Friendship?
Emily woke slowly. She was on her stomach with her faces snuggled into the pillow. A radiant heat was covering her backside – JC. He half-lay over her, almost as if he was protecting her in case of a ceiling collapse, one leg wedged between hers. His morning erection was pressed against her bottom. Sighing contentedly, she lay there, enjoying the feel of her lover’s body on hers.
It still amazed her how much he had become an important part of her life in such a short span of time. There had been no holding back for either of them since the evening he arrived one hour early. She had been starved for intimacy and she had sensed a terrible loneliness in him. Was it desperation – or something the future could be built upon? Would she ever know the answer if their physical relationship overpowered the rest? If there were no sex would they still crave the other’s presence?
“What are you thinking about so hard?” JC asked drowsily. In his sleep, he had felt her jerk as if jolted by an electric shock.
“Sex.”
“What about it?”
“I was wondering if we didn’t have sex would we still be together.”
“Don’t wonder. I’d still be here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“How can you be?”
JC lifted off of her and turned her to her back. “I feel a connection to you, Emily. I enjoy your company. You help me relax. You let me be Josh.”
Emily still looked dubious.
“Okay,” JC sighed, “how long?”
“How long what?”
“How long would it take to convince you?” When she frowned, he made himself perfectly clear. “How long do we have to go without making love to convince you it isn’t just physical?”
“I don’t know.”
“A week? A month? A year?”
Emily laughed. “A year? You couldn’t survive, sugar britches.”
“I didn’t say it would be easy…”
“A month?”
“You’re on. A month without making love.”
“And that means a month doing what we have been doing.”
They saw each other nearly every night. And when they couldn’t be together, JC was on the phone to her. A month – what sweet torture that would be! “Do you still want me to sleep with you?” He enjoyed her body in bed next to him.
“I’ll leave that up to you.”
“You’re on,” he repeated. “A month of friendship only.”
“May the strong survive,” she muttered.
“Okay, we need some rules.”
“Rules?”
“Yeah, like how much kissing and touching is allowed.”
“I hadn’t thought about it.”
“And what penalty should there be for seduction?”
“Rules…Penalties…Sounds more like a game.”
“I’m deadly serious, Em.”
“Kissing…I guess almost any mouth to mouth kissing is okay.”
“Touching?”
“With hands? Nothing below the belt…and no going for each other’s chest.”
“Fair enough. Body contact?”
Emily smiled. “I like body contact.”
“Me, too, bright eyes.”
“And seduction?…Is that making the other give in? I don’t know…”
“Slow, torturous love making?” JC suggested with a wicked grin.
“Okay.”
“When do we start our month?”
Emily ran her fingers through his hair, down his back until she stroked his taut buttocks.
He sucked in a breath. “Em…”
“Later. Like ‘after lunch’ later,” she told him huskily.
“Works for me.” JC started with a soft kiss. “Are we planning a late lunch?” he murmured.
“Mmm…hmm…”
They were good as friends and companions, Emily was pleased to discover over the month long period. Their conversations never lagged into awkward silences. Even when they weren’t speaking, it was a comfortable quiet. They went to the movies. They went shopping. They went out to dinner. They took long walks. JC took her to his house, discovering it wasn’t handicapped friendly. Then one day he invited her to meet his friends from *NSYNC.
JC fell in love a little more every day. Every time he was with Emily, he found more to admire, more to love, more which drew him. The wheelchair, which he gathered had been an obstacle to romance in the past, was no more than a minor inconvenience – such a small thing for the pleasure of her company. Legs or no legs, she was intelligent, sweet, sassy and sexy – things having the ability to walk had nothing to do with. Her boldness, her sense of humor, and her self-confidence had served her well.
“Hey, baby!’’ JC called as he opened the van door and waited for Emily to settle her chair on the lift. He brushed his lips to hers before her lowered the chair to the ground. “Thanks for coming.”
“Who could resist when you asked so nicely?”
“I wanted you to meet the guys.”
“Is this like meeting the parents?” she quipped.
He chuckled. “No, more like meeting curious brothers.”
Rory hopped down from the van and moved to Emily’s side. Once she had grasped his harness, she said, “Lead the way to the inquisition.”
They walked to the entrance to the sound stage where *NSYNC was working on a special. Holding the door to let dog and chair pass, JC followed and let the door close.
