Getting warmer

Chapter 5 — Ice

“Sit down.” Nathan motioned to the worn couch against the wall. I'll get something to clean that knee.”

Jane limped around the battered coffee table and sat down with a sigh. What had been a mediocre date had turned into a horrible one when her car had slid into the curb a few blocks from Nathan's apartment. Nothing seemed to be damaged but it was clear the roads were too dangerous for her to drive across the city to get home. Which meant spending the night with Nathan.

Well. At Nathan's. Not with Nathan. Warmth kissed her cheeks at the thought and she shrugged out of her coat, trying to pretend it was something other than embarrassment. She should have ignored his plaintive “I guess I'll walk home,” when they'd realized the weather was turning nasty and the buses were no longer running. But she'd felt guilty, knowing that she was never going to call him again despite having promised to, and offered to drive him home.

To top it all off, while walking from her stranded car to Nathan's apartment she'd slipped and cut her knee. Which was just fantastic. She was injured and spending the night with a guy she'd only just met.

It would have been okay if he'd been a little more…

Jane paused, chewing her lip thoughtfully. A little more what? She wasn't even sure. It wasn't like he was ugly. Or boring.

“All right.” Nathan cam back into the living room, his hands full. “Let's see what we can do about that knee.”

Reluctantly she pulled the edge of her skirt up.

He smiled. “That doesn't look too bad.”

“Well, it hurts like hell,” she snapped.

“Yeah.” He pulled a washcloth out of the vague jumble of stuff he'd brought from the bathroom, dipped it in the dish of warm water and rung it out. “I'll be as gentle as possible.”

Jane leaned back against the cushions and stared at the ceiling as he dabbed at her skinned knee. It was not as painful as she had anticipated, but somehow tears still prickled, hot and salty. “Ouch.” She jerked at the sting of alcohol.

“Sorry.” He slathered some antibiotic gel over the raw skin and taped the bandage down quickly. “All done.”

She looked at it critically. “Not bad.”

“I did a training stint as a paramedic. Never finished but I can clean and bandage anything.”

“Anything.” It came out sounding snide.

“Well, short of a severed limb.” He paused and grinned, slow and easy. “Short. Severed limb.”

Part of her wanted to giggle hysterically. Instead she frowned.

Nathan shrugged. “Never mind. Major trauma are a stretch. But this…” He laid his hand on her knee, gently. “This is easy.”

Her heart thumped hard enough to make her ears ring. Is he flirting with me? Just as she started to shift away from him, he stood up and began gathering the first aid things off the table.

“Be right back.” He disappeared up the hall.

Jane flopped back on the couch with a sigh. “Right.” Pulling back the curtains, she peered out. Still storming. Damned freezing rain. By morning everything would be covered in ice. She'd be lucky if she could get home by the end of the week.

The lights flickered and she jerked. “Uh, Nathan?”

“You might want to light the candles on the coffee table.” His voice was indistinct, winding down the hall from the bathroom. “There's matches there somewhere.”

Somewhere. She poked at the drift of comic books doubtfully. The lights flickered again, going out for several seconds before snapping back on. Jane shoved the comics aside more enthusiastically. When she found the matches they were the kind that come in a little cardboard book, which she hated. She hated the thought of being stuck in the dark more.

A few moments of fumbling and she managed to get a match lit, then one of the candles before the electricity went off and stayed off.

There was a soft thump down the hall. Quickly followed by not so soft cursing.

“Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” Nathan came down the hall holding a much brighter light than her single candle. “Camping lantern,” he said with a pleased grin. Shoving the comic books into a loose pile, he set the lantern down and wiped his hands on his shirt. “You want something to drink?”

“I guess.” Jane reached down and untied her shoes. Her feet were freezing. Actually, all of her was freezing. She looked at the blanket on the back of the couch doubtfully. It looked clean. A cautious sniff. It smelled clean too, so she pulled it down and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Nathan returned and settled on the other end of the couch. “Sorry. If the power were on I'd make coffee. Instead your choices are soda.” He plunked a couple cans down. “Or Jim Beam.”

Common sense said she needed to keep away from the alcohol, but the thought of drinking anything cold was just too much. “Whiskey,” she said.

He poured two generous glasses, handed her one. “To warmer weather.”

Jane nodded and took a careful sip. “Speaking of warm. With the power off…”

“The radiator runs even when the power's off.”

“Ah.” At least they wouldn't have to huddle together to keep from freezing. She wasn't sure if the feeling in her stomach was relief or disappointment. Or whiskey.

