A Dangerous Affair Chapter 44

A Chapter by Repgreece

Tom and Stephanie talk openly

By the time Stephanie went to bed she felt warmer, more relaxed and a lot happier. She actually felt quite relieved that Tom now knew about her father and glad that he understood her reasons behind wanting to finish the story, although she had meant it when she had said that she would leave it alone. As she got into bed she made a decision to try her very best not to argue with Tom again if she could help it. They were colleagues and they should be able to act professionally together. Besides it felt miserable thinking that he was angry with her but if she could control her recent chaotic emotion swings then hopefully they could settle into something close to a normal relationship, a close friendship. Yes that would be good, she would love to have Tom as a close friend. Lying in the darkness however she remembered what he had said about waiting for their ‘morning cuddle under the bedclothes’ and her heart accelerated at the thought of it. Okay so there was a sexual attraction between them but she didn’t have to act on it. With all that was going on at work lately she couldn’t afford to add more complications to the situation. She eventually fell asleep indulging in some self prohibited thoughts of Tom and herself lying naked under the duvet in her spare room.

Stephanie awoke to the sound of her mobile phone alarm and pressed the snooze button, remaining in bed for a further fifteen minutes before dragging herself out. She pulled on her satin dressing gown and went to her spare room, knocking gently on the door before pushing it open and entering. Tom appeared to still be asleep so she approached the bed and whispered his name. He still didn’t stir. She reached out a hand and touched his bare shoulder, shaking it gently and whispering his name again. Without warning he whipped out his arm and grabbed her around the waist, hauling her unceremoniously onto the bed.

“Tom? What...”

He peeled back the covers and threw them over her, keeping her in place with his arm that was still firmly around her middle.

“Gotcha!”

“Tom, we have to get to work!” she exclaimed in a panic.

“We still have a bit of time and anyway you promised me a morning cuddle,” he said, turning her round to face him and slipping his arms around her back.

“No I didn’t, you assumed...”

He put a finger to her mouth to silence her. “Shh, don’t be difficult.”

She stared helplessly up at him and he kissed her on the nose. “Smile, I don’t bite and I must say I’ve missed these kind of moments between us over the last week.”

She smiled slowly and he smiled back, holding her closer and enjoying the moment. They lay like that for a few minutes, each with their own thoughts, until Tom eventually spoke up.

“Stephie,” he whispered. “I’ve been thinking, well more wondering something really.”

He sounded slightly uneasy and that was unlike him. She lifted her head to look at him. “What?”

“Well, you may not want to answer this sort of question but considering what we’ve been through together I figure that I’ll brave asking it anyway,” he replied.

She was intrigued. “Go on then, what were you wondering?”

He considered asking about her reluctance to allow intimate encounters between them to develop but decided that that line of questioning was a little too direct and so he broached another question that had been foremost in his thoughts since their conversation about the guy she had fallen for as a teenager.

“Well,” he looked uncertain about the question he was going to ask, “actually I was wondering a few things, I’m just trying to figure out how to ask.” She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to ask or not. His uncertainty reassured her however that it wasn’t going to be something to purposely cause her any awkwardness. “Stephie,” his voice softened, “when a guy makes love to you... in the past... when he has... was it good? I mean...was it...everything you’d wanted?” She stared up at him. She really didn’t know how to reply. She struggled to think of an answer. “Now you’re thinking too much Stephie,” he observed. “Don’t think, just tell me.”

She smiled. “To tell you the truth, I’m trying to think of how to answer that honestly.” He waited. “On a few occasions. Not often,” she eventually replied.

He felt suddenly pleased to hear that and she looked a little confused by his reaction. He noticed the look on her face.

“Sorry. Don’t mind me. I’m just,” he focused on a part of the wall behind the door. He hadn’t expected to find this conversation this difficult. “It’s just that...” Bloody hell, why couldn’t he string a sentence together properly? He turned abruptly to look at her with sudden determination to just say what he wanted to. “Okay, frankly...I want to be the one.” He pulled a face. “I don’t actually like to think of anyone else with you.”

A warm smile spread across her face and brought emotion to her eyes. Despite herself she was touched. This encouraged him to ask more. There was so much he wanted to know.

“Something else...since we’re on the subject.” He hesitated and she smiled coyly.

“Go on.”

“Well...your first time. What was that like?”

She suddenly looked awkward. “Tom, that’s not something I really talk about with people.”

“Why not?” he asked. “Stephie we’ve been through so much together and we’ve discussed just about everything else, so why not this?”

He sounded so reasonable but this was going to be such a personal conversation, she wasn’t sure she could go ahead with it. She glanced around the room as if to find a solution somewhere there.

“Err,” she fiddled with the bedclothes. “It was...not exactly what I had expected.” She gave a nervous laugh. “You know what girls are like, it’s all emotional for them. It’s different for men.”

He looked surprised by her last comment. “I don’t know, I wouldn’t say that. I got kind of,” he was reluctant to use the word ‘emotional’, “involved.”

She smiled and lifted her head again to look up into his face.

“Mind you, the girl I was with, she was a bit more experienced than me and boy was I nervous!”

It was her turn to look surprised. “I can’t imagine that.”

“Sure. I was just praying to get through the whole thing without messing it all up!” he admitted.

She laughed.

“Afterwards though, hell, I was like a kid with wings. Thought I did fantastically at the time. Not sure what she’d say about that now though. Enthusiastic wasn’t the word! I might have been a bit too enthusiastic at the wrong time...if you get what I mean.”

She held back her laughter.

“I’ve improved since though,” he added quickly. “A lot,” he stressed.

She grinned. “I’ve no doubt.”

She was surprised to find herself delighted in the way that he was opening up to her and the way that they were sharing such intimacies. She felt suddenly closer to him in a way that she hadn’t felt before, even after they had briefly kissed or touched.

They both smiled, their eyes clinging to each other’s warmly and suddenly all her previous resolutions about them being friends melted away.

“Stephie.”

“Hmm?”

“If we make love,” he paused. “I want to make it something you’ll never forget. I want to make it all you’ve ever wanted.”

She just stared at him, swallowing a lump in her throat. And then instinctively she reached up, put a hand on his face and kissed him softly. It was a brief, tender kiss but she hadn’t planned it and she became suddenly nervous about what signals she was sending him considering where they were.

When she moved back abruptly he caught hold of her hand.

“Let’s stay here for a while longer just holding each other eh?” he said, urging her back against him. She hesitated only for a moment before laying her head on his chest again. He put his hand on top of her head and began to run his fingers absentmindedly through her hair. She felt warm and suddenly drowsy. His fingers were sending such a wonderful tingling sensation through her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, lifting his hand and looking down at her.

“Yes,” she smiled. “Don’t stop,” she said, reaching his hand and replacing it in her hair, “At least for another ten minutes.”

He looked surprised “You like that eh?” he said, looking down at Stephanie with a smile as he stroked and fondled her hair.

“You have no idea,” she said dreamily. “You’ve found out one of my weaknesses.” He certainly was getting to know all her secrets now. Still, at that moment she didn’t care. As long as he didn’t stop creating that wonderful, dreamy, tingling feeling with his fingers. She’d reassess the friendship issue at another time.

Tom grinned as he looked down at her. He couldn’t help but feel pleased that he’d found one of her ‘weaknesses,’ he wanted to find them all. What’s more he secretly hoped that he was one of them.

Forty minutes later they finally got out of the bed.