Saturday, May 1st1986, 4247 Maplewood Drive
They had danced in comfortable silence for a while. It was long after midnight but neither of them wanted the night to end.
"And I always thought kitchens are only for cooking, baking, family meetings and eating," chuckled Lee while they swayed slowly to the soft music playing from the radio.
"Well, not in the King kitchen. Sometimes my kitchen transforms into a repair workshop or into a chemistry laboratory…"
"Or into a flower shop, when your mother has raided a garden center again," added Lee with a laugh.
"The flowers that you - by the way - are always trampling down every time you are sneaking around my backyard," retorted Amanda matter-of-factly.
"Touché. Guilty as charged." Lee let go of her and held up his hands in mock surrender. "I should send her a yearly anonymous rain check for a garden center. What do you think?"
"That could be pretty expensive for the long haul," she winked at him playfully.
"Nothing too expensive for the mother who has the most wonderful daughter I have ever met," whispered Lee and pulled Amanda back where he felt her belonging forever. In his arms. Amanda responded in the only way she could by resting her hands on his shoulders and her cheek next to his. His warm breath tickling her ear as he inhaled the fragrance of her shampoo, a mix of vanilla and soft rose petals.
She let herself be carried away by the fantasy of his fingers, slowly loosening the clip that held her ponytail. Amanda sighed dreamily as another fantasy carried her further away. This time Lee's fingers running through the hair of her loosened ponytail, tangling in it, pulling her head slowly toward his slightly parted lips, his mission unmistakable clear…
"Amanda…?" She heard a faded voice in the distance calling her name. "Amanda, can you hear me…?" The voice became clearer and she felt a soft hand squeezing one of her hands she had rested on his shoulders.
"Oh Lee, I'm sorry. I… I was…just…" Amanda stammered obviously nervous.
"You okay?" He asked softly, lifting her chin to look her in the eyes.
"Yes. I was just...distracted."
She blinked at him and she didn't know why but she felt the urge to let him know how she felt about him, how much she wanted, no needed him in her daily life. Amanda didn't know how he really felt about her but she knew he really cared about her, more than friends should care about each other. She felt it every time they spent time together, especially outside from the office. The handholding or his hand placed at the small of her back every time they walked together and so much more signs she had received from him lately. And tonight had been no exception. His earlier flirting, the double meaning of his words he had whispered in her ear regarding the title of the book she failed to hide from him, the way he had watched her every move since he came into her house. His body language told her so much more than his words did.
Amanda needed to find out where they were and this night was the only chance. No interruptions by her family, any ringing telephone or doorbell, no phone calls from work.
"Lee?"
"Yeah?"
"There's something I need to know from you," Amanda began, taking a small step back but held eye contact. He understood the unspoken message and simply nodded; giving her the space she needed by let go of her.
Amanda cleared her throat and took a deep breath to calm her fluttering nerves.
"To dance with me wasn't the only reason for your visit, was it?" The question came out softly and hung in the air unanswered for a few seconds before Lee responded honestly to Amanda's surprise.
"No," he said as softly as Amanda had questioned him. "Honestly, I…I wanted…" he swallowed nervously and run a hand through his hair, "I…wanted to…no… I needed to see you," Lee finally said.
Amanda's whole face lit up. She didn't interrupt him, knowing if she would, he might lose all his courage.
He placed his left index finger under her chin to lift it up. Their eyes meet. "Amanda King, you are the most beautiful, most fascinating and most frustrating women I have ever met," Lee spoke softly. He made a pause to gather up all his courage and closed the gap between them slowly. He removed his finger from under her chin and reached up to tuck a single strand of her hair gently behind her ear. Instead of removing his hand, his fingers somehow found its way up to the back of her head and to the clip that held her ponytail in place.
Amanda's pulse quickened and she shivered in anticipation to his warm, soft touch. Were her fantasies turning into reality tonight?
"You are leaving me sleepless every night and daydreaming every day," he whispered, moving closer with every word he spoke.
Amanda didn't dare to move, she couldn't move and she didn't want to. She just stood there, stock-still, feeling as if her pulse rate would go shooting through the roof of her house any minute. With her eyes fixed on his, Amanda found it harder to concentrate on the music still playing softly in the background. And then, as if on cue, Lee's other hand reached out to cup her face. His thumb stroking her cheek gently, he then let his hand wander further up behind her ear. A first soft moan escaped Amanda's slightly parted lips and she closed her eyes to the new sensation washing over her. His breath quickened. Lee stared at those slightly parted lips for a moment and wondered how it would be like to touch them with his finger. He contemplated for a few seconds, but deciding against it being afraid of taking things too quickly. Amanda opened her eyes and saw the hesitation in his eyes.
