Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading, commenting, and sticking with me when life took some funky turns! I love you guys!NOW...Chapter Twenty-Nine
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With raindrops still clinging to the filmy softness and glistening in the light, Sue removed her short veil, laying it on Jack’s bed.
Short. Like everything else to do with their engagement and wedding.
Neither of them could bear the thought of a long, drawn out engagement; not after waiting four years to get to this point. A week was all either was willing to give up for the planning process. After all, some lengthy ceremony with dozens of bridesmaids and groomsmen wasn’t their idea of the perfect union. Instead, Bobby stood beside Jack; both dressed in black suits with crisp white shirts, dark gray ties and a white boutonniere of a single dogwood bloom with a bit of ivy as accent.
They matched Sue bouquet, the dogwood sent to her courtesy of Josh Wilham, along with his sincere apologies that he wouldn’t be able to attend the wedding. Lucy had spotted the dress she wore in a boutique just a block from the Hoover building. It was a simple, tea length creation of creamy white silk that fitted her curves snugly before flaring away at the hips and ending in an elegant swirl of white on white embroidery along the hem. The veil she’d just removed was trimmed in a white satin band at the edges and reminded her of the one from a long ago photo of her grandmother. Lucy was her only attendant, lovely in a dove gray silk dress and carrying a smaller version of Sue’s bouquet.
Their parents flew in the evening before, and they had had dinner with them at one of their favorite restaurants. Their fathers got on famously, and by the end of the meal, their mothers were beginning to find things in common as well, mostly comparing stories of their children growing up.
All in all, the day went as planned. Even the weather cooperated long enough to have the ceremony in the small courtyard at her church, the sun lasting through the proceedings and just disappearing behind a cloud as they made their way into the fellowship hall for a short reception. The first raindrops fell as everyone raised their glasses in a toast to the couple.
Jack came out of the bathroom and saw her standing there, her forefinger just touching the veil laying on the bed in front of her. He crossed the room and slipped his hands around her waist and kissed her shoulder, his lips lingering before he turned her toward him. “You looked far away just now.”
She smiled softly. “Just catching my breath. It’s been a busy week.”
“I hate to rush you, but we need to get to the airport.”
“I just need to change.” She picked up the neatly folded clothes she’d left there yesterday and closed the bathroom door behind her; they might be married, but she wasn’t used to changing in front of a man… even Jack. Besides, the real honeymoon wouldn’t begin for another… she looked at her watch with a sigh… four or five hours.
~~o~~
Jim and Mary Beth Shelburne’s four bedroom, two story house sat on a large lot with aging playground equipment rusting away in the back yard. Their two children were grown; James Jr. graduating from college next month and moving to Louisville for his first job. Their daughter was married and living in Florida with her husband, and would soon be giving them their first grandchild. Roscoe, the family Labrador, was the only one left at home, keeping Mary Beth company during the long days now that she was retired and encouraging her and Jim to take long walks together in the evening. He was laying on the floor beside Jim’s chair now; snoozing more and more of his days away the older he grew. When he suddenly raised his head from the floor and looked toward the front door, Jim knew the bell was about to ring; Roscoe was a very reliable alarm system despite his age.
The chime came a few seconds later and Mary Beth, on her way into the den to start reading the next chapter of her current romantic novel, switched directions and headed toward the door. “I guess it’s probably our tenants…” she called to her husband with a chuckle, “…but they’re a little early.”
The handsome young man who stood on the doorstep when she pulled open the door smiled and Mary Beth felt her stomach do a little flip.
My goodness, she thought, the blonde by his side probably hadn’t stood a chance.
“Mrs. Shelburne? I’m Jack Hudson, and this is my… wife…Sue.”
Mary Beth grinned at the way he hesitated and smiled down at the blonde when he said the word ‘wife’. She didn’t have a lot of experience with newlyweds; her former career as a third grade school teacher had brought her into contact with a much younger crowd, but she couldn’t imagine a lovelier couple, or one more obviously in love, than the one standing just outside her front door.
“Please, call me Mary Beth. Come in, come in… get out of the rain.”
“Thank you. But we don’t want to disturb you…” Sue protested.
