Comments on this story can be sent to: Maddalena1@aol.com
All Kinds of Heroes
Chapter 12
HUTCH
The long weeks of summer vacation were coming to a close. Over the past several months, Susan had been seeing more and more of Ken Hutchinson. Susan thought back to that day in February when she had first met the handsome cop. She had been struck by the gentleness of his eyes and the softness of his smile. It had surprised her to learn that he was a cop--a detective, no less. She had always pictured detectives as the hard-boiled, "just-the-facts-ma'am" type--just the opposite of Ken Hutchinson and his partner, David Starsky.
During those first few weeks after Ken Hutchinson had been shot and wounded before her eyes, Susan had gotten to know David Starsky fairly well--to know him and to lean on him. In time, she had thought that her affections were also leaning toward the dark-haired detective. But as Susan had gotten to know Hutch over the next few weeks, she had realized that she had a real fondness for the blond cop, and as weeks turned to months of occasional dinner dates and visits to art museums or quiet walks along the beach near his apartment, Susan knew that her feelings for him now went far beyond a mere fondness. She was falling in love with him--and he with her. Susan was concerned at first, since she did not want to come between Hutch and his friend and partner, David Starsky. Susan had arranged to meet David for lunch one day in order to tell him of her deepening feelings for Hutch.
She had been afraid of hurting David's feelings, but when she had finally told him, he had only smiled and said, "Do you think you are telling me something I don't already know?"
"What do you mean?" she had asked.
"It's as plain as the nose on your face--and on Hutch's face. You don't mean to tell me that you two are only just now figuring out that you are in love with each other?" Starsky had had a big smile on his face as he said this.
"Then, then you're not upset?" she had asked.
"Of course not," Starsky had replied. "I'll only be upset if you don't invite me to the wedding!" Then he had added, "So I can kiss the bride!" He had given her a kiss on the cheek then, just as he had on that night in her apartment so many months ago.
"Thank you, David," Susan had said. "For everything!"
Starsky hadn't told her, but a few days earlier, he had had a similar conversation with Hutch. The two friends had shared a lot over the years, but they had never shared romantic feelings for the same woman. Hutch had felt that his relationship with Susan was reaching a deeper level, one that he and she were both finally ready for. Hutch had wanted to tell Starsky about this before things went any farther, and he had been relieved to learn that his friend had no problem with this. Besides, Starsky had recently begun dating a woman named Julie. Starsky insisted that there was nothing serious going on between them, that it was still too soon after the death of Starsky's fiancée, Terry, for him to even consider anything serious. But Starsky and Hutch both knew that Susan was ready for a serious relationship, having finally come to terms with the death of her husband almost five years ago. Hutch had also lost someone special to him. Her name had been Gillian. Like Susan, Hutch was ready to move on, and Starsky had wished his friend all the best.
And so it was, one warm evening in late summer, that Susan and Hutch were sitting in a porch swing on the deck outside his apartment, enjoying the ocean breeze and the brilliant sunset that one can only enjoy in Southern California. They were sipping white wine, gently rocking forward and back, forward and back, in the swing. Susan rested her head on Hutch's right shoulder, the one he had been wounded in back in February. A few times when they had gone swimming, Susan had noticed the small scar left by the wound. It was hardly even visible now.
Hutch had made a full recovery since that day in February. In fact, as part of his physical therapy, he had started working with weights and his chest muscles were now smooth and more defined than they had been before the shooting. He was no bulked-up "Charles Atlas," put his pecs and his abs were well-defined, and his arms looked strong and sensual. Even as they sat on the swing, Susan could feel the strength in the arm that rested securely around her shoulders. Without realizing it, Susan sighed contentedly as she nestled in Hutch's one-armed embrace. He looked down at her and smiled, leaning his face toward hers for a long, sweet kiss.
Hutch had not wanted to rush the physical part of their relationship, but it seemed, lately, that whenever they began kissing, it was becoming harder and harder to stop. And so it was on this night, as well. After several kisses, Hutch put his now-empty wine glass down on a patio table and Susan did the same. With both hands now free, they began to kiss one another with more ardor. His strong arms held her in a tender embrace and she wrapped her arms around his neck, running her hands through the softness of his hair.
When they at last came up for air, Hutch whispered, "Why don't we continue this inside?"
Susan nodded silently. They stood up and slowly walked inside, holding hands.
