Chapter Ten
One week later...
Arriving at his apartment after a long day at work, Nathan was ready to collapse in front of the TV. He wasn't seeing Haley that night so the plan was to order in some take-out and check out whatever was playing; maybe catch an old basketball game playing on ESPN. He was still kicking himself that with everything that had been going on lately he'd completely forgotten about the Knicks game Haley had gotten him tickets for. He'd felt awful when he remembered but, as usual, his girlfriend had been her usual understanding self and had simply said there would be other opportunities for them to catch a game.
As he unlocked and opened the front door, he frowned when he heard the faint strains of music emanating from inside. "What the hell..." he mumbled as he fully entered his home. The place was dark but as he walked through it, he could see a faint light coming from his bedroom which was situated at the far end of the hallway. Unconsciously, he held his breath as he approached and it left him in a quiet whoosh when he saw his girlfriend sitting cross-legged in the middle of his bed wearing a lemon colored tank top and a pair of black sleep shorts. "Haley?"
"Hi," she replied, the nervousness she felt evident in her voice.
"I thought we weren't seeing each other tonight."
"We weren't," she replied. "It's just... I had this idea and well... I wasn't sure what you'd say if I talked to you about it first so—"
"So you thought you'd turn up unannounced and surprise me?" he finished for her.
"Something like that. I'm sorry for not giving you a heads up."
The smirk tugged at Nathan's lips. "Yeah, somehow I don't think you are," he told her.
Haley gave him an embarrassed smile.
"So, what's your idea?" He was definitely curious as well as intrigued.
"Massages," she answered.
"Massages?" Even as the word left his mouth, vivid images of her warm, soft hands working their magic all over his body popped into his head and they made his blood sizzle.
"Uh huh." Haley forced herself to keep her gaze on his face as she spoke. "I was reading an article in a magazine and—"
"Which magazine?" he interrupted.
"Cosmo," she replied. Seeing the incredulous look on his face, she said, "Yeah, yeah, I know but it was a pretty good article. Basically, this couple were having problems... you know, in the bedroom, and the therapist writing the piece had suggested they refrain from having sex while they tried to rebuild the intimacy that was lacking in their relationship."
"And massage was their suggestion?" Nathan questioned. As he waited for Haley's response, he shrugged out of his suit jacket and laid it across the armchair in the corner of the room before loosening his tie and then removing it.
"Yes. I know our problems aren't the same as this particular couple's but... I figured it might be worth a try."
"I'm probably going to regret asking this but what exactly was the couple from the article's problem?"
Haley bit her lip as she debated whether or not to tell him the truth. "Uh... well..."
"Yes?"
"He, um, had trouble getting an erection."
Nathan choked on the breath he had just taken and he coughed. "That's definitely not my problem."
"I know," she said, quick to reassure him. Shuffling towards him on her knees, she crooked her pointer finger and beckoned for him to come to her. Sliding one of her hands up his chest to then twine around his neck, the fingers of her other one played with a button on his maroon shirt. "You have to admit that during our make-out sessions you kind of freeze when things start getting even more heated and I thought that massage might be a way of you getting used to me touching you… especially if it's not going to lead to anything more right now."
He thought about what she was saying and her reasons for wanting to try out the massage thing and knew it made sense. As their kisses grew hotter and their hands began wandering, particularly Haley's, he did freeze as unwanted memories invaded his mind and sent him hurtling back to a different time; a time he wasn't proud of.
"So, what do you say?" Haley asked, her voice slightly shaky.
"I say you talk a lot of sense," he replied, his fingers tangling in her silky hair. Looking around the candlelit room, the soft glow and vanilla scent emanating from them creating an even more intimate feel, he added, "I'm guessing you want to get started tonight?"
"Yeah. I figured there's no time like the present."
"Yeah," he agreed. "So tonight just involves massage… no sex?"
"Right. I massage you and, if you want to, you massage me."
"Oh, I definitely want to do that," Nathan said teasingly. Ducking his head, he brushed his lips over hers before deepening the kiss. "Just out of curiosity, what happens after the massage? I mean, do you go home or—"
"I'd stay here," Haley interrupted, "but if you felt too uncomfortable with me sleeping in your bed I could sleep on the couch."
He shook his head. "I want you to sleep in my bed with me," he told her. "We need to build our levels of intimacy, right?"
"Yes," she stated simply.
"Okay…" Nathan could feel beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. "Should we eat dinner first or—"
"There's fresh lasagna baking in the oven," she interrupted. "We can eat afterwards."
"You seem to have thought of everything."
"Uh huh," she murmured, her fingers stroking the back of his neck.
"Haley… I—"
"Do you trust me?"
"With my life," Nathan replied without any hesitation.
"Then take this step with me. I promise, I'm not going to hurt you or do anything you feel uncomfortable with," Haley told him. "If it feels too weird for you we can stop but just… let's give it a try." Nuzzling her nose against his, she finished, "We've got nothing to lose and everything to gain."
"Yeah," he said, his voice not much more than a whisper. Slipping his fingers beneath the hem of her tank top, he lightly caressed her warm skin. When Haley drew back from him slightly, he held his breath as she began working on unbuttoning his shirt, all the while keeping her gaze fixed on his. His eyes fluttered closed when she ran her smooth palms along the planes of his chest. "That feels so good, baby."
"It feels good to me, too," Haley said lowly.
