Diving In by Bianca Giovanni

seconds before I feel
overcome with modesty and cover myself with my hands. When he looks
up at me, he’s got a big appreciative smile that makes me
snicker.
    “Very nice, Lo!” he says, giving me a thumbs
up.
    I burst into laughter and he chuckles along
with me.
    “Alright,” he says, taking my wrists and
nudging my hands down.
    “Wait, you’re really gonna do this?” I
bashfully inquire.
    “Yeah, babe,” he nods. “I can’t play with
your nipples if I can’t get at your titties.”
    I take a deep breath and shake my head at
myself. I’m going to let him do this. I’m going to let James get me
completely topless here in his bedroom, even though I know I
shouldn’t. My mind is coming up with excuses left and right, but
I’m already nodding to him.
    “Wait!” I interject as I’m suddenly bared to
him.
    “Yeah?” he asks sweetly like none of this is
a big deal at all.
    “I can’t—I have to turn the lights off. This
is too bizarre to do with the room lit up like the goddamned Fourth
of July.”
    He laughs loudly. “You mean the single lamp
on the nightstand with the 40 watt bulb?” he dryly teases. “Yeah,
it’s like a stadium in here.”
    “James,” I whine, “just get it dark in here,
ok?”
    He looks at my pleading face and snickers.
“They’re just boobs, Lo. I’ve seen them before—including
yours.”
    I ignore him and I reach over to turn off the
lamp myself. I can’t have the lights on. Something about watching
him touch me seems too intense. I’ll be able to hide my stunned
reaction in the cloak of darkness and I won’t have to worry about
him seeing how much I like the things he does. From my limited
experience with him, I know I’m going to thoroughly enjoy this and
I don’t want him to get cocky when he sees my expression.
    “Dark enough for you or do you want me to
contact someone about shutting off the street lights?” he jokes,
referring to the orange-tinted light coming in from behind the
blinds.
    “Oh ha ha ,” I scoff. “A real comedian.
You gonna start doing a standup routine? ‘What’s the deal with
airline food?’”
    He laughs and moves closer to me, reaching up
for my arms, which I’ve unconsciously crossed over my breasts
again.
    “No more being self-conscious,” he playfully
reprimands me. “You’re way too hot and I won’t stand for you hating
any part of yourself.”
    I giggle and I’m glad it’s dark because he
can’t see me blushing.
    “You’re beautiful, Lo,” he whispers, leaning
over and kissing my shoulder before letting his lips drift up my
neck to that spot right below my ear that always turns me on.
    His fingertips brush my sides and his hands
are so big that he can basically cover my ribcage from the front to
the back. I draw in a breath as subtly as possible when his hand
comes up to rest on my breast. Already, it makes me shiver a little
just to have him touching my bare skin this way.
    “Goddammit I love how fuckin’ hard your
nipples get!” He says with a grin that I can just make out in the
low light.
    I laugh loudly and cover my face, peeking out
from behind my fingers.
    “So fuckin’ hot, I swear to God,” he nods
like this gets his seal of approval.
    I’m laughing and I feel much more at ease
when he kisses my neck again. He’s sweet and playful, which makes
it much easier to relax in such a strange situation. This isn’t
some lustful impulse, this is a cute, sexy experimentation and I
get a warm feeling at the idea that he’s the one doing this to me.
James has always shown such respect for my body and it makes it a
lot easier to let my guard down with him.
    “Mmm, so fuckin’ awesome,” he whispers
against my neck as he holds my breasts and brushes circles over my
nipples with his thumbs. “I fuckin’ love your boobs, Lo.”
    I try to hold it in, but I have to laugh at
that one. I hear him laughing too and I can see the whiteness of
his teeth as he smiles broadly before he kisses my collarbones.
    “Ok, lie