Nancy wore a soft indigo dress that hit just above the knee, which Ned definitely appreciated. The neckline wasn't too low, but depending on the angle of her shoulders and the way the light fell, he was fascinated all the same, watching the pendant on her necklace roll and return to the faintly gleaming valley between her breasts. The movie theater was warm; the air conditioning unit was chugging away valiantly, but the vague, occasional breath of icy air did little to combat the close, humid atmosphere. When his skin touched Nancy's, it immediately felt tacky.
He had no idea what the plot of the movie was. He was just grateful to be spending time with her that didn't involve either of them tackling or being tackled.
But she seemed a bit distracted, and he wasn't sure why. Maybe she had changed her mind about their room.
God, he hoped not. He had daydreamed about it, dreamed about it, planned and re-planned it so many times. They weren't able to find time alone all that often, especially now, and the planets had seemed to align for tonight. He wasn't sure why she had picked a place so far away from home, but that also meant their parents would be unlikely to find out about their little white lies regarding their whereabouts.
For his part, Ned didn't really see the issue. He and Nancy were engaged. They really were going to be doing some wedding planning and venue scouting; the latter would be online, and the former would involve the wedding night more than the ceremony, but still. If their parents honestly believed they were going to spend a chaste night together, Ned wouldn't say anything to contradict that.
Nancy gathered her hair into a ponytail and swiftly wrapped an elastic around it. Ned watched it cascade down to her shoulder blades in a sleek sweep, and then Nancy was glancing over at him with a small smirk on her face.
"Watch the movie, Nickerson."
Ned just shook his head. "Just admiring your earrings," he said. They were diamond studs he had given her, and when he reached over and touched one, his thumb brushing her earlobe, she shivered. The strobing light from the projector caught the fine down of her hair, and Ned smiled.
God. He loved all of her, every part of her, every bit of her. Whenever he remembered it, he marveled at how incredible it felt to know that she'd said yes. She would be his wife, and not at some vague, ill-defined point in the future. The date was set, the invitations sent. They would make a home together. They would wake up together, fall asleep together.
What little he'd retained from the movie was entirely gone when they walked out together, holding hands. A storm had passed through, and for probably half an hour deafening thunderclaps had periodically shaken the walls. The parking lot was dotted with puddles, turned opaque by reflected light. He had expected the storm to sweep the air clean, but it was just as stifling as it had been when they had walked in, so hot that tendrils of steam seemed to rise from the shining black asphalt.
"You gonna tell me what's on your mind?" Ned gave her hand a gentle tug and sent it swinging with his. "Changed your mind about tonight?"
She shook her head. "Not about that," she replied, and flashed a glance in his direction. Her eyes were dancing, although he could still see the tension in the set of her muscles. The white flowers printed on her dress reflected orange from the lights outside the theater.
They slid into her car, and she sighed. "Remember that wedding shower last week?"
Ned grinned. He didn't, since he had pointedly not been invited, but he'd definitely been aware of it. Every shower, every event she attended, every decision, felt like it was cementing her choice to marry him, and when she didn't express nervousness or second thoughts, he was grateful all over again. "I remember that it happened."
"Yeah. Your aunt... has a weird sense of humor."
His aunt was significantly younger than his parents, and he'd forgotten she had been invited. "She does," Ned agreed, gazing steadily over at his fiancée, who was definitely looking away from him. "What happened?"
Nancy took a breath, as though buying herself some time. Then she reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. The flap was already ripped.
Ned pulled out a printed rectangle of cardstock. As he read it, his eyebrows rose.
Her expression had become something like a smirk, but only faintly, when he glanced over. "Sorry. Is that why we're here?"
She nodded. "This seems to be the only one, and..." She shrugged. "I mean, we don't have to use it."
"Of course we do," Ned replied. Then he relaxed his expression. "We don't have to get anything—intense, with it."
She smiled briefly. "At least the place isn't in Chicago."
"True. I would say that she did this intentionally, but I'm sure that wasn't it."
Fancy Nancy's. The sign over the shop featured a blonde woman, her shoulders bare and the rest of her left to the imagination, her expression like that of a sultry speechless model gyrating on a muscle car's hood in an '80s hair-band video. Her eyeshadow and the hairstyle looked that out of date, anyway.
