Let Me In (4 page)

              “You.  Are.  A.  Pervert.”  Then Kori quickly stands upright and laughs.  I have no choice but to join in her laughter.  Damn, I really like this girl. 

              Thirty minutes later Kori and I are side-by-side on the couch devouring our bacon sandwiches.  She had also fried some homemade French fries and poured some sweet tea.  She is definitely a girl after my own heart.  We flip the TV on SportsCenter, and I am pleasantly surprised that she is very proficient in her sports knowledge.  So far the pros of Kori are far outweighing the cons.  Let’s see, she’s hot, she can play the guitar, she has a badass Bronco and can work on it herself, she can cook, she’s funny as hell, she can sing like an angel, and she knows sports.  Add to that the fact that she isn’t interested in a relationship, and I am convinced that God created this girl especially for me as a reward for some good deed that I had performed in a past life. 
              I gently nudge Kori’s shoulder with my fist.  “Hey, you want to do something for me?”  I chuckle as she rolls her eyes.  “I’ll take that as a yes.  Will you play me something?”
              She shrugs nonchalantly and stands to grab her guitar.  “Sure.  Do you have something in mind?”
              “I have no idea what all you can play, so just surprise me.”
              “Tuck, if I’ve heard the song, I can play it.  Just name something that you like.”
              I decide I will make this a game and have some fun with her.  “’Cherry Pie’ by Warrant.”
              She narrows her eyes at me, but instantly bursts into the chorus of the song with the guitar accompanying her.  “Next!” she proclaims.
              “Ok, how about “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard?” 
              Once again I am not disappointed.  She sounds remarkably like them as she sings.  Her voice is a chameleon; she can change it and manipulate it to do whatever she wants.  She is pretty amazing.  I request another song before the last chord fades.  “’Talk Dirty to Me’.”
              She chuckles and shakes her head.  As she sings, she makes lewd facial expressions that have me adjusting my pants.  When she finishes with the song, she says, “Don’t you know anything from this century?  Not that I don’t love 80s hair bands, but you do seem to have a theme here.  Is there something that you want to tell me?  Do you secretly tease your hair and wear guy liner?”
              I shoot her a nasty look.  “I’m not disclosing all my dirty secrets.  We haven’t even known each other for 24 hours.  Okay, we’ll get out of the 80s.  Give me some Dave Matthews.  ‘Crash Into Me’.” 
Dammit, now I’m thinking about her hiking up her skirt.
  Maybe this game is backfiring on me.  Once again, I’m adjusting my pants.  This time, she catches me doing it and smiles a knowing smile. 
              “Hmmm, how about if I just play some random stuff of my choice now?  It appears that I know what you like, and I aim to please.”  I have to close my eyes as her words sink in.  I groan as I hear the song that she chooses to play next.  Fiona Apple’s “Criminal”.  Kori’s voice is raspy as she sings about being a bad, bad girl.  I look up and catch her eye.  Oh, she definitely knows what she’s doing, and she’s loving the effect she has on me.  She transitions from that song into Kings of Leon’s “Sex on Fire”.  Instead of just the chorus, she sings this entire song to me.  I have to admit that she does a great job on it.  If it wasn’t for the fact that I have the biggest case of blue balls right now, I would be even more blown away by her talent.  As it is, I never knew that listening to this incredibly beautiful girl sing songs about sex would be such a turn on.  I should have seen this coming.  Everything about her turns me on, so it’s only logical that her singing would also.
              Finally, I can’t handle it anymore.  I have to admit defeat.  “Fine!  You win.  Please, for the love of all that is holy, stop singing songs about sex.”
              She blinks her big green eyes at me and says in the most innocent of voices, “What?  I have no idea what you’re talking about, Tuck.  I thought you just wanted to hear me play.”
              I reach across the couch and pull her to me.  “Kori, Kori, Kori.  I bow down in the presence of your greatness.  I think it’s possible that you are even more awesome than bacon.”  She pushes away from my body and smiles at me.
              “Really?  Better than bacon?  Aw, Tucky, you are too sweet.  That’s the most thoughtful thing anybody has ever said to me.  We’ll write the haikus about my awesomeness tomorrow.”
              “Tucky?”  I sputter out.  “What the hell is that?”
              She throws her head back and laughs.  “Everybody needs a nickname.  Yours is Tucky.”
              “No,” I glare at her, “
Tuck
is my nickname. 
Tucker
is my real name.  I already have a nickname, so a new one is not needed.  Problem solved.”
              “Oh, Tucky.  You really don’t want to fight me on this.  You won’t win.” 
