Chapter 9
"You feel a little light, Andie. Are you eating right?" Steff said easily, as he carried Andie across the living room, stopping in front of the couch, but not yet making any move to put her down.
He just carried me across his threshold! Just like when….
'Foreshadowing?' Does he mean what I think he means?
Andie was astonished that Steff had scooped her up and carried her across the threshold. Her heart was hammering in her ears, as she stared at him wide-eyed. She secretly marveled at the controlled strength she could feel in his arms, and longed to run her hands up and down them, memorizing every muscle and tendon. She was so lost in his eyes and inundated with swirling emotions, that she never answered his question.
He leaned over slightly to gently set her back on her feet, slowly trailing his left hand up her hip and leaving it to grasp her waist, while his right remained around her shoulders. "Ankle okay?" a concerned note in his voice.
She blinked slowly, her left hand still resting on his shoulder, and placed her right hand, palm flattened, on his chest, where she felt his heart pounding in rhythm with her own. Her eyes were drawn there, the heat from his skin burning straight through her. His shirt was unbuttoned the top three buttons, and Andie could see the dusting of his dark blond chest hair; she ached to undo the rest of the buttons and nuzzle her face in it. Andie's throat tightened and she swallowed hard.
Kitten, please don't look at me like that. You have no idea how beautiful you are. And you have no idea what you're doing to me. Steff wondered if Andie had the faintest clue of the power she held over him. He knew if he didn't put this back on a platonic footing right away, he was going to blow his plan. Keep your eyes on the prize.
He gently but firmly made her sit on the couch "Here, you lie down on the couch while I get a pillow for your foot. We should get it elevated before it starts to swell." He went into his bedroom and returned with 2 pillows, placing one under her foot, and the other behind her back.
"Steff, don't be silly, I'm not hurt. I just stumbled; it's no big deal." Andie protested.
Steff leaned over her, putting his head close to hers, and lifted her chin to look up at him. "Andie, it's okay to let someone else take care of you for once. In fact, you might be doing that someone a huge favor by letting them take care of you."
Andie felt the sudden sting of tears threatening. No one had ever wanted to take care of her before. She nodded her assent.
Steff went to the kitchen and returned with drinks for them both. He sat on the floor in front of the couch, with his back to Andie. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable in a chair?" she asked. Steff looked over his shoulder at her and smiled, nonplussed. "How are you supposed to play in my hair then? Remember, I read and turn the pages, and you run your fingers through my gorgeous mane. That was the deal, and I'm holding you to it."
Andie gave a small chuckle. "Okay, but I think I'm getting the better end of the bargain here."
Steff turned back and opened the book in his lap. "We'll see about that. I'm a very stern taskmaster. Did I mention there will be a quiz afterwards?" Steff remarked airily.
"Oh, I'm not worried. After all, I'm known as 'Kitten, the Teacher's Pet.'"
Steff turned back to face Andie, who was only inches away, and smiled at her tenderly, love shining from his eyes. "That, you are, Kitten. That, you are."
Steff began to read, some boring drivel about migratory patterns of prehistoric humans. Who writes this shit? he wondered. I'll be sure and break this out the next time I have insomnia. He had just gotten to the part where the Neanderthals got kicked off the food chain, when he felt Andie's fingers tentatively begin to roam through his hair. Steff's heart slammed in his chest, the force of it causing him to pause and draw a deep breath, his eyes closing reflexively.
"Okay?" Andie asked quietly.
Steff couldn't speak; he found himself quite incapable of conversational coherence at that moment. He nodded, thankful that Andie couldn't see his face. He took a swallow of his drink and tried to calm down and focus on the words on the page. Andie continued to run her fingers through his hair, at times, lightly caressing his scalp, at others, more firmly pressing her fingers in, but never stopping. Steff began to lean into her hand, luxuriating in the sensation, seeking to prolong the contact. Wow, he really is like a cat, Andie marveled. She began to periodically dip her fingers down into the collar of his shirt, to lightly trail her fingers down the back and sides of his neck and then back up again. Every time she changed from stroking his scalp to this skin-on-skin contact, Steff's heart hammered in his chest and his eyes closed.
Steff kept reading, for who knows how long, but he had no earthly idea what the words were saying. Good thing I don't have to take my quiz. Andie's fingers grazed a particularly sensitive spot Steff didn't even know he had, just at the juncture of the right side of his neck and shoulder, and he gave an involuntary shudder. Suddenly, Andie's warm breath was right behind his left ear, and he felt her nuzzle him there, breathing softly, the sensation shooting straight to his groin.
Oh, Kitten. Steff's eyes closed and rolled back in his head from this feeling of bliss.
His breathing grew ragged and labored. His knuckles grew white where he held a death grip on the history book, his fingers leaving an imprint on the pages from the force of his grasp.
Softly, deftly, Andie placed a kiss on the sensitive flesh behind his earlobe. Steff's eyes flew wide open at the kiss, his blood surging in his veins, and all the air left his lungs in a whoosh. Andie continued to rub her nose and cheek in his hair, dragging her bottom lip up the length of his ear. As she sustained her unrelenting attentions, she whispered, "I'm ready to take that quiz now."
Steff slammed the book closed, tossed it aside unseeingly and turned back towards Andie, on his knees, both literally and figuratively. He took her hands in his and kissed them, first one, then the other, his eyes never leaving hers. His heart was slamming in his chest, so fiercely he thought it might burst.
Andie reclined back on her pillow and Steff followed, keeping their entwined hands between them.
Please God, don't let me fuck this up.
Steff searched Andie's whiskey colored eyes, dilated with desire. As she looked up at him, he felt like he was on the threshold of some great precipice.
Geronimo!
"Question one" he started softly. "Can you forgive me for how I treated you in the past?"
"I forgive you" she answered, just as softly.
"Question two" he swallowed hard. "Do you think you could ever come to care for me as more than just a friend?"
"I already do" she smiled.
A huge weight rolled off Steff's shoulders, and he smiled in relief. Yes! "I must say Kitten, you're doing very well on this quiz."
"I'm pretty sure that's due to my status as Teacher's Pet" she grinned in return.
"Last question" he said tenderly, as he moved inexorably towards those lips that he had been dreaming about since he was 15. "Would you see me, and only me?" for as long as we both shall live, he added inwardly.
Andie fell into Steff's eyes, a feeling of deep peace settling over her. She could only characterize it as a rightness, like the fitting of the final puzzle piece in place. Looking into his beautiful sparkling blue eyes, she suddenly understood; it was always Steff. Never Blane, never Duckie. They had meandered all over hell and half of Georgia to get to this moment, but the destination was never in doubt – it was her and Steff.
"Yes" she breathed.
Steff's eyes briefly closed and when he opened them he didn't care if Andie could see that he was on the verge of tears. He unclasped one of their hands and caressed her face, gently tracing his thumb over her full bottom lip. "You don't know how long I've waited to do this" he whispered, as he kissed her softly.
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Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited & followed! You guys are awesome! Oh, a note to any readers not familiar with American colloquialisms: "Geronimo!" is what you yell out when you jump from a great height – like when you're skydiving. As always, I would love to hear what you think – feedback makes life worth living! So leave a review!
