A/N - Sorry to keep you waiting!! :) This is just the beginning - mind
you. I'm filling the story up with happy Rali - esp. this week. :( -
Enjoy! - xox G
Chapter Twenty-six
Alison couldn't stop smiling. She truly had never been this happy in her entire life. They had done it. They were finally married. Rafe was her husband. She couldn't believe it! As they sat together in the back of the limousine she stared again at the rings on her hand - her beautiful diamond now had a matching wedding band. Looking at it, she just sighed, never more content in her life.
Rafe couldn't take his eyes off her. His wife. Finally. After everything they'd been through he had never been more scared than he had been earlier today. He had been so frightened that something or someone would try to destroy her happiness today. He took the hand she'd been staring at in his and brought it to his lips. She turned her head to look up at him with that smile of hers and he was lost.
"Hi." She giggled at him, love shining in her eyes. They had changed clothes before starting off on their trip but Alison still had a few roses threaded in her hair. She looked so incredibly beautiful, Rafe thought for the thousandth time that day as he answered with a huge grin "Hi yourself."
As he let go of her hand she placed it in her lap and looked down, still staring at her rings as she moved closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and spoke again. "Rafe?"
"mmm hmm." Was his answer. He was busy sniffing the roses she wore in her hair.
"Where are you taking me?"
"It's a surprise." Rafe answered, pulling her closer.
She wasn't giving up. She eased back and pouted a bit. "You won't tell me?"
"No." he said with a laugh.
"C'mon please??" she asked as she batted her eyes at him.
"No." He answered, trying to sound serious.
Alison was more than ready to accept a challenge. "I bet I can make you tell me."
"I bet you can't." He laughed again.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked.
"No contest, Alison." He grinned at her. "You are no match for me."
"Really?" He was going to be sorry he said that, she thought to herself.
Confident he could win he replied. "Really."
"hmmm." Alison began. "OK. So if I do this - " she asked as she leaned close and placed a kiss at the base of his throat - "it has absolutely no affect on you?
"I didn't say that." He answered. "I just said you couldn't make me tell you where we're going."
"Not even if I do this?" She asked again, as her lips traveled up his neck to the spot behind his ear.
"Cheater." He whispered, clearly affected by her now.
She giggled, the sound humming against his skin. "C'mon Rafe. Tell me. Where are we going?" She continued to kiss him, moving her lips towards his, her fingers becoming tangled in his hair.
"Alison." He said softly next to her ear.
"Yeah?" she replied, figuring she had him now.
"I know you want me to tell you, but everything you're trying is making me want to stop talking." He said as his lips captured hers.
He continued to kiss her, losing all track of time and place when he felt the car pull to a halt.
"OK. I'll tell you now." He said as he broke their kiss.
"No fair!!" She said laughing, her eyes still closed. "We're here aren't we?"
"Yep."
It was then that she heard it, the sound of the train. "Oh, Rafe." She said, her eyes filling with tears.
They walked into the station - the difference was this time - they would board the train together.
It slowly pulled in and as it did, Alison gripped her husband's hand tightly.
"Sure you don't want me to try and make a run for it?" He asked with a grin.
"Not on your life." She laughed as she held his hand tighter and pulled him up the stairs to the car behind her. "I'm never letting you go."
As he opened the door to the cabin Alison could see he had thought of everything. A vase with a dozen pink roses sat in their cabin. The bed was strewn with the petals of what seemed like hundreds more. Unable to resist, he had begun to kiss her in the corridor and he never let his lips leave hers as he eased her into the little room, closing the door behind him with his foot.
He finally pulled away to gaze down at her. "So. Mrs. Kovich, how do you like your honeymoon so far?"
"It's heavenly!" she said with a giggle.
"You are so incredibly corny sometimes, you know that?"
"Yes. But you love me anyway." She leaned close to kiss him again.
"I do. More than you can ever imagine." He said with a smile, right before he let her.
It was really, really difficult, but she eased away from him. He reached for her immediately, glad that they were alone at last.
"Wait." she said with a gleam in her eye. "I want to go and change into something for you. I'll be back in a second."
"Alison." the tone of his voice said he didn't want to wait even a second to have her in his arms again.
"Raaafe," she said in a singsong voice. "Just please, trust me. It will be worth waiting for."
"I'm sure it will." He said with a smile, already seeing a picture of what she would look like in his mind.
Rafe moved around the cabin, dimming the lights and lighting a few candles. He started to open the champagne, but he realized she wouldn't be able to drink any. Just then - he heard her softly call his name.
Alison leaned seductively against the doorframe, the light spilling out into the room and glowing behind her.
He turned to look at her - and burst into laughter.
