Title: Love Runs Deeper: Chapter Eight, Splash
Rating: PG-13 [mild language, drugs]

Summary: With Lindsey's break coming near an end, the couple spend some more quality time together and get to know each other better. And Lily answers his question from the previous chapter.





Lying on the couch on her stomach, her right arm trailing off so that her fingertips could touch the carpet, Lily dozed as Lindsey played his guitar. She did not know the songs he played, if they were even songs, but she loved his playing. A small smile teased her lips, her toes tapping the armrest in rhythm with his. The beat changed as he shifted into a song, his eyes focused on her. With a smile, he began to sing along with his own playing. Lily instantly sat up, her eyes focusing on his. Grinning, Lindsey winked and continued to sing.

As he played the last note of the song, letting it hang in the air for a long moment, Lily quickly broke into applause, “That was fantastic, Linds.”

“You liked it?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I know I don’t know much about music, but… I really felt that song. I don’t know if it was your voice or the guitar or both. It was just… amazing, Lindsey.”

He set his guitar down and moved over to the couch, slipping behind her. With little thought, Lily laid back down, shifting slightly so that her head was in his lap. Lindsey’s fingers dropped to her hair, releasing it from the braid and gently playing with it. Her eyes fluttered close with his caress, her lips smiling once more.

“You are so beautiful,” he muttered softly.

“Nuh uh,” she mumbled in response, her eyes remaining closed.

“It’s a fact,” he declared strongly. “Do you really think I play and sing for just anyone?”

“Yes, you’re a rock star,” Lily answered.

Lindsey smirked, “Yes, but they don’t get the intimate performance you do.”

“Then why are you wearing clothes right now?”

His breath caught in his throat. She had never alluded to sexuality before. Granted they had not known each other long, but other than a few shared kisses, they were not physical. Oh he looked at her, certainly, imagined her nude, but this was not something he expected at all. He did not know how to respond. Was it a test? What was the correct answer?

“Um…”

Her eyes opened and she looked up at him, “I’m not serious. I know intimate doesn’t necessarily mean… you know.”

“Doesn’t mean what?”

“You know…” her cheeks turned bright red and she looked away.

“What do you mean, Lily?” he pushed, beginning to smile.

Her voice was barely a whisper, “Sex.”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

Lily sat up, her eyes going to his, “Sex.”

He grinned and quickly kissed her, “You’re adorable.”

She blushed again, “I…”

“What?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

Lindsey kissed her again, “You are so adorable.”

“I…”

His lips touched her briefly, “Can I ask you something? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Lily nodded slightly.

“How… experienced are you?”

She stared at him blankly, “You mean… with… you know?”

He nodded, “Sex.”

Her eyes left his and a flush once more filled her cheeks, “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I… I don’t know, Lindsey,” she stated, her eyes flicking to his briefly.

“I don’t understand, Lil.”

She sighed, “I don’t… I don’t want to talk about it.”

“O….kay,” Lindsey replied. “Do you swim? We could go swimming tomorrow.”

“I… I haven’t been in a very long time. And I don’t have anything to swim in.”

“That we can easily solve. If you think you would enjoy it, I’d like to take you swimming,” he declared.

Lily nodded slowly, “I would like that.”

He kissed her forehead, “Then tomorrow we’ll go swimming.”



Holding a robe tightly about her body, Lily stepped out of the locker room. Her golden eyes looked around the large pool, grateful to not see anyone else splashing about in the water. While previously she had not cared much about how she looked, other than fitting in with whatever the dress code declared, two days of clothes shopping with Lindsey had changed her perspective. While her new wardrobe fit better than she thought clothes could fit, she knew she was underweight; the doctor had confirmed as much. Shopping for the swimming suit she now hid under the robe had been twice as painful. Luckily, Lindsey had opted to return to the same shopping assistant as before so she did not have to face another woman’s negative reaction to her body in her quest to find a flattering suit. Regardless, she still felt uncomfortable in the garment.

A hand touched her upper arm, practically making her jump. Lily turned quickly and met Lindsey’s blue eyes. A small, nervous smile curved her lips. He quickly grinned and kissed her, his fingers grasping the tie of her robe but not pulling.

“Ready to swim?” he asked softly.

“I… I’m not sure,” she muttered.

Lindsey kissed her again, “I promise to not let you drown.”

Lily smirked, “That’s not really what I’m worried about.”

“Then what?”

