Breath of Fresh Air Ch. 03

"I sure do," he said with a grin. "My mom and stepdad are still there with my little sister- well, she's my half-sister, but who's counting. And my granddaddy lives with them now. He doesn't get around much these days, but he's still kicking."

"How old is your sister?" she asked, trying to imagine a female version of Mike and failing.

"Jenny just started her senior year of high school." he said shaking his head with a smile. "She's too big for her britches sometimes, but it's just because she's been kinda spoiled."

"By her big brother, I'm sure," Katie said with a smile and a twinge of jealousy. As a child she'd always wished she had an older brother.

"Of course. Spoiled her and drove her crazy, both."

She kept Mike talking about his family, telling stories about how he used to torment his sister and the trouble he used to get into on his grandfather's farm until they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Mike jumped up and answered it, insisting on paying for dinner, and Katie grabbed fresh beers and plates from the kitchen. They settled back on the couch with the myriad of steaming containers laid out before them on the coffee table and dug in, silent for a few moments while they ate.

"So what about your dad, does he live there too?"

"He lives in Knoxville, actually. That's what brought me here. I visited with him a few times over the years, but never spent a whole lot of time with him since he wasn't exactly the reliable type, according to my mother. When I started looking for a town a little bit bigger than home where I might get some decent training and experience as a police officer I thought maybe I could kill two birds with one stone and get to know him a little better at the same time."

"How's that going?"

"Pretty good, we get together once or twice a week for lunch or whatever. He's not a bad guy, fun to be around. I think he just wasn't ready for a family when I came along."

"You're so..." she paused, trying to think of the right word. His eyebrow lifted in anticipation, but Katie just shook her head. "I don't know. I can't think of a word for it. Understanding? Generous, maybe? I don't know if I could be so quick to forgive."

Mike shrugged. "It's not forgiving, necessarily, though I'm not really one to hold a grudge, either. I just wanted to know who he was, so I decided to make it happen. It's for me as much as him. I figure I can spend my time and energy dwelling on the past or I can spend it creating the future."

"That's a sickeningly healthy life philosophy, did you read it on a motivational poster?" she asked, hoping her teasing smile took the edge off her words.

"I did. There was a kitten on it."

"Ah. Well, no one can argue with a kitten."

"No use even trying, really." He paused before adding, "You know it's that sickeningly healthy life philosophy that had me hunting you down at the hospital today."

"Sure, blame your stalking on a poor defenseless kitten."

"It's common knowledge that felines are excellent stalkers."

Katie could tell she'd made him a little defensive with her comments and was afraid she'd hurt his feelings, but wasn't quite sure what to do about it. As usual she covered her discomfort with more smart-ass remarks, but even though he made it easy for her by playing along she still felt guilty. She actually admired his optimistic outlook and wished she could find some way to tell him that.

"Has anyone ever told you how pretty you look when you're embarrassed?"

"What?"

"You get these bright pink circles on your cheeks and your ears turn red."

"I'm not embarrassed."

Mike just stared at her, a slow smile creeping across his face as she felt her cheeks and ears get hotter.

"Stop it, you're doing that on purpose," she said, turning away so he just barely caught the corners of her lips turning up.

"Damn right," he chuckled. "Making you blush is my new favorite pastime."

With that he started gathering up their dishes and carried them into the kitchen. She followed a moment later and they cleaned up the dinner mess together, Katie only getting slightly annoyed when he put her dishtowel on the counter instead of hanging it on the hook to dry out.

"Do you still want to watch a movie?" Mike asked as they drifted back in the living room.

"Sure. You pick, since you bought dinner," she said, flopping back down on the couch feeling relaxed and a little sleepy now that she had a full stomach.

Mike walked over to her cabinet and started browsing through her DVD selection. "I guess we'll have to settle for a comedy, I don't see any porn."

"Of course you don't, I keep my porn in my underwear drawer." She giggled at the look on his face and decided to just let him wonder about whether she was joking or not.

"You're on to me now, aren't you? I shouldn't have said anything about making you blush."

"Yeah, I'm becoming immune. I guess you'll have to step up your game."