              “Fine.  Then I’ll just come up with an equally annoying nickname for you.”
              “You mean you don’t like the nickname I gave you?  Tucky, that really hurts me.”  She places her hand over her heart.  “I feel as if my heart is going to break.  When I gave you that nickname, I gave you a piece of my soul.  If you don’t like your nickname, you’re basically saying that you don’t like me and my soul.”  She sighs dramatically.  “That hurts, Tucky.  That really hurts.”
              I carefully place her guitar on the floor and then quickly grab her hands and hold her down on the couch.  “You’re a smart ass.  But fine, you can call me Tucky.  But only because we’re now best friends.  Nobody else had better call me that, or there will be hell to pay.  Got it?”  I put my best effort into looking extra mean as I glare at her, but she isn’t buying it. 
              “Of course, Tucky.  Nobody else had better call you that.  I would hate to kick some nickname-stealing ass.”
              I laugh at her fire.  “Can you kick ass, Kori?  I bet you can get yourself pretty worked up.”
              “Damn straight I can kick ass, Tuck.  Don’t you ever forget it.  I would hate to kick yours.  Although it would be a mighty fine ass to kick.”
              At that announcement, I slowly move my hands down her sides, stopping when I reach her waist.  I move my face closer to hers and watch as her eyes widen and her breaths become heavier and choppier.  I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned on in my life.

6

Kori

              Tuck’s face is inching closer and closer toward mine, and I’m not doing a thing to stop it. I don’t want to stop it.  Spending the day with Tuck has been absolutely perfect. I honestly can’t think of a day where I’ve had more fun with somebody.  Tuck is so funny and sweet.  And let’s be honest, the boy is hotter than hell.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our day of talking and teasing. 
              Tuck is laid out on top of me on the couch as he brings his face to mine.  I do the classic
Hitch
scenario; since he went 90% of the way, I’ll go the final 10%.  I snake my hands behind his head and press our lips together.  I can feel his kiss all the way down to my toes.  It’s Earth-shattering and spine-tingling.  Our lips and tongues move together as if they’ve known each other all of their lives.  I will be forever ruined for any other kisses after experiencing a Tuck kiss.  I moan into his mouth, and he picks up his intensity.  Is it possible to have an orgasm just by kissing?  If it’s possible, Tuck would be the one who could do it.  I feel as if I can’t get enough of him, and I’m aching for his hands to move and for him to touch me.  As if he is reading my mind, his hands start to wander.  I arch my back as he makes his way to my breasts, and I then moan as he grinds himself into me.  My self-control is dangling by a very thin, extremely well-worn thread.  I need more of him.  My body and soul will implode if I don’t have him.
              “Tuck,”  I gasp out.  “Bedroom.  Down the hall.  Now.”
              He chuckles as he nips my bottom lip and pulls back from me.  “Are you sure, Kori?  I don’t want to fuck this up.  Neither one of us does relationships, but I want to be your friend.  I don’t think I can lose that.  So are you sure that this isn’t going to ruin what we have?”
              I groan to myself.  I thought we went over all this outside.  Now is not the time to be having second thoughts. 
              “Tuck, we will be fine.  We both know what to expect.  No strings, remember?  Now shut the hell up and take me to my room.”
              At that, Tuck wastes no time in scooping me up and sprinting down the hallway to my bedroom.  He slams the door shut and throws me on the bed.  I push my hair out of my face and smile at him.  He’s pretty damn cute when he’s all flustered and horny.  He grabs a condom out of his wallet and flicks it onto the bed. 
              I sit up on my knees and stop him from jumping on me.  “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”  I stifle a laugh as his eyes flare wide and his breathing becomes pants.  We each begin to remove our clothing piece by piece, taking time to enjoy each other’s bodies.  By the time we are completely naked, we’re both so ready that we’re about to combust and we haven’t even touched each other.  I’m thrilled to discover that Tuck is just as magnificent without clothes as he is clothed.  It terrifies me that I feel this passionately toward him.  We’ve both made it clear that neither one of us is looking for a relationship.  I don’t know what his reasons are for not wanting a relationship, but I certainly know my reasons.  I have no intentions of ever going down that road.  My dad ruined that for me.  However, in true Kori fashion, I decide not to over-analyze this and just live in the moment.  Sure, Tuck and I have explosive chemistry.  That’s a good thing, right?  We should be good together, especially since we know our expectations. 
