Chapter XIV

It had been surprisingly difficult to fill the hours left to him while Rinoa had been away at work. He'd gone for a run of course; enjoying the cool weather and the peaceful, serene neighborhood Rinoa lived in. Then he'd taken Angelo out for a walk, recalling the dog park that Rinoa liked to take her to, and played with the animal for a while. He'd always liked dogs but had never, for various reasons, been able to get one of his own.

So he tossed her favorite squeaky toy around for her, grinning down at her happily lolling doggy smile, quite oblivious to the attention he was attracting.

It was late morning, getting on toward lunch. He'd showered after his run, and in deference to the cooler weather was obliged to wear one of his new sweaters, his scarf and his peacoat. He'd chosen the gray one, mainly for its texture. Soft, silky smooth and warm, it felt nice to the touch, and nice to wear, even over the knit shirt he had on beneath it.

It was more than adequate to deal with the chill breeze that tempered the bright sunlight and played through his hair. Focused as he was upon playing with Angelo and enjoying her antics, Squall was completely unaware of what a strikingly handsome figure he cut while doing so. The sun glittered in the gold and copper strands that hid in his brown hair, the chill lent an attractive flush to his lightly tanned skin, and his lean, panther-like grace was displayed each time he moved.

Just about every female and even a few males that were also there with their pets, sighed at the sight.

Angelo returned from the other end of the park after an especially long toss of her toy by Squall, dropping it at his feet with an imperious bark.

"My, aren't we demanding?" Squall commented with a slight smile, bending down to pick up the toy. The dog bowed, butt wiggling madly, and barked sharply again.

"Is that Angelo?" A girl's voice asked.

Squall turned around to meet the curious gaze of a young blond woman. She was pretty, petite and green-eyed, with lush curves in all the right places, and seemed to find a great deal of interest in studying his person. He was used to being eyed like a prime stud on display…. in Esthar, in the context of his former occupation. In its current context however, it was more than a little disconcerting. Particularly as that was not how he was presenting himself.

"Yes." Squall answered her warily.

"Where's Rinoa? Are you dog-sitting for her?" the girl asked, avidly and obviously intrigued. She took a step closer to him and Squall narrowed his eyes, watching her covertly.

"Are you a friend of hers?" He countered with a question of his own. He didn't know why but the girl's manner and attitude put him on his guard almost immediately. He sincerely hoped that she was merely an acquaintance rather than a close friend. She obviously knew Rinoa, or at least knew her dog.

"Yeah, we hang out sometimes." She answered with a shrug. "I'm Kaylee by the way." She put a hand out to shake his, but Squall held up the doggie toy, which was liberally lubricated with canine drool, and the girl wrinkled her nose and smiled, putting her hand down.

Angelo barked again, then whined loudly, demanding his attention. Squall glanced down at the dog, silently thanking her for her interruption, and tossed her toy again. She shot after it like a rocket.

"So, where do you know Rinoa from? She usually has someone else dog-sit for her. Do you know when she'll be back?" Kaylee asked him, inching closer.

Squall shook his head silently, privately thinking that this girl couldn't possibly be a close friend of Rinoa's. Granted, he hadn't asked about or met any of her friends (aside from Selphie, that is), but in the list of those that she'd spoken of at length in Esthar, the name "Kaylee" had not come up. He studied her silently for a moment, wondering what it was about her that set his teeth on edge.

"Well, if you aren't busy later on, maybe we could get some coffee? I didn't catch your name…?" she prompted him, letting her voice trail off expectantly and giving him a brilliant, winsome smile.

"I didn't give it," he said coolly, giving her a look guaranteed to flash freeze her to powder.

Undaunted, the girl shrugged easily, "Some other time then. Ta-ta!" she sauntered off, hips swinging, assets clearly on display for his benefit. Several pairs of male eyes followed her.

Squall snorted quietly to himself, unimpressed. Too heavy handed and overconfident by half, and not even his type; he couldn't have been less interested if she'd been a mangy wendigo.

Angelo chose that moment to return, happily squeaking her toy as she mouthed it before dropping it at his feet. She snorted and sneezed, panting happily, and sat down at his command. He reached down and picked up the toy and clipped the leash back onto her collar.

