Dahlia Jackson (plaininsight) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-11-30 16:08:00 |
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Entry tags: | #june 2018, dahlia, dahlia x grady, grady |
Who: Grady and Dahlia
When: Evening, Thursday, June 21st
Where: car, Dahlia's apartment
Warning: NSFW
Status: complete
After calling it a night with Nick and Addie, Grady and Dahlia parted ways with the other couple, leaving the karaoke bar and heading for Grady’s car. It had been a night he wasn’t quite used to, in that he actually got out and had fun. Grady was not really a singer either, but karaoke wasn’t exactly the opera and he definitely hadn’t had the worst voice that night either. Slipping his hand into Dahlia’s as they walked across the street to where Grady had parked, he glanced at her. She seemed to have had fun too, but Grady was aware that it hadn’t exactly been a date night for adults. Dinner and karaoke.
“I swear I sing better in the shower,” he said after a moment, chuckling deep in his throat. “Having an audience can be nerve wracking.”
Mature adult fun or not, Dahlia had enjoyed herself immensely. Nick and Adalyn were fun date partners, the conversation over drinks had been fun, and then karaoke turned out to be a total blast. Nick and Addie had taken the stage quite a bit, and they sounded good together on the duets they’d done. Dahlia had been game but kind of bemused to get up there and sing herself, but once she’d started, she hadn’t wanted to leave the stage. It was the strangest feeling, like the opposite of stage fright, but it had been a lot of fun, especially when she managed to coax Grady up there with her.
Dahlia let out a light laugh at what he said and squeezed his hand. “You were fantastic,” she told him with a warm smile. “But damn, Nick and Addie get super into it, don’t they? There was so much eye-fucking going on on that stage.” She giggled.
"Yeah." Grady grinned. "They really like their duets, don't they? Who would've thought that karaoke was an aphrodisiac? I'm not a frequent visitor of the place, but it seemed like everyone who got up to sing had an alarmingly large amount of confidence." Himself included, which was a bit odd because Grady was not fond of doing anything resembling singing in front of people. "Thanks for coming out tonight. I think I tend to socialize better when I have people around me who are more than happy to monopolize the conversation." Outgoing people could be exhausting at times, but Grady was thankful that both Addie and Nick were talkative people. It wasn't that Grady was shy. He was just more of an observant person, which led to him remaining silent more often than not.
Dahlia could be quite talkative herself, and she’d enjoyed the light banter with Grady’s friends when none of them were up there singing. But being immersed in too much of any emotion tended to wear her out, and there had been a lot of happiness and pride and exhilaration in that place. From everybody, not just their table. Dahlia had become convinced there was something unnatural about it, but it was hard to concentrate on when she was feeling so good herself. Now that they were walking away, she was feeling the tiredness creep in. It was nothing she couldn’t deal with though, especially if it meant more time with Grady. Dahlia lifted their linked hands to kiss a couple of his knuckles. “You socialize just fine with me,” she told him. “At least, I hope you’re getting more comfortable, even when I don’t run my mouth the whole time.” Dahlia knew he was, she could feel it, but he didn’t know that yet.
Grady laughed, but squeezed her hand gently. "I don't mind that you don't run your mouth the whole time. I think it has to do more with being around multiple people, which I understand may not make a lot of sense given my job. It's just different when I'm working." He had more to focus on when he was working and talk tended to revolve around the job more than anything else. "I think Addie has an aversion to silence though." He grinned, just to show he didn't mean anything bad by it. Nick's girlfriend liked to talk and had plenty of stories to tell, most of which he found to be pretty interesting. "You've got a great voice by the way," he added belatedly, tugging his keys out of his pocket to unlock his car doors. "Better than most of the people who got up there to sing."
She understood what he meant perfectly, and Dahlia was sure that Grady was sometimes relieved to have the badge to hide behind while he was talking to people. Being able to feel the emotions of others made it easy for her to be friendly and open with most, but not many other people had that luxury. Dahlia was just glad that Grady had a few people who counted as real friends, and there was nothing wrong with being a quiet person. It just made her want to plumb his depths even more. “She’s definitely a chatterbox,” Dahlia agreed about Addie, grinning back at him. She certainly didn’t judge that. “But thank you! Back when I went to church, I was always in the choir. My mother loved to sing, so we did it a lot around the house.” Once Grady unlocked the doors, she climbed into the passenger seat. “You’ve got some decent pipes yourself.”
"I do all right for myself," Grady said, still chuckling as he got into the car. "We've only got one church in town right now, and I don't know how much singing they do. I mean, hymns and stuff, sure, but I don't know that I've ever seen a choir in there the couple of times I've checked it out." Since she said "back when I went to church" so Grady was assuming she didn't attend anymore, which was fine with him since he wasn't really much of a religious person. But it could have also been that she was traveling a lot so maybe it was possible she would want to get back into it once she was settled somewhere. He couldn't really see Elodie attending church, but he could probably go just to see Dahlia sing.
Dahlia bit her tongue on saying that this area was far too white to have a good church choir, but she definitely thought so. She had more or less given up on the Christian church doctrine years back, but some of those gospel songs and hymns still moved her, and she’d been known to sing her heart out while she cleaned the house on occasion. Dahlia settled in and buckled up, glancing curiously over at Grady. “I was told that St. Dismas burned down, but they’re building another one?” she asked. “Are you much of a believer? No judgement either way.” Religion wasn’t something she felt like they would butt heads over -- Grady had never seemed like some devout stick in the mud. But Dahlia liked to have those types of spiritual-slash-philosophical discussions, and she was curious what he thought.
Grady thought about St. Dismas. It had been standing for as long as Grady could remember and people had been devastated when it burned down. Faulty wiring, according to the Chief Fire Inspector. Father Dean still hadn't been found, but there was no indication in the wreckage that he had been in the church when it caught fire. Just another mystery to add to the ever growing pile. "Someone is building another one," Grady said, glancing at Dahlia. "Someone bought the land and they had the permits, so... I'm sure people are pleased with it. There are a lot of Catholics living here, so it was a pretty big deal when Dismas burned. But no, I'm not a big believer. I mean, I believe there could be something, but I don't believe in the God of the Bible. What about you?"
