by Twyla Turner
Which brought her thoughts to something else brand new to her. The feel of his groin against her backside. Now, Payton knew biology. She knew that a man’s penis had to be hard in order to penetrate a woman’s vagina, but she’d never felt a soft one, let alone a hard one. Though what she was feeling against her lower back, definitely felt firm. And shockingly huge. That can’t be right.
It was the feel of it against her, rubbing against her already sensitive skin that pulled from her a sixth sense she’d never experienced. They say that the sixth sense is some unseen perception or intuition, but not for Payton. To her, the sixth sense was of the sexual kind. One that she didn’t believe she possessed. Until now. The feel of his hard length against her made her hoo-ha lose its fucking mind.
Payton’s heart was no longer in her chest. No. It had officially vacated the premises and took a trip down south to vacation below the equator, in the rainforest better known as her now soaking wet vagina. Her vajai was doing the Samba in her panties to the beat of her newly located heart. Ba-boom…ba-boom…ba-boom. The rhythmic beat and the coinciding contractions of her inner muscles had her gripping the pole on the trolley car for more than balance. She could even feel the damp, stickiness of her underwear against her skin.
What in the Wrath of Khan is going on down there?!? And why do I have the urge to press my butt against his crotch?!?!
Payton felt herself begin to hyperventilate when she felt him rub his nose against her ear. Luckily, the trolley stopped and Payton leaped off as if the hounds of hell were after her. Miraculously, she landed without twisting her ankle and tumbling to the ground. Maybe it was Bradyn’s gentle hand that steadied her and kept her from face-planting. Because it sure wasn’t her wobbly knees.
“Are ye good?”
“Yes. Fine, thank you.” Payton said around huge gulps of air she tried to disguise.
Her hands were shaking and sweaty, but Bradyn took her left hand and began to stroll along next to her towards the long pier. As if she wasn’t currently sliming him with her uncontrollable perspiration.
Payton was currently waging an internal battle with her body. It was betraying her on every level and she didn’t know what to do about it. Dammit, all to Death Star and back! Why, oh, why did I not listen more when Mia and the girls were describing their sexual encounters? Why did I have to be a prude and zone them out? Now, I have no idea what to do!
She was so deep in thought that she didn’t notice the romantic setting. The water gently lapping at the posts of the pier. The soft light illuminating the wooden path. The cloudless sky and the few stars that could be seen through the bright lights of the city. And the man who was holding her hand, fingers entwined, and gazing at her surreptitiously. A bundle of nerves himself.
He stopped at the end of the pier and they gazed out at the water. Payton knew this was a perfect place for a first kiss. Which was why her hands were a trembling mess. They shook so badly, she didn’t feel Bradyn’s shaking as well.
“Payton,” he said gruffly as he turned towards her.
Oh God! Here it comes!
Never in her life had she wanted something so badly, yet dreaded at the same. Payton’s eyes zeroed in on his lips. She saw them coming towards her. She was unsure of whether she should wait for them to reach her or if she should meet them halfway. What is the protocol?! I don’t know the proper kissing etiquette!
Making a last minute decision, Payton figured it would only be polite to meet him halfway. She quickly raised up on her tiptoes as his face descended towards hers. Her momentum, lack of coordination and aim sent her on a collision course of clumsiness she was known for. Her forehead and nose smashed into Bradyn’s at an unfortunate velocity. They both pulled back and howled in agony.
Bradyn clutched his face as he bent over, squinting in pain. Payton rubbed her tender forehead, completely humiliated.
“I’m so sorry, Bradyn.” Payton groaned. “I thought I was being polite by meeting you halfway.”
Bradyn stood up straight, pinching his nose. A nose that had decided to humiliate her further by bleeding profusely.
“Oh my God!” Payton exclaimed and cringed all at the same time.
“Dinna fash yerself, lass.” Bradyn tried to soothe her. “I’ve had a bloody nose a time or two. I’ll live.”