“Sorry this turned into such a lousy date.” He was busy yanking his shoes off.

She shrugged. “Whatever.”

Nathan looked at her and grinned dryly. “It was lousy to start off with, wasn't it?”

“Kind of.”

“I had a hunch it wouldn't work out.” He took another swallow of whiskey. “You're way out of my league.”

She stiffened. “I'm sorry?”

“How many of your past boyfriends took the bus to get to your first date?”

“Well…”

“Or read comic books.”

Who admits they read comic books. “I suppose… none.”

He nodded. “And I've never gone out with anyone as hot as you are.” He pointed at her, then at himself. “Not in the same league.”

Jane licked her lips. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the warm glow of the lantern but he was suddenly looking much more attractive than she remembered. “I see.” She took another sip of whiskey, larger than the last. “You're a smooth talker at least.”

“I guess.”

A flush was rising in her cheeks again and she turned her attention to the apartment. Not that she could see much, but there were a lot of bookshelves. “Are those all comic books?”

“No. Most of those are from my other hobby.” He poured a second glass. “Philosophy.”

“That's a hobby?”

“More like a college degree. But I found out one doesn't get paid to ruminate on the mystery of human existence and the soul.” A quick shrug. “So I got a job managing a coffee shop.”

“That's sad.”

“A little.” A slow grin spread across his face. “Of course, I didn't take philosophy with the purest of intentions, so I suppose it serves me right.”

“What do you mean?”

“I decided on philosophy because I thought it would get me laid.”

Jane blinked. “Did it?”

“Sometimes.”

“Really.”

“Sure.” He tossed back the last of his whiskey and set the glass on the coffee table. “First I'd take a girl someplace private. Like my dorm room.”

Like his apartment.

“And I'd set the mood with candles or music or just talking until she was comfortable.” He moved closer and his hand found her knee again. Warm. Gentle. “Then I'd lean in close and I'd say, Hobbes believed we're all just particles vibrating in the midst of nothingness. A tremor of life. Just chance bits and pieces banging into each other, heating up.” He was close enough she could feel his breath against her lips. “Just vibration and reaction.”

She cleared her throat and took a gulp of whiskey. “That worked?”

He shrugged, but didn't move back to his end of the couch. “College girls are easier.”

Jane thought about that for a minute or two. Tried to think about it but kept getting distracted thinking about Nathan instead. At dinner he had seemed nervous, geeky. A bit of the living-in-his-mother's-basement-at-forty-and-watching-porn kind of guy. Now he was more relaxed. And funny, which made all the difference. When he grinned, which he was doing more and more, it was hot.

“You okay?”

She looked up with a start. “Yeah. Why?”

“You're turning that glass like you're expecting it to make music.”

“Oh.” She tipped the last swallow of Jim Beam into her mouth and set the glass to one side. “Just thinking.”

“Thinking?”

“Well, with the alcohol and the um, circumstances being what they are, I don't want you thinking I'm taking advantage of you.”

“Advantage.” He was clearly amused, mouth curling into the crooked grin that made her heart beat faster.

She laid her hand on his knee, mimicking his posture with her, then, before she could change her mind, slid it up his thigh. There was an immediate flicker of life against her palm as she pressed it against his zipper.

He chuckled, a deep and pleased sound. “What happened to kind of a lousy date?” He moved his hand toward her hip, working little circles with his thumb along the way.

“You changed my mind.”

Nathan paused, a serious quirk forming between his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

She leaned forward and kissed him. He had firm lips — warm too — and his tongue curled easily against her, teasing a soft murmur from her throat. She pulled away reluctantly and smoothed a lock of hair back from his face. “I'm sure.”

He slid his hands under the edge of her sweater and pulled it up over her head in one easy motion. Her bra took a moment longer, then he was kneading her breasts with strong, warm fingers. Sighing, she leaned against the pressure of his hands as he palmed her tits, slowly pulling her toward him. He kissed her again, not letting her go until she was gasping for breath. While she was busy appreciating his tongue in her mouth, he'd gotten a hand under her skirt and tugged her panties down to her knees.

Jane tensed as he stroked the inside of her thighs. I want this. The voice in the back of her head, the one that always made her wait until the fifth or sixth date didn't shut up. She tugged at the buttons on Nathan's shirt, eager for the heat of his skin against hers, eager for the distraction.

He pulled her panties all the way off, then nudged her knees further apart. Even under the shelter of her skirt there was a touch of cooler air against her pussy and she grabbed his wrists, feeling suddenly vulnerable. Exposed.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You're cutting off the circulation in my hands,” he said gently.