“Lindsey, I’m…” her eyes dropped to the tiled pool surround.

He slowly tugged on tie, releasing the bow. Separating his hands, Lindsey slowly parted the robe. He took a step backwards, his gaze dropping to look at her figure. His breath caught and his shorts tightened slightly. She wore a simple black, one-piece suit, which dipped down in the front slightly with a sweetheart neckline. The fabric gathered slightly at the bust, giving the illusion of a larger bustline. He had not been certain about her wearing black, fearing it would wash her out. Yet despite her pale complexion, golden hair and eyes, Lindsey thought the black sexier than he imagined before.

“Sexy,” he finally commented.

“I…”

“Come. Let’s swim,” he enfolded her hand in his, leading her towards the steps into the shallow end.

After depositing their towels on a lounge chair and convincing Lily to remove the robe fully, Lindsey headed into the pool. Lily followed closely behind, biting her bottom lip. She sat on the steps while he fully immersed himself and began to swim the entire length of the pool. Her eyes followed his fluid movements through three laps before he stood up and approached her. She shook her head as he held out his hand, beckoning her to join him. With a quick, soft plea from his lips, she slowly got to her feet and stepped fully into the pool, slipping her hand into his.

Circling her with his arms, Lindsey kissed her sweetly before asking, “Don’t you want to swim?”

“I… I thought it was something you wanted to do, so I agreed to coming along,” Lily admitted.

He frowned slightly, “Do you not swim?”

“Not like you. I know how to not drown. That’s about it.”

“Come with me. I probably can’t teach you to be a pro swimmer,” he winked, “but I think we can get you to feel a bit more comfortable in the water.”

Lindsey kissed her again quickly before pulling away and slowly stepping towards the deeper water. Her hand on his shoulder, Lily followed, her blood pressure rising. He stopped when the water nearly reached the swell of her breasts and turned to face her. She bit her bottom lip as their eyes met, her fingers remaining clutching his shoulders. His lips touched her forehead, nose, and then lips.

“Can you float on your back?” he asked.

“What?”

Lindsey looked at her for a long time, “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

“Lean back. I’ll support your weight,” he declared.

Hesitating for a moment, Lily slowly began to lean back. She closed her eyes as she felt his hands on her back. One hand slowly traced down her spine and guided her legs up. With one hand supporting her back and the other slipping under the curve of her knees, Lindsey balanced her near the surface of the water. He softly muttered to her, urging her to relax.

Taking deep breaths like he instructed, she momentarily panicked as he removed his hands. Instantly her body began to sink. Expecting this, Lindsey’s hands returned to her body, lifting her back up. Slowly his hands came together, supporting her floating by gently touching the very slight curve of her ass. She relaxed again and he lowered his hands. It took her a few minutes to realize he no longer touched her and sank into his hands.

Lindsey guided her back into floating and smiled. As he pulled his hands away, a pair of young girls entered the pool room. With her ears immersed, Lily did not notice and he hoped to keep her focus away from them. However, it did not last because both of the girls jumped into the pool a minute later, the splash and ripples surprising Lily and making her instantly panic and sink. Lindsey quickly scooped her up, pulling her close to him as she coughed on the water.

Arms wound tightly about his neck, Lily looked towards the disturbance, still coughing. He felt her arms tighten even more as she realized others had joined them in the pool. Reading her actions, Lindsey headed towards the steps. His arms did not release her until he stepped out of the water. Before she could protest, he wrapped her in a towel and quickly dried her. He dried himself as she tied the robe tightly over her suit once more.

“Maybe we can come back later or tomorrow and practice some more?” Lindsey suggested, taking her hand and leading her to the door, the other girls giggling in the pool.

“If you want,” she responded.

He paused just inside the door and kissed her deeply, in part to entertain the girls watching, before muttering, “Shall we go out for lunch or stay in?”

Her eyes searched his for a long moment, “Let me think on it while I shower?”

“Of course, Lil.”



Lounging on the couch with Lily in his arms, wishing he could light up another joint but not doing so, Lindsey looked down at the waifish woman. After swimming and showering, they had lunched downtown, he bestowing another bundle upon her of flowers. Seeing the light in her eyes with flowers in her hands made Lindsey smile brightly. He wanted to keep her surrounded by flowers all the time, just to see her smiling.

Pivoting, her eyes left the TV screen to meet his, “What are you thinking?”

