Post by shawn30 on Mar 24, 2010 20:11:07 GMT -5
Title: "We Are Not Getting Back Together Ever!"
One-Shot
Written by: Shawn
Summary: That wacky, strange, quirky, and sexy something-something that exists between Tommy and Kim continues....
Rated: MA
Category: Flirty/Sexy/Smutty (a non-angst zone)
Timeline/Spoilers: Everything up to and including the Dino Thunder series is canon - After that its all my AU.
Disclaimer: The Mouse owns it all!
Authors Notes: After a long writing drought this is something fun to get myself back in the groove. I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel here, people. Just a fun, sexy read to enjoy.
~~~~~~
“Love waits for one thing, the right moment.”
~~ author unknown
~~~~~~
******
******
1717 Hurst Drive
5-floor apartment building
Friday, November 18, 2005
10:15 PM
Reefside, Ca
"I guess its a boy's night after all," Tommy mused to himself upon impatiently pressing the door-close button. Now alone in his apartment building's elevator, the red number rose slowly on its ascent to his sixth floor residence as he leaned against the back wall while balancing dinner and spirits. Staying late to term grade papers and prepare next week's lesson plan saw his late arrival tonight. He was mentally and physically fried from a hellish week of ten-hour teaching days at Cameron University and with nothing resembling a social life... at least one he cared to remember, crashing on the couch for some MMA action looked especially appealing. Mike and Giovanni, who provide the Hard Lemonade and deep-dish pizza accompanied him as that beloved ping noise singled he'd reached his floor. Home was within reach.
A simple walk down the hall and his weekend would blissfully begin at last.
Of course upon catching sight of the utterly delicious Kimberly Hart relaxing ever so confidently against his apartment door down the hall, well... perhaps it wasn't going to be a guy's-only night after all. He stalled his steps as she hadn't noticed him yet, and was surprised to see her at all. He recalled she had a second date tonight with Richard, a med-student who she investigated for the private detective firm she worked for. The doctor to be checked out and then checked her out and then they checked out for a first dinner date she described as alot of fun. She seemed hopeful and the brief meet and greet Tommy had with him, coupled with a a solid handshake had him mildly hopeful his former Pink flame had found someone special.
Okay, maybe that wasn't entirely true. But he never begrudged her happiness. Perhaps a part of him he couldn't quite identify did enjoy being the most special guy in her life right now. A title he wasn't sure even he understood how dear to him it was. But if she found a great person and fell in love he would only encourage her as she would do the same for him.
Damn, if she didn't look hot tonight. He bit back a familiar groan at the sight of her. Her sexy black Capri pantsuit, brown locks in a lovely ponytail, wearing just a hint of make-up and a pair of black fuck-me heels that caused such a surge of hardness... he willed it away. The 'chase' was the point of all the mischief they currently enjoyed. Catching each other would only end the flirty something-something between them ever since moving into the same building nearly a year ago. 'Looky no touchy' was their motto thus far. And boy did he ever look.
Meanwhile, down the hall Kim knew he was staring her way. Feeling his intimate gaze upon her was a warm sensation she'd honed well since high school. Her lips curled mischievously ever so, enjoying his appreciative appraisal of her attire. They might not be together, but she knew whenever he was checking her out. She certainly did it to him enough and having a sexy best friend wasn't so bad. After eight months of living across the hall from each other what they now shared felt pretty wonderful, if indescribable in so many ways. Lovers who never made love came to mind, uniquely quirky as the phrase sounded in her head. "If you're gonna spend the rest of this night in the hallway I could loan you my sleeping bag?"
"Actually," Tommy considered while wearing a grin, "I was waiting to see if you were gonna break into my apartment."
"And steal what, your fish tank or your Bruce Lee movie collection?" she replied cheekily, noting that handsome smirk of his that still gave her a little tingle every time she saw it. "You don't exactly have a stash of valuables in there."
Reaching his ex-girlfriend and current 'something-something', Tommy tilted his head ever so to the side. He loved being able to tower over her in that masculine way all men adored. "Even that wacky Pirate clock you bought me for my birthday last year."
