Rescuing a Damsel in Distress

Before long we were done and since it was a nice day we headed out and sat on the porch. For a November day it was quite pleasant. The sun was shining and with just a hint of a breeze, it wasn't really cold.

I had to lend Bonnie a heavy jacket, that looked kind of funny on her, me being a bit larger of frame than she was. She laughed and didn't mind when I teased her a little.

It did my heart good to see her smiling and just enjoying sitting on the porch and watching the birds come to the feeders I had strung along the edge of the canopy.

She was much more at ease and smiled more often, asking me what the birds were that kept coming and going.

I noticed her eyes kept glancing to the left and down the short section of road that raised slightly and turned away, fading from view behind some tall trees. I was pretty sure she was puzzled about the lack of traffic while wondering where it led.

Guessing she was curious, I explained the road dead ended about a half mile away, ending up in a man-made lake that had been constructed many years ago, actually when I was a late teen, and while the road was blocked to vehicle traffic, it was possible to walk all the way down to the lake.

The place was a county park with a walking trail that went all the way around the lake, a distance of 6 to 8 miles, depending on which website one looked at.

When I got up to head back inside to get a few things done, she asked if I minded if she took a walk down to the lake to see it for herself.

I gave her a roll of my eyes, asking why would I mind.

I smiled when she blushed and gave me a shy smile. I told her to go enjoy herself but not to be out too late or I'd have to ground her. She giggled and her smile grew before she headed out for her walk.

She returned about two hours later, her cheeks a rosy red from the cold but looking more at ease. I made her some hot chocolate and we sat on the couch with her telling me about her walk and what she had seen.

She was all excited about the wildlife she had seen. A small herd of white-tailed deer, a fox and a few wild turkeys. (I had to identify them for her as she didn't know what they were, though she found them fascinating, never having seen a bird so large before.)

She also marveled at the huge numbers of Canada Geese that called the lake home during the winter.

As her tale wound down and she warmed up, she yawned and smiled as she apologized for being so rude.

I rolled my eyes, again, causing her to giggle, again, each finding the other amusing.

I told her to go lay down and take a nap, but she told me she preferred to stay where she was and curled up in the other end of the couch and drifted off to sleep.

I hate to admit it but I got quite distracted by her as she curled up under one of the blankets I have folded and laying along the back of the couch.

She looked younger, more vulnerable and I thought long and hard about my mysterious Bonnie.

Of course I didn't come up with any grand conclusions or solutions, but it passed the time.

What I found the most amusing was when about a half hour later, she sat up, eyes barley open, mumbling incoherently, sounding disgruntled and flipped over and instead of cuddling into the corner of the couch, snuggled up into my side.

I was so stunned I just sat there for a moment as she made herself comfortable. She mumbled something once more, but sounding much more pleased and then sighed contentedly.

I briefly thought that I should wake her but then I talked myself out of it, not that that was difficult to do. What can I say, I'm only human and having a warm, wonderful, and exceeding beautiful, young woman cuddled into my side was very nice. Very, very nice.

It did make working on my laptop kind of awkward, but it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

She shifted around for the first ten minutes or so but then settled down, snoring softly. Something I found both amusing and endearing.

In the end I had to very gently wrap my right arm around her shoulders and shift my laptop onto my left leg and the arm of the couch. This meant I could only type with one hand, my left and I'm not left handed. Like I said it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

All in all it was without a doubt the most perfect afternoon I'd had in years, quite a few of them.

Ethel had laid down in front of the fireplace, electric unfortunately but in this case a welcome thing as it never needed tending. The cats were nowhere to be seen and I had a warm, beautiful woman cuddled into my side.

Well except for the one handed typing thing, that did get old rather quickly but like I said, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

It was about two hours later when I felt her stir. I watched with a smile on my face as she slowly woke up. Finally her eyes fluttered open and after a moment as she oriented herself, they widened in shock.

"Have a nice nap?" I whispered.

Her head snapped up, just catching my chin, I didn't see stars, though it stung pretty good, and she looked at me with a horrified expression.