Catholicism had always seemed strange and esoteric to Dahlia, who’d been brought up as a non-denominational Protestant. She’d never turned her nose up at them like some of her peers did -- she actually found all the pomp and circumstance rituals kind of fascinating. Maybe if she was still here, she would check out the church when it was done, just to see. “I don’t either,” Dahlia told Grady, smiling a bit. “He’s kind of an asshole, right? The version I was raised with, anyway. I feel that I’m a spiritual person, but it’s more ... intuition based than book based, does that make sense?” Dahlia laughed a bit. “I’m not like, burning sage and fucking around with chakras or anything woo-y like that. I just feel like there’s so much more out there that we don’t understand yet.”
"That makes sense," Grady said, relieved a bit that she wasn't some closeted conservative who wanted to save him with a Bible. "There's definitely a lot we don't know or understand. I don't know. I've always sort of viewed faith as a personal thing... not something that comes with a set of rules and the threat of eternal damnation if you don't abide by them." Sometimes he wished he believed in Hell, just from what he had seen as a cop. But he knew he didn't believe in an afterlife so unfortunately he didn't believe in any form of post-death punishment. Grady glanced at Dahlia again. It was hard not to want to look at her all the time, even when he was driving. "Mind you, I don't begrudge people their beliefs. I think the idea of Heaven is a nice one and I think some people kind of... need it to hold onto when they lose someone. It's mostly the baggage that comes with it that I have a problem with."
Dahlia was undecided about the afterlife, but she was fairly certain it wasn’t anything like the majority of people thought it was. If they went anywhere, it was probably more ... back into the universe, rather than to some fluffy cloud utopia. She certainly didn’t believe in Hell, it had never made sense to her. Especially when it was used like some baseball bat to punish those who didn’t agree with the ultra-religious. Dahlia hummed an agreeable sound. “People over dogma, that’s what I try to follow,” she said. “I’m not going to try to predict what will happen when I die, I don’t think anyone really knows. I’m more concerned with how your faith influences how you treat the living folks around you. And I’ve met some who claim to be Christian but are the nastiest sons of bitches you’ll ever meet, you know? Growing spiritually is growing into more compassion, to me.” It sounded like they were on similar pages, at the very least, and that made Dahlia like Grady even more.
"I've sort of always believed that once we die... that's it. We're just... non-existent, like we were before we were born. But," he added a bit reluctantly, "I've seen and heard enough to put some doubts in my head about that. So I can't say for sure, either. I guess one day I'll find out." He glanced at Dahlia, silenty relieved that she wasn't some closeted ultra-religious Bible thumper. Although, were those people ever closeted? In his experience, they were louder than most people. "Living in this town you come to question a lot of things. It's hard to be skeptical, although my brain still attempts it."
Dahlia had been raised with a lot of Bible thumpers, and their hypocrisy had been more than enough to put her off of organized religion. She didn’t quite count herself as an atheist, she thought there was more behind the universe than just nothing, but she wasn’t going to claim to know what that was. “I guess one day we’ll all find out,” Dahlia agreed, looking over at him with a smile. “And hopefully it will satisfy that analytical mind of yours.” She reached over to lightly rub the spot under Grady’s ear with the backs of her fingers. “I would say being skeptical is a good trait in a cop. I can already see how it would cause you some mental conflict, though, living here.” While Dahlia hadn’t had a close encounter with anything yet, she’d heard and felt some strange things already.
"Maybe it will. Or I'm right and there's nothing after death and my analytical mind will be worthless and decomposing in the ground." Despite his light tone, he realized how morbid that probably sounded. Not that he cared much because Dahlia's light touch against his skin had effectively distracted him from whatever there might be after death. They had been dating for a few weeks now and physical touch was still something he was getting used to. It was nice. More than nice. "I try to approach things with an open mind," he murmured. "A part of me feels like it's unfair to believe one insane story but not another. I've always relied on my gut though, and for the most part, that doesn't let me down."
Morbid or not, Dahlia gave a light laugh at the first part. That was bound to happen to all of them, whether something More inside of them moved on or didn’t. “Hey, at least you’re using this beautiful open mind while you have it, that’s more than I can say for a lot of people,” she said, her fingers moving to stroke through the short hair at the side of his head. It tickled in a way that she enjoyed. Grady never seemed to mind her petting him either. “And your gut. You know, I read there are actually neural networks in your digestive tract? Or stomach, I can’t remember ... but anyway, that whole ‘listen to your gut’ thing isn’t too far off base, turns out. So your gut’s probably smarter than you think.” She knew it was more intuition than anything, but talking about gut-brains was more fun than talking about death or how fucked up this town was.
Grady would have had to be insane to not enjoy Dahlia's fingers on his skin, or in his hair. It reminded him of how much he had been missing since his divorce. He hugged his children but sometimes he felt starved for physical affection, something that wasn't attached to trying to comfort someone he had just delivered bad news to. Cocking a brow, Grady looked over at Dahlia, impressed. "Neural networks in the digestive tract. You know, I think you and Addie have a lot more to talk about than you think." He chuckled and reached up to take Dahlia's hand in his, bringing her knuckles to his lips so he could kiss them. "Speaking of digestion, my brother showed up today. Dean. He's staying a while so I'm betting you'll be meeting him sooner or later. I apologize for that in advance."
Dahlia could always feel how welcome her touch was inside of Grady and it was truly gratifying to give it to him. She was of the biased opinion that the world would be a better place if more men had affection in their lives. She smiled as he kissed her fingers, her thumb scritching just a bit in Grady’s beard, then lifted her eyebrows. “Your brother, huh? Why apologize? If I didn’t know any better, it sounded like you just called him a piece of shit.” Dahlia grinned at him, amused. What else could ‘speaking of digestion’ mean? Unless Grady was just saying he had another mouth to feed. “Does that mean we’re going to my place, then?” she added, her tone a bit suggestive.
