Claire watched as her boyfriend helped her dad fix the fence in the backyard. She noticed how tan his arms were, and how his muscles flexed and rippled each time he swung the hammer. His slightly overgrown brown-blond curls lay plastered against his sweaty neck. The shy, skinny kid who had once stammered and shifted his way through asking the bubbly girl with the ponytail to the homecoming dance had been replaced by a tall, broad man - one who tempted her to an unsettling degree. Not to mention, the bubbly girl who'd once been passionate about saving herself for marriage had suddenly been replaced by an eighteen-year-old woman struggling to understand the aching burn between her legs.
She watched as Ryan helped her father put his tools away, periodically using his shirt to wipe rivulets of sweat from the bridge of his nose. Seeing him brush the dirt off his jeans reminded her of how he smoothed his hands over the skin of her abdomen, and on rare occasions, her breasts and bottom. It amazed her to think the same hands doing such rough, dirty work could feel so soft and intense on her body.
"Ryan, my man," her dad bro-slapped his shoulder, "Thank you for your help today."
"You're welcome, Mr. Collins," he smiled proudly as he shook his girlfriend's father's hand.
"Um, hel-lo!?" Claire feigned bratty impatience, "How about 'Thanks, Claire, for letting me use your boyfriend for cheap labor, making him all sweaty and stinky for date night...'"
Mr. Collins shook his head, laughing at his daughter's sharp sense of humor. "Speaking of which, what do you kids have planned for the night?"
"We had such a busy time last weekend," she began, referring their recent Senior Prom, "We're just going to stay in and watch movies."
"Ah, well," her father began, struggling for the right words, "You remember your mother and I are going to the Sutters' dinner party tonight, right?"
"Ohhh, that's right!" Claire pretended to have forgotten, even though she helped her mom pick an outfit that very afternoon. She and Ryan were rarely allowed to be home alone together, but she was hoping her dad might feel obliged to bend the rules this once. She turned to Ryan, using her best disappointed face "I guess we should probably go to the movies instead, then."
"Claire, can I see you in the kitchen for a second?"
She followed her dad into the kitchen, and watched him rub his forehead the way he did when he was getting ready to do something he didn't particularly want to do. "Well, kiddo, you know how I feel about you and Ryan being home alone-"
"I know Dad, but-"
"Let me finish," he put his hand up, "I trust you to make good decisions, and Ryan's a good kid. Your mother thinks we should start giving you two a little more independence."
I like where this is going,
Claire thought. "Since the Sutters' live so far away and we're likely to do a fair bit of drinking, we'll probably stay the night there. I want Ryan on his way home by midnight, is that understood?"
Claire nodded, unable to hold back a smile. Her dad pulled her to his side for a hug, and kissed the top of her head, "You're legally an adult now, but you're still my little girl."
Claire returned outside to find Ryan leaning against his car, arms folded. "So, what's the verdict?"
She stood on her tiptoes to reach his lips for a quick kiss, "Green light."
"Sweet," Ryan replied, somewhat surprised. He'd always gotten along with Claire's parents, but he knew how strict her father could be about his only daughter. "I'm gonna run home to shower and I'll be back in an hour. I was thinking about bring something back for dinner..."
"Chinese food??" Claire looked excited. She was always excited about Chinese food.
"Sure," Ryan chuckled, "Anything you want." After a light tap on her bum, he hopped in his car and sped for home.
Claire hustled around her room, fluffing her hair and applying some light make-up. She smoothed her bed and shoved some dirty clothes and old magazines under her bed.
Her parents pulled out of the driveway just as the sun began setting. About ten minutes later, the flash of Ryan's headlights prompted the butterflies in her stomach to take flight. She didn't know exactly what felt different about tonight, but she suddenly felt very aware of the fact that they would be spending time alone.
Without knocking, Ryan came through the front door, dinner and rented DVDs in tow. They ate straight from take-out containers as they laughed their way through a Judd Apatow movie. After they finished eating, Claire pulled her legs to the side as she nestled into Ryan's firm, strong chest. With his arm around her, she fit so naturally into his body, and their embrace felt so natural. As the credits started rolling, Claire perked up on the sofa. "Let's go pop some popcorn," she suggested.
As they waited for the popcorn to finish popping in the microwave, Ryan pulled Claire into a spontaneous kiss. She pressed herself against his tall frame as he leaned against the kitchen counter.
Ryan threaded his fingers through Claire's smooth, thick hair as he pulled her against him, deepening their kiss. He lifted her onto the countertop, easing her legs apart as he pressed himself against her core, testing her response. She mewled as she reached for his hips to pull him closer, eager for more sweet friction.
"Let's go to the bedroom," Claire purred deliriously into Ryan's ear.
Ryan pulled back and looked into his girlfriend's eyes, heavy-lidded with desire. "I want you so bad, Claire."
"I want you, too," she moaned.