He didn't say anything, but shot her a dark look that was enough to make her blush on its own. Suddenly she wasn't feeling sleepy anymore. Mike popped in the comedy he'd chosen and sat down on the couch next to her, throwing one arm around her shoulders.

His hand rested casually on her bare arm, but for some reason that hand was all she could think about as the previews played, the warmth and weight of it multiplying exponentially the longer it lay there without moving. Katie shifted toward him, settling herself against his side and was rewarded with a gentle squeeze of her shoulder.

They were about half an hour into a movie that neither of them was paying any attention to when Katie decided she couldn't take it anymore. Sitting this close to him trying to pretend that she didn't want to climb into his lap was making her fidgety and irritable.

She kept expecting him to make a move; put a hand on her thigh or lean in for a kiss or something. Anything. But the hand on her shoulder lay still as a stone. She turned toward him, catching him looking at her out of the corner of his eye. They moved toward each other at the same time, his tongue sliding into her mouth as she met it with a satisfied sigh.

There was no hesitation or doubt in either of their minds this time as he pulled her so she was straddling him on the couch, one hand in her hair and one hand sliding up her ribs under her shirt. She arched against his body, wordlessly urging his hand further up and he complied, his warm palm closing on her breast as he pulled back his kiss to nibble on her lower lip.

Katie settled herself so she could feel the bulge in his pants pressing exactly where she wanted it, eliciting a groan of pleasure from him as she rocked her hips against him. He bit down harder on her lip and tightly pinched her pebbled nipple in response, sending a dizzying rush of desire through her.

His fingers trailed down her trembling belly and danced lightly just above the waistband of her pants while she held her breath waiting for his next move. He released her lower lip with a wet pop and leaned back, looking in her eyes as he ran his open hand along her belly, dipping his thumb into her pants.

"Mike," she whispered, knowing it would spur him on. His eyes narrowed to slits as he moved his hand lower, running his thumb along the elastic of her panties. She reached down and put her hand over his in a futile effort to push it down where she wanted it to be.

"Patience," he said, his voice wavering and giving him away.

"Fuck patience, make me come."

He growled deep in his throat as he reached down and cupped her through her underwear. The thin fabric was damp already and he pressed his fingers into it eliciting a moan from her. He ran one finger along her slit, barely touching her, teasing her with the smooth silk of her panties. Her hips moved against him trying to press his fingers more firmly into her flesh, but his touch remained frustratingly shallow. Just as she was about to get annoyed he pushed her panties aside and slid two fingers deep inside her.

"Yes" she hissed half under her breath. He slowly slid his fingers out and then plunged them back in again.

"Is that what you wanted?" he whispered in her ear, flicking his tongue against the lobe and sucking it into his mouth. "Is that what you were waiting for?"

She could do nothing but nod as his tongue snaked into her ear keeping rhythm with his fingers. Every few strokes he would slide his fingers out all the way and circle her clit with a wet finger tip before plunging them back inside to stroke her again and again.

Mike bent his head to nibble at the hard peak of one breast, the soft cotton of her shirt somehow muffling and magnifying the sensation all at the same time. Katie cried out and threw her head back, clutching at his shoulders and bunching his shirt in her hands.

He buried his fingers deep inside her, curling them into the fleshy bundle of nerves hiding behind her pelvic bone. She wailed and rocked against him, the palm of his hand roughly massaging her clit, hurtling her toward an intense climax.

He leaned back so he could watch, fascinated, as she flew apart in his arms. Her eyes were squeezed closed and her mouth open but unbreathing for an endless moment, her slippery wet flesh clenching and releasing his pumping fingers as she rode the waves of pleasure coursing through her. Finally she trembled all over and exhaled in a gust.

"Holy shit," she gasped in a hoarse voice. Her body collapsed against him and she murmured again, "Holy shit."

"You are so fucking hot," he said and she was glad to hear he sounded nearly as breathless as she felt. He slid his hand out of her pants, dragging it up her belly and leaving a wet trail all the way up to where he rested it between her breasts. "And I don't even have your clothes off yet."