Laughing, Grady tried to imagine Dean's reaction to being called a piece of shit. All in good fun, of course. Hell, Dean might even agree with the assessment. "He's a good guy," Grady said. "A terrible flirt though, so brace yourself for that. But... yeah, your place, if that's okay. Between Dean and Jen... I don't know that we would get much privacy." He was still feeling a bit strange about having Dahlia over to spend the night with Jen there, even though he knew his daughter wouldn't mind it. But Elodie was rarely at Dahlia's whenever Grady was, so he was hoping it wouldn't be too big of an issue.
Dahlia was curious to meet this brother already. It was hard to imagine anyone related to Grady being a terrible flirt, and she already got the sense that Dean was the younger brother. “I’ll be prepared with my sternest disapproval,” she murmured, still smiling. Generally she loved to flirt with all kinds of people herself, but Dahlia felt like she was ‘taken’ now, and she didn’t want to stir up any rivalry between them. “My place is perfectly fine, though,” Dahlia added, letting her hand fall to rest on Grady’s thigh. “I don’t think Elodie is home, and it’s decently clean.” Not that Elodie would care either, she certainly wasn’t a blushing virgin, but Dahlia was more concerned with Grady’s comfort with it all.
Honestly, knowing Dean the way he did, Grady would have probably been more amused than jealous if he tried to flirt with Dahlia. Probably because he knew Dean would only be doing it to get under Grady's skin. It's just what he did. "Dean loves disapproval," Grady warned her with a smirk. "The sterner, the better." He was glad that they could stay at Dahlia's most nights that Grady had off from work, though he occasionally woke in a panic that Jen needed him, or might. Since they had both seen the bowler hat man in the yard, Grady had put in new motion lights and had a new alarm system set up. He had no idea if they would help at all, but he had to believe they would or he would never leave Jen alone again. "How is she doing? Elodie?"
She laughed a bit and thought that now she had to meet this brother who was such a polar opposite of Grady. It was funny how siblings turned out sometimes. Tragic, in her own case, but she wasn’t going to bring up her own brother. Dahlia sighed and wrinkled her nose a bit at the question about Elodie. It was a natural question and she appreciated the concern, but she wished she had better news. “She’s doing all right,” she said. “I think so, anyway. We had a talk about shoplifting and the drug use ... but she wasn’t home all day today. I feel bad at this parenting thing already, but she’s seventeen, and I know trying to have a really heavy hand with her right off the bat isn’t going to help anything, she might just disappear completely.”
"All you can really do is try," Grady said after a moment of thought. He knew he had more sway over Jen because he was her father and had raised her. It didn't seem as though Elodie had much parenting to begin with, which put Dahlia at a disadvantage right off the bat. "It hasn't been that long since she moved in with you and I know saying give her time can be frustrating, but... teenagers can be a pain in the ass, especially teenagers who think they've got it all figured out." He smiled softly at her, though it faded fairly quickly. "I was able to find out that Captain Cody is codeine. I don't know if she'll tell you where she got it, but it would be helpful." He really didn't want to bring the mood of the night down, but Dahlia needed to know these things. He would help where he could, of course. "If you want, I could even try to track down her father, if you think that would help."
Dahlia sighed softly. Codeine. Painkillers could be extremely dangerous, but she knew trying to convince Elodie of that was probably fruitless. She was an indestructible teenager, like most of them thought they were. Grady was right that they were a pain in the ass, and Dahlia wasn’t counting herself out of that -- she had been too. “That definitely would not help,” she answered with a chuckle that wasn’t really amused. “But I appreciate the offer. I’ll see if she’ll tell me anything as soon as I can get her home and relaxed for a few minutes ... about what she said about your arm, too. I haven’t asked her yet, but I’m interested.” Especially if it meant Elodie had a psychic gift herself. Maybe it would be something they could bond over. Dahlia looked over at her handsome date again and smiled faintly. “And I bet you thought your teenage daughter would get in the way of dating ... shows what you know, it’s mine.”
Grady cocked a brow, but grinned. "Yeah, I was way off with that one, wasn't I?" He pulled into Dahlia's parking lot and found an empty space. "I don't know, maybe... we could have dinner together, all of us. I don't know if Jen knows Elodie at all, but... maybe Elodie just needs a friend. Does that sound too 'afterschool special' to you?" There was worry, of course, that Elodie could be a bad influence on Jen, but Grady knew his daughter was smart enough to not touch the stuff Elodie was apparently into. He would much rather Jen fill the entire house with her bugs than touch codeine and thankfully, he was pretty sure Jen would rather do that too.
Dahlia had yet to meet Grady’s daughter, and she wasn’t sure that having Elodie there too would make the best impression, as guilty as that thought made her. Maybe the girls already knew one another, Dahlia wasn’t sure. Elodie had never mentioned it. She just hoped they weren’t enemies. “Yeah, we could arrange that sometime,” she answered with a bit of caution in her tone. “I know she’s friends with the uh, the Lucas boy who’s living with Charlie Harris ... but that’s the only friend I know of.” Dahlia paused as she sat forward and picked up her purse, then gave Grady a sheepish little smile. “Do you think I could meet Jen first though? Just in case Elodie ... isn’t the best dinner guest?”
Grady turned off the car and looked at Dahlia. "You sound as reluctant as I feel about it," he admitted. "But yeah, of course, you can meet Jen first. I know she wants to meet you too. I don't know how great an influence being friends with Jasper Lucas is either... Charlie Harris, she's great. But the rest of the family..." He trailed off with a grimace. "They're not bad people. It's more that a lot of bad shit has happened to them. Seems to make some sense that Elodie would gravitate to them. Maybe you can come by for dinner soon and meet Jen and Dean. Kill two birds with one stone."