"What? You don't like it?" She said with a grin.
"Of course I do."
"You picked it out - you know."
"You're right. I did."
"You don't think I look sexy?" She asked, her voice teasing him - pretending to be hurt.
Nothing could be further from the truth, Rafe thought as he said, "Unbelievably - I'm just surprised. It's our wedding night. I thought you'd be wearing something soft and lacy.
"And?" she asked, turning around in a slow circle.
"And - you're wearing my shirt."
"Well." She said as she started towards him, toying with the hem of the shirt as she did. "It is pretty soft."
"Is it?" he asked "You know - it's been so long since I've worn it I've forgotten. Let me feel for myself."
Alison playfully swatted his hands as he reached for her. She backed away as she spoke "In a minute." She said. "I want you to know why I decided to wear this tonight."
This should be good - he thought to himself, still aching to touch her - but loving the thrill of having to wait.
"I wore this shirt, first of all because it makes me feel close to you."
That made perfect sense, he thought as he looked at her again.
"And?" Rafe smiled as urged Alison to continue. As she did - he was left speechless.
"And, whenever I wear it, it feels just as if you're holding me close. As I put it on - I can almost feel your hands on my shoulders, running down my arms. It's like I can feel you wherever the fabric covers me. Did you know that?"
She inched closer to him her own hands running up and down his arms as she spoke.
The thoughts her words placed in his mind made Rafe incapable of forming a sentence himself. His only response was "mmmm?"
"But you know what even feels better than wearing this shirt, Rafe?" she asked as she leaned in, kissed the spot just under his ear and whispered, "Actually feeling your hands on me."
That was it - it was over. He couldn't wait another second.
Rafe took Alison's breath away as he dragged her to him, pulling her up off her feet. As his mouth covered hers, she hitched herself up and hooked her legs around his waist, loving the feel of her body pressed tightly against his. He moved toward the bed and sat down. She settled onto his lap, still facing him.
The hands she'd just talked about moved to touch her face, running through her hair to the nape of her neck. All the while he kept his lips firmly on hers, kissing her breathless. He moved to pull at the neck of the shirt, causing it to fall off her shoulder. His fingers feathered lightly over her collarbone, teasing her until he replaced them with his mouth, kissing her softly and gently nipping at her skin with his teeth.
She murmured his name as she shifted closer to him, fisting her hands in his hair.
Rafe smiled as his mouth inched up her neck. He was trying to slow their pace a bit. They had all the time in the world - there was no need to rush. His lips once again found hers, making her sigh. He rested his arms on the tops of her thighs, curling them around her waist and pulling her closer still. His fingers found the hem of the shirt and he eased his hands underneath, relishing in the silky feel of her skin. His hands streaked up her back and then down again - never breaking their kiss.
This is what she meant when she'd teased him earlier. She arched against him, telling him without words what his touch did to her. A soft moan escaped her lips.
"Alison." He whispered against her lips, causing her eyes to flutter open.
She could barely focus or breathe for that matter. She brought her hands up to his face and tried to look into his eyes. "Mmm hmm?" she said.
The way her body kept shifting against his was driving him completely insane. He had to take a deep breath before he continued. "I need to ask you a question."
"Mmm?" She would let him ask anything he wanted if he'd just start kissing her again.
As if Rafe heard her thoughts, he moved his mouth back to hers, but he did not kiss her. He kept his lips just inches away. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her fingers fisting into the fabric of his shirt, urging him to close the distance between them. He first kissed her temple, moving to place a soft kiss on each of her closed eyes and then pulled back to watch her. The need to feel his lips on hers again was so strong she wanted to scream. She yanked him to her roughly and covered his mouth with hers. She groaned as she deepened their kiss, savoring the taste of him. She kissed him thoroughly, and Rafe truly enjoyed every single second but the fact remained - he hadn't finished. He still had something to ask her. He dragged his mouth away from hers placed it on her neck, close to her ear. Rafe's voice hummed against her skin as he whispered, "Would you do something for me?"
Alison pressed herself closer to him; trembling as his hands moved underneath the shirt she wore once again. She felt them traveling from where they rested at her waist, pausing, as he always seemed to do now to caress her slightly rounded stomach. His hands then continued to run up her sides, his thumbs gently skimming the curves of her breasts as they did.
Her hands slid from his shoulders to the front of his shirt and she clawed at the buttons, nearly ripping them off she was so was desperate to feel him. "Anything, anything - Rafe - please, just - don't stop," she said, not even realizing she was speaking her thoughts aloud.
He didn't want to disappoint her, so he kissed her quickly. Nearly as desperate with need as she was he tore away from her and grinned.