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“That I love how flowers make you smile and want to keep you surrounded by them all the time.”

Lily grinned, “That’s sweet.”

“Not as sweet as you,” he muttered before leaning in for a kiss.

She closed her eyes and enjoyed the kiss for a long moment, before cuddling with him again, “So I haven’t given you an answer yet.”

“Hmmm?” his thoughts were completely focused on the hand on his chest.

“About working for you.”

“Oh, yes, that. What’s your answer?”

Lily remained silent for a long moment, “Yes. I’ll take the job.”

Lindsey instantly grinned and hugged her a bit more tightly, “It will be great. You’ll see.”

“I’ll be with you, so I don’t see how it can’t be,” she responded.

He leaned in for another kiss, “I promise you that the dark days you’ve seen are behind you. Everything is going to get better and better.”

“I believe you.”

“Well then tomorrow we should see what kind of supplies you’ll need,” he declared.

“What do you mean?”

“Calendars, pens, um… things like that,” Lindsey answered.

“Oh, okay,” Lily replied. “Whatever you think, Linds.”

He kissed her quickly, “I think you’re beautiful.”

She flushed slightly, shifting on the couch to face him better, “I don’t understand you. At all.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t understand how you can sweep me off my feet like you have. How you can take care of me the way you have and I’m practically a stranger,” Lily explained. “It seems so… I don’t know. Fairy tale like. These kinds of things don’t happen to regular people. These kinds of things don’t happen to me.”

His fingers traced along her jawline, “They do. They are.”

She smiled, “I don’t understand what I did to deserve this.”

“I know I don’t know everything about you, Lil, but what I do know… you are most certainly deserving a break in your life. These past couple of days… are not how it will always be. Recording this album is likely to be… difficult. And I will warn you: I tend to get so absorbed in making music that I forget about everything else. And touring… I’ve told you how crazy touring is. I’m glad that I’ve been able to worship you and spend this time devoted to you, but… it sadly will change,” he confessed. “It doesn’t mean that you’ll be any less important to me. I just get… crazed.”

“I… get that. I mean, I think I do. I’m glad you have something you’re so passionate about. I don’t know what that’s like, but I hope I’ll be able to make your life a little easier once it all starts,” she declared, her smile fading some.

“I’m certain that you will,” he leaned forward and kissed her. “Absolutely certain that you will.”

She smiled a bit more, “I’ll try.”

Lindsey kissed her again instead of saying anything. His fingers left her chin, gently tracing down her neck. His hand rested on her shoulder for a few minutes as his tongue slipped between her lips. His arms circled around her body, pulling her into a tight embrace. Fingers tracing down her back, Lindsey cupped her small ass and pressed her even closer to him.

Feeling his body press against hers, Lily gasped. Her body reacted as expected, becoming flushed and aroused, but her mind fought against it. Fear and panic doubled her heart rate, not excitement. She pulled quickly out of the kiss, her fingers prying his off her body. Before Lindsey could circled her in his embrace and keep her near him, Lily stumbled out of his lap, falling backwards into a nearby armchair. She quickly pulled her knees to her chest, burying her face from his view.

Certainly not expecting that reaction at all, Lindsey remained on the couch, trying to figure out what had happened. She returned his kisses with as much emotion and fire as he had. Her body molded to his perfectly. His body naturally reacted, his cock swelling slightly. However, he was not even fully aroused, certainly was not any more. Her reaction instantly concerned him, quieted his desire.

“Lily?” he spoke softly, moving from the couch to kneel in front of her. “Sweetheart?”

She shook her head but did not say anything.

“Lily, sweetheart, everything is okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” he vowed softly.

“I… I…” she muttered, glancing up at him.

He gently touched her knees, “I will never, ever hurt you, Lily. I promise. You have no reason to fear me at all. Ever.”

“I… I… I’m sorry, Linds.”

He stretched forward and kissed her forehead, “It’s okay, sweetie.”

“I… I just haven’t… I mean I’m… Before…”

He kissed her forehead again, “It’s okay, Lily.”

“I just haven’t had… many good experiences with… men. I don’t… I mean… I…”

“Relax, sweetheart. You don’t need to explain it to me right now. I understand. It’s okay,” Lindsey assured her.

She sighed, “I don’t… you deserve… I…”

“Shhh,” he moved to his feet and carefully embraced her. “We’ll take things as slow as you need to, Lily. As slow as you need to.”