Reunion
Part 15
J.R. reached for Sue Ellen's hand as she closed their bedroom door. He said, "I was serious about finishin' the last dance, Sugar." He pulled her into his arms and held his hand at the small of her back. He held her right hand in his, while she lifted her left hand and put it around his neck. He pulled her closer to him. He needed to feel her body close to his. Sue Ellen closed her eyes, and let J.R. lead her in the dance. There was no need for music. J.R. and Sue Ellen had the rhythm of classically trained dancers. J.R. stopped turning Sue Ellen around their bedroom, and kissed her neck. She sighed, and turned her head to meet his. J.R. said, "Sue Ellen . . . " No more words escaped his voice as his mouth sought her lips. She returned his kiss with the same fervor as it had been delivered. J.R. picked her up and carried her to their bed. He gently sat her down on top of the bedspread, never once allowing her eyes to leave his gaze. Sue Ellen reached out for him, wanting him and needing him more than she had ever needed anyone. J.R kissed her, exploring her waiting mouth, his need for her was perfectly matched. J.R. slowly unbuttoned her satin blouse, revealing her exquisite shape, hidden underneath a thin veil of lace. J.R.'s pulse increased as he continued to undress her. She moved underneath him, urging him to pick up his pace. He gently pulled her skirt down past her hips, over her legs and feet, letting the garment fall wherever it may land. The sounds coming from other rooms in the house were drowned out as J.R. captured her. Later, much later, J.R. whispered. "Sue Ellen, I gotta tell ya, you have changed my life." Sue Ellen lifted herself up and rested her head on his shoulder and said, "Really? How did I manage that?" J.R. pulled her tighter to his chest, and he said, "I can't remember when you've left me so exhausted." Sue Ellen traced his profile with her fingertips and said, "Is that a good thing?" J.R. cupped her chin with his hand and said, "Sugar, as far as I'm concerned, that's the best thing in the world. I love you, I hope you know that." Sue Ellen answered his question with renewed passion. It was her turn to lead.
J.R. awoke the next morning, and reached out for Sue Ellen, but she wasn't there. He sat up in bed and looked around the room. He could hear the water running in the shower, so he donned his robe and went to join Sue Ellen. Her back was to him as he slowly crept into the bathroom. He carefully opened the door to the shower and touched Sue Ellen's back. She was so startled, she jumped, and slipped in the stall. J.R. reached out and grabbed for her, to soften her landing. J.R. fell to his knees, pulling Sue Ellen out of the shower and on top of him on the floor. She turned her head over her shoulder and said, "It serves you right, J.R., sneakin' up on me like that." J.R. was soaked to the skin. He said, "I just wanted to see if you were fully awake, Sugar." She shook her head in mock disgust and said, "Well, since you're already soaked, care to join me?" J.R. said, "I thought you'd never ask." They dried off and dressed after their shower. Sue Ellen was applying the last of her makeup to her face, when she heard her cell phone ringing. She called out to J.R. from where she was inside the bathroom, and said, "Darlin', would you answer that for me, please?" J.R. said, "Sure thing." He picked up her phone from her dresser and said, "Hello?" The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Who the bloody hell is this?" J.R. was more than a little indignant, and said, "Who the hell wants to know?" The voice said, "I'm trying to reach Sue Ellen Lockwood." J.R. knew who the voice belonged to. It was Sue Ellen's ex-husband. J.R. said, "Hold on a minute." He walked into the bathroom and held out the phone for Sue Ellen. She looked at him with a puzzled look, and asked, "Who is it?" J.R. shook his head and said, in a less than pleasant tone, "Don."
