Chapter Text
“I know it's late
I know you're weary
And I know your plans don't include me
Still, here we are, both of us lonely
Longing for shelter from all that we see
Why should we worry? No one will care, girl
Look at the stars now, so far away
We've got tonight
Who needs tomorrow?
We've got tonight, babe
Why don't you stay…?”
Johnny had just opened his laptop and was about to check his Facebook page when a knock came at the door. He wondered who it could be since his student Miguel had left with Samantha soon after speaking at the City Council meeting. Where they were headed was anybody’s guess, but he was sure it wasn’t his place. No one else ever dropped by at this hour, which immediately raised suspicions.
He set his beer down and rose cautiously, readying himself in case it was Kreese waiting on the other side. Johnny might have used the peephole to see who it was, but it hadn’t worked right since LaRusso kicked in his door a few months back. Not that he trusted the damned thing anyway. It had never afforded decent peripherals even before it got broken.
He cracked the door open enough to get a good look and was surprised to find Carmen standing there for the second time in one day.
“Oh, hey,” he said casually, trying not to let his relief show.
“Hey, Johnny. Is it too late?” she asked hopefully.
“No. No, come in. It’s alright.” He stepped back, realizing he was blocking her way. “Can I get you some juice or something?”
“Mmm,” she shook her head politely as she entered. “I, um… I heard what happened at the meeting.”
Now, her visit made sense. She wanted to hear the details of how her son had saved the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament from cancellation.
“Ah, you shoulda seen him,” Johnny remembered proudly. “Heart on his sleeve. Saying what needed to be said. He was a true champion.”
The kid had done a helluva job.
Carmen’s dark eyes sparkled when she smiled at him. It caused Johnny’s heart to melt, considering it was her encouragement that made him want to fight to preserve the tournament in the first place. Still, he knew her priority was Miguel’s safety, something he never wanted to risk.
“But don’t worry. I didn’t tell him he could compete again. I mean, I didn’t even know he was going to be at the meeting,” he swore. “Believe me, I had nothing to do with that.”
“Yes, you did,” she stopped him, her expression subtly changing from shared joy to something else. “You had everything to do with that.”
God, she was so lovely, and Johnny still harbored feelings for her he didn’t dare let show. A warmth bloomed deep in his chest at how she looked at him. It filled his thoughts with the same longing he’d tried to ignore for months. Yet he hesitated to make the first move. Instead, he hung there, almost paralyzed in suspense, waiting for some kind of sign.
The only warning she gave was when her gaze dropped briefly to his lips. Then Carmen struck first and stepped across that invisible barrier, making the decision for them both.
In a heartbeat, her mouth was against his. The force of the kiss nearly knocked him over. He recovered quickly when she buried her fingers in his hair and started walking him backward. Johnny wrapped his arms around the dark-haired beauty with matching enthusiasm and allowed her to take him where she would. Though as lost in the passion of this unexpected surrender as they were, the couple misjudged their location within the first few stumbling steps and collided with the living room wall hard enough to dislodge the flat-screen television.
Johnny could have sworn he’d anchored the damned thing. He had put the locking bar in place when he was finished mounting it, hadn’t he? Or had he been interrupted? The TV quickly answered his question by falling to the floor with a crash of shattering glass.
Oh, well. The truth was, he’d stopped giving a shit about it the second he felt the tip of Carmen’s soft, sweet tongue find his, distracting him from the minor disaster in the most pleasant way possible.
Locked together at the lips, they continued grappling each other close, trying to catch themselves as they spun and bounced off the hallway walls on the way to his bedroom. Johnny barely had time enough to slam the door shut behind them before they tumbled together onto his unmade bed in a tangle of arms, legs, and franticly searching hands.
His shirt was gone before he knew it, though he had no memory of when or how it had left him. Likewise, Carmen’s floral blouse ended up across the room with her bra following soon after, so quickly neither could say who’d taken what off who first.