“I-I don’t have tissues or anything to stop the blood,” Payton said trying to think of something to use as she watched the blood drip down his mustache, over his lips that were supposed to be giving her, her first kiss and into his auburn beard.
“I’ve got it.”
Bradyn pulled the tie from around his neck and placed it against his nose. Payton’s shoulders slumped in defeat. It was just like her to ruin her very first date and first kiss.
“I guess we’d better cut things short fer now,” Bradyn suggested from behind the once pristine blue tie.
“Yeah,” she said dejectedly.
This time, Bradyn wasn’t able to hold her hand on the way back. Not when he had to hold the tie to his nose with one hand and pinched the bridge of his nose with the other to try to stop the bleeding.
Once they made their way back to Market St, Bradyn pointed towards a convenient store. He walked inside to use the bathroom. His muffled voice behind the tie mentioned that he wanted to clean himself up a bit.
While he did that, Payton figured it was only polite to get him some aspirin and a bottle of water for the headache he surely had, if the throbbing of her own head was any indication. Bradyn walked out just as she was finished purchasing the items. She turned to look at him and thankfully, he looked good as new. The blood was all cleaned from his beard and nose. Just the slight redness on the bridge of his nose indicated that anything untoward had happened.
“Here, I figured you might need these. I know I do.” Payton said as she handed him the aspirin and bottle of water.
“Thank ye, Payton.”
They both swallowed their pills with a swig of water and Bradyn grinned down at her. She breathed a sigh of relief that he didn’t seem the least bit fazed by her destructive clumsiness. Which made her frown. Why would I care if he was upset or not? Don’t I want him to be upset so he’ll stop trying to spend time with me?
Payton knew it was time to dig deep and be honest with herself.
No, I don’t want that. She sighed reluctantly. I want him.
Bradyn cut off the engine after he found a parking spot outside of Payton’s building. She wrung her hands nervously as he got out of the car and walked around to her side to chivalrously open the door for her. Once she stepped out of the car and he locked the doors, Bradyn took her hand in his and walked her towards the main door of her complex.
Payton thought he’d say goodnight there, but he walked in with her instead. She gave him an inquisitive look.
“Yer my date and I will see ye to yer front door to make sure yer safe,” Bradyn explained.
Payton smiled shyly. “Thank you.”
Payton’s condo was on the first floor, so it wasn’t a long trip to her front door. There, they stopped and faced each other.
“Payton, I dinna want ye to think that the incident at the pier has changed anything. I’m willing te take all of ye. A really smart and bonnie lass with an incredibly solid heid, even if it may be hazardous to my health.” Bradyn joked as he stepped closer to her.
“So you’re not mad at all?” Payton looked up at him shyly from underneath her long lashes.
Bradyn’s breath hitched before he spoke. “Never.”
His large hands rose up to cup either side of her face. This time, Payton didn’t dare move a muscle. She knew what was coming, but she would not have a repeat of earlier. She wanted that first kiss more than her next breath.
Bradyn brushed the tendrils that laid against her cheeks back from her face with his thumbs. The calloused pads of his fingers felt strangely good and masculine against her skin. Everything about The Gentle Giant was manly.
Yet, Payton was coming to the realizat
ion that masculinity didn’t have to equate to violence and excessive force. Bradyn was teaching her that. Just the way he was holding her face in that very moment, made her feel cherished and protected.
“I’m going te kiss ye now. Dinna move.” He instructed her softly, his breath fanning her face.
Payton blinked her large eyes in anticipation as she watched his face inch towards hers. His pink lips touched hers in the sweetest softest kiss and her eyelids fluttered closed. Of their own accord, Payton’s hands crept up to Bradyn’s chest. His pectoral muscles flexed at her touch and she swore she could feel his heart pound into her palms.
His hands still on her face, Bradyn tilted her head back for better access. Payton felt his tongue slide across the seam of her lips and her knees buckled as she pulled back with a surprised “Oh!” escaping her lips. She blinked up at him. His eyes were like blue fire.
