It's Chapter Nine and it's freshly baked from Pammi's Writing Café. Enjoy.
Chapter Nine: The Way Of Things-Forever Changed
Mackenzie's bare feet hit the wet sand, and all at once the cool ocean breeze sent a shiver up her spine. The moon was nearly full, and the sky was clear and full of stars. The ocean was a deep navy blue in the distance and it could be heard crashing against the shore. God, it felt good to be home.
John looked down at Mac who now had her eyes closed. Her face was serene, housing a small smile. He could see the goose bumps on her arms, and reached out to touch them, "Are you cold?"
She took in a slow, deep breath, "Just a little."
"You want to go back?" John asked attentively. "I don't want you to get sick."
"No, I'll be fine. Let's go for that walk," her smile deepened as she opened her eyes.
"Alright," John took her hand again and led her down the shore. They left their shoes to mark where they started.
"I can't believe I'm at the beach, in the middle of the night, in my business skirt, holding hands with a guy." Mackenzie laughed at her predicament.
"Why is it so unbelievable? Besides, I'm not just a guy-I'm me."
"I know. That's not what I meant," she paused, causing them to stop as she looked up at him with a nostalgic smile. Her words were soft as she spoke, "When I was in high school, I dreamt of stuff like this." She motioned to the perfect night and the ocean, "I would daydream that the cutest and most popular guy would ask me to sneak out and meet him here so he could walk hand in hand with me along the beach. I'd think of all the nice things he would say to me and imagine what it would be like to kiss him under the moonlight."
"And?" John smiled down at the memory she just shared with him.
Mackenzie let out a breath and looked down, for some reason she was feeling very relaxed, "They were just a young girl's hopes. It never happened."
"Not yet, anyway," he enthused.
"Please. Those days are gone and done with," Mackenzie shook her head.
"True," John said as he pulled her hand gently to urge her along with him.
They walked for a little while in silence. Mackenzie was remembering pieces of what Jackie had said to her earlier that week, '. . . we both wanted to get together for such a long time . . . I finally got tired of fighting it . . .' She snuck a glance at their joined hands.
She was about to open her mouth to speak when John broke the silence first, "Did you see Rene and Jackie tonight?"
Mackenzie let out a laugh, "Yah. Those two really are a good couple. You know, until I bumped into Rene Monday morning, I had never thought of there being any sort of attraction on either part. They sure did a good job hiding it from one another…" her words practically died on her lips as she thought of the relevance they shared with her current situation.
"Yah," was all John could manage for his own reply.
Silence consumed them again as they walked. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but denial hung in the air around them like an unfinished sentence. A strong wind blew in as another wave hit the shore. This time, it caused Mackenzie to shiver. It was awfully cold out, and the evidence was becoming quite obvious through Mackenzie's cream, silk blouse.
John looked down to see more goose bumps on her arms, but he had to look away when his eyes accidentally focused in on her breasts. Taking a silent, deep breath, John took her hand and placed it in his other one. He then pulled her in front of him and walked closely behind with her wrapped snugly in his arms. "Better?"
Mackenzie was thankful for the darkness and the fact that he was behind her, because her face was warm with red cheeks, "Yes. Thanks."
"Mm Hmm," was his 'your welcome.' He rested his chin on her head, "So, what time do you need to be at work tomorrow-well, later today," he chuckled softly.
She shrugged, "I'm off. I turned in my folder tonight. I think I'm going to go see Raw tomorrow night though. Are you going?"
"Yah. I got some friends on the Raw roster I'd like to see."
"Really? Like who?"
John pulled her closer as he moved his chin from the top of her head to her shoulder, "Like Matt Hardy, Lita, and Randy Orton. There are more, but for some reason I can't think of them…"
"You're probably just tired. You did wrestle four guys tonight," she smiled.
"Yah, and I retained my title-"
"Congratulations on that by the way."
"Thank you. Like I was saying, I retained my title, but actually, I'm not really tired at all. My mind's just distracted," John smirked.
"By what? Your cell phone isn't ringing, there's no one here but me and you, and the waves aren't that loud. Surely you can remember the names of your Raw buddies. Unless you're getting senile or something in your old age."
"Nah, I don't think it's that, and I'm only a year and some months older than you, so if I'm old-so are you," and without realizing what he was doing, he kissed her on the cheek as an exclamation point to his last statement. They both stopped dead in their tracks.
Mackenzie just swallowed extremely hard and thought to continue walking, but John was holding her in place. She felt herself being turned toward him. When she was facing him, she attempted to be bold by meeting his eyes. His next words made her knees a little weak, "Maybe the reason I can't think straight, is because of the company I'm with right now. Maybe you're clouding my mind, Mac."
Mackenzie didn't know what it was-the stars, the moon, the close proximity in which they were standing, or a combination of all three-but she found herself reaching up and touching his face.
John caught her hand, "Mackenzie?" Mackenzie snapped back into herself and tried pull her hand away, but John held it steady. She heard his voice again, "Mackenzie?"
"What," her voice was a barely more than a whisper as she averted her gaze.
