Valentine's Day Curse

"This so better not be the Curse," she said softly, more to herself than me. I was trying to think of a good response when she leaned forward and started kissing me again. The passion was the same as earlier, but now she was being a little more aggressive. Her hands began unbuttoning my shirt.

"What are you doing?" I asked in surprise.

"I'm not sure yet. Maybe what comes naturally," she responded between kisses. "When two people are in love."

"Wait, you love me too?" I asked, feeling a mix of disbelief and deep satisfaction.

"Hey, I'm more surprised than you," she said with a nervous laugh. "I was convinced that Derek was the love of my life, but like you said, here I am with you instead. There's no way I should feel what I do for you, but it doesn't seem right to deny it when you've being so open and honest with me."

"Are you sure?" I found myself asking. "I mean, I don't want to be the rebound guy just because you've finally accepted that what you and Derek shared is over. Nor do I want to be someone you have sex with because it's been nearly two years since you had any." The look she gave me was priceless. I was pretty sure I'd just ruined any chance of getting lucky tonight, but this was way too important to worry about that.

"Seriously?" she snapped in annoyance as she pulled away. "I can't believe you actually said that!" I understood why she felt that way and a part of me was amazed at myself as well, but there was another part that needed to be sure.

"Rebecca, I'm sorry, but I've never told someone I've loved them before and I need to know what's going on is real," I answered. "Especially considering it's Valentine's Day."

"First of all, Valentine's Day ended an hour ago," she retorted. "And second, you big dope, don't you think I know what I'm feeling? I'm not using you as a rebound guy. I also don't sleep around no matter how long it's been. I already told you that." She paused briefly and sounded much calmer as she added, "And God help me Mike, but for better or worse, I do love you."

"That's all I wanted to know." I took Rebecca in my arms and began kissing her once more. It took her a few moments to relax enough to start enjoying it, but she only let it go on for so long.

"You do realize that after the comments you made there's no way we're sleeping together tonight, right? In fact, I think I may make you wait as long as Derek did."

"Oh we're sleeping together tonight," I disagreed, laughing and putting my hand over her mouth to stop her angry retort. "Although I'm sure my big mouth means that sleep is all we'll do, but that's okay. I like the idea of having you in my arms all night." She pushed my hand down, but then hesitated before answering.

"I'd like that to," Rebecca finally said, smilingly slowly. A smart man would have left it at that, but I never claimed to be smart, only reasonably intelligent.

"And there's no way you'll be able to keep your hands off of me for six months."

"Don't bet on it buster," she retorted, but thankfully her smile remained. "Now move over. I need at least a few hours of sleep or I'll never make it through tomorrow. You think running a pub is hard, you should try teaching."

"You know, your bed would be a lot more comfortable than this couch," I said, knowing it was pointless. I started shifting until I was laying down.

"Too much temptation," she retorted as she grabbed a blanket off the arm of the couch and joined me, making me laugh.

"For me or you?" I teased, pushing her dark hair off of my face. She looked at me and suddenly neither one of us was laughing any more.

"Both." Rebecca settled in next to me and placed the blanket over both of us.

It was an honest answer which was one of the things I liked most about Rebecca. She said what she thought. I did that too although with me there were less filters and it frequently came out wrong. It got me in trouble often and I figured this wouldn't be the only night where I'd be banished to the couch for something I said. On the other hand, I had the feeling she'd be better at dealing with me than most. After all, she had agreed to join me here. I wondered if she'd do that every time it happened. Probably not, but a guy could hope.

*********

The sun rose with me lying there watching Rebecca sleep and trying to figure out how I ended up falling in love on Valentine's Day of all days with a woman who was smart, funny and beautiful. That was shocking enough, but the fact that she returned my feelings was something that I doubted I'd ever understand, not that I was knocking it.

Rebecca stirred when the sunlight entered through the bay window, but only enough to block the light by burying her face into my shoulder. I smiled down at her and pushed her hair behind her ear.

I'd slept, but not very long. I woke up over an hour ago feeling oddly rested. I spent the time watching Rebecca sleep and thinking. I'd come to a few conclusions. Most of them were no different than what I'd realized the night before, but it was still nice to feel the same way now that there could be no arguing that Valentine's Day was done.

