*EDIT: I am such a dork! I forgot to post the chapter that was supposed to come before this one, so I've added it now. My apologies to anyone getting new chapter alerts cause this is what was previously Chapter 11... there is a new chapter posted, it's just the one that was supposed to be before this one, so go back a chapter for the new stuff... sorry!

Thanks to everyone for their great reviews! I'm loving all of the wonderful Reela stories we're getting lately on here. I miss ER so much! This chapter is still back to Neela's POV.


An hour and a bit later I emerged from the spare bedroom dressed for our evening at Ray's mother's place. I noted Ray's room light was turned off so he was obviously ready and waiting downstairs for me. Earlier, his light had been turned on as I passed from the washroom to the spare room after my shower. I had heard his voice from the shower in his bedroom where he was singing quite happily at the top of his lungs. It has brought a smile to my face; it was one of the million little things I missed about him.

His singing in the shower.

I had opted to wear a sleeveless and strapless simple black dress that fitted tightly over my chest and waist and flowered out into a looser fitting bottom that stopped just below my knees. I threw on my nicest pair of black high heels to compliment the dress and kept my look simple without any jewellery. My hair was loose and falling in soft curls just over my shoulders. When I headed down the stairs I noticed most of the lights in the house were turned off and figured out that Ray was probably waiting out on the front porch for me. As I stepped out onto the porch I saw he was looking up at the beautiful early evening sky as it faded from purple to black.

Sensing my presence he turned to look at me and let out a low whistle as his eyes travelled from the top of my head to my feet. I felt a blush rising to my cheeks as he said

"Neela, you look stunning... wow, I don't know what to say... I'm mush right now".

Of course he looked very handsome himself. He was wearing a pair of dark khakis and a tight fitted collarless shirt that hugged him in all of the right places, his chest and arms looked amazing in it. He held up a paper bag he was holding and said "I was ready early so I swung by the liquor store on the corner and picked up the wine" he set the bottle down as quickly as he had held it up and suddenly he was walking towards me as he licked his lips.

He was staring, I felt awkward and silly under his glare. He placed his hands on my hips when he reached me and looked me up and down again with a look of hunger in his eyes. Then he lowered his head to kiss me and we were suddenly in a heated moment all over again.

He was unstoppable tonight but I wasn't going to complain, I was just happy he seemed to be ready to take the next step even if his timing was not the best considering we were supposed to be at Jacey's place in about ten minutes. He broke the kiss and started to trail kisses down my neck and towards my chest as he softly said my name.

"Ray! We're going to be late..." I lamely attempted to thwart his efforts.

"Hmmm" he murmured seductively into my neck as he gently sucked on it and pushed me back against the front door.

"Hey, stop it you're gonna leave a mark... I don't want your mom to see me with a hickey!" I warned him as I pried out of his hold and he turned to look at me as he scratched the back of his head and made his face into a grimace, obviously not amused at the damper his mom seemed to have put on our evening.

"We'll be home soon right? We can pick up where we left off..." I urge him to start moving towards the car as I grabbed his shirt and pulled him towards me once more for another kiss, this time much softer and innocent before I turn and walked down the steps of the porch to the car.

"Alright, you win" he threw his hands up in a mock surrender motion as he followed me to the car.

The drive to his mother's place was a short one; she only lived ten minutes away. He had placed his hand on my knee as he drove and traced circles on it with his middle finger. His touch was driving me mad and apparently he was aware of this as he would glance over at me with his signature smirk from time to time as he drove momentarily taking his eyes off of the road.

Restraint Neela.

I reminded myself of my mantra as I shifted in my seat under his touch. I was clutching the wine bottle as though my life depending on it but it was the only thing keeping me from jumping onto Ray and having my way with him at that very moment.

"We're here" Ray announced unnecessarily as we pulled into the driveway and parked. He turned to look at me and I sensed just a touch of trepidation in his voice as he faced me in the darkness within the car. Then a smile slowly crept to his lips as he cocked his head at me noticing what was probably the look of fear on my own face in that moment.

"Hey, don't worry. It'll be fine, my mom loves you Neela... and so do I" he said comforting me as he cupped my cheek and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I know, but I guess I just have the jitters a bit from the thought of my first formal evening with the parents... you know what I mean" I respond.

"Yeah. I get it... well here we go" he said sympathetically as he began to exit the car.

I followed him to the front door and bit my lip nervously as he knocked on it. His mother's home was just a beautiful as his but appeared to be a bit older and had a more rustic feel to it. He turned to look at me while we waited and kissed the top of my head lovingly as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. The front door was barely open before I heard the voice of his mother.

"Oooh Hi kids, thanks for coming. Look at that you're right on time!" she exclaimed as she smiled at us before kissing Ray on his cheek and then pulling me into an embrace and giving me a kiss of my own.

"Neela, it's wonderful to see you again... please come in, here let me take that" she said as she grinned and helped me out of my shawl and hung it up in the hall closet. A middle aged man had made his way over too us and was looking at me with a welcoming smile on his face.

