Chapter 27

James and I had passed out as soon as we crawled into bed, tired from beer and moving and all the emotions from the past few days. We were brutally torn out of our sleep by James' blaring alarm. He fumbled blindly for his phone on the nightstand and squinted at it, trying to get the damn thing to shut up.
«I would say good morning, but thats already ruined,» I muttered and kissed his shoulder.
«WHY do I drink on a work night? I'm a grown man, I should know this by now!» He moaned, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his face tiredly.
«If it's any consolation you won't be the only one a bit under the weather today,» I pointed out. James rolled over, buried his face against my neck and pulled the duvet over the heads of both of us.
«There. Better.» His voice was muffled against my skin but the heard the sulky tone in his voice.
«Aaw, poor baby,» I said teasingly, but kissed his forehead and hugged him tight anyway. «Listen, how about this; you go take a shower, and while you do that I go make you some breakfast?»
«No, no, you don't have to do that,» he said, pulling the duvet down so we could get some air. «You shouldn't have to get up, you don't have work today.»
«I don't have any work, James. Period. The upside of that is that I can go back to bed when you've gone,» I smirked, gave him a quick kiss and crawled out of bed before he could stop me. My clothes were still mostly in bags and suitcases, so I opened James' closet and fished out one of his t-shirts that I slipped on. As I went downstairs I heard him getting out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom, then the shower running. The newspaper was on the floor and I picked it up then opened the front door, knowing another one who might be wanting breakfast. Fusker bounded in with a little meow and wound himself around my bare legs in an effort to sweet talk me into handing out the kibbles.

When James entered the kitchen he found me nibbling on a piece of toast and reading the paper. He sat down, bringing with him that smell of clean man, and dug into his breakfast. For a while no sounds filled the kitchen except the munching of toast and the crunching of kibbles. I folded the newspaper and threw it over to James with a sigh.
«You must be the worlds' fastest reader,» he pointed out dryly, picking up the paper.
«Or just not very interested in the news,» I retorted, buttering another toast. «It's just so... depressing! All violence and murder, the crash of our economy and the downfall of our Earth, you could have panic attacks from far less! As an informed and conscientious inhabitant of this planet I should pay attention to the news, I know, but... I want a newspaper filled with nothing but tear-jerking stories about cute animals!» At this James gave a loud snort of laughter.
«Is that why you became a nurse? Because it's so simple and void of tragedies?»
«That's another point!» I said, pointing at him with my knife. «I have more than enough with all the tragedies going on in a typical hospital ward, I don't have the need to be aware of all the tragedies going on in the rest of the world! My patients are right there, they're close and very, very real. Those tragedies I can try to do something about. Help in some way, avoid or alleviate it. But what goes on in the rest of the world... It's too much, too far away, too intangiable,» I waved.
«You care too much, Emily,» James said simply. I didn't argue, because he was right and I knew it. It was also the thing I suspected made me a good nurse, I genuinely cared about people. When you lose sight of the fact that it's people you are dealing with, every day and with every patient, it's time to get a new job.
«I know, I know,» I sighed. Having finished breakfast I got up and started tidying up. «I thought I'd use the rest of the day to surf around for jobs, see if there's anything interesting, preferably somewhere not too far away.» James just hummed to signal he'd heard, seemingly immersed in a newspaper article. I went back and forth between the table, the counter and the fridge, clearing up. Just as I placed my plate and my glass on the kitchen counter I felt hands come to rest at my sides, then lips brushing lightly against my skin. James hummed as he kissed the side of my neck, and I felt his chest press against my back. Smiling I closed my eyes and tilted my head to the side, encouraging him to kiss me more. His hands slipped under the t-shirt and he closed his arms around me, running both palms slowly over my stomach, caressing me as he kept kissing. With a sigh I leaned back against him, enjoying the sensation of being enveloped completely by James, melting into him. The side of my neck had always been a sensitive area, and James' kisses made my heart pound in my ears and the blood rush in my veins. He was fully aware of what he was doing to me. Still caressing my stomach his lips travelled across the back of my neck to the other side. I was so caught up in his lips and his tongue against my neck that I barely noticed his hands moving until they cupped my breasts under the shirt. While he kneaded them gently he rubbed his thumbs over my hardening nipples. I brought my hand back to caress the side of James' neck and I tangled my fingers into his hair. His mouth found its way up to my earlobe which he sucked, then bit gently, tugging at it a little. I erupted into goosebumps and my nipples instantly became rock hard under his thumbs. James gave a satisfied hum against my neck as he felt it. My breath had become faster, more shallow and I was squirming against him. His kisses became quicker and more needy as he felt me respond to him. He let go of my breasts, but only to wrap one arm around my waist so he could hold me closer, press my body against his own. At the same time the other hand slid down my stomach and inside my panties. I went weak at the knees when his fingertip brushed lightly but purposefully over a clit that was already hard and wet. He was breathing heavily in my ear, sucking on my earlobe again. Instinctively I stuck my bum out, pressing myself against him and I could feel how hard and warm he was through his jeans. He gave a low, throaty moan as he felt me rub up against him, and he increased the pressure on my clit a little. I had to let go of his hair and grab the edge of the kitchen counter with both hands to steady myself.
«Aren't you supposed to be on your way to work by now?» I panted. I was only teasing him, at this point I wouldn't have let him go even if he tried.