Rebecca finally began stirring a few moments later. She looked confused for a moment when she saw me, but then she smiled slowly and nuzzled my shoulder.

"You're up early," she offered, still sounding half asleep.

"I couldn't sleep," I replied softly, kissing her forehead. "My minds been going nonstop."

"What are you thinking about?" Rebecca asked as lifted her head off my shoulder to look at me. She was still smiling.

"About the Curse."

"Of course," she said, shaking her head and laughing gently.

"I'm not worried about it. It can't hurt me anymore."

"Oh yeah?" Rebecca asked. "Why's that?"

"Because I think you were right yesterday," I added seriously. "There's is a cure for it and we've found it."

"Not easy to come by," she said, growing thoughtful now too.

"For many love is a once and a life time occurrence," I offered, staring off into space briefly before looking directly into her eyes. "So do me a favor. Don't let me screw this up. I love you, but like I said and then more than proved last night, I'm not all that smooth with words."

"Mike, words never meant all that much to me," Rebecca replied. A moment later she grinned and added, "If they did, do you think I'd have let you stay last night after you called me fickle and a slut?"

"I did not!" I cried, but then I saw how what I said the night before might be interpreted that way. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it."

"Yes, I do," she agreed easily. "Actions make a man, not words and I watched you yesterday. Not every brother would leave his job to go pick up his sister's kids from school. And most guys wouldn't have befriended a teacher who pretty much embarrassed them both in front of half the town."

"That's true," I laughed, but it turned into a grunt briefly when she jabbed me in the stomach which of course only made me laugh harder. "Although, you were far too pretty to keep as an enemy. Besides, I did more than my share in taking a bad situation and making it worse." She shook her head, but didn't comment at my attempt at placating her. On the other hand, she didn't try to hit me again either.

"You took care of Tommy last night when you didn't have to," she added as if I hadn't interrupted. "You're a good boss. Your employees like and respect you." I wasn't sure what to say to that so I remained quiet. "And I liked how you handled yourself with Derek."

"You like the fact that I decked your old boyfriend?" I asked in surprise. I knew some girls liked that, but Rebecca didn't seem the type.

"Don't be ridiculous," she sighed, actually rolling her eyes. "What I liked was the fact that you did it quickly without really hurting him all that much. You were obviously upset at the time and you could have taken it out on him."

"That wouldn't have been right," I frowned. "It wasn't his fault we fell in love with the same girl."

"Exactly," she said as if I proved her point. I didn't necessarily see it, but it's not like I was going to argue. She gave me a kiss letting me know she meant what she said.

"You know," I said softly. "For the first time in my life I'm actually looking forward to next Valentine's Day and it's all because of you. Thank you."

"For what?" she asked.

"For letting me love you and for loving me," I answered. "I mean, you do love me right? You haven't said it today and with yesterday being Valentine's Day..." I was just joking with her. I knew how Rebecca felt. I could see it in her beautiful grey eyes.

"I told you, words don't mean all that much to me," she said, sitting up. "Actions matter and right now I'm going to show you that." I watched in stunned silence as she pulled off her sweater. Rebecca had on a lavender bra. She saw my expression and smiled before slipping it off.

"Wow," was all I could say. Rebecca didn't have a particularly large breasts. That was okay because what she did have was perfection. She laughed at my reaction and began pulling my shirt off. It got stuck on my head briefly and I'm pretty sure she took one of my ears with it when it finally came free. A moment later my ear was forgotten as she fell forward and I felt her soft breasts against my chest. Her lips found mine and I lost track of everything else for a time.

I wrapped her in my arms, enjoying the feel of her skin against mine. My hands traveled down the length of her warm back until they reached her pants. I only hesitated a moment before pushing my hands under the waistband. Rebecca had a nice ass. I could feel the muscles underneath reacting to my touch.

I may have been a little too rough a few minutes later when I forced her pants down, but Rebecca didn't complain. Instead, she shifted and kicked them off before reaching for my belt. There was an awkward moment as I worked at getting my pants off as well, but instead of either of us being embarrassed we laughed.