Patting her head, Squall ordered tersely, "Come." She got up and followed him immediately, and they left the dog park, strolling back to Rinoa's apartment.

Squall's mind turned over the details of his encounter with Kaylee while he walked, coming to the conclusion that he'd disliked her on sight due to what he'd seen in her eyes, her expression, and her attitude. It was obvious that she was a gossip, and was fishing for any information about him and his relationship with Rinoa. It was also obvious that regardless of what that relationship was, she intended to make a play for him…already had, in fact. He'd seen and dealt with her type before, and knew the best way of thwarting her was to simply ignore her.

Easy enough to do; he'd gotten the icy reserve thing down to a science by now. He was rather mildly surprised that she'd managed to stroll away without visible signs of frostbite. He must be slipping.

It wasn't difficult to shake off the encounter however, as Squall fully intended not to spend another second dwelling on it. The day was beautiful if cooler than he was used to, the sun was bright and the weather clear. He was conscious of a rumbling in his midsection and checked his watch, noting that it was just a few minutes before noon.

So, lunch then. As he headed back to Rinoa's apartment, he considered and discarded several options for lunch, and wondered idly if Rinoa would like to take lunch with him tomorrow. He decided to bring that up to her when she got home from work. He didn't actually know where her office was located (though it wouldn't be too hard to find out) and didn't want to simply show up unannounced.

He finally stopped along the way and picked up a take-away lunch, then paused at a florist's shop, studying the brilliant bouquets that were displayed outside. He cynically acknowledged the shrewdness of the display, for it was artfully arranged and difficult to ignore. As a means of luring customers, it did precisely what it was meant to do.

He let his gaze travel idly over the wares, undecided as to whether he should simply move on or actually purchase a bouquet for Rinoa. He wondered if she would like it if he did, and then started thinking about what kinds of flowers she liked. He recalled how she'd liked the gardens at the resort, the rose garden in particular.

His mind drifted back to that day; how the warmth had brought out the color in her cheeks, how the perfume of the flowers had lured bees that had buzzed industriously around them, focused on their nectar gathering duties. Rinoa had stopped here and there as they perambulated to look closely at this bloom or that, bending occasionally, heedless of the bees, to breathe in the fragrance.

"May I help you sir?" a voice asked him.

Squall reluctantly pulled his mind away from that memory and focused on the individual who had addressed him. His first impression was that a garden gnome ran the florist's shop. Certainly, the wizened creature before him couldn't have stood more than four feet in height. Bright, inquisitive eyes, snowy white hair and full beard, and a squat form wearing a deep green gardening apron over a blue checked shirt completed the image. The only thing he lacked was a pointy red hat.

"Um…" Squall said, taken off guard by the man's appearance.

"Are you lookin' for some flowers? For a young lady perhaps?" The old man asked gruffly, then paused and added cautiously, "or perhaps a fella?"

Squall frowned and shook his head, "Lady." He answered. Then snorted inwardly. He hadn't completely decided on buying the flowers yet…. until just this second. Maybe the old geezer's assumption was the push he needed.

"What kind are you looking for? Do you know what she likes?" the man asked.

Remembering the garden in Esthar, Squall answered, "Roses. She likes roses."

"Lotta women do," the man acknowledged, then waved toward the interior of the shop, saying, "Come on in, let's see if we can find something she'll like."

Squall hesitated, glancing down at Angelo.

"Oh, don't worry about your dog, I don't mind if you bring it in." The man said, opening the door invitingly. "Keep the roses in the cooler so's they don't wilt as fast."

"Ah." Squall followed the man into the shop, looking around with interest as he did. It wasn't the first time he'd ever gotten flowers for a woman. He did it for his clients if he felt they'd appreciate it. Most of them did. Of course, he'd never actually gone into the florist's shop at the resort himself. He usually simply called and had the flowers sent to the woman in question.

Actually walking into such a shop, smelling the fragrant freshness of cut flowers and plants, seeing all the different varieties and combinations of foliage that could be arranged in floral displays, was quite a different matter. For some reason, he felt awkward and a little foolish about it, truth be told.

