I like it. It’s way nicer than any of the apartments I lived in before I bought my house.”
“And…” I walked around the house a little bit until I found Laura’s lazy cat Meatloaf and pulled him out. He was a fluffy, brown mixed breed who could be chucked across the room without blinking. “This is Meatloaf.”
Harry’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning, and he held out his arms, so I set Meatloaf inside. As expected, the cat gave Harry a little nuzzle before curling up and just allowing himself to be held, and Harry seemed perfectly fine to continue holding him.
Laura came twirling out of the kitchen, stopping by the dining room table to set a couple of bowls down, then she walked over to Harry and me. They’d already met at the theme park, but I still held out a hand toward Laura and said, “Harry, this is my roommate and best friend Laura. She put up with me during college and now I won’t let her escape. Laura,” I motioned to Harry, “this is Harry, my boyfriend.”
Harry looked at me and then a large smile grew on his face. He then looked back at Laura and nodded. “Nice to see you again.”
“Nice to see you, too. I see you and Meatloaf aren’t going to have any trouble getting along,” she said.
“Harry’s a cat person,” I informed her.
Laura nodded. “I knew I liked you. Well, come on, dinner is ready. I’ll get it all dished up.”
“This is my favorite restaurant in town,” I said as Harry put Meatloaf down on the couch on the way over to the dining room table. “Laura’s training to become a P.O., but she cooks in her spare time, and by spare time I mean to feed me.”
Harry laughed. “That was kind of my foster dad, too, although he’s a legit chef now.”
We sat down at the table and Laura served up the baked chicken and potatoes she’d made, along with a salad. After serving the food, she took a picture of its nice display, and then moved her phone up to aim at Harry and me sitting close on one side of the table. She snapped a pic, and even though my gut reaction was to tell her to delete it, I saw another opportunity to bolster Harry’s confidence.
“You gonna post it?” I asked her.
“Can I?”
“Yeah, as long as you mention he’s mine. I don’t need any of your thirst trap friends going after my man,” I snipped back.
“Yes!” she said, pumping her fist, then she sat down at the table and started furiously typing. “‘Celia and her boyfriend, Harry. I get to have dinner with him first, suck it losers. B.T.W. Meatloaf approves.’ And send.”
Under the table, Harry squeezed my leg, and I knew I’d been successful in my ploy. The smile on his face was enough to make anyone blush, and I was happy to start eating to give myself a chance to calm down.
All throughout dinner, Laura kept the conversation afloat, sharing silly stories about me from college. Harry was happy to hear more about me from the past, something he’d said on a number of occasions, and it didn’t feel nearly as difficult to let him in a little as I thought it would be. He and Laura got on like they’d been best friends for years, and as the night carried on, the happier and more relaxed Harry seemed.
It made me feel good.
When the meal was all done, and only after laughing about how many of my friends seemed shocked that I had a guy on my arm, Laura announced her departure.
“Dinner was so good,” Harry said. “Thank you.”
“Thank you,” Laura replied. “Celia tells me her new boyfriend is coming over and needs some of my home cooking, I’m gonna do that, obviously.”
“Well, I appreciate it,” I told her.
“I’m meeting up with Cyd for drinks in like twenty minutes, then I think we’re just gonna do some bar-hopping. I won’t be home until later so…” She winked. “You kids enjoy a little privacy.”
“Thanks,” I said.
She stood up from the table, pointed out the bottle of wine she’d been pouring from in the kitchen, then kissed me on top of my head and left.
“She seems really awesome,” Harry said.
“Yeah, I like her. The funny thing is, we hated each other when we first met. Call it a fight for dominance or whatever. We were assigned as roommates freshman year and I couldn’t stand her. She seemed like one of those prissy types to me, and I’m so… not that, but then she opened up, and I opened up. We realized we have a lot in common, we’re both in social work, and now she’s like my sister.”
“That’s cool. It reminds me of Avery,” Harry said.
“Right.”
“And…” Harry grabbed my hand and stood me up out of the chair and led me into the living room. We sank down onto the couch and he put his hands on either side of my neck and looked right into my eyes, it covered me with goosebumps and set my heart to racing double-time. “Thank you. I know that the commitment thing kind of scares you, but hearing you call me your boyfriend and letting her post the picture and stuff, it just…” He leaned in and kissed me. “I like that. Thank you.”
“Thank you, too,” I replied. “I know dinner with someone you barely know, let alone a woman, and without even knowing that’s what was happening might have been a little difficult for you, but you’re—” Harry leaned in and kissed me again before I could get the sentence out. “What was that for?”