He smiled, "Look at me." When she finally did, he continued, "Mac, I know I'm not the most popular or cutest guy in high school, but according to the fans, I am the most popular and sexiest man on Smackdown…"
Mackenzie's eyebrows knit together as she tried to understand what it was he was trying to tell her, "John-"
"But we are on a beach, in the middle of the night, with you in your work clothes, walking along the shore and holding hands. I'm telling you you're beautiful, you've got amazing eyes, that I love being with you-all of those are nice things…"
Mackenzie could feel her heart racing and her throat constricting. He was repeating her teenage fantasy to her. She couldn't believe it, and it wasn't the wind that was making her tremble this time.
"So, Mackenzie, all I have left to do…is kiss you. I kiss you, and you're dream is reality, Mac. Is that what you want?"
Mackenzie felt her nose tingling, "What about what you want-"
"What I want," he moved closer so that his forehead rested again hers, "is to be with you." He tightened his grip around her waist, "Tell me you want to be with me too, Mac. Just say the word."
Mackenzie smiled as her sarcasm leaked out, "The word."
John laughed mentally, but his mouth was to busy seizing hers to let it escape. Her lips were soft and trembling; his warm and caressing. It started out slight and delicate, but from the moment their lips met the pent up passion and emotion between them exploded like a time bomb. Finally, the ticking had ceased, and the desire between them was now unleashed. It flowed from within their veins and exited through their lips; their hands; their fingers-any outlet would suffice.
Mackenzie could feel the cold water splashing around her feet while John's lips and breath warmed every other inch of her body. The effect was dizzying and he must have felt it to, for both them made to get closer to the ground. When it was all said and done, Mackenzie was on top while John held her securely in place as they continued to let themselves be consumed by their kisses.
John wanted her so badly-he had waited so long. It was clear as a bell, and Mac could feel his need through both of their clothing as her thigh rested against it. John rolled them over so that he would be on top, but once there, all he did was deepen in the kiss. They both came up for air as they pressed their foreheads together. John leaned up on his elbows and tucked Mac's loose hairs behind her ears. He gave her another peck on her lips, now swollen from the immaculate amount of kissing they had done, "Mackenzie, I don't want to be friends anymore," he chuckled softly against her lips.
She kissed him back and shook her head, "Me neither. Not since that night you accidentally kissed me."
"Really?" he looked down at her with raised eyebrows, "I haven't wanted to be your friend since you told me to move my foot from your paper. It's just like Freud said, 'there are no accidents,' and kissing you that night, definitely was NO accident."
They both cracked up laughing as John collapsed completely atop her. He had to calm down. They may have both been on the same page for a long time, but there was no need to rush things. It was enough to just be able to touch, talk, kiss, and hold her this way. He sighed into her shoulder, "I'm freezing."
"Me too," she drew in a breath, "let's walk back."
He pulled them both up, "Alright." They walked for a little while, but John soon decided that she needed to be carried, so he picked her up bridal style and ran toward the spot where they left their shoes. The whole time, Mackenzie was in disbelieve about the entire night, and as he carried her seemingly effortlessly like this, for the first time, Mac didn't feel fat. She felt wanted; desired. She felt happy.
The next morning, Mac found herself in her hotel room wrapped up snugly in her bed. The last thing she remembered was being in the car side by side with John and having a strong arm wrapped around her midsection. She must have passed out-that or it had all been a dream.
The dream theory was immediately thrown out the window when Mackenzie felt something move behind her. She rolled over to come nose to nose with John. He blinked awake and pulled her closer, "You can't see me," he informed as gave her a soft peck on the forehead.
"No, I can see you just fine. What I can't see, is the time," she laughed, "Hey, that rhymed! I'm a poet, and I didn't know it."
It was John's turn to chuckle, "Maybe you should be the Doctor of Thuganomics."
"I have been looking for a major career change," she joked.
"Well, taking my job would be pretty major."
"Mm hmm…but I don't want your job," Mackenzie wrapped her free arm around him, "Besides, you're a good doctor. I could never compete."
"Well, that's true," he kissed her again, "but you're a hell of a masseuse…"
"Is that your way of asking for a back rub?"
His smile was all the answer she needed. She sat up and got out from underneath the covers. John rolled over onto his stomach and let her do her thing. "Honestly, Mac. You need to go back to college, take some anatomy classes, and become a massage therapist or something…"
Mackenzie smiled at his compliment, "Thank you, but I actually like working for the WWE."
"Yah, me too," John groaned when Mackenzie hit a tight spot, "What time is it?"
Mac looked over to the clock on the nightstand, "It is…ONE THIRTY?!?!"
John laughed at her surprise, "What?"
"I haven't slept this late in years!"
"Well, then it's probably a good thing. Besides, you're off today."
"Yah, but-" she let out a sigh, "Aw, who cares? I'm gonna take a shower."
"Really? And leave me here to fend for myself?"
"You're not taking it with me, so you can forget it. You can't do anything to stop me anyway-"
John rolled over right as she said the words, knocking her back onto the bed. "What's the big idea?" she asked before he seized her lips, initiating the biggest make out session of Mackenzie's twenty-three year old life.
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Now, go ye unto the next chapter.