“How about next time, you just get me eggnog?”
She opened her mouth, ready to get the bartender’s attention.
I forced her hand down. “Maura, they don’t have eggnog.”
“Well, they should.”
I laughed at how serious she sounded.
“Can I get you something else?” she asked.
“I’m thinking I really want this beer here.” I moved the pint over to myself, preventing her from drinking more alcohol or buying me more god-awful shots.
“Fair enough.” She took another drink of her water, continuing to sober.
“I don’t think this crowd could handle your drunken dance moves anyway.” I signaled at the bartender to bring her more water when she finished her glass.
“I’m really glad you moved back,” she said, ignoring my teasing. I stared at her, thinking the same thing.
When I didn’t say anything, a look of panic crossed her face. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean I’m glad your dad died.”
“No, no, Maura, I knew what you meant,” I assured her. “I’m glad I moved back, too.” There was a lull while she focused on drinking her second glass of water. “Care to shoot some pool?” I attempted to lighten the mood again.
She shook her head. “I don’t like pool. I’m not very good at it.”
“Maybe you’d like it more if I gave you condescending male advice while we played?”
“Sure thing, Sean,” she said dryly.
“What games are you good at then?”
“Hmm,” she paused to think, ordering a third glass of water. While she was busy becoming more of sound mind, I was starting the feel the effects of my drinks. “Well, I don’t mean to brag, but I was the tetherball champion in fifth grade.”
“Oh, wow, tetherball champion,” I marveled sarcastically. “I don’t think I’ve ever met one of those before. You must have lightning fast reflexes.”
“Mmmhmm,” she agreed. “And I’m strategic. That is also why I am the best at Uno.”
“Uno?” I scoffed, thinking the two games had nothing in common.
“What?”
“I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think there’s much strategy or reflexes involved in the game Uno.”
“Yeah-huh,” she argued, which only made me smile more. “It’s totally a game of strategy and you have to have quick reflexes to say, ‘Uno!’ when you have one card left.”
“Maura, it’s the luck of the cards you’re dealt.”
“You wanna bet? I will kick your ass at Uno anytime,” she challenged.
“Well, unfortunately, I don’t think a fine establishment like this keeps a deck of Uno cards handy.”
She downed the rest of her water and stood up.
“I have a deck at home. Come on, let’s go. You and me, O’Hollaren.” She poked my shoulder.
“Are you serious?”
“You got anything better to do?” She had her hands on her hips. Her effort to be menacing was adorable. “Now stop babysitting that beer and let’s go.”
I followed her instructions, taking a couple large drinks before following her out the door.
She continued her humorous attempt to intimidate me throughout the walk back to her apartment. After each threat and declaration, I would challenge her, just to keep her going. What was most amusing was that she was no longer drunk, and this was completely sober Maura behavior – harassing someone you were about to play a child’s card game against. Given my tipsy state, I would probably just let her win, but she didn’t need to know that. This was by far the most innocent of circumstances that had ever led me back to a woman’s apartment after being at a bar.
“Hang on, I’m going to go change,” she said when I closed the door behind us. I turned to see her walking into her bedroom and lifting up her shirt, revealing the back of a black bra.
The fact that she even owned black underwear was probably the most intriguing thing I had discovered in my time knowing her. I waited a few moments, pleased with myself when I saw the painting I had given her hanging up on the wall by her table. She really did like it. I went into her room and sat down on the bed.
“I know they’re here somewhere,” she said as she searched through her closet. She was wearing a maroon t-shirt that appeared to be from some 5k that she had run, undoubtedly for charity. What caught my attention more was the short pajama bottoms she had put on. When Maura bent over to look into the closet, the descriptor ‘booty shorts’ came to mind. After a few more moments of searching, she stood up, completely oblivious that I had been eyeing her.
“Well, I guess I don’t have my Uno cards here.” She turned to me. “Maybe they’re at work.”
“That’s a shame. I guess we’re just going to have to end the night without knowing who the ultimate Uno champ is,” I feigned disappointment and laid down on the bed.
“What’re you doing?”
“Taking a quick rest before going home. I can’t leave now, not after the three shots and beer you insisted I drink.” Truthfully, I could’ve endured the twenty-minute walk home. I just didn’t want to leave, especially now that she was wearing those shorts.
“Well, you’re on my side.” She nudged me on the shoulder.
“But, I’m the guest. The guest always gets to pick which side of the bed they want to sleep on,” I said innocently, wanting to aggravate her.
“No, that’s not how it goes.”
“Um, I’m pretty sure it is. If you want me to move, you’re going to have to make me. It shouldn’t be too hard. I mean, with all those muscles you have from playing tetherball and Uno.”
She knelt on the bed and tried, very unsuccessfully, to move me. Her lack of upper body strength was pathetic. What I did not expect was for her to tickle me. I jerked back and grabbed her arms before rolling her over onto the other side of the bed. I continued to hold her hands away from me, both of us laughing.