"Over here young man," the old man said, gesturing toward a large glass fronted cooler that held several shelves full of rose arrangements in a staggering array of colors and varieties.

Squall simply stared at them, momentarily overwhelmed. Then gave himself a mental shake. Why was he being so stupid about this? They were just flowers for Hyne's sake, not a declaration of undying love. Not yet… a traitorous little voice whispered in the back of his mind. Shut up! He told the voice firmly. No way was he ready to think about that yet.

But it was already too late, his mind had taken and run with it, wandering down the garden path in his memory, calling up the image of Rinoa sniffing the roses in Esthar and telling him which ones were her favorites.

It was the white ones, she'd said. But it turned out they weren't purely white. Upon closer inspection, they'd discovered that the roses were in fact a pale blush pink on the inside, gradually fading out to white at the edges of each petal, like the rosy blush on Rinoa's alabaster cheeks.

It took a couple of passes, scanning the arrangements in the cooler, before Squall finally found it. It was beautiful, and the roses were perfect. He didn't want to go over the top with the whole dozen-red-roses-in-a-crystal-vase thing; that would send an entirely different message than the one he wanted to convey. Besides, the blush pink and white roses were the ones that Rinoa had already told him were her favorites.

"Those." Squall said, indicating the bouquet he wanted.

"Dozen or half?" the man asked him.

"Half," Squall answered.

"Would you like a vase with it?" the man asked as he opened the cooler and picked up the flowers, taking care to make sure the cellophane wrapper and the vials of water that each rose stem was thrust into was intact.

"No." Squall answered, following the man to the register.

Furious tapping upon the register ensued, with the proprietor of the shop finally stopping and informing him, "Okay, young man, that will be twenty gil."

Squall simply nodded and handed over the money, accepting the plastic-wrapped bundle of flowers in exchange. He frowned slightly down at them, starting to feel foolish again.

"Thank you," the man said. "I'm sure your young lady will love you for bringing them."

Squall looked up, startled, and felt his cheeks warming. It took him a moment to find his voice, and the only thing he could manage was a murmured, "thank you," before he fled the shop in mortification. The soft chuckle that followed him out as he left didn't help.

As he continued on to Rinoa's apartment he kicked himself mentally several times, annoyed with how silly he was being. It was just a bouquet of flowers, for crying out loud. It wasn't as if he'd never given flowers to a woman before…but this was somewhat more personal than what he'd done in the past. He'd chosen the flowers and paid for them himself…and that he found, made a world's worth of difference.

Upon entering the apartment, he immediately went in search of a vase to put the flowers in, not wanting them to be completely wilted by the time Rinoa returned from work. He poked about the cupboards in growing frustration, growling to himself that perhaps he should have bought the vase along with the flowers. He couldn't believe the girl wouldn't have at least one vase for a bouquet of flowers. Hadn't she had a fiancée who'd presumably given her some on one occasion or another?

He finally gave up and settled on a water pitcher that appeared large enough for the flowers, and got to work trimming the stems and adding the powdered preservative to the water. Then he set them down in the middle of her dining room table, standing back and admiring the result.

Pleased with himself, he finally sat down to eat his cooling lunch.

The sound of a key rattling in the lock of Rinoa's front door, followed by a muffled exclamation as she discovered the door open caught Squall's attention. He blinked and checked his watch, startled to note that he'd actually burned several hours puttering about on his laptop. He'd accomplished quite a lot doing that as well, tracking his investments and fielding emails from Marti, Ellone, and Eric, among others.

Angelo, recognizing her mistress's approach, had hopped off the couch and gone to stare expectantly at the door, ears pricked, several minutes before Rinoa actually opened the door. Squall, seated comfortably on the couch, immediately saved what he was doing and shut his laptop, setting it aside to watch Rinoa interacting with her dog with interest.

"Hi Angie-dog!" Rinoa chirped, kneeling down to ruffle the dog's ears and plant a quick kiss on the cold, wet nose. She straightened up with a final pat and glanced around the apartment, her face lighting up when she saw Squall watching her from the couch, elbow resting upon the arm, with his chin propped on his fist. The slight smile he wore made her heart flip over.