She was trying to drag him back to her when she finally heard him say, "Give me my shirt back."
Chapter Twenty-six
Alison couldn't stop smiling. She truly had never been this happy in her entire life. They had done it. They were finally married. Rafe was her husband. She couldn't believe it! As they sat together in the back of the limousine she stared again at the rings on her hand - her beautiful diamond now had a matching wedding band. Looking at it, she just sighed, never more content in her life.
Rafe couldn't take his eyes off her. His wife. Finally. After everything they'd been through he had never been more scared than he had been earlier today. He had been so frightened that something or someone would try to destroy her happiness today. He took the hand she'd been staring at in his and brought it to his lips. She turned her head to look up at him with that smile of hers and he was lost.
"Hi." She giggled at him, love shining in her eyes. They had changed clothes before starting off on their trip but Alison still had a few roses threaded in her hair. She looked so incredibly beautiful, Rafe thought for the thousandth time that day as he answered with a huge grin "Hi yourself."
As he let go of her hand she placed it in her lap and looked down, still staring at her rings as she moved closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and spoke again. "Rafe?"
"mmm hmm." Was his answer. He was busy sniffing the roses she wore in her hair.
"Where are you taking me?"
"It's a surprise." Rafe answered, pulling her closer.
She wasn't giving up. She eased back and pouted a bit. "You won't tell me?"
"No." he said with a laugh.
"C'mon please??" she asked as she batted her eyes at him.
"No." He answered, trying to sound serious.
Alison was more than ready to accept a challenge. "I bet I can make you tell me."
"I bet you can't." He laughed again.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked.
"No contest, Alison." He grinned at her. "You are no match for me."
"Really?" He was going to be sorry he said that, she thought to herself.
Confident he could win he replied. "Really."
"hmmm." Alison began. "OK. So if I do this - " she asked as she leaned close and placed a kiss at the base of his throat - "it has absolutely no affect on you?
"I didn't say that." He answered. "I just said you couldn't make me tell you where we're going."
"Not even if I do this?" She asked again, as her lips traveled up his neck to the spot behind his ear.
"Cheater." He whispered, clearly affected by her now.
She giggled, the sound humming against his skin. "C'mon Rafe. Tell me. Where are we going?" She continued to kiss him, moving her lips towards his, her fingers becoming tangled in his hair.
"Alison." He said softly next to her ear.
"Yeah?" she replied, figuring she had him now.
"I know you want me to tell you, but everything you're trying is making me want to stop talking." He said as his lips captured hers.
He continued to kiss her, losing all track of time and place when he felt the car pull to a halt.
"OK. I'll tell you now." He said as he broke their kiss.
"No fair!!" She said laughing, her eyes still closed. "We're here aren't we?"
"Yep."
It was then that she heard it, the sound of the train. "Oh, Rafe." She said, her eyes filling with tears.
They walked into the station - the difference was this time - they would board the train together.
It slowly pulled in and as it did, Alison gripped her husband's hand tightly.
"Sure you don't want me to try and make a run for it?" He asked with a grin.
"Not on your life." She laughed as she held his hand tighter and pulled him up the stairs to the car behind her. "I'm never letting you go."
As he opened the door to the cabin Alison could see he had thought of everything. A vase with a dozen pink roses sat in their cabin. The bed was strewn with the petals of what seemed like hundreds more. Unable to resist, he had begun to kiss her in the corridor and he never let his lips leave hers as he eased her into the little room, closing the door behind him with his foot.
He finally pulled away to gaze down at her. "So. Mrs. Kovich, how do you like your honeymoon so far?"
"It's heavenly!" she said with a giggle.
"You are so incredibly corny sometimes, you know that?"
"Yes. But you love me anyway." She leaned close to kiss him again.
"I do. More than you can ever imagine." He said with a smile, right before he let her.
It was really, really difficult, but she eased away from him. He reached for her immediately, glad that they were alone at last.
"Wait." she said with a gleam in her eye. "I want to go and change into something for you. I'll be back in a second."
"Alison." the tone of his voice said he didn't want to wait even a second to have her in his arms again.
"Raaafe," she said in a singsong voice. "Just please, trust me. It will be worth waiting for."
"I'm sure it will." He said with a smile, already seeing a picture of what she would look like in his mind.
Rafe moved around the cabin, dimming the lights and lighting a few candles. He started to open the champagne, but he realized she wouldn't be able to drink any. Just then - he heard her softly call his name.
Alison leaned seductively against the doorframe, the light spilling out into the room and glowing behind her.
He turned to look at her - and burst into laughter.
"What? You don't like it?" She said with a grin.
"Of course I do."