The only light on in Hutch's apartment was the one in the kitchen. The rest of the apartment was bathed in shadow. Hutch stopped when they entered the living room and lingered in front of the couch. A few nights ago, they had spent a passionate half an hour of hungry kisses and touches that had grown ever-bolder, but they had stopped short of disrobing.
Over and over, Susan kept thinking, It has been so long, SO long. What if I can't do it? What if I disappoint him?
As if reading her mind, Hutch had whispered, "It's like riding a bike. No matter how long it's been, it all comes back to you."
They stood in front of the couch now and began to kiss one another again. She began to run her hands up and down the smooth, hard muscles of his chest, his arms, his back. Gradually, he began to do the same.
He would have been satisfied to stay there, but Susan broke away long enough to ask, "Could we...I mean, would you want to..." but she wasn't sure how to say it.
"Continue this in the bedroom?" Hutch asked, hoping he was finishing her thought for her.
"Y-yes," she said, holding her breath.
He kissed her deeply, his tongue seeking hers, intertwining in a dance of passion. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, still not wanting to rush her.
"Oh, God, Hutch. Yes, I'm sure. That is, if you..."
He answered her with another long and hungry kiss. "I...I have protection," he said, clearing his voice nervously. "Are condoms okay with you?"
Protection. She hadn't even been thinking that far ahead. Bless him for being so thoughtful, as well as so handsome.
In just a few moments, they were standing at the foot of Hutch's bed, slowly undressing one another. First he would remove something of hers as they continued to kiss one another passionately, then she would remove something of his. In no time, the last vestiges of clothing lay strewn on the floor and they were exploring one another with their eyes as well as their lips and their hands. Susan could not believe how good it felt--to touch and to be touched, to feel the warmth of a man's body against hers, to feel heart beating against heart. Slowly, he lowered her onto the bed and reached into the drawer in the nightstand. He removed a red foil packet and unwrapped it.
"Let me," she said, rolling it onto the long, erect shaft of his penis. She didn't remember John being this big. Next to Hutch, John had been the only man she had ever made love with. She wondered how many lovers Hutch had had. He looked into her eyes as she slid the condom down as far as it would go. Suddenly, it didn't matter how many others there had been--all that mattered was the two of them.
He wanted to take his time, still not wanting to rush her. He wanted to pleasure her, to give her as much as she wanted. He reached his hand down to gently stroke her between her legs. She almost cried out in sheer delight. He smiled at her and began to massage the precious bud nestled between the labia. Her eyes were closed and she grasped his muscular shoulders, gasping at the feelings he was stirring within her. Tentatively, he leaned forward and nuzzled her right breast. His breath was warm and sweet as he trailed kisses up to her neck, her cheek, and finally, her lips. She wrapped her legs around his waist and began to raise her hips to rub against him.
"Please," she panted. "Please, Hutch. Don't make me wait."
He smiled. Actually, he didn't think he could last much longer himself. He slowly slid himself into the warm, moist core of her being. She gasped at the size of him, the feel of him, slowly filling her as she had never been filled before, even by her husband. She wrapped her legs more tightly around him and began rocking with him in an eternal rhythm. Faster. Harder. Deeper. Yes. Yes. Yes!
Hutch felt her body go rigid, her arms and her legs grasp him even tighter than before. When he knew she had reached her climax, he allowed himself to reach his as well. They continued to rock together as their breathing and their heart beats slowly resumed their normal rates. Reluctantly, he disengaged himself and rolled onto his left side. Eventually, they pulled back the sheets and curled up beneath them. They dozed for awhile, only to wake again and make love in a different way.
"See," he said at one point, as she sat astride him, her breasts swaying above him like luscious fruit. "I told you it was like riding a bicycle." He began to slowly rub his flattened palms in a circular motion against her beautiful breasts.
"Yes," she said, between gasps, "but I don't remember riding a bike being NEARLY this much fun!"
He opened his mouth to suckle first one breast, then the other, and once again, she was gripped by the throes of passion. She didn't know if it were merely the fact that she had gone almost five years without any sort of physical contact or the fact that Hutch was such a wonderful lover that explained the explosive feelings she was experiencing. Perhaps it was a little of both. As they finally fell into an exhausted, but totally satisfied, sleep, they both knew that this was only the beginning--the beginning of something that would last the rest of their lives. "I love you, Susan," Hutch whispered.
"And I love you, too, Hutch," she whispered back.
The End
Interested in an alternative ending? Check out Chapter 12:Starsky!