I Stopped Looking And Then Just Crashed
He was warm and solid behind her, certainly not the best pillow in the world, but she wasn't complaining either. The same couldn't be said for him.
"I can't believe you talked me into this."
She scoffed. "Talked you into what?" She reached behind and dropped a piece of popcorn into his mouth. "If I remember correctly, you were the one that showed up - at my fire escape, mind you - and wanted to console me in my supposed hour of need."
"Well, then you talked me into the consoling part." He was trying to sound like he was emotionally wounded. She knew better.
"Lex, you have never been talked into anything - well, not many things at least - in your life. You'd be out of business in a flat second and you'd probably be still be married to Victoria, Desiree or both."
"But instead I'm lying with a smart and sexy blonde while she takes her frustration - " he held her as she tried to wiggle. Apparently Chloe didn't think the truth was all that funny. "Out on me. And now look what you've done."
Sure enough, her protests had spilled the bowl of popcorn that she had had sitting on her belly as they watched the movie. Pieces of it were everywhere, scattered over her and the bed.
"Oh no. This is your fault." Chloe started to pick up the popcorn. Great, her shirt, stolen from an old boyfriend, was probably more ruined than before. Grease stains to go along with torn seams and paint, and a large coffee stain that was gained one memorable finals week years ago. It spoke of their relationship that she could and would dress like this when Lex came over. There was a distinct lack of bullshit in their relationship and so the normal facades that they presented for other people fell away when they were alone. Lex had even been known to wear jeans on occasion.
"Uh Lex, not that I don't appreciate the help, but what exactly are you doing?"
He laughed and the accompanying rumble in his chest was a pleasant feeling. Admittedly, so were the fingers that were picking popcorn off of some of the more sensitive areas of her body. Like that one, when his fingers accidentally brushed against her breast.
"I'm cleaning up," he answered innocently.
"Oh no you're not. You're coping a feel."
"It's a sign of true character that you can stay so matter of fact while I'm trying to seduce you."
He could probably see her smile even though their position was a little awkward. "I have to stay -" Her breath hitched as he ran his fingers lightly over the other breast on his way to get a piece of popcorn that had settled on her hip. "Matter of fact. The attempt is so unrefined that it's out of character. I want to be sure I can tell you all about it when the nice aliens or government scientists return your brain."
"You're a long way from the Wall of Weird, Chloe." He whispered in her ear, his voice was deep and raspy. She arched involuntarily when his breath hit the sensitive skin and his lips brushed against her earlobe. "Is this all so hard to believe?"
She couldn't help whimpering. Just a bit. She was human after all and even if this was totally out of character for him it was working. She ignored the movie on her small television, but appreciated the unearthly glow that it gave off.
"Frankly, yes. But in the immortal words of Fox Mulder - I want to believe."
Any and all notion that this could end before it really got started were banished from her mind when his lips connected with the sweet spot just behind her ear. She felt it when he spoke again, like her body was the copper wire and he was the electricity - current rushing the length of her - beautiful white-hot heat and nothing had really even happened yet.
His hands were still around her middle, just keeping her in place, with her back against his chest and her head crooked a little to the side, and her legs stretched out next to his while she could be in his lap. Why the hell wasn't she in his lap already? Why hadn't she been there days ago? Years ago even. Suddenly all the time they had spent talking over coffee, or just being decidedly mundane was a criminal waste of time because Lex's tongue and lips and mouth were on her skin and all she could do was respond.
And responding meant that she grabbed his hands with hers and made them move, because if he wanted to do all the work, that was fine - but hell if she was going to miss out on anything.
She almost didn't recognize her voice when she spoke. "I'm not going to run away."
And that was all he needed to hear because then his hands were moving on their own accord, her fingers intertwined with his as they grazed the skin of her stomach.
"Are you going to tease me to death?"
One of their combined hands was making progress, slipping under her shirt - taking sweet, anxious time, while the other hand rested warmly on her stomach. Still holding her in place. "Maybe just into incoherence."
"Good to know that you've got a plan." She gasped again when their fingers traced the bottom of her breast. Every touch was so damn light, and he hadn't stopped kissing or nipping on her neck and ear even though the position was terribly awkward.
"I always have a plan."
She was growing impatient. He was just way too calm right now, and she still had most of her higher brain functions - enough to know that this just wasn't right. "Does your plan involve me turning over at any point, because I'd really, really like to kiss you right now."
"I'd be a fool to refuse a request like that."
"You are many things, but you're no fool. And it wasn't a request, it was a demand."
A couple of hours ago Chloe would never have thought that she'd ever end up in bed - or really in bed - with her best friend. And that's what he was. The person she'd call when she got into town at two in the morning. The person she'd cook for, even if he looked at the food like it was something rancid - and as abysmal as her cooking skills were, she knew spoiled from not spoiled. He would take off his shoes around her, wiggle his feet in the chenille blanket that covered her bed as they watched movies or the stock reports. Lex was the one that knew all her dirty little secrets, the one that had stood by her - albeit at a distance - a long time after everyone else had left.
He had stayed.
And suddenly this was so much more than the prospect of really fabulous sex. This was about the guy that sat on her bed, a little disheveled but with a smile that would melt the whole of Antarctica if given the chance.
Maybe this was so wrong it was right.