Return to Camelot

Part 16

"Sue Ellen?"

"Sue Ellen, wake up, Honey. It's gettin' late," J.R. said, as he lightly touched Sue Ellen's cheek.

Sue Ellen lifted her head, dazed and confused for a moment, until she remembered that she had fallen asleep with her head on J.R.'s lap as they sat underneath the Elm tree across from the horse stables in the interior perimeter of Southfork Ranch.

Sue Ellen sat up and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. She turned her head over her shoulder, and shyly smiled at J.R.

J.R. touched Sue Ellen's arm, and asked, "Are you okay, Sugar? You've been asleep for quite a while."

Sue Ellen nodded her head, 'yes', and then she asked, "What time is it, J.R.?"

J.R. lifted his arm, and glanced at his wristwatch, saying, "It's almost two o'clock."

Sue Ellen asked, "Why didn't you wake me? I never intended to sleep that long."

J.R. leaned in closer to Sue Ellen, and said, "I didn't wake you for a lot of reasons, the most important bein' you need your rest."

Sue Ellen grumbled, "Humph, what are some of the other reasons?"

J.R. chuckled, and said, "Well, let's see…you're absolutely gorgeous when you're asleep. I love to watch you sleeping. I enjoyed watching the wind blow your hair about your head. Umm…I can stare at you without you tellin' me to stop. The list goes on for miles, Honey."

Sue Ellen reached her hand out and touched J.R.'s chin. J.R. moved closer to Sue Ellen, as their heads came together for a slow, leisurely kiss. J.R. deepened his kiss, gauging Sue Ellen's response.

J.R. gradually increased the tempo of his kiss, as his tongue caressed Sue Ellen's pliant lips. Sue Ellen kissed the corners of J.R.'s mouth, and then used her tongue more assertively, as she parted J.R.'s lips, and invaded his mouth. J.R. moaned as Sue Ellen's tongue danced inside his mouth, her touch reaching his very soul.

J.R. pulled away from Sue Ellen, before allowing himself to get carried away by the intimacy of her kiss.

Sue Ellen flashed J.R. a knowing grin. Just because she and J.R. couldn't have sex, didn't mean she couldn't torment and tease him, she mused. Sue Ellen's grin wasn't lost on J.R. He knew Sue Ellen better than she realized. J.R. smirked at Sue Ellen, fully comprehending that she took great joy in seductively teasing him. J.R. hoped that Sue Ellen felt the same when it was his turn to torture her.

J.R. arose from the ground, and held out his hands to help Sue Ellen to her feet.

Sue Ellen smiled at J.R. as their eyes met. Sue Ellen's breath caught in her throat. Her skin felt as if it would burn from the heat radiating from J.R.'s penetrating gaze. The look her gave her told her that nothing else mattered but the moment, and there were no other people who mattered, aside from the two of them.

Sue Ellen whispered, "Uh…I guess we'd better head back to the house."

J.R. quickly pulled Sue Ellen into his arms, her body connected with his chest.

J.R.'s hands fell to Sue Ellen's waist, as his mouth voraciously sought her lips. Sue Ellen lifted her head when she felt the pressure of J.R.'s lips against her own. J.R. concentrated his efforts to try to see inside Sue Ellen's mind. He wanted to fully understand her reaction to his kiss; he wanted to make a connection with her in such a way that she would be forever his.

Sue Ellen pulled away from J.R.'s kiss to catch her breath. J.R. leered at Sue Ellen, pleased with his innate ability to take her breath away.

Sue Ellen muttered, "You're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you, J.R.?"

J.R. laughed, and batted his eyelashes at Sue Ellen, feigning innocence, and asked, "Who? Me?"

Sue Ellen playfully slugged J.R.'s chest, as she reached for his hand to walk back to the house. J.R. placed his Stetson on his head, as he and Sue Ellen headed in the direction of the house. A sudden gust of wind blew J.R.'s Stetson off of his head, causing Sue Ellen to laugh out loud as J.R. attempted to hurdle over the fence in an effort to retrieve his cowboy hat.

J.R. raced after his wayward Stetson, as Sue Ellen enjoyed the ongoing spectacle of J.R. coming within inches of reaching for the brim of his hat, only to be defeated, as another gust of wind would blow the hat out of his reach. J.R. lunged at his hat, tripped, and fell flat on his face.

J.R. cursed, "Damn it!"

Sue Ellen had to lean against a fence rail for support. She was laughing so hard tears ran down her cheeks.

Sue Ellen said, "I'm sorry, J.R. I don't mean to laugh, but you should have seen yourself."

J.R. turned his head and glared at Sue Ellen. His irritation quickly turned to joy upon seeing Sue Ellen laughing heartily for the first time since before the Oil Barons' Ball. J.R. enjoyed the sound of Sue Ellen's laughter. He had always appreciated her sense of humor. He enjoyed it now more than ever; the unfortunate loss of their unborn child had drawn them closer together.

J.R. made a grandiose, last-ditch attempt to reach for his Stetson before it landed in a pile of horse manure. Sue Ellen covered her mouth with her hands, silently encouraging J.R.'s efforts, before his cowboy hat might potentially meet its unfortunate, unparalleled, and untimely fate.

J.R. shouted, "Gotcha!" as he grabbed the brim of his Stetson between his thumb and forefinger, a mere fraction of an inch away from the horse manure.

Sue Ellen said, "Nice catch, Darlin'."

J.R. rose to his feet. His white, western shirt was covered with dirt and grass stains. The legs of his jeans were muddy, and he had dirt stains on his face. Sue Ellen turned away from J.R. She didn't want him to see her laughing at how pitiful he looked.

