“This can’t happen again, Scott.”
Did that mean it was going to happen now? His brain fought to understand her words, and whether anything after that fall she’d taken would be appropriate.
“Why not?” Nothing like provoking her.
“Because if it does and it ends badly, then that will be all kinds of messy. For our friends, for future partners – we live in a small town where everyone’s linked. All the stones we throw in its small pool send ripples out to everyone.”
She had a point, he admitted, but it wasn’t strong enough. “Keren, we sleep together a few times. It doesn’t mean you have to marry me or you can’t apply to whatever job you want. You’re jumping ahead.”
“I still don’t think it’s that straight forward.” She turned her head round to see him. “We have a history.”
He sighed, shifting his position on the sofa, making it easier so he could lean down and kiss her. Which he did.
She didn’t resist. Instead, she moved to make the position easier to put her hands under his light fleece and traced her fingers over his chest and abs. He wished he could see inside her mind, because as much as she was finding reasons not to take this any further again, her physical closeness was a contradiction.
The kiss was different to the last time. Last time had been furious and needy, this time was tender and slow, the sort of kiss he remembered having as a teenager or young adult, when gaging someone’s response or thinking what to do next made him hesitant.
Maybe it was because this was the kiss they should’ve had over a decade ago or maybe it was because she was hurt, he didn’t know. All he did know was that time and place were no longer relevant, just her, just the feel of her against him, her warmth, her breath. Her.
The room was filled with the sound of wood cracking on the stove, the noise of the rain above and the soft sounds of their kisses. His hands stayed above her clothes and touched her tenderly, not wanting to inflict any more pain.
“This is… not how I thought I’d spend my Saturday afternoon,” she said, breaking from him, her face still close to his. “I should’ve been home and showering by now. Watching some trash TV before getting ready to go out.”
“Without shouting at me for asking, are you intending on seeing that bloke you met in Manchester?” he said, before he could even consider the words.
“Scott. I’m here kissing you. Thinking that if I wasn’t bruising like a too ripe peach, we’d be testing the cleanliness of that mattress. The bloke in Manchester was great but he’s not who I was thinking of most nights this week.” Her eyes were wide and soft and he had no idea how to handle this situation much beyond kissing her again.
“Was this the only week you’d thought of me at night?’ he said.
“No. But previously it was because I was plotting ways to kill you.”
“And now?”
“It varies between ways to kill you and that thing you do…” She cupped his dick through his trousers.
“Tease.”
“I’m not teasing,” she said. “We’re in a place no one comes to, we’re not going anywhere until the rain stops bucketing it down…”
He scooped her up, using the several inches and several more pounds he had on her to place her on his lap, side on to him. She grimaced again as he put her down. “There’s absolutely no way we’re fucking when you’re this bruised.”
“Is that a rejection?” she said, but didn’t try to move.
“It’s a rain check. And if it’s any consolation I’m possibly in as much pain as you, just for a different reason.” It hadn’t mattered that the kisses had been fairly PG; his cock was definitely in X-rated mode.
Outside, the rain had eased. He hadn’t checked the time, but figured it wasn’t that far off dusk. Setting off now would be sensible, because as much as he wanted to spend the night with Keren again, it wasn’t happening on that mattress.
“Let’s get you home,” he said. “Then how about take-out and a film? I’ll even let you pick.”
“You’re inviting yourself round?” she said. “Scott, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because it creates expectations on your part - on everyone’s part.”
“So you’d sleep with me here, but not in your bed?”
She had the decency to look embarrassed. “I need to get my head around this, Scott.”