“Steady, lass.” Bradyn soothed right before his lips dipped down to taste her once more.
Again, his tongue caressed the seam of her lips and Payton trembled uncontrollably. She realized that it was his way of asking for permission, unlike Brett all those years ago when he’d forced his tongue down her throat. The gentle way he was asking made her open up gladly. If not somewhat shyly.
A groan escaped Bradyn’s throat and he clutched her head tightly as he deepened the kiss. Payton thought that the touch of his tongue against her closed lips was sensual. She was not prepared for the erotic invasion and total domination of his tongue as he stroked it against hers. She inhaled sharply and her insides liquefied.
Payton’s back hit her door and Bradyn pressed her against it. He had her surrounded. His body, his scent, his taste. Everything. She knew she should feel overwhelmed and scared, but miraculously she wasn’t.
When did I start trusting him? Maybe after you practically burned his eyes out and he didn’t get mad. Or when you almost just broke his nose and he didn’t care. Oh, shut up!
Payton pulled focus back to Bradyn’s talented mouth. Her tongue hadn’t been much of an active participant in the kiss. Now, she was curious to try to kiss him back. Her tongue hesitantly flicked against his when he retreated. Payton didn’t expect his reaction.
Bradyn growled low in his throat. The Gentle Giant quickly became The Red Scot MMA World Champion as his passion and power were unleashed. He found Payton’s hands clutching his shoulders. He clasped them and pressed them back against the door, interlocking his fingers with hers. Then his body pressed against hers. With every inward stroke of his scorching tongue, his hips rolled against her, caressing his hard bulge against her soft and quivering center.
Payton’s body told her that what he was doing was so, so good. But her brain started firing off warning signals.
She gasped when he rolled his hard length in just the right spot and she felt her vagina spasm in response. Bradyn’s mouth left hers and trailed kisses down her chin and jaw to her neck. He moved to hold both of her hands above her head with just his left hand as his right moved to explore her body. Most notably, her breasts.
Visions of other strong hands holding her down flashed in her mind and she flinched. Instead of the gentle, yet passionate massage of Bradyn’s hands, she felt the bruising squeeze of another’s on her breasts. Payton’s breath became labored and she began to pull away.
At first, Bradyn didn’t realize that she’d shifted from passionate participant to panicking resistor.
“Oh my God! Bradyn, stop!” Payton cried out. Her trembles of passion had quickly turned into the more fearful variety.
It took a split second for him to register that she was no longer on board. Bradyn immediately released her and stepped back to give her space. He looked down at Payton in concern, but she couldn’t make eye contact as she tried to get her breathing under control. She felt his fingers touch under her chin and he slowly pressed up, making her look at him.
“I said I willna hurt ye, and I won’t,” Bradyn spoke gruffly. “I will always stop if ye want me to. No matter what. Understand?”
“Y-Yes.” Payton stammered. “I-I’m sorry I ruined our date. Twice.”
“No, ye didn’t. And dinna start getting that complex brain of yers working.” Bradyn tapped her forehead. “This has been the best date I’ve ever been on. In fact, it’s the only date I’ve been on. Do ye know why?”
Payton just shook her head no, unable to imagine how a date that included nearly breaking his nose was the best he’d ever had. Or why someone like him would’ve never been on one before.
“I’ve never been able to really speak to women before. I’m always tongue-tied and awkward. Ye calm me. I suppose yer awkwardness cancels out mine.” He grinned down at her.
“If you’ve never been on a date and can’t talk to women, how is it that you know how to uh…k-kiss so well…among other things?” Payton asked curiously.
Bradyn rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Weel… There’s no real nice way to put this. Uh…dating and sex dinna always go hand in hand. And ye dinna need to talk during the latter.”
“Oh…” Payton said softly.
