Sometime in the middle of the night, he had opened a window to let the fresh cool night air in. It had been unseasonably mild for New York this week and he loved having the windows open when he could. The curtains blew with a soft breeze and there was a slight chill in the room. He didn't care though, he had dreamed of waking up like this for over thirteen years. He was warm and content because spooned in front of him, warm and cozy was the only woman he had ever loved, the only one he would ever love. Her hair was splayed behind her on the pillow and he could breath in the sweet scent of her shampoo and of her. He wrapped his arms more securely around her as he took in her warmth and shared his own.

He lay like that with her for a while remembering the last eight hours with a smile on his face. When they had first arrived at the apartment they had both been desperate to be together and their lovemaking had been hurried and passionate. But once that immediate need had been satisfied they had relished just being together so intimately and they had talked and touched and explored until gentle passion had overtaken them again and they had melted into each other with desire and craving. Exhausted, they had fallen asleep holding on to each other as if they would never let go again.

He lifted slightly from the bed to look over her at the clock on the bedside table. It was almost eleven and his stomach told him that as much as he wanted to stay in bed, he was going to need to eat at some point. He looked down at Betty and smiled then leaned in and kissed her cheek trailing his kisses from there to her ear where he nibbled and teased until she started to wake up. She tightened her arms around his as she woke up and snuggled back into him. She turned slightly toward him smiling.

"Morning."

She turned the rest of the way around and wrapped her arms around him leaning in for a proper kiss that he promptly supplied.

"Mmmmm……delicious."

She laughed.

"Thank you."

He leaned in and kissed her again. When he pulled away, he brushed the hair from her face and kissed her nose then leaned back and reached around behind him to retrieve their glasses. He handed her his as he put his on, adjusting them to his face.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, as much as I want to stay in this bed, my stomach is grumbling. Do you have anything in the kitchen we can fix to eat ?"

She frowned.

"I've been so busy at work and with the wedding, that I have not shopped in ages. I doubt there is anything in there that is salvageable."

"Well, how about I go check and then we can either eat here or shower and eat out and go to the grocery for the rest of the weekend, because I plan to stay here for the next thirty-six hours. If you'll have me."

She smiled, leaned in and kissed him, nibbling at his lower lip as she pulled away.

"Oh, I'll have you."

He chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really….."

"Mmm, hmmmm."

God, she was impossible to resist. He lowered his head to her and they got wrapped up in several kisses that threatened to lead to more until he reluctantly pulled away from her.

"Temptress."

"Feed me."

He slowly stood from the bed, tucking the covers in around her and pulled on his boxers that had been discarded on the way into the bed that night before as he felt her gaze roam over him from head to toe.

"I'll be back."

She laid back on the pillows and smiled.

"Okay."

He left the room and she groaned in delight. She had dreamed of this day for so long but the reality of the last eight hours was more than she could ever have imagined.

She grabbed the blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her as she wandered to the bathroom to freshen up. She pulled her hair up in a rubber band, washed her face and brushed her teeth. She pulled a new toothbrush from the drawer in her bathroom and laid out towels and a washcloth for Henry in case he wanted to freshen up as well.

She walked into her closet and dropped the blanket in favor of a knee-length red silk robe and tied the sash around her waist. She left the bedroom and wandered to the kitchen. Henry had donned his dress shirt from the night before and was leaned over rummaging through the refrigerator when she let out a long whistle at the view.

He bumped his head on the refrigerator when he jumped at her appearance behind him and subsequent whistle.

"Ouch."

Betty rushed over and put her hands in his hair, he had only buttoned up a few buttons on his shirt and he looked adorable with his hair still mussed up and a frown on his face while he rubbed his scalp.

"Sweetheart, I am so sorry. Are you okay ?"

His other hand played with the red silk sash at her waist as he grimaced.

"I'll be fine, but I am going to need extra special attention later."

She smiled.

"Really ?"

He nodded.

"Okay, you big baby. What are you feeding me ?"