"Dance with me, Lee," she softly said, giving him a way out like she always did when he maneuvered himself into a dead end. Amanda had learned over the years that pushing him into a corner without a way out makes it only more complicated. What he needed now was assurance and she was willingly to give him just that.
They started to dance in old familiar and comfortable silence with their hands resting in all too familiar places. A new song began to play.
I can tell by the look in your eyes you've been hurtin'
You know I'll never let you down, oh no
And I'll try anythin' to keep it workin'
You gave me time to find out
What my heart was lookin' for
And what I'm feelin' inside
Lee let the words sink in. The lyrics seemed to be mirroring his feelings for her. With new found courage he pulled Amanda closer. Both sighed in contentment.
The song continued
In your eyes
I wanna see your love again
In your eyes
I never want this feelin' to end
It took some time to find the light
But now I realize
I can see the Heaven in your eyes
At the words 'heaven in your eyes' both looked at one another. Without any word spoken between them, Lee lifted his left hand from the little spot from the small of her back up to her face to caress her chin with his thumb in slow, gentle circles. His right hand came to a rest at the other side of her face, imitating the movements of his left hand. Now, with both hands cupping her face, he gently pulled her closer.
Amanda felt her pulse racing all over again. Her breath began to quicken as he continued to caress her face, while they continued swaying.
Can't you see I'm findin' it hard to let it go?
Ooh
All the heartaches we've been through
I never really thought I'd see this love grow
But you helped me see
Now I know what my heart's been lookin' for
The thumb of his left hand caressed its way up from her chin to the corner of her mouth. He added soft pressure to his caresses causing her lips to part slightly.
A quiet moan escaped her lips while she waited for the next wave of sensation to come. She didn't need to wait too long. With the fingers of his right hand, Lee began to stroke his way up to the back of her head.
Amanda's eyes drifted shut.
"Amanda, look at me," he demanded softly as his fingers found the clip that held her ponytail captive. Slowly her eyelids fluttered open and she found his deep hazel eyes boring into hers. Amanda wanted to say something, but no words came out. The tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips. Lee followed that movement out of the corner of his eye and sucked in a breath as he first watched and then felt the tip of it brushing shyly against his thumb. Both started a little at the electric jolt caused from that touch. Instead of pulling back, they stared at each other as Lee's fingers began to fumble carefully with the clip in her hair.
And what I'm feeling inside
In your eyes
I wanna see your love again
In your eyes
I never want this feelin' to end
It took some time to find the light
But now I realize
I can see the Heaven in your eyes
Finally the clip gave in and her ponytail fell down in soft, curled tendrils onto her shoulders. Lee dug his fingers into them, to pull her head slowly toward his. The clip fell behind her onto the floor with a soft clatter, but neither of them cared. Time seemed to stand still as Amanda met him half way. She tilted her head slightly to the side and closed her eyes in anticipation. His warm breath tickled the tip of her nose and she could smell the sweetness from the bottle of red wine they had shared in the course of the night. Lee closed his eyes and moistened his lips before he finally bent down to touch them with hers. The touch was so soft, almost shy like two teenagers kissing for the very first time. He pulled back to gauge her reaction. Amanda opened her eyes slowly and what Lee saw was pure trust and love and something else what he never had seen before, not even in his dreams he had about her lately.
"Lee. Please." The words came out in a hoarse whisper and then she moved her hands up over his shirt to rest them on his shoulders for a moment, but only to move them further up behind his neck. A shiver of excitement pulsed through his veins as he felt her fingers massaging the back of his head, imitating his fingers in her hair. Lee felt her gently, but determinedly tugging at the back of his head and in the next moment her soft lips had closed over his. He moaned against her lips and then Lee did something he rarely had done before. He let Amanda take the lead, let her set the pace to show her he would never push her too far. He felt her hesitate for a moment. He encouraged her by tangling his fingers deeper into her hair, toying with it teasingly.
"Show me, Amanda," Lee whispered against her lips, his eyes still closed. "Show me how you want to kiss me. Show me how we have kissed in all of your fantasies, in your dreams."