"I'm always trying to help the memory-challenged," she teased her reply, and then noted his six-pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade and Giovanni's pizza night. Having missed dinner due to tonight's latest brush of weirdness where men were concerned, she alluded, "That looks like enough for two."
"I didn't invite you."
"I didn't ask."
She was entirely to sure of herself at times, and though he'd never admit it, that was part of her charm. And Tommy adored her company. "Speaking of two, wasn't tonight your second date with Dr. Richard?" Watching her visibly cringe, he had a feeling things didn't turn out so well. Still couldn't have been worse than his latest dating adventure.
Kim ran a frustrated hand over her hair. "You're probably gonna see me on the Internet soon."
Tommy blinked. "If you made a sex-tape with him so help me God I will kick your ass."
Playfully swatting his shoulder, she shook her head. "Oh please. The train wreck my love life has been is a grand canyon of unfortunate incidents and tonight only added to pile. Now kindly open the door and I will tell all in exchange for a late dinner." Crossing her arms, she settled in close to him. "Deal?"
"Deal." Unable to resist, Tommy ordered sinfully, "Seal it with a kiss?"
This was there way, private as it was. Behind closed doors and not looked into so deeply as to figure it out. Her heels aided this little act of theirs as she closed the distance between their mouths. "Fine." Pressing her lips firmly to his for four long seconds, they parted wetly... softly... and not one person in the world knew they still kissed from time to time. No faint blush stained her fair cheeks, although Kimberly did taste a hint of heat as always when they kissed. It was simply their way and not to be discussed nor did it hinder either from dating other people.
But there were some things that remained oh so hush-hush the outside world simply didn't need to know or try to decipher. It simply was.
Appearing unaffected despite her heart wildly acknowledging the kiss, Kim stepped aside while taking the six-pack handle from his right hand. She watched him dig into his pockets in search of his keys. With her free hand, the former Pink Ranger slipped her hands into his left back pocket, digging out the keys while grazing his ass. "Its always the left back pocket."
"And you're always copping a feel."
"Like you mind... and don't indulge in the same." Naughty was her smile as he opened the door without a reply. She graced by, entering his modest bachelor pad once more. "You up for a movie night?"
"Might as well watch something while we eat," was his reply. Tommy quickly checked his voice mail, noting that his Mom and his car finance company called. Both could wait till tomorrow, though he wasn't looking forward to talking with the latter yet again. And he thought his Ranger days were crazy. "So, your date?" He looked up, grinning as he had a feeling this was going to be a good story. Her tongue in cheek expression said it all. They descended upon his beige sofa before the 50'inch HD-TV he so loved. Wedding Crashers was on HBO. "Tell all and leave out nothing unless it involves you having sex with him."
Kicking off her accursed heels, Kim nestled in by his side. Warm and content, she turned to him while reaching for a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade. Alcohol was damn necessary after tonight. "Not up for the scandalous details?" His dimpled grin drove her bonkers. She almost kissed him again. She tempted him with a deeply purring, "You know you wanna know."
Tommy fixed her with a eye-roll and then opened his bottle after she opened hers. They toasted with a audible clink of glass. "Talk. Now."
"Fine, fine," she responded before taking a long drag from her bottle. "So Richard took me out to Alinea's tonight." Tommy sent a mildly startled gaze her way. "Yeah, I know. One dinner at that place costs about a weeks worth of my salary."
"Its almost impossible to get reservations there."
"Richard has connections. His dad is the chief of staff at Reefside Memorial," Kim explained while biting into a thick slice of pizza. When her tongue chased after a a string of cheese she knew Tommy was watching out the corner of his eye. She hummed at the taste and his attraction. "Anyway, I didn't really want to do a fancy restaurant tonight cause I was tired from a all-night stakeout last night and just wanted to do some laundry and crash in bed. But he insisted on going out and not just at his place or mine. He was trying to make this special for me, so I wasn't gonna say no to that. Its been a while since a guy went out of his way for me. So despite wanting nothing more than to go to sleep as soon as I got home, I took a quick shower, did my make-up, slipped on some sexy underwear..."
"To much information," Tommy snorted.
"Wanna see?"she teased.