Then her mouth went dry as he uncoiled from the couch and stretched, suddenly putting her in mind of a large cat just waking up from a nap. She simply stood still and watched him pad toward her, as silently graceful as a cat as well in his stocking feet. He looked so good in what he was wearing she simply had to stare; the soft gray sweater and faded blue jeans made her fingers just itch to touch him.

"Oh dear Hyne, you are gorgeous," she murmured, not realizing she'd said it aloud until he chuckled softly, coming to a stop in front of her.

"You keep doing that," he said softly, gazing down at her. Seemingly of their own volition his fingers sought and found hers, tangling together, caressing and moving over each other.

"Doing what?" Rinoa asked, drifting into his turquoise blue eyes, and drowning in them again. She licked her dry lips, suddenly tingling in anticipation of being pressed against his.

"Stealing my lines." He answered with a slight quirk to his well-shaped lips.

"I didn't know there was a script," Rinoa said.

The half-smile he wore faded, and the warmth in his gaze sharpened to hunger, his expression changing to one of intent. Rinoa's eyes drifted shut as he leaned in close; the better to concentrate upon the warm, soft and succulent feel of his lips meeting hers. For a few eternal moments, her focus narrowed to the flavor of his kiss, the wet, silken slide of his tongue over hers, the pressure of his lips, the way they moved against hers.

Her mind drifted, content to simply stand there kissing him forever. Eventually they had to come up for air and Squall rested his forehead against hers for a moment, thumbs caressing her cheeks.

"How was work?" He finally asked her with a small smile at the domestic normality of the question.

"It was work." Rinoa answered, hands slipping around his waist. "I missed you."

"Me too," Squall answered, mildly surprised to acknowledge that in fact, he had missed her. She'd only been gone for a few hours, yet her absence had been keenly felt. That was…strange. He dropped his hands from her face and pulled her close, hugging her, his heart pounding so heavily he felt sure it was battering Rinoa where her cheek rested against his chest.

"What do you want for dinner? Are you hungry yet?" Rinoa asked him, snuggling contentedly into his arms. She smiled to herself as she felt him heave a sigh and relax against her, resting his cheek against her hair.

"Not for food," Squall said, causing Rinoa's heart to start pounding as hard as his was.

That comment, spoken softly against her hair, sent a sudden thrilling shiver down her spine as it engendered vivid recollections of what they'd done so far to satisfy those other hungers. She wanted to feel the silk over steel slide of warm skin over hard muscle, the slight roughness of his sparse body hair beneath her fingertips again. The spicy musk of his scent, a subtle combination of his cologne and him, made her want to snuggle close and breathe him in. She wanted to hold him, touch him, and invite him in to become a part of her, wrap her arms around him and never let him go.

The craving became so strong that she slipped her hands beneath his sweater, letting them explore and caress the smooth skin of his back. She smiled slightly to herself as she heard his breath catch. She thought that her boldness would elicit a more ardent response beyond his pulling her closer, close enough that she couldn't help but notice his interest. But he held back for some reason and that sent a little spike of worry into her heart.

"How is it you're not bored with me yet?" she whispered. Surely he would be by now, right? They'd done everything possible in bed that two people could, at least as far as her rather limited imagination could supply. With his vast experience, he should be getting bored by now, she'd have thought. Or, if not bored, at least tired.

Squall considered the question seriously. Sex had never bored him, regardless of whom it was with, perhaps because he found something of interest with each new partner, even if the basic activity was the same. In Rinoa's case however, it was more than simple enjoyment of the act itself that he could have with any woman, but also her response to it. It was, quite simply, her. Not just her body, but how she was awakening to her own sensuality, how every sensation, every touch, was new and exciting to her. Being her partner in crime, as it were, and watching her absorb this newness, made it new for him as well. And it excited him beyond all reason.

It was more than simply sex however; what drew him to her resided in a location well north of his groin.

Trying to explain that to her though, proved more than a little difficult for him.

"I don't know," He answered softly. "It's just…you. Nothing about you, how you feel, how you respond, could ever be boring to me. I'm…. it's like an addiction, almost. I just…. can't seem to get enough…"

Rinoa swallowed, then licked her lips and raised her eyes to his, almost afraid for a moment, of what she'd see there.