I'm not quite certain what she was thinking as a host of emotions quickly flashed over her face.

I stared at her, rubbing my chin and giving her a playful frown.

Her demeanor quickly changed from what appeared to be annoyance, bordering on anger to one of sympathy and embarrassment.

"Are you all right?" she cried softly, reaching toward me with both of her hands.

"I'll live," I replied, checking my fingertips to make sure there wasn't any blood.

As soon as she determined I was all right, she dropped her hands and her gaze into her lap. She was sitting sideways with her left leg tucked up underneath her and her right leg off the couch, resting on the floor.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, refusing to look at me.

"Whatever for?" I asked bewilderedly.

She lifted her head some but still wouldn't meet my eyes and she gestured with both hand which windmilled as she spoke, "Hitting you in the chin and . . . and for falling asleep on you." The last part was spoken very softly and her gaze fell once again.

I sensed a deep sadness envelope her and once again I felt that tugging at my heart.

I guess I shocked her with my reaction. I laughed. "For one thing, Ethel has caught my chin, hitting me much harder than you did on more occasions than I care to remember," I told her, still chuckling.

"As for the other, I'll admit it, I enjoyed having you snuggled into my side," I added much softer, my eyes warm with emotion.

It took a moment but then her chin lifted and she gazed into my eyes, a small smile beginning to grace her, luscious lips.

Yeah, I noticed her lips. I'm an ogre, what can I tell you.

Anyway, I saw her eyes dancing with amusement and the smile grew some more.

Then her look changed as she opened her mouth like she was going to say something. Though she was still smiling, there was a slight sense of seriousness in her look. Then she smiled sadly and she gave me what I can only describe as an apologetic look.

This wasn't the first time that she had appeared to be about to say something and then changed her mind.

I wondered briefly what she wanted to or was trying to say along with what was stopping her. Sure we didn't really know each other but I could feel a growing bond, even if it was mainly as her "knight-in-shining-armor".

She was basically in my care, staying in my home. Not that I minded, quite the contrary. I was enjoying having her around.

Then her look changed again. Her smile becoming a bit warmer and some of the laughter returned to her eyes.

"I'm glad I didn't hurt you too much," she chuckled. "And I have to admit, I enjoyed being snuggled into your side. I was nice and you're really warm," she added, blushing slightly.

"So I've been told," I teased her lightly. Not that it wasn't true. My ex-wife called me her bed warmer on many occasions and other women I'd been with also commented on how wonderful it felt to snuggle into my warm body.

We stared into each others eyes, a tension growing between us.

Then the moment was shattered by Ethel. The commotion had awaken her and after staring at us for a moment, decided she wanted out and she rung the bells hanging off the door nob.

Bonnie sighed, sounding somewhat relieved but I could also sense a touch or melancholy or regret too.

I rose and let Ethel out, noting the time so while she took her run, I started to prepare her dinner.

From my spot at the kitchen counter, I could just see the back of Bonnie's head. She had sat back on the couch and even thought I couldn't see her face, I was sure she was thinking hard.

By then, Ethel wanted back in, expecting her dinner. Once I had placed her food down, I grabbed the can of cat food from the fridge and went to feed them. I have the front room set up as their 'sanctuary', having a child's gate in the door so that they could get in but Ethel couldn't.

I noticed Bonnie glance at me as passed but didn't stop or comment.

As I came back out, she glanced at me again, her expression unreadable.

"Hungry?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded her head as she started to rise.

"Stay, I'll make dinner," I told her, returning her smile.

She nodded, her smile growing and she settled back down.

I was preparing the steaks for the broiler when she joined me a short time later.

"What can I do to help?" she asked softly.

"Why don't you throw together a salad," I said warmly. I had suspected that she wouldn't stay away.

After placing the steaks in the oven, I went and grabbed a couple of potatoes and prepared to nuke them. With that done, I went and grabbed a can of string beans and a bowl to nuke them in too.

Ah the wonders of modern technology.

I couldn't help but notice that Bonnie had that pensive look on her face again.