"Later," he fired right back, eyes dancing with hers. Giovanni's deep dish pizza was the best in town as Tommy dug in with gusto. "Kim, you deserve to be treated special. Always."
The way he said that just now flowed over her like warm honey. "Thanks," was her soft reply. "So we arrived at the restaurant and its a bit intimidating cause everyone there seems so into the fancy atmosphere. That's just not me. But it wasn't a big deal, so we were shown to our table and ordered drinks. Tommy, you should have seen my face go blank when I saw the prices. Most everything there started at around a hundred bucks. The bottle of Chardonnay Richard ordered was two hundred and fifty dollars by itself."
Sitting up straight, Tommy wiped his mouth with a napkin. "He was trying to impress you."
"Yeah, but money doesn't impress me. My inner valley girl died years ago. Still, he was all about doing the big thing so I relaxed and ordered. As we began talking over candlelight, which was romantic by the way, I was beginning to enjoy the moment. Richard's got a great sense of humor and confidence has always been sexy to me. Things were going great and I was entertaining thoughts of taking him to Happy Town."
"Happy Town being sex at your place?" Tommy snickered.
Kim gave a nod and then gave a exasperated groan. "That was when all hell broke loose."
Tommy was in mid-bite when Kim blurted out...
"The TV cameraman that ran up behind Richard shocked him and me, but it was when Joey Greco raced to our table with this tall blond that I just about passed out from shock. I had a fork full of pasta that seemed hung in mid-air."
"Wait a minute," Tommy garbled while chewing. "You mean Joey Greco from that reality TV show 'Cheaters'? That Joey Greco." Kim nodded, enjoying another long draw from her bottle." Oh God," he laughed out loud, truly basking in the zaniness of it all.
Kim couldn't exactly blame him as she was still shaken by it all. "Apparently Brittany is Richard's girlfriend of the last two years and has suspected he's been messing around. Low and behold she called Cheaters and then they catch us red-handed, recorded for television for all the world to see and mock. I didn't know a thing and if I did I would have ever started dating the creep. Alas, now I am to be immortalized on basic television and the Internet as yet another chapter of my astoundingly ridiculous love life continues." Tommy's laughter didn't hurt her feelings as even she found some humor in it all. "Well at least Richard didn't blow up my car like your ex-honey did."
Of course he knew Rachel Saunders name was going to come up sooner or later. The five-month affair that ended explosively, literally, had amused dear Kim for the longest time now. "At least I'm not going to be on television," he playfully defended himself. "But yes, my choices in women haven't been so great in recent years. And I really loved that jeep."
"You're lucky she didn't kill you when you broke up with her. There you were living out in the sticks..."
"Hey!"
"You were living the the freaking woods, Tommy. You were all Mission Impossible in your basement and just begging for trouble. And I told you the first vibe I got from Rachel was that she was nuts."
"It was a joke bumper sticker on her car, Kim."
"But she in fact was nuts, Tommy," she laughed in his face, finishing off her bottle while enjoying a pleasant buzz. "And if she was really mad she might of gone after you instead of your jeep."
Still unable to reconcile how he got involved with the local weather girl turned stalker that was now on a restraining order to stay away from him, Tommy mused that he and Kim had to be dating poison in some way. "I never thought when I broke up with her she might blow up my car."
"I warned you about breaking up with her when she was on her period. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"That's no excuse."
"Oh I know. I just had the need to say it. I like reminding you when I'm right." Her smile felt so genuine, just sitting here with him bantering about their lives while munching pizza and drinks on a late Friday night. Why couldn't she find this sort of emotional satisfaction with any other man? This soulful communion over the most basic of things? "So how was your day?"
"Long. Didn't want to end. Just a Friday," he reported. "You know how it is when you work long hours. The days begin to blend and..."
"... you start to lose count. Same as my day. Nothing eventful, just long, but not bad." They leaned against one another while eating dinner and enjoying the movie. Talk turned to their friends latest gossip and crazy old man Jim, the batty nutjob who lived on the first floor of their building and always talked to himself no matter where he went. It dawned on Kimberly, and not for the first time that what she shared with Tommy was so close to a real relationship already, minus the sex. And while they'd never slept together, the interest was clearly there on his part. Hers too. More than she really wanted to admit. But real life, with its bills, family drama, hectic work schedules, and all around every day chaos left little time for anything other than a close friendship. And neither seemed to posses the jealousy that she was sure had to be present for one of them to want to cross the line. After all, if the idea of him dating other girls didn't make her feel anything then she couldn't be in love with him, right?
