The Total Sum of Two

Chapter 7

“Only mine?”

“Only yours, always.”

Okay, this just got too serious way too fast.  Your brain rapidly pushes the panic button.

“Hmm.  Well, most men have expirations dates, you know like milk?  They start out tasting and looking all creamy and yummy.  Then one day, out of the blue, they become clotted, lumpy, and smell really bad.”

His hand drops from your face and his head dips as he tries to hide his chuckle.  

Whew. Score on for me. You praise yourself. 

He clears his throat, looking back up at you.  “I can see that, but here’s my take.  A woman starts out like a fresh bar of chocolate.  Creamy and smooth, with curves in all the right places.”  Your eyebrows raise, you’re waiting to hear a remark about your age.  Over time, even if you take the best care of it, it can become cracked and broken.  Sometimes the color even changes,” His hand reaches over and moves your hair behind your ear.  “But the taste is still the same.”

“Smooth.  I’ll give that.  You’re definitely smooth.”

His dimples make an appearance as he nods in acceptance of your compliment.  “However, I mean it.”

“So, Mr. Smooth,” if you treasure women so much, why are you still single?  A bad previous relationship? Recovering from a broken heart?  Determined to always play the field?”

“Why must you insist I’m a playboy?”

You shrug.  ‘Most men our age don’t look twice at me.  The men who do look twice, I wonder if they actually only look twice because they 're wearing bi-focals.  Men always want the newer, fresher, perkier model.  No matter how brainless.”

"I believe I've mentioned... I'm not most men.  I've waited a long time for you.  Would you allow me the chance to prove myself?  Six months?  The six months I’m here, would you be willing to let us get to know each other better?”

“You live three doors down and work six feet away.  I don’t see that I have a choice but get to know you better.”

He leans forward, elbows on his knees, his voice low.  “More than co-workers and neighbors better.”

You swallow, lost in the velvet of his voice and liquid sincerity of his eyes.  You whisper, “Okay”.

He immediately stands up, your neck craning to look up at him.  He scoops you up in his arms and heads down the hall.

“Where are we going?”  You squeak out, you didn’t think agreeing meant right this minute!

He kicks open your bedroom door and moves over to the bed.  He bends over, leaning you down, “Covers”. 

“Oh,” you say as you peel back your quilt.  How embarrassing!  I thought... well never mind.  Thank heavens I made my bed this morning!  My clothes are everywhere on the floor, make-up all over the counters in the bathroom but hey! I made my bed!  Little things count right?

He lays you down, but doesn’t immediately let you go.  Your heart skips a beat as the inches between you diminish.  At the last minute he lifts his head and kisses you on the forehead.

“Sweet dreams Samantha.  I’ll be back to drive you to work in the morning.”

You watch him walk out of the room, appreciating the fit of his suit pants.  Mm.  Just makes you want to just reach out ahold. When the front door closes you let out the breath you didn’t realize you were holding.  Throwing your head back you try to calm your heart rate.  Patting your chest and counting breathes you replay the last hour.  

What just happened?  Did I really just agree to get to know Gregory better? To date him?  Maybe…more?  You let out a tiny scream of excitement, kicking your legs a little.  OW!  Damn it!  Damn it!  s**t that hurts!

 ***

The wind is a light breeze, gently blowing through the trees.  Moonlight is streaming down, with just a few clouds gracing the sky.  You’ve never been here before, it’s quite beautiful.  Tall grasses, mountain’s in the background, a forest off to the side.  As you start smelling the wildflowers, trailing your hands along the tops, a movement catches your eye.  Coming out of the trees, walking slowly towards you is the largest  black wolf you’ve ever seen.

You should be scared, but there’s something so familiar in its beautiful, big brown eyes.  You stand completely still, treating it like a stray dog with your hand stretched out timidly. It comes forward, giving you a cordial sniff, then licking your hand.

“Fenrir” you hear in your head.  Again, a deep, husky voice states, “Fenrir, Sam.” 

