After Warren’s wedding, Kristin didn’t see Tom for almost a month. But, a few days before Labor Day weekend, during one of their three-times-a-week phone conversations, Tom asked if he could come up for Labor Day weekend. Kristin was thrilled.

She volunteered to help find a hotel for Tom to stay at. After they got off the phone, she went down and asked her mother’s advice.

"Why get a hotel?" Peg asked. "Tom can stay here, honey."

Kristin looked at her in amazement. "You’re going to let him stay here?"

Peg laughed. "He was already here for a week, wasn’t he? And you guys started going out then, didn’t you?"

"Yeah, but now he’s coming here just to see me. I’m just surprised. Happy, mind you, but surprised," Kristin laughed. "If he doesn’t have to pay for hotels, he might come up more often."

"Good," Peg smiled at her. "Look, Kris. You guys haven’t, you know, done anything?"

"God, No!" Kristin burst out. "Just kiss."

"Well, then."

"But, you know," Kristin faltered, "I mean, what if, you know, I mean…."

"What if it gets more serious than that?" Peg asked with a smile. Kristin nodded, blushing. "Well, if he was in a hotel room, you’d just go over there, so what difference does it make? Look, Kris, you’re responsible and smart. And, don’t forget, when your brothers were your age, they were well into their sex lives."

"But they’re boys."

"Since when am I sexist?" Peg laughed. "Girls have the same urges that boys do. I know that."

"MOM!"

"Well, it’s true. Anyhow, the only difference is that girls have to be more careful. But you know that."

"Yes, well…."

"Kris. You might want to think about going on the pill."

Kristin gasped. "But, Mom, I mean—we haven’t—I don’t know…."

"Better safe than sorry."

"OK. Well, I’ll think about it."

Kristin went back upstairs, shaking her head. What a strange conversation that was, she thought. She knew her mother was open, but still. She and Tom hadn’t gotten anywhere near any of that!

Ah, well—she was glad Mom was going to let Tom stay here, however. She happily called him and shared the good news.

He came up for the whole Labor Day weekend, and once more later on in September. He and Kristin really got along well. She felt more comfortable with him than she did outside of anyone besides family and her one best friend Marie. She’d never felt like this around a guy before. The time in between visits was taken up with frequent phone calls and even more frequent IM sessions.

Early in October, she got a surprise. Tom was coming up again for the weekend. The night before, he called and told her that he didn’t have practice Friday, as his coach had another commitment. "So, I can come up early. How about I pick you up at school?" Kristin happily agreed, and gave him directions to Wilkins Academy.

That Friday, Kristin found herself waiting for Tom out in front of her school, surrounded by a bunch of other students. Kristin wasn’t social at all. She kept to herself—except for her aforementioned best friend Marie—and her fellow students didn’t know much about her. They were surprised to see her here in front of school.

"Kristin Kelleher? What are you doing here?" one of them asked.

"Waiting for a ride," she said softly.

"You’re not usually here."

"I usually go home with my mother." The group of girls looked at her blankly. "Mrs. Kelleher, the senior English teacher."

"Oh," one of the girls said, "she couldn’t drive you today?"

"No, it’s not that." They all looked at her. What the hell, she thought, and took a deep breath. "My boyfriend is picking me up."

" You have a boyfriend?" one of them asked.

"Yeah," she smiled. "And he lives in New York, so we only see each other like every other weekend. He usually can’t get here until around seven or eight on a Friday night, but he got to leave early today, so he’s picking me up here."

"How’d you get a boyfriend that lives in New York?" another asked.

"Well, he came up here last July to work with my brother. And he stayed at my house for the week. We got to know each other then."

"What do you mean, work with your brother?"

"Choreography."

"What are you talking about?"

"None of you knows who my brother is?" she asked. They all looked at her blankly. She wasn’t surprised, she never talked about this. She was kind of surprised she was talking about it now. "Are any of you figure skating fans?" A few of them nodded yes. "What’s my last name?" she said with a smile.

One of them picked up on it. " Warren Kelleher?!?!?"

"Yup, Warren’s my big brother. Sophie’s my sister-in-law. And they choreographed my boyfriend’s long program. That’s how I met him."

"Evan Pogdar?" one of them guessed.

Kristin cracked up laughing. "I’m not Evan’s type." They looked at her. "I’m a girl," she giggled. "Evan’s gay. Plus, Warren and Sophie don’t choreograph for other dance teams. Competitors, and all that."

"Brett Tomlinson?" another asked.

"Nah. Warren did do their choreography. But Brett’s in love with his partner, Andrea." She giggled. " He just hasn’t figured that out yet. Anyone that spends seven seconds with them has, though."

"All right, who?"

Kristin smiled. "Tom Bellamy." And found she was enjoying this—especially at the gasps and murmurs that went through the skating fans in the group.