Mary Beth pushed the storm door open and ushered them inside. “Nonsense, I bet you could stand a good cup of coffee after your trip. Come on in the den; Jim’s in there.”
“Really, Mrs. Shelburne… Mary Beth, we can’t stay long. I want to get there before dark.” Jack insisted.
She noticed the way the way Sue kept a firm grip on Jack’s hand, and the anxious look on his face. ‘
Newlyweds Mary Beth, remember how you felt on your honeymoon?’, she reminded herself.
“Of course you do. Let me get Jim, he’s got everything all ready for you.”
Ten minutes later, the couple was on their way again after profuse thanks and a promise to call if they needed anything.
~~o~~
Jack drove the small pick-up they’d rented down the gravel drive indicated on Jim’s map and shut off the engine as he brought to a stop at the dead end. He gave Sue a quick kiss and climbed out, rounding the nose of the truck to open her door and take the shopping bag full of linens, wash clothes, towels and various other items that Mary Beth had insisted were theirs to use, from her lap. Then he offered his free hand to help her from the truck and stood there grinning like an idiot once she was out and offering to take the bag from him.
“Why are you grinning?” Sue asked, smiling at the goofy look on his face.
“We’re alone. For the first time all day, we’re totally alone.”
“We’ve been driving,
alone, for over an hour.”
“True, but I couldn’t
do anything about it while I was driving.” He sat the shopping bag on the ground and advanced on her, backing her up against the side of the truck. Sue could feel one hand on her waist, gradually sliding down until it rested on her hip. The other cupped her chin and tilted her face to the perfect angle for a lingering kiss, promising a night like she’d never before experienced.
She drew a shaky breath and tried to remember what she wanted to say when the kiss ended, only succeeding in muttering something unintelligible. Jack answered by running the tip of his tongue around the shell of her ear, taking huge delight in the way she was thrown by their kiss.
Shivering slightly, she pushed him back and gripped his shirt, a look of slight desperation in her eyes. “Please, Jack, let’s go. Please?”
His smiled disappeared, replaced by a realization that time for teasing was at last at an end. Handing her the bag, and another out of the bed of the truck, he gathered the rest of their supplies under his arms and indicated the trial winding away through the woods with a tilt of his head. Sue walked ahead of him while he appreciated the view from directly behind her; up and down hills and around a large pond, finally coming along side a small creek. After a dozen or so yards, the path split away from the creek again and meandered back through the woods, at last bringing them back to the welcome sight of a small clearing and the tiny cabin tucked under the trees.
~~o~~
The old oil lamp had been joined by two more placed around the room, and they each burned merrily within minutes of their arrival, lighting the cabin with a warm glow. It was only a little after eight in the evening, but the shadow of the surrounding hills and the now fully leaved trees blocked the waning sun from the cabin and the interior needed the illumination they provided. While Jack went back outside to tend to the generator Jim had left for them, Sue had removed the linens and towels from the shopping bag and was almost finished putting sheets on the small bed. Straightening the quilt, she stood back with her hands on her hips, admiring her work when Jack spun her around.
“Beautiful job, but they’re not gonna’ stay neat for long you know.” He gave her a knowing grin and watched as the blush crept up her cheeks. She wanted to be witty; to show him that she wasn’t nervous, even though it would be a lie. But words failed her, so she began to unfasten his top shirt button, and then the next, placing a kiss in the dip at his collarbone when the fabric parted. His breathing quickened and his mouth opened as though he couldn’t quite get enough air. Encouraged by his response, she repeated her actions on each and every button, ending with a kiss on his stomach, just above his navel.
He pulled her up and kissed her hard, telling her in no uncertain terms that she had his full attention and that it was time for him to take part in the seduction she’d started. Walking her backwards toward the bed, he caught her when her legs came in contact with it and she began to fall. He lowered her slowly and then knelt in front of her, running a hand behind her neck to pull her forward for another kiss.
She pulled at his shirt sleeves, trying to get him to join her on the bed, but he broke the kiss and shook his head slowly. “No, it’s my turn now.”