"I…it's the same for me," she said softly. "Is…is that a bad thing?"

"Not for me it isn't. Scary, maybe. But... not bad." Squall answered, studying her expression.

"Scary?" Rinoa asked, puzzled. Squall didn't seem the sort to be afraid of anything.

"A little, yes." Squall answered, nodding.

"Why?" she asked him breathlessly, slowly coming to a realization of her own regarding his feelings, quite aside from hers.

Squall hesitated, and then answered, "I've never felt like this before. Not with anyone."

That bald admission, flirting far too close to….whatever….for comfort, made him suddenly want to hide; pretend that he'd never said any such thing. But he had, and it was the truth. He couldn't take it back now even if he wanted to. And it left him feeling vulnerable, exposed, and naked. Frightened.

Scary as it was however, something stronger than that held him fast and wouldn't let him retreat or hide. Something deeper. Something…. real.

"Never?" Rinoa asked, wondering. Had he never had a girlfriend then?

"No," Squall shook his head.

A sudden wave of tenderness washed over Rinoa then, and she gave him a smile of such gentle sweetness that Squall blinked and swallowed. It's all right, she thought. I'll take care of you. Everything will be okay, I promise.

It was absurd, really, that she should think that about the very well grown, very strong young man that Squall was, but there had indeed been a flash of vulnerability that she'd seen that put her in mind of the lost, orphaned boy he had once been. It was one more layer to the increasingly complex personality that she was just becoming acquainted with; one more reason to love him.

She stretched up and placed her lips softly against his, letting her hands wander where they would. His response was immediate, crushing her against him while taking over the kiss and leaving little doubt in her mind how much he wanted her in that moment. She fought for breath in a soft moan as he delicately nibbled at her earlobe, then her neck, threading the fingers of one hand though her hair, while the other palmed her backside.

Her senses were swimming, her body beginning to ache and clamor for more. She wanted to feel and see more of him, so she worked her hands upward, trying to pull off his sweater. It was difficult, pressed so closely against him, but he realized her intention and gave her a bit of room so that she could get his sweater off.

Once he was bared to the waist, Rinoa dove in, kissing him at the base of his throat and smiling to herself as he moaned softly. Working her way downward, she explored his torso with her lips, fascinated by the differing flavors and textures they transmitted back to her, registering and reveling in the gasps and rumbling growls she drew from him as she did. She followed her lips with her fingertips, torturing him further.

She found herself pressed up against the dining room table, head thrown back and moaning as Squall once again kissed and nipped at the sensitive skin on her neck while unbuttoning her shirt and caressing her breasts. His lips trailed downward toward her cleavage, making her nipples harden and her breath come short.

He was whispering again, breath hot against her skin, whispering things that she'd heard him say before while in the throes of lovemaking, telling her what he liked, and what he wanted. She found that both fascinating and exciting, that he should be so…vocal about it.

"I've wanted to do this all day," he whispered, pulling her shirt out of the waistband of her skirt.

"This?" Rinoa asked stupidly, senses swimming as he opened her shirt the rest of the way and tormented her by skimming his lips over the tops of her breasts, then scraping the tender skin lightly with his teeth.

"Mmmm," He responded, adding, "the moment I saw you come out dressed in this prim little secretary's outfit, I wanted to have you up against the wall or on the table…Gods, anyplace. You have no idea how hot this makes me…"

"I do now…" Rinoa murmured.

He laughed softly at that, and continued, sneaking his hand up under her skirt and breathing, "Oh, Hyne, you are wearing suspenders aren't you?"

"I take it that's a major turn-on for you?" she asked, wondering at the quirk of fate that had led her to decide on stockings and suspenders instead of pantyhose that day.

"All of it is, but yeah, that's certainly one that does it for me," he said, lifting her onto the table and pushing her skirt up above her thighs. His fingers toyed briefly with the tops of the stockings and their fastenings, brushing lightly along the tops of her thighs before withdrawing for the moment, leaving her aching for more.

"So…" Rinoa began and swallowed, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back on a moan as he nipped at her neck again. "So su..suspenders are a fetish of yours?"

