Reasons Why - 10

Chapter 10

The movie started, and Chloe and Chris sat at either end of the sofa, not miles apart, but far enough that they could both get some clarity. Drew Barrymore in her unique goofy way made Chloe laugh, but Chris rolled his eyes, glad when the doorbell rang signaling the arrival of the pizza. Pausing the film, they settled on the floor either side of the coffee table with the food before restarting it. Chloe laughed as she tried to wrestle a huge wedge of pizza into her mouth without any of the gooey cheese landing on her. 

"Should have had something that doesn't make me look like a pig to eat!" She offered, wiping her hands on a napkin. 

Chris giggled, leaning forward and swiping at a piece of cheese that had landed on her chin with his thumb, "can't think of anything better than getting dirty with you!" As the words left his mouth he gasped at the double entendre. "I didn't mean..."

He was blushing, and it was so endearing that she leaned forward and silenced him with a kiss. Pizza discarded, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him, any gentleness had left the room. Chloe was just as desperate as him to touch, taste, be close to him.  Within moments she was spread back against the floor, Chris over her, those lips teasing her to distraction. Throwing back her head, she absorbed the sensation of his lips at the base of her neck, along her collar bone.

The phone ringing caused them to roll apart with a groan, a few more seconds and Chloe knew it would have been almost impossible to stop, as it was, she pulled herself up and rushed to the phone. 

Chris was stood in the corner of the room near a tall bookcase when she reentered the room.

"It was Didi, fussing over the kids. Can't blame her I suppose, she's not left them that much!"

He nodded in the direction of the table, "the pizza is glad she called." Lifting a framed photo from the shelf, he stared at it. "Is this Owen?"

Chloe took a deep breath then crossed the room to him, the photo was from her graduation. Her and Owen, laughing, an arm tossed around each other showing the closeness they had that surpassed most sibling, friend or even lover relationship. The pain was still raw as she saw the humour in his face, the carefree nature of his body language. Owen was destined for SO much.

"Yep." She nodded quietly and had to swallow the knot of emotion to add, "that was him."

Chris was staring at the picture, Owen a pretty blonde boy did look happy, good looking, relaxed, but it was Chloe that he couldn't take his eyes off. He presumed it was only a few years ago, but she looked vastly different. Not just that she was bigger, curvier, but she had a real joy to her face. He realised that he hadn't seen that expression on her face since he'd met her. She had a permanent vulnerability, an almost paleness to her that was a haunting quality. She was beautiful now, but he really wanted to see her as she was there. Before she lost Owen.

It was dodgy ground again, awkward, a little difficult, so he reached over and kissed her briefly, "you look so happy. I can tell he loved you."

Shaking her head trying to lighten the mood, she nodded, then kissed him back, "let's eat!"

Replete and slumped back against each other, the film played out, and as Drew stood in the centre of the baseball field and late, but nevertheless there, Michael Varden arrived at a sprint, Chloe felt tears well in her eyes. 

Chris glanced down at her with a smile, "I was just about to say that was crap, but you obviously enjoyed it?"

She nodded, punching his arm, "it was romantic..."

He scoffed, "I give you romance!" 

She thought about their meeting, him rescuing her, was there a more romantic gesture than that? She was in grave danger of swooning at him, her immediate thought was that it was a story worthy of telling children or grandchildren. She shook herself, this was a holiday romance for all intent and purpose, there was no longevity in this relationship.

Smiling at him she nodded, "you are a very romantic person!"

Suddenly Chloe was apprehensive, worried about where all this would go, the easy atmosphere was gone. Gathering the dishes, she smiled at him before taking them to the kitchen. She was pottering there when she felt his arms swirl around her from behind.

"What is it? What just happened?"

His voice was a warm tingle at her ear, and despite her resistance she felt her body sink against his. His hands secured her close to him, his thighs against hers, chest against her back.

"I'm just..."

Chris could feel her insecurity, her need for reassurance, and knew that he couldn't rush this, "Chloe, I don't want this to end."

She turned in his arms,"but where are we going with this?"

He sighed, "who knows? But we have to try, to see how things work between us. If it does, then we can try and work out a future. I believe we can sort something if we want to."

She tried desperately not to fill up with emotion at the thought of losing him, of never seeing him again, but then the reality of the different worlds they live in, their paths were miles away...

And then he kissed her.

How could she focus on her future, preserving her sanity when he was tantilising her in such a divine way.Would she ever get bored of kissing him or being kissed.  Somewhere the tempo had changed, as he kissed she returned, tenfold, part of her succumbing to the realisation that any part of this man was better than none. If he left now, she'd be heartbroken, it was the old adage of in for a penny, in for a pound. Whereas Chris was trying desperately to hold back, give her time and space.