Dahlia felt bad for thinking that her niece might tank a nice dinner like that just to be difficult, but she knew it was a possibility. She liked Grady a lot, and she didn’t want to blow the first impression with his daughter. So maybe it would be best to do that separately, she could feel Elodie out about it later, and maybe they could talk to Jen and give her a warning, if necessary. “That sounds good,” she answered with a soft smile, tucking the information about Jasper Lucas away for later. “Maybe Dean will behave himself more around Jen anyway, and I won’t have to be stern.” She flashed Grady a grin, then moved to climb out of the car to head inside. Dahlia was ready to get her heels off and mess up Grady’s hair.
"Don't hold your breath," Grady said, following Dahlia from the car. "They might end up enabling each other." He locked the doors and walked with Dahlia into her apartment. He didn't immediately hear or see Elodie, though that didn't mean she wasn't there. Hopefully he and Dahlia could just have the rest of the night to themselves. He'd had a good time with Nick and Addie and it was nice to enjoy some normalcy for once. The station hadn't called or texted him with any issues and he was going to keep his fingers crossed that his phone was silent for the rest of the night. Once they were inside, Grady pulled off his jacket, eager to get his hands on Dahlia, if she would let him. "You think we're alone?" he asked with a cock of his brow.
Dahlia slipped out of her shoes with a sigh of relief at the door, bending to snag them up by the straps before she walked further into the apartment. “I dunno, I’ll make sure,” she told Grady, flashing a wicked little smile over her shoulder. She set her purse down and headed to the hallway. Elodie’s door was closed, but a soft knock and calling her name didn’t get any response, so Dahlia peeked in. The bedroom was empty, which made her selfishly glad. She could feel guilty about it later -- she’d had a very nice date night and she wanted some privacy to enjoy the end of it, and that was valid enough. “It’s just us,” Dahlia said as she joined Grady again, smiling at him.
Given the hour, he almost expected Dahlia to be worried but it seemed like Elodie being gone was a fairly normal thing, so if Dahlia wasn't worried, Grady wouldn't be either. Since she was close enough for it now, Grady slipped his arms around her and ducked his head down to kiss her deeply. No more talk of teenagers or drugs or responsibilities. He had been wanting to do this all night but Grady was always a bit mindful of how he behaved out in public. He was careful not to drink too much and being with Dahlia, he had to watch the PDA. It was probably ridiculous, but Grady knew that the eyes on him were a lot more judgemental because of his job. But here in Dahlia's place, they had privacy and he could touch and kiss her as much as he wanted to.
Maybe she should be worried, considering Elodie’s recent behavior, but Dahlia wasn’t going to waste time trying to track her down. She’d promised she wasn’t there to babysit, and she wasn’t. Elodie spent the night elsewhere more than she stayed here, so it was normal. Dahlia had the same warm feeling of finally when Grady kissed her, and she slipped her arms around his shoulders as she returned it eagerly. She understood why he wanted to keep things low key out in public, he was a responsible figure in the community, and small towns could go wild with gossip and scandals. It was kind of fun, in a way, and made moments like this even more hot. Grady was a man with plenty of passion simmering under the surface, Dahlia was discovering. She parted her lips to taste him, rising up on her toes and threading her fingers through the back of his hair.
All thoughts of various teenagers drifted from his mind as soon as Dahlia's arms were around him. She always tasted and smelled so good that it was easy to get lost in it. His tongue slipped past her lips, his hands gripping her hips a bit more firmly. After a night of drinking and having some fun with his friends, Grady just wanted to get Dahlia naked and in bed and enjoy the rest of the time he had before he had to go home... or back to work. Elodie might not be there, but that didn't mean she wouldn't potentially show up, so Grady reached down to grip the back of Dahlia's thighs, lifting her easily to carry her down the hall to her bedroom. It occurred to him after the fact that she may not like to be manhandled, but... something told him she wouldn't mind it.
There was a time and place for appropriate manhandling, and now was it. Dahlia gave a tiny squeak as Grady picked her up, then hummed her approval and locked her legs around his waist. She’d never been a big woman, but still it always gave her a delighted feeling in her stomach to be picked up and carried. Dahlia kissed him all the way there, enjoying the warm Grady taste mixed with some faint alcohol. She moved one foot to kick her door shut as they passed the threshold, and grinned a bit against his lips. “It was fun, but I’ve been thinking about getting you alone all night,” she murmured to him.
Grady would've been lying if he said he hadn't been thinking the same thing. It was nice to be out with friends, to let loose for an evening, but he had spent a lot of the night wanting to get Dahlia back home alone. "Yeah?" He grinned as he set a knee on the edge of the bed and leaned over to get her on her back. "Were you thinking about what you were going to do once you got me alone?" Grady's hands reached down to the bottom of her shirt to start working it up her body. As much as he wanted to touch her he wanted to see her too. All that flawless bare skin had been calling to him all night.
Dahlia let her legs relax once Grady had her on the bed, and she moved around to help him get her top off, dimly glad that she’d worn a pretty bra tonight. She’d anticipated this type of ending to the evening, of course, so she had some lacy panties under her leggings to match. “It was almost all I could think about,” she purred at him, unable to stop smiling. Dahlia sat up just enough to reach for Grady’s shirt to do the same to him. She wanted him half bare too, to touch and kiss and taste. “I kept getting all tingly and wet, thinking about getting my mouth on you ...” As soon as she could, she stroked her hands over the skin of his sides, flexing her nails just a bit into his back.
Grady was more than ready to discard the clothes. Even half bare Dahlia was a visual feast and Grady couldn't quite resist ducking his head down to kiss at her throat as she touched him. Her words alone got his blood pumping hotter and Grady trailed his lips down her neck to her upper chest. He knew Dahlia had said she had wanted to get her mouth on him but right now he wanted his mouth on her and he doubted she would mind. When his lips found the soft curve of her breast, Grady tugged her bra cup down to get her nipple between his teeth. A low groan formed in his throat and not for the first time Grady wondered how he had gone so long without this in his life. He wasn't mushy enough to think he was just waiting for the right woman, but it was hard not to think this felt right.