Amanda didn't know if it had been the words he said or the way he had said them that gave her the final needed push. She dug her fingers deeper into his hair and pulled his head back just a bit. Lee's eyes flew open, blinking and his lips parted slightly in anticipation as he watched Amanda angling her head. Again the tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. He imitated her movements and then he closed his eyes the moment she closed hers...
We've been livin' on the edge
Where only the strong survive
We've been livin' on the edge
And it's somethin' that we just can't hide
Their lips meet. This time her lips felt different. Soft but firm, warm and moist. Lee's pulse quickened as he felt the tip of Amanda's tongue brushing over his lower lip. He moaned. It took all of his strength not to take over control like he was used to in his past with women. Lee then felt her tongue gone and sighed disappointedly. But he was definitely taken by surprise by her next assault. This time Amanda demanded permission to his mouth by gently nudging his slightly parted lips apart with the tip of her tongue. He accepted her request without hesitation and her tongue slipped between his lips into the warmth of his mouth, to circle his tongue teasingly. Both moaned at the new found sensation. Lee couldn't help it. He needed to know. He pulled back gently from their kiss, the sweet taste of red wine still lingering on his lips as he looked Amanda lovingly in the eyes.
"Is that how you have dreamed…and fantasized about us…kissing?" He asked breathlessly.
"Not exactly," Amanda whispered playfully before she pulled him down again to show him...
Oh this feelin' inside
In your eyes
I wanna see your love again
In your eyes
I never want this feelin' to end
It took some time to find the light
But now I realize
I can see the Heaven in your eyes
Oh yeah, I can see the Heaven in your eyes
A/N: Again I couldn't resist in using the lyrics from a song from my favorite 1986 movie "Top Gun". Some of you may recognize this song. For you who haven't, the title is "Heaven in your eyes" by Loverboy
No copyright infringement is intended!
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"Francine wasn't the only one who underestimated you completely," chuckled Lee as he smiled at his wife. I had never imagined you...," he made a pause, "...kissing me that boldly at our first kiss.
"Well, you wanted me to show you how I have dreamed and fantasized about it and I did, right?" Amanda countered. "And I remember you liked it very much, right?"
"Oh yeah. And I swear to you, as soon as I'm recovered, I'm gonna show you about my entire dreams I'm going to have until I'll be my old self." Lee wiggled his eyebrows at her. "But now," he stretched out his arms and yawned, "I just want to sleep with my beautiful wife in my arms. Are you with me?"
"Is that a promise?" Amanda looked expectantly at her husband who nodded.
"Then I'm with you," she said and snuggled back in the waiting arms of her husband, the music continued to play in the background as they drifted off to sleep…XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
6 days later
After the doctor had cleared him to fly back home, Lee took Amanda out to a beautiful Austrian restaurant where they spent hours with chatting, eating, drinking fine wine, flirting and dancing until they no longer could maintain an adequate behavior without being thrown out. It was their last night in Salzburg. The flight back home to D.C from Munich was booked in the late afternoon of the next day. Luckily they didn't need to rebook their tickets. Lee was fully cleared in time. He only needed to take the antibiotics until the end.
The ride with the taxi back to their hotel had been a challenge for them, including the taxi driver.
The wine they had shared and the last couple of days of abstinence due to Lee's infection had let them almost forget where they were as they had shared heated, teasing kisses and touches in the dark safety of the back of the taxi. It wasn't until the taxi driver had cleared his throat loudly, saying, "Entschuldigen Sie bitte. Ihr Hotel. Wir sind da," when both Lee and Amanda had jumped apart, obviously embarrassed as they had realized what they were about to do. They had straightened their clothes and Lee had paid the taxi driver with an appropriate tip as a sort of redemption for the little peep show as he had apologized in German "Vielen Dank. Der Rest ist für Sie." The taxi driver had nodded and laughed heartedly as the couple had left the car.
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They entered, laughing and kissing their hotel room. Lee turned on the switch and hung the 'Do Not Disturb' sign at the other side of the door; to make sure no one would interrupt their last night of their vacation. Then the door closed with a firm click and the deadbolt snapped in...
A/N: What happened next is left to the creative imagination of the reader in the T-rated pool. Your journey ends here if you are uncomfortable swimming in the M-rated pool area. To everyone who knows their way around that end of the pool, please continue reading to see how deep the water goes...
TBC...