Of course to Kim, the flip side of that was that she knew her place in his world. Deep down it was enough. Then a most wonderful, most luminous, most uniquely Kim-like thought strolled through her mind. "I'm glad we never broke up."
Brow creased, Tommy turned sharply to her. "Excuse me?"
"I said I'm glad we never broke up."
"Uhm, I seem to remember a certain letter you sent me."
"Where is it?"
"Yeah, like I still have it laminated somewhere," he joked.
"Did I, anywhere in that letter say that I was breaking up with you or that we were finished or that I wanted you to move on?"
Tommy was sure Kim was drinking a bit to much of that Mike's Hard Lemonade. "You said something to the effect of finding the person you think you're meant to be with and hating that you were hurting me. You also called me your brother. And you know brothers and sisters don't do the things we did back in high school."
"Getting to second and a half base non-withstanding," she smiled, "I still never actually said the full break-up words to you. Hence we never broke up. And that null and voids all my relationships since the letter, thus making my love life not so insane."
Humor bubbled from his voice, eyes brightly favored upon her. "Kim, you broke up with me."
"Can you prove it?" she dared him to defy.
"We slept with and dated other people."
"But never fully broke up, so none of your relationships count either. And with my theory, wacky as it may be, makes us both look alot less pathetic."
Rolling that nugget of nuttiness around his mind a bit, Tommy was certain she was... and then he gazed at her, impish smile so damn sexy he couldn't help wanting to kiss her again. But with craziness on the table tonight, he thought he'd toss a bit of his own out there. "Let's make love."
The divine buzz Mike was giving her had little to do with the sudden flush that just fluttered over Kimberly's face. Surprise curled her lips as she all but whispered, "We can't."
Invading her personal space, Tommy questioned in a low voice, "Why? And please don't say sex would ruin our friendship. That's so cliche."
Her eyes darted at him, and then away. "Oh, I agree."
"And you just said we're still dating."
"Yep, sure are."
"So," he gently pressed her back to the couch, now nuzzling her cheek softly, his breath fanning over her lips. His tone dipped sexy low. "Let's make love."
It would be so easy to give in and finally answer the enormous curiosity she'd had for years about them making love. The heat of him aroused her even as her defiant streak unleashed anew. "We can't."
Tommy wasn't about to give up, tipping a finger beneath her chin to force her gaze his way. "And the reason why is?"
"We're not in love. And if we had sex it would just be fucking," was her boldly blunt statement. "And we just couldn't fuck each other... could we?"
The moment fell as silent as it was potentially explosive. Tommy stared. "........"
Kim stared right back at him, grinning wildly. "........"
Tommy retreated first, though still nestled against her. That sultry, mysterious place their little something-something lived remained the forbidden land. But he wondered just how much longer that would be
the case. And what happened if they gave in and lost this incredible heat the chase provided? "Another bottle?"
"Another bottle," Kim repeated, watching him open one for himself and her, never mind his change of subject. But what would she have done if he didn't let it go? Behind her minds eye she could see them going at it like wildcats... Suddenly she felt warm and greedy for his touch. “Mr. And Mrs Smith is about to come on. Interested?”
“Still not sleepy?”
Her hand covered her heart in a mock display of shock. “Is that your polite way of telling me to hit the road?”
“My bed's closer than yours.” Craving her tonight, she dared hold his gaze long enough... silently. She struggled to keep a straight face. “I do have cable in there too, you know.”
“Are you trying to get me in your bed?” She was on the ropes, battling a smile.
“Only in the interest of watching a movie more comfortably.”
“Your couch is comfortable enough.” She'd won that little battle of the wills when he shrugged, grinning the whole time. Why oh why did he have to look so damn good tonight? Or did he always look that way and the alcohol had her guard down? Either way as she enjoyed a long yawn they clinked bottles once more as the second movie began.