Dahlia was more than okay with being the feast for the moment. She loved knowing he couldn’t even wait to get all of her clothes off before he just had to taste her. Who wouldn’t delight in feeling so wanted? Grady’s lips and beard and breath felt incredibly good against her skin, and her fingers threaded into the hair at the back of his head to keep him in close as her breathing got heavier. She moaned and arched a bit at the feel of his teeth on her nipple, the heat between her legs growing. Dahlia’s free hand moved to undo the front clasp of her bra to let both breasts free for him to explore, then went back to roaming over his skin. “God, Grady,” she breathed, her hips shifting restlessly.
It felt so good to get his mouth on her skin, to know that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. Grady was completely lost to the heat radiating through his body but it was easy to ignore it for the time being in order to focus on Dahlia. Sucking on one nipple, Grady's fingers curled around the waistband of her pants to start tugging them down. He certainly didn't mind getting her completely naked while keeping his own jeans on. It would at least keep him from rushing through this and more than anything else, Grady wanted to please Dahlia. His mouth continued down her body, lips and tongue exploring her skin before he had to pull back to get the rest of her clothes off.
She was eager to get Grady naked too, but Dahlia was cooperative and moved her legs to make it easy for him to pull her leggings and panties off. She took the opportunity to sit up halfway and get her arms out of her bra, then scooted herself back on the bed a bit, shooting him a coy little smile. “Jeans not allowed in my bed,” she told him playfully. Dahlia leaned back against the multitude of pillows she had on the bed, getting comfortable to watch him strip. She lifted one knee and spread her thighs to give Grady plenty to look at, one hand straying down to lightly toy with herself.
She wasn't going to have to twist his arm to get him to get the rest of his clothes off and Grady made quick work of discarding the rest of his clothes. His eyes barely left her body, his gaze drifting down to where her hand rested between her legs. It was such a gorgeous sight, one that he wasn't likely to ever forget either and he had a feeling it was probably going to stray into his mind at the most inappropriate times in the future. Naked now, Grady returned to the bed, settling comfortably between her thighs. His hands ran along the outside of her legs, his lips pressing soft kisses against her skin until he couldn't resist it any longer. Swiping his tongue along her slit, Grady groaned low in his throat when he found her already wet and so incredibly hot. His tongue found her clit and he toyed with it, wanting to drive her a little crazy first.
Dahlia watched him just as intently as Grady undressed the rest of the way, a pleased little smile toying with her lips. It still remained to be seen how serious this relationship would end up, but she already felt very lucky to have found a man who was not only a wonderful person, he was hot. Dahlia moved her fingers from herself into his hair once he got close enough, and her breath caught at that first lick. His talented mouth was definitely another bonus, she’d found. So many men needed so much coaching when it came to giving head, but Grady had caught on to what she liked so fast. Dahlia closed her eyes and spread her thighs further apart, one foot lifting to rest on Grady’s back. She’d been so eager for this, everything already felt swollen and sensitive, and her breathing grew heavier as the pleasure really started.
Dahlia was the first woman he had been with since his wife and given how long ago that had been. Grady had been worried about being a bit... rusty, so to speak. But being with Dahlia came naturally and he was relieved to find he hadn't forgotten how to please a woman. Dahlia was intoxicating in the way she felt, the way she tasted... Grady couldn't get enough. It was such a reprieve from his daily responsibilities. Her fingers in his hair felt incredible too and Grady's cock was absolutely aching, desperate to get inside the tight wet heat that he was currently feasting on. Sucking on her clit, Grady couldn't resist slipping a finger inside of her and curling it slightly. It was an incredible sensation, being surrounded so completely by a gorgeous woman and he wondered how the hell he had gone so long without this.
If there had been any rust, he’d shaken it off without Dahlia really noticing. Everyone was different anyway, so each new partner had their own learning curve. Dahlia was just thrilled that they seemed so in sync with what they enjoyed ... it certainly helped that Grady obviously enjoyed doing this for her. She groaned as she felt his finger slide inside of her, and Dahlia couldn’t help but rock her hips a tiny bit, her body greedy for more. Her fingers clenched and stroked in his hair as little shivers ran up her spine. She’d already been aroused and wet, but damn if Grady wasn’t making her almost desperate already. Caught in that delightful place where she wanted more but didn’t want to stop what was happening, Dahlia just enjoyed the building tension for a while, moaning wordless encouragement to him.
Giving a woman pleasure like this had always been something Grady enjoyed doing. If it was done right, it blew her mind and Grady had always been a fan of doing that. He couldn't imagine what man wouldn't enjoy tasting and licking and touching a woman this intimately. The movement of Dahlia's hips was more than a little encouraging and he slipped a second finger inside of her to start fucking her slowly with it, his tongue licking more firmly against her swollen clit. His own hips pressed instinctively against the bed, his cock craving some form of friction though he still felt patient enough to ignore his own aching arousal. All he could imagine now was sinking deep into her heat and feeling that intense grip around his cock.
“Oh my god,” Dahlia groaned, the words drawn out long and slow. The way his fingers stretched her felt so stupidly good, Dahlia was losing her willpower to stop him so they could move on. Her hips kept rocking restlessly, rubbing her clit against Grady’s talented tongue in concert with what he was doing, pleasure twisting tighter and tighter in her core. Maybe it was greedy to want to come on his mouth and his cock, but Dahlia didn’t think Grady would mind. “Oh god, I’m gonna --” she managed to get out before words failed her. She cried out as her back arched off the bed, body trembling as she throbbed around his fingers. Everything was bliss for a few lovely moments, and Dahlia tried to ride it as long as she could.
That was exactly what he wanted, to feel Dahlia pulse around his fingers, taste her juices on his tongue. He groaned when her body began to throb but he kept thrusting his fingers into her, wanting to make her orgasm last as long as he could. It was a beautiful thing and as always, he was in awe of how gorgeous she was when she came. Dahlia was stunning in general, but watching her lose herself in that kind of bliss was something special. When he felt her tremors start to ease, Grady pulled his fingers from her body to suck on them, groaning at the taste of her. “Goddamn,” he said, his voice hoarse with arousal. “You’re so fucking beautiful.”