I started the microwave with the potatoes in it and opened the can of string beans and dumped them into the bowl, added a couple of dollops of butter and set it aside to wait its turn in the microwave.

By then it was time to turn the steaks and after I'd done that, Bonnie turned to me.

"There's been something I've been meaning to tell you but I'm afraid it will change things," she said softly and hesitantly.

"It's up to you. You don't have to tell me anything until you're ready or decide it's something I really need to know," I reassured her warmly.

"Thank you," she replied with a small smile and then in a move that surprised me, she came over and kissed me on the cheek.

We stared into one another's eyes for a moment, both smiling softly.

Of course the microwave chose that moment to beep. We both chuckled and I turned to take care of the potatoes.

While I tended to the microwave, Bonnie took the salad to the table and she called out, "What do you want to drink?"

"A hard cider," I replied, feeling a bit carefree.

Seeing I had a few moments, I went back into the living room area and checked my blood sugar. I'm a type 2 diabetic.

As I was recording the reading, Bonnie came over and looked at me quizzically.

"What are you doing?" she asked, glancing at the meter and small pen-like device that I used to prick my finger to draw the blood.

I explained about being a diabetic and having to check my blood sugars and the medications I had to take to keep it under control.

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "It must be a pain in the arse," she said softly.

"You get used to it. It's do that or suffer the consequences," I replied with a shrug.

By then it was time to go and finish preparing dinner. After switching out the potatoes for the string beans, I went to the cabinet where I kept my medications. At dinner I had two oral ones to take, one I took before every meal and one I only took at dinner.

Then I grabbed my insulin, a long acting one I only have to take once a day. Bonnie winced when I injected it into my belly.

"I don't know if I could do that," she muttered.

"You learn to do what you need to do," I replied, giving her a wan smile.

After I cleaned up, everything was ready so we moved it and ourselves to the table.

We ate leisurely, chatting and just enjoying being together. She ended up asking me about my diabetes so I told her about how I ended up in a diabetic comma and spent a week in the hospital. How I'd had to make changes in my diet and how I did things.

What struck her the most was when I told her how after I was doing better, my mother had told me that the doctor had told her I almost died.

She gave me a watery smile. "I'm glad you didn't die or I'd probably still be stuck on the side of the road."

I teased her gently, telling her "I'm sure the rental car company would have eventually come and rescued her."

She rolled her eyes at me. "What I mean is that I'd never have gotten to meet you and I'm glad I did," she replied warmly.

"I'm glad I got to meet you too," I replied, blushing lightly.

If she noticed, she didn't say anything.

We finished eating and washed the dishes, continuing to chat. As we completed the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, Bonnie gave me a soft, shy glance and asked if we could watch a movie.

I wondered a little about the shy look she gave me but then again, I'm a man, you know, were thick-headed.

So with a shrug I said sure, and we headed for the living room area. I handed her the remote and told her, "Why don't you pick something."

I'd been forced by the cable company to upgrade to that new, "Talk to Your Remote" crap but Bonnie seemed very familiar with it and in no time at all we were watching a romantic comedy. Sure it was one the we'd both seen probably at least a dozen times, but it was nice and relaxing and we laughed and traded quips about how ridiculous some of the stuff was.

Since it was still pretty early we decided to watch another movie as neither of us felt tired.

I had Bonnie pick out another movie while I volunteered to go make some popcorn and refill our drinks.

She smiled and I got the distinct impression she loved the idea.

It didn't take that long for me to make the popcorn and return. She pouted about not finding another romantic comedy and she'd put on an action/drama, differing from an action/adventure by a few less explosions and a much small body count.

We actually had more fun laughing at the second movie because of how much more ridiculous it was. How the good guys didn't miss a shot, even with a handgun at like 500 yards and things of that sort.

What surprised me the most was when I returned with the popcorn, Bonnie moved much closer, not that unusual to begin with as it made it easier to share the bowl but then as it slowly disappeared, she cuddled into my side.

At first I was a bit shocked and sat their rather stiffly, in fact she ended up huffing and grabbing my arm and physically lifted it over her head and along her shoulders.