******
One-Shot
Written by: Shawn
Summary: That wacky, strange, quirky, and sexy something-something that exists between Tommy and Kim continues....
Rated: MA
Category: Flirty/Sexy/Smutty (a non-angst zone)
Timeline/Spoilers: Everything up to and including the Dino Thunder series is canon - After that its all my AU.
Disclaimer: The Mouse owns it all!
Authors Notes: After a long writing drought this is something fun to get myself back in the groove. I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel here, people. Just a fun, sexy read to enjoy.
~~~~~~
“Love waits for one thing, the right moment.”
~~ author unknown
~~~~~~
******
******
1717 Hurst Drive
5-floor apartment building
Friday, November 18, 2005
10:15 PM
Reefside, Ca
"I guess its a boy's night after all," Tommy mused to himself upon impatiently pressing the door-close button. Now alone in his apartment building's elevator, the red number rose slowly on its ascent to his sixth floor residence as he leaned against the back wall while balancing dinner and spirits. Staying late to term grade papers and prepare next week's lesson plan saw his late arrival tonight. He was mentally and physically fried from a hellish week of ten-hour teaching days at Cameron University and with nothing resembling a social life... at least one he cared to remember, crashing on the couch for some MMA action looked especially appealing. Mike and Giovanni, who provide the Hard Lemonade and deep-dish pizza accompanied him as that beloved ping noise singled he'd reached his floor. Home was within reach.
A simple walk down the hall and his weekend would blissfully begin at last.
Of course upon catching sight of the utterly delicious Kimberly Hart relaxing ever so confidently against his apartment door down the hall, well... perhaps it wasn't going to be a guy's-only night after all. He stalled his steps as she hadn't noticed him yet, and was surprised to see her at all. He recalled she had a second date tonight with Richard, a med-student who she investigated for the private detective firm she worked for. The doctor to be checked out and then checked her out and then they checked out for a first dinner date she described as alot of fun. She seemed hopeful and the brief meet and greet Tommy had with him, coupled with a a solid handshake had him mildly hopeful his former Pink flame had found someone special.
Okay, maybe that wasn't entirely true. But he never begrudged her happiness. Perhaps a part of him he couldn't quite identify did enjoy being the most special guy in her life right now. A title he wasn't sure even he understood how dear to him it was. But if she found a great person and fell in love he would only encourage her as she would do the same for him.
Damn, if she didn't look hot tonight. He bit back a familiar groan at the sight of her. Her sexy black Capri pantsuit, brown locks in a lovely ponytail, wearing just a hint of make-up and a pair of black fuck-me heels that caused such a surge of hardness... he willed it away. The 'chase' was the point of all the mischief they currently enjoyed. Catching each other would only end the flirty something-something between them ever since moving into the same building nearly a year ago. 'Looky no touchy' was their motto thus far. And boy did he ever look.
Meanwhile, down the hall Kim knew he was staring her way. Feeling his intimate gaze upon her was a warm sensation she'd honed well since high school. Her lips curled mischievously ever so, enjoying his appreciative appraisal of her attire. They might not be together, but she knew whenever he was checking her out. She certainly did it to him enough and having a sexy best friend wasn't so bad. After eight months of living across the hall from each other what they now shared felt pretty wonderful, if indescribable in so many ways. Lovers who never made love came to mind, uniquely quirky as the phrase sounded in her head. "If you're gonna spend the rest of this night in the hallway I could loan you my sleeping bag?"
"Actually," Tommy considered while wearing a grin, "I was waiting to see if you were gonna break into my apartment."
"And steal what, your fish tank or your Bruce Lee movie collection?" she replied cheekily, noting that handsome smirk of his that still gave her a little tingle every time she saw it. "You don't exactly have a stash of valuables in there."
Reaching his ex-girlfriend and current 'something-something', Tommy tilted his head ever so to the side. He loved being able to tower over her in that masculine way all men adored. "Even that wacky Pirate clock you bought me for my birthday last year."
"I'm always trying to help the memory-challenged," she teased her reply, and then noted his six-pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade and Giovanni's pizza night. Having missed dinner due to tonight's latest brush of weirdness where men were concerned, she alluded, "That looks like enough for two."