"No." He murmured, his attention focused on removing her bra and shirt. "I don't have any fetishes, remember? It's exciting, you're exciting, and the idea is sexy as hell…but it's not a fetish."

"What…What's the difference?" she wondered, gasping as his lips closed over one of her nipples, biting her lip and arching her back while spearing her fingers through his hair.

"I don't need it to become aroused." He answered, raising his head and grinning wickedly at her. "All you need to wear is a smile."

"Oh," she answered faintly. Then he stole her breath again with another deep kiss before returning his attentions to her breasts.

He reduced her to inarticulate moans and gasps in short order, particularly when he finally undid her suspenders and removed her panties. She wasn't even thinking about the fact that they were currently in the middle of the dining room on the table. Or rather, she was, and it just added to the excitement. Particularly when added to what he was doing to her with his lips and tongue underneath her skirt.

She lay back onto the table, lost in the sensations that pulsed through her body, shuddering as Squall relentlessly drove her to the peak and beyond. He gave her a moment to catch her breath, kissing her gently on her navel and prompting her to laugh softly and stroke her hands through his hair. He slowly worked his way upward, his light kisses tickling her sensitized skin.

Rinoa arched her back and writhed under him, aching from her breasts to her core, struggling to breathe. She wanted…she needed…. But the only thing she could do was moan and clutch at Squall's hair, pressing against him as he sucked and nibbled at her nipples.

Squall too was coming to the end of his endurance, and it was with a sigh of mingled relief and pleasure that he prepared himself and joined with her. He nearly lost it at Rinoa's moan as he entered her, and had to close his eyes for a moment and take a deep breath to regain his control. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he gripped one of her hips and thrust forward, prompting Rinoa to arch her back in response to meet him.

Gods, this just keeps getting better and better. How is this possible? He wondered, quite beyond words at the moment. He opened his eyes and watched her, enjoying immensely the way she gasped and moaned with each thrust, her breasts bobbing and her head lolling, eyes closed. She'd never know, unless he told her, how exquisitely beautiful she looked as he made love with her; her pale skin showing a delicate flush and dewed with a light sheen of sweat, soft, pink lips slightly parted, raven hair tumbled across the surface of the table.

Rinoa's encouragement in the form of a light raking of her fingernails down his back, as well as his own aching need, prompted him to increase his pace. His blood surged, breath coming short, caught up in the throes of their passionate lovemaking. At some point during the proceedings, as Rinoa writhed and cried out in a wonderfully satisfactory fashion upon reaching her climax, Squall thought he heard something crash to the floor and break. It was rather forcibly dismissed from his mind in the next moment when his own orgasm washed over him with the force of a tsunami. He couldn't think of anything at all then.

He came to himself with Rinoa's fingers combing through his sweat dampened hair, breathless, heart still racing as though he'd just run a marathon. He simply gazed down at her, and she gave him the same sweet smile that always seemed to stop his heart and make it flip over. He raised himself up onto his elbows so that he wasn't crushing her against the hard surface of the table, and leaned forward to taste her sweetness one more time, closing his eyes as his lips met hers.

"We always seem to end up like this," she commented with a smile, when he pulled back from her.

"Can't seem to help it," Squall replied softly. Then he frowned slightly, "If you'd rather I didn't…um….or if you're feeling…uncomfortable… tell me. It's okay to say no."

Rinoa's brows knitted in confusion for a moment until she finally caught what he was alluding to and reassured him, "Oh, no I'm fine. Not sore or anything, if that's what you're worried about."

Squall sighed, visibly relieved, "good…we'd been a little caught up in things and well, you're still kind of new at this… It just occurred to me that as active as we've been, you might be."

"I'm okay," she said, then smiled at him and added, "I can't seem to help myself either." Then she frowned and started looking around, finding it difficult to see anything from her current position on the table.

"Speaking of getting caught up in things, did you hear something actually break?" she asked, puzzled.

Squall paused, considering that, and had a sneaking suspicion that was quickly confirmed by the simple expedient of raising his head to check. Sure enough, the glass water pitcher, and the roses, was no longer on the table. By craning his neck a little, he could just see where they'd ended up in a puddle of water and shattered glass on the floor.