She looked up at me, smiling, and I finally got the courage to do it; I leaned in and kissed her. It was the only time I had ever initiated a first kiss. Since I was twelve, I’d always waited for the girl to take charge on any initial encounter. I prolonged the kiss, partly because her lips felt so good, but also because I feared what Maura would say when I broke away. After a few wonderful seconds, she finally pulled away.
“Well, I guess you can stay on that side of the bed for tonight, if you really want to.”
I immediately kissed her again, this time more assertively, introducing my tongue. She reciprocated. I had not expected Maura to be that good of a kisser. Normally I would have moved on to other things at this point, but I didn’t. I just kept kissing her for what felt like a perfect eternity.
She had turned onto her back and I fought every instinct I had to get on top of her. I didn’t want to seem too presumptuous. I was already pressing my luck by making out with her on a bed. However, being one to push limits, I ran my hand up her leg. God, her skin was soft. The loose fabric at the leg of her shorts had fallen up, leaving the top of her thigh exposed. I heard her breath catch as I moved my hand up her thigh to squeeze the top of it.
I kept kissing her, not sure where the whole interaction was going, yet completely content in the moment. The side of my shirt started to rise; Maura was lifting it up while we continued to kiss. I pulled away briefly, allowing her to finish removing it. Okay, so that was surprising. I returned to her mouth, happily feeling the sensation of her hands moving around my naked torso. Our breath had quickened at that point. I was thoroughly enjoying the rise of her chest against mine, even if it was still covered by that stupid shirt – I didn’t think she would be as willing to lose it as I was with mine.
Maura’s hands moved down to the waist of my shorts. She started fumbling with the button. I pulled back and looked at her questioningly.
“Aren’t you kind of hot
in these?” She held my stare as she pulled them down. There seemed to be a mutual agreement that undressing me was fair game. I maneuvered the shorts off and hovered above her, just in my boxers. As I rested down and she wrapped her legs around me, instinctively, we both started moving our hips up and down.
Okay, I knew where this was heading, or at least where it looked like it was heading. I pulled away. I couldn’t help but appreciate how breathtaking she looked lying there beneath me; her golden hair laying on the pillow, surrounding her beautiful face. She probably hadn’t been this far before, or if she had, it wasn’t with someone like me.
“Maura, what are we doing?” I had to clarify what was going on.
“Having fun.” She propped herself up on her elbows, closer to my face. “At least, I think you’re having fun,” she whispered, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “Because I can feel your erection,” she sing-songed playfully, falling back and giggling. With anybody else, this would have killed the mood, but not with her. I bent down and kissed the side of her neck, running my hand through her hair. She responded by squeezing my body with her thighs.
The voice inside my head told me that regardless of Maura’s reaction, I had to stop. It was difficult to give this voice credence because Maura was giving me every sign that every woman before her had given me to keep going. I decided to ignore that voice for the time being and went back to Maura’s lips while my hand found its way back to the outside of her thigh.
Maura propped herself up on her elbows, remaining attached to my lips. I pulled away, expecting her to announce that the whole encounter had to stop. She surprised me again, this time by pulling off her shirt. There was that black bra again. I felt myself grow harder as I took in her cleavage.
I looked back into her eyes. She looked pretty damn sure of herself. Her hands moved up and down my chest, the touch firmer than I expected from someone so inexperienced. I tilted my head down to take a breath and attempted to regain my composure.
“How far do you want this to go, McCormick?” I finally asked when I looked back up. She closed her eyes and pulled me back to her lips.
“I’ll tell you when you need to stop,” she whispered as we started kissing again.
There I had it; Maura had given me permission to keep going, barring some dramatic realization that she shouldn’t be fooling around with me. I ordered myself not to go past third base, regardless of how much of her body she allowed me to see that night. I didn’t want to press further for more information from her, mostly because the more we talked, the more likely she would be to put an end to what we were doing.
While I tried to contemplate what Maura would consider appropriate third base physicality, she continued kissing me, now taking her turn to move to my neck and ear. I couldn’t remember the last time I had spent this long on foreplay and actually enjoyed it. I recalled the comment she made earlier, lamenting that Ethan never played with her breasts and took the liberty to start gently squeezing and kissing the outline of them.
As I kissed her breasts over the lacy fabric, I wondered again whether she had ever been this far with another person. I had mixed emotions when it crossed my mind that I might be the first man to get this far. Admittedly, it inflated my ego to assume I was the only one. At the same time, there was a sense that I probably wasn’t a good enough person to be allowed to do such things with her. She was arching her back as I remained connected to her chest, and she finally let out her first moan of the evening, albeit a quiet one. I fought back the urge to remove the garment altogether. When the thought became too tempting, I moved down to her stomach.
Her eyes were closed in an expression of enjoyment. I took my time kissing her stomach, and eventually gently licking around her belly button. Maura’s breath caught and she moved her torso up and down, pressing her pelvis to me, communicating she wanted more. Which I was gladly ready to give.
In the past, I had wanted the woman to climax solely so that I could feel my own sense of accomplishment. But in that moment, I wanted to make Maura feel something amazing. I had never been so consumed with someone else achieving orgasm while I received nothing on the other end of it.