"Tom Bellamy is a hunk!" one of them said.

"That he is," Kristin agreed.

"I don’t believe you."

"You don’t have to believe me. Here he comes." She pointed as she saw his car drive into the lot.

He pulled through the lot and parked in front of the waiting area. He jumped out of the car and walked over to Kristin, pulling her into a kiss. Kristin happily kissed back. Then he opened the passenger side door and let her in. As he walked around the car to get back in himself, she looked at the dumbstruck faces of her fellow students and grinned.

"What was that about?" he asked as they pulled away.

"Showing you off," she laughed. Surprised—he knew how shy she was—he laughed right along with her.

Tom had spent the whole drive up from New York laughing at himself. When Terri, his coach, had told him that there would be no practice on Friday, he couldn’t get to Boston fast enough. And only three or four months ago, he just would’ve shown up to practice by himself anyway!

Tom had been skating-focused for quite some time. Oh, he had other interests—though he hadn’t been in a school building for some time, he was smart. He read a lot, and about a lot of different things. Plus there was his piano-playing. But one of those interests was never really girls.

Because he was a skater, he knew a lot of teenaged girls—and he found them mostly silly, shallow, and flighty. Now, he had a prominent silly side—but he wasn’t shallow or flighty. Leaving home at 13 to pursue a skating career tended to make a person more focused than that. And the attitude of the girls he knew just drove him nuts. So, he figured girls were pretty much a non-issue until he—and, more importantly, they—got older.

And then he met Kristin. Shallow? Flighty? Not even a little bit. She was sweet and kind, very smart, and incredibly mature in a lot of ways. Plus, they had a lot in common. He was so smitten even he could barely believe it.

Of course, one of the ways she wasn’t all that mature was in relationships. Then again, neither was he. It was kind of the blind leading the blind. He was determined to take it slow and easy.

She’d been having similar feelings lately. She’d not been impressed with the teenaged boys she’d come in contact with, for a lot of the same reasons. They were shallow and obsessed with ‘appearances’ and being macho. Now, she knew that guys that weren’t like that did exist, but she also knew they were rare. Kristin had a standard—and that standard was easy to identify. It was her big brother Warren, who she’d been hero-worshiping since she was 5. And she saw the whole Warren-Sophia relationship unfold, and knew how Warren had treated Sophie even when they were still in high school. That’s how she wanted to be treated. So, Warren was her standard, even as she knew he was a rare bird.

Tom, to her shock, met the standard.

The only thing that worried both of them, just a bit, was Kristin’s shyness. Tom wasn’t shy, he was rather social, and he worried that Kristin might freeze up if he had her in a social situation. Kristin knew this, and worried herself.

This is why Kristin was glad that she had done what she did that day after school. She found she liked showing Tom off. And she found it easier to talk to the girls, because of him.

They went out for supper and a movie that Friday night. Saturday, when they woke up, Kristin shocked Tom.

"Hey, how about we go to a football game today? Wilkins has a big game."

"You want to go there?" Tom asked.

"Yeah," Kris admitted.

"You do like showing me off!"

"Well, a little," Kris grinned. "Plus, I always keep you cooped up in the house on Saturday afternoons when you’re here. And I want you to meet Marie, my best friend."

"I’d love to go."

When they arrived at the stadium and found Marie, Marie was shocked.

"Kristin Kelleher! You came to a football game? I do believe I’m gonna faint!"

"Yes, I came to a football game."

"Unbelievable. What’s with the hunk?" she asked, looking at Tom.

Kristin broke up laughing. "Marie, this is Tom. Tom, Marie."

"Nice to meet you," Marie grinned. "So, this is the famous Tom? You didn’t tell me he was gorgeous."

"If you watched more figure skating, you’d have figured it out on your own," Kristin teased.

"Yeah, yeah. Not my thing," Marie said. "No offense," she told Tom.

"None taken," Tom grinned.

A bunch of other students had filed into the stands. Most of them knew Marie, and were busy greeting her. They knew who Kristin was, but didn’t really know her. Kristin looked around and felt a little lost.

"Relax," Tom said, squeezing her hand. She smiled gratefully at him.

Just then Allison Ventrie showed up. She was Marie’s other best friend, but she got on Kristin’s nerves. "Hey, Marie," she said. Then she looked over. "Kristin Kelleher? You actually came out of your room to attend a school event? Catch me, Marie, I may just faint."

"Be nice," Marie admonished.

"Well, I’m just shocked," Allison continued, standing next to Kristin. "It’s not every day you see the school hermit at a football game." Just then she spotted Tom. Allison was a skating fan. "Aren’t you Tom Bellamy, the skater?"

"Guilty as charged," Tom grinned.

"What the hell are you doing here at a football game in Massachusetts?"

