Wifey Talk [COMPLETED, 18+]

Part fifty-four july19

SOFIA'S POV

As it turns out, James surprise-drove us up to New Jersey to fly in the hot air balloon ride he won at the auction.

Our pilot is an older gentleman named Tom with lots of experience. He seems very self assured. We get into the basket for an hour long ride, and I am surprised when we lift into the air and it feels completely smooth. As we begin to rise, the New Jersey landscape shifts into a stunning portrait. We fly over patches of farmland and lush green vegetation. There is a magnificent, glittering lake that's sparkling beneath us as we soar high. It doesn't even feel like we're ascending higher and higher. James and I take a picture together at his prompting in the basket.

I feel James' arm slip behind my back easily, almost as if it belongs there, and he holds me close while we smile for the camera. Then, I switch to taking photos of the scenery below.

"See? This isn't scary and thrill-seeking," I tell James.

"You do realize that I've been thinking of how many hot air balloon accidents there are in the world? People die from being in these," he says.

Something about his serious tone makes me laugh. "You're such a scaredy-cat James," I tell him. "What else are you afraid of—roller coasters? Scary movies?"

He pouts. "Roller coasters are terrifying. And so are horror movies!" I'm full on grinning now, and James rolls his eyes at me. "Shut up and enjoy the ride," he says.

At some point, I begin to shiver. James ends up shifting behind me and wrapping his arms around me to shield me from the cold. I lean back into his chest, looking out into the sky. The sky is a magnificent baby blue, and lots of little puffy clouds dot along its edge.

It seems like the hot air balloon ride goes by a lot faster than an hour, and when I touch the ground again, I'm disappointed it's over.

I look up at James. "Thank you for bidding on this even though you didn't want it. I really enjoyed it."

"Like I said, I just want to see you happy Sofia. Did you enjoy it enough for me to earn a kiss?"

I grin at him. Of course he wants a kiss from me. "Yes, you can have one kiss."

He leans in, and his lips brush mine with every word. "Guess I'll have to make it count then."

He presses his lips firmly against mine, and I run my hands through his hair, gripping the locks. The smell of his cologne has become familiar to me at this point, and I feel enveloped by his scent as his mouth moves against mine. He nips my lip, and I open for him so that he can taste me. My body burns as his hands slide down my figure to the curve of my butt, squeezing just so. We continue making out for several minutes, completely lost in each other. I'm the first one to pull away, breathing hard. James' chest rises and falls rapidly as he tries to catch his breath.

~~~~
JAMES' POV

After our hot air balloon date, I decide to take Sofia out for a nice dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. She tells me that I'm "lucky she packed something nice to wear" by happy accident because this place is really fancy. When I tell her she would have looked good in anything, she rolls her eyes at me.

Our waiter brings out some bread and butter, and I take in Sofia's sweet face as she sits by the candlelight. "How did you like the hot air balloon ride?" She asks me. "It wasn't as terrifying as you thought it would be—at least admit that," she says.

I grin. "Alright, fine. You win. It wasn't that scary. Although I was afraid we'd crash and die."

"Whenever we do activities like this together, why are you always afraid you're going to die? I would never put you in that sort of dangerous position," Sofia says.

I scoff. "What did you call shark diving then? Or paragliding for that matter?"

"Hey, you liked paragliding!"

"I was still scared!"

"James, anything worth doing is worth being afraid."

I sit there and think on that for a minute. She does have a point. Our waiter brings out our orders, and Sofia takes a bite of her fettuccine. I watch her eat, taking in the high cheekbones of her face and her full, pouty lips. She looks so kissable right now in the candlelight.

"What are you thinking about right now James?" She asks me.

My reply is instinctual. "How badly I want to kiss you."

Her fork clatters across her plate, and she blushes darkly.

"What?" I ask her. "Didn't see that coming?"

"No, I guess I didn't," she mumbles, not meeting my eyes.

"Sofia," I say, waiting for her to look up at me. When her brown eyes finally eat mine, I smile. "I am very much attracted to you. Are you not attracted to me?"

"Of course I am," she says, blushing.

"Then why does it surprise you that I would say something like that to you? Of course I want to kiss you—you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

She's so red that she's practically a sitting tomato. "I guess because you have so much experience. You've probably been with hundreds of women, and yet you say something like that to me of all people."

"Because it's true," I tell her.

She fidgets in her seat, and I realize she's holding back from saying something. "What is it?" I ask her.

"It's just—if you really want me that badly, then why can we try being exclusive?" Her voice comes out a low whisper.

I sigh. "I just think I would get bored and hurt you."

"You mean that you would cheat on me. You like things the way they are because it doesn't count as cheating, does it?" She says sharply.

"I'm not saying I think I would cheat on you. I just don't think I'm in a place where I want to be exclusive with anyone."

"Good to know," she says quietly. I can hear how hurt she is in her voice, and I want to kick myself for being such a dick. Why am I so afraid of committing to her? What's the worst that could happen?

The rest of dinner proves to be a silent, awkward affair that never really recovers from our discussion. On the drive home, Sofia says nothing. She goes to sleep right away. What stings the most—she doesn't bother changing into one of my shirts for bed. Instead, she keeps a white v neck of her own on and for once, sleeps in her panties.