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Sheldon holds Penny’s hand as they walk toward the house. He is trying to remain calm but his grip tightens on hers as they approach the driveway. Penny smiles up at him and gives him a little tug forward.
“Now, if someone hands you a drink, just take it,” Penny advises.
“But I don’t drink,” Sheldon says.
“I didn’t tell you to drink it,” Penny stresses. “I told you to take it.”
“Am I to walk around holding a cup all night?”
“That is exactly what you are going to do. Don’t put it down unless you have to,” she warns. “And, if you do put it down, don’t go back for it. Go get a new drink.”
Sheldon nods and shivers.
“Are you cold?” Penny stops before the walkway; Sheldon nods.
“Missy said I could only wear one shirt tonight and she hid my windbreaker and messenger bag. I feel naked,” Sheldon admits.
“Sweetie, if you are that miserable, we can go home,” Penny runs her hand down Sheldon’s bare arm.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I have a Masters degree, a PhD and I am working toward a second one. I can certainly handle a backwoods keg party.” His fingers lace with hers and he begins to stride toward the door with great certainty. He is about to ring the bell when Penny tells him they can just walk in.
“Of course,” Sheldon mutters and turns the doorknob. “Penny?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t let me out of your sight.”
X
The crush of people nearly brings on an asthma attack. Sheldon feels like a salmon swimming against the current as Penny pulls him toward the kitchen. They pause frequently as she wraps her free arm around some squealing female or bruising hulk that lifts Penny half off the ground which forces Sheldon to stand on his tiptoes or risk falling over. Finally, Penny finds Diane who, thankfully, is seated on a couch. Penny sits next to her friend and Sheldon sits on the far cushion and instantly begins squirming around.
“Don’t you dare,” Penny growls out of the corner of her mouth.
“Excuse me, Diane,” Sheldon leans across Penny’s lap. “Would you mind trading seats with me? You’re in my spot.” He pretends not to notice Penny drop her head in her hands. Diane gives him half smile, but moves fro, her seat. She and Sheldon do a two-step around each other until he settles on Penny’s right side. It doesn’t last long.
“Nope. This won’t do either,” Sheldon declares, rising from the sofa.
“Sheldon! Sweetie, since you are standing,” Penny touches his wrist, “why don’t you go in the kitchen over there and get us something to drink?”
“But I don’t…” he begins but lets the rest of the sentence die when Penny glares at him. “Very well. Be right back.”
“I’ll be here,” Penny smiles as he makes his way through the crowd, arms stiff by his side and his head down.
“I can see the appeal,” Diane is also watching Sheldon walk away. “He’s kind of helpless. Like a wet kitten.”
“Sheldon doesn’t like cats, the water, crowds, loud noises… oh, I could go on and on. It’s like dating a mental patient.” Penny lets out a half-hearted laugh.
“So why are you dating him?” Diane takes a swig of beer. Penny is silent; she can still see the top of Sheldon’s head - he is almost at the kitchen. She runs a finger over the tungsten bracelet on her wrist.
“He’s the most amazing person I know,” Penny finally says. “But the real kicker is, he thinks I am the most amazing person he knows, aside from himself that is.” Diane laughs then her expression arranges itself into a more neutral one. Sheldon is back.
“Penny! I just witnessed the most repulsive thing,” Sheldon says, placing a large plastic cup in front of her. “People are doing handstands on a beer keg and, brace yourself, drinking from the tap. Without cleaning it after! I can’t even begin to list how this violates the health codes in most states.”
“It’s called a keg stand, Sheldon,” Penny explains then peers into her cup. “What is this?”
“Some kind of fruit punch. It was in a large trash barrel and I really hesitated to take it but I was assured by the young woman manning the barrel that the barrel was clean and no one was permitted to spit into it or drink directly from it.”
Penny takes a sip and winces at the burn of alcohol in her throat, “Did you drink some of this?”
“Just two cups,” Sheldon is still chatting a mile a minute. “When I am anxious, I get a right powerful thirst,” he twangs audibly.
Penny reaches out and removes the red cup away in his hand - it is half empty, “I think you’ve had enough of this. Let’s go get you some air.” She places her hand in the center of his back and begins pushing him toward the French doors that lead to the deck.
“Penny?” Sheldon says as they make their way through the kitchen.
“Yes, Sweetie?”
“I can’t feel my teeth.”
