Keeper Ch. 03

"Just that. Why?"

"He wants more." John raised a brow.

Blue wanted to laugh at that. "I think your people reading skills are slipping, John. Lee was married practically right out of high school to the love of his life. Happily married until she died... a few years ago." Blue looked away, remembering that tragic, difficult time for Lee. The fire. Lee's devastation. She shook her head. "Anyway, you're wrong. He would have let me know if he wanted to be more than friends."

"Hmm. I think I'm on point about that anyway, probably why I was reading things wrong." He was speaking as if to himself, then his eyes caught hers and held them. "But you aren't interested in a different relationship with him." He didn't ask it as a question, but Blue thought he was tensed for her answer.

"No. Just friends." she repeated. Her fingers slipped off the door latch where they had been resting. She didn't want to get out of the truck and go inside. Not yet.

A slow, faint smile slid over John's face and he let out a breath as if relieved of a problem. Blue held herself still as he leaned toward her and reached across the seat to unbuckle the seat belt she had forgotten was still latched over her body. Resting one hand on the steering wheel and the other arm along the back of the long seat, the position angled his body towards her. His eyes... oh lord, his eyes... held an invitation even as his lids dropped to partially shutter their glow.

"C'mere."

Blue's heart took off running. He was watching her. Waiting. Waiting for her to slide over to him, or waiting for her to say no and make a break for it? Now, even more than a few moments ago, the last thing she wanted to do was get out of the truck. She never was very good at hiding her emotions, and this moment must have been no exception, judging the way his eyes glowed hotter as they searched her face.

"C'mere, baby." His voice was deep. Soft. Husky.

The smooth leather of the seat made a quiet shushing sound as Blue slid over, watching John's expression turn to a mixture of satisfaction and something akin to relief. There was pleased triumph there too, as if he had just won a prize. Those things flashed quickly, almost too quick to catch, and then he was moving to meet her half way.

His hand came off the steering wheel and settled on her waist over the thickness of her coat, exerting enough pressure so that she was tugged closer. He was staring at her mouth, and she licked her lips- she would have testified that wetting her lips was out of innocent nervousness, but the reaction in his eyes sparked something womanly inside her. Something decidedly sexual and, yes, wicked... a 'knowing' that she wasn't used to feeling, but welcomed with a spreading warmth that was centered low in her belly.

And then his fingers were tunneling into her hair, his palm hot against her ear and cheek as he slanted his head just enough to fit his mouth to hers. Blue let her eyes drift closed as she leaned into the kiss, his lips both firm and soft as they pressed, pulled back, brushed over hers, pressed again. It was sweet.

More.

As though he heard her thought, John's mouth pressed intently. Clearly happy when she raised her arms to wrap around his neck and shoulders, he curved his arm around her tighter and pulled her against him as far as their bulky winter coats would allow.

Blue opened her eyes when he broke the kiss and raised his head. "Midnight?" she teased.

His teeth flashed white in a smile, sexy and feral. "Hell no. This has nothing to do with midnight." he breathed, dipping his head for another kiss.

Soft and sweet. Then more. Suddenly, thrillingly, more.

"This." he murmured against her mouth, and she shivered as his teeth nipped at her bottom lip. "This." The tip of his tongue swept over her lips, then disappeared only to dart back out and repeat the action. Her lips parted... too late to catch his fleeting, teasing tongue. She felt he was smiling as he kissed the corner of her mouth, and she moved her head, aching for more... More... and she was on the verge of saying please, when he growled "This." and aligned his mouth with hers. His lips parted and his tongue, no longer teasing, pushed firmly for the entrance that she willingly gave. His tongue flicked slickly against hers and withdrew, flicked and withdrew, daring hers to follow and play along.

Blue's senses went into overdrive with an ultra-responsiveness to every little thing.

They way John's palm smoothed over her cheek and down to her neck. His thumb brushing back and forth over the jut of her jaw, and then pressing lightly just beneath her ear... the tingle it created as if he knew a special nerve to play upon.

The sound of the radio muted too low to drown out the sound of their mouths, their mutually deepened breathing, the heartbeat that was roaring in her ears. The feathery soft whoosh of John's breath as it rushed across her cheek from his nose. The inky blackness that the night had become now that it had stopped snowing, broken only by the still glowing dashboard indicators that she could see in her mind's eye even when her eyelids felt too heavy to lift open.

