"Here, let me help," he said, setting the bag down on top of my dresser.
"I got it," I said, backing away in embarrassment, but of course I misjudged the distance between my bed and me and wound up falling backward onto my bed in an unceremonious heap. Well, at least it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. Ironically, I'd never been a klutz prior to meeting him. It was as if my brain didn't transmit the appropriate messages to my limbs when he was around.
"You sure?" he asked, suppressing a laugh. "You know, darling, there's nothing to be embarrassed about," he added, sitting on the bed beside me. "If it helps, last night was one of the most erotic nights of my life," he said, running a hand over my bare stomach.
"It was?" I squeaked out, finally finding the neck of my shirt.
"Was it for you?" he asked seriously, letting his fingers trail up over my ribcage.
"Of course," I answered eagerly without hesitation. Although, I'm sure I should be acting like it was no big deal. "It was nice," I added lamely.
"Nice?" he asked, bending over to kiss my stomach.
"Really nice," I murmured as his lips skimmed over my belly button before dipping lower.
"Not erotic?" he asked, running his tongue along the skin just above the top of my pants.
"Yes, it was erotic," I gasped as his tongue found its way beneath my pants.
"The most erotic?" he coaxed, pulling my pants down slightly.
"The most," I agreed as he ran his tongue up the length of my torso.
"Fantastic," he said, hiking up my pants and hauling me to my feet in one fluid movement. "We'll have to explore that later. I have plans for us today," he said, giving my bottom a slight shove toward my bathroom. "Get ready, daylight's a wasting," he added.
"What?" I sputtered, confused how in the span of a moment, we'd gone from a talk about what was erotic to being hauled to my feet and being told to get ready.
"You told me you'd spend a few weeks with me, so I've made some plans," he said with a devilish grin.
"How do you know I don't have to work?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.
"I checked with Fran when I dropped off her picnic basket. She was kind enough to tell me your days off."
"Her picnic basket?" I asked. "I'm not surprised. That explains her behavior yesterday. She looked like she'd swallowed a canary most of the day," I added.
"She's been extremely helpful."
"I bet. Where else did you go this morning?"
"I went to get the stuff we left after our late-night picnic. I figured I'd beat Mr. James to his property so he wouldn't see the mess we left behind."
"Did you beat him?" I asked in a small voice, just imaging what conclusions someone would jump to when they saw the remains of our evening.
"Funny enough, I didn't know that Mr. James likes to fish on his property every morning. According to him, 'the early bird gets the worm.'"
"Oh, god," I mumbled. "Well, everyone knows now," I said, sagging against the bathroom doorway.
"And that's bad?" he asked, approaching me and placing his hands on my hips.
"People will talk," I said.
"Most people do. That's why we have tongues," he teased. "Does it bother you that it's with me, or just that people will know we had sex?"
"The sex," I said, trying not to blush. "For fuck's sake. I'm twenty-two and acting like 'sex' is a bad word."
"Honey, we're two consenting adults. They can say whatever they want," he said, dropping a kiss on my jaw. "Now, hurry and get ready," he bossed, shooing me through the bathroom door.
"You're not the boss of me," I muttered, closing the door in his face. "I'll take as long as I want," I called through the door for good measure. I could hear him chuckling as he headed out of my room. Despite my arguments, I hurried through my morning rituals. My hair was thrown up on top of my head in a messy bun and my make-up was kept to a minimum with just eyeliner and a light layer of foundation. The only task I didn't rush through was brushing my teeth. Brushing them once didn't seem sufficient, so I proceeded to brush them again after I had flossed and rinsed my mouth with mouthwash. Running my tongue over my squeaky-clean teeth, I smiled in satisfaction before smoothing on a layer of lip gloss.