Tom laughed. "It seemed like a cool thing to do on a Saturday afternoon. I live in New York, so when I come to see Kris, I come for the whole weekend. So, we needed something to do, so here we are. I like football anyhow."

"This is Allison, by the way," Kris told him. "And, Allison, you obviously know who my boyfriend is, so I don’t have to introduce him."

Allison blinked rapidly. " Boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Kris said. "We’ve been going out since July."

"Her brother choreographed my long program this year," Tom told him. Allison nodded—she did know that Warren Kelleher was Kristin’s brother. "So, I stayed at her house for the week." He grinned at Kristin. "And sparks flew." Kristin giggled.

"He drives up from New York a couple times a month to see me," Kristin told her.

Allison just shook her head. "Unbelievable." She went over and sat next to Marie. "I think you and I need to start acting like wallflowers," she said to Marie. "Maybe we can get a hunk like that to ask us out!"

Kristin, having heard what Allison said, just giggled.

The rest of the game was fine, Kristin even got into it. She didn’t know a lot about football, but Tom and Marie explained the stuff she didn’t get. She ended up having a good time, and even got along reasonably well with Allison.

Driving to get some supper afterwards, Tom said to Kristin, "What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem, I don’t know, like you’re loosening up. Is this the same girl who went into an absolute panic when I caught her playing piano?"

Kristin smiled, and then said, very softly, "You help my confidence."

"Good!" Tom exclaimed.

After eating, they were back at her house, chatting with her parents. The talk turned to skating—and to Skate America, which was only a few weeks away. They were talking about it, and then Tom had a brainstorm.

"Hey, you should come!" he said to Kristin.

"Huh?"

"You should come. To Skate America. I’d love to have you there. And you’ll get to see Sophie and Warren, they’ll be there. It’ll be great." He turned to her parents. "She’d have to miss a couple days of school, though, I skate on Thursday and Friday, then the exhibition on Sunday."

"That’s fine," Peg said, "her schoolwork is exemplary, she can afford to miss a couple days. I’m used to this with Warren."

"I’ll get you a flight, and a hotel room. What do you say?"

"I’d like that," Kristin said.

"Great! Let’s go up on your computer, I’ll see if I can book the arrangements." They went up, and quickly found Kristin a flight to Chicago Wednesday evening. "I’ll already be there," Tom told her, "so I can get you at the airport." Then they went to book a hotel. That was harder.

"Damn, the one where I’m going to be staying is full. I can get you in this one, but it’s not close."

"Crap. I really want to go," Kris sighed. "Well, if I have to be booked into this one, then that’s OK."

"I don’t know. Getting you back and forth to the arena isn’t going to be easy."

Kristin asked him, "Do you know what kind of room you have?"

"It’s a suite. Only one bedroom, thought. Two beds in it, but only one bedroom."

Kristin thought for a minute, then, very softly, said, "Are you sharing your room with anyone?"

"Huh?" Tom said, stunned.

"Well," Kris said haltingly, "if you’re not sharing your room with anyone, I could, you know, stay there."

"You’d do that?"

"Um, well, yeah."

"No, I’m not sharing my room with anyone."

"Then that’s settled," Kristin smiled.

Amazing, thought Tom

A little less than three weeks later, Kristin stepped off the plane in Chicago. Tom met her with a hug and a kiss, then gave her a worried look.

"We have a problem," Tom said, then took a breath. "The room only has one bed. They screwed up. I tried to change it, or get you in your own room—no dice. It’s a suite, though, and there’s a couch in the other room, so I can sleep there."

"No way," Kristin declared. "You have to skate. No way are you sleeping on a couch. How big is the bed?"

"Well, huge. It’s a king."

"Then we can both fit," Kristin said. Tom was completely stunned. "It’s OK," she smiled, "I trust you."

They got Kristin’s bags and headed towards the car Tom had rented. Tom’s head was reeling. Kris was going to sleep in the same bed? She trusted him that much? He wasn’t sure if he trusted himself that much!

After a late supper, they headed towards the room. They took turns in the bathroom changing into bedclothes. Then they went to bed.

It was very awkward. Neither was used to sleeping in an occupied bed, and Tom was rather hesitant to touch Kris at all. So, he tried to huddle on his side of the bed. Kris, however, backed right into him. Twice.

"I’m sorry, I think I’m being sucked into the middle of the bed," Kris giggled.

"It’s OK. I’m not fond of the edge either."

"Good," Kris said, and let her back snuggle into Tom’s chest. Tom blinked, then went for broke—he slipped his arm around her waist. She sighed, "That feels nice," and closed her eyes. Tom, amazed, didn’t think he’d be able to sleep all that well. He was wrong. They were both asleep in minutes, utterly comfortable.