              Finally, we fall into each other, and all that can be heard are our sounds of pleasure.  My body arches up as he runs his hands down to grip my ass.  His fingers dance around to the front of me as he latches hold of my nipple with his mouth.  A whimper escapes me as he lightly nips it with his teeth, and in no time, I am quaking as my release hits me.  I rake my nails up his back and tangle them in his thick hair.  I watch with fascination as his muscles flex and ripple, causing the ink on his upper arms and pecs to move with him.  It is undoubtedly the sexiest thing that I have ever seen.  I cry out as Tuck rocks into me, filling and stretching me perfectly.  He thrusts into me repeatedly, bringing me to the brink but stopping before I fall.  I growl in frustration and he chuckles.  He thrusts again and brings us both to completion in a glorious blaze.  When we are both thoroughly spent, I’m lying with my head in the crook of Tuck’s arm.  I look up at his face and catch him looking at me. 
              “Still friends?” I ask.
              “Still friends,” he responds. 
              I smile to myself.  I knew this wouldn’t ruin our friendship. 
              “I’m glad, Tucky.  I’m also glad you don’t suck in bed.  It would be totally awkward to still be your friend if I had to pretend that I had a good time.”
              Before I could register what he’d done, Tuck has me pinned down on my back.  “You are such a smart ass.  You had just better be glad that
you
don’t suck in bed.  Although, that might not be a bad thing.”  He waggles his eyebrows at me suggestively, and I snort.  “But I’m glad that you don’t have to pretend.  That would be a terrible blow to my ego.”
              I snicker in amusement.  “Your ego certainly is fragile, Tucky.  I would hate to be the one to cause any damage to it.  But you know, this might have just been beginner’s luck.  You might actually be terrible in bed.  We might need to do it again just to make sure this wasn’t a fluke.”
              Tuck grinds himself against me and kisses my mouth.  “I agree.  We need to prove to each other that this wasn’t a fluke.  I’m definitely not a one-hit wonder.”  I laugh at his pun.  That’s what I like so much about this sexy man.  We are both butt-ass naked in the middle of the day, but yet we can still make jokes.  Yep, he’s definitely my best friend.  Is it possible to become best friends after a day?  I think so.
              After Tuck proves to me that he definitely isn’t a one-hit wonder, I am shocked to realize that I have missed my classes for the day.  I mention it to Tuck, who just shrugs his shoulders.  He seems to be unconcerned, and truthfully I am also.  I never miss class, so it won’t kill me to miss today.  We spend the rest of the afternoon in bed, talking, napping, and eventually ensuring that Tuck isn’t a two-hit wonder. 
                After our third time, Tuck is flat on his back and I’m draped across his torso.  My index finger is tracing the tattoos that cover his upper arms and pecs.  His hand is stroking my back in a comforting manner. 
              “Tell me about these tattoos.  They’re so beautiful.  And sexy.”  I grin up at him and wink playfully.
              He points to the tattoo on his left arm; it’s a striking angel crumpled on the ground with the words “When I have crossed the bar” above it.  It’s heartbreakingly beautiful.  “This one was for my mom.  I drew the angel and wanted the quote above it.  It’s by - ”
              “Tennyson,” I finish for him.  “It’s ‘Crossing the Bar’.  That’s one of my favorite poems.” 
              He nods his head in surprise and approval.  “Mine too,” he murmurs quietly. 
              “Did you draw all of your tattoos?”
              “Yeah, I did.  I’ve always liked drawing, and this way I was able to put them onto a permanent canvas.”  His finger moves up his left arm onto his shoulder.  He taps the tattoo that begins on his shoulder and trails down right over his left pec.  It’s an intricate flow of leaves and flowers that is extremely organic and flowing.  By all rights, it should be too feminine to be inked onto a guy, but there’s a masculine edge that makes it work.  The fact that Tuck is such an alpha male helps to curb its delicateness.  “This is for my mom, also.  She loved to garden; that’s actually one of the few memories I have of her.  I liked to help her pull weeds and dig holes.”
              “I love that you have an entire section of your body dedicated to honoring your mother.  There’s definitely more to you than I originally suspected.”
              He quirks an eyebrow at me.  “Should I be insulted?”
              I laugh at his attempt to make me feel guilty.  “No, you shouldn’t.  But now I know that you’re more than just a pretty face.”
              He playfully swats my butt. “You are too, Kori.”  He stares at my face for just a moment too long.  I feel vulnerable under his intense gaze.  I nervously direct our attention back to his tattoos.  I tap his right arm. 
              “What about this one?”  I run my fingers over the menagerie of images.  There is no rhyme nor reason to the images imprinted on his arm, but they somehow manage to work together and become a cohesive design.  There is an elaborately decorated sugar skull, a mean-looking wasp, a horseshoe, and a lantern, all of which have an octopus’ tentacles swirling around them.  The octopus begins on Tuck’s chest and its tentacles creep over his shoulder and onto his upper arm.  It is gorgeous and badass at the same time.