Even Grady withdrawing his fingers gave her another little shiver. Dahlia felt like every nerve ending was sparkling, like she was made of champagne. And that was just the appetizer. She gave a low moan and stretched her arms up and one leg out next to Grady, the sound turning into a soft whine. “You have already spoiled me, ohmygod,” Dahlia murmured, the words low and dreamy. She laughed a little. “I’m ruined.” She lifted her head to smile down at him, then pushed herself up on her elbows and nudged Grady with her foot. “Come up here and roll over,” she told him. It was Grady’s turn to be spoiled for a little while, until Dahlia got impatient to have him inside of her again.
Grady took his time, letting his hand wander over Dahlia's skin, enjoying the soft feel of her beneath his palm. When he stretched out beside her, he kissed her deep, just eager to taste even more of her while he could. Sometimes he felt like a teenager with Dahlia, like he could just lay around and kiss her all night, let his body overheat and ache until he couldn't take it anymore. Not to mention kissing her for a few moments meant he could calm his own body down. The last thing he wanted to do was go off as soon as she touched him. That was another way he felt like a teenage boy, and far less pleasant.
Dahlia hummed into this kiss, returning it with enthusiasm as her hand smoothed down over his chest. Grady tasted like her pussy as well as himself, and she found that she very much enjoyed the combination. One of these nights she was just going to let him eat her out for as long as she could stand it and count how many times she could come on his tongue, but tonight she felt more generous than that. After a few moments of enjoying his mouth, Dahlia pulled away to press her lips against his jaw, then his neck, then down across his collar bone. Her hand wandered further south to lightly stroke at his groin and inner thigh, teasing his balls a bit as she trailed kisses down his chest.
It was like sinking into heaven with Dahlia's hands and lips on his body. Grady could only sink back into the mattress, his fingers slipping through her hair, just to be able to keep touching her. Sharp sparks of pleasure erupted in his gut the closer her hand seemed to get to his aching cock and Grady inhaled sharply, wanting to control himself from taking too much, too fast. It was beyond tempting to grab her hips and pull her onto his lap but instead, he watched her slipping down his body, her lips leaving a trail of fire along his skin. Being with Dahlia had woken up a deep-seated passion that Grady had long since forgotten about. Something he thought he could live without. Now he couldn't figure out why or even how he could have possibly thought that. It was like being alive in a way he hadn't been in so long.
He was such a delicious man in all sorts of ways, Dahlia rarely felt like she’d gotten enough of him. She only really felt that complete satisfaction for a few minutes after they were both sweaty and spent after some passionate lovemaking. Otherwise she found herself wanting him all the time. It was that high of a new lover, the honeymoon phase of whatever their relationship was, made even more intense by her empathic abilities. Dahlia was just as hooked on feeling Grady’s passion for her as she was her own. She could feel it now, a desperation for her to touch, lick, and suck him, or climb onto his lap and take him deep. The strength of desire and the blurred emotional lines almost made her feel like she had a needy cock herself sometimes, it was fun. Dahlia teased a bit longer, nuzzling Grady’s stomach briefly before her mouth found his erection. Tossing a dark-eyed glance upward, Dahlia settled on her knees between his legs and ran her tongue up the length of his shaft, humming low in her throat. She licked softly at the head before taking it between her lips for a gentle suck.
Grady sucked in a breath at that first delicious lick of her tongue against his cock. He had been wanting her all night and having to essentially keep his hands to himself had been a sort of foreplay in of itself. Dahlia was talented in so many facets of her life, this included. They hadn’t been dating terribly long but she already seemed to know exactly how to touch him. It drove him crazy in the best possible way. As heavy as his eyelids were, Grady kept them open to watch her, groaning at the erotic sight she made with his cock in her mouth. One hand slid into her hair again, his fingers flexing around her curls. As badly as his body ached to, he kept himself from thrusting his hips up, wanting to let Dahlia take things at her own pace.
It had taken fine tuning over the years, but Dahlia found that her empathy contributed a lot to her skill in the bedroom. It was easier to give people what they wanted when you could sense what they liked the most and how good it all felt. She appreciated that it would’ve been easy to tell with Grady anyway, he was an expressive lover, but that extra layer of confidence never hurt. Getting tingles from his grip in her hair, Dahlia inched her way into taking Grady deeper, until the tip of his cock touched the back of her throat. She gave a muffled moan around him, then pulled up to slowly bob her head over him. She loved the way that velvety skin slid between her lips, and Dahlia stroked him with her tongue, already thinking about how good he was going to feel in her pussy soon. She curled her fingers around the base of his cock to hold him as she sucked him a bit faster, loving how the tension built in his body.
Unable to keep them open, Grady's eyes seemed to roll back as his back arched a bit off the bed. Besides being buried deep inside of her, there was no feeling better than Dahlia's mouth. The low groans in his throat turned into desperate noises as Dahlia worked her magic on his cock and he could feel that all too familiar tingling in his balls as they drew tight. "Fuck," he groaned, tugging gently at her hair. "Gotta stop..." He was so close but he didn't want to come yet, not before he had a chance to be inside of her. Maybe he should have been able to hold off a bit and just lay there and enjoy what she was doing to him, but Grady had been worked up since they left the karaoke bar and he was honestly grateful he hadn't gone off as soon as he started licking her pussy. "C'mere," he breathed, trying not to rush but impatient arousal was throbbing inside of him now and he was desperate to feel her tight heat around him.
Dahlia loved to get him that close before she reeled it back, and the little pull in her hair made her core throb sweetly. It turned her on so much to make him feel as good as possible, and she adored hearing those breathy sort of curses come out of him. Dahlia lifted her head and crawled over top of Grady, wiping her mouth with the back of one wrist before she pressed her lips to his. She settled her knees on either side of his hips and slipped that hand between them to guide his cock into place. He might want to switch up their position soon so he could have more control, but Dahlia wanted to ride him for a few minutes first. With a slow, shaky exhale, she settled her weight down, his cock sliding smoothly into her. His mouth had felt incredible, of course, but there was nothing like that delicious stretch and deeply full feeling. Dahlia rolled her hips languidly, trying to keep the friction down for the moment to let them both adjust, and pressed soft kisses against his face.