The feel of the short hair at the nape of his neck, a wish flitting through her thoughts that it was just a little bit longer so that she could thread her fingers through it better, but then that wish was forgotten when he made a pleased sound as she burrowed her fingertips into the hair anyhow.

The spot on her thigh that was facing the closest heat vent, growing warmer and warmer from the blowing air, and then his palm was there, smoothing over the heated denim that covered her skin. His fingers curved around and underneath until they slipped beneath her, between the back of her thigh and the seat... and she didn't know if it was because his large hand had trapped the heat or if it was making it's own, but it was like a burn that was spreading... a heat that traveled from the hand on her thigh to between her legs, and she reflexively squeezed her legs together against the hot tingling, but that only seemed to make matters worse...

Invite him in.

No! Too soon. Too fast!

Blue listened to the latter voice. Slowing the kisses, she pulled gently away. The heat in his eyes invited her back, but he let her go. Sliding back over to the passenger side, she looked toward the darkened house that waited for her. Turning her head back to John, she could tell what he wanted. It rolled off of him in waves.

More.

No, too fast.

Suddenly feeling a touch of claustrophobia, she knew that it was more because of the pressure her own needs were putting on her, warring with the voice of reason in her head. The voice that knew how she would feel in the cold light of the morning if she invited John in tonight. She liked him but... that just wasn't who she was.

He was watching her, quietly waiting. She tried to put on her best smile, not minding that it felt a little apologetic. "I'd... um... better get inside." She glanced away for a moment to get her bearings. "I'd invite you in, but... well, I know we are both adults..." Feeling her cheeks burn at how stupid she thought she was sounding, she embarrassed herself even more when an awkward laugh escaped her lips. "But I'm just... not like that." she blurted quickly. For Pete's sake!

"I know you're not." he said quietly, gently. Turning without another word, John opened his door and was halfway around the front of the truck before Blue even thought to open her own door. Pulling it open for her, he held out his hand and helped her down from the high cab. Before she could pull her hand free- not like she wanted to, mind you- she found herself surrounded by his arms and supported by his big, solid body in a warm hug.

"It's all right. Go inside and get some sleep." He bent his head and kissed her firmly, pulling away just when she felt it was about to become more once again. His arms tightened and she felt him press his mouth to the top of her head, his chest rising and falling with a big, deep breath. "Ah, Sweet Baby..."

Sweet Baby...?

John felt Blue stiffen, and knew the reason. He could have kicked himself, but he thought that first he'd better wait and see how bad the situation was. Maybe it wasn't really any big deal to her? One could only hope...

She pulled away and looked up into his face. It was too dark to really see her expression, but he was a pretty good people reader after all.

"How did you know?" Her voice was tight. He wanted to kiss her neck, nuzzle the spot where he knew the knot that made her sound that way was residing. He doubted the action would be welcome right about now.

"Jean mentioned it."

She was glaring at him, he could feel it. He thought she was really making a bigger issue out of this than it should be, but he didn't want to seem like he was downplaying her feelings. There were a lot of things that he knew about Blue, more than she probably would feel comfortable with right now, but there were still a lot of things he didn't know. He wanted to know her completely, with a passion he was still somewhat uncomfortable with, but he vowed to take things slow, knowing that was what she would be more accepting of also.

"Jean told you? Nobody knows... at least as few as possible. Jeez, how would you like a name like Sweet Baby Blue Waters?"

She was kind of huffy now, and he thought it was cute. He certainly knew better than to show it, so he stifled his smile and reached out to her again. He hadn't meant to take her in his arms again, she really needed to go inside before he got down on his knees and begged her to let him come inside with her, but he just couldn't seem to help himself.

"Ah, don't be mad. It's not so bad, is it?" He tipped her chin up for a kiss before she could answer, feeling her go soft against his chest. God, he wanted this woman. Bad. "Go inside, honey. Before I try to change your mind. We'll talk more tomorrow." he promised.

John stood by the truck, hands stuffed in his coat pockets so he wouldn't go after her and bury them in her hair like he so wanted to do, and watched as she unlocked the door, went inside, and then waved through the window after locking back up.

Driving the short distance home, he debated whether to take a freezing cold shower or to jerk off when he got there to get rid of the erection his coat had been hiding the moment Blue had slid across the seat. Either way, this looked like it was a damn good start to the new year.

Damn good.