I guess I gave her a shocked or surprised look because she rolled her eyes at me, telling me it made it easier because we didn't have to pass the bowl of popcorn and besides, she was cold and wanted to snuggle to be warm.

She did grab the quilt off the back of the couch and wrapped it around her torso and surprisingly, down across my legs.

I gave her a questioning look and she responded with one that said clearly "just shut up and accept it."

That is one look I've learned over the years, even if I'm thicker than most men. She smiled when she knew she'd won.

As the movie progressed she snuggled a little deeper and progressively leaned further and further against me until she was half wrapped around me, with her head on my chest and shoulder.

I still had my arm wrapped around her, holding her shoulder and her body close to mine. I was struggling not to react, especially down south, if you get my drift as with where her head was, I was being assaulted by her wonderful fragrance.

I thought I was doing a fairly good job of things until she sighed and rubbed the side of her head against me while bringing her hand up and placing it lightly on my chest.

Then things took a turn for the worse when her fingers began to play with the button of my shirt where her hand lay, rubbing it softly, running her fingertip around it and every once in a while, slipping a finger or two inside the opening.

I glanced down and saw she had her eyes closed.

"If you're tired, why don't you go to bed?" I asked softly.

"Don't wanna," she replied just as softly but sounding like a petulant child.

"And why not?" I asked with a touch of humor and a smile.

"Comfortable," she replied, still sounding petulant.

"The bed's more comfortable than this couch," I informed her. And the thing was, it really was. Yeah it didn't have the world's greatest mattress but I'd bought one of those thick, fluffy mattress topper things and that bed was damn comfortable.

"Better here," she countered, still sounding like a child.

"What? How?" I asked in disbelief.

"Warmer," she sighed as she snuggled a little closed, sending some amazingly wonderful feelings, both physically and mentally through me. I mean, come on, what guy wouldn't love to hear a warm, beautiful, wonderful woman say that they'd rather stay with you than go off to a comfortable bed.

Giving it up as a lost cause, I shut my mouth and subconsciously ran my hand through her hair and it wasn't until she sighed contentedly that I realized what I was doing.

Being the thick-headed guy I am, I froze.

"Don't stop," she whispered.

Not that she could see it, but I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at her and while I may be thick, I wasn't so thick that I didn't resume what I had been doing.

She sighed contentedly again and I could see a small smile break out on her face.

The movie lasted about another half hour and there we sat. I'd almost believe she'd fallen asleep except for the way her fingers continued playing with the front of my shirt.

With the movie over, I gently whispered, "You really should go to bed."

She lay there for a moment, not moving but then slowly nodded her head. She sat up and without pausing kissed me on the cheek again before she rose.

She looked at me, her expression totally unreadable to me, before she padded off back toward the bedroom.

I sighed as I watched her go, my mind swirling with chaotic thoughts. Sighing once again, I turned my attention back to the TV.

It was about five minutes later when she reappeared, wearing one of my old nightshirts. She didn't say a word, she just extended her hand at me.

I gave her a "are you sure" look.

She gave me a small nod of her head and I took her hand, allowing her to help pull me to my feet.

If my thoughts had been chaotic before, I was totally bewildered now.

She smiled shyly at me but didn't say a word as she led me back to the bedroom.

The whole way back to the bedroom my mind was in overdrive, wondering if this was a good idea. Yeah I was attracted to her, I mean what warmblooded, heterosexual male wouldn't have been. She was drop dead gorgeous, polite, helpful, fun to be around and seeming out of nowhere she had dropped into my life.

There were times I was wondering if I was going to wake up and find it had all been a dream, though if it had been a dream I think we'd have gotten up to a lot more than some cuddling on the couch and that one time she wanted me to hold her while she slept. If it truly had been a dream, we'd have been all over one another doing all sort of kinky things.

Once we reached the bedroom, she stopped and looking me in the eyes slowly began to remove my shirt and shorts, leaving me in nothing but my boxers.

Still without speaking, she stared into my eyes for a moment before she turned down the covers and climbed into the bed. Once she'd settled herself, she looked up at me, her eyes telling me to come to bed.