Chapter 5

I'm home alone tonight.
Full moon illuminates my room, and sends my mind aflight.
I think I was dreaming up some thoughts that were seemingly possible...with you.

Summer Romance - Incubus

Ch. 5

I woke up to the sun peaking through the cloth blinds.  When I opened my eyes I found a pair or brown eyes looking back at me.

“Mornin’” she grinned shyly.

“Mornin’” I said hoarsely, very aware of the fact that I probably had a nice case of morning breath, but she didn’t seem to care as she leaned in and kissed me deeply.

“Hungry?” she asked as she left me light headed from her kiss.

I just nodded my head slowly, debating on if I wanted to pull her back down on top of me to replay some of last night’s events.

“What is your favorite thing for breakfast?” she inquired with a smile.

“Pancakes and Canadian bacon but I’m thinking it might be you…” I informed her, going with my initial idea of not letting her out of bed just yet.

She giggled as I rolled her underneath me and pressed my case of morning wood against her leg, kissing her senselessly.  Soon my length was back inside of her, stroking her core once more as she cried out under me.

No fancy positions were taken up this time, just a good old fashioned morning fuck that left us both breathing heavily when we finished.  When I collapsed, I fell aside of her on the bed but kept myself position so that I could rest my head on her soft breasts.  She giggled at first but I soon was lulled into dream land as she ran her fingers repeatedly through my hair.

“This is probably the best feeling in the world…” I murmured.

“What?”

“Making love to a woman you care about and being able to just relax with her running her fingers through your hair.”

“It’s called cuddling, James,” she said with smile.

“Whatever you want to call it, I’m in heaven,” I sighed, plopping a hand on her other breast, making us both laugh. 

“I love your hair,” she purred.

“I was thinking of cutting it…”

“Nooooo!” she whined.  “I love how it curls around your ear lobe and how it looks curling out from underneath your helmet.”

“Pay attention to me much?” I asked, not being able to stop myself from making fun of her.

“Need to check out the goods before buying, I guess,” she stated with humor.

After laying there for a couple more minutes I asked, “So what is your favorite thing for breakfast?”

“French Toast and Canadian bacon.”

“Hmm… I think that just might be what we need to either make or go out and find ‘cause your stomach is really having a conversation with itself right now.”

She shyly grabbed at her stomach and I couldn’t help but cover her hand with mine.  I felt her take a deep breath before she spoke slowly, “You know, I have no clue about you.  I’m pretty sure you know more about me than I do about you.  I am actually kind of shocked that you have a personality,” she smarted.

I moved my head so that I could see her, “I have to admit that I’m a little worried now.”

“Why?”

“Because maybe you won’t like me when you find out how not cool I am,” I said with a smile.

“What do you constitute as not cool?” she asked, coaxing me.

“Well for starters I’m a big country music fan, in my summers I like to fish and go wakeboarding, I like to watch old kung-fu movies and I am just not the most exciting person on the block.”

“I enjoy country also, in fact, I think I fell in love with line dancing Friday night…”

“Burish made a comment in the locker room Saturday morning about taking you,” I said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, he did.  I was a little surprised he was so creative,” she said with a giggle.

“And here I figured he’d fake the getting lost act…”

“Nah, after I didn’t kiss him back when he thought it would be okay to walk in my door and kiss me in the first minute of our date, I think he got the hint.”

“Ahh,” I said, trying not to get jealous because it was only my own fault that I wasn’t the one with her on Friday night.

“As for the fishing and wake-boarding…I did grow up on PEI; fishing and boats are a bit of a lifestyle there.  Which I’m sure you figured out when you had pre-season camp there and I’m also sure you see the pictures of my family’s camping and fishing outings hanging by the steps you walk up and down every day.”

“Mmm, yup.”

I couldn’t help but smile as she was still absent mindedly twirling my hair in her fingers.  “And I’m positive you saw my Christmas card picture, because I think I saw it hanging on the fridge…”

“Yeah, I look at it every morning wishing I could see your face without the big, oversized goggles.”

At this I felt her giggle.  “It was more of the backdrop I wanted people to notice.  Isn’t it beautiful?”

At this I got up on my arm and pulled myself up to her lips and kissed them lightly.  “You are beautiful, Hanna.”

“You are a dork,” she laughed pulling me down towards her so that I would kiss her again.

“I didn’t know this was going to be a group date,” Adam grumbled when he showed up at Brad and James’ house to pick us up for the rodeo.

“I had 4 tickets, I couldn’t let them go to waste!” I exclaimed cheerfully as I pulled him into a friendly hug.

“What’s up Burr,” James said over dramatically as he clapped him on the shoulder and walked past him to head over to Adam’s truck.

Adam just shook his head and followed me and Brad out of the house, closing the door behind him as I just giggled quietly to myself.  I thought Adam was going to flip shit when I crawled in the seat behind him, so that I’d be next to James.

“Hanna, aren’t you going to sit up front with me?” he asked in a slightly frantic tone.

“I figured I would let my elders sit up front,” I chirped back as I winked at him.

“Oh gee thanks cuz,” Brad grumbled as he leaned back and swatted at me.