“Anyway, just know that tonight was an amazing night fer me.” Bradyn reached up and stroked his thumb over her soft cheek. “And I pray that ye enjoyed tonight enough to go out with me again?”
He posed it as a question, giving Payton the option. She only mulled it over for a few seconds.
“Yes, I’d like that.”
The smile that spread across Bradyn’s face was worth every awkward moment of the night. His entire normally gruff face, lit up. In a word, he was adorable.
Payton unlocked her door and Bradyn leaned in to kiss her lips softly, innocently.
“Goodnight, Payton.” He pulled back barely an inch, his breath fanning her lips.
“Night, Bradyn,” Payton responded softly.
He turned and started down the hallway and Payton shut the door. After she locked it, she fell against it and pressed a hand to her soft tummy, trying to calm the butterflies.
“So this is what the girls are always talking about,” Payton said to herself.
A huge smile spread across her face that matched the one Bradyn had given her only moments ago. Giddiness bubbled up inside of her and she ran to her bedroom, jumped and fell back onto her bed. One word ran through her head over and over again.
Finally.
Chapter Twenty
“Morning!” Kennedy, Royal, and Mia sang in unison.
It was an ungodly hour for a Sunday, but the incessant banging on her front door had dragged Payton from the comfort of her bed and warm fuzzy dreams of gentle giants. On the other side of her door were her best friends. She immediately regretted giving Kennedy the code to get into her building for emergency purposes. Luckily, they were nice enough to knock instead of using the spare key she’d given her as well. Payton was sure that would’ve been next and she would have been awakened to them jumping on her bed.
Mia shoved a paper cup of gourmet coffee into Payton’s right hand. Royal slapped a warm danish in the other hand. And they all pushed their way into her condo without being invited.
Why do I love them so much when I want to use the ‘Force’ to choke them out more often than not? Or maybe the Vulcan ‘Death Grip’ would be better?
“Start talking, chica,” Mia ordered.
“Couldn’t this have waited until I saw you at the gym tomorrow?” Payton rolled her eyes as she took a sip of the delicious coffee. Hmm…maybe they are good for something.
“We’ve waited twelve years for this.” Kennedy cocked her head to the side, meaning business. “Don’t think we were gonna wait another second longer. Let alone a full day and a half. So get to talking. I have a story to write and your silence is hindering my greatness.”
“How does writing word-for-word my love life make you great?” Payton shot back. Aaahhh!!! I have a love life!
“Touché. But to be fair, I change the story up to make it mine. You’re just my muse and your story is the
foundation.” Kennedy clarified. “So it is my greatness combined with your great story that makes magic.”
“Right.”
“So start flapping those jaws and give us the scoop, so I can go home and get back in bed.” Royal chimed in with an extra gravelly voice. Her voice was already raspy, but it was obvious that she was up earlier than she’d like herself. She was even still in her pajama, which consisted of pajama shorts and an off-the-shoulder sweatshirt, sans bra with a beanie slapped on her bedhead for good measure.
Payton collapsed on her couch with an exaggerated sigh in her R2-D2 nightshirt. “Well, I received my first real kiss…” She paused waiting for their reaction.
They didn’t disappoint.
Whoops and hollers went up in celebration. Payton cringed at the volume in which only three people could reach.
“BUT… Not before I gave him a bloody nose and nearly broke it.” Payton continued and it immediately shut them up.
“Wha…?”
“The hell you say!”
“Get the fuck outta here! You didn’t?!”
They all exclaimed at once.
“Details!” Kennedy said just before she opened her phone and pressed record on her voice recorder.
“We were walking along one of the piers and he went in to kiss me. I thought it was proper etiquette to meet him halfway. My velocity was a little too fast and my aim a little too precise. Needless to say, my forehead cracked him right in the nose.” Payton shrugged and sipped her coffee, knowing it wasn’t that big of a deal. Well, not anymore after Bradyn reassured her and even sent her a sweet goodnight text when he got home.