As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts

Oh the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms

Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night?

For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt

And my head told my heart

"Let love grow"

            Mumford & Sons – “Winter Winds”

Vaguely, a sound wormed its way into Shelby’s unconscious mind.  Her dreams were garbled and erratic, and a heavy, thudding rhythm started to overtake her thoughts.  Slowly, with reluctance, she swam to the surface of consciousness. 

Again, the pounding sounded.  Perhaps it wasn’t in her head at all.

With a groan, Shelby rolled over and eyed the clock.  Seven am, too early, by her standards.  When another round of knocks rattled her sleep-laden brain, she threw off the covers and stood on shaky legs.  “Christ, I’m coming.”  With a weary glance she found a sweatshirt to throw on her slender frame and angrily stomped through the living room and into the small hallway that housed her front door.

Swinging the portal open, Shelby shouldn’t have been surprised by her early visitor.  Really, she was half expecting this, but her brain was too foggy to comprehend what she was seeing.

Justin Timberlake held up a bag in one hand and a carrier with two Starbucks cups in the other.  “I bring a peace offering.  Don’t kill me for waking you up.”  His grin was wide, boyish, and Shelby felt her anger receding as she became more awake.

“Seven AM, Jus?  Really?”  She scowled as best she could, but he thrust a warm cup into her hands and pushed past her into the apartment.  Apparently he was going to ignore the fact that he’d just woken her up.  Groggily, Shelby followed Justin into her kitchen.  She sipped the drink he’d given her, surprised to taste something other than coffee.  “What is this?”

“Chai.  Starbucks makes the best Chai tea, and I have them make it with soy milk and no water.  It’s amazing.  Drink.”  He gently pushed the cup back to her lips.  She took another sip, enjoying the warm, spicy taste of the tea.  Okay, she could forgive him for the lack of coffee.

“What are you doing here?  Shouldn’t you be in bed, like the rest of the world?”

Justin gave Shelby a bland look.  “I have to be in the studio all day today, and I wanted to see you.  So, I figured I would brave your wrath and bring you breakfast.  He opened the bag he’d brought, lifting out scones and setting them on a plate he’d found.  “Sit, eat.”  He motioned to the chair he’d pulled out for her.  He then opened her fridge and pulled out a container of sliced melon and other fruits and placed that on the table.

Shelby eyed him carefully but sat down, sipping at her tea and taking the offered scone.  If she’d been more awake, she would’ve admitted how amazing this was and that he was doing a pretty good job of wooing her, but she was still to groggy to say much more than, “thanks.”

“So, what do you have to do today, B?”  Justin spread butter across his own scone, his blue eyes piercing into hers when he looked up.  Those eyes were lethal.

Shelby swallowed hard.  “Uhm, I have my exam at 3:30.  I was going to attempt to study some more, but mostly I was going to sleep.”  She narrowed her eyes, “Well, that was the plan until someone busted down my door.”

Justin’s Cheshire grin was adorable, but she wasn’t about to tell him that.  “C’mon, B, you know you love seeing me.”  He batted his eyelashes at her, chuckling when he noticed the rosy hue to her cheeks. “Girl, you’re blushing.”

Shelby’s response was to throw a piece of her scone at his head.  The bread hit him on the cheek, and after he flinched in surprise, his eyes popped open wide.  Quickly, he threw his own pastry at her, landing it in the nest of her hair.  Shelby shrieked, eyes searching frantically for some other ammo to throw.  The bowl of fruit sat between them, innocuous and innocent, and a handy food-fight instrument.  Both of their hands snatched toward the bowl at the same time, grabbing handfuls of strawberries, melons, and an assortment of other squishy, sticky substances.

Justin stood slowly, inching his way toward Shelby who was also moving from her chair.  They circled the table, eyeing the other with a predatory gaze.

Shelby broke first, flinging her fistful of melon across the table, missing Justin as he ducked out of the way.  The splatter painted the refrigerator with colorful streaks.

“You missed.”  His smirk was devilish, but Shelby could only focus on his hand, poised for flight.  Justin feinted to the left and then quickly dashed right, catching his prey off-guard.  Within seconds, she was in his arms, all matter of fruit being smashed into her face and hair, sticky juices dripping down her neck.