"I didn't invite you."
"I didn't ask."
She was entirely to sure of herself at times, and though he'd never admit it, that was part of her charm. And Tommy adored her company. "Speaking of two, wasn't tonight your second date with Dr. Richard?" Watching her visibly cringe, he had a feeling things didn't turn out so well. Still couldn't have been worse than his latest dating adventure.
Kim ran a frustrated hand over her hair. "You're probably gonna see me on the Internet soon."
Tommy blinked. "If you made a sex-tape with him so help me God I will kick your ass."
Playfully swatting his shoulder, she shook her head. "Oh please. The train wreck my love life has been is a grand canyon of unfortunate incidents and tonight only added to pile. Now kindly open the door and I will tell all in exchange for a late dinner." Crossing her arms, she settled in close to him. "Deal?"
"Deal." Unable to resist, Tommy ordered sinfully, "Seal it with a kiss?"
This was there way, private as it was. Behind closed doors and not looked into so deeply as to figure it out. Her heels aided this little act of theirs as she closed the distance between their mouths. "Fine." Pressing her lips firmly to his for four long seconds, they parted wetly... softly... and not one person in the world knew they still kissed from time to time. No faint blush stained her fair cheeks, although Kimberly did taste a hint of heat as always when they kissed. It was simply their way and not to be discussed nor did it hinder either from dating other people.
But there were some things that remained oh so hush-hush the outside world simply didn't need to know or try to decipher. It simply was.
Appearing unaffected despite her heart wildly acknowledging the kiss, Kim stepped aside while taking the six-pack handle from his right hand. She watched him dig into his pockets in search of his keys. With her free hand, the former Pink Ranger slipped her hands into his left back pocket, digging out the keys while grazing his ass. "Its always the left back pocket."
"And you're always copping a feel."
"Like you mind... and don't indulge in the same." Naughty was her smile as he opened the door without a reply. She graced by, entering his modest bachelor pad once more. "You up for a movie night?"
"Might as well watch something while we eat," was his reply. Tommy quickly checked his voice mail, noting that his Mom and his car finance company called. Both could wait till tomorrow, though he wasn't looking forward to talking with the latter yet again. And he thought his Ranger days were crazy. "So, your date?" He looked up, grinning as he had a feeling this was going to be a good story. Her tongue in cheek expression said it all. They descended upon his beige sofa before the 50'inch HD-TV he so loved. Wedding Crashers was on HBO. "Tell all and leave out nothing unless it involves you having sex with him."
Kicking off her accursed heels, Kim nestled in by his side. Warm and content, she turned to him while reaching for a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade. Alcohol was damn necessary after tonight. "Not up for the scandalous details?" His dimpled grin drove her bonkers. She almost kissed him again. She tempted him with a deeply purring, "You know you wanna know."
Tommy fixed her with a eye-roll and then opened his bottle after she opened hers. They toasted with a audible clink of glass. "Talk. Now."
"Fine, fine," she responded before taking a long drag from her bottle. "So Richard took me out to Alinea's tonight." Tommy sent a mildly startled gaze her way. "Yeah, I know. One dinner at that place costs about a weeks worth of my salary."
"Its almost impossible to get reservations there."
"Richard has connections. His dad is the chief of staff at Reefside Memorial," Kim explained while biting into a thick slice of pizza. When her tongue chased after a a string of cheese she knew Tommy was watching out the corner of his eye. She hummed at the taste and his attraction. "Anyway, I didn't really want to do a fancy restaurant tonight cause I was tired from a all-night stakeout last night and just wanted to do some laundry and crash in bed. But he insisted on going out and not just at his place or mine. He was trying to make this special for me, so I wasn't gonna say no to that. Its been a while since a guy went out of his way for me. So despite wanting nothing more than to go to sleep as soon as I got home, I took a quick shower, did my make-up, slipped on some sexy underwear..."
"To much information," Tommy snorted.
"Wanna see?"she teased.
"Later," he fired right back, eyes dancing with hers. Giovanni's deep dish pizza was the best in town as Tommy dug in with gusto. "Kim, you deserve to be treated special. Always."