"Well, you were right, not much here. But, I can whip up some sandwiches and pasta salad to tide us over until we go to the store."

"That sounds good. What can I do ?"

He leaned in and kissed her.

"Nothing, just sit at the table and talk to me and be beautiful."

She grinned.

"I can do that."

She sat down at the table and watched while he pulled things from the refrigerator and cabinet. She directed him to everything he needed in the cupboards and she watched as he expertly put their food together. He told her that he was picking up the keys to the house this week and asked her to go shopping with him a couple of nights this week to look for furniture, which she agreed to do. In just a few minutes, he was setting a plate in front of her with pasta salad and a sandwich. He then brought over glasses of ice water for them, leaned down and gave her a small kiss and then sat down across from her.

"Wow, this looks great. You amaze me."

"Well, when you are a dad, you learn a lot of new stuff out of necessity. I've always loved to cook but cooking for a kid brings out a whole new level of creativity."

She laughed as she took her first bit.

"Mmmmm, this is sooo good."

"That's probably partly because you are so hungry."

"Well, maybe, but it is still good."

He smiled.

"So, I thought we could get cleaned up, go by my place to get me something to wear other than my suit pants and dress shirt and then go to the grocery and maybe the video store before coming back here. How does that sound ?"

"It sounds perfect. I feel so free this weekend, everyone in my family is out of town and I have no work obligations. This is like a mini-vacation for me."

"I'm glad I am here to share it."

She reached across the table and took his hand in hers raising it to her lips for a kiss to his palm.

"Me too."

That sat and ate, smiling at each other like two teenagers whose parents were away for the weekend. When they were done, Betty got up to take their plates to the sink. Henry jumped up.

"I'll get them."

She turned around and smiled.

"No, you go get dressed. I left some stuff for you in the bathroom and I'll do this. It will only take a minute to rinse it all and put it in the dishwasher."

"Okay."

Reluctantly he left the kitchen and Betty finished cleaning up. She checked the refrigerator and cabinets, making a short list of things they needed from the store and then headed to the bedroom. Henry was coming out of the bathroom in his pants, undone with a towel wiping his face. Betty wanted to whistle again but held back so as not to startle him again. When he looked up, he saw her standing there and took a deep breath.

"You need to get dressed too, or I will not be responsible for my actions."

"Promises, promises….."

He walked over and started to loosen the sash at her waist.

"Betty…."

She let her head dip to the crook of his neck and she started nibbling her way to his ear before she pulled back with her mouth a breath from his and whispered.

"What ? Just don't start something you can't finish."

After all, they were in no hurry.

An hour later, as they lay wrapped in each other's arms in a mass of tangled sheets and blankets on the bed, Henry heard his cell phone ring from the other room. He stumbled from the bed pulling one of the blankets with him, trying to wrap it around his waist as he went in search of his phone. Betty laughed as she sat up on the edge of the bed and pulled her robe back on and tied the sash. She walked to the living room where Henry was perched on the edge of the couch and sat down next to him. He wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her close.

"Happy New Year to you to, Will."

He smiled at Betty.

"Yes, the wedding was nice. Of course, she looked gorgeous. Yes, Hilda too."

Betty stood from the couch to give father and son some time to talk. She needed to get dressed anyway, because they really did need to run those errands. As she walked from the living room to the bedroom, she purposefully looked back at Henry just as she was leaving his sight and as soon as she knew he was looking, she dropped the robe and walked into the bedroom.

She giggled as she heard Henry's words falter in his conversation with his son. She had never been so brazen and she was amazed at how uninhibited she was with Henry. It had been that way all those years ago too. She had missed it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"So, what did you do for New Year's ?"

"Mom and Robert invited to couples they know over who also have kids our ages and we played games and stayed up until midnight. It was pretty, okay."

"Sounds fun."

"Cass fell asleep before midnight but we woke her in time to see the ball drop."

Henry laughed.

"So, is Betty there ?"

"Uh, yeah, I am over at her place. She is getting ready and we are going to spend the weekend hanging out."

