happy belated Valentine's 😏😌 mildly nsfw (but not particularly explicit)!
Long days at work were nothing new to you, but they still never failed to leave you frustrated, particularly now that it was Valentine's Day. It was Valentine's Day, and you wanted nothing more than to spend time with Carl, but now there wasn't even enough time left in the evening for you to have a proper night out.
But the sight of Carl's familiar boxy Pajero parked in your driveway still made you smile. You could see the lights were on, the silhouette of him blurry but visible through the thin fabric of the living room curtains. Maybe you could make a night of it after all.
Your keys jangled in the lock as you slipped inside, already beginning to feel better at the thought of spending time with him. Carl always seemed to know exactly what to say or do to make you feel better; he really was a sweet man, for all the sexually-charged swagger he exuded.
There were signs of life all around the kitchen, when you looked around - a small set of dishes neatly piled in the sink, place settings laid out for two on the table, the warm light of the oven revealing a full casserole dish baking inside. But there was no Carl to be seen, so once you'd shrugged off your jacket and put down your bag you ventured further inside.
After poking your head into a few more doorways you finally found him, standing in the bathroom; the room was dim, lit only by the small ring of candles set up around the bathtub, casting their golden light against the porcelain. Crimson petals were scattered artistically over the tiled floor and the rim of the tub, with a handful more floating delicately in the bath he'd just finished running.
Carl's face lit up at the sight of you; he pulled you close and kissed you firmly, just as passionately as if you'd been wearing the world's sexiest lingerie instead of your work clothes. It stole your breath away, and when he pulled back all you could do was blink up at him, thoroughly enchanted, a delicate smile slowly spreading across your lips.
Still in his arms, you looked around the room at the tableau he'd so sweetly set up for you.
It was simply perfect, in a word. The hot bath, the candles, the roses - it was all so thoughtful and tender. There was a wooden board laid across the bathtub, another candle flickering merrily there too; two empty wine glasses flanked it on either side, joined in turn by a sealed bottle of champagne.
It was difficult to believe he'd set all this up just this evening. All for you, it seemed as he gestured for you to make yourself at home in the bath - you took him up on the offer gratefully and it wasn't long before you slid into the warm water, breath hitching at the way his gaze turned molten at the sight of your body.
"Aren't you going to join me?" you asked, a playful smile dancing around your lips as you shifted forwards to leave just enough space for him. And Carl didn't waste any time in undressing, raising his eyebrows at you flirtatiously when you didn't try to hide your clear admiration of him either.
He soon sank chest-deep in the water behind you, his arms wrapping around your waist as he pulled you back against his bare body. He was warm and comfortable, and you shifted to rest wholly in his embrace. You could feel the steady thud of his heartbeat against where your ear pressed against his sternum, lulling you into a peaceful calm you hadn't realized you so desperately needed in that moment.
"Thank you for doing all this," you said, settling your cheek against the warmth of his chest with a soft sigh and closing your eyes. Carl hummed softly in response, gently leaning down to kiss the top of your head. With every gentle caress his hands made against your back and arms you could feel the tension seeping away from you, the tightly-wound stress that had been gnawing at you more than you'd realized.
"Put yourself completely in my hands, sweetheart." Carl's voice was low and heated in your ear. It sent a shiver through your entire body, and when you met his gaze the fire in those warm green eyes made you feel fuzzy and light-headed. Mouth suddenly feeling dry, you nodded, pressing a tiny kiss to his collarbone before moving to face away from him again.
Carl leaned forward with you, pressing his hand flat against your stomach and shifting it lower, inch by tantalizing inch, until finally it dipped between your thighs. Your head fell back against his chest, and he pressed a soft kiss against your temple, one arm holding your waist tightly as if to stabilize you while the fingers of the other moved in sure, deft circles that made you whimper. He always was so good with his hands that it made your head spin, and by now he knew your body so well that he didn't even have to think twice about which buttons to push or how hard to press them.
You couldn't help but grab onto his forearm for support, hips shifting and rolling to meet his hand as the back of your head pressed harder into his shoulder. With his free hand Carl guided your cheek towards him, kissing you deeply as he continued to thoroughly work you free of all your stress and discomfort - and it didn't take much for you to cry out into his lips, body shuddering out your pleasure in his arms as he guided you through it firmly, skillfully, tenderly.
After a moment Carl pulled his fingers away, planting one last kiss to your temple. Still feeling like your heart was about to beat out of your chest, you reached out behind you, down into the water towards him - but he gently stopped you with a hand on your arm, pressing his lips to a delicate spot behind your ear and drawing you back, closer into his warm embrace. It made you feel loved and protected in a way that made your chest flutter with a warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature of the bath.
"There's plenty of time for that later," he whispered, trailing feather-light kisses down the side of your neck and nuzzling his face into the notch between neck and shoulder.
"Thank you again for all of this," you said, finally finding your voice as you turned to snuggle into his bare chest. "You're wonderful, and I'm lucky to have you." Your palm pressed flat into his skin, fingers stroking idly at the damp smattering of hair you found there. Carl just nodded, resting his chin on top of your head as he sighed.
"I'm lucky too, beautiful. You're my bullseye, you know that."
You did know that, and it made you flush all over every time you remembered it. A smile settled onto your lips and made itself at home there.
There was a faraway chime, presumably from the kitchen, and Carl's chest rumbled beneath you as he spoke.
"Come on love, we should probably make it out of this bath at some point. You must be hungry?" Before you could respond he was sitting up, grinning down at you. "And I can't wait to show you what I've got set up in the bedroom." He flashed you a wild wink and as your cheeks warmed and your heartbeat picked up speed, you couldn't help but reach up to pull him into a tender kiss that you hoped spoke of all your thanks and appreciation for him.
"I can't wait." And you couldn't wait for him to find out that you'd taken the time earlier in the day to pick up a special pair of lingerie, but that was another thing entirely.