Did oral sex constitute further than third base? I moved my mouth down to the waistband of her shorts to test the waters. She ran her fingers through my hair, but I felt her pull her legs together under my chest. Okay, too far. I pulled back up, still determined to hear that beautiful moan again. I rested myself on my side next to her, my hand cupping her breast as I kissed the side of her neck and collarbone.
I gave her a moment to tell me to stop, but held back from asking her. When she said nothing, my hand gradually made its way down, caressing the softness of her abdomen and between her legs, over her shorts. I pushed gently and heard that wonderful quiet moan again, followed by Maura catching her breath. I teased her and moved my fingers to her inner thighs tracing them up and down, enjoying the sound of her moan while Maura ran her fingers through my hair.
I bent down and kissed her lips, feeling her press more deeply and passionately than before; I was doing something right. I moved my hand back between her thighs and began to rub softly. The moan came louder now, but I didn’t think she was going to come with my hand on the outside of her clothing.
Hoping it was permissible to eliminate just one barrier, I boldly reached my hand down the front of her shorts, half expecting her to pull my hand away. I pressed in the same circular motion, pleased that her breath had quickened and the moans came more frequently. I kept up the motion, moving my hand faster and more insistently against her, feeling Maura raise her hips up and down, gripping the side of my arm.
She kept her eyes closed. I was transfixed watching her. She alternated from biting her lip to moaning with open pleasure, and finally ending with a deep sigh as she arched her back. She collapsed, breathless. A small smile appeared on her face and she opened her eyes at me dreamily. I realized for the first time how sweaty we both were given the summer heat and the lack of air conditioning in her apartment. We remained on top of the covers as both of our heart rates slowed down.
“Well,” she sighed, sounding half asleep, “now I know how Kyle Seager feels.” I couldn’t help but let out a laugh at her obscure reference to the Mariners’ third baseman.
“You know how ridiculous you are, McCormick?” I said, resting down on my side, alleviating my shoulder that had begun to cramp. She rolled over and I held her in my arms.
“You know you love it,” she said simply, keeping her eyes closed. I didn’t say anything, running my hands gently through her hair. It only took a few moments before she was sound asleep. I continued to enjoy feeling the softness of her skin. She was right; I did love her randomness and sense of humor, but more importantly, I loved her. I drifted off to sleep as I held her my arms, feeling a happiness I had never felt before.
MAURA
It was the best sleep I had had in months. It was the type of sleep you slip into seamlessly, only to wake up hours later feeling like you had just closed your eyes. As I started to stir, I felt the throw blanket from my couch on top of my mostly naked body. It registered that I was being held by somebody. Suddenly, the memories of the previous night with Thomas flooded my mind.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuuuuuuuuck. My eyes flashed open. Maybe I had dreamed the whole thing? Nope. Thomas’ arm was wrapped around me. Every muscle in my body tensed. I stared forward like a deer caught in headlights. I worried that it would wake him up if I went back to breathing normally or moved at all. I had no idea what I would say to him. Or worse, what he would say to me.
What the hell had I been thinking? Could I blame it on being drunk? No. I remembered the entire night...the entire encounter...and knew I‘d been completely in control of my decisions, particularly at the end of the night. The alcohol had just served as a veil, an excuse for being uninhibited. Damn it. Apparently, I thought the logical decision after breaking up with Ethan was to becom
e a slut.
Yes, of course, I knew most people, in this day and age, would not consider what I had done very high up there on the slut-scale...but for me, making out with a guy who was not my boyfriend, while we were both in our underwear, to the point of orgasm, was pretty damn slutty. Especially when I had chosen to do it with a guy who considered that type of interaction with a female to be part of the status quo. Shit.
I felt him stir and he moved his arm slightly. I hoped that he would remain asleep and I could somehow get out of the bed without him noticing. I inched my body towards the edge of the bed. His hand moved down to my waist and I froze again.
“Morning,” he said sleepily. I contemplated pretending like I was still asleep but decided it would only make the situation more awkward.
“Morning,” I returned quietly. His lips touched my shoulder and then started to trail up my neck. Before I let it completely register just how good it felt, I sat up, holding the blanket to myself, still keeping my back to him. I quickly scanned the floor for my shirt, sadly realizing it was on the on the other side of the bed. He gently touched my back.
“You started to shiver in the middle of the night, so I grabbed that blanket off your couch. I didn’t want to wake you up to get under the covers.”
I didn’t know if he expected me to thank him. I didn’t. I just nodded.
I got up, still holding the blanket over my chest, not caring that I pulled it away from him. Even though I still had my bra on, I didn’t want to walk around in front of him without a shirt on. Yes, this seemed inconsistent, given what I had done with him the night before. I still couldn’t look at him. I quickly found my shirt and put it on, then went to look at my phone to see what time it was. Anything to keep from looking at him, even though I was acutely aware that he was staring at me.
Somewhere Unexpected Page 16