Giving In

I awoke gently from the most peaceful sleep I had experienced in a long time, believing that the events of the day had been another dream until I felt his warm skin spooned behind me. I turned gently to look at him in the softening light of dusk. His hair was mussed from sleep (and my hands running through it as we had made love); his eyes hidden from me as he slept. His sculpted torso lay free of the sheets, the white fabric covering the area just below his navel. He looked so peaceful lying there that I didn’t have the heart to wake him.

Easing myself gently out of the bed, I made my way into the bathroom, starting the water in the shower. I almost loathed stepping into the warm stream, knowing that I was about to lose the smell of his sex on my skin. Bathing myself as quickly as possible, I stepped out of the shower and pulled my wet hair into a simple ponytail, and slipped into my running shorts and sports tank. He was still sleeping soundly when I stepped out of the bathroom. No need to wake him...he’ll be here when you get back. Closing my bedroom door as quietly as possible, I grabbed my cell and my keys from the foyer.

I hadn’t been gone longer than five minutes when I felt the phone vibrate on my hip. “Hello,” I said in my sweetest voice. “Did you finally wake up, sleepyhead?”

“Hey ....” God, his voice, groggy from sleep - so sweet, yet seductive. “Where did you go?”

“I wanted to get in my jog for the evening…what are you doing?”

“Well, I’m lying here alone in a beautiful woman’s bed, wondering where she might like to have dinner tonight?”

“Well, if you don’t mind, could we just have dinner at my house instead?”

“Sure, sweetie. That sounds wonderful.” Just hearing him call me sweetie made me want him again right now.

“Do you need me to bring anything while I am out?”

“Just get your sweet self home soon. I miss your kiss already....” Oh, boy, the bad thoughts were popping up again. “Mind if I take a look in your fridge. I’ll try to throw something together for us.”

“Sounds good to me. I should be home in about fifteen minutes.”

I heard him chuckle into the phone. “It’s a deal. I’m gonna get a shower if that’s OK…”

My pulse quickened just a bit at the thought of his wet, naked body all alone in my apartment, and I swallowed before I could speak. “Yeah, that‘s fine, Gil, but be warned--I might see you naked, and well, I might lose all self-control.” His unmistakable laugh resonated from the other end of the line and as we said our goodbyes and hung up, and I willed myself to get back home as quickly as possible.

Half an hour later, I was back home, my hair sticking to my face from sweat. He called my name and, after I answered, yelled for me to come into the kitchen. He was standing at the stove, quickly stirring the vegetables in the pan.

“I thought we were going to order in,” I mentioned as I crossed the kitchen and kissed him, and groaned as his hand instantly slid to the curve of my waist, pulling me against him as he slipped a denim-covered knee between my legs and his tongue between my lips. I was breathless when he let me go, but managed to speak. “Want me to make salad?”

Working together, we were sitting down to eat within minutes, diving in to our meal of rice, grilled vegetables, and simple salads. We were both hyper from our productive day, so our conversation flowed even easier than usual, and it was almost nine o’clock before we realized it. He stood to clear the table, bending to kiss the top of my head when he took my plate. “This was a good idea - there was no way I could handle going out tonight.” After loading the dishes into the dishwasher, he asked, “Can we just sit and watch some TV?”

“After the day we’ve had, I’d much rather curl up in front of the television with you than go hang out with a bunch of strangers.” I took his hand and led him toward my overstuffed sofa, then put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him toward it. “Sit. And move over, would you? I need room, too.” He sat at the end, then turned sideways with one leg stretched out along the back of the cushions, and opened his arms for me to settle in. As soon as I sat between his legs, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back to rest against his chest. I rested my ear against him, listening to the slow, steady beat of his heart as we sat quietly, channel surfing and only occasionally murmuring at each other as the evening passed. Oddly, although it was the least sexual contact we had shared today, but I was so turned on within an hour that I was having trouble sitting still. Each time he tickled the side of my neck, or kissed my earlobe, or laid his hand on the bare skin of my leg, I had to stifle a moan.

Around midnight, I realized that he was dozing off where he sat, and I leaned in gently to whisper in his ear. “Gil, honey, come to bed. You’re exhausted.”

His eyes snapped open, and he mumbled, “I probably really need to get home tonight. I've got a couple of case files that I need to look over, and ..."

“But Gil…,” I protested. He was on his feet by now, shaking his head, and slipping his shoes back on.

“Darling,” he said cupping my face in his hands, “it’s not that I don’t want to stay, but you understand, don’t you? I want nothing more than to cradle you in my arms again and fall asleep to the sound of your breathing, but I can’t...really, doll...”

Knowing that what he was saying was all true, I sat dejected on the sofa while he gathered his keys and other belongings from my coffee table. Helping me up from my seat, he pulled me close to his strong, body, and I felt so safe in his arms. “Promise me you’ll call as soon as you get home?” I said. “I’m worried about you driving...you’re so tired.”

“I’ll be OK, I promise...” he mumbled before kissing my lips gently. Still holding my hand, he led me to the door. “Besides, I have a date with this girl tomorrow , and I want everything to be perfect.”

I felt a sly smile cross my face. “Oh, you do?” I questioned. “And just what do you have planned for this lucky lady?”

“She’ll know in due time...but if she doesn’t let me get home, she’ll never know. I hope she doesn‘t mind that I changed it from a brunch to a dinner date.”

Smiling, I replied. “Right now, you could tell her you were taking her to watch paint dry, and I don’t think she’d care at all.”

Kissing me gently on the forehead, he took his hand and tipped my chin up to look into his eyes. “Sleep well, my dear..” Kissing me once again, I felt his tongue slip ever so quickly into my mouth, and just as quickly he pulled away. “If I don’t go now, I won’t.”

His call came about twenty minutes later, informing me that he was home. “I’m glad to hear it,” I said, plopping down onto my bed. “See you tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait,” he said. “Sweet dreams, love.” And with that, he disconnected.

I pulled the covers up over my body, cuddling the pillow on which his head had rested earlier, and drifted off to sleep, the smell of his body still prominent on my bed sheets...