When Ned realized that Nancy was parking her car facing out, he laughed. She shot a withering stare at him. "What?"
"Planning a quick getaway?"
"Don't want anyone to spot my license plate," she replied.
"Anyone admitting to seeing you here would have to admit being here," Ned pointed out.
"A fine distinction I doubt my father would take into consideration."
Ned tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement. "Seriously. I'm fine going in here with you, but we don't have to. You don't seem enthused about it."
She turned off the ignition and sat back. "This just... feels like a place we hadn't quite naturally reached yet," she said slowly. "I don't know. I guess I sound like a prude."
He reached for her hand. "Nah, I get it," he said, and laced his fingers between hers. "It'll be a funny story. We can find something ridiculous and send it to her. This doesn't have to be—awkward, or weird."
This smile was slow, genuine, and she searched his eyes. "You're incredible," she said softly. "You have to know that, but... you are. There's no other man I can ever imagine living with, sharing my life with. And every day you reassure me that I made a good choice."
He grinned briefly. "You're already gonna get lucky tonight, babe. You don't need to butter me up."
She leaned across the console and gave him a quick, hard kiss. "Love you too."
He reached for her, cupping the back of her head, and drew her back to him for a long, deep kiss. When they parted, he could feel her breath on his cheek, and there were stars in her eyes.
"I love you more than words," he told her softly. "Let's find some edible underwear in your size."
She wrinkled her nose and gently batted at him. "Get inside before I lose my nerve."
"That sounds very familiar."
"Ned!" She rolled her eyes. "We'll have to see if they have edible underwear in your size."
Ned reached for her hand as she locked the car, and they walked to the door. "Don't threaten me with a good time."
--
Nancy hadn't really known what she was expecting, honestly. Something tasteful, understated, with a lot of classy brown recycled-paper boxes? Some mood lighting, the gentle bubbling of water over rocks, New Age music piped in to set a mood...
"You think maybe they have an organic section?"
"Small batch hand-poured silicon, of the finest texture."
"All post-consumer-recycled ingredients."
Their gazes locked and Nancy and Ned dissolved into laughter.
The store was just as... obvious... as the sign out front. One wall displayed video cases with covers Nancy couldn't actually process. There were shelves full of garishly-colored toys. She saw creams, lubes, condoms. A small variety of outfits in assorted sizes hung from racks near the front: frilly, flounced red with sequins that reminded Nancy of a half-forgotten dance recital; a pair of feather-embellished angel wings; a lightly dusty French maid uniform that looked like it wouldn't be able to stand up to a few hours of wear, much less any real maid duties.
Nancy hiccuped and smoothed an escaped lock of hair behind her ear. "Where should we start?"
"What do you feel like?"
Nancy shrugged. She had to force herself to make eye contact with Ned, but when she did, he wasn't leering or looking at her with pity. "Do they have a 'beginner' section?"
Ned smiled. "I can work with that note."
No one else was in the store, other than a bored clerk whose gaze was fixed on a phone screen. Nancy was grateful, even though she and Ned were so far away from River Heights that it had already been unlikely they would see anyone who could possibly recognize them, but even a stranger seeing them here would have been... not great.
Ned's thumb stroked down the side of Nancy's hand as they strolled toward a section that looked pretty safe.
He was the only guy she had ever slept with, the only guy she ever planned on sleeping with. She and Ned had transitioned to this phase of their relationship about six months ago, so it wasn't like tonight would be their second time together, like she was still anxious. But being here brought all her insecurities into stark relief for a moment. Ned had never mentioned toys. They used lube and condoms, and that was it. While Nancy always enjoyed having sex with her boyfriend—fiancé—and had always thought that he enjoyed it too, being here did make her wonder whether she wasn't inventive or exciting enough. If this was what counted for exciting.
But then, Ned hadn't bought the certificate or invited her to come here tonight.
Nancy looked over at Ned until he glanced over at her, and she studied his handsome face. He looked relaxed, comfortable, but that glint of humor danced in his dark eyes. She saw tenderness in his smile, too.
"I don't want you to think—anything, about this," she said, searching his eyes. "Like I said, this was your aunt, not me."
He gave her hand another gentle squeeze. "I know being here is really uncomfortable for you..."
