I didn't know how long Jim and I stayed on the bathroom floor. 

He got sick once more, and I held him, caressing his skin until nausea subsided, and Jim felt better.

"We should go to bed," Jim said, nuzzling into my neck. He also had his arms around me. They circled my waist and kept me pressed to him as if he feared that I would leave. What a ridiculous thought that was.

"Are you sure you're okay? Can you stand up?"

"Yeah." Jim smiled. "We need to get some sleep. Come on, Beautiful. Let's get you to bed."

Without letting go of me, Jim started to get up. He wouldn't fool me — I could see how weak he still was, although some color returned to his face, making him look slightly better.

Once he was on his feet, Jim took a couple of steps and halted in front of the sink. He opened the cabinet, grabbed a new toothbrush, and handed it to me. 

We brushed our teeth together. Now and then, I glanced at our reflection in the framed bathroom mirror. Jim was still shirtless, and one look at his torso was enough to make my cheeks flush.

After rinsing his mouth with mouthwash, Jim took my hand in his and led me to the bedroom. Pausing next to his built-in closet, Jim opened it and took out a T-shirt, which he then handed to me.

"Thanks," I said. "I'll get changed in the bathroom."

Jim nodded. I rushed to his en-suite to put his shirt on me. It wasn't long, and my lower body was on display. Luckily, I could shower after work, and my underwear was pretty. Not that Jim would notice — darkness enveloped the room when I reentered it, and Jim was already in bed.

I assumed he was asleep, but as soon as I lay down next to him, he drew an arm around my waist and pulled me flush to his body, my back to his front.

"Sweet dreams," Jim whispered, pressing a chaste kiss to the skin between my shoulder and my neck.

"Sweet dreams, Jimmy," I replied, snuggling into Jim's warmth.

***

Despite my exhaustion, the sleep I managed to get was little.

I woke up in a couple of hours, according to the glowing digits of the clock Jim had on one of the nightstands. 

Rolling onto my right side, I studied Jim's sleeping frame. He was lying on his back. The sheet covered everything below his waist, but the rest of him was exposed to my eyes.

Seeing him like that, handsome and vulnerable, did inexplicable things to my heart. I felt tenderness, warmth, and, for the first time, desire.

Even when we were sitting on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, I felt my body react to Jim's closeness. He seemed to be able to wake up all my senses by just being in close proximity to me, making me crave his touch.

I pulled the sheet up to my chin and sighed, focusing my gaze on the ceiling, painted white in contrast to the gray paint on the walls. 

A faint chuckle made me turn my head on the pillow and look at the source of it.

"Can't sleep?" asked Jim.

"Yeah. You?"

Jim half-smiled. "Same. I slept some, but the damn mind just won't shut up."

"What are you thinking about?"

"About what happened," Jim said. "I feel shitty, but it's not only physical. I just...damn, Ava, I felt so helpless. When I woke up at Fin's, I almost lost my shit. I didn't understand where I was. I hardly recognized the guy. It was…" Stopping for a moment, Jim reached over to touch my hand. I moved closer to him, and he went on speaking, threading his fingers through mine. "I hated the feeling, you know? Of not being in control. Anyone could do shit to me, and I wouldn't have been able to fight back. It was scary."

"You have to go to the police, Jimmy."

Jim nodded, swallowing. "I will. I just want a bit of calm with you, but tomorrow —well, today—I'll call the guys I was with and sort this out. Maybe someone saw something."

"There should be cameras in that club. I hope they can see who that person was. I don't get why someone would do it."

"Me either. I just hope it doesn't happen again."

Silence stretched between us.  It was as if time stilled, and there was nothing but the two of us in the darkened room— nothing but our heartbeats and our breaths and our bodies dangerously close to one another.

But then, Jim's voice broke the quiet. "Thank you. Thank you for driving to Fin's at night and being here with me. I'm still...hell, I feel so uncomfortable knowing you saw me that way."

"Don't," I whispered, bringing my hand to Jim's face and pressing my fingers to his lips. "You would have done the same for me."

Jim kissed my fingertips, grabbed my hand, and put it on his chest, over his heart.

"It's not the same. You're my girl. It's my job to protect you."

"Your girl?" I asked, blushing and hating that my cheeks always turned scarlet in Jim's presence.

"My girl," Jim said. "I'm not one to waste time, Ava. I don't fuck around, and I like you. I want us to be together. Exclusive. And my old man would surely kick my ass if he knew I asked you to be mine while I'm semi-high and half-naked in bed with you. Dad would say he taught me better."

I smiled. "You don't hear me complaining now, do you?"

"So, what's the answer?"

"What was the question?" I asked and giggled when Jim pulled me into his hard body. 

"Be mine, Ava. Mine to cherish. Mine to protect. I promise you won't regret it. So?"