Sighing, he answered her, "Yes."

"What was it?" she asked, frowning and raising up onto an elbow, looking around as he withdrew from her.

"It was your glass water pitcher," he answered apologetically, heart sinking at her gasp.

"My crystal pitcher? Why was it on the table?" she asked, voice rising in pitch as she started to sit up and shift toward the edge of the table, preparing to jump off.

"It was crystal?" He asked, then shook his head at his idiocy. Of course it was. It was the reason he'd chosen it in the first place; it had looked lovely with the roses in it.

"Damn. It was. I'm sorry, I'll get you another one," Squall said, then reached forward and gripped Rinoa's shoulders gently to stop her from getting off of the table. Glancing down at her bare feet, he told her, "Don't. There's glass everywhere. Stay here and I'll deal with it, okay?"

When Rinoa nodded agreement, Squall leaned forward and kissed her gently and caressed her cheek before cautiously picking his way through the dining room. First to the bathroom, then to the living room to put his shoes on, and finally to the kitchen to get the dust pan and whisk broom, along with some paper towels.

Rinoa drew her feet back up onto the table and shifted herself over to the other side where Squall was busy cleaning up the glass and spilled water….and the roses that had apparently been in the vase. Six of them. Pale, blush pink and creamy white, and most of them still flawless, though one did appear to have sustained a little bit of bruising on the delicate petals, while another appeared slightly tattered, the petals cut by the glass.

Rinoa's heart melted.

"You got me roses?" she asked softly. "I didn't even see them. I'm sorry…"

Squall glanced up and gave her a wry grin, "it's okay. You were a little….distracted." He redirected his attention to the floor and carefully picked up the roses, frowning down at them. They appeared to be ok, though they did bear some evidence of their rough treatment, inadvertent though it had been. He considered pitching them and simply buying another bouquet tomorrow, but Rinoa stopped him as he turned toward the trash bin.

"Don't. They're still pretty enough, leave them."

"Do you have anything to put them in? I used the pitcher because I couldn't find anything else." Squall said.

"Um, yeah. The cupboard over the fridge." Rinoa directed him.

She felt a flush rise on her skin as he paused for a moment, a half-smile quirking his lips, and let his gaze travel up her body from her feet to her face. With her undone stockings starting to bag around her ankles and inching downward from her thighs, her skirt still rucked up to an indecent degree, her top completely bare and her hair in disarray, Rinoa wasn't sure what he was thinking of, but his expression told her that he liked what he saw. Undoubtedly because it was all his doing and the doing of it had been enjoyable indeed.

Then he turned away, lay the flowers aside, opened the cabinet above the refrigerator and took down a lovely cut crystal vase. It was fluted like a champagne glass, and the facets caught the light and made the whole thing glitter like a large diamond. Rinoa's throat closed and her eyes blurred, remembering the day that Allyn had given it to her, stuffed with red roses and with an engagement ring attached to the card. She forcibly swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat and reminded herself that the past, and Allyn, was gone. It was past time to move on; and it was just a vase, after all.

By the time Squall had finished with filling the vase with water and installing the roses into it, she had regained her composure with no indication that anything had been wrong.

Setting it carefully upon the counter, he returned to her and said, "There, that's that. And now, it's time for dinner. Any ideas?"

"Worked up an appetite have you?" Rinoa asked him, starting to smile.

"Yes. If I've worn you out too much, I can cook dinner, so long as you don't mind scrambled eggs. That's pretty much the only thing I can cook in a pinch that ends up mostly edible." Squall said with a shrug and a slightly sheepish grin.

Rinoa smiled, enjoying the topless view he offered just as much as he'd enjoyed hers.

"We could order in," she suggested.

Squall had caught her appreciative look and just like that, wanted her in his arms again. Wanted to feel her smooth skin resting against his. He approached her and stroked his hand lightly up her leg, enjoying the combination of silk hose over smooth, firm skin.

"What do you like?" he asked her softly, slipping his arms loosely around her waist.

"Pizza's always good." She said, then added, "Or failing that, deli sandwiches, fried chicken or everyone's favorite, Dollett Dogs."

"Not mine," Squall muttered.