Johnny ravished her neck, slipping a hand down the back of her undone pants to squeeze the luscious curves that filled his palm. He had to keep himself from marking her throat when his tongue found a tempting spot where her blood was close to the surface. His lips longed to latch on and suck there, but she couldn’t go home covered in love bites. Besides, he wasn’t some unschooled teenager on his first date in the backseat of a car. No. Johnny was a mature, fifty-one-year-old man with enough experience to know how to take a woman apart without leaving a trace behind.
He did leave her tiny silken panties in place, though, when he maneuvered Carmen onto her back and lifted her hips enough to slide the jeans off her long, tan legs. She rewarded him by wrapping them around his waist and pulling him closer until he was pressed against her. He could feel her heat radiating through the thin denim of his well-worn Levis. The feeling of being trapped inside them was almost unbearable until her hand snaked between their bodies, and she went to work on his zippered fly, mercifully releasing him.
Deft fingers found their way under the waistband of his straining boxer briefs, exploring and encircling him, making him bite back helpless moans at every welcome tug. Carmen withdrew long enough to take hold of his unbuckled leather belt. Determined, she pushed at his open jeans until the whole works, underwear and all, was finally down, bunched above the tops of his knees.
Johnny knew then he’d been right to leave those panties on her a bit longer when his most sensitive flesh came to rest against her satin-covered cleft, sliding against a silkiness that grew more slippery with every measured movement. In response, her manicured nails grazed from the tops of his shoulders all the way down to the small of his back. Then, her questing hands dipped lower to grab onto his muscular backside and press his hardness more firmly against her.
The sensation lit a fire within them. Still kissing fervently, their bodies found a rhythm, rocking together for a few moments in a way they both understood could never be enough.
His pants had to go. But as he kicked around, trying to work them the rest of the way off, he realized he still had one shoe on and two socks getting in the way. With a grumble of frustration, Johnny pushed himself off Carmen for the seconds it took to hurriedly strip away what was left of his clothes, nearly in a single frenzied motion.
He could see Carmen’s eyes travel over him appreciatively once he stood naked in the low light that filtered through his bedroom window. There was a siren’s call in the way she licked her lips and ran her hands along her body provocatively, waiting for his return. The message couldn’t have been any clearer.
Johnny let out a low, rumbling growl as he pounced back onto the bed, careful to keep his full weight off of her. He kissed her mouth thoroughly before gliding a series of gentle nips and desperate tongue swipes from her neck to her breasts, then downward along the center of her belly until he reached the place he hungered for most. He made short work of peeling her panties off before diving in with a single-mindedness that soon took her to the edge.
He could tell she was already close by the growing tension in her thighs and the way her honeyed flesh twitched and swelled beneath his flicking, probing tongue. With his arms wrapped around her hips, he added the pad of his thumb to the mix while his fingers spread her open, making Carmen gasp and squirm against a climax that seemed inevitable.
But before he could take her over the edge, she reached down between her legs and grasped his head in both hands, pulling him off.
“Johnny…” she panted. “Wait, wait, wait… Not yet.”
“Not yet?” he asked, raising his eyes to meet her heavy-lidded gaze, surprised that she’d stopped him. He didn’t think he’d misread the cues.
“I want to feel you in me,” she whispered urgently, still catching her breath. “Do you want that too?”
“Oh, yeah,” he grinned, rising up on his knees to settle back on top of her.
They kissed deeply, sharing her taste as he reached to position himself. But before he made the barest entry, a single thought caused him to pause.
“Uh, do we need to use something here?” he asked, trying not to break the mood.
Carmen sighed in his ear and nodded, “We should.”
“Okay. Um…”
Johnny had no problem with it, except he wasn’t sure what was left in his nightstand drawer. He calculated the last time he’d needed something like that and quickly realized whatever he had was probably out of date or at least close enough to it to not take the chance. How dependable was an expired condom anyway, he wondered?
“I, uh…” Johnny admitted, “I’m not sure what I have is still good.”
Carmen seemed unfazed by the news.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got this,” she said, tightening her legs around him and urging Johnny to switch positions until she was resting on top.
She reached over the side of the bed to snag her discarded blue jeans. He watched in fascination as she dipped into the front pocket of her pants and retrieved three condoms, fanning them out to show him with a flourish.
“Will these be enough?” she grinned playfully.
