Reaching Out Ch 03

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I know that there has been a considerable wait for this story. I am truly sorry about that. I am fairly nervous about posting this, as the conditions it was written under were starkly different than the conditions the others were written under. I hope that it is worth the wait, and if it isn't, I understand. For what it is worth, here it is. There will be a note at the end with a little more explanation about why it took so long. Thanks for taking the time to read my work, and thank you for waiting so long for this story to pick up again

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James went to Dana's room and knocked lightly. She called him in and he sat on her bed while she fixed her hair, sitting at her little desk. She watched him in the mirror, her little smile clear as he sat. James couldn't help but smile as well. He knew that his little vacation was coming to its end, and that he may have to stay in his current home for a while. But the thought that he would most likely be living around here soon, with Dana, was euphoric. He was constantly thinking about having her to himself around the house, the two of them able to be together without hiding, without trying to remain inconspicuous; the two of them living together as the couple he so desperately wanted them to be. It was enough to set his stomach to fluttering with anticipation. He wondered if Dana felt the same way.

"Will you wait to get a loan and everything until you get an okay from your office about working from home?" Dana asked, finishing her hair and turning to him.

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to get a huge home loan and then not be able to use it to get a home. I want to have everything lined up and ready to go, though. So, I'll see what all I can find today, and when you get back from work we can go through it and see what we like." James explained as she sat next to him to pull on her shoes.

"Okay. I would like that. How are we going to talk to mom and dad about me moving in with you? Do you have any ideas on how to go about that, yet?" She asked. She looked calm, but her voice was a bit tight. She was still rather worried about this. James knew she was, and honestly, he was as well. He thought they would have to be careful about how they went about it.

"I've been trying to think about it, but I don't think I have anything solid yet. I'm getting the feeling it's going to be a simple, straightforward thing. We are just going to sit down and talk to mom and dad and tell them that we're thinking of having you move in with me to see how it helps. Just put it out there plain like that, but, you know, carefully. I don't know. I guess I'll keep thinking about it. If you get any ideas, please let me know. I am shooting in the dark on this." He said, chuckling a bit as he finished. Dana leaned against him and wrapped her arm around his waist, giving him a brief squeeze.

"Of course I will. But for now, I need to get to work. I have a lot of pieces to get done. I'll see you soon enough. I love you, James." She said. She said the last softly, but there was a clear emphasis all the same. James smiled and gave her a light kiss.

"I love you too, Dana." He answered, his words clear and deliberate, answering her emphasis with his own. His eyes held her steadily, his smile unfaltering. He could declare his love with no hesitation and with complete conviction. He was in love with her. It was as simple as that, and he wanted her to know. She smiled wide and looked like she was close to tears. James pulled her close and held her tight. He whispered in her ear that he loved her again and felt her tears wet the side of his neck.

"Thank you James. I love you so much. I thought I was going to be all alone forever. Now I know I will have someone to share my life with." She said, her voice a little rough. James could feel her breathing start to even out again as she regained control of herself. She relaxed her tight grip and leaned back from him, wiping her eyes. Her smile was still present , and James was glad to see it.

"We'll talk when you get back." He said as she stood up.

--

James called a couple real estate offices in town and went to pick up a few listing catalogs, then sat down at home to go through them to see what he could find on the internet in the area. His head was a spinning mess of square footage numbers and room listings by the time Dana walked in. James had a new idea forming in his mind, an idea that he figured was inevitable considering what he was planning to do with Dana. He was letting it rest in the back of his mind for the time being, though. He had more immediate things to work on. He smiled as Dana walked over, and happily set his computer and the booklet he had been checking aside.

"Hello, James." She said softly as she sat down next to him.

"Hello, Dana." He answered, kissing her lightly.

"Anything good so far?" she asked, glancing down to the booklets.

"Some good ones, yeah. My head is numb though. I've been going through this all day. I could use a break." He said as he stretched his arms up, wincing at the small crackle along his spine.