              A grin lights up Tuck’s face as he looks at the collection of tattoos I am touching.  “There’s not an actual reason for getting those.  They were just some things that I drew that I really loved.”
              I nod my head in understanding.  “I like them a lot.  Honestly, I like them so much that I don’t think you should ever wear a shirt around me ever again.”  I trace the octopus’ tentacles with my tongue.  “From this moment on, you shall be shirtless.  It’s a law, and you can’t break the law.”
              “Are you going to be the one doling out the punishment if I break that law, Kor?”  He grabs my hand and nips at my fingers.  “And it’s only fair that if I’m shirtless, you should be as well.” 
              He flips me onto my back and nuzzles into my neck.  I swear loudly when we are startled from our own little world by my phone ringing.  I groan when I see that it is my grandpa.  It’s not that I don’t want to talk to him, but it will be weird to have a conversation with him while I am naked in bed with Tuck.  I pull the sheet up to my chin and answer my phone.
              “Hey, Monkey!” he shouts into the phone.  Gramps doesn’t seem to understand that a cell phone is basically the same as a regular phone; he always feels the need to shout in order for me to hear him.
              “Hey, Gramps,” I smile into the phone.  I love my grandpa more than anything in the world.  He and my grandma have been the steady rocks in my life for a long time.  I love my grandma dearly, but Gramps and I have always enjoyed a special relationship.
              “Monkey, your grandma wanted me to call you and tell you that we expect you over for dinner tonight.  No excuses.  She made all your favorites.”  With those words, Tuck sits up and looks at me.  He has an expectant look on his face.  I quirk my eyebrow at him.
              “Sure, I’ll be there.  Is it okay if I bring a friend?”  I nudge Tuck with my knee and his face splits into a huge grin.  I guess he is okay with me taking it upon myself to invite him.
              “You know it is, sugar.  We love Avery and Chelsea.  See y’all at 6.”  And with that, he hangs up the phone before I have a chance to clarify that my friend isn’t a girl.  My grandparents won’t care that I am bringing Tuck, but they have never seen me with a guy.  I had made it a point to keep all of my “relationships” separate from them.  I didn’t want to hurt them or make them think less of me, and I wasn’t completely positive that they would understand my decisions.  However, Tuck was my friend before we slept together, and we planned on staying friends long after the fact.  I just hoped that things didn’t get messy.
              Tuck still had that goofy grin on his face.  “Monkey?  I like that.”
              I roll my eyes at him.  “He’s always called me that.  It started out as Grease Monkey because I was always working on cars with him.  Then he shortened it down to Monkey.  He’s the only one who calls me that.”  I glare at him as I give him a warning.  I know him well enough now to know that is just pouring gasoline on the fire. 
              “He
was
the only one who called you that; now I do also.  Come on, Monkey.  Let’s get up and get dressed.  We have to stop by my place so I can change.”
              I squeal as Tuck snaps his shirt at me in an attempt to rush me.  It isn’t long before I am dressed and ready to go to my grandparents’.  We decide to take my Bronco since Tuck doesn’t know how to get there.  I am immensely relieved that there doesn’t seem to be any awkwardness between Tuck and me.  We have easily morphed back to the relationship that we had both enjoyed before our tumbles in my bed this afternoon.
              I am pleased to discover that my earlier awkwardness of talking to Tuck has dissipated after we had our heart-to-heart.  Once we both admitted the attraction we felt and our mutual feelings on relationships, I felt all the butterflies that had fluttered inside me fly away.  I am still exceptionally attracted to Tuck, and I definitely do not have any qualms with sleeping with him again.  But more importantly than that, he is my friend.  And that is a good feeling to have.
              As I drive down the road toward his house, he questions me about my relationship with my grandparents.  I explain to him that after my mom had died, my grandparents took me in and completely doted on me. 
              “You said your dad wasn’t around.  Where was he when you were going through all of this?”
              I feel my body stiffen and my walls instantly go up.  This is not a subject that I discuss, not even with Avery and Chelsea.  They, of course, know the whole story, but it isn’t a topic that I care to revisit.  It certainly isn’t something that I want to tell Tuck about.  Maybe one day I can tell him, but today certainly isn’t the day.
              “Um, let’s don’t talk about this anymore.  It really isn’t my favorite topic, so can we just let it go?”
              Tuck reaches over and pats my knee.  “Of course, Monkey.  Sorry I brought it up.”  He doesn’t look annoyed that I had avoided his question, which makes me feel better.