“Your name is Fenrir?” you ask, receiving what appears to be a nod.  “Fenrir,” you say again, liking how it rolls off your tongue.  “May I?”  You ask as you hold your hand up over his head.  The wolf lowers his head and your fingers curl into his soft fur to pet him.  So soft and fluffy and thick, you luxuriate in the feel.  A low purr begins to sound from Fenrir.  His big head comes forward and playfully knocks into you, rubbing his scent all over you.

“On,” you hear.  “On?”  You question, unsure of his request.  He lies down beside you, “On”.  You move over and gently climb up onto his back, “Like this?”  Without a word he stands and begins sprinting back into the forest.  You give a tiny yelp and then a gasp as he moves in and out of the trees.  Your legs clench around him, your arms tighten around his neck.  You hear what sounds like a laugh and with that laugh, he takes off faster.  He’s making you dizzy with his zig zags so you close your eyes, hiding your face in his fur. 

The running slows, then comes to a stop and you hear, “Look”.  You glance up to see a vision.  He's brought you to a different meadow, this one on the edge of small pond.  A waterfall feeds the pond, creating small, beautiful ripples.  Fenrir sits and you slide down his back to your feet.  He shakes his fur, head butting you. 

“It’s so beautiful,” you say in awe, "thank you for showing me."  Leaning forward you run your fingertips through the water.  Tiny ripples rearrange your reflection. When the water calms, not just your reflection shows but that of Fenrir next to you, his head resting on your shoulder.

 BEEP… BEEP… BEEP

 You stretch languorously, feeling rested for the first time in days.  What were you dreaming about?  Why do all the nice dreams fade the minute you awaken?  You shake your head and gingerly test your weight on your ankle.  Not too bad, you think, and limp to the bathroom.

Showering is taking a bit longer than you anticipated.  Your ankle has begun to throb and you don’t dare hop on one foot in the shower.  What a lovely scene that would be.  Hot male paramedics find naked woman with shower curtain wrapped around her, bleeding from head wound.  It appears she attempted to take shower by herself with an injured ankle…idiot.

You sigh and carefully twist, grasping the shower shelves for balance.  Grabbing your towel in triumph you realize you haven't turned off the water.  Resigned, you attempt to turn back around.  As you attempt to bend over your one good foot slips.  s**t!  You scream in your head, “AHHHHH!” comes out of your mouth and echoes through the shower.  You wait for the pain to come but realize a strong arm has a hold of your waist. 

“How did I know?”  You hear Gregory mumble as he switches you to his other arm, opens the curtain and shuts the water off.  He swings you up in his arms, walks out to your bedroom and dumps you on the bed.  Without looking at you, he turns around and walks back, returning with a dry towel around his neck and throwing another at you.

You don’t know what to say.  Hotter than a paramedic accountant saves you from dying in the shower and you now sit in a wet towel only, in front of him.  You are so embarrassed, you should be mad, HOW DID HE GET IN YOUR HOUSE? But you can’t be since he literally just saved your life.

“Um…thank you.”  You finally manage to say.

He looks over at you from drying his hair, “You’re welcome.  Something told me I had better check on you after my run.”   He looks pointedly at the dry towel, “Can you manage that or do you need more assistance?”  The corners of his mouth slowly turning up in an eager grin.

You cough and he laughs.  “No worries, I was planning on being a gentleman.  I’ll save that for a later time.”

Heat rushes to your cheeks as he chuckles and wanders towards the door.  At your door he turns, “No nylons or pants.  I need to bandage that ankle.”  At your front door you hear him yell out, “You have 10 minutes and I’ll be back!”

Ten minutes!  How are you supposed to be lotioned up, sprayed, and dressed in ten minutes with a bum ankle?  You aren't even sure if that's possible without one!  You mumble and curse at him as you hop around to your dresser and closet, looking for clothes to wear.  You’re just pulling your shirt over your head when you hear your front door open.  Grabbing your lotion you sit back on the bed, attempting to apply it on your legs.  He stands in your doorway for a good minute, just watching you struggle before he shakes his head and comes forward.

“Here,” he says, removing the bottle from your hands.  