J.R. sarcastically asked, "What do you find so amusin', Sue Ellen?"

Sue Ellen tried in vain to stifle her laughter, as she managed to say, "Oh my God, you should see yourself, J.R. You are dirt and grass from head to toe."

J.R. glanced down at his shirt, and his jeans. Sue Ellen was right. He was filthy.

J.R. slapped his hands against his shirt, trying to brush away the dirt and grass. The more he brushed at his shirt with his hands, the more of a mess he made.

Sue Ellen sighed and said, "Stop it, J.R.…it hurts to laugh so hard."

J.R. shrugged his shoulders, "I'm makin' it worse, huh?"

Sue Ellen sputtered, "Yes, you are."

Sue Ellen gratefully smiled at J.R.'s obvious attempt at making her laugh. J.R. joyfully watched Sue Ellen's face, memorizing her expression. Her eyes were shining and bright. The green and gold flecks in her hazel eyes appeared to dance in the afternoon sunlight.

J.R. climbed over the fence rail, and reached for Sue Ellen's hand. Sue Ellen shied away from J.R., not wanting to get dirty. J.R. flashed Sue Ellen a wicked grin, as he quickly pulled her into his arms, covering her sundress with dirt and grass.

Sue Ellen gasped, and shrieked, "J.R. Ewin', look what you've done to me."

J.R. hungrily kissed Sue Ellen, silencing any further complaints she might have about his sharing the proverbial wealth of dirt and grass. Sue Ellen lifted her hands to J.R.'s shoulders, as she met his kiss with her own escalating need. J.R.'s hands roamed all over Sue Ellen's back.

Sue Ellen stiffened as the passion from J.R.'s practiced touch struck a familiar chord on the bare skin of her back. J.R. whispered Sue Ellen's name into her mouth, as their tongues connected. Sue Ellen leaned against J.R.'s chest, her legs were weak, and she shivered in his arms.

J.R. pulled away from Sue Ellen and huskily said, "You're probably right, Sugar. We'd better get goin' back to the house."

J.R. and Sue Ellen stopped outside the patio door to try and remove as much grass and dirt from their clothes as they possibly could. They didn't want to make a mess in the kitchen. J.R. had incurred the wrath of Miss Ellie for tracking dirt into the house as a child; he didn't want to incur her wrath as an adult.

Miss Ellie glanced up from the cross-stitch pattern that she was working on as she sat at the kitchen table.

Miss Ellie frowned when she noticed the dirt and grass stains on J.R. and Sue Ellen's clothing, and asked, "What on earth happened to the both of you?"

J.R. laughed and said, "Well, it's funny you should ask that, Mamma. Uh, tell her, Sue Ellen."

Sue Ellen punched J.R.'s arm, and said, "Oh, no you don't, J.R.; you're the one who dove into the pasture chasing after your cowboy hat."

J.R. laughed, and said, "Excuse us, Mamma. We're gonna go upstairs and take a shower. Then we'll change our clothes for dinner."

Miss Ellie grinned as she watched J.R. and Sue Ellen leave the room. It warmed her heart to see how well they were getting along, and she was thrilled that Sue Ellen appeared to be feeling better. Sue Ellen was smiling, and that suited Miss Ellie fine.

J.R. closed the bedroom door behind him, just as Sue Ellen started to untie the straps on her sundress. J.R. bridged the distance between him and Sue Ellen with one long stride, as he offered to help her remove her dress. Sue Ellen turned her head, and gazed at J.R. over her shoulder. J.R. quickly untied Sue Ellen's shoulder straps, then lowered his hands to unlace the back of her sundress.

J.R. moved his hands inside the bodice of Sue Ellen's dress, stopping at her stomach, and pulled her into his arms. Sue Ellen exhaled as J.R. drew her to him. Sue Ellen tilted her head to allow J.R. better access to her neck. J.R. gently bit at the skin at the base of Sue Ellen's neck, inhaling the sensual aroma of her soft, delicately perfumed skin.

Sue Ellen murmured, "God, I want you, J.R."

J.R. hoarsely growled, "I want you, too, Sugar. Not bein' able to make love to you whenever, and wherever is gonna be the death of me."

Sue Ellen turned around to face J.R. She lifted her hands to the sides of his face and slowly pulled him close to her. She gingerly caressed J.R.'s lips with her tongue. J.R. licked Sue Ellen's teeth with the tip of his tongue in an enthusiastic response to her touch.

Sue Ellen pulled her head away, pausing as she continued to tease J.R.

J.R. gave Sue Ellen a puzzled look.

Sue Ellen grinned at J.R., and said, "I love kissing you. Do you know that?"

J.R. flashed Sue Ellen a petulant stare, saying, "You mean you love teasin' me, don't you?"

Sue Ellen said, "J.R., havin' to wait until we can make love is just as difficult for me as it is for you."

J.R. growled, "Oh, I doubt that, Sugar. I can't remember the last time I actually took a hot shower."

Sue Ellen said, "Come on, J.R. It can't be that bad."

J.R. said, "It's worse than bad. I look at you and I get aroused. I can't begin to tell you what seein' you undressed does to me"

Sue Ellen smirked at J.R. She was secretly delighted to learn that J.R. wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Sue Ellen leaned forward and kissed the tip of J.R.'s nose, saying, "Oh, my poor Darlin'. Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?"

J.R. nodded his head, 'yes', once again pulling Sue Ellen into his embrace…