"It's cold!" Rebecca complained as she reached for the blanket we used earlier and wrapped it around her shoulders. I laughed, but cut it short when she once more settled on top of me. Rebecca was sitting up again, but now her hips were over mine giving the stiffness between my legs a warm place to nestle.

I knew what I wanted, but instead I waited to see what she would do next. There was still so much to learn about Rebecca and I knew I'd love every moment of doing exactly that.

Rebecca smiled down at me with her sexy grey eyes and began slowly moving her hips forward and back. It wasn't long before I'd stiffened to my full length. It was obvious she liked the feel of what she was doing as well because she grew steamy.

"You do realize I can't take much more teasing, right?" I offered.

"Who's teasing?" she retorted, lifting and reaching between us. I felt her hand and it sent a shiver up my spine, but that was nothing compared to how I felt when she took part of me inside herself. I groaned and reached for her hips. She swatted my hands away. "I'm showing you how I feel. You can show me how much you love me later." Despite my need, I laughed.

"Well, this is new." I said, resting my head on my hands. I figured it was the only way I'd be able to keep them to myself. Rebecca briefly smiled at me before slowly settling further down. She gasped and paused every once in a while as her body got used to mine. Eventually, she had me fully inside. I grinned and asked, "Now what?"

Rebecca didn't reply with words. Instead, she met my eyes and lifted off of me until I was almost free of her before dropping back down a little more forcefully. I groaned and she smiled sexily, doing the same thing again. I did my best to let her have her way because I knew it meant a lot to her, but it wasn't easy for me. I wasn't normally someone who remained passive in bed.

On the other hand, it wasn't like I wasn't enjoying what she was doing. Rebecca rode me slowly at first, but picked up the pace every so often as her own need grew. Finally, she let go of the blanket she was holding and fell forward slightly, resting her hands on my chest. She was able to quicken the pace considerable in this position.

Rebecca was breathing heavy and her breasts hung down and swayed in time. Her nipples was small and pointed and I desperately wanted to taste them, but not yet. Instead, I reached for her hips once more because there was no way I could keep my hands to myself any longer. This time she let me.

One of my hands fell to her thigh as she bounced on top of me. I loved the feel of the muscles shifting under her skin as she worked toward both of our releases. She picked up the pace yet again when I was certain I couldn't take much more. A moment later she bent her arms at the elbows and kissed me. Her lips burned mine in a way I can't explain. They were the most powerful aphrodisiac I'd ever tasted.

I wasn't thrilled when she pulled her lips from mine, but quickly forgot my annoyance when she took hold of my head and pulled my face to her breasts. They were soft against my cheeks and lips. I tasted them for the first time and knew that I was instantly addicted. Rebecca's nipples were small pebbles and I took first one and then the other into my mouth. She moaned each time I sucked.

"Mike, I'm close!" she gasped out after a while, her movements on top of me more sporadic now. "Please cum with me!"

I wanted to do exactly that. Scratch that. I needed to do it! The only problem was that I wasn't sure if I could with the way she was moving now so I pulled her flat against me and used my hands to push her legs into the right position before I rolled us so that I was on top.

"Hey!" Rebecca cried, but a moment later I was thrusting deep inside of her and she forgot her complaint. I felt her legs wrap around mine urging me to go deeper so that's exactly what I did. The couch wasn't the most comfortable place to do what we were, but we were beyond caring by this point.

I looked down at Rebecca enjoying the sight of her nearing release. Sure, my own orgasm was close too, but it was hers that I focused on, at least until she noticed me looking. Her grey eyes locked with mine demanding we share the moment together.

"Oh Mike, it feels so good!" she moaned suddenly. "Better than ever before."

"It really does," I agreed, my voice coming out thick with emotion.

'I've never wanted something so much in my life!" Rebecca added, her grey eyes flashing on desire. "Please fill me. Fill me now!"

There was only one response to that and words had nothing to do with it. I thrust deep into Rebecca one last time. My orgasm took me and I began filling her. A moment later she joined me. I held her tight against me as our bodies danced together in the most primal way. It took quite a while for both of us to calm down afterword and I continued to hold her, though less tightly.