“You are such a light-weight,” Penny scoffs before opening the doors.
When she does open them, an enormous plume of smoke rolls into the kitchen. Sheldon begins coughing violently; Penny takes in the faintly sickening-sweet smoke and hopes he doesn’t have another outburst.
“There is something familiar about this smell,” Sheldon muses as Penny pulls the doors closed. The only light on the deck comes from various candles. People are grouped around each other or paired off. Occasionally, there is a flare of dark red ember and the sound of a deep inhale and low voices. The vibe on the deck is distinctly more mellow than in the house.
“Hey Penny,” A male voice greets.
Penny peers in the direction it came from but can’t make out the speaker. “Hi,” she waves in the general direction.
“Where have I smelled this before?” Sheldon is still wondering. He follows Penny down the stairs and into the yard. “Got it!” He hollers in the darkness.
“Shhh! Sheldon!” Penny scolds, “Keep your voice down.”
“Junior’s sophomore year in school. Penny, did we just walk through a cloud of marijuana smoke?” His eyes are wide in the darkness and widen farther when she nods. “I knew it. Junior smoked some in the house that year. That was the one time Momma didn’t interfere with the whuppin’ Dad doled out.” Penny shakes her head at his accent- he must have had more of that punch than she realized.
“Took him two days to recover,” Sheldon reminisces. “ He’s gotta scar on his right forearm where Dad’s belt buckle hit and split the skin. I wasn’t so skilled at stitching at that point.”
“You stitched up your brother’s arm?!” Penny tugs at his elbow. “Why didn’t he go to the hospital?”
Sheldon just raises an eyebrow at her question then adds, “He hollered enough to raise the roof. Never touched the stuff again. My parents have no truck with drugs.”
Penny is silent as they head for the garden in the back corner of the yard. She doesn’t volunteer that Tommy was the one who sold to Junior. Apparently, she and Sheldon don’t know everything about each other’s lives.
A bench is placed decoratively under a small tree. Sheldon drops heavily onto it. The perimeter of the garden is studded with small lights that are more for décor than illumination. A fountain burbles unseen in the darkness. Penny takes his hand; Sheldon squeezes hers in return.
“Nice night.” Penny comments; Sheldon nods. “Feeling a little more clear-headed now, Sheldon?”
He nods again but is looking off to his left, “What is that?” He points in the gloom.
Penny leans back but she can’t make out anything but a half shape, “Not sure.”
“Let’s go find out.”
She runs to keep up with him and they enter a brace of fragrant bushes, “What is that smell? It’s beautiful.” Penny looks all around her and can barely make out the cone formation of flowers around her.
“Buddleia davidii.” Sheldon’s voice is in her ear. “Commonly known as butterfly bush. Some varieties can grow up to ten feet. This one is about six if I use myself as a measuring stick. They live up to their name as well. Butterflies flock to them”
Penny inhales from a clump of flowers near her, “Mmmm,” she sighs.
Suddenly, she feels Sheldon’s tongue running from just below her jaw to her ear.
“Mmmm,” he echoes before taking the lobe between his teeth.
“You’re awfully frisky.” Penny smiles before giving in to the sensation of his lips and warm breath in her ear.
“Alcohol lowers inhibitions,” Sheldon murmurs before moving down to her neck.
Penny feels the dampness in her panties. Sheldon’s teeth are working the side of her neck hard, just like she likes it. She is so thankful she only needs to show or tell him things once.
“How low?” Penny gasps. Her hands reach out to tug the button on his gray pants open.
Sheldon pulls back. He swallows audibly. Penny licks her lips then lowers herself down to the ground, pulling the edge of her denim skirt down a bit before holding her hand out to Sheldon.
“Penny…” but she sees his knees bend and then he is beside her.
Her hand draws his face to her. Her lips travel over his - soft brushes, hard presses, sharp nips - then her tongue is sliding between his lips. Sheldon moans softly. Penny’s fingers trail down until they find his zipper to loosen his pants completely.
“I don’t know what to do,” Sheldon admits when she stops to take a breath. He holds both her hands in one of his.
“Neither do I but we’ve managed to figure everything else out,” Penny assures him. “Why don’t you start by kissing me?”
He leans in eagerly. His hands thread through her hair. Penny waits until he is fully lost in the taste of her lips then slips her hand into his briefs. Sheldon tries to jerk back but her other hand is maintaining firm pressure on the back of his neck. She wraps her hand around the length of him. Her hand feels cool in comparison to the heat she finds there. Sheldon’s hips buck into her hand; his kisses increase in intensity as Penny runs her hand up and down once more.