"Neela, this is my husband John" Jacey said enthusiastically as he came over to shake my hand.

"Hello Neela, nice to finally meet you. I've heard so many wonderful things about you. I hear you've finally come here to make an honest man out of Ray here." he joked with me as he took the wine bottle I was still clutching as a crutch out of my hands and thanked us for it.

Jacey pushed us into the dining room and seated us as John poured us some wine. I immediately sipped at my glass hoping a bit of wine would take the edge off of the nerves I was feeling about having this intimate dinner at Jacey's place.

Ray smiled encouragingly at me. His smile was enough to soothe me as he sat next to me and took hold of my hand.

"I set out some appetizers, thought maybe we could catch up for a while before dinner" Jacey suggested as she took a seat across the table from me and John settled into the seat across from Ray at the table.

"Neela, you look beautiful tonight" Jacey said sweetly as she smiled at me.

"Thank you" I managed to say softly as I felt the blush once again creeping across my face.

"She's a keeper isn't she" Ray kidded as he squeezed my thigh gently.

"So dear, I hear you've moved here and taken a position at the same hospital Ray is working at?" Jacey said but more so asked.

"Yes, I have. I've accepted a position in the surgical department" I said modestly as I looked between her and John. "That's wonderful. So the two of you... will be living together?" Jacey pressed on.

"Yes mom. That's the arrangement so far" Ray answered a little flatly warning his mother to loosen up on the line of questioning with his tone.

"Well, we're very happy for the two of you. I hope you're hungry, I've made us a bit of a feast tonight!" Jacey exclaimed picking up on Ray's cue she excused herself from the table to prepare the meal and bring it into the dining room. I offered my help even though I was not the best person to be in the kitchen. I thought it might be the right thing to do, and after all Jacey didn't know what a klutz I was when it came to preparing meals. Surely I could help her carry the dishes in at the very least.

As I got up to leave the table Ray squeezed my hand in a thank you. It was clear he appreciated my effort to spend some alone time with his mother. As we stepped into the kitchen my sense of smell was kicked into overdrive, something smelled absolutely decadent. I complimented Jacey on her cooking skills as we transferred the roasted chicken she had made as well as the mashed potatoes, corn and grilled vegetables into dishes to take to the dining room.

She smiled at me and and seemed to appreciate the compliment. She was looking at me a lot, observing me I suppose, my mannerisms and movements. I could tell she had something on her mind she wanted to ask me and I didn't take her for the kind to beat around the bush.

"Now, before we head back in there how about a little girl talk?" she said nicely as she guided me towards a seat at the kitchen table.

"Umm sure" I answered nervously.

"I appreciate that you've come out to be with Ray. I can see a difference in him already. Neela, he's so happy when he's with you, you open up a whole new side of him I haven't seen in years" she says as she reaches out to pat my hand on the table.

"However, I know things haven't always been easy for the two of you in the past. I'm just curious, what made you decide to leave everything and move here to be with my son?" she continues more seriously now.

"Uhh... I love him. I want to be with him" I respond quietly but I make sure to look her right in the eyes as I say this.

"Oh of course sweetie. I know that you two love each other very much. But my question is whether or not that will be enough? After all that has happened?" she asks concerned, she seems to be doubting our innocence and somewhat questioning our naivety.

"I certainly hope it is. This is the biggest decision I've ever made but I think it's absolutely the right one" I say affirmatively.

"Have you two spoken at all about getting married... what the future holds?" she asks apprehensively.

"No we haven't. I hope that will be in the near future for us" I answer as I smile to myself at the thought of being Ray's wife.

"I'm sorry to pry dear. It's just that he's been through so much; I've seen him go through so much pain not just physically but emotionally... I never want to see him like that again" she says now with tears in her eyes as she remembers the past.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise" I say as I pass her a tissue which she uses to dab her eyes dry.

"I'm sorry... he's just, he's my only child and all I want is for him to be happy... he is my everything" Jacey says as she looks pleadingly at me.

"I understand, but I want you to know that I love him just as much" I respond softly.

"Good then." She concludes as she gets up and pats me softly on the cheek before we begin to carry the dishes out into the dining room.

I hear Ray say "Finally! Took you long enough" as we enter the room. He's glancing at me; he's worried about what his mother might have said to me in the kitchen no doubt. I smile at him hoping to convey that everything is fine and I squeeze his shoulder gently as I pass him to take my place at the table again. Dinner went well as we all got to know each other a little better. It seemed Jacey's mind had been set at ease after our woman to woman chat in the kitchen. The meal was scrumptious and delectable and I was on my third glass of wine and starting to feel its affect a bit.

Ray had been playfully rubbing my leg throughout dinner and a few times he had allowed his hand to travel to the top of my thigh teasing me with his touch in front of his parents. I would sternly push his hand away only to have him place it there all over again just a few seconds later. Whenever I would flash him a look of warning he would just smirk at me and cock his eyebrows up and innocently ask if everything was okay. We were all polishing off the last of our dessert when I excused myself to go to the ladies' room.