"We should remedy that situation. I've got condoms this time." she giggled, half embarrassed at her confession, but not nearly as embarrassed as she had been earlier at the store when she bought them.

"Me too," he said his deep chuckle resonating throughout her body. He smoothed her hair back with one hand and looked at her for a moment, his eyes boring into hers. "Are you sure you want-"

"Oh yes, I'm sure I want. I've been thinking about it all week."

"You have?" he asked, puffing up a bit.

"I could hardly sleep thinking about it."

"So what would you have done if I hadn't shown up today?"

"Well, I suppose I would have resorted to the same thing I've done every other night this week, but it's a pale comparison. I'm glad you did show up." She bent to kiss him, but he dodged out of the way with an evil grin.

"Hold on, now. I want to hear more about what you've been doing every night this week. And I'm a little slow on the uptake so you'll need to be as explicit as possible."

Katie laughed and brought her hands to his cheeks, holding him still while she brushed his lips with hers and said, "Let's just say movies aren't the only things I hide in my underwear drawer."

He moaned his approval as she kissed him again, her tongue delving in to his mouth this time. He let her explore, gently welcoming her tongue with is own while his hand made its own exploration.

He tugged the top of her tank top down allowing one hard nipple to pop free. His fingers circled it, making it pucker even more before he gently squeezed it between his thumb and forefinger. She inhaled sharply as he pinched it again, harder this time and pulling on it just a bit.

"Mmm, Mike wait." he paused mid pinch and looked down at her. She took a moment to gather her words. "It's just...oh ..." she trailed off as he rolled it between his fingers. Reaching up she grabbed his hand and held it still for a moment so she could speak. "There's more room on my bed, we should move into my room."

"Absolutely." He was up in a flash with her in his arms, protesting, as he made his way down the hall. "Is this it? He nudged open a door with his foot and saw a bed.

"Yes, and you can put me down. You don't make me so weak in the knees that I can't walk under my own power."

"Is that a challenge? No, don't answer that, I prefer to just assume it was a challenge and proceed accordingly."

"Can you proceed a little faster? And maybe with less talking? I told you, it's been a long frustrating week."

"Oh, is that how it is? You're gonna rush me?" He tossed her on the bed and started pulling her pants off by the ankles. She laughed and kicked, pushing her underwear down with her pants then knelt on the edge of the bed, reaching up to pull his shirt over his head. She removed her own shirt as he shucked his jeans and boxers.

"Fine," he said, picking up his jeans and retrieving a condom from the pocket, putting it on while Katie scooted backwards to lie against her pillows. "We'll do it your way this time, but the next round I'm gonna take my sweet time with you." He crawled onto the bed over her, holding himself up off her body as he leaned down and placed gentle kisses along her jaw, pausing at her ear to whisper, "I promise, you'll be begging for it by the time I give in."

A thrill of arousal shot through her and Katie swallowed hard and took a deep breath to try to cover the startling effect his words had on her. "We'll see," she said, smiling with more confidence than she felt. "I have a bad habit of getting my way when I really want something."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, pulling his body down against hers. His belly was hot to the touch and she could feel the hard length of him pressing along her wet crease. Instinctively she slid herself against him eliciting a low moan in response. She did it again and he muttered something unintelligible against her neck as he pressed his hips tight against her. She turned to look at him with the intention of asking him what he said but when she saw the intense look of hunger on his face the words died on her lips.

They locked eyes as he slowly drew his hips back, sliding down her sensitive folds and resting heavily just at her opening. Her eyelids fluttered but she didn't look away as he pressed into her, slowly filling her. She slid her hands from his shoulders down his sides and gripped his hips, pulling him down tight against her and drawing him into herself. His upper body collapsed against her and he pressed her into the bed, taking her mouth in a deep kiss as he thrust into her.

They swallowed each other's moans as he bottomed out inside her. His hands curled up around her shoulders and pulled her down to him as he thrust again and again, loving the way her little grunts of satisfaction increased in volume each time.

Katie was lost the second their bodies were joined. Vaguely through the haze of intense sensation part of her brain registered the thought that she'd had no idea it could be like this. She'd had plenty of sex- plenty for her needs, anyway. And some of it she'd even thought at the time was good, but after this the bar would have to be reset.