Sue Ellen's face went pale as she put the phone to her ear. She said, "Hello?" Don practically shouted, "Who the frig was that?" "None of your bloody business," Sue Ellen said, her British accent increasing with her anger. Don lowered his voice upon hearing her tone and said, "Where in the world are you, luv?" There had been a time when she didn't mind being referred to by Don's pet-name for her, but that was a couple of years ago, now the term of endearment was as abrasive to her ears as the sound of a dentist's drill. She tightened her jaw as Don continued to speak, "I asked you a perfectly honest question, Sue Ellen. I deserve an honest answer." Sue Ellen's irritation was becoming increasingly obvious to J.R. The skin on her neck and her cheeks was turning red with rage. She huskily spat, "You deserve nothing more than what you got the day I left you standing in the doorway of our house!" Don started swearing at her, giving Sue Ellen one resort. She turned her cell phone off, and tossed it onto the bed. She turned around and walked back into the bathroom, blotted her lipstick and said, "Well, I don't know about you J.R., but I worked up quite an appetite last night." She touched his hand with her fingers and said, "Are you hungry?" J.R. was amazed. Sue Ellen was definitely a woman J.R. could relate to. He knew at that very moment that the playing field was as level as it could possibly be.
J.R. watched Sue Ellen the entire time they were eating breakfast. He didn't know whether he should fear her, or applaud her. J.R. never did care for Don, but he thought that there was a time when Don had actually replaced J.R in her heart, especially when she left for London, and married that British bastard. Now he wasn't so sure. Sue Ellen sipped on her coffee as if nothing had happened. Her neck and face had regained their bronze glow, and she seemed perfectly calm, and at ease. J.R. couldn't help but wonder if this was the calm before the storm. J.R. waited until the rest of the family had finished eating, and gone back inside the house. J.R. worked up the courage to say, "Sue Ellen? If you need to talk, I'm here to listen." Sue Ellen looked at him from underneath her eyelashes. She lifted her head and said, "I forget how well you know me, J.R." J.R. said, "Don't count on it. I have never seen you as angry as you were when we were upstairs. Hell, not even when you were pissed off at me." Sue Ellen was amused by his comment and said, "I'm sorry that you had to see that side of me, J.R. I just want memories of the life I thought I had with Don to disappear." J.R. reached across the table and covered her hand with his hands. Sue Ellen smiled at him and said, "Thank you, J.R. I know how lucky I am to have you back in my life, too." J.R. stood up and pushed his chair back under the patio table and said, "Let's go take a walk around the ranch." J.R. waited for her as she stood up from the table. He pushed her chair under the table, and put his arm around her waist. Sue Ellen crossed her arms in front of her, rubbing her upper arms with her hands. J.R. had a feeling that Sue Ellen needed to talk, but he wasn't going to force her to open up to him. She looked at the ground as they walked by the interior fence of the ranch. She started to relax when she looked up and saw that they were standing by the tree, next to the horse stables. She softly said, "This is where it all began, J.R. This spot right here is where I fell in love with you, all over again." J.R. was surprised by her matter-of-fact tone. He tilted his head to try and see her eyes. Sue Ellen had always been able to convey any emotion she felt with her eyes. She had tears in her eyes when she looked at him. J.R. pulled her into his arms. He didn't say anything. He simply held her. Sue Ellen closed her eyes as she leaned against him. She knew that J.R. would never let anyone hurt her, but Don's words had cut like a knife. How dare he call and demand honesty? Years before, Don used to remind Sue Ellen how wonderful their life together would be, as long as they were honest with each other. Don had never been fully honest about his lingering, and overwhelming feelings for his deceased wife. "Damn him," she said. She moved her head against J.R.'s shoulder. J.R. kissed the top of her head and said, "Sue Ellen, none of that matters, anymore. The only thing that matters the only thing I want, is what I have with you."