"Don't like Dollett Dogs?" Rinoa asked.

"No, not really." Squall answered. Rinoa laughed softly at this, and laughed harder when his stomach growled audibly.

"Well, we need to get something into you, or you'll be useless later on." Rinoa said.

"Does that mean you'll have a use for me later on then?" Squall asked her with an eyebrow raised.

"What do you think?" Rinoa asked him archly.

"I think we'll both be very, very tired when all is said and done." Squall replied, leaning in to give her a slow, sweet kiss, then sweeping her up into his arms. Rinoa whooped and laughed in surprise, then wrapped her arms around his neck while he carried her into the bedroom. He set her down on the bed, and sat down next to her.

"We really should eat," Rinoa began, leaning into him and enjoying the feel of his warm skin against hers.

Squall shrugged and said, "So, call out for something."

"Not this again," Rinoa sighed, then added in exasperation, "Oh, all right. Pizza then, since you aren't offering any suggestions."

Squall shrugged, "Fine by me."

"What kind of pizza do you like?" Rinoa asked, reaching for her phone.

"Whatever. I'm easy," Squall answered.

"I know," Rinoa said, giving him a sultry smile. Squall laughed softly in response.

"Only for you," he replied.

Rinoa's breath caught at that softly uttered rejoinder and her heart thumped painfully, wondering…. She left it alone, knowing instinctively that some men needed to arrive at their own conclusions regarding matters of the heart. Very few of them responded well to being pushed. She placed the order and informed Squall that they'd have dinner in about half an hour.

"So I guess I'd better put a shirt and some underwear back on," she said, getting up and searching out the required items. Once that was accomplished, she added, "and I need to clean off that table. No way am I going to eat off of it after what we just did! Not until it's been disinfected at least."

"Prude," Squall said, lips quirked in amusement.

"Yep." Rinoa retorted, moving purposefully into the kitchen and opening the cabinet beneath the sink. Taking out a spray bottle and grabbing a couple of sheets of paper towels, she set to work.

Squall snorted softly and leaned back against the counter, watching her with his arms folded across his chest. She playfully poked at his side as she passed him on her way into the kitchen, making him jump slightly. She glanced up and smiled at him while putting the cleaning supplies away.

"Ticklish are we?"

"Uh, well, you should know," Squall answered, watching her approach him warily.

"There were other things happening. That little detail must have slipped by me." She said, coming to a stop close to him. Suddenly she reached out and lightly ran her fingers up his sides.

Squall jumped and shuddered, admitting, "Ok. Yes, I'm ticklish."

Grinning wickedly, she attacked him, forcing him to squirm aside and grab her hands, laughing, "Ok, enough of that. Go. Call for pizza or I won't be responsible for what I do next!"

"Oh, do we get cranky when hungry?" Rinoa asked archly.

Lowering his voice to a growl, Squall said in her ear, "Yes, and I start biting things…" Suiting action to words, he gently nipped her neck beneath her ear, making her squeal and laugh.

"Okay, I see your point. I already called by the way, you just weren't paying attention. Now behave until dinner gets here!" She ordered, pointing at the couch.

"Okay," Squall said meekly and sat down on the couch, watching her.

Rinoa raised her eyebrows in surprise at his obedience.

Half an hour later they were enjoying Rinoa's favorite pizza, pepperoni and sausage with black olives, she with a glass of red wine, and Squall with a beer from the six pack that he'd purchased earlier.

They spent the remainder of the night after dinner cuddled on the couch and watching television….and making love once again before finally going to bed to sleep contentedly in each other's arms.

Never once, during any of this, did it occur to Squall to worry about how deeply he was falling for Rinoa. Not once.

Author's note: I was patting myself on the back for finally finishing this chapter when it was brought to my attention that by inadvertently omitting the letter R, I had turned Rinoa's BREASTS into BEASTS. Sooo I went ahead and corrected it, as that wasn't the image that i'd wanted to convey, amusing though it was.

and yet ANOTHER boo-boo was discovered by Queen00 (thanks for bringing that to my attention), so i corrected THAT minor hiccup as well. Ordinarily I don't miss stuff like that, but well...it's been an unusually distracting week for me.