“Oh, please do,” he laughed. “It was all debutante balls and afternoon teas. Except with buzz cuts, no sleep, and totally torn up feet. That’s the glamour of the U.S. military!”
“Don’t mock me, Mr. Flynn!” I laughed as I threw a punch against his shoulder. “My life has been more than debutante balls and high tea!”
“Oh yes, I can definitely tell that it has been!” he laughed. “What with that powerhouse punch you throw there.”
“Are you saying I’m weak?” I was now pummeling his shoulder as I laughed harder and harder with every soft punch.
“Who? Me?” his wide-eyed disbelief put me over the edge. “Oh no, I’d never call you weak, Ms. Klein! Not with those powerhouse punches you’re throwing!”
“Oh my God!” I was laughing so hard there were tears running down the sides of my face. When he caught my wrists and held them for a moment, I straddled the line between laughter and panic as I struggled to pull away.
“Ava! Ava!” he called my name as he held my wrists and watched me struggle. “Hey! Stop, stop!”
“Let go of me!” I cried as I fought to free myself from his grasp.
“Ava, stop fighting,” he said quietly. His voice cut through the fear in my brain and, for a moment, I stopped trying to pull away. “There you go now. That’s it.”
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“I was trying to show you that you need to learn how to protect yourself,” he offered. “The more you struggled, the easier it was for me to maintain my hold on you because you weren’t thinking about getting free, you were thinking about the struggle and the fear.”
“I don’t see the difference,” I said as I pulled the sleeves of my shirt up to look at my wrists. Brian took one of my hands and gently massaged my wrist as he looked at me.
“C’mon, you’re a smart girl, you’ve studied physics,” he chided me. “What’s Newton’s Third Law of physics?”
“What the heck are you talking about?” I blurted.
“I know you know this one, it’s so easy,” he coaxed. “For every action…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, there is an equal and opposite reaction,” I impatiently recited the law. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, if I grab you and you pull away, Newton’s Law means that the equal and opposite reaction will allow me to keep my hold on you,” he offered. “Assuming I have a strong enough grip, that is.”
“So, I need to give in and let you do whatever you want so that I don’t spark the equal and opposite reaction?” I said sarcastically.
“Hey, there’s no need to get nasty,” he smiled. “I’m just saying that when you’re the size you are, and I’m the size I am, you need to look for other ways to get yourself out of a situation like this.”
“Like how?” I said as I eyed him suspiciously.
“Like think about all the other ways you could get me to drop your wrists that don’t involve force,” he said quietly.
I sat staring at him for a moment, considering everything he’d said, and then I leaned forward and softly kissed his lips.
“That’s not quite what I had in mind when I suggested you think up other ways, Ava,” he gently scolded me.
“I know,” I whispered. “But it works, doesn’t it?”
He nodded almost imperceptibly as I leaned back in and brushed my lips against his again. His mouth was so soft and it fit so perfectly against mine that I sighed as I ran my tongue over his bottom lip. I reached up and wound my arms around his neck as I pulled him closer to me. He wrapped one arm around my lower back as he lifted his other hand to softly stroke my cheek. Those lips. I was lost in the feeling of his lips teasing mine as he flicked his tongue between them, urging me to part them so he could slip his tongue inside my mouth. I parted my lips and our tongues began a tantalizingly slow dance. His tongue darted in and out of my mouth before languidly tangling with mine. It was a kiss so deep, for a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.
As we devoured one another’s mouths, our hands traced fiery paths across our clothed bodies, feeling the curves and lines that led to places we both wanted the other to explore. I lightly trailed my fingers across his upper back and felt him shiver as he slipped his fingers into my hair and grabbed a handful of it. He gently but firmly pulled down, forcing me to raise my chin toward the ceiling as he trailed a line of kisses down my neck. With his tongue he teased the sensitive skin at the base of my throat, forcing a soft moan from my lips.
“Are you okay?” he whispered into my ear as he ran his tongue lightly around the edge, sending shivers up my spine.
“Mmm hmmm,” I sighed as I pressed my body against his, hoping that he wouldn’t stop the way he was running his hand up and down my back.
“I know it’s wrong and I shouldn’t, but I want you, Ava,” he continued whispering. “I have wanted you all day.”
“I want you, too,” I moaned a little louder. “Brian, I’m sorry I pushed you away, I need this. I need you.”