The way he said that just now flowed over her like warm honey. "Thanks," was her soft reply. "So we arrived at the restaurant and its a bit intimidating cause everyone there seems so into the fancy atmosphere. That's just not me. But it wasn't a big deal, so we were shown to our table and ordered drinks. Tommy, you should have seen my face go blank when I saw the prices. Most everything there started at around a hundred bucks. The bottle of Chardonnay Richard ordered was two hundred and fifty dollars by itself."
Sitting up straight, Tommy wiped his mouth with a napkin. "He was trying to impress you."
"Yeah, but money doesn't impress me. My inner valley girl died years ago. Still, he was all about doing the big thing so I relaxed and ordered. As we began talking over candlelight, which was romantic by the way, I was beginning to enjoy the moment. Richard's got a great sense of humor and confidence has always been sexy to me. Things were going great and I was entertaining thoughts of taking him to Happy Town."
"Happy Town being sex at your place?" Tommy snickered.
Kim gave a nod and then gave a exasperated groan. "That was when all hell broke loose."
Tommy was in mid-bite when Kim blurted out...
"The TV cameraman that ran up behind Richard shocked him and me, but it was when Joey Greco raced to our table with this tall blond that I just about passed out from shock. I had a fork full of pasta that seemed hung in mid-air."
"Wait a minute," Tommy garbled while chewing. "You mean Joey Greco from that reality TV show 'Cheaters'? That Joey Greco." Kim nodded, enjoying another long draw from her bottle." Oh God," he laughed out loud, truly basking in the zaniness of it all.
Kim couldn't exactly blame him as she was still shaken by it all. "Apparently Brittany is Richard's girlfriend of the last two years and has suspected he's been messing around. Low and behold she called Cheaters and then they catch us red-handed, recorded for television for all the world to see and mock. I didn't know a thing and if I did I would have ever started dating the creep. Alas, now I am to be immortalized on basic television and the Internet as yet another chapter of my astoundingly ridiculous love life continues." Tommy's laughter didn't hurt her feelings as even she found some humor in it all. "Well at least Richard didn't blow up my car like your ex-honey did."
Of course he knew Rachel Saunders name was going to come up sooner or later. The five-month affair that ended explosively, literally, had amused dear Kim for the longest time now. "At least I'm not going to be on television," he playfully defended himself. "But yes, my choices in women haven't been so great in recent years. And I really loved that jeep."
"You're lucky she didn't kill you when you broke up with her. There you were living out in the sticks..."
"Hey!"
"You were living the the freaking woods, Tommy. You were all Mission Impossible in your basement and just begging for trouble. And I told you the first vibe I got from Rachel was that she was nuts."
"It was a joke bumper sticker on her car, Kim."
"But she in fact was nuts, Tommy," she laughed in his face, finishing off her bottle while enjoying a pleasant buzz. "And if she was really mad she might of gone after you instead of your jeep."
Still unable to reconcile how he got involved with the local weather girl turned stalker that was now on a restraining order to stay away from him, Tommy mused that he and Kim had to be dating poison in some way. "I never thought when I broke up with her she might blow up my car."
"I warned you about breaking up with her when she was on her period. Don't say I didn't warn you."
"That's no excuse."
"Oh I know. I just had the need to say it. I like reminding you when I'm right." Her smile felt so genuine, just sitting here with him bantering about their lives while munching pizza and drinks on a late Friday night. Why couldn't she find this sort of emotional satisfaction with any other man? This soulful communion over the most basic of things? "So how was your day?"
"Long. Didn't want to end. Just a Friday," he reported. "You know how it is when you work long hours. The days begin to blend and..."
"... you start to lose count. Same as my day. Nothing eventful, just long, but not bad." They leaned against one another while eating dinner and enjoying the movie. Talk turned to their friends latest gossip and crazy old man Jim, the batty nutjob who lived on the first floor of their building and always talked to himself no matter where he went. It dawned on Kimberly, and not for the first time that what she shared with Tommy was so close to a real relationship already, minus the sex. And while they'd never slept together, the interest was clearly there on his part. Hers too. More than she really wanted to admit. But real life, with its bills, family drama, hectic work schedules, and all around every day chaos left little time for anything other than a close friendship. And neither seemed to posses the jealousy that she was sure had to be present for one of them to want to cross the line. After all, if the idea of him dating other girls didn't make her feel anything then she couldn't be in love with him, right?