She had no buttons to unfasten, but her pale blue T-shirt was inched up bit by bit, exposing more and more quivering skin for his inspection. He pushed her upper body sideways so that her head lay on the pillow she’d just encased in a crisp white pillowslip. His mouth hovered above her bare stomach, his breath warming each stop he made to kiss and tease the skin. Burying her fingers in his hair, she couldn’t make up her mind whether to hold him closer or pull him up. He made deciding a moot point by suddenly standing and pulling her legs onto the mattress. Sitting beside her, he returned to the hem of her shirt, pushing it up until she raised her arms over her head and he slipped it off, tossing it over his head to land in the middle of the floor. She followed his lead and pushed his shirt off one shoulder and then the other, letting him pull his hands free and then send it flying through the air to join her blouse. Bit by bit the heap of clothes grew until only a trio of undergarments remained to separate them. Jack had long since joined her in the bed, stretched out and in the process of giving every a thorough visual inspection to each and every spot where his body touched hers. When he finished, he trailed a finger up her stomach and between her breasts, pausing to finger the tiny satin bow that nestled there, chuckling to himself when he realized he was jealous of the embellishment because it was privileged enough to spend it‘s days in such a location. He forced himself to continue his journey up to her chin… where Sue made a face and wrinkled her nose.
Jack’s brows rose and he rolled his eyes, but smiled when he spoke. “Gee thanks. That’s exactly the reaction I was going for.”
She kissed him to sooth his damaged ego and shook her head. “No, your hands smell like gasoline, that’s all.”
“Oh. I filled the generator so we’d have some hot water. It should be heated by now, I’ll go wash my hands… be right back.” He hopped out of bed and pulled on his jeans and was out the door in a flash, leaving cool air in his wake.
He stepped on a rock in his haste and hopped on one foot to the shower enclosure. Opening the door, he spied the soap on it’s little shelf and crossed the small space to retrieve it. When he turned to leave, he froze, the soap bottle clutched tightly against his chest and the air in his lungs refusing to move either in or out. She leaned against the post at the open edge of the door, wearing nothing, so far as he could tell, but his shirt she had helped him remove only moments before. He had a fleeting thought that he should give every single shirt he owned to her, since they looked infinitely better on her than they did him.
When she took a step toward him, even that thought left his head and the soap bottle slipped from his nerveless fingers, bouncing on the wooden platform. She stooped to pick it up, and that’s when his suspicions that the shirt was the only garment she wore were confirmed as he glimpsed a delicious curve. She straightened and stepped close, reaching for his hands. She pumped a large dollop of pearly white soap in one palm and placed the bottle back on it’s shelf. Holding his hand, palm up, she swirled a forefinger in the soap, spreading it in a wider circle, and then moved to his chest. Dipping up a finger full of the slippery liquid, she drew a wavy line from his collarbone to his navel.
Jack didn’t move. Only his eyes followed her movements, widening when her finger trailed down his chest. When she reached his navel his composure snapped and he fisted the extra fabric of his shirt hanging loosely about her and pulled until she was in his arms. His kiss was impatient and hot, eliciting the response of which he knew she was capable. Her arms came up and her fingers raked through his hair, drawing his head down. The perfect white teeth he often found himself mesmerized by as he watched her soft words, now bit almost painfully into his bottom lip, pulling and wanting more. When he reached behind her and under the shirt tail to cup her bottom, his palm slid against the smooth skin and he grinned into the kiss. The soap.
Pivoting slightly, he reached for the knob to his right and tightened his arm around her as she jumped when the spray burst to life, wetting her hair and back. He eyes flew open and she gasped against his mouth.
“Jack! You….”
“Payback for last time.”
“I thought you paid me back then.”
“Just a down payment. Now you get the full installment.”
“Installment? That would indicate there are more payments to come.”
“Many more sweetheart. And I expect the interest to be very high. I may have to make payments for the rest of my life.”