"Would you like to bring this stuff up to my room? Go over it there after your break? I need to get changed and would like to relax a bit as well." Dana said, smiling a bit. James couldn't pick up much in her voice, she was getting to where it was rather smooth and clear when she wasn't scared, unlike when he had first started trying to analyze everything the way she did. He could, however, see the look in her eye and the knowing little smile. She was leaning forward a bit, and looked a little anxious. James thought he had an idea of what kind of relaxation she might have in mind. He thought that kind of relaxation might be just what the doctor ordered.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." James said, smiling wider.

He gathered the few booklets and the laptop and followed Dana up the stairs. With her door closed, James set the computer and booklets on her desk and sat on her bed. He was finding himself feeling more and more at home here, in her room, on her bed.

Dana stood facing her closet, her back to James. She unbuttoned her shirt and slid it off. She undid the clasp of her bra and let it fall as well. She looked over her shoulder a bit, a small smile on her face, and looked in his general direction as she undid her pants. She let them fall. James waited until her panties joined her pants before pulling his shirt up and off. He had not wanted to miss any part of her little show. Dana turned to face him, her face hidden a bit by her hair, her cheeks a little red. James could see some tension in her face, could see that she was standing a bit more rigid than she usually did. He stood up and let his own pants fall, stepping out of them towards her. She relaxed a bit as his clothes came off. When he stood naked before her, she looked calm again. She looked up to him, her eyes soft and happy, her smile easy and natural. James let his hands rest on her hips, pulling her a bit closer. The head of his dick pressed lightly on her stomach. Dana slid her arms around James' waist and held him, just watching his face.

"If we move into a house together, how will it work? How will we act?" She whispered, her smile fading a bit. He could see that she was a little afraid as she said it. She was a little tense, her hands a bit stiff on his back. He could feel her pulse and breathing were a bit faster than normal.

"We'll act like ourselves. Like we do in here. Like we feel, that's all." He said quietly, enjoying the sight and feel of her face and body relaxing and shifting from caution and worry to calm and happiness. It was a transition that he liked to see. He leaned forward and kissed her, deciding that actions were probably more eloquent than any words he could speak at the moment. He relished the feeling of her lips and tongue, the taste of her mouth, the increase of her pulse while the rest of her body remained calm and relaxed. Dana pressed tightly to him, trapping his hard dick between them. She was moaning softly deep in the back of her throat, her emotions overtaking her mind. James was feeling about the same. When he finally pulled back a little, Dana walked to the bed, leading James by the hand. She lay down and watched him, watched his face as his eyes played about her body. She saw lust in his eyes, and excited tension in his body in abundance, but she also saw a large amount of soft caring and love in his face. She found that the mix was delightful. To know that he was so clearly attracted to her, that she made his body react so strongly, and to know that beyond that simple desire was a deep and full love was a powerful knowledge that made her blood rush in her body. She smiled wide as she studied him, unable to help herself. Her own body was churning with lust as well. James may not have thought much of his body, but Dana certainly did. She had the same thought again that had popped up so many times in the last few days: that James was perfect for her. He was everything she wanted. She wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. Everything else was secondary to that fact.

James stretched out next to her, his hand on her hip, and kissed her gently again. He wasn't quite sure how far she wanted to go, but however far it was, he was going to go with her. He would go anywhere with her. He felt as she did, that this was the person he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. He couldn't believe that he had finally found his match, and he couldn't believe that it had been Dana all along. He had gone through a handful of relationships, some good, a few bad, and some just plain. No one he had been with before had made his heart stir the way Dana did. No one had made his mind come to a screeching halt to take her in and appreciate her the way Dana did. No one had made him feel like his life had a clear and definable purpose as Dana did. It was as if she had woken him up from a long, shallow nap. Like he had been slightly dozing, just on the edge of sleep for years, just wandering through life because it was there. Now Dana had stepped into his life, and suddenly he was awake. Everything was clear. He knew what he was going to work towards in life. What his goal was. His purpose. It was to make Dana happy, to provide for her in every way he could, to give her the love that she deserved and that he felt so deeply for her.