Jim's eyes shone at me. Even in the dark, I could see the glimmer in his irises.

"You already know the answer," I whispered.

Cupping my cheek in his warm palm, Jim shook his head. "No. I need words."

"Yes. My answer is yes. Although I'm a big girl, and I can protect myself."

Jim chuckled. "Yeah. I know. But I want to be your guy. Your man. And you know what happens when you blush."

Jim trailed his fingertips over my flushed cheek. A small smile was playing on his lips while he did so, but then, his expression morphed into a different, serious one.

I saw him wet his lips. I felt his hand start slow, lazy caresses on my back. I knew he would kiss me, but this time, I wanted to be the one to make a move.

Edging forward, I pressed my chest to Jim's and drew my arms around his neck, hugging him to me. 

I loved the way he felt to the touch. Hard and warm, his body gave me a sense of safety. When Jim held me, I felt peaceful and serene. The overthinker in me grew silent, and I let myself just feel, relishing every moment we spent together.

My heart thumped against my ribcage when I put my hand on Jim's jaw and touched his lips with mine. At first, it was a soft caress, but then, he took over, transforming it into a kiss that made my breath hitch.

Jim's tongue slipped into my mouth and massaged mine while his hands did the same to my body, moving over the thin cotton of the shirt I wore— thin enough to let me feel the heat of Jim's skin.

With a low growl, Jim deepened the kiss and moved one of his hands up my back to bury his fingers in my hair and hold my head in place while he explored every corner of my mouth with his tongue. 

This kiss was different. Unlike the first time Jim kissed me, he wasn't holding back now. The passion with which he devoured my lips had me gasping for air and those tiny gasps only made him kiss me harder.

My chest scraped against Jim's. For the first time, I felt the need for more. I wanted him to be bold, to make a move, and make me feel everything I'd read about in countless novels but never experienced on my own.

As if he read my mind, Jim paused with his lips on mine. Slowly, he moved them to the corner of my mouth and then kissed his way down my neck.

He licked my skin and accompanied each wet kiss with a soft bite. Jim's mouth didn't leave an inch of my skin without its attention.

My breathing turned ragged. I was unaware of anything other than the heat Jim's touch provoked. 

Jim kissed my mouth hard. Then, he made me turn around in his strong arms and pressed my body to his.

Blushing when I felt his need for me, I turned my head to the side and tipped my chin up to be able to kiss Jim's lips.

He responded eagerly and returned my affection.  Once again, his tongue explored and caressed. Our wet mouths moved together, and this time, so did our bodies.

"Ava…" Jim whispered against my lips. " I need to…need to touch you. Can I?"

"Yes," I uttered despite my nervousness — despite knowing it will be the first time for me.

"Just relax, Beautiful," Jim murmured, kissing my neck. "I won't go fast. I won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable. We'll go slow, but I feel...I feel how much you want it, and I'm dying to give you what you need. Kiss me now. Close your eyes and kiss me."

I sought Jim's lips with mine. They parted, and the tip of his tongue played with mine while he moved his hand over my cotton-covered chest and down, until his palm rested on my stomach.

Slowly and carefully, Jim slid his fingers under my T-shirt. His digits traced circles on my hot skin. The frenzy of the kiss ebbed, and it turned into a slow, sensual movement of our lips and tongues.

Calloused fingertips drew patterns on my stomach before descending to the edge of my underwear and slipping inside to caress me.

I stilled, shocked by the array of sensations that accosted my senses when Jim touched me where nobody ever did.

Barely applying pressure, he moved his fingers in small circles, grazing my most sensitive spot.

"Good?" Jim whispered in my ear and tugged at my earlobe with his teeth.

"Yes…" I breathed out, lost in the new sensations, drowning in our closeness.

My hips began to move when Jim applied more pressure and resumed his kisses on the tender skin of my neck. 

It was almost too much to take. A desperate moan escaped my lips when Jim's fingers caressed my soaked core again. 

"God," he panted, licking the skin of my neck. 

The pressure I felt grew unbearable, almost painful. I reached behind me and put my palm on Jim's cheek.

He kissed my hand, trapping each finger between his lips before releasing them. 

Every nerve ending of mine became attuned to Jim, his kisses, caresses, and the heated words he whispered in my ear.

"Don't hold back, Beautiful."

His fingers moved faster, and I couldn't take it anymore. The wave of pleasure rolled over me, eliciting a whimper from my parted lips, making my body shake.

Jim covered my mouth with his and gave me a long, tender kiss I didn't hesitate to return.

"Tell me how it was," he whispered a while later when I lay on his chest, hugging his waist.

"I loved it," I mumbled, kissing Jim's skin, feeling him smile against the top of my head as he embraced me tighter, sleepy, warm, and mine.

A bit of love cause they deserve it.
Hope you felt those butterflies❤

Love,
Alwyn