It was like sliding into heaven, as cliche as Grady knew that was. Her body was hot and slick and Grady could feel his toes curl with his effort not to immediately start thrusting into her. But his hands rested comfortably on her hips, enjoying the way she moved over him. If he’d had a choice in how he was going to eventually leave this earth, this would have been the way he wanted to go. Everything about Dahlia served to turn him on and he still couldn’t get over the fact that he felt this alive now, after so many years of being so focused on everything else but himself. “Fuck,” he groaned, his hands sliding back to grip her ass. “You feel incredible.” He wanted to say more, maybe something romantic but his brain was twisted up in arousal and Grady began to push his hips up, wanting to get even deeper inside of her.
“Mmm, so do you,” Dahlia purred, nuzzling a bit in Grady’s beard. She could feel how good he was feeling, and it made her whole body tingle. Even though he’d already made her come once, so generously, she hoped he could last inside of her long enough for her to get there again. With the way she was feeling, it wasn’t going to take forever. Dahlia worked her hips to take him deep, moaning softly as the head of his cock rubbed that perfect spot. She pressed a few more kisses against his lips, then braced her hands against Grady’s chest and pushed herself up. It gave her better leverage to bounce her hips and grind against him, and provided a very nice view that made her feel like a goddess. Dahlia let her head fall back, letting the moans and whimpers flow as she rode Grady’s cock, careful to slow down when she felt him edging too close.
She might have felt like a goddess but she certainly looked like one too. He was nearly hypnotized by it, his hands gripping her hips before reaching up to squeeze her breasts firmly. It was like he couldn't decide which part of her body to touch next, he wanted all of it. Grady wanted this to last as much as Dahlia did so he was grateful every time she slowed the pace to keep him from falling over the edge, even if his body was starting to feel the impatient frustration from being denied what it wanted. Groaning low in his throat, Grady pumped his hips up, driving his cock into her even as one hand slipped down between them. His thumb found her clit and he rubbed firmly, trying to focus more on her pleasure again than his own, if only to keep this from ending too soon.
Dahlia loved feeling his hands all over her, wordlessly worshipful. Her breath caught a little as he pushed up deeper into her, then she sat back some as she felt his hand slip between them. Dahlia braced one hand behind her on his thigh and reached the other down to cover his, nudging his thumb to adjust the pressure a bit. She moaned in encouragement when they found the right level, and Dahlia started riding him harder. The change in angle rubbed that perfect sweet spot inside of her, and it didn’t take her long from there to reach her peak again. Dahlia cried out, her head thrown back and her body trembling deliciously as she throbbed around him. It wasn’t terribly difficult to make her come twice, but that second one was always intense enough to be so worth it.
Grady had never been one to be offended when a woman showed him what she wanted in bed. Even in high school he had always found it pretty damn hot. And more than anything, he wanted Dahlia to feel good, so he went with her encouragement, groaning when he could feel her body start to tighten around his. The pleasure was hot and racing down his spine, his balls drawing up against his body. Grady arched beneath her, driving his cock into her harder when he felt her start to come again. He was torn between watching her and letting go himself and Grady found himself stuck somewhere in between, a delicious, torturous limbo causing him to tremble before he tensed, grunting as he thrust again and spilled into her body. It was like being surrounded by a fucking goddess and Grady desperately wanted to stay awash in this feeling for as long as humanly possible.
Grady’s orgasm only seemed to drag Dahlia’s out, their bodies pulsing together in that beautiful human rhythm. A dazed grin on her lips, she kept rocking her hips to milk every last drop out of Grady, forcing her eyes open to drink in his blissful expression. Dahlia let her body go still once all those sweet shudders seemed over. She stretched her arms up over her head with a happy groan, then bent over Grady again to kiss him in between breaths. “Worth the wait,” she murmured, letting out a soft chuckle. She nuzzled his nose, not in any hurry to get off of him yet. Dahlia liked it up there. She loved it when he took control and climbed on top of her too ... really, she hadn’t found a single thing she didn’t like yet with him.
Grady exercised and he kept in pretty good shape but damn it felt like his heart was about to beat right out of his chest. Every inch of his body was satisfied, including his mind, and that wasn’t something that had happened for a very long time. Something about Dahlia helped Grady turn his brain off when he needed to the most. It still baffled him how he’d gotten this lucky. His hands ran over her flawless skin and he hummed deep in his throat when she nuzzled him. “Definitely worth the wait,” Grady agreed, pressing another kiss to her lips. “If I never moved again, I think I’d be content with that.”
Dahlia clucked her tongue and made a soft ‘aww’ sound, then tittered. “You’re in a good spot for it, I’ll take care of you,” she purred before kissing him a couple more times. She could sense how relaxed and content he was, and it made her insides positively glow. She was a bit reluctant to move herself, but she wanted to stretch out too, so Dahlia got off of Grady and laid down on her side next to him, snuggling up close. They would have to get cleaned up and dressed again eventually, but she wanted to enjoy all the bare skin while she could. Dahlia pressed her cheek against the front of his shoulder and let her fingers toy lightly with his chest hair. “You know those people who just ... randomly come into your life completely by surprise?” she murmured after a moment, smiling faintly. “You’re my favorite surprise person so far.”
Grady was content to lay there and kiss Dahlia for a while. His blood was cooling and he knew he was going to pass out and sleep like a baby. His body immediately missed the warmth of hers, but he slipped an arm around her when she pressed up against him, kissing the top of her head as she got comfortable. He grinned lazily when she spoke, his hand rubbing up and down her arm. "Yeah... I know those people. I've just never had too many in my life." Certainly not many who were good surprises. "You're definitely my favorite surprise person too. But if someone else comes in that threatens to take my place, let me know, yeah? I could probably use police intimidation to run them out of town."