The next day was the short program for the men. Tom skated very well, and ended the evening in second place, behind only the defending World silver medallist, Yakashi Kitaro of Japan.

It was the next morning that everything changed.

They had settled into bed that night spooned and cuddling, the awkwardness gone. But something had happened during the night. When Kristin awoke in the morning, she felt strange. It took her a moment to realize why. During the night, Tom’s hand had migrated—and was now wrapped around Kristin’s breast.

Kris gasped. The warm tingling coming from her breast was thrilling. She felt a throb building in the pit of her stomach, and a warm rush gathering between her legs. Her nipple was as hard as a rock, pushing at Tom’s hand through her nightie.

Just then, Tom woke up.

He didn’t realize that Kristin was awake. He did realize, after a minute, just where his hand was. Hissing out an "Oh shit!" he quickly pulled his hand off Kristin’s breast and put it back around her waist.

Kristin’s eyes opened. "Tom?" she said.

"Sorry," Tom replied sheepishly.

"For what?" she said. And then she grabbed Tom’s hand, pulled it off her waist, and placed it back on her boob. For good measure, she pushed on the back of it for a minute, driving it back into her boob. Then she sighed contentedly.

"Kris?" Tom asked, flabbergasted.

"Oh God Tom, don’t stop!" she hissed.

Tom was incredulous. What happened to the shy, demure virgin he was dating? He couldn’t believe it. But he didn’t stop. Now awake, he massaged her boob with great gusto.

"Oh, Tom, that feels so good!" Kristin enthused. "If I had known it was going to feel this good……."

Emboldened, he took his other hand and gathered her hair with it. He pulled it back, giving himself a clear avenue, and started kissing and nuzzling her neck, and sucking on her earlobe, as he fondled her boob.

"Oh my!" she groaned. Then, suddenly, she said. "Stop! Wait!" Tom withdrew his hands, figuring she had had enough.

He was wrong. She sat up, and started unbuttoning her flannel nightie, fingers trembling just a bit. Before Tom knew it, she was pulling the nightie over her head. And there she sat, in all her glory, wearing nothing but panties, blushing furiously.

"You’re so beautiful," Tom whispered.

Kristin smiled—blushing deeper—then settled herself back to where she was, spooning into him. His hand came back up to her now-bare breast. He cupped it with his hand, fondling it, and dove his lips back into her neck. She sighed happily, then moaned.

"What happened to you?" Tom whispered in her ear.

"I’m so turned on!" she admitted with a giggle.

"Kris, what do you want to do?" Tom asked.

"Oh! Well, I mean, I don’t think….I’m not ready….I mean…" she sputtered, blushing.

"You don’t think we’re ready to make love. That’s fine."

"It is?"

"Kris, when it happens, it’ll be my first time, too."

"It WILL?"

"Uh-huh. I’ve fooled around some, but I’m still a virgin." He kissed her neck again. "So you don’t want to make love, but you’re horny out of your mind."

"Yes," she gasped, his hand still working her boob.

"I can help you," he said. "Take off your panties."

Kris gasped, and gulped—and then took off her panties. Tom’s hand quickly moved down from her boob to between her legs. She spread them slightly to give him access, then gasped as his finger lightly traced her pussy. He moved his other hand underneath her, and reached around with it to cup her boob again.

Kristin leaned back into him, breathing heavily. His one hand fondled her boob, while the other one was delicately playing with her pussy. She couldn’t believe how this felt!

Just then, Tom’s finger found her clit. And she just went crazy.

Her hips were bucking. She was moaning and gasping. Tom did all he could to keep his hands in contact with her pussy and boobs as she writhed next to him. He gripped her as tight as he could with the hand that was on her boob, but she was still bouncing all over the bed. Tom was amazed. He wasn’t all that experienced, but he knew enough, and had heard enough, to realize that Kristin was very responsive. Who knew?

Tom was pretty sure that even Kris was surprised.

Just then, Kris blurted out, "Oh God…I mean…I feel…I think I’m gonna….OH GOD!"

"Oh, goody, Kristin’s going to have an orgasm!" Tom whispered in her ear. "Cum for me, Kris." Kristin’s eyes went wide, and she screamed, and came all over his hand.

After she was done, he moved his hands back around her waist, and cuddled her as she tried to regain her breath. "Are you OK?" he whispered after a bit.

"My sweet Jesus. I don’t believe how great that was!"

"Good," Tom said.

"Oh, man." She then turned over so she was facing him. She leaned in and gave him a hellacious kiss. She was still naked, so Tom was definitely reacting. "Oh man," she repeated. "I think I’m in orbit." He just grinned at her. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine," he said.

"Really?" She pointedly looked down at his sweatpants that he had worn to bed. The tenting effect was clearly apparent. "Now it looks like you are turned on," she giggled.