I'm not a saint! He thought as her hands slid under his t-shirt, splaying warm fingers over his spine. wriggling her pelvis into his he could do nothing but groan. At some point he'd lost control of the kiss, and it was her teeth that were biting his bottom lip, her tongue that was darting in and out of his mouth. And his whimpers of desire that echoed around the kitchen.

"Chloe!" he moaned as her teeth tugged at his earlobe, "we need to slow down..."

"Uh-uh!" she refused. Breaking from his neck only long enough to lift his t-shirt over his head.

Chris still trying to be Mister Nice Guy tried to resist, but when he met her eyes, the look of need, it was more than he could manage. Raising his arms he allowed her to remove his shirt, and then watched the heat in her eyes as she devoured him. 

Chloe was amazed, he was more beautiful than she ever imagined, his defined pecs, dark flat nipples, surrounded by whorls of dark hair, the trail that led over his flat stomach to disappear under his jeans, and a dark tattoo that adorned one shoulder and part of his chest. She was too distracted to decipher what that was. Using a thumb, she swiped over his right nipple. She grinned as he bit his lip, and she knew he was fighting his own raw desire. When she scratched it with her nail, he couldn't hide the moan that slipped undetected through her lips.

Meeting his eyes, she suddenly spotted the change in him, the resistance or passivity was replaced with intent, and ensnaring both her wrists he stepped towards her. Chuckling with nerves and apprehension, she stepped back instinctively, and with a stalking menace, he backed her across the room until the side of the refrigerator stopped her path, pushed flush against it she was trapped, and he lowered his mouth and snatched at her lips.

If she thought she'd experienced his most passionate kiss she was wrong. She could barely think for the mashing of his lips, the pressure of his body and the soft chafe of his stubble against her face. As soon as he relinquished her hands, they were all over his warm skin, touching, feeling. He bit at her jaw, her ear lobe, and Chloe's head lolled back in the throes of this increasing passion. 

It was a while until she registered Chris' hands, sweeping over her hips, her buttocks, and then sliding under her top, and onto her bare skin. She gasped, and he chuckled against her skin. His warm hands were causing chaos, her knees were weak, and again Chris smiled into the skin of her neck, as he helped her stay upright. When his hands rose to her waist, his lips came back to his mouth, distracting her from the actions of his hands.  

Breaking away from her lips briefly, he lifted her slinky top over her head, and Chloe giggled as he tried to negotiate the asymmetrical neckline over her head. Raising her arms up in the air, she shimmied until the material was at her wrists, then she tossed it to the floor. 

Chris' eyes were wide as he looked down at her, despite her slim build, she really needed to fill out more in his opinion, her breasts were struggling to be contained by the strapless bra that she wore. As he sighed, looking at her intently, the length of her body, then meeting her eyes, it was Chloe's turn to grin. Finally he was as devoid of conscious thought as her.  

Reaching behind her back, she unclasped the bra, her teeth biting her bottom lip the only sign of her anxiety. Chris had reached for the fabric before it fell away, and throwing the scrap of fabric across the room. His eyes glues on her. He knew she was beautiful, but her body was flawless, perfection. Raising his hands, he found her curved breasts fitted his hands exactly, her round dark nipples hard against his palms.

"Chloe..." his voice was a breath but she silenced him with a finger on his lips. 

"Don't say anything!" She led him into the lounge. 

Dropping onto the sofa, he pulled her astride his thighs, wrapping his arms around her. Chloe smiled at the hardness of him, prominent through his jeans, and her bare legs. This was everything she knew it would be. But the smile faded on her lips when he slid out his tongue and lashed at her nipple. Groaning she braced herself back, her arms on his thighs, thrusting her chest forward, wanting his lips on her. And she got her request. His lips fastened around her left nipple and he tugged it gently. With a sigh, she drew her hands through his hair, holding him close, not wanting the moment to stop. 

Chris was worried he was about to explode, he knew that Chloe's wriggling and grinding against him was due to her pleasure at his pressure on her breasts, but she was rubbing against a part of him that was already strained beyond belief. He was about to move her, lift her off him before he exploded like a virginal teenager when a squawk emerged from the direction of the stairs. 

Chloe froze then hearing a sob coming from upstairs, then with a gasp, still half naked she jumped up, "that's Mikey!" Then she rushed out of the room, leaving Chris in need of an ice cold shower.