She laughed and pressed a couple of soft kisses to his chest. “I will definitely keep you informed,” Dahlia assured him, smiling. She highly doubted that was a possibility -- she’d already gotten pretty damn attached to Grady, and her heart wasn’t that fickle. But Dahlia believed in being honest in relationships, so even though they were just joking around right then, she meant it. “I guess I’ve invited more of those people in than usual, moving around so often in my life,” she mused, and gave a little hum. “So you’ve had plenty of competition for favorite, and you win. Congratulations.” She grinned and nuzzled him some more, then turned her face up to kiss his jaw. “Maybe it’s the beard. It’s got magic in it.”
"Now you've got me scared to ever shave again," Grady said, reaching up with his free hand to scratch the facial hair at his chin. "Can't lose my magic." Even if they were teasing each other, it still felt nice to know Dahlia seemed as into him as he was with her. Grady never got too ahead of himself, generally practicing caution in most aspects of his life. But it felt like Dahlia was here for the long haul and he was grateful for it. Hopefully Jen would like her, when they finally met. "Are you happy here?" he asked Dahlia after a moment of thought. "Not here here, with me, but in this town?" She had moved around a lot and he wondered if she got restless here, wanting to take Elodie and move on.
Grady was probably more cautious by nature than Dahlia was, but she was old and experienced enough now to know better than to rush headlong into something really serious with someone she barely knew. She was aware that on some level she could really do what she wanted and leave a trail of broken hearts in her wake, but she was too empathetic to do that. She didn’t want to hurt Grady, he didn’t deserve that, so she was trying to move at his pace. So far it was all good and everything felt right, and that was all she needed for now. Dahlia pursed her lips a bit and pondered the question before she answered. “It wouldn’t be my first choice of place to live,” she admitted honestly. “But I’ve always thought that location is what you make of it, you know? I’ve had plenty of happy moments here, mixed in with unhappy ones, so I know this town isn’t like ... a complete black hole for joy.” Dahlia nuzzled his chest again and smiled coyly. “I enjoy parts of this place very much. What about you, are you actually happy here?”
Grady was sure some people would have disagreed with Dahlia. That Point Pleasant was nothing but a black hole. Maybe if she lived there long enough, she would start to agree with them. Grady hoped not. He liked that she seemed happy here and he obviously hoped she would stay for a while. He stroked his fingers down her skin again, smiling a touch when she nuzzled his chest. "I'm happy enough," he said after a moment of thought. "I find enough happiness here that I don't feel the urge to move, at least. That's probably not a glowing review of my hometown, but like most... it has its pros and cons." Some of which they had already talked about. Grady did think about leaving sometimes, but he wasn't sure if the town could handle a Sheriff who came in and didn't believe, or worse, didn't care.
‘Pros and cons’ seemed like an understatement, considering some of the things she’d heard about this town, but Dahlia didn’t sense any insincerity from Grady. He did like it here, which was good for a person so closely involved in the workings of the town, she supposed. Everybody needed sources of happiness though, no matter where they were, and Dahlia was glad Grady had some. She hummed and shifted enough to look up at him. “What about Jen, does she like it here? Is she going off somewhere to college, or think she’ll stick around?” she asked. She knew his daughter was probably a big factor in where he wanted to be, and she was curious whether Point Pleasant would still feel like home if Jen moved away.
The mention of Jen reminded Grady that he ought to text his daughter soon and make sure she was home and safe. In a minute though. He was warm and comfortable and Dahlia's weight next to his body was too nice to pull away from. "She likes it here," Grady said with a small nod. "If she didn't, she would have went back to Portland with her brother. I'd love for her to go somewhere for college but she's made it pretty clear she wants to stay for a while. She's got friends here and I think... maybe she has some sense of responsibility to make sure I'm not alone." He chuckled softly. "And now Dean is in town, so... depending on how long his visit lasts, I don't see Jen going anywhere anytime soon."
“That’s sweet,” Dahlia decided with a smile. She liked Jen already, even though they hadn’t met yet. She just hoped the feeling would be mutual once they actually did, and that the girl wasn’t one of those daughters who went overboard trying to protect her father. “So when do I get to meet her?” she asked, her gaze soft on Grady’s face. “Are you feeling any closer to ready for that?” She didn’t want to rush it or push him, but she also wanted him to know that she wasn’t in it just for intimate moments like these -- she wanted them to be a real part of one another’s lives. She understood caution when it came to involving children, but Jen was almost grown, so Dahlia thought there was probably more leeway there than if the girl was still a pre-teen or something.
It was sweet but it also made him nervous. He wanted Jen to be safe and that meant sending her far away from Point Pleasant. Unfortunately, he couldn't really tell her what to do at this point and he knew she would argue if he tried. "Soon," he promised with a small smile. "Maybe you can come over for dinner next week. I'm sure she'll want to meet you. Maybe you'll meet Dean too." Though he sounded less enthused about that. Not because Dean was an embarrassment but he knew his brother well enough to know he'd try to embarrass Grady. "If you want to do that, anyway. Might be easier than going out somewhere."
Dahlia could feel Grady’s worry about his daughter and his reluctance about his brother, but all that seemed pretty normal. She would’ve been reluctant to introduce him to any of her own family, but they were almost all total shitshows of human beings. “That sounds perfect,” Dahlia told him with a warm smile. “Just let me know when. I’ll bring some food too, if you want. Like a side dish and dessert, maybe.” She didn’t want to put the whole burden on Grady to put together a full dinner party, she knew how busy he was. Plus, it was always nice to show gratitude through food, that was how she’d been raised. “It’ll be great, I’m sure they’re lovely ... and I know I am.” Dahlia flashed him a grin and nipped playfully at his shoulder.
"You are," Grady agreed with a chuckle. Dean would tease him and probably flirt a bit with Dahlia… and Jen, well, she never came across as a young woman who would go out of her way to make someone Grady was seeing uncomfortable. Granted, Dahlia was the first since his divorce, but he was betting that Jen would be happy to see him happy, so he wasn't as nervous as he could have been. They would get a dinner night set up and just go from there. One step at a time seemed to be working pretty well for them both and Grady wanted to keep it that way.