“Oh.” She let go. “Sorry.”

“What's wrong?”

“I'm just… stupid.” She pressed her hands to her face, trying desperately not to cry. “I want this. I want you. Very much. But I don't normally do things this fast.”

“Do you want to stop?”

“No.” She clutched at his hands again. “No. I don't want to stop.”

“Good.” He kissed her fingers. “I don't want to stop either.” Leaning in, he kissed her lips — soft and teasing. He laid her back on the couch as if she might break. “I'll go slow. Okay?”

Jane nodded. “Okay.”

Nathan cupped one breast between both hands, breathing on the nipple, then flicking it lightly with his thumbs. It was electrifying, sending little shocks of pleasure zinging through her before they pooled between her legs. He licked the stiffening nub and grinned when she bit her lip with a groan.

“You like this?”

“Yes,” she said. “Very much.”

He sucked her breast, humming deep in his throat, and she clung to him. There was a growing ache in her pussy, wet and hot and hungry for Nathan's touch. He turned his attention to her other breast and she whimpered. God, he's good. The hesitation that had been crippling moments earlier was melting quickly, prompted by the heat of his mouth on her skin.

He nibbled his way down her belly until he reached the waistband of her skirt. “Can we take this off now?”

She shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Oh.” A flicker of disappointment dulled his smile.

She hooked her fingers into the fabric and pulled it upward, inch by inch.

“Oh.” His voice was husky. “That's even better.” He shifted, kissed the inside of her knee, then a little higher, following the hem of her skirt as she gradually exposed herself. His breath was warm against her pussy. “May I?”

“Yes.” She tangled her fingers in his hair as he covered her clit with his mouth. His tongue circled the throbbing knot, around and around and around, until she was whining with need. “Nathan, please.”

He responded by thrusting his thumb deep into her aching center as he sucked her clit. She wailed, arching up off the couch and shoving her pussy against his mouth. Holding her tight by the hips, he explored every wet fold with his tongue, curling and thrusting it inside her until she climaxed.

She lay for a minute, trying to catch her breath and enjoying the buzz of nerves still echoing with ecstasy.

Nathan waited, stroking her thighs with his strong fingers, until she collected herself enough to sit up a little. “You like this?” he said with a grin.

She reached for his belt buckle. “Let me show you how much.”

He shifted, moving up the couch to kneel over her. Eagerly, she reached up and undid his zipper. His dick sprang free as he helped her pull his jeans down his hips.

“Oh, wow.” She blushed as soon as she said it, but he was long and thick and stunning.

His grin spread even wider. “It gets better.” He stroked his shaft a couple of times, bringing it even more sharply to attention before he pushed it gently against her lips. The tip was already sticky and she licked him slowly, savoring the salty taste of him. Grasping his hips, she pulled him closer, slid him over her tongue and sucked hungrily.

“Jesus.” He braced against the arm of the couch with one hand, stroking her hair with the other as she began sliding him in and out of her lips. His hips rocked, slow at first, then matching her rhythm 'til her mouth was gliding up and down his cock. Jane moaned and he shuddered, then pulled away with a chuckle. “Don't want to finish early.”

She wanted, more than anything, to feel his delicious cock spreading her pussy and she reached for him. “Nathan.”

“ Now?”she asked.

“Yes.” He turned her onto her belly, giving her tits an affectionate squeeze as he positioned himself behind her.

Jane spread her knees as far as she could given the width of the couch and waited. She was almost panting with desire, eyes half-closed in anticipation of having him inside her. He rubbed the tip of his cock against her folds, slowly working his way into her pussy. She tried to push back against him but he held her by the hips, forcing her to take him slowly.

“Please.” She knotted her fingers around the edge of the cushion.

“You wanted to take things slow.” There was laughter in his voice.

“Nathan.” She wriggled, hands flexing, toes uncurling, desperate to feel all of him.

“Huh.” He drove into her and she mewled. Perfect. He filled her completely, stretching her fantastically tight. With every thrust she moaned, delirious with the pleasure hammering through every nerve.

Nathan grunted sharply as her pussy clenched tight around him. He shoved hard and moaned — once, twice — then pulled out slowly, almost reluctantly, and collapsed on the couch next to her.

Jane gulped for air, her heart still pounding. Nathan put his arms around her, pulling her snugly against the rough warmth of his chest. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Just thinking.” She paused, eyes sliding closed as another blissful aftershock ran through her.

“Thinking?”

“Topping this on the second date is going to be tough.”