"Well, what do you expect?" he laughed. "You’re naked, you’re gorgeous, and I just got to watch you have an orgasm."

Kristin giggled, and blushed. She put her hand on his chest, then, slowly and tentatively, started sliding it down. "Can I help you?" she whispered.

"Up to you."

"Do you want me to?"

"Well, yes, but it’s up to you."

She stared at him. "Take off your pants," she whispered. He looked into her eyes. She nodded. He slipped off his sweatpants and underwear. She looked down, and gasped. "I’ve never seen….you know…."

"I know."

"What should I do?"

"Just, whatever you feel like doing." Tom wasn’t quite sure how to handle this situation, not with his limited experience, and what experience he had had was with a girl far more experienced than Kristin.. He decided to just play it by ear.

She reached down and lightly gripped his cock in her hand. She looked on, fascinated, as she slid her hand up and down it. "Is this OK?" she asked.

"Wonderful," he smiled.

She smiled back, and continued running her hand up and down his cock. She looked on, pleased, as his eyes clenched shut and his breathing got a little more ragged. "A little faster?" he asked, and Kristin was glad to comply. After a few minutes of that, he howled, "Oh, God Cummming!" and he did just that. Kristin giggled as it covered her hand—and a little landed on her stomach. Still giggling, she looked around and found some tissue to clean herself up with. After she was done, she went back to the bed, and back into his arms.

"Wow," she said softly.

"You can say that again."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Thank you," he replied. "I didn’t expect this."

"Neither did I. But I’m sure glad it happened!"

Tom skated absolutely light-out that evening, and won. Defeating the World Silver Medallist was quite a coup. When they returned to bed, that evening and the next, they continued exploring each other’s bodies. They watched Warren and Sophie and Liz Cushman win on Saturday, and Kris enjoyed the exhibitions on Sunday.

She flew back to Boston Sunday evening, and was picked up by her mother.

"Mom?" she said tentatively as they drove away from Logan Airport, "there was something you wanted to talk to me about a couple months ago. I brushed you off, said it wasn’t needed. I think I’d like to discuss it again."

"What are you talking about?" Peg asked.

"Well, I think that I might like to go on the pill," Kristin admitted.

"Really? Did something happen this weekend?"

"Well, sort of." Kristin told her mother the events of the weekend.

Peg listened, and smiled at the end. "I think my baby girl discovered her libido."

"And how," Kristin agreed.

"Do you think you and Tom are going to go all the way?"

"I think it’s a possibility. I think there’s going to come a point where neither of us is going to want to stop. I don’t think this point is going to come tomorrow, mind you, but I’d rather be safe than sorry."

"How do you feel about Tom?"

Kristin sat for a minute, then took a deep breath. "Mom, I think I’m in love with him."

"That’s the answer I was looking for," Peg laughed. "I’ll call the doctor tomorrow."

Kristin went back to school Monday morning feeling like a whole new person. She went to lunch and sat with Marie. Allison, and a couple of their other friends, sat down at the table with them. Normally, this would’ve caused Kristin to retreat into her shell. This time, it didn’t.

"Hey, Kris," Allison said, "I saw that boyfriend of yours skate lights-out at Skate America this weekend."

"I know, wasn’t he great?" Kris agreed happily.

"Yeah. And that long program really suits him."

"Yup," Kris agreed. "My brother and sister-in-law, the choreographic geniuses."

"That they are. So I take it you were glued to the TV screen all weekend?"

"Hell, no, I was there!" Kris told her. "Tom came up with this brilliant idea of flying me out for it. So I was in the stands, screaming my head off. "

"Ah," Allison grinned. "So, having you in the stands was his inspiration, that’s why he won."

"No doubt," Kristin laughed. "I’ll take all the credit."

Marie watched this exchange in utter shock. She watched a few others over the next couple of days, too. On Wednesday, she came over Kristin’s house, ostensibly to study.

"All right," she said as soon as they had gotten into Kris’s room, "what the hell has happened to you?"

"What?" Kris asked.

"You’re like a different person! People come to the lunch table and you talk to them! People say ‘hi’ in the halls and you don’t try to blend into the wall! What happened to my best friend, the wallflower?"

"I dunno. I guess I just stopped being scared of everything." She looked at Marie. "Something happened this weekend." Kris gave her the rundown.

"My God," Marie exclaimed. "You actually had sex! Well, not completely—but still! I’m stunned, Kris. I thought poor Tom was going to be waiting forever for that."

"I think he did, too," Kris admitted. "The way it happened, I just didn’t have any time to be nervous, since it was such an accident. You know me, Marie. I’m scared of everything—but of boys and love and sex most of all. And then it happened, to a degree. And all I could think of was, what on earth was I scared of? And if this was my biggest fear, and it turned out to be so good—why am I scared of everything else?"