"Dad, I know how it works with adults."

Henry shook his head not really sure if he wanted to know what that meant exactly and decided to change the subject.

"So, I am getting the keys for the house this weekend and Betty and I are going to go shopping for furniture this week. Are you going to be able to get out here for that weekend we talked about ?"

"February 11th ?"

"Yeah, Valentine's Day weekend."

"I think so. Have you talked to mom about it ?"

"Yes, I told her the plan."

"Well, it should be okay then."

"Good. I'll make sure I get tickets this week and call you with the details."

About that time, Betty came back in the room dressed and carrying a pair of shoes.

"Okay."

"Well, I need to go, son. I'll talk to you Monday night, okay ?"

"Sounds good, enjoy your weekend, hanging out. Tell Betty I said hi,"

Henry ignored the inflection in Will's voice on the words, hanging out and laughed instead.

"I will, goodbye."

Henry closed his phone and looked at Betty.

"Will says hi."

She sat down in the chair across from him and pulled on one of her shoes.

"What were you saying about tickets ?"

"Oh, he is coming in town on February 11th for the weekend."

"Oh, fun."

He looked at her and smiled.

"So, I guess it is safe for me to get dressed now, you aren't going to jump me ?"

"I can't make any promises."

He laughed shaking his head.

"I'll be ready in a minute."

He walked back to the bedroom to get dressed and she sat on the couch patiently waiting.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They spent the afternoon as planned, stopping by his house for clothes and while she had tried to distract him into another romp in his bed, he had kept her at bay reminding her that they needed to get to the store and back to her place before dark. She had grudgingly agreed with him and they had gone to do their shopping after leaving his place.

First stop, video store where they each picked out two movies. Henry, of course, picked up movies that were artsy, Sundance Film Festival unknown films while Betty picked out two romantic comedies she hadn't seen.

At the grocery, they picked up some chicken and two steaks, some potatoes, salad fixings, some eggs, cheese and other staples for breakfast and lunch. She had got the few things she had on her list and he had stopped to get a few fresh fruits as well that he had plans for later that night.

They took a cab back to her place with their bags and cuddled and laughed in the back seat until they got there. Henry paid the cab driver and they made their way inside the building with happy greetings for the doorman.

Once inside the apartment, they put everything away in the kitchen and then went into the living room and settled in on the couch. Henry dropped the bags with the movies on the coffee table and then leaned back into the couch pulling her with him.

"Do you have a DVD player in the bedroom ?"

She grinned.

"Yes."

He pulled her in closer.

"Then I think we should just stay here like this for a little bit and then fix some dinner. After dinner, I think we should retire to the bedroom for our movies and any other after dinner activities."

"Sounds good to me."

Henry turned slightly causing Betty to sit up from where she was sitting. She turned and look at him and he smiled and ran his hand across her face. He leaned toward her and found the back of her neck with his hand and slowly leaned her back on the couch until he was hovering over her.

"In the meantime……"

She looked up at him and he could see passion flaring in her eyes.

"Yes……"

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, running his tongue along her bottom lip until she granted him entry. As he pressed into her, careful to keep his full weight from her, she pulled him closer and moved to the side so he could settle in next to her.

As he began unbuttoning the cardigan she was wearing, she had the overwhelming need to feel his flesh pressed against hers. His hands started an exploration of their own but she broke their kiss long enough to indicate with her eyes and her actions that she wanted his sweater and t-shirt off, immediately. He lifted up from her and removed it. She lifted up as well and shrugged the now unbuttoned sweater from her shoulders and arms. As he lowered himself back to her, she moaned as his chest made contact with her and pulled him down harder to feel the full pressure of his body as it pressed into hers. Flesh to flesh, heartbeat to heartbeat.

She ran her fingers through his hair and played with the ends at his neck. He pressed a hand into her lower back to tighten their connection and slowly came up for a moment of air before looking deeply into her smoldering eyes and descending back to her mouth. It became difficult to tell where he stopped and she started as they continued to kiss.

