Chris and Keri's second date involved an amusement park in town that only operated during the warmer months. The place had the unimaginative name of
Funville
, which the media and residents of town regularly poked fun at. Even though small and relatively unsophisticated, the place boasted a low entry cost which included entry to every ride.
Keri watched a chunk of peeling white paint snap free of the strut attaching their cart to the Ferris wheel, which made her chuckle. Her father had brought her here every summer when she was younger, even though the three-hour drive made it a bit inconvenient. Her two older sisters consistently got jealous of the attention, but she paid it no mind. She was daddy's girl and that was all that mattered.
Chris heard her almost silent laugh and caught sight of the paint chip as it sped away into the fading light of the evening sky. "I had to paint some of this when I worked here before college," he shared, as he squeezed her hand.
Keri looked over at him and smiled. "I thought you were terrified of heights," she responded, clearly still amused.
Chris ran his fingers through his hair, looking away for a moment for some clever response to hide his embarrassment. "Um, year, that's why I said I painted
some
of it, I almost got fired over that," he replied. Sensing an opening, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips, waiting to feel if the move was welcome or not.
Keri almost squealed in surprise as she felt the firm lips on her own, enjoying the feeling and relaxing into it. He really
was
a good kisser, which made it easy to return the gesture, especially knowing that he was thoughtful enough not to just shove his tongue in uninvited. The kiss lasted for two minutes and nearly led to full-on making out, but the car jostled as the ride stopped, presumably to start letting other people off.
"That was really nice," she volunteered, as they both pulled back. She felt pleased that no thoughts of kissing her female friend had cropped up, which hopefully signaled that it was all in the past.
"Well, if you like, there is more where that came from," Chris said, playfully nudging her with an elbow.
Well, shit, that sounded so much like what Carmen had whispered to her during the dared kiss that it pulled images and feelings into her memory. Fortunately, they faded away after some mental push, but the occurrence rattled her a bit.
The two of them left Funville about forty-five minutes later and drove back to campus, where Chris put his car into park. "Well, that was a lot of fun, I like hanging out with you. And other things," he joked, though the implication was clear enough.
Keri smiled, even though this was the part of dating that always made her nervous. Some of her past boyfriends started pressuring her for sex when they reached that point, and more than once, she had run off because of a bad reaction when she said no. A couple of the more decent guys she had dated were more understanding, though even then it didn't seem entirely genuine. Chris, on the other hand, while certainly every bit masculine, had never once made her feel like she owed him that way.
"Me too."
Chris hesitated. "If it's okay with you, we could go to my dorm room, or yours. But really, it's up to you," he said, a nervous expression on his face.
Keri felt herself melt inside at how nervous he was even to ask, and the vibe she got was nothing but sincere. All that made it seem easier to say yes, not even taking into account their shared chemistry. The prospect of sleeping together was exciting and she felt ready for it. "Yes, that sounds good, but let's go to mine, it's quieter," she said, trying to ensure her voice didn't betray her nervousness. The last thing she wanted was to scare him off.
They made their way up to her floor, with the whole place strangely quiet. "This is me," Keri said after they made their way down the hall, fumbling with her keys to open the door.
Chris took in the sight of the room, which was distinctly feminine but also perfectly organized. He had dated a couple of other girls on campus, and their rooms looked like a tornado had torn through them. "Wow, it's pretty nice, mine is a lot more sloppy," he confessed.
Keri smiled as she sat her purse on the desk by the window, which was framed by pastel-colored curtains. "Thank you, I try to keep things organized, or I can't find anything. My room was a pigsty growing up, but I changed my ways," she said, waving her hands out dramatically for effect. Noticing that he was lingering by the door, she moved closer, kissing the tip of his nose to make the mood more relaxed.
Chris felt a flood of relief because he wasn't sure the best way to ease into physical things without appearing too timid, or worse, too aggressive. With Keri that close, it was a simple matter of slowly cupping her face and leaning in for a simple, soft kiss. His heart started beating faster as he felt her lisp respond to his, prompting him to continue. For him, the experience was exhilarating and ever so promising, which heightened his expectations.
Keri could tell that he had shaved in preparation for their time together, unlike the first kiss at the party which had left her face stinging. She breathed in his clean scent, which seemed like a combination of aftershave, cologne, and the soap he had used to clean his skin. The smell wasn't at all unpleasant, but it felt neutral at best, and sterile at the worst. Chris' physical warmth was pleasant, but the feel of his body seemed inflexible, not to mention the nudge of his growing erection.
Chris wanted to open his mouth and slowly introduce tongues to their kiss but didn't want to frighten her. So far, everything was going well and he silently vowed to maintain the course. He felt her lips part slightly, which was his cue to move forward. Keri was caught off guard by how his mouth tasted, as with the array of scents from her partner, it seemed bland, but she willed herself to let the feeling pass.
Bit by bit, clothes started dropping off, a top here, a belt there, until nothing separated their two bodies. Chris slipped his hand up to cup Keri's breast, moaning very gently at how soft and wonderful it felt, especially as the nipple hardened under his touch. From his standpoint, things were progressing as perfectly as possible.
Compared to her previous male lovers, Chris was head and shoulders above them all, his touch was hungry but gentle, and his overall approach was beyond considerate. He guided her body to the bed while kissing her neck, which made her giggle and squeal. He started caressing her breasts and kissed down toward the nipples before sucking one one. It felt good, and she was enjoying herself but would have preferred a longer period of kisses on her neck.