He backed her under the spray and made an amendment to his previous thoughts of giving her all his shirts. Make that wet shirts. The fabric clung to her body, highlighting every single curve. Her hands moved once again to cover herself, but this time he caught them and shook his head. He pushed them to her sides and then unfastened the two or three buttons that remained in their holes. The fabric clung to her as he pushed it off one shoulder and then the other, but where she had allowed him to pull his own hands free earlier, he wasn’t willing to wait and performed the task for her, urging the garment down to lay in a wet heap at their feet. She was even more beautiful than his wayward imaginings over the last few days had conjured up. Creamy, pink skin begged for his touch and he wasn’t about to deny it what it wanted. He ran his hand around her waist as a prelude.
Sue swayed toward him, hungry for his kiss and trembled when his hand moved up to caress areas that had ached for his touch for all her adult life without ever really realizing it. She arched her body instinctively and moaned his name. He cradled her and kissed her, moving his lips over hers and shaking with desire.
The cold of the snap on his jeans brought Sue out of her haze long enough to realize that she was woefully behind on her duties as a new wife. She hooked a forefinger in one belt looped and tugged, bringing his upper legs against hers and giving him a coy smile when her broke the kiss and opened his eyes. The button flicked open easily and the zipper slid down with her encouragement. Pushing impatiently, she managed to only get the wet jeans down to his knees where they bunched and refused to go further. Exasperated, she set her mouth and ordered him to
SIT.
“Yes ma’am.” He grinned and did her bidding.
Once he was on his bottom on the wood slat platform, she grabbed each foot in turn and pulled the blue denim away completely, kicking them and the shirt to the corner of the stall. He was standing before she turned back around and was reaching for her, but she frowned and pointed to his soaking wet boxers. Backing away slightly, he raised his hands to clasp the fingers together behind his head, daring her.
She dared. She circled him closely, inching the garment down as her finger ran around the inside of the waistband. When she stood in front of him again, the silky blue boxers were at his feet and she was in his arms. Even the water found difficulty edging it’s way between them from that point. Slow caresses became urgent and the intimacy God intended for man and wife was frantically explored, bringing them both to the edge of exhaustion by the time they turned off the spray of water and he carried his squeaky clean wife back to their marriage bed.
They gave way to the exhaustion and slept in each other’s arms for a time, but not long. As the sun set and the oil lamps lit their bodies in an amber glow, he reached for her again, and again.
~~o~~
“You think the Shelburne’s ever thought their little retirement get-a-way cabin would ever be used as a honeymoon destination?” Sue murmured lazily, her head resting on his stomach. She raised it to see his reply when she felt his laughter.
“I kinda’ doubt it. But I’m glad they were agreeable to us staying here.”
“Maybe we can make them an offer. They can come to DC and stay in our house and we can come here for a week or so each year.”
“We’ve gotta’ get a house first.”
“Details.”
“Maybe I can just build a replica of this one. Plant a few cherry trees in the front yard… I’m sure any neighborhood in the city would be proud to have it as part of the community.”
“No room for a nursery.”
He rolled to his side and she sat facing him, her side propped against his stomach. “Wow, that was fast. Like I said last week, I knew I was good, but…”
Reaching around and swatting his bare bottom, she wagged a finger at him. “You’re so bad…”
“And you love me for it.”
“Yes. Yes I do.”
Pinging sounds on the tin roof brought his face up, looking heavenward. “It’s raining again, and it’s getting cooler in here.”
“What’s that Elvis song? Bobby sang it to Tara one day… something about cold Kentucky Rain…”
“Yeah, but that’s about some guy that’s lost his girl. I’ve found mine.” He raised up to kiss her again, and she wiggled around to stretch out against his length and met him kiss for kiss.
“Care to prove it to me again?”
“Yes ma’am, I think I would…”
The oil lamps kept a glowing vigil as he loved his wife once more in the small quilt covered bed, in the tiny cabin in the wilderness, under the cold Kentucky Rain.
Fin.
(Just remember, it's partially YOUR FAULT I'm addicted . . . )
I got all teary when I read that. Is it weird that I feel proud of Sue, too? 
next post. Unless it's an anticipatory shower scene? 
Or a 
shower scene. I love the way you right the romance, tina -- I feel like I shouldn't be there eavesdropping on them. 
(Oh . . . sorry . . . that last one just kinda "snuck" in . . . ! 
You are brilliant!