"You do love me," I said once I'd caught my breath again.

"I told you actions speak louder than words," Rebecca replied, kissing me one last time before getting off me and the couch. "Now get up and go."

"What?" I asked in surprise, making her laugh. Her body was damp with our release. Her dark hair was sweaty and clung to her face, but it didn't seem to bother her at all.

"I have to get ready for school," she replied. "Besides, I don't want anyone seeing you leaving my apartment. After all, you were the one who told me to be careful with my reputation last night." She was walking toward the hallway as she talked.

"I didn't mean with me!" I called after her. I heard her laugh as she disappeared. I shook my head, stood and stretched before getting dressed and grabbing my coat from the closet.

I stopped by next door to make sure Tommy was doing okay. He was still out of it, but I woke him long enough to make him take some Advil and drink a glass of water. I also got him to promise to call me later in the day.

I took a few minutes to use his bathroom, wash my face and grab a soda from his refrigerator before I left. I was there at most fifteen or twenty minutes so I was a bit surprised to see Rebecca leaving her apartment as I walked to my car. I stopped and watched her. She was back in a conservative dress and her hair was once more pulled back, but I knew the real her underneath. I wanted to grab Rebecca and run back into her place so that we could explore our feeling and bodies some more, but I knew she'd never go for it.

"Wow, that was fast," I said, earning a raised eyebrow from her. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Tonight?" she asked as she moved to her car which happened to be right behind mine. I walked over and joined her at her door. "No way. I had maybe four or five hours of sleep and you've had less than that. I plan on coming home and passing out tonight."

"That sounds good," I grinned. "Maybe this time we can use your bed instead of the couch."

"You're not that lucky," she retorted, but I noticed she didn't insist I couldn't come over again.

"Sure I am," I said confidently as I held her door open for her.

"Maybe," she finally admitted with a grin as she got in.

"You know, you could call out today and we could go back inside right now. If you want I'm sure I could square it with Mrs. Myerson." Like I said before, sometimes I didn't know when to stop talking. Rebecca opened her mouth to say something unpleasant based on her expression, but I didn't give her the chance. I leaned into her car and kissed her. She resisted at first, but then sighed and let herself enjoy it. We were still kissing when a car drove by and beeped.

"So much for my reputation," she grumbled afterward, but she was a little flushed. I'm sure I was as well.

"Just blame it on the Valentine's Day Curse," I teased as I backed up so I could shut her door. "You won't be the only person doing that this morning."

"I thought the Curse was cured?"

"For us," I clarified. "But it still worked its cruel magic yesterday on plenty of others out there."

"And what if I was wrong and love isn't the cure?"

"Of course it is," I insisted, but then added. "But I guess we'll just have to wait until next Valentine's Day to be sure." Rebecca's soft grey eyes lit with humor as she shook her head and demanded that I close her door and let her leave before she was late. I gave her one last kiss before letting her go.

Truthfully, I wasn't worried about the Curse anymore. In fact, I had the feeling that Valentine's Day might end up being my favorite holiday from now on. I mean, it was the day I met and fell in love with the woman of my dreams.

Don't get me wrong. There were plenty of reasons to hate the day, especially considering what I learned about mom all those years ago, but with Rebecca in my life now I realized it was time to grow past those sad memories. It's what mom would want.

Another horn blew as a car passed and I realized that I was standing in the middle of the street wool gathering. I shook my head and laughed at myself as I moved to my car.

I didn't have time for standing around and doing nothing. I had a lot to do this morning. I had to fire Tina for disappearing last night in the middle of her shift, convince Ginny to work nights which might not be as easy as I originally planned since Juan worked days, and put out a hiring sign for the day shift.

I also had to figure out how long I'd have to wait before asking Rebecca to marry me. I mean, just because we fell in love the first day we met that didn't mean I could ask her to be my wife without waiting a reasonable amount of time, right? I figured I could make it to March, maybe even mid-March.

"Who am I kidding?" I said to myself with a laugh as I got in my car. "I'd better start looking for a ring today."