Penny smiles into the kiss as she feels his control slipping. She leans against him, pushing and nudging until he is fully reclined. She moves her hand again and Sheldon’s breath hitches. His hand slides up the back of her shirt and Penny feels his fingers splayed against her spine. She moves to kiss his throat, tightening and loosening her grip until his head tilts back to arch his neck.
“Faster,” he whispers and Penny blinks in surprise, but follows his directive. She’s thrown one leg over his and keeps sliding her foot up and down his calf in time with her hand. Tentatively, her fingers brush a little lower and Sheldon’s fingers dig into the center of her back.
His hand reaches up to hold her mouth to his. Penny gives into the kisses. She touches him softly in sharp contrast to the groans that are emanating from Sheldon. They are deeper than his speaking voice, slow and loud. Penny sincerely hopes no one can hear them. She recalls some information once gleaned from a giggling lunch session with Diane and some of the other cheerleaders; her thumb and index finger form a ring around Sheldon and her wrist flexes.
“Sweet Jesus,” Sheldon gasps, tearing his mouth away from her. “Oh Lord, that’s enough. I can’t… I can’t take much more. We need to stop.”
“Are you sure?” Penny slows her movements. “I don’t mind…”
“I do.” Sheldon says curtly. His eyes are closed and he inhales deeply through his nose several times before opening them again.
Penny places a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose. Her hand slides free to rest on his chest. Sheldon cradles her to him for a moment. Penny listens to the staccato rhythm of his heart begin to slow. She lifts her head. Sheldon’s lips find hers in the darkness.
They kiss quietly, slowly until he eases her over onto her back. Penny notes that he is mimicking some of her earlier movements. The noise from the party has spilled out into the night. The crowd is getting rowdier but the noise is muffled by Penny’s ragged breathing as Sheldon pushes up her tank top to mouth her breasts through her bra.
He grinds his hips into her. She can feel the wetness on her inner thighs and imagines Sheldon’s fingers, his hands tracing over them, feeling her need for him.
“Sheldon,” Penny pants. He’s freed one breast and is running slow circles with his tongue around her nipple. “Sheldon, I want you to touch me.”
He meets her eyes, “I am touching you.”
Penny makes a face, “I meant I want you to touch me.”
“Oh.”
She watches as he pauses. His eyes travel down her abdomen then back up again.
“Sheldon! Seriously!?! You are going to get squeamish on me now?” Her irritation is hard to hide.
“No. No. Of course not,” he protests. He closes the gap between them. His lips linger on hers; his tongue delivering slow strokes. Penny rolls her hips underneath him then takes the hand that is cupping her left breast and guides it to the hem of her skirt.
Sheldon slides his hand up the outside of her thigh. He runs it back down and around her thigh to her knee. Penny spreads her legs a little as his hand strokes upward to her inner thigh. Sheldon buries his face in the crook of her shoulder, kissing her neck until Penny feels like she’ll burst into flames right here beneath him. Then, there it is.
The lightest touch. Her panties moved to the side. Sheldon’s index finger stroking gently at the heat he finds there.
Like Sheldon earlier, Penny’s hips undulate at his touch, an action which appears to boost Sheldon’s confidence as he now is applying more pressure and she can’t help but writhe against his hand.
Sheldon’s eyes flutter close. His fingers trace delicately, exploring. His brows draw together then with the brush of one finger tip, chills shoot straight up Penny’s spine. She takes in a sharp breath but Sheldon’s hand is moving again.
Her back arches of its own volition when his thumb presses down and begins to circle.
Penny bites her lip. Her hips have become independent creatures, straining against Sheldon’s hand but never getting as close as she wants. She opens her eyes and the sight of the muscles flexing in Sheldon’s exposed arm causes a flash of heat to flow through her. His eyes are focused solely on her, taking note of her every reaction and movement. Now, he touches her with quick flicks. His movements vary much like hers did on him.
Penny’s breath is torn from her throat. Sheldon is at her mouth again and she moans out her need, rocking against him. Her foot beats on the ground. She can feel it all building. A spring coiling tighter and tighter. Sheldon strokes her with two his finger once more and Penny nearly leaps off the ground but there is no release. Just this endless wanting.