In the past her sexual encounters had been...well, the best word for it was clinical. It was a means to an end. She knew how to use a man's body to get herself off and as long as he got off too she considered it an even trade.

But this was far beyond just having an orgasm; every touch, every moan, every murmur of encouragement was an end in itself. Her brain switched off, yielding complete control to her body which moved in wordless accord with his, instinctively seeking to pleasure and be pleasured, both of them fully caught up in the immediacy of the moment while driving blindly toward the inevitable conclusion.

When that conclusion finally hit it took her completely by surprise, an avalanche of ecstasy snatching her up and carrying her away, burying her so deep that she no longer knew where she was or which way was up. From far off she could hear Mike's ragged breathing in her ear, his increasingly frantic moans, and knew he was caught up with her. Her pleasure crested once again and she cried out his name, clinging to him tightly as if fearing he would be torn away from her.

Then his mouth found hers again and the fear dissipated, leaving the aftershocks and tremors of intense pleasure in its wake. Her hands trembled as they came up to hold his face, her fingers twining themselves in his hair. The kiss gentled as they came floating back down to earth, eventually softening to light brushes of his lips against her mouth, cheeks, and eyelids.

After several long minutes Katie opened her eyes to see his blue eyes fixed intently on her. She opened her mouth to say something, but the only thing that came out was a noise somewhere between a nervous laugh and a sob.

"You okay?" he whispered, sweeping a thumb across her bottom lip.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak, and gave him a tentative smile. He shifted his weight so he was lying next to her and she curled into him, burying her head in his neck. His hand lazily stroked her spine as she breathed deeply of his scent, trying to calm her racing thoughts. She desperately wanted to know whether he'd been as affected as she was, but didn't know how to find out.

"Katie?"

"Hm?"

"I was just checking to see if you were asleep."

Something in his voice caused her to look up into his eyes and the concern she saw there gave her the courage to just ask. "Is it always like that for you? That...intense?"

"No, it is definitely not always like that. Or ever like that, really. That was something else."

The relief she felt made her suddenly giddy and she couldn't help giggling. Then once she started she couldn't seem to stop. Mike's eyebrow lifted and the concern in his eyes melted into amusement.

"Lord help me," he muttered to the ceiling. "I've just had the most incredible sex of my life and she's laughing at me."

That just set her off again, laughing hard enough to bring tears to her eyes as shook her head. "No," she gasped, trying and failing, to stifle her mirth long enough to speak. "I'm not. Oh my gosh," she said, taking a deep breath and wiping her eyes with the corner of the sheet. "Sorry, I don't know what that was all about; must be the adrenaline. I'm not laughing at you, I promise."

"I know," he chuckled.

"Was it really?" she asked, propping herself up on one elbow and grinning down at him. "The most incredible sex of your life?"

"By far," he said, pushing her hair back from her face and trailing one finger down her jaw.

"Me too."

He smiled and pulled her down for another kiss that left them both breathless by the time it was over. "I'll be right back," he murmured against her lips.

He sat up on the edge of the bed and Katie gasped at the sight of his back crisscrossed with fine red lines. "Holy shit, tell me I didn't do that to you," she said, tentatively touching the broken skin.

Mike laughed and looked back at her. "Sweetheart, if it wasn't you I don't think you'd want me to tell you that either." She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off, "Don't even think about apologizing, I loved every second of it."

She grinned as she watched him walk away, admiring the tight roundness of his ass until it disappeared into the bathroom, then rolled onto her back feeling languorous and sleepy. The fresh sheets she put on her bed earlier that evening were calling her name so she climbed between them and snuggled in. Just as she started to doze off she felt the mattress shift and opened her eyes to see him sitting on the edge of the bed with his jeans in his hand, looking down at her uncertainly.

"Are you going?" she asked, surprised.

"Do you want me to stay?"

Her hand found his and tugged the jeans out of it, dropping them on the floor.

"You did promise me round two."

"Yeah, you look like you're up for round two," he said, grinning as he tucked himself in next to her and pulled her close. "You were snoring when I got back from the bathroom."