Before he knew what was happening, he was helping her remove his shirt and he forced himself not to stop her when her hands went to his belt.
She felt him tense up. "It's okay," she soothed, continuing with the task of pulling the strap through the buckle. Keeping her eyes on his face, she popped the button on his pants before slowly lowering the zipper.
Nathan watched her through hooded eyes. He couldn't help feeling... pathetic, for want of a better word. If this was happening a couple of years ago he would've been naked from the second he saw her sitting on his bed... and so would she.
"Relax," Haley whispered, her fingers roaming over his stomach and then moving around to his back. Taking one of his hands in hers, she brought it up to her mouth and pressed a soft kiss into the centre of his palm. Realizing that the act of undressing him was perhaps contradicting her "no sex tonight" promise, she said, "How 'bout you finish stripping down to your boxers and then get onto the bed while I go and get the massage oil from the bathroom?"
"Yeah, okay," he replied, grateful for the reprieve. While she was out of the room, he kicked off his shoes and removed the rest of his clothes before climbing onto his bed and lying down in the middle. He folded his arms and rested the side of his head on them, his eyes falling shut as he tried his best to relax.
When she returned a few minutes later, Haley stood in the doorway and admired his almost naked body bathed in the flickering candlelight.
"Like what you see?" Nathan couldn't help teasing her.
"Eh, not bad," she retorted, giggling at the mock-outraged expression he consequently gave her.
Getting back onto the bed, she straddled Nathan's butt and uncapped the bottle of unscented massage oil she'd placed into a half-filled basin of hot water to warm it up. Pouring some into her palm, she carefully replaced the cap before rubbing her hands together and then applying it to Nathan's warm skin. She smiled when he didn't flinch or tense up at the contact. "Does that feel okay? The oil's not too hot, is it?"
"It feels really good... and the oil's fine," he answered. As she kneaded his back and shoulders, working the warm oil into his skin, he could feel his muscles instantly loosening and the tight knots disappearing thanks to her magical touch. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so relaxed. He didn't know how much time had passed by the time he felt her swivel around and begin working on his legs and calves.
When Haley had first put the suggestion of massage to him he'd been skeptical but, he had to admit, it was definitely helping the situation. Even though he felt like a huge weight had lifted off of his shoulders due to finally talking to her about everything he'd been keeping bottled up inside, he still felt a barrier between them when it came to taking the next step in their relationship and he silently hoped that this whole massage thing would help break through it.
He wanted them to have a normal, healthy relationship but he felt like that wasn't going to be the case unless and until they made love.
"You okay?" Haley asked, her soft voice breaking into his thoughts.
"Uh huh," he murmured. "I feel like my entire body's turned to Jell-O."
She laughed at that. Shifting her position once more so she was back in the position she had started in, she leaned forward so that her mouth was right by his ear. "So you're enjoying this, then?"
"Oh yeah," Nathan drawled. When her lips met his a split-second later, he moaned into her mouth. "Hey, where'd you go?" he asked when he felt her suddenly pull away and move off of him.
"That's it for tonight, baby," she told him, standing beside the bed. "I want us to take baby steps... no rushing and trying to do too much too soon."
"What about me massaging you?"
"Maybe we could do that after dinner," Haley suggested. "I'm sure you'll have me asleep in no time."
"I'm not sure whether to be flattered or insulted by that," he retorted, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Go with flattered," she said teasingly. "Okay, you stay there for a few more minutes and let the oil soak in and I'll go and check on dinner."
Shifting over onto his side so he could look at her better, he gestured to his almost naked state and asked, "What's the dress code?"
Flushing slightly, she replied, "Uh, just wear whatever you wear to bed?" Seeing his smirk deepen, she had a good idea of what his silence meant so she added, "Yeah, I'm not eating at the table with you totally naked."
"Don't worry, I should have a pair of pajama pants somewhere," Nathan said, chuckling at her. He loved how one second she could be brazen, talking about them being more intimate and massaging each other without blushing and the next she would be the color of a tomato over something relatively innocent.
"Well, while you're hunting them down I'll be in the kitchen." Blowing him a kiss, she then said, "See you in a few."
"Missing you already," he quipped, laughing at the faint groan he heard her release.
* * * * *
Later that night, Nathan and Haley lay curled up in his bed. Her head was resting on his chest and he was gently running his fingertips up and down her bare arm. He could tell from her even breaths that she had fallen asleep and while he felt on the verge of sleep, he couldn't help thinking about what had happened a short while ago.
After they had eaten dinner, they'd watched a little TV before soon retreating back into his bedroom where, as per Haley's earlier suggestion, he had given her a massage. Her skin was so soft and smooth... and the breathy little moans emanating from her as he'd gently rubbed and caressed her bare back had been a total turn on.
When the massage had eventually come to an end and Haley had turned over to slip her top back on, he hadn't averted his gaze. It was the first time he'd ever seen her topless and the sight of her pert, full breasts had definitely spiked his arousal. She hadn't teased him though and for that he'd been grateful.
The make-out session that followed had been long and leisurely and knowing that, for the moment, sex was off the table made it feel more comfortable. That voice in his head which had reared up at the worst damn times reminding him of his past behavior and indiscretions had yet to resurface and he hoped he wouldn't be hearing it for a long time to come.
Laying here with Haley in his arms, feeling completely relaxed and on the edge of sleep was something he was reveling in and he didn't want it to ever end.