"I hope this guy is worthy of you."

"Marie? He treats me like Warren treats Sophie."

"Oh my God." Marie knew all about Kristin’s standard. "You’re kidding."

"No. He really does. It’s amazing."

"You can say that again!"

Tom didn’t have time to see Kris through the first couple weeks of November. He had another competition the weekend before Thanksgiving. He had been hoping to go home for Thanksgiving—his parents live in Minnesota—but they decided to go to New York and cook Thanksgiving dinner for him there.

Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, at about 3 in the afternoon, Kris got a call.

"Good. You’re home." Tom said.

"Yes," she laughed, "why?"

"I’m about ten minutes away."

"You’re coming here? Now, isn’t that a nice surprise! I thought your parents were in town to spend Thanksgiving with you."

"Yeah." He took a breath. "They’re here, with me. They want to meet you."

"OK.. Well, I’ll see you when you get here." Kris hung up. "Oh SHIT!" she said.

"What?" Peg asked, walking into the room.

"Tom’s on his way. He’s ten minutes away. With his parents! They want to meet me!"

"Yeah? So why are you so nervous?" Peg laughed.

"I don’t know, I just am."

"It’ll be fine, honey. I’m looking forward to meeting Tom’s parents."

"I’m glad one of us is," Kristin muttered. "Really, Mom. His parents just drove five hours. On one of the few times they get to see their son. To meet me. That’s kind of, I don’t know, serious."

"Yes, it is," Peg smiled. "That’s a good sign, sweetie."

"Well, when you put it that way," Kristin grinned. "I just hope they like me."

"What’s not to like?"

"Mom, you know what? You’re the best." Kris gave her mother a big hug. Then she looked down at herself. "I don’t know if I’m dressed for this." She was wearing a pair of jeans and a Wisconsin sweatshirt.

"I don’t think they’ll expect you to gussy up, since you only had ten minutes’ notice," Peg laughed.

"True." Just then, the doorbell rang. Kristin went over to the door and opened it. Tom stepped in and eagerly wrapped her up in a soul kiss.

"Well, hello," she giggled.

"Hi, gorgeous," he grinned. He stepped in, an older couple following. "Kris, these are my parents. Mom, Dad, this is Kristin. And that’s her mother, Peg."

"It’s so very nice to meet you, after all we’ve heard about you," Tom’s mother told Kristin.

"It’s nice to meet you, too," Kristin said shyly.

Tom’s parents insisted on taking Kristin, Peg, and Jim out for dinner. Kristin started shy, but got better as the evening went on. It was just impossible for her to stay shy when Tom was around.

"So, Kristin," Mrs. Bellamy asked her over dinner, "you’re a Junior in High School, Tom tells us?"

"Yes. I go to Wilkins Academy. Mom teaches there."

"Have you thought about college?" she asked.

"I’m hoping for Harvard," Kristin told her.

"Really?" Mr. Bellamy said. "Is that realistic?"

"Very," Peg put in. "Wilkins is very tough, and Kristin has a shot at being valedictorian. She can go pretty much anywhere she wants."

"Really?" Tom exclaimed, grinning. "Jeez, I knew I was dating a brain, but I didn’t appreciate the full extent of the braininess."

"Oh stop it!" Kristin grinned, blushing. "Like you’re a dummy."

"Well, no. But I’m not going to Harvard."

"You could have," Mrs. Bellamy said. "If it weren’t for skating."

"Y’see? You’re just overextended. I have nothing in my life but school." She grinned at him. "OK, I used to have nothing in my life but school."

"I know, I’m such a distraction," Tom laughed. "Maybe if I saw you more than twice a month, you could blame me."

"Well. Maybe I’ll go to Columbia," she said impishly.

"Don’t get my hopes up," he smiled back.

Tom’s parents had rented a hotel room for the night. On the way back, his Mom said to him, "Tom? She’s delightful."

"Yeah, she’s pretty special, isn’t she?"

They didn’t see each other after that for more than a month. Tom had the Grand Prix Final, and then they ran into Christmas. Tom went home to Minnesota for Christmas, and had Nationals to get ready for. They decided, however, that they really wanted to spend New Years’ together, so Tom came up for that. He arrived late on the 30^th.

On the 31^st, Kristin noticed he was on edge and apprehensive about something. So was she, but she knew it wasn’t for the same reason. So, she asked him.

"No big deal, I’m waiting for a phone call. I most likely have news, that I’m dying to share with you, but I won’t know for sure until I get this phone call."

He finally got it, later that afternoon, and sat down with Kristin, a big smile on his face. "That was my phone call. That was Terri, my coach. She’s just a coach in our rink now, but she got a new opportunity—to take over the whole program, be the head coach, at another rink. So, after this season, sometime this spring, she’s moving, and I’ll be going with her."