Of course to Kim, the flip side of that was that she knew her place in his world. Deep down it was enough. Then a most wonderful, most luminous, most uniquely Kim-like thought strolled through her mind. "I'm glad we never broke up."
Brow creased, Tommy turned sharply to her. "Excuse me?"
"I said I'm glad we never broke up."
"Uhm, I seem to remember a certain letter you sent me."
"Where is it?"
"Yeah, like I still have it laminated somewhere," he joked.
"Did I, anywhere in that letter say that I was breaking up with you or that we were finished or that I wanted you to move on?"
Tommy was sure Kim was drinking a bit to much of that Mike's Hard Lemonade. "You said something to the effect of finding the person you think you're meant to be with and hating that you were hurting me. You also called me your brother. And you know brothers and sisters don't do the things we did back in high school."
"Getting to second and a half base non-withstanding," she smiled, "I still never actually said the full break-up words to you. Hence we never broke up. And that null and voids all my relationships since the letter, thus making my love life not so insane."
Humor bubbled from his voice, eyes brightly favored upon her. "Kim, you broke up with me."
"Can you prove it?" she dared him to defy.
"We slept with and dated other people."
"But never fully broke up, so none of your relationships count either. And with my theory, wacky as it may be, makes us both look alot less pathetic."
Rolling that nugget of nuttiness around his mind a bit, Tommy was certain she was... and then he gazed at her, impish smile so damn sexy he couldn't help wanting to kiss her again. But with craziness on the table tonight, he thought he'd toss a bit of his own out there. "Let's make love."
The divine buzz Mike was giving her had little to do with the sudden flush that just fluttered over Kimberly's face. Surprise curled her lips as she all but whispered, "We can't."
Invading her personal space, Tommy questioned in a low voice, "Why? And please don't say sex would ruin our friendship. That's so cliche."
Her eyes darted at him, and then away. "Oh, I agree."
"And you just said we're still dating."
"Yep, sure are."
"So," he gently pressed her back to the couch, now nuzzling her cheek softly, his breath fanning over her lips. His tone dipped sexy low. "Let's make love."
It would be so easy to give in and finally answer the enormous curiosity she'd had for years about them making love. The heat of him aroused her even as her defiant streak unleashed anew. "We can't."
Tommy wasn't about to give up, tipping a finger beneath her chin to force her gaze his way. "And the reason why is?"
"We're not in love. And if we had sex it would just be fucking," was her boldly blunt statement. "And we just couldn't fuck each other... could we?"
The moment fell as silent as it was potentially explosive. Tommy stared. "........"
Kim stared right back at him, grinning wildly. "........"
Tommy retreated first, though still nestled against her. That sultry, mysterious place their little something-something lived remained the forbidden land. But he wondered just how much longer that would be
the case. And what happened if they gave in and lost this incredible heat the chase provided? "Another bottle?"
"Another bottle," Kim repeated, watching him open one for himself and her, never mind his change of subject. But what would she have done if he didn't let it go? Behind her minds eye she could see them going at it like wildcats... Suddenly she felt warm and greedy for his touch. “Mr. And Mrs Smith is about to come on. Interested?”
“Still not sleepy?”
Her hand covered her heart in a mock display of shock. “Is that your polite way of telling me to hit the road?”
“My bed's closer than yours.” Craving her tonight, she dared hold his gaze long enough... silently. She struggled to keep a straight face. “I do have cable in there too, you know.”
“Are you trying to get me in your bed?” She was on the ropes, battling a smile.
“Only in the interest of watching a movie more comfortably.”
“Your couch is comfortable enough.” She'd won that little battle of the wills when he shrugged, grinning the whole time. Why oh why did he have to look so damn good tonight? Or did he always look that way and the alcohol had her guard down? Either way as she enjoyed a long yawn they clinked bottles once more as the second movie began.
******