She smiled briefly in acknowledgement. "But it's not because I think we aren't—exciting, or whatever. Because we need some spicing up or something."
Ned shrugged. "I thought we were doing pretty well."
"We are. If you mean that in a good way."
Ned chuckled. "I do." He turned to fully face her and cupped her jaw, stroking his thumb down her cheek to her earlobe. "I don't find this place threatening or intimidating, or think this is you telling me you aren't satisfied. And I am more than satisfied with what we have. Being with you is incredible as it is. If you see something in here you want to try, we can definitely consider it."
Nancy arched an eyebrow. "Consider it?"
The corners of his lips quirked up again. "There are some things in here I... am not interested in. I find some of this intriguing. And I'd expect you to have the same veto power I do."
Nancy nodded slightly in agreement. "Yeah, there's a whole wall of stuff back there..."
"All the porn?"
Nancy ducked her head. "Yeah. That."
He stroked her cheek again. "You can veto that. I veto the strap-ons."
Nancy's eyes widened as all the blood rushed to her cheeks. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Ned leaned down and gave her a soft kiss, so sweet that she felt tears prick in her eyes. "Seriously," he said softly. "We don't need anything here, except each other. There's some stuff here we can laugh at while we try it, like, I don't know, body chocolate. Fairy wings. But anything that makes you uncomfortable or upset, that's off the table."
"Fairy wings?"
Ned nodded in that direction, and Nancy glanced over. The wings, glittery fabric stretched over a wire frame, were attached to thin elastic bands that would cross over the wearer's chest, meeting between the breasts, and... were apparently meant to be worn alone. Nancy turned back to Ned with her eyebrows up.
Ned laughed. "Oh, honey. I can very easily imagine you wearing that on a case, with an actual outfit, and dismantling it for a makeshift lockpick."
Nancy considered and shrugged a little, laughing herself. "You know me."
After a few minutes of browsing, Ned picked up a box of what billed itself as a pair of his-and-hers stimulating lubricants. "Any recommendation about this?" he asked the clerk.
The clerk glanced up. "Got any allergies?"
Nancy and Ned glanced at each other. "That sounds like the absolute worst way to find that out," Nancy said.
"Yeah. Pass."
"Plus, not condom compatible," the clerk pointed out.
"Eh. That's a dealbreaker."
Nancy nodded. She and Ned had always been so careful, even during their first time, and while she had tried out two different hormonal birth control methods, she hadn't liked either. At least Ned had no objections to using condoms, and had even asked if she wanted to try out some different ones.
Nancy had no intention of going for more fittings for her wedding dress. The already-ridiculous standard number was plenty.
"Plus, I guess we're kind of jumping the gun," Nancy pointed out to Ned as they continued browsing. "It's a wedding gift, and we're... pre-wedding."
"You mean we could always come back later?" Ned asked, and Nancy nodded. "It's so far out of the way. And I can't imagine this place ships out orders, especially with this hand-written gift certificate."
Nancy snickered. "Yeah."
Ultimately they decided on some sensitizing lube that billed itself as condom-compatible, a box of assorted condoms, and a small, "introductory" vibrator. Now that she had seen the alternatives, the size definitely was a lot less intimidating.
"Was this your first time?" Ned asked, as they headed back to the car.
Nancy tapped her chin.
"Ah, shit," Ned groaned. "Counting?"
She nodded. "Once, I was half-drowned and trying to find a phone. Once, on a dare because Bess was drunk, and I had to buy something, so I bought something called 'pussy gloss' and immediately threw it away. Once during a bachelorette party. Another time because the store had a security camera and I was trying to find whoever was breaking into the next store."
"And here I was, thinking..."
"It was the first time," she told him. "The first time I was actually in there to really buy something. I was kind of disappointed that it looks the same as the others, but... yeah. Please know that you've been my first in many ways, including this one."
Ned chuckled. She clicked the remote to unlock the Mustang's doors, and he opened hers for her. "Good to know," he replied.
Their room was clean, although it hadn't been updated in years and the decor was still pastel Aztec-esque with lots of beige stucco and white accents. Ned stepped into the room and did a quick visual sweep before Nancy did. They had fallen into the habit on cases, and hadn't stopped. The first time he had ever done it, they hadn't even been sharing a room; he had just wanted to make sure she was safe before he went to his own room. While she had responded with faux outrage, telling him she could take care of herself, she had been melting inside—just as she had melted in his arms a moment later during his goodnight kiss.