"Where?" Kristin whispered.

Tom couldn’t hold back the shit-eating grin. "Acton, Massachusetts."

"That’s only about an hour from here!"

"Yup!"

"YIPEEE!" Kristin shouted, and launched herself into his arms. "That is so great!"

"I’m going to be around so much, you’re going to beg to get rid of me."

"Not a chance!"

"Good," he laughed. Then he got serious, and looked into her eyes. "Kris? I love you."

Kristin caught her breath. "Oh, God, I love you too," she whispered.

They shared the happy news with Kristin’s parents, then they all got Chinese food for New Year’s Eve dinner. After eating, the Kellehers headed out for a party. Ryan was out with Laurel, so Tom and Kristin were alone. They chatted and watched TV for a while, then Kristin stood up and said to Tom, "Come with me." He followed her upstairs—and into her room.

Kristin sat on the bed. "Sit," she said to Tom. He sat next to her. "You had your surprise. Here’s mine." She took a deep breath. "When we came home from Skate America, I decided to do something. It was a just-in-case thing, but I think it’s time for just-in-case." She took another deep breath. "What I did was, I went on the pill."

"You did?"

She smiled at him. "After what happened at Skate America, it almost felt like it was inevitable. So, I wanted to be prepared for when the time came that I felt I was ready." She looked right into his eyes. "I’m ready. I want you to make love to me. Tonight."

Tom hissed out a breath. "Oh, God. I think I’m stunned."

"Good," she giggled.

"Kris, are you sure? We’ve only been together a few months, and we don’t see each other that often….."

"And you love me," she interrupted. "And I love you."

"Yes," he smiled.

"Good," she smiled back, her hand going to the buttons on her blouse. "Then show me."

"Gladly. Starting now." He grabbed her hands, and pulled them away from her blouse. Then he replaced her hands with his own, and started undoing the buttons. She smiled, and shuddered, as he got her blouse undone. He next got her bra off, and his hand went right for her boob, rubbing it gently. He leaned in and kissed her while his hand massaged her tit. His other hand went for her pants, and she helped him strip them off.

She sighed as he kissed and fondled her. She reached for his shirt, trying to get it off, but his arms were in the way. He laughed and grabbed it, quickly stripping it off. They both worked on his pants. When he was completely naked, his lips went back to hers, and his hand went back to hers.

She took his other hand, and led it towards her pussy. "Look," she whispered, "I know it’s going to hurt, so, I want you to, you know, do me with your hand first."

"Sure. But I’ll try not to make it hurt too much."

"I know you will, but I want you to get me going," she smiled at him. His hand went down and started slipping up and down her pussy. Her hand returned the favor, going right for his dick, working on it. Completely worked up in her mind, she came very quickly. Her tugging on his dick as she came quickly brought him over.

"Aw," she giggled, "did I kill it?"

"Not hardly," Tom laughed. She kept her hand around the shaft. It started perking up quickly. "Y’see? I’m young."

"Yes, your recuperative powers are quite excellent," she giggled.

It only took a few more minutes until he was at full-staff again. "He’s ready," Tom said.

"Oh, God," Kristin hissed. "Oh, God, we’re really going to do this!"

"We can stop now, no harm, no foul."

"No way!" she stated. "That’s why I wanted you to do me with your hand first. I’m so worked up right now!"

"OK." He moved over and positioned himself between her legs. He reached in at her pussy again. "Just making sure you’re wet."

"Dripping," she giggled. "Go ahead, lover. Put it in me."

"Don’t forget, this is my first time, too. I may screw this up," he smiled.

"I doubt it," she smirked at him. He reached down, and guided his cock towards her pussy. He gently pushed. The head slipped in neatly.

"NNNNNGGGGGHHHHH!" she howled. "Oh DAMN I didn’t expect that!"

"Hurts?"

"God NO! Oh MAN. What’s the opposite of hurt?" she gasped.

"Good," he grinned. "This part probably will, though."

"I know," she puffed. "Go for it." He pulled back slightly, and quickly plowed through her hymen. "AYYIEEE!" she howled.

"Sorry."

"It’s…ungh…okay." She gasped. "It really didn’t hurt. More took me by surprise. Keep going." He did.

"AAAGGGNNNHHH! Oh GOD! Oh GOD!" she howled, getting louder with every inch. He finally got himself all the way into her, and couldn’t even identify the noises coming from her mouth.

"Are you OK?" he said, worriedly.

"SHIT! SHIT! Oh God FUCK ME!" she howled. "NOW!" That’s when the light finally dawned in Tom’s head. She wasn’t in pain—she was in lust, in a big way. He started deliberately moving in and out of her—and she didn’t stop howling. It only took a few minutes.