The charade wasn’t kept up very long because as soon as we arrived at the rodeo, Adam pulled me back from the group as we were walking towards the arena.  “Hanna, what’s going on?”

“Adam I can only be friends with you,” I said, really wanting to string him a long a bit just to knock his ego down a notch, yet hating too because I really did like him as a friend.  “I had a blast with you on Friday, but I totally see you as a big brother,” I informed him as I looked him straight in the eyes.

“It’s Neal, isn’t it?” he asked but sounding more like he was making a statement as he looked up over my head, presumably looking at James and Brad who stopped a few feet away from us.

I just nodded my head slowly and said, “Adam, I’m sorry, if you want to leave us here you are more than welcome to.  It honestly just worked out this way…”

He took a deep breath, puffed out his chest and held out his arm for me to take.  “Well Miss Richards, you are still my date so I will be showing you to another fun evening.”

I looked up at him and smiled broadly as I took his arm, skipping past Brad and James who just laughed and followed us in.

I was slightly worried about how Adam would take the news, but he seemed fairly cool about it.  However he still insisted that it was his and Hanna’s date, so he had to be able to sit next to her during the whole rodeo.  Of course he put her on the end and I ended sandwiched between him and Brad in the stands.

This wasn’t my first rodeo.  I always enjoyed coming to them because these guys definitely had more guts than I ever would.  Sure, we put our bodies through a lot during the season, but these guys put their life on the line every time they strap themselves to a bull and for very little money.

Hanna got up during one of the intermissions to go use the bathroom, leaving us three guys behind.

“So what moves you up on the totem pole, Neal?” Burish elbowed me.

I shrugged my shoulders.  “I don’t know.  It just kind of happened last night,” I said quietly, not really wanting to talk about this, considering her cousin was sitting just aside of me and listening intently.

“She likes the shy, dark ones,” Brad piped up.  “You were way to forward with her,” he winked.

“Actually, I'm cool with it.  She’s an awesome chick, but I think she fits better with Nealer here,” he laughed, elbowing me in the ribs again.  “He needs someone to man handle him and I think she can do that.”

“Gee, thanks Adam,” I grumbled, rolling my eyes. 

“Any time buddy.”

“You can stay here with me tonight,” James whispered into my ear as he pressed up against the side of my car, out in the driveway of his and Brad’s place.

“I have to be up early tomorrow morning to be at the arena, just like you do,” I smiled, standing up on my tip-toes and placing a light kiss on the tip of his nose.

“Well, if you stay here with me tonight, you can just ride along with us…” he leaned down and began laying light kisses on my neck.

I shivered and pushed him gently backwards to put some space between us.  “You know, Neal.  For completely ignoring me for how long, you sure have put the accelerator down to the ground.”

“I’m sorry,” suddenly looking shy.

I grabbed at his collar and pulled him back against me.  “I’m not.  I just don’t want to skip over the good parts that come along with the beginning of a relationship,” I said gently.  “So I think it’s best that I spend the night in my own bed and you spend the night in your bed so that way when we get together again, it will be that much better.  I’m hoping that any time spent apart will get that fantasy of yours working in full force, making everything as hot as it was last night in your arms.”

He smiled, kissed me and pulled back, his grey eyes sparkling, “I don’t think we’ll have a problem making it that hot the next time, but you’ve already sold me to your idea.  Goodnight pretty lady.  Sweet dreams and I’ll see you tomorrow at the rink.”  At that he took a step back and opened my car door for me.  As soon as I pulled out onto the highway I began screaming happily and bouncing up and down in my driver’s seat.

“Hanna go home?” Brad asked, already stretched out on the couch, watching TV.

“Yup,” I answered, flopping down on the other couch.  “Are you cool with it all?”

“If I wasn’t I wouldn’t have told her to be patient with you,” Brad smiled over at me.

“Be patient with me?”  Now he definitely had my attention.

“She was complaining the other day about how she couldn’t figure you out.  I called her out on the fact that she had a crush on you, which she initially denied, but soon changed her tune and admitted that she was interested in you.”

“So why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, raising my eyebrows in an effort to make myself look a little annoyed at my best friend.

Brad just laughed and threw a pillow at my head.  “You’re a grown man.  If you can’t figure it out yourself, then that’s your own deal.  Besides, I don’t want to deal with my Aunt’s wrath when she finds out her daughter is dating a hockey player…” he chuckled.

I gulped.  “Is she really going to have a problem with it?”

“Nah, I’m just joking.  But, seriously, I don’t want to be blamed for anything if something goes haywire in your relationship because I will not be put in the middle of it.  Your one of my best buds and she’s my cousin.  I’m sure you can see the conflict of interest here,” Brad smiled.

I laughed, letting my head fall backwards onto the pillow he had originally thrown at me and closed my eyes.  “Kapeesh.  Totally understandable.”

“Oh, and one other thing.”

“What?”

“I’m not going to be paying for your ass if you decide to move outta here and into her apartment.  You can take over the rent at that point…you’re a grown…”

“I’m a grown man,” I finished his sentence.  “Thanks for the reminder, Brad.”