Being this comfortable and safe with him hadn't been the issue. From the moment they had met, Ned had thrilled her, left her exhilarated, and made sure she was safe. She had known that losing him could destroy her, and she had been equally sure that Ned would do whatever he could to stay with her. And she had been right. During those few brief times they had been apart, acting on nascent attraction to other people, she had rediscovered what made her relationship with Ned work. She didn't have to wonder whether she was making the right choice, committing herself and her life to him. The alternative might have been horrifying to contemplate, but that didn't change how kind, brave, good he was.
Ned tossed the bag onto the armchair near the door and reached for Nancy. The soft fabric of her dress whispered over her skin as he gathered it in his fist, his mouth finding hers.
Nancy swallowed her gasp and returned his kiss, sliding her arm over his shoulder so she could bury her fingers in his soft, dark hair. He grasped her at the waist and she realized they were moving just before the backs of her legs touched the mattress.
Well. If anything could put Ned in the mood, apparently seeing a bunch of hot-pink cocks could do it.
"What put that grin on your face, Drew?" Ned tugged her dress up another few inches.
She raised her arms obediently. "That I shouldn't be surprised at your speed, given where we just were."
Ned's eyebrow rose, and he slipped her dress off. "I must be a few seconds behind my previous land-speed record."
She chuckled. "Something like that," she replied, reaching for his fly.
The vibrator stayed in the bag. The condom he fished out of the box was packaged as "pleasure-ribbed," which they acknowledged as complete garbage. Then they looked at the lube.
Nancy frowned. She was naked, sprawled on the hotel bed, skin faintly tacky with sweat thanks to the laboring air conditioner and Ned's extremely skilled ministrations. He valued both quality and quantity in bed, and her first orgasm of the night—definitely not the last—had peaked as his tongue had roughly lashed her clit, sensitive and throbbing from his suckling.
"I don't know," she said, and Ned glanced over at her. "'Hi Dad, I'm calling you from an emergency room two counties over because, who could have guessed it, I'm violently allergic to the Fireworks Frenzy lube Ned and I bought tonight.'"
Ned laughed. "'Who knew that "ribbed for my pleasure" meant I'd scream so loud we'd be arrested for disturbing the peace?'"
She regarded him with wide, mock-serious eyes, then laughed too. "God, that was so embarrassing."
"'Hotter than hell,' you mean."
"That's understood." She shook her head and pushed herself up, heading for her purse.
"We hardly need it anymore."
Nancy shrugged. "Man, the recommendation I could write for this stuff," she said, returning to the bed with a small bottle of their usual lube in her hand. "'It's part of so many of my fondest memories. Also excellent for eliminating the threat of nosy stalkers.'" Leaving a pool of lube under a conveniently half-open window had proven an excellent trap.
Ned laughed again, popping the cap. "For the girl who wants to be prepared for absolutely everything," he quipped.
"Especially a gorgeous pleasure-ribbed cock. I have some high expectations, Nickerson."
"No pressure."
"No pressure," she agreed. "That's what that little vibrator is for, right?"
Ned growled briefly as he opened her legs a bit wider, perched over her, the condom glistening. "That little vibrator is for me bending you over this bed and holding against your clit while I take you from behind."
Nancy's eyes opened wide in mock innocence again. "You certainly have some unorthodox plans for our wedding night, sir."
"Wedding night, hell. Give me an hour."
She arched, her lips parting, as he finally slid inside her, and they both groaned. "Yes," she breathed, and then their gazes locked again. That spark of humor was still dancing in his eyes, but his jaw was set. That passion, that intense focus on her alone, still sent a shudder down her spine.
"Yes," he agreed, moving so she was caged under him, and she tipped her chin back, wrapping her legs around him as he pushed forward until he was flush against her, until they were fully one.
"I love you." The whispered words turned into a cry of pleasure as his thumb found her clit.
"I love you," he replied, searching her face as she responded to him, to his touch, his closeness, the firm length of him buried inside her. "Jesus, baby, I love you so much."
"Just—" She gasped, stroking her fingers through his hair. "Never stop."
"Never."