Tension Released

Lacking Control

The shop floor was long since silent, the hum of the machines replaced by the distant buzz of a soda machine in the break room. Sam leaned against the work bench, her fingers brushing against a smudge of grease from her forearm. Jordan stood a few feet away , arms crossed, like he didn’t know what to do with his hands. Or maybe he knew exactly what he wanted to do with them. I didn’t think you’d stay she said said eyes darting at the door. You asked me to Jordan replied and that’s all it takes. Sam swallowed. There it was again, the softness in his voice that hit harder than any line . The way he looked at her like she was something breakable and precious all at once. That’s the thing about you she said voice edging to a whisper, you say stuff like that and I don’t know whether to trust it or run. Jordan stepped closer, slow and careful like he was approaching a scared animal. Then fun he said but I’m still gonna be here. The words melted something sharp in her chest. Her breath caught as he moved into her space, his warm body, his presence overwhelming in the best way possible. His hand reached out didn’t grab, didn’t pull, just rested on the bench beside her. You drive me crazy Sam, he murmured. You walk in covered in grease m, hair tied back, mouth smarter than anyone in this place, and I swear I can’t think straight. She felt her lips part slightly, her pulse hammering in her throat . “Then stop thinking” she said. That was all it took. Jordan’s hand slid into her jaw, fingers rough from work,but his touch impossibly gentle. He kissed her slow at first, teasing, but Sam had been holding back for too long . She leaned into him, deepening it, her hands tangling in the front of his shirt , pulling him closer. His mouth tasted like mint and trouble. She could feel the tension he’d been carrying, all the long looks, the barley there touches, the restraint unraveling between them. Her back bit the workbench as his hands found her waist, then he slid under the hem of her shirt, fingers swimming over skin that hadn’t been touched like this in far to long. She gasped softly into his mouth. I don’t do this she said against his lips. I don’t let people in like this. Jordan pulled back enough to look at her, his forehead brushing hers . You’re not letting me in Sam. I’m already there. Her knees might have buckled if he wasn’t holding her so tight. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down into her. This kiss wasn’t soft, rather hungry weeks of tension building between them and in seconds her would exploded. When he lifted her onto the workbench she didn’t hesitate. Her legs wrapped around him, grounding herself in the feel of him. Strong. Solid. Real. And for the first time in years, she wasn’t scared of being seen.