“Justin!”  The shrill scream had Justin cringing, but he didn’t loosen his grip on the squirming girl.  Shelby managed to pull some of the mess off of her face and smear it across Justin’s t-shirt, but he had definitely bested her in this food fight.  “You are such an ass.”  She managed to pull away, moving across to the sink to attempt to wash herself.

“Hey!  Is that any way to talk to the man that brought you breakfast?”  Justin seemed unfazed by the gooey mess he’d made of Shelby’s kitchen and self.  Instead, his arms were folded as he leaned casually against her table.  His eyes were smoldering.  Shelby suddenly felt hot, but she ignored the feeling as best she could.

“It certainly is, if the man managed to cover me in said breakfast.”  Carefully, she pushed her hair back and grimaced when a piece of strawberry slid down her neck.  “Oh, gross.”

Justin moved from his perch, closing the gap between them quickly.  “C’mere.”  He tugged at her sweatshirt and pulled their bodies flush together.  “You’ve got something…here…”  His thumb swiped at her cheek, bringing the digit up to his mouth to suck off the juices.  Shelby gulped.  She was suddenly aware that she was still only in her sweatshirt and her bare legs felt awfully exposed in this moment.

There was a long, tense second where their eyes searched each other, searing heat flashing through their bodies.  Slowly, ever so slowly, Justin brought his face within a breath of Shelby’s, teasing her with their closeness but not moving the rest of the distance.  Her eyes had drooped closed as he’d started to lean, but now they opened in frustration at the lack of contact.  Roughly, she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his mouth to hers.  Their kiss was sticky and sweetened by the fruit cocktail covering Shelby.  This made it all the more erotic. 

“You taste like strawberries.”  Justin breathed into Shelby’s mouth before he dove in for another kiss.  His arms wrapped securely around her back, lifting her small frame up into the air until she settled her legs around his waist.  “Bedroom.”  He commanded, moving them from the kitchen.

“Door on the left.”  Shelby nodded with her head, capturing his mouth as soon as the directions had been uttered.  Easily, Justin carried her down the short hallway, turning them into the room she’d directed.  Their mouths devoured each other hungrily, hands desperate for skin and contact.  “Shower.”  Shelby managed to get the request out between kisses.  When she’d managed drop from his arms and steer them into the bathroom, her hands frantically ripped at Justin’s shirt.

He had recently discovered a span of legs, barely covered by the hem of her sweatshirt.  His pulse raced through his veins as his hands roamed up her thighs and he touched the hot skin of her waist.  Desire pulled at him, and he couldn’t get her naked fast enough.  His tongue traced a trail on her neck, tasting the fruit on her skin.  He was completely aroused.

Shelby managed to turn long enough to get the shower started before Justin had spun her around again to capture her lips again.  The final piece of clothing to leave their bodies were Justin’s boxers, and Shelby took her time appreciating the exposed flesh now fully in her view.  She smirked at Justin, who growled low in his throat before grabbing her hips roughly and pulling her into the shower with him.  Both of them gasped when the water hit their bodies.  Shelby fumbled with the dial, turning up the temperature. 

“B…c’mere.”  Slowly, with the lightest of touches, Justin traced his fingers across Shelby’s collar bone, down between the valley of her breasts and lower toward her stomach.  He stopped at her hips, letting her hip bone guide the direction of his travels, and soon he found himself dipping into her wetness and heat.  “Damn, girl.” 

“Oh…”  Shelby’s head fell back as her hands gripped tightly to Justin’s arms to steady her shaking legs.  His torturous ministrations had her writhing against him, wishing for more.  “J…please…”  She was close to begging.

Without stopping, Justin leaned into Shelby and let his lips suck on her neck and jaw line.  He could feel her body reacting to his touch, quivering and wanting, pulling him into her.  His own arousal ached with need, but he was determined to push Shelby over the edge before he got what he was truly after.  “Come for me, baby girl.”  His breath was hot on her neck, and when he pressed his thumb against her clit, she let out a moan.  Her head fell against his shoulder as her body tightened around his fingers.

“Shit.”  She panted, her eyes hazy with lust as she looked up at him.

