The drive back to Charlie's place was pure torture of the very best kind. Kennedy's brain replayed all her favorite scenes from the last night she'd spent with Charlie, and spliced in some new fantasies she'd added in the days since. She really needed to get her brain to calm down so that she wasn't disappointed by the real thing.

She was trying not to shoot too many meaningful glances at Charlie because, although he was technically following the rules of the road, he was driving more aggressively than he had on the way to the stadium.

When the orange light turned red just as they approached the intersection, Charlie unbuckled his seat-belt and reached for Kennedy. She reached for him so quickly that her seat-belt, assuming some sort of danger was occurring, locked into place. A tiny frustrated growl escaped from her lips before she got her own seat-belt unlocked and crashed into Charlie, kissing him for all she was worth. In the relative privacy of his car, Charlie let his hands roam much more freely.

Kennedy's brain had finally shut up for the duration of the kiss, but when the car behind them honked in annoyance at their slow start when the light changed it was like a green light for the dirty thoughts movie to start playing again, but at a higher frame-rate after that brief, passionate kiss. Their next date needed to take place much closer to home, she decided.

After what felt like hours, they finally pulled into the parking space behind Charlie's building, just around the corner from the alley in which Kennedy had been introduced to Howl. They walked down the alley and came to the back door of the shop After another small eternity, Charlie had the door unlocked and the alarm code entered. Then it was only a microsecond more before Charlie smashed his body into hers. His lips moved furiously with want and his hands were everywhere. Kennedy struggled to keep up with the fast-paced dance of his mouth and tongue and body, clumsy in her haste. Charlie ground the evidence of his arousal against her lower belly. She stood on tiptoe to move it closer to where she most wanted it to be.

Charlie walked Kennedy backwards towards the stairs, apparently unwilling to break their kiss even for the short time it would take to cross the stockroom. He spun her around and tried to open the door to his private staircase one-handed, and thumped the door in irritation when he twisted the handle and found it locked. He fumbled in his jeans pocket for his keys and turned his torso away from Kennedy long enough to open the lock, but kept one hand down the back of her jeans and kept her hips pressed close against his. He pulled his scarf over his head, then his sweater, and dropped them on the floor before pulling all of Kennedy close to him.

Through the thin fabric of his snug-fitting tee-shirt, the firm muscles of his back and shoulders shifted beneath Kennedy's hands as his own roamed her body. She took a backwards step up the bottom stair and found that it put her at eye-level with Charlie, and took advantage of their equal heights to hook a leg behind him. He let out a deep sigh, put his hands under her butt and lifted her in the air. She gasped in surprise when he started climbing the stairs, and wrapped her legs tightly around him. Every step he climbed jogged her most sensitive parts against his pronounced bulge. It was the singular most memorable trip up the stairs she'd ever had.

Charlie, breathing hard, hit the light switch in the hallway with his elbow, carried Kennedy into his bedroom, and dropped them bouncing onto his bed. Kennedy's clothes felt like a suit of armor: too heavy, too thick, and entirely unnecessary at the moment. They felt far too tight, almost like they were strangling her.

No, wait. Charlie was resting his hand on one end of her scarf.

"Can you sit up, please?. I need to take some clothes off."

"I'm not going to argue with that," Charlie said. He sat back on his heels, bouncing on them with the excess energy that radiated from him. He looked like he was ready to take on the world.

Kennedy unwound her scarf, getting it tangled for a moment in her ponytail, then folded it twice and placed it on the floor beside the bed. Her sweater went next, becoming a pale square on the floor of the dim room, lit only by the light of the hallway. She pulled off her white tank-top and added it to the collection of neatly folded clothes on the floor. Kennedy had popped the clasp of her bra open when Charlie made a noise of impatience and flung himself on top of her again.

"If you make me sit and watch while you fold your bra, topless, I'll toss it out the window," he said into her ear, then caught her earlobe between his teeth. His teeth clicked on the small silver hoops she wore as he flicked her earlobe with his tongue. Kennedy didn't argue with him; her eyelids fluttered with pleasure. Her ears were one of her most erogenous zones.

When he kissed his way down her jaw to her shoulder, she said, "If anyone is going to complain about clothes, it'll be me. You're considerably overdressed."

"You've got a point, there."

Charlie peeled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor inside out in a way that make Kennedy's inner neat freak squirm. The rest of her squirmed in anticipation at the sight of so much bare skin. It wasn't nearly enough, though. She reached for his waistband and popped open the button of his jeans. He was pressing so hard against his zipper that she couldn't get it to budge until she'd slipped her hand inside his pants and pressed his straining erection flat against his belly.

Kennedy managed to get his jeans and boxer-briefs down to his thighs, then Charlie sat up, kicked off his shoes, and got rid of the rest of his clothes. He unzipped Kennedy's boots and pulled them from her feet, then crawled up the bed towards her.