He trailed his fingers down her arm and followed the motion with his mouth and tongue. He wanted to touch and taste every part of her. He craved everything he had been missing about her and her sighs and moans threatened to drive him over the edge yet again.

"Betty, I ….."

Before he could finish she captured his mouth in another mind-numbing kiss and he was lost. No more clothes came off as they continued to make out on the couch, each hungry for the touches they had missed for so long. Henry slowed the pace between them because he wanted to save the best for after dinner.

He pulled away from her again, with a deep sigh. She was breathless and he smiled at her and kissed her nose.

"God, I feel like I can't get enough of you. You are like a drug to me now."

"I'm not going anywhere and I am not letting you go anywhere ever again."

"Good."

He paused for a minute just looking at her and catching his breath before he spoke again.

"I need to get up and fix dinner but I don't want to leave you."

She smiled at him.

"We can fix dinner together. I am getting hungry."

"Okay, to the kitchen then. You first."

She leaned into him and he hugged her close and then she pulled back and practically fell off the couch in her attempt to get up.

"I'm going to go put on a t-shirt, I'll be right there."

"Okay."

He watched her leave the room and got up himself, retrieving his t-shirt from the floor and putting it on. He was going to broil them some chicken and steam some vegetables. He had also bought some hard rolls to heat in the oven to eat with everything.

She came up behind him in the kitchen and slid her arms around his waist kissing the back of his neck.

"What can I do ?"

"Grab the carrots, cauliflower, snap peas and broccoli from the fridge and start chopping it into bite size pieces into this bowl."

He handed her a bowl and a paring knife and she set the on the table and headed for the refrigerator to retrieve her items. She sat at the table and chopped everything up. She brought the bowl to him as he slipped the chicken into the oven.

He finished the vegetables and bread just as the chicken came out of the over. Betty had set the table and opened a bottle of wine she had in the refrigerator. Once everything was on plates they sat down to eat. Dinner was intimate and casual and really tasty. Betty again was amazed at Henry's cooking skills.

"I think I am going to keep you around for your cooking if nothing else."

"Oh, yeah, well you haven't really seen me cook yet. Just wait until later."

She laughed.

"Oh, yeah ?"

"Yep."

Betty had run the dishwasher that morning before they left so they washed the dishes together by hand and cleaned up the kitchen together before walking through the apartment, turning off lights. Henry grabbed the videos from the coffee table and they went to the bedroom.

AS they entered the bedroom, Henry toed off his shoes and socks and Betty did the same with her shoes. She stood in front of him at the end of the bed and placed her hands on his chest.

"I'm going to go change, why don't you pick a movie and I'll be back in a minute."

There was just something in the way she said it that made him gulp in an extra breath of air.

"Alright."

She pushed him to the bed, turned and walked away, pleased.

After she left, Henry picked out a movie, one of hers, and popped it into the DVD player. He grabbed the remotes from next to the TV and put them on the nightstand next to his cell phone. He removed the rest of his clothes down to his boxers and climbed into bed.

He didn't hear her come back into the room because he was looking at the remotes in his hands.

"So, what movie did you pick ?"

"I thought….."

And, then he looked up and his mouth went dry and he lost the ability to speak. She was loving every second of it.

"Henry ? Are you okay ?"

She started to walk toward him and he still could not speak. She looked toward the TV and back to him.

"What movie did you pick ?"

She was wearing something blue, barely something blue. He wasn't looking at what she was wearing. He was looking everywhere else. If people only knew what lay hidden under those layers. He frowned at the thought of anyone else seeing her this way, unnecessary jealousy threatening to interrupt this perfect moment.

She walked up to the bed and leaned down putting her hands on the mattress and crawling in towards him. He still had not spoken.

"Henry….."

She didn't finish because he leaned forward in one quick motion, grabbed her gently by the arms and flipped her over down into the mattress as he covered her body with his own and looked at her with a primal need. He finally gruffly replied as his mouth descended to her ear and neck.

"No movie until later."

-- to be continued --