James kissed her gently, letting his lips linger, his hands running up and down her back slowly. Dana was tracing her small circles on his chest with her fingertips again. She was a little scared of what she wanted to do, but was she was excited far more than she was scared. She put her leg over his, drawing him closer to her. She could feel the base of his shaft pressing against her slit, the way it had when she was laying on top of him. She felt his pulse, fast and strong, in the rhythmic pulsing of his dick. His breathing was getting a little raspy, as was hers. Dana paused a moment, looking at where she was, who she was here with, and made her decision. She rolled over to her back, pulling James over onto her, and put her hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes steadily. James was a little surprised by this, but was not complaining about holding himself above this wonderful woman on his elbows. When Dana spoke, her voice was very quiet but very sure. There was no hesitation, no waver, just a hushed and simple statement.

"Love me."

James was still a moment, unsure of what she meant. Dana rolled her hips a little when he did not respond after a moment, and James figured it out.

"Are you sure? This is what you want?" James asked. His voice was unsteady. He was excited and nervous, not quite daring to believe that Dana was asking him to make love to her. Dana nodded and smiled. She looked completely relaxed now, her fear gone. James kissed her, holding her tight. Just as he broke the kiss, they heard it. The front door opening.

They both went wide eyed and bounced up. Dana did a far better job of getting dressed silently than James did. Where her movements were fluid and graceful in her haste, his were jerky and spastic. Dana was into her bra, shirt, and pants in a matter of a few seconds with only the rustle of the clothes. James clumped about trying to get his foot through the leg of his pants, clumsy and frantic. He finally finished getting dressed, feeling like he had taken forever. It felt like minutes, but had only been seconds. They heard footsteps on the stairs, slow and heavy. Their father. Dana and James sat back on the bed, trying like hell to get their breathing under control and to appear calm and normal.

There was a slight knock on the door, and James called for dad to come in.

"Hey. I thought I heard something moving around up here. I was going to grab pizza for dinner tonight so your mom doesn't have to cook. Did either of you guys want anything special on it?" He asked.

James noticed that Dana was right. Dad did not come in. He leaned in the doorway, on the frame, but his feet did not cross the doorway. Even if he wasn't specifically trying to stay out of the room and was just standing there by chance, it still seemed that he was less than inclined to enter Dana's room. James wondered if that would mean anything once he and Dana were living in their own home, where the entire home would be her sanctuary. He put the thought aside and said anything on the pizza would be fine for him. He felt Dana take his hand just before she answered. He looked to her and saw she was looking dad in the eye, and she was speaking clearly and without her usual hesitations. It was the first time she had done so since she was a small child. James was glad to see it. Glad to see her face without a fall of her dark hair hiding part or all of it, glad to hear her voice speaking with confidence, even if it simply spoke about pizza.

"Whatever you and mom like is fine with me. I'm not picky, dad." Dana said. Her hand was a bit tight on James', and he could see the lines of tension in her neck, but he did not see the mass of fear that would usually color a simple interaction like this with their father. She was not looking away or fidgeting; she was not stuttering or whispering. It was amazing for her. James felt like doing cartwheels and somersaults when he saw Dana like this.

Dad saw it as well. He stood a moment, eyebrows raised, silent, and simply looking at Dana. The surprise was clear and understandable. After a moment he nodded, smiled, and found his tongue again.

"Okay, thanks. I guess I'll leave you two too it, then. See you around dinner." He said, sounding a little off, but not in a bad way. When the door closed, Dana let out a shuddery breath and wrapped her arms around James, clinging tight to him, her face pressed into his chest. James held her a moment, letting her calm down a bit, before asking her how she was.