Sue Ellen knelt down to sit on the ground by the tree. J.R. knelt down beside her. Sue Ellen reached for his hand, and pulled his arm around her neck. She leaned back against him. J.R. pulled her closer to him. She rested her back against his chest. J.R. asked, "Do you know when I knew that I still loved you?" Sue Ellen shook her head and said, "No. When?" He said, "When I saw you walk out of the jetwalk at the airport when you first came back to Dallas. The second I saw your face, I lost any chance I had at holdin' back how I felt for you." Sue Ellen lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed his palm. Sue Ellen said, "I was terrified when I saw you standing next to John Ross that day." J.R. rested his chin against the side of her head and asked, "Why were you terrified?" She said, "I don't think I ever stopped lovin' you,either, J.R." He kissed the side of her head, and held her with both of his arms. They sat underneath the tree, enjoying each other's company. J.R. could smell her perfume. The aroma was heady and seductive. J.R. had to fight the urge to make love to Sue Ellen under the tree. Sue Ellen leaned forward and folded her arms across her knees. J.R. was in awe of how such a beautiful woman could be so strong, yet so vulnerable, all at once. J.R lowered his hand to the small of her back, tugging at the belt loop on her jeans. Sue Ellen glanced sideways at him and smiled. She said, "I'm feelin' better, now. Thanks." J.R. reached out and brushed her hair away from her eyes. J.R. leaned forward and pulled her into his arms. He turned her body so that her legs were stretched out at her side, and her right arm was behind his back, while her left arm rested on his right shoulder. She nuzzled his neck, inhaling his cologne. She looked up at him and was greeted with a smile. J.R had a captivating, and inviting smile, but his eyes had always been what attracted her most to him. His eyes had always seemed to hide secrets; things that nobody else knew. She had told him that years earlier. She could still remember their conversation. Their momentary bliss had been shattered by a phone call from her sister, Kristin Shepherd, informing them that she had just given birth to a baby boy. J.R. was the father of another son. Sue Ellen closed her eyes, trying to rid her mind of the painful memories. She wondered how long it would be before they were no longer haunted by ghosts? J.R. was gently rubbing her back and said, "Did you want to go out tonight?" Sue Ellen considered his question and asked, "What did you have in mind?" J.R. said, "I thought we might go for a drive, just the two of us." Sue Ellen sat up and said, "That sounds wonderful." J.R. stood up, and reached to pull Sue Ellen into a standing position. She leaned forward and kissed him. He smiled as he reached for her hand, and they walked toward the house.
Sue Ellen left a message with Teresa to tell John Ross that they had gone for a drive. They drove Sue Ellen's car. J.R. put the automobile through its paces, as they drove along Interstate 35. J.R. planned to drive to Lake Whitney State Park. He took the Hillsboro exit. They drove through Hillsboro, Texas. Then they drove along State Highway 22, and turned west to Whitney. J.R. followed the road signs to the park. Sue Ellen was excited. She hadn't seen Lake Whitney in ages. She grabbed J.R.'s hand and pulled him to the lakes' shore. J.R. leaned against a rock and removed his cowboy boots. He took off his socks and dropped them in the sand, then he rolled up the legs of his jeans. Sue Ellen took off her sandals and rolled up her pant legs, then, they ran into the water. The cool water was a stark contrast to the evening heat. J.R. picked Sue Ellen up into his arms and acted like he was going to throw her into the water. She was flailing her arms and legs and said, "If you do, . . . " She screamed as her body entered the water in the lake. She stood up in the water, soaked from head to toe. J.R. was rolling around on the shore laughing uncontrollably. Sue Ellen kicked her foot in the water, splashing J.R. in the face. He said, "Don't get mad, Sugar. Get even." J.R. turned over onto his stomach to get up, and run from her, but she grabbed his foot and pulled him into the lake. J.R. tried to hold onto the sand, but Sue Ellen had dug her feet into the lake bed, and pulled at his feet with all her might. J.R.'s muffled voice was the last sound in his ear's until he lifted his head out of the water. Sue Ellen was laughing so hard there were tears in her eyes. He walked over to her and lifted her up in his arms. She pushed against his chest and said, "You told me to get even." J.R. lowered her body so that her face was in front of his, and kissed her. She returned his kiss, and said, "It's gonna be a cold drive back home in these wet clothes." J.R. looked around the lake, as the sun was setting. He said, "It's a damn good thing that car has a good heater. We'll just have to wait until our clothes are dry, before we head back home. They held hands as they walked along the shore of Lake Whitney. Their eyes glanced across the lake, as the last traces of daylight dissolved in the western sky.
