Fight Me(50)
Erin raises her head and kisses my lips. I love the taste of her. It’s all sweet and minty. It doesn’t take long for the kiss to go from gentle to holy-shit. I run my tongue along her lips, tasting her. Her hands are wandering up and down my chest. I love the feel of her soft hands on my bare chest.
“As much as I’d love to keep going and finish this the right way, you’re probably not going to let me, so we’d better just say good night right now before I can’t stop myself anymore.”
“I don’t feel comfortable having sex tonight, Jake. I’m sorry,” she says as she snuggles back tightly against my chest.
“I know. You’re probably right. I need to get some rest and you have to work tomorrow.”
“Did you just say that I’m right?”
“Don’t let that go to your head. Tomorrow I’ll be back to being bossy and domineering. Tonight, I just want to hold you as I fall asleep.”
“I can handle that. Good night, Jake.”
“Night, darlin’,” I mumble as I carefully rest my head against the top of hers. I inhale her intoxicating tropical shampoo and stroke my hand against her back. I feel her gentle breath against my neck. In the past, I’ve never been a big snuggler. Once I spent the night with a woman, I was out of there as quick as I could. Sometimes I went back for seconds, sometimes not. But with Erin lying next to me, against me, I feel content. Calm. Happy. That’s the last thought I recall as I drift off to sleep with my girl in my arms.
*****
For the next three nights, Erin and I settle into a comfortable routine. She runs to her place after work, grabs a fresh change of clothes, feeds her cat, and then comes over to my place. When she gets here, we make dinner, eat in the living room, and hang out. She generally reads while I watch some sporting event or an action movie on television. When its bedtime, we fall asleep in each other’s arms until morning where we do it all over again.
To say I’m bored come Friday is an understatement. My days are filled with watching television or entertaining company. Maddox comes over with Bean on his days off and bitches about the rookie he’s partnered up with until my return.
“Seriously, I can’t even say ‘shit’ without him either throwing my ‘foul mouth’ back in my face or quoting scriptures. It drives me crazy. It drives me fucking crazy!”
“Maybe you’ll start appreciating me a little more now, man. You didn’t realize how good you had it until I’m not there every day to keep track of you.”
“This straight and narrow shit is for the birds.” We both laugh. “So, what’s the plan for the party tomorrow night?”
“Just be ready at six. We’re gonna stop by and pick you up on our way to Laverne’s. Dinner is our first stop. We’ll end up at Jack’s at the end of the night. And don’t worry about driving or anything. I’ll be picking you up and chauffeuring you around since I can’t drink yet.”
“Are you still planning the whole stripper thing? Cause I’ll be honest, I’m not exactly excited about Avery having a stripper. Maybe we should skip it and then she’ll do the same.”
“Don’t be a pussy. And trust me. You’ll have a great time with what I have planned,” I say with a big smile.
Maddox stands up and grabs his coat. “Trust you. Last time I did that, I wound up naked, wearing a sombrero and cowboy boots, and dancing on that table for tips.”
I laugh hard at the memory of our first weekend home following boot camp that involved a handful of girls and a whole lot of tequila. “Who knew you had such moves, my friend.”
Maddox laughs. “Let’s just keep my clothes on this time. I doubt your sister would appreciate that, and I’d prefer to actually live to see my wedding day.”
“Deal.”
“Big plans tonight?” Maddox asks as he heads towards the door.
“I’m going crazy in this house. I’m planning on taking Erin out to dinner and then maybe a movie. Anything to not stare at these walls for another night.”
“Well, have fun, man. If you need anything, let me know.”
“Will do. See you tomorrow at six,” I say as Maddox heads out the door with a wave.
Well, I have about three hours until Erin gets here so plenty of time to plan a date night. Now, I just have to decide what to do. Dinner is a must but I’m starting to rethink the movie idea. The last thing I want to do is sit and watch more mindless TV or another movie. So, now what?
*****
“Honey, I’m home,” Erin says as she comes in the backdoor and sets down her bag on the kitchen table.