You inhale deeply as a whiff of him reaches you.  You close your eyes enjoying his fresh, woodsy scent.  You immediately feel relaxed but why?  How have you never noticed his scent before?  This isn’t the first time he’s been this close.  You open your eyes to find him staring directly at you.  He clears his throat and asks, “I wasn’t sure how much you wanted?”

“Oh, um…I can do it, really.”

He moves the lotion out of your reach, “Yeah, I saw.  Just tell me if I’m doing it wrong.”  

You watch him squirt lotion into the palm of his hand and rub his hands together.  The instant he starts smoothing it over your calves your body starts to vibrate.  Has a man ever done this for me?  Damn why is this so sexy?  If he’d been paying any attention, he would have realized he could have taken you right then. Trying to calm yourself you think,  I’m so glad men are oblivious.  Damn, is it just me or is it getting really hot in here?

The ministrations stop and you see Gregory’s Adams’ apple bob as he swallows.  He applies more lotion and moves to your foot.  All the right pressure points are being rubbed and while some of it is painful, it’s a good kind of pain.  With one leg done he reaches up next to you, finds your sandal and places it on your good foot.  He doesn’t even look at you until he has the other leg done and bandaged.

When he loos up, his eyes are dilated and you’re pretty sure, yours are the same.  You go to lick your lips when you see his eyes follow your tongue.  You quickly stop and look away.  

“My hair,” you say, “can you give me five more minutes?”

He nods, sliding backwards, holding a hand out to help you up.  As you stand up, seeing him kneeling next to is sending a niggling feeling of déjà vu.  You shake it off and limp into the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

*** 

When you limp into the kitchen, you find him standing in front of the coffee pot, awaiting your mug to finish filling.  He looks over his shoulder at you, reaches out and hands to you four ibuprofen.

“Take these they’ll help with the swelling.”  You nod, accepting them and then your fresh travel mug of coffee.

Your first sip is heaven.  “Oh my God, that tastes fantastic,” you say with a small moan.  You see Gregory roll his neck before commenting, “I’m glad you like it, it's a special blend."

He still hasn't turned around.  A tiny devil appears and an evil smile tugs at your lips.  So, he wants to get to know each other better.

"Your special blend is doing fantastic things to me."  You say as you pretend to take another sip.  You moan louder and longer than the first time.  You purposefully watch him, peeking around his shoulder for his reaction.  His hands are fisted on the counter and you can hear him trying to control his breathing.  You bite your lip and place your hand on his arm.  As he turns to you, he rolls his eyes and looks at the ceiling in exasperation.  At your giggle his eyes narrow and grabs you around the waist, swinging you around to trap you between the counter and himself.. 

You squeal in surprise.  Seeing the intent in his eyes you quickly add, “My ankle,” pointing to your foot.

He takes the coffee mug out of your hand and places it back on the counter.  You try again, “We’re going to be late.  I really think we should get going.”

A small growl comes forth and his hand goes to the back of your head, holding you completely still and slightly, excitedly terrified.

“I was just joking around.  You know, you’re the one who said you wanted to get to know each other better…well, now I know not to do that.”  You attempt smiling.

His eyes are dark and he doesn’t seem to be listening.

“You have NO idea what you do to me do you?”  He presses his hips into yours and you catch your breath as your body responds.

“I’m sorry,” you say breathlessly, “lesson learned.”

“Actions have consequences,” he mutters darkly, turning his head back and forth as his eyes roam your face.

“Consequences?” you reply but the rest is swallowed by his lips taking yours.  You can feel the tension in him.  Can feel how he’s trying to hold back what he really wants to do.  His tongue runs along the seam of your lips and you willingly open them, moaning softly into his mouth.  That’s all it takes.  His control is severed at your moan and he tilts your head back deepening the kiss.  Your hands reach up and tangle in his hair, gripping it, trying to pull him closer.

As if remembering your ankle, he lifts you up and seats you on the counter.  Oh God, so much better!  You think as you wrap your legs around his waist and pull him in to you.