“I was worried,” he said. “I was worried that this didn’t mean as much to you as it meant to me, and I was worried that I was beginning to fall for you and you didn’t even see me as more than a friend. Hearing you say that you knew this was uncomfortable for me, it means you are learning more about me and care… I know I sound cheesy right now, but I’m just so happy.”
I couldn’t stop the smile from coming to my face. Harry was like a little puppy that had been given a new toy. I could damn near see a tail wagging. It didn’t take all that much effort, just letting him in a little. If that would make him so happy, I’d do it more often.
“Me, too,” I said. “I’m happy, too.” This time, it was me who leaned in and kissed Harry, and I was glad when one of his hands broke loose from my neck and slowly started to slide down my back. I pulled away from him just enough to say
, “Do you want a house tour?”
Harry furrowed his brow, looking around. “Uh. I’ve pretty much gotten the lay of the land.”
“Most of it,” I replied, then I stood up and walked over to my bedroom door and opened it. “Let me show you my bedroom.”
He dropped his head in defeat before starting to laugh. “That was smooth. I hate that I didn’t see it coming.”
“Well, get over here then,” I said.
Harry was off the couch in no time flat. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”
He hooked my waist as he reached me and backed me into the room, kicking the door shut behind him. His lips found mine and my hands slid up his chest to lock behind his neck. I gasped a little as he slid his hands down my legs and behind my thighs so he could lift me from my feet. I hooked my ankles behind him as he lowered me down to the bed.
One hand trailed down between my legs while the other worked its way under my shirt. His lips on mine continued to taste, sucking my tongue and making me dizzy, while his hands worked simultaneously to remove my shirt and pants.
Once unbuttoned, he pulled my pants down just enough to slink his hand underneath and between my legs. A finger flicked under my underwear to slide along my wetting middle, skipping over the sensitive bud there and causing me to moan. Those fingers worked me below while Harry finally lifted his head from my lips and joined the hand of his that was under my shirt. He expertly used one hand to lift my shirt and I took over to lift it up and over. He popped out one of my breasts and leaned down to close his mouth over it.
Between his hand massaging me below and his tongue licking me above, my mind was losing focus on anything that wasn’t Harry. For whatever reason, I was just now smelling his marvelous cologne and it was adding to the euphoria that enveloped me. Harry lifted from my chest and continued to rub between my legs, slowly increasing his pace. He looked down at me and held my eye contact as he brought me closer to climax. Part of me wanted to look away, but there was also something enrapturing about him that kept me glued to his face as he stared down at me with his dark, lusty expression.
“Don’t stop, baby,” I hummed.
He moved even faster then, rubbing until I was shuddering and exploding. My moans were louder than I wanted them to be, but Harry was pleased with himself as he massaged me with a sly smile.
I reached my hands out and said, “I want you, Harry.”
He didn’t hesitate. Leaning back, he pulled off his shirt and threw it aside and then moved to his pants. I bit my lip watching him slowly work his way out of his pants, stroking his hard length. There was something enticing about him standing at attention. And remembering the taste of him that I got when we were at the theme park, I crawled forward and reached out to grab him. Laying on my stomach as he was kicking his pants off, I dragged my hand back and forth over his member, and then he eventually stepped up to me so I could pull him into my mouth.
He let out a sexy sigh as I closed around him, and his hands dropped to my head. He held it in place gently as he started to thrust into me, and I loved the length of him sliding all the way down my throat. He tilted my head back and I looked up at him as I sucked.
“So beautiful,” he hummed, and it drove straight into me.
We continued to lock eyes as I moved up and down his shaft, feeling it elongate and leak into my mouth. His gentle thrusts blended with his natural scent and drove me wild. It would be so much easier to detach myself from Harry if I wasn’t blown away by everything about him. His taste, his smell, the sound of his voice and the feeling of his hands. All that he was seemed to fit perfectly against all that I was and made it difficult to keep fact from fiction. When I was with Harry, he was all I could think about. I wanted to believe I could keep my composure around him and keep from getting too attached, but in truth, it was probably too late already.
Finally, Harry cupped a hand under my chin and pulled me up to let him go. I dropped him from my mouth and came up to my knees so he could drag another kiss out of me. His hands slunk around my back in order to unclasp my bra and drop it away.
He leaned a little back from me and huffed, “Turn around.”
And I did just that.
Turning my back to Harry, I leaned over onto my hands and knees and Harry closed in behind me. He bent down over me to give my back a few kisses, and then I felt him poking at me. Farther from my mind than I was sure it really was, I heard him opening a condom wrapper, and his hands brushed against me as he slid it on. He set his tip just inside me then and braced his hands on my hips as he pushed in at a teasing pace. Inch by slow inch, he got deeper and deeper until he was seated inside. I expected his slow pace to continue, but almost immediately, he started to move in and out of me at an ever-quicker pace.