«I can't go anywhere like this. I'll get into a horrible accident and be found dead with a massive erection. Most undignified,» he muttered. I was about to laugh but it turned into a moan as his fingers kept rubbing my clit. «I need you, Emily. Right here,» he breathed and at the same moment I felt my panties being tugged down over my hips and falling to the floor. He grabbed my hips and spun me around to face him. For a moment we looked at each other, panting and eyes black with lust. Then I realised that I could kiss him now, and I cupped his head in my hand and kissed him furiously. He eagerly returned the kisses, his tongue playing with mine. Strong, big hands grabbed a firm hold of my bum. He hoisted me easily onto the counter and I had a quick flashback to our first night together in this house. Refusing to break the kiss his hands let go of me and he fumbled with his belt and jeans, franticly trying to undo them. I tried to help but only got in the way. We were to focused to even laugh at the situation, this wasn't funny, we were both just desperate. Instead I decided to pull his shirt out of his jeans, desperate to touch his skin. Finally he had managed to undo his jeans and pulled them and his boxers down just enough to free himself. With one arm wrapped around me he pulled me a little closer to the edge of the kitchen counter. In one thrust he pushed himself into me, as if he was on fire and couldn't get relief quickly enough. I moaned into his mouth in surprise, and vaguely I wondered if he'd measured the height of his kitchen with this in mind, because the height was perfect. Then everything was chased away by his lips, his hands, his cock, the pleasure that was gradually building. In a flash the t-shirt was pulled over my head and discarded on the floor. I resumed kissing him desperately and slid my arms around him, digging my fingertips into his bum. His hands were on my thighs, gripping me firmly so he could push harder into me and he huffed and moaned.
«Oh, fuck..» I gasped, not quite being able to keep up with everything I was feeling. This was completely new to me, this desperate urgency that made me feel like I needed to be fucked, right now, on a kitchen counter, or I would explode. I had never felt so aroused, so completely in the moment. Everything was just an intense, fiery blur. Absolutely nothing existed except the two of us and our urge to quench our desire and get our release. The counter was hard and uncomfortable, I was buck naked on it and the position was awkward but none of it mattered, everything was just reduced to a simple need to fuck, hard and fast. James brought my legs a little higher, trying to push himself deeper into me. I had to let go of him and grab the edge of the kitchen counter to steady myself and be able to meet his thrusts even harder. My eyes was closed and all I could feel was James hands gripping my hips and how he was pounding into me. His hands let go of my hips and he leaned a little forward, supporting himself on his arms on the counter. He licked and sucked at the skin on my neck, then he even bit me and I didn't care, it felt good and exciting. I kissed every part of him I could reach, the side of his face and his neck.
«I'm... close,» he breathed, barely managing that.
«Me too!» I winced and tried meeting his thrusts even more. «Oh fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck...!» I moaned, my voice increasing in pitch as I was finally pushed over the edge and the orgasm rose to its crescendo in me. I trembled and shook so badly I was sure I was going to completely lose control over my body and fall off the counter, and I would have if James body hadn't prevented me. After a few more frantic thrusts James came too, biting my shoulder and groaning as he did. Instinctively I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight as our orgasms slowly receded. When I finally came to my wits I noticed how we were both panting like we'd run a mile.
«Bloody Norah...» he muttered weakly against my shoulder and we both laughed a little.
«That was... a new experience,» I admitted. James straightened up to look at me.
«Yeah?»
«Yeah. But I liked it,» I smiled and gave him a kiss.
«I did, too,» he said, suddenly looking a little shy. Which was ridiculous, considering he'd just taken me hard and fast on his kitchen counter. The frenzy and the intensity in him was gone and he'd morphed back into his gentle, slightly awkward self.
«Really? I was sure you'd measured your kitchen for this exact purpose in mind,» I smirked and squeezed his hips with my thighs. He laughed loudly and shook his head.
«Honestly, I didn't. Fortunate coincidence,» he said with a crooked little smile.
«I am very glad you don't have wooden counter-tops, or my arse would've looked like a bloody porcupine!» I pointed out and James laughed again.
«God, I love you,» he said with a happy sigh.
«Why?» I asked in a challenging tone.
«Because you make me laugh,» his answer was instant. «And because you look so amazing naked on my kitchen counter.» He wrangled himself free from the grip my thighs had on him and he quickly pulled on his boxers and jeans. Then he picked up the discarded t-shirt and helped me get it back on. I couldn't help myself from staring lovingly at him, grinning like a cheshire cat. He returned the loving look and leaned in, cupping my face in his hand. «I am running so.. very.. late...» he mumbled as he slowly leaned in. The kiss he gave me was long and deep.
«This isn't helping you get to work quicker,» I pointed out quietly. I ran my fingers through his hair in an effort to tidy it up a little and straightened his shirt. He sighed heavily.
«All right, I have to go. Have a good day, yeah?»
«Okay. You too. Say hi to the others from me,» I smiled. He nodded and gave me a quick kiss, then let go of me and headed for the hallway. I jumped off the kitchen counter and retrieved my panties, making a mental note to clean the counter quite thoroughly later. Just as I heard James open the front door I shouted at him.
«James, wait!» He stopped in his tracks and I ran to him.
«What?» He said, looking a little disturbed.
«I just.. I love you, okay?» I said and reached up to cup his face in my hands, pulling his face down to mine for a kiss. He smiled widely, shut the front door and dropped his bag in one movement. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and gave me a long and passionate kiss that just wouldn't end. I had to nearly push him away to break the kiss. «James, James. Work, remember?» I said with a mischievous little smirk. He rolled his eyes.
«You're impossible,» he sighed, picked up his bag again and disappeared out the door.