"OhshitohshitohshitCUMMMING!" she howled. "Oh GOD!" Tom looked down at her, orgasming up a storm, and couldn’t believe it. He held himself all the way in, trying to prolong things, while she bucked and spasmed beneath him.

"Oh!" she said as she came down. "Oh! I can’t believe how good that was!"

"I’m stunned." He moved in and out of her slowly again. "I’m also not done yet."

"Nnnnnnggggg," she groaned. "Oh! Oh! Oh! OOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!" He had started plunging into her again, and she just went supernova. Kristin couldn’t believe it. She had expected pain, awkwardness, a less-than-thrilling experience. She had expected to be uncomfortable. She expected it to be a "get it out of the way" kind of thing. What she hadn’t expected was a very quick and explosive trip to Orgasm Land, not for her first time. But that’s what she got.

She was yelping every time he thrust into her. Her breasts were heaving and flushed. Her legs, wrapped around his hips, were spasming. And she felt it building. Her eyes flew open, she gripped his shoulders, and yelped, "oh GOD AGAAIIINNNNN!!!!"

That was pretty much all Tom could take. As she came down, he started thrusting into her fast. "Oh GOD," he moaned, feeling it coming on fast.

"Yes!" Kristin hissed. "Cum in me, Tom. Cum in me. Cum in me," she chanted like a mantra. Listening to that, he exploded.

Neither of them actually passed out, but it was a close thing. They collapsed next to each other on her bed, completely wrung out. As soon as Kristin regained her breath, she hurled herself across Tom’s torso and snuggled into him.

"Oh my," she breathed.

"You can say that again. I’m shocked. I’m used to my shy, demure, quiet little girlfriend. Then she takes me to bed and completely loses her mind."

Kristin giggled. "Was that a complaint?"

"Are you kidding? That was the most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen."

"Yeah," she said. "I think I amazed myself. Did I tell you to cum in me?"

"Repeatedly," Tom laughed. Kristin blushed all over. "God, Kris. I never thought it would be this good."

"Ditto. That’s right, it was your first, too."

"Yeah. Wow," he laughed. Kristin joined right in. "Are you OK?"

"Yes. Fine."

"No pain?"

"No, there was just a little pinch when you pushed through, that’s it. It doesn’t hurt at all now." She grinned at him. "Why, did you want to do it again?"

"Maybe later, he’s all tuckered out at the moment," he laughed. "God, Kris. I’m still in shock."

"Uh, you are in shock?" she laughed. "You ever hear anyone else talk about their first time?"

"A few, yeah."

"Me, too. Warren’s was good, but Sophie was experienced. Sophie’s was brutal. Ryan’s was quick, messy, and unsatisfying. Marie’s was, too. What in the hell just happened to us?"

"I don’t know, but I’ll take it." He looked at her. "God, Kris, I was so worried about hurting you. Not only did I not, but you came like a banshee, twice. I feel like I’m walking on air."

"You should be. You were magnificent. You didn’t hurt me because you were gentle. Remember that."

"Oh, I don’t think that was all of it," he laughed. "Kristin Kelleher, you are a sex bomb."

"WHAT?" she laughed.

"You are. You almost started cumming right away. I was flabbergasted."

"Oh, it just felt so good, right from the beginning. It was like a brain meltdown."

"Right. Like I said, you’re a sex bomb."

"Only with you," she giggled.

"Well, I hope so," he laughed.

"Don’t worry. I’m convinced it was all you, and I don’t intend on testing the theory."

Tom roared with laughter. "Good." He looked at her. "Kris? Thank you. You gave me something precious tonight. I’ll treasure it always."

"You gave me the same thing, you know," she replied, a wee bit misty. "And I’ll treasure it always, too. It was like magic. Thank you." They fell asleep together in a contented pile.

Tom only had one more day and night to lavish attention on Kristin, so she took full advantage of it. She’d see him again, in a couple of weeks, though—she’d be attending Nationals.

In the meantime, she had to go back to school. And, it was strange—she just felt different. More confident, more at ease, less nervous. That had been building since she’d started seeing Tom—but, now that they’d made love, it was even more so. Everyone picked up on it, but nobody moreso than Marie.

"Something happened," Marie said the first time they had a quiet moment together.

"Yeah," Kristin agreed. "Tom and I made love on New Year’s Eve."

"WOW!" Marie said, very surprised. "How was it?"

"Heavenly. Happy New Year to me!"

"You lucky dog."

"Yup. In more ways than one. Oh, and did I tell you that he’s moving this summer? To Acton. A mere hour away. And Daddy’s getting a new car, so I get his old one."

"You are a lucky dog."

"I’m in love, Marie. He’s just perfect. Me, Kristin Kelleher, with the most perfect boyfriend. Who woulda thunk it?"

--end of chapter—

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