My mind went blank as I was struck repeatedly by Harry inside me. His hands burned across my hips and he slammed over and over against my sweet spot inside, dragging me closer to the edge once again. With a force that lit me on fire, he slammed a hand on the small of my back and forced my torso down against the bed, so I was flat apart from my ass in the air. He brought himself up onto the bed on his knees and repositioned until he was sawing directly down into me, I let out a scream as an orgasm snapped across me before I even felt it coming. My eyes watered and my hips were throwing back of their own accord to meet Harry’s movements.
“Ah, don’t do that,” he commanded. “I’m trying to last back here.”
“I’m sorry,” I whined. “It feels too good.”
Harry engorged inside me even more then, and his thrusts started to partner alongside animalistic grunts. His noises of pleasure made me lightheaded, and if I was moaning, I couldn’t hear it over the sound of him.
“Fuck,” he hissed, “I’m—”
He groaned and slammed as deep in me as he could go and then let out a series of loud, final growls as he finished, stuttering against me.
When he was done, he collapsed on top of me, still resting inside. “Shit,” he grunted. “I didn’t want that to be over that fast.”
I let out a dark chuckle. “Oh, don’t you worry. You and I are just getting started.”
Chapter Nineteen
Celia
The bliss I’d found myself in was borderline unfair. My bed felt like a million soft, fluffy clouds wrapping around me, mixed with the warmth of Harry’s arms wrapped around me. My entire body felt like jelly after the night we’d had, and he was still snoozing quietly in my ear. I could have laid there for two more hours or ten and been perfectly happy. I didn’t really plan anything for Sunday, but I knew I wanted Harry to be a part of it. Being around him eliminated stress from my life and just made me feel like I could be myself. It was rare for me and I loved it.
My bladder had plans other than me staying in bed, however, so as much as I hated it, I unwrapped myself from Harry and climbed out of bed. He grunted as I left his arms, but then quickly settled back into a slumber. I lifted my phone and took a sneaky picture of him asleep. It was too cute, and I couldn’t resist.
After that, I walked out into the living room and across to the hallway where the bathroom was. I went in to use it and chuckled at the image I caught of myself in the mirror, there were a few places along my chest where Harry had gotten a little possessive, but seeing the darkened spots made me happy, even if it meant I’d have to wear some higher-collar shirts to work for a few days.
As I came out of the bathroom, I heard some movement in the living room and I walked out with my stomach twisting excitedly to see Harry, but it was just Laura sitting at the dining room table dressed for work.
“Oh,” I said flatly, and she fell out laughing.
“Oh? You brat! Don’t sound so disappointed to see your amazing best friend who alley-ooped you a great night,” she snipped.
I walked over and leaned down over her to hug her. “You’re right, you did, and I’m so grateful to you.”
“Boots by the door,” Laura said, “so he’s still here?”
“
He’s sleeping. When do you have to leave?”
“Another hour.”
“I’ll make you some breakfast then, as recompense,” I said, and she nodded in agreement.
Walking into the kitchen, I got a pot of coffee started, and then pulled out some eggs, the leftover baked chicken, cheese, and onions. My skills in the kitchen were nothing like Laura’s or even like Harry’s who had picked up some tactics from his dad, but I was passable. I had to be to make sure Darrien ate. I worked over the next twenty minutes getting a few omelets made with the chicken and cheese and threw in some onions for crunch and flavor.
The smell of the food must have been enough of a draw, because I heard my bedroom door open, followed by Laura brightly saying, “Well, good morning.”
“Good morning,” Harry said. I was wearing his shirt, so as expected, when I looked out through the kitchen doorway, he was shirtless, but Laura didn’t seem to mind, apart from her eyes bulging a little bit at how fit he was. He passed Laura and walked into the kitchen, coming up behind me and looping his arms around my waist. “Smells good in here.”
“Hope you like omelets,” I said.
“They’re my favorite. You stole my shirt and none of yours fit me.”
“Oh, please tell me you tried though?” I replied and he chuckled before kissing me on the neck. “Stop that, I’m cooking, and I won’t get my security deposit back if I burn the place down.”
“Fine.” Harry pulled away from me but gave me a quick swat on my ass before leaving and heading down to the bathroom.
“Um, oh my God,” Laura called into the kitchen once the bathroom door was closed.
“Yeah. He’s real.”
I carried our completed omelets over to the table as Harry walked back out of the bathroom, and then poured us each a cup of coffee and brought those in as well. We ate in silence for the first few minutes, then Laura looked up and asked, “So, what are the plans for today?”
“I don’t know,” I said, looking over at Harry. “I wanna spend more time though.” He frowned at that. “Oh, I don’t like that expression.”