Justin took her mouth with his, biting at her bottom lip.  Gently, he pushed her against the shower wall and lifted her leg so it sat around his hip.  His stare was smoldering as he situated himself, sinking the length of him into her heat.  “Fuck.”  He settled deep inside of her, stilling when their bodies were completely flush together.  Shelby started to pepper kisses along Justin’s shoulder, nipping at his ear-lobe and wiggling her hips to get him moving.

“Justin…” She breathed, gripping his shoulders.  “Please.”  That was all it took.  Justin gripped Shelby’s thigh and pulled it higher on his hip, his other hand around her back to keep her close.  He started slowly, torturing her with his leisurely pace.  Her hips bucked against his, creating a glorious friction that had her letting out a string of curses.  He felt incredible, filling, stretching, and touching spots that had never been found before.

Once Shelby started, Justin couldn’t hold his slow pace anymore, and he thrust into her, burying the entirety of him as far as it would go.  Quickly, he pulled back out before slamming into her again.  Rapidly, their pace increased until their breaths came in short pants and both of them were whispering nonsense.

“I’m gonna come again…”  Her words spurred Justin to move faster, and he slipped his free hand between them.  Her release was instant.  As she tightened around him, Justin felt his own climax coming.  He thrust again, and one last time, sinking deep into her soft center as he body shook.  It was so intense, he had to lean his head against Shelby’s shoulder to keep from falling over, using the wall as support.

“Shit, B.”  Justin licked his lips, slowly lifting his head to grin lazily at her.  “That was incredible.”

Her eyes were closed and her head was leaning back against the wall, but she answered.  “I’m still mad at you for the fruit in my hair.”

His chuckle had them both shuddering because he was still buried inside of her, still sensitive.  Carefully, he pulled out; taking a moment to be sure he could stand steadily.  “Then I’ll help you wash it out.”

Together, they washed up, taking their time to explore each other.  After, Justin pulled his clothing back on as Shelby moved into her bedroom to get dressed for the day.  Her head was still swimming and her body was thrumming with the events that had just happened.  The sexual tension had been obvious between them before, but she hadn’t realized that they could ignite so easily.  Now, she was so completely aware of his presence, his movement, his body, and his lips…all of him.  She could hardly take her eyes off of him as he stood in the doorway, watching her get dressed.

“I’m not going to be able to study today, thanks to you.”  As she finished buttoning her shirt, she gave him a mock glare.

Justin put up his hands in surrender.  “I’ll have no trouble in the studio today, thanks to you.”  His grin was trouble, and he laughed when Shelby swatted his shoulder. 

“When do you have to leave to go in?”  She left the room, heading back toward the kitchen to clean up and actually get something to eat.  Justin followed, helping her wipe up the mess he’d created.

“I have to be in around eleven.”

Shelby stopped in the middle of wiping off the refrigerator.  “Eleven?  You woke me up at seven when you don’t have to be in until eleven?” 

“Well…yeah…”  Justin stammered, “but it was totally worth it, right?”  He faltered under intense gaze, feeling like he’d done something terribly wrong.

She smirked.  “Gotcha.”  She squealed when Justin grabbed her by the waist, tickling her sides and laughing as she begged him to stop.  Eventually, the tickling ended in some stolen kisses and touches.  The heat between them was palpable.

Justin pulled back from a particularly long kiss and took a breath.  “Jesus, I feel like a teenager again.”  Shelby laughed with him, stepping away to take care of a few more things in the kitchen.  “I think you should come with me to the studio.”

“Really?”  Shelby took a seat at the table, taking a sip of her forgotten tea.  Luckily, it was still fairly warm.  “I have class later, and I should really study some more.”

Justin sat down across from her.  “Then bring your books and leave at two.  You can study while I’m in the booth, and we can grab lunch together before you go.”  He argument made a lot of sense, but Shelby still hesitated.  She was worried of things going too quickly.  Then again, they did just have amazing sex in her shower.  That hadn’t been taking things slowly.

“You promise to let me study?”  She was still hesitant, but the look on his face was slowly breaking her down.  He was pretty hard to resist.

“Scouts honor.  You’ll be able to study, and then I’ll treat you to lunch.”  He gave her a puppy-dog look, pleading with those big blue eyes.

Shelby held up her hands in surrender.  “All right, all right.  Stop making me feel so guilty, I’ll come.”  She stood, grabbing her purse and notebooks off of the counter.  “But for the record, I highly doubt that you were ever a boy scout.”