Charlie stopped at Kennedy's waist and stripped off her jeans and panties. He must have seen the look of indecision on her face as she struggled to decide whether to ask him to fold her jeans or not, because he gave them a shake to straighten them and tossed them over the back of a chair.

"You weren't nearly this fussy about your clothes the last time."

"Last time, I wasn't trying to dress nicely. And I was pretty distracted."

"Obviously I need to work harder on distracting you," he said, giving Kennedy a look that made her toes curl.

Charlie kissed Kennedy thoroughly, then with one long sweep of his tongue, licked his way from her jawline to her navel. He peppered her lower belly with kisses, promising that he'd work his way even lower, but at his own speed.

His hands roamed her inner thighs, getting closer to her sweet spot with each circuit, but never quite getting there. Kennedy trembled with anticipation, aching with want. She'd been looking forward to getting naked with Charlie since the minute she'd agreed to see him again.

When she was nearly ready to grab his hand and move it to where she most wanted to be touched, Charlie finally dipped his tongue between her folds.

Kennedy had had this particular act performed on her exactly twice before. The first guy had whipped her pants of as quickly as he could, before Kennedy'd had much of a chance to get aroused, and was disappointed in her when she didn't come instantly when he touched her with his tongue.

The second guy went more slowly, but treated Kennedy like she was a soap bubble, and would split in two with the slightest pressure. His timidity didn't do much for her, either. After two disappointing encounters, Kennedy had discouraged her partners from this particular move. Something told her that the man she was with this time, however, would be awfully good at it.

Charlie moved slowly, but deliberately, like each touch was a sex act in and of itself. He ran his tongue in small circles, then long strokes, then little flickering motions, exploring her thoroughly, finding hidden little pleasure zones that Kennedy herself hadn't known about. She arched her back and grabbed a fist-full of his hair when he found a particularly good one.

"I'm going to have to remember that little spot," he said between licks.

"You can tattoo it and put flashing lights around it for all I care. Just don't stop," she pleaded.

"Your wish is my command," he said, and found better things to do with his mouth.

Kennedy tensed and cried out when he slipped a finger inside her. He moved it in concert with his mouth in an aching rhythm. He added a second finger, pressing them both high up inside her, and sucked her nub hard and fast. Kennedy's entire body spasmed for longer than she thought possible, then she fell back on the bed.

Charlie didn't leap up when she was finished, though. He slowed down, taking care with her sensitized flesh, licking lightly and holding his hand still and relaxed. His touch was more like a massage than an erotic act. After a few minutes, however, Kennedy was pressing herself into his touch once more.

She was just starting to really enjoy herself again when Charlie rose and, after a quick trip to his nightstand, and pulled Kennedy to the edge of the bed.

"Flip over. Belly down. Now, bring your knees down to the floor."

Kennedy obliged, and Charlie knelt behind her. He entered her slowly, giving her time to get used to the position. She decided she like this one, too, and felt incredibly sexy pressing her butt up into the air to meet Charlie's thrusts. He put his hands around her hips, pulling her to him as he moved.

Her heartbeat quickened, and their movements became more frantic. Charlie reached around Kennedy's belly, then slid a finger down to the top of her folds, spread wide by their joining. He pressed on her hard nub, rolling it back and forth as he crashed into her from behind. He angled himself until he was pressed as deeply into her as he could go, and Kennedy exploded for a second time. Charlie made a few more deep thrusts, then buried himself and strained against her, groaning with pleasure. He stayed deep inside for a few heartbeats, then moved within her as he slowly diminished in size.

Kennedy crawled into the bed and closed her eyes for a little while Charlie ducked into the bathroom to clean up. He returned and cuddled up next to Kennedy. She was so sated that, despite it being only late afternoon, she was as drowsy as though she'd pulled an all-nighter. Charlie somehow resisted the pull of sleep and instead let one hand roam Kennedy's body, lightly caressing her, making her feel safe and cared for, and doing nothing at all to keep her awake.

He made his way to the top of her mound and played with the curls there.

"Do you mind it? That I've got hair there? I get the impression that most girls don't."

"No, of course not. Your body, your rules. As far as my personal preference goes, as long as you're less hairy than me, it's all good. Besides, see how nice it feels?"

He took her hand and directed it to the hair in question. To Kennedy, it felt the same as it always did.

"Really? You like how it feels?"

"How can you not? It's so soft, and bouncy. Here, feel the difference."

He moved her hand to his own lower belly, and she noticed that his hair was considerably coarser than her own, which she stroked again for comparison.

"Huh. I never noticed that before. The secret benefits of being a natural blonde."

Charlie's hand tangled with hers and nudged it out of the way. "Hey, you can touch whenever you want. Today, it's my turn."

With a put-upon sigh that really wasn't, Kennedy relented. Whether Charlie's touch ever turned sensual again, she didn't find out. As he played with her curls, she fell asleep.