"I'll be okay, I guess. I don't know what came over me. I was feeling, I don't know, I was feeling something. I think it was from what we were doing before he came in. Some of the relaxation and excitement was still there, I think. I don't know. But I just felt okay talking to him. As soon as he left though, I realized what happened. Now I feel shaky." She said. Her voice was indeed shaky, and James could feel the trembling that shook her body. He let his hands make their small, slow circles on her back, soothing her as best he could.

"I was worried he would know we were, you know, fooling around." James said carefully. He didn't want to scare Dana, but he was now considering just how risky their behavior in the house over the past few days had been.

"Are you sorry we were? Do you regret doing that?" She asked quietly. Her face was still held tightly to him, but he had felt her whole body stiffen as he had spoken. He was quick to reassure her.

"God no! No Dana, I just think we might be taking more risks than we should. I don't regret any of the things we've done, though. I don't regret being with you, and I am

not

sorry about it. Alright?" He said, holding her tight.

Dana relaxed a bit and nodded. She looked up to him and smiled a little.

"Okay. I don't regret it either. I love it when we can touch each other. Besides giving mom or dad a hug, you are the only other person I have ever touched." She said softly before kissing him lightly and leaning against his chest again. James thought she meant sexually at first, but quickly realized that she probably meant that mom, dad, and James himself were the only people she had touched at all, in any way. He thought about that for a moment, considering that she preferred to sit on his lap when they were together, or at least lean on his shoulder or chest. That she wanted at least to hold his hand when they were together outside the room, or have his arm around her when they were alone in her room. He could certainly understand why she would be hungry for physical contact if she had never had it beyond simple affections from the family. James held her a little tighter and moved his head down to nuzzle her neck, getting a small giggle and a happy little sigh out her. They stayed that way for a while, just enjoying the quiet and each other's company.

--

They sat down to a pizza dinner, and everyone seemed rather relaxed. Dad had left work early (much to Dana and James' surprise) because there was simply nothing to do in the office for the last couple of hours. Mom had spent the afternoon catching up on what little paperwork the shop needed, as it was a slow day. Dana and James, after their little scare, had spent a few hours going through catalogs and websites, just kind of looking around, not really scanning very deeply. Everyone was now in a good mood, and felt at ease. They sat and joked around the table, enjoying the simple dinner.

Dana held James' hand as she ate, and was looking around the table instead of at her plate like she usually did. James paid close attention to her, but took care to keep from being obvious about it. He noted when her grip on his hand tightened and when it loosened, watched for her smile and for the muscles in her jaw to tighten. He thought that overall she was not relaxed, but not very scared either. It was a huge leap for her. He wondered what it was from exactly. The talking without judgment? The relationship they were building? Their now almost constant physical contact when in the same room together? He wasn't sure about how much of each it was, precisely, but figured it was a combination of all of them, and likely other factors he was unaware of.

Dad asked Dana how things were going down at the shop. James watched her carefully without showing it. Dana tensed for a moment, her hand squeezing tight, the muscle in her jaw visibly clenching, her back going stiff. It was clear, but brief, only lasting a second. She relaxed again; all but her grip on James' hand, which stayed rather firm.

"It's going well. I like working on the bigger stuff, the wall pieces and bags. I have more leeway to try new things with them. But the smaller stuff is fun as well. Bracelets and watchbands are like puzzles. I have to figure out what will fit and still look good. The new scabbard things for the knife guy are new designs for me to work on, from the drawings he sent, so I am looking forward to seeing what I can do with them." She spoke evenly and calmly. Her eyes held dad's for a moment, then would bounce around her plate a moment before rising to his again. Her cheeks went a deep red, but her voice did not falter or hush. She sounded like anyone else would in a conversation. James could see her breathing was a little faster than normal, and knew she was quite nervous. He was deeply proud of her for her effort and her courage. He knew that talking at dinner was a simple matter for most people, done without even thinking about it, but Dana was not most people. For her, this was quite an accomplishment. Their parents knew it too. Dad was smiling wide and mom looked incredibly proud, her own smile shaking a little around the corners of her mouth.