"You picked it out - you know."
"You're right. I did."
"You don't think I look sexy?" She asked, her voice teasing him - pretending to be hurt.
Nothing could be further from the truth, Rafe thought as he said, "Unbelievably - I'm just surprised. It's our wedding night. I thought you'd be wearing something soft and lacy.
"And?" she asked, turning around in a slow circle.
"And - you're wearing my shirt."
"Well." She said as she started towards him, toying with the hem of the shirt as she did. "It is pretty soft."
"Is it?" he asked "You know - it's been so long since I've worn it I've forgotten. Let me feel for myself."
Alison playfully swatted his hands as he reached for her. She backed away as she spoke "In a minute." She said. "I want you to know why I decided to wear this tonight."
This should be good - he thought to himself, still aching to touch her - but loving the thrill of having to wait.
"I wore this shirt, first of all because it makes me feel close to you."
That made perfect sense, he thought as he looked at her again.
"And?" Rafe smiled as urged Alison to continue. As she did - he was left speechless.
"And, whenever I wear it, it feels just as if you're holding me close. As I put it on - I can almost feel your hands on my shoulders, running down my arms. It's like I can feel you wherever the fabric covers me. Did you know that?"
She inched closer to him her own hands running up and down his arms as she spoke.
The thoughts her words placed in his mind made Rafe incapable of forming a sentence himself. His only response was "mmmm?"
"But you know what even feels better than wearing this shirt, Rafe?" she asked as she leaned in, kissed the spot just under his ear and whispered, "Actually feeling your hands on me."
That was it - it was over. He couldn't wait another second.
Rafe took Alison's breath away as he dragged her to him, pulling her up off her feet. As his mouth covered hers, she hitched herself up and hooked her legs around his waist, loving the feel of her body pressed tightly against his. He moved toward the bed and sat down. She settled onto his lap, still facing him.
The hands she'd just talked about moved to touch her face, running through her hair to the nape of her neck. All the while he kept his lips firmly on hers, kissing her breathless. He moved to pull at the neck of the shirt, causing it to fall off her shoulder. His fingers feathered lightly over her collarbone, teasing her until he replaced them with his mouth, kissing her softly and gently nipping at her skin with his teeth.
She murmured his name as she shifted closer to him, fisting her hands in his hair.
Rafe smiled as his mouth inched up her neck. He was trying to slow their pace a bit. They had all the time in the world - there was no need to rush. His lips once again found hers, making her sigh. He rested his arms on the tops of her thighs, curling them around her waist and pulling her closer still. His fingers found the hem of the shirt and he eased his hands underneath, relishing in the silky feel of her skin. His hands streaked up her back and then down again - never breaking their kiss.
This is what she meant when she'd teased him earlier. She arched against him, telling him without words what his touch did to her. A soft moan escaped her lips.
"Alison." He whispered against her lips, causing her eyes to flutter open.
She could barely focus or breathe for that matter. She brought her hands up to his face and tried to look into his eyes. "Mmm hmm?" she said.
The way her body kept shifting against his was driving him completely insane. He had to take a deep breath before he continued. "I need to ask you a question."
"Mmm?" She would let him ask anything he wanted if he'd just start kissing her again.
As if Rafe heard her thoughts, he moved his mouth back to hers, but he did not kiss her. He kept his lips just inches away. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her fingers fisting into the fabric of his shirt, urging him to close the distance between them. He first kissed her temple, moving to place a soft kiss on each of her closed eyes and then pulled back to watch her. The need to feel his lips on hers again was so strong she wanted to scream. She yanked him to her roughly and covered his mouth with hers. She groaned as she deepened their kiss, savoring the taste of him. She kissed him thoroughly, and Rafe truly enjoyed every single second but the fact remained - he hadn't finished. He still had something to ask her. He dragged his mouth away from hers placed it on her neck, close to her ear. Rafe's voice hummed against her skin as he whispered, "Would you do something for me?"
Alison pressed herself closer to him; trembling as his hands moved underneath the shirt she wore once again. She felt them traveling from where they rested at her waist, pausing, as he always seemed to do now to caress her slightly rounded stomach. His hands then continued to run up her sides, his thumbs gently skimming the curves of her breasts as they did.
Her hands slid from his shoulders to the front of his shirt and she clawed at the buttons, nearly ripping them off she was so was desperate to feel him. "Anything, anything - Rafe - please, just - don't stop," she said, not even realizing she was speaking her thoughts aloud.
He didn't want to disappoint her, so he kissed her quickly. Nearly as desperate with need as she was he tore away from her and grinned.
She was trying to drag him back to her when she finally heard him say, "Give me my shirt back."