I heard Jacey pushing Ray to follow me and make sure I found it alright on my own. Jacey's home was much larger than Ray's and did consist of many winding halls and corridors.

I felt Ray on my heels just as I reached the washroom door he reached out and grabbed the handle and opened it for me and pushed me inside the room as he followed. He was on me in an instant, his lips pressed against mine as we kissed each other intensely. In one quick motion he put his hands around my waist and picked me up and sat me on the counter next to the sink without breaking our kiss. My legs were wrapped around his waist and I pulled him closer towards me as I tightened my grip on him with my legs. His hands were travelling up my thighs hiking up my dress as he squeezed my legs so hard I thought he might leave a mark.

I don't know if it was the wine or what for a moment I forgot where we were, but just for an instant. Suddenly it dawned on me what we were doing and I pulled back pleading with him

"Ray... we need to stop, your parents are in the other room!" I hissed at him just about a whisper as he stared at me breathing heavily.

"My mother is in the other room... and she was the one that sent me after you anyways" he corrected me.

"Yes, but only to help me find the washroom... I think we've got that part covered, they're probably wondering where you are!" I say looking around at the fact that obviously I had found the bathroom well enough on my own.

"So...who cares? Let them keep wondering" he says provocatively as he sucks on my ear lobe eliciting a slight moan from me. The wine has lowered my inhibitions and I'm tempted to give into him.

But this isn't where I want the first throws of passion between us to take place here in a bathroom at his mother's house with her in the next room.

"Hey, what happened to continuing this when we get home?" I ask in attempt to stop him.

"I can't wait" he offers quickly as he tries to kiss me again, but I turn my head.

"Ray, seriously. I can't" I say finally as he releases me and takes a step back. I'm still sitting on the counter now just staring at him.

"You're right... I'm sorry; I'll take it back a notch. We'll be home soon enough right?" he adds winking at me.

"Right" I answer as I smile back at him.

He smacks himself on the cheek and splashes his face with some cool water from the sink and pats his face dry with one of the hand towels as he attempts to compose himself again.

"Here" I offer as I hold my hands out towards him, he steps over to me and I adjust his shirt and straighten it up for him. I kiss him on the cheek as I hop down from my position on the counter.

"Kay, see you out there" he says as he squeezes my hip before slipping out of the room.

I exhale deeply as I lean against the back of the door waiting for my heart rate to lower before I head back out to face his parents.


The next half an hour went by quickly as we wrapped up our visit to his parent's place. We had seemed to speed through a few more glasses of wine, Ray had stopped after only two since he had to drive us home but I was on my fifth as least. As we said our goodbyes and stepped into the cool night Ray wrapped his arm around me as we walked to the car. Once inside he grinned at me from the side.

"What?" I asked concerned.

"Nothing" he said knowing he would drive me mad.

"No really Ray what?" I asked again.

"Well, they love you, its official. They could not stop singing your praises when I got back from escorting you to the washroom" he said with a grin.

"Oh escorting, is that what you call that? I hope you don't "escort" anyone else anywhere in that case" I teased back slapping him playfully on the arm.

"Oh no, only you of course" He joked back as we pulled out of his mother's driveway and headed home.

A short ten minutes later we were home again and Ray jumped out of the car and began to head inside without noticing my hesitation. I sat for a moment in his truck thinking about what was about to happen if Ray was serious about all he had said earlier tonight. We were finally going to make love; it was finally going to happen.

I was broken out of my daydream when I noticed him come back out onto the driveway and stand in front of the truck and spread his arms out at me with a confused expression.

"You coming?" he asked concerned as he opened my door and helped me out of the truck.

"Sorry" I slurred a bit as I fell into his arms.

"Neela Rasgotra, are you drunk?" he asked as he laughed at me and helped me back into the house.

"NO!... maybe a little, what? I was nervous about making a good impression... I'm just a little tipsy" I say feigning hurt at his comment.

"I know, I know... I'm just playing with ya" He says as he takes my hand and kisses it gently in the front hallway. I slip off my high heels and sigh in relief,

"Oooh thank god, I dunno how some women wear those all day" I groaned as I pad off into the kitchen for some water. Ray follows me in and stops in the doorway,

"Hey bring me up a glass too?" he asks as I gulp down my glass.

"Well here..." I say as I offer him some of mine.

"No that's okay; just bring me up a glass... I'll be upstairs, waiting for you" he flashes that mischievous grin at me and turns to leave the room.

"Okay" I mumble breathlessly after him.

So he hadn't forgotten, it seems as though it is really going to happen tonight. I'm feeling a little nervous, apprehensive and giddy as I climb the steps. My anticipation growing with every step I take as I get closer to his room.


K, promise the next chapter will be the big one, full of lots of love making! Probably will earn it an "M" rating. Please Review, I need your input on where to take it from here.