“Magnums, huh?” Johnny smirked, catching the XL on the gold wrapper’s logo with a touch of pride. He teased, “How did you know?”
She left two on the nightstand, then went to work, tearing the foil of the last packet open, smiling slyly. “I have eyes.”
Goddamn…
A surge of excitement pulsed through him, and he felt himself grow tighter in his own skin. She’d been thinking about this for a while, hadn’t she? Planning, preparing. The thought that Carmen had been checking out the way he was hung without his knowing was hotter than just about anything he could think of.
His breath caught as he watched her roll the lubricated condom onto him, leaving enough room at its reservoir tip. This was her show now. Or maybe it had been from the beginning. Whatever she wanted from him, he was ready, willing, and clearly begging for it.
Johnny rested his hands along her hips as she took control, positioning herself to take him in, one glorious inch at a time. He could feel her flesh parting around him, her body making way until Carmen let out a little cry of surprise when he bottomed out, buried to the hilt. He reveled in the singular sensation of being surrounded by her tight, living heat and the sight of her drunk on that fullness, ready to move. There was nothing else like it in the world.
It took a moment for her to adjust to his size, but they soon found a comfortable angle and pace that hit all the right places for them both. Carmen’s knees squeezed at his hips, making him feel like a stallion, her seat slapping rhythmically against his thighs as she rode him. She leaned forward, bringing her breasts closer to his waiting mouth. He caught her in his arms and sat up more so his tongue could swirl and draw on her, lavishing her nipples with all the attention they deserved.
Johnny knew she’d been close before and was glad he’d gotten her there because he wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to last. He could feel the pressure building already, the tingling, weighty tautness within him chambering up, getting ready to let go.
Carmen must have felt it, too, because she leaned back farther to the length of his arms and let him support her as she ground against him. The way her head fell to one side in ecstasy and her movements became more intensely focused told him he’d found the sweet spot inside of her.
She purred a string of Spanish, “Más duro, más rápido, más profundo…”
He didn’t understand all of it, but Johnny instantly knew the word more when he heard it. Holding onto her securely, he picked up the pace, practically lifting her off the mattress with his strong legs until they both froze together on one final climactic thrust.
Neither one moved. They were both lost in a moment of pure, vibrant sensation.
Then Carmen tumbled over the edge of their mutual orgasm, her inner walls clutching and plundering him until his own exquisite pleasure gathered, built, and shot outward in pulses so strong he had no doubt that she could feel them. A triumphant growl was torn from Johnny’s throat as he began to pump away until he’d spilled every last drop. And she answered his call with a low moan of satisfaction, eagerly taking in everything he had to give.
They stayed like that, locked together, riding out the last aftershocks until their strength nearly melted away. Then Johnny gathered Carmen into his arms and lay back on the pillows, taking her along with him as he fell.
He brushed the riot of dark curls away from her face to leave a sweet kiss on her temple. Carmen returned the sentiment by pressing her lips over his thundering heart. Then she let out a sigh of contentment as she settled in, resting her cheek against his chest.
Johnny glanced at the clock by his bed. Had it really been less than twenty minutes between her unexpected kiss and this mind-blowing finale? Was it possible they’d torn through their first time together with such desperate, long-overdue abandon?
Maybe he should have invited her in after their one and only date months before, Johnny pondered. He could have told Robby to take his drunk girlfriend back to her Dad that night and saved them all a lot of trouble. Or he could have set off a whole new chain reaction of problems by doing so, his cynical, world-weary side reminded him.
Not that he was complaining.
Despite the odds against them, he and Carmen had finally come together. Now, here they were, lying blissed out in his bed, feeling boneless and spent, without anyone or anything trying to drag them apart.
What more could he ask for?
He could feel himself getting softer as the seconds passed. Despite wanting to stay right where he was, one thing was becoming increasingly necessary. Johnny reached to hold the base of his condom in place and slowly withdrew from her warmth. The room’s coolness hit him immediately and made him miss her all the more, but there was something else he needed to do.
“I should get rid of this,” he whispered in the dark, “go get cleaned up a little.”