The guys of *NSYNC didn’t know what to expect of JC’s newest girlfriend. He’d used all sorts of glowing adjectives to describe her. Not once had he mentioned the fact she was paraplegic.
“Emily, this is Lance, Joey, Chris, and Justin.” JC named each of his friends, pointing to each one. “Guys, Emily.”
“Whose the short one with fur?” Chris asked, indicating Rory.
Emily stroked the dog’s head as he sat patiently at her side. “This is my good buddy, Rory.”
Lance stepped forward, taking Emily’s other hand. He brushed his lips across the back of her hand. “Pleased to meet you, Emily.”
“Ooh, I like this one already!” Emily giggled.
Joey moved behind her chair. “Let’s show you around, young lady.”
Justin halted JC from following as Emily was escorted away by the others.
“You never once said she was in a chair,” Justin hissed.
“So? That’s not the way I see her,” JC defended.
“You wanna tie yourself to that?”
“That is a bright, caring, wonderful woman.”
“I mean the wheelchair—“
“You can drop it, Justin,” JC warned and moved away.
JC escorted Emily to her van after her visit. Rory obediently jumped into the vehicle before Emily rolled onto the lift. JC hit the button to raise the chair.
“Your friend Justin hardly said a word to me,” she commented. In fact, he had avoided wherever she was. “He seemed uncomfortable.”
“Don’t worry about it, bright-eyes.”
“But—“
JC leaned forward to kiss her softly. “He doesn’t have to be. You and I are what counts.”
“Josh—“
He kissed her once more, this time more thoroughly. Her hand went to the back of his head as he teased her lips with his. Well, that certainly stopped the argument. “Mmm…you taste so good, I could do this all day.”
“Okay…” she whispered breathlessly.
JC smiled. “Maybe this weekend. I’ve got to get back in there.” Reluctantly, he stepped back. “I’ll see you tonight, baby. If I’m late, go on to bed. I’ll give you a kiss when I get there.”
When the month was over, both of them hesitated to make the announcement, even though they had become hungry for each other’s touch. JC surprised her in the middle of the day by showing up at her door as she was getting ready to leave.
“Hey, Em.” He looked at her purse and van keys. “Going somewhere?”
She had been ready to escape the house, hoping a change of scenery would make her less needy for JC’s touch. “I was.”
“Anywhere I can take you?”
To bed, she wanted to say; instead, she shook her head. “I can stay home, now that you’re here.”
“Ashamed to be seen with me?” he taunted.
Emily grinned, teasing back. “Maybe.”
He leaned over her, putting his hands on the brakes of her chair. His mouth came down on hers. First he sipped and nibbled at her lips, then his tongue slid against hers, mating and dueling.
“Josh…” she whimpered when he lifted his head once more.
“Let me take you where you want to go,” he commanded softly.
To bed! Her mind screamed. “I was going for a stroll on the pier.”
JC flipped the chair brakes off and opened the front door. “Let’s go.”
“This is one of my favorite places,” Emily said as he set her into her chair and rolled her up the slight incline to the boardwalk. The beach was never busy this time of day.
“I used to surf here. Wonder why I never saw you.”
“I wasn’t in a chair then,” she suggested.
“Naugh. I would have noticed a hot babe like you,” he teased.
She smacked playfully at him. “Flatterer.”
“Truth, bright-eyes.”
Emily fell silent as she looked over the water. A wistful sigh escaped her.
The little sound nor the longing gaze was not missed by JC. “Wanna go down to the beach?” he asked.
She gave him a sad smile. “Wheelchairs and sand don’t mix well.”
“Then we’ll leave the chair in the car.”
“Oh, yeah. That’ll work. I’ll just drag myself to the beach like a wounded seal.”
“No.” He lifted her from the chair and set her on a bench. “Wait here.”
Emily watched as JC took her chair to the car and stowed it.
When he returned, he put his back to her and lowered his body. He patted his back. “All aboard.”
“What?”
“Piggy-back ride, bright-eyes. Hop on.”
“Josh…”
“Put your arms around my neck. I’ll do the rest.’
“Are you nuts?”
“About you. C’mon. Let’s go play on the beach. You’re sweet, but you aren’t sugar. You won’t melt if you get a little wet.”
Giggling, Emily allowed herself to be carried down to the sand. JC hooked his hands beneath her knees to secure her seat. He briefly allowed himself a moment to feel sorry for what Emily had lost. In a wheelchair, she had lost some of the spontaneity he believed she had truly enjoyed. She never complained and never admitted missing a thing until he asked.