Carmen nodded in understanding despite the small snuffle of disappointment she made. She snuggled close against his chest briefly, petting him before rolling off so he could leave the bed and head for the bathroom.
She was lying on her side, facing away, when he returned. He kissed her tenderly on the shoulder after slipping under the covers behind her. Johnny gathered her supple curves against himself, and she pulled his arms around her even tighter. They lay together like that for long minutes, neither wanting to let the other go. But there were matters she probably also needed to attend to after making love.
“I left you a clean towel and washcloth,” he murmured near her ear.
“Mmm…” she sighed, languidly stretching her body as she turned in his arms. “Thank you, Johnny.”
She blinked slowly at him, smiling when she nuzzled his nose with hers. Carmen gifted him with a kiss on its tip, then reluctantly rose and headed out of the bedroom.
Johnny watched her leave, appreciating every feminine bounce and jiggle as she walked away. She was perfection. Strength, kindness, and grace wrapped up in one beautiful soul. He could hardly believe what they’d just done together. It both filled him with joy and frightened him in equal measure. He didn’t yet know what he ultimately wanted from their relationship or whether there was anything else he dared ask her for.
He only knew he didn’t want this night to end.
When Carmen returned, she stopped at the doorway to simply lean against its frame and watch him for a moment. The way she looked at him made his heart skip a beat at the possibilities. But when she quietly began to gather her clothes where they’d been scattered in haste, he heard a voice in his head warn, Don’t let her go…
“Hey, what are ya doin’?” Johnny asked gently.
Carmen hesitated. “It’s late, and you should get some sleep. I don’t want to impose.”
“You’re not imposing,” he insisted, leaning on one elbow to face her.
“It’s okay, Johnny. I know you weren’t expecting any of this,” she continued. “You don’t have to invite me to stay.”
Jesus, what kind of conversation had she been having with herself between their respective trips to the bathroom? Had he given her the wrong impression? Or was she trying to protect her heart the way he always did - by cutting and running?
He tried a different tack. “Didja ever think I might want to?”
“Want to what?” she asked, busying herself with retrieving her shoes.
He tried to sound nonchalant. “Maybe I want you to stay.”
“Maybe?” she cocked an eyebrow at him, the corner of her mouth curling.
It wasn’t going to be that easy. Johnny would have to say what he really meant out loud if he had any hope of convincing her.
He took a deep breath and simply said what was in his heart, “Please don’t go…”
His voice sounded more vulnerable than he usually allowed himself to be, but it was too late now.
Her expression softened as his words landed. His sincerity must have touched her because when she came to his side of the bed, she dropped the clothing she’d gathered over the arm of a chair. Then she turned to stand naked in front of him, waiting patiently for whatever came next.
Johnny didn’t have to be told twice. Moving to make room, he lifted a corner of the blanket he was under and asked her to join him there.
“C’mere, sweetheart,” he smiled shyly. “I want you to stay. Okay?”
With that, Carmen climbed into bed, melted in his arms, and wrapped herself around him like she might never let him go.
Johnny held her tight, more relieved than he could have imagined. He peppered kisses all over her shoulders and face, cherishing her like the angel he knew she was.
“Thank you, baby,” he whispered against her ear, letting his long, thick fingers toy with her curls.
“No,” Carmen stopped him, taking his cheeks in her hands, kissing his brow, his nose, then finally his lips. “You don’t need to thank me for something I’ve wanted all along.”
“Really?” he asked, surprised by her confession.
She nodded, a dimpled smile lighting her face. “I’m just glad we finally found our way to each other.”
“Me, too,” Johnny rumbled, his voice growing deeper with emotion. “Wherever we go from here…”
“Whatever this means…” she added.
“We’ve got tonight,” he nuzzled against her neck, feeling a peace he didn’t know existed until now. “That’s all that matters.”
Carmen nodded, her hands languidly stroking over his shoulders and back. “Tonight is ours.”
“Yes, it is…” he dove in for another kiss, capturing her lips with his, ready to make the most of it for as long as he could.
“We've got tonight
Who needs tomorrow?
We’ve got tonight, babe
Why don’t you stay…?”