“Thank you, baby,” she murmured as he set her in the sand. “I love it down here.”
He pulled off his shoes, then reached to unfasten her sandals.
“What are you up to?”
“Didn’t you want to go in?”
Her eyes went wide. They were both dressed in tee-shirts and shorts. “We aren’t dressed for it.”
“You can’t get wet in that?”
“Well…I guess I can. What about your car?”
“Let me worry about it.” JC whipped off his shirt. “We can use this as a towel later.”
Was she drooling? She wondered. It had been some time since she had seen that toned chest…
He picked her up, holding her high as he waded into the surf. When the water was nearly up to his chest, Emily reached a hand into the water, then flicked her fingers into his face.
“Hey!” He chuckled at her playfulness. “If you do that again, I’m dropping you,” he warned.
Never one to back down from a challenge, she managed to splash even more water at him.
Without hesitation, JC released her into the surf.
She squealed just before she went under and for a flash, he worried that she couldn’t swim. When she surfaced giggling like a happy child, he knew she was fine.
Emily splashed and tried to dunk JC as they enjoyed the light-hearted horseplay. But with no legs to help her stay afloat, she tired rather quickly. “Josh…”
He was reaching for her immediately, before she could sink. “You’re okay, bright-eyes. Just let me help you.”
Doing as he said, she found herself supported by strong arms around her waist. She urged his head down for a long, sweet kiss.
“What was that for?” he asked, breathlessly.
“Because you are wonderful to me.” She smiled dazzlingly. “Because you’re you.” He was never awkward with her, never made her limitations an obstacle – there was a lot to appreciate about the man he was. “And you let me be me.”
“I like who you are – a lot,” he told her honestly.
Guiding her legs around him, he lifted her out of the water and carried her to where their shoes and his shirt waited. He laid her on his shirt, then came down between her legs. His kiss began with tenderness, bursting rapidly into hot passion.
Emily buried her fingers in his wet hair as his mouth moved to her neck and his hands cupped her breasts.
“Baby, I really like who you are,” he murmured against her sea-salty skin. “I don’t know how anyone could miss how beautiful, sexy and responsive you are.”
“They don’t see passed the chair.”
“Their loss. My gain.”
She lifted his head. “I want you,” she whispered against his lips.
“Me, too, Em. I want you right now.” He groaned when her hand moved to rub the bulge in his shorts. “Baby, I’ll lose it if you do that too much.”
“Josh, please…”
“I’ll take care of you,” he promised.
JC rose and lifted her in his arms. He carried her to the rough wooden shower stalls located under the pier. Enclosing them in one, he switched on the sun-warmed water. As the spray washed away the sand, he lifted her against one wall, divesting her of her shorts and panties. “You sure, baby?” he demanded hoarsely.
“Yes!” she hissed as she managed to unfasten his shorts, pushing them from his hips along with his underwear.
He was so hungry and hard. His hands held her little butt up as he eased into her in a long, slow glide. “Damn! You feel so good…” he whispered as he moved against her again and again. “I missed you, baby girl.”
Emily lifted his head in her hands, kissing him hungrily, devouring his mouth. She loved how he filled her so completely, how he let himself get lost in the moment. There was no stigma of handicap when they were joined. They were merely lovers giving everything to each other. “Sugar britches…oh, yes! Harder!” she demanded as she began to go taut in his arms. “Oh, Josh…”
JC was slamming into her, feeling her go wild for him. Just before she could cry out and reveal what they were doing, his mouth covered hers, swallowing her shout of ecstasy. Trembling in the aftermath, he reversed their positions, resting against the wall as he held her tight. “Damn, Em! You make me crazy!” he panted.
“L’il ole me?” she simpered innocently, fluttering her eyelashes. “Why I’m just a girl in a wheelchair.”
He chuckled. “Bullshit.”
Emily giggled.
“You’re as hot as they come.” Carefully, he set her on the narrow bench along one short wall. He pulled up his shorts and fastened them, then retrieved her clothes. Assisting her in redressing, he placed soft kisses on her inner thighs.
“I can feel that,” she reminded him as his mouth moved to her belly.
“I know.” Finishing his chore, JC straightened and lifted her for a piggyback ride. He carried her to where they had left their shoes and his shirt, he discovered the surf had taken them away.
“I guess we weren’t the only ones swept away by the moment,” Emily mused against his ear.
He glanced back with a grin. “Guess not.”
“Josh…” Emily licked and his neck and ears. “Let’s go back to my house and finish this.”
She didn’t need to make the suggestion twice!
It wasn’t until later that night that JC thought about having unprotected sex with Emily. At the beach, they’d been so eager for each other, he hadn’t even though about using a condom. It had been wonderful to be inside her, experiencing her slick heat without a barrier. And it had been a while since they had made love. Didn’t that make him more potent? What if?…”Emily?”
“Mmm?…” She raised her head sleepily from his shoulder.
“At the beach…we…I mean, I…”
“I know.” She had taken a risk – and she couldn’t say she was sorry. “I’m thinking I should go on the pill.”
“You would?”
“I’ll have to wait and see if our romp has any repercussions.” She drew a fingertip around his lips. “If not…then I like the feel of you in me, sugar britches.”
“If you are pregnant—“
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m ready—“
“Please, stop, Josh.” She didn’t want him offering to do the honorable thing, then she would never know if he truly loved her or not.
JC kissed her forehead. “Night, bright-eyes.”
Relieved he was letting it go, Emily snuggled back to his embrace to sleep. “Night, Josh.”
“Josh!” Emily grumbled when he grabbed one of her black silk scarves from her bureau drawer and covered her eyes.
“Trust me on this one,” he soothed as he tied the makeshift blindfold in place.
“Someone is at the door,” she insisted.
“I know.”
“Joshua—“ Emily was cut off when her chair moved forward.
“We’re coming!” JC called to the ‘someone’.
Emily felt her chair go out the front door.
“One Mister Joshua Chasez?” a gruff male voice asked.
“That’s me,” JC offered.
“Sign here.” The man thrust a clipboard at JC for his signature.
“Joshua, what have you done?” Emily demanded.
JC’s voice was laced with humor. “Nothing illegal or immoral, baby,” he told her as he passed the clipboard back to the deliveryman. “Thank you.”
“Have fun,” the man grunted as he climbed into his van.
Emily heard the slam of a vehicle’s door and the rumble of an engine coming to life. “Josh—“
He bent, his mouth covering hers lingeringly.
“You fight dirty,” she complained mildly – and she didn’t mind losing.
As the van pulled away, JC turned her chair slightly. “Happy Birthday, bight-eyes,” he announced as he removed her blindfold.
Emily blinked, then focused on the contraption in front of her. It looked like a cross between a wheelchair and a dune buggy. The back wheels were large, like those on rough-terrain lawnmowers. “It’s not my birthday,” she said finally.
“I know, baby.”
“What do I need that monstrosity for?”
“The beach.”
“The beach?”
“Yeah, so you can go to the beach with me – or without me. It’s electric so you won’t over exert yourself.” JC shrugged. “I still like to surf – and you like the beach…” He was half-afraid she’d reject his gift. Emily’s pride could be awesome.
Finally understanding the meaning of the gift, she gave him a sunny smile. “How thoughtful of you!”
Relief washed through him. “It’s okay that I got it for you then?”
“Am I bad as that?”
“No, but—“
“Okay, it’s a little on the extravagant side, but I can’t fault your best of intentions for me.”
"Thank God, Em!"
Emily turned herself and headed back into the house.
Confused, JC followed. “Emily?”
“Think I’d frighten anyone if I dig out my old bikini?”
He relaxed. “No, but I may throw a blanket over you if it reveals too much.”
She laughed. “Not with my back and the scars. You will have to help me with sunscreen.”
“My pleasure.”
Emily gave him a tender smile. “Thank you, Josh. Even though it isn’t my birthday, the present was perfect,” she told him softly.
“I’d do anything for you, Em.”
“I know – and you prove it all the time. You know how precious and rare that is?”
“Precious and rare enough to keep me?” he questioned as he squatted before her, balancing himself with his hands on her knees.
She gave him a teasing grin. “At least for a while.”
JC swallowed hard. Emily’s swimsuit was not showy or skimpy. In fact, it was a rather modest tank suit – made for people who actually swam instead of sunbathed. But the silvery pale blue color was perfect – as was the little body it hugged so lovingly.
“What?” Emily looked down at herself, thinking something was amiss.
“Nothing, baby. Where’s a blanket I can bring along?”
Emily laughed and threw a beach towel at him.
“This’ll work.”