Series: Snapshots of the Past
Story: Phoenix
Chapter 24
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Previously: Abbey assured Jed that she'll support him if he decides to reestablish a relationship with his father; Jed told Abbey that Zoey may be ready to go home in a couple of weeks
Summary: Jed and Abbey share a romantic evening
Rating: NC-17
"Lay down on the bed, face up, with your hands above your head."
Jed raised his left brow as he inhaled a shaky breath. Overflowing with love, her emerald orbs stayed on him, inspecting him from head to toe, following every line of his nude body and smiling when his shivers convinced her he had surrendered to the erotic temptations that spurred inside him.
This wasn't how he thought this night would end. He was the one who was supposed to call the shots. He was the one who was supposed to sweep her off her feet and seduce her into bed. The power was supposed to be relinquished into his hands.
But that isn't what happened.
Abbey had arrived home only hours earlier, tired and exhausted after a full day at her daughter's hospital bedside while Jed went to work. As soon as she walked into the house, she kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the couch, a sigh escaping her lips as fatigue numbed her limbs, causing her to fall to her side.
"Hey, you're home!" She predicted Jed's upbeat attitude before he even reached the living room, easily detecting his high-pitched enthusiasm in the way he called out to her.
"Yeah."
In his hand, he held a large blue box that he immediately handed to her. "Here."
Her head resting on her elbow, she looked up, drawing back her features at the sight of him in a tuxedo. "What's going on?"
"How's Zoey?"
"They took her down for some tests. Patti's going to call after she speaks to the doctor." She examined the box she just accepted. "What's this?"
"Your parents took the girls out for dinner and a movie."
"Jed, why are you dressed in a tux and what is this you just gave me?"
"It's a ball gown, Abbey. We have a date, remember?"
It was obvious she didn't. "I'm sorry?"
"It's the Winter Carnival Ball at Dartmouth. We bought the tickets months ago."
Months ago, she thought. Months ago, she was still pregnant, planning for a perfectly healthy infant. A romantic evening with her husband was a possibility back then, but certainly not now. "Oh, Jed. I swear, I forgot." She shook her head. "We can't go. Not tonight."
Jed took her hand and lifted her up so she was sitting against the cushions. "We have to go."
"Why?"
"Because you and I haven't had a full night together since Zoey was born. We have to do this."
"We can't do this. Didn't you hear what I said? They took Zoey for tests. Patti's supposed to call." She put the box on the floor beside her and stood to walk away. "I'm sorry, but we can't go anywhere tonight"
Jed slipped his arm around hers and spun her back around. "Do you remember what you told me a few weeks ago? That we'd spend some time together, just the two of us?"
"Honey, I'm so sorry. I really am. But I just wouldn't be good company. I'll make it up to you next week. Just not tonight, okay? I want to be near the phone."
"Tonight's the night of the ball, a ball you and I have attended every single year since I began teaching at Dartmouth. The girls are out with your parents. I've gone to a lot of trouble to plan the perfect evening. Please, Abbey. It's important to me."
There were gleams of desperation flashing in his baby blues. Abbey stared at him for a moment longer then picked up the abandoned box before she headed to the bedroom. The past couple of months had been emotionally draining for the entire family, but it was the relationship between Jed and Abbey that suffered the most. Now that they had overcome the rough patches and renewed their affectionate bond, she knew that he was right. It was time to rediscover one another. To reconnect, not just as parents, but as best friends. As husband and wife. As lovers.
Jed approached the mirror hanging on the wall over the mantle. He smirked at his reflection as he straightened his bowtie. "Hurry up. Liz and Ellie won't be gone all night."
"I'm going as fast as I can," Abbey shouted from the bedroom. "How did you know my size?"
"The great thing about your body is that even when you gain weight or lose weight, your proportions stay the same and every time you have a baby, your body just rebounds to exactly where it was before."
"So?"
"So I have all your measurements stored in my brain." He tapped on his forehead. "In fact, I bet I can tell you exactly how many inches your waist is during each month of pregnancy."
"Oh, please! You cannot!"
"Try me. Month one, you're still not showing, so..." He trailed off, leaving his mouth open as his eyes widened to twice their normal size.
There she stood, dressed in the crimson-colored ball gown. He knew it would look great on her, but even he was amazed at how much he underestimated her beauty. It was strapless and beaded. A layer of red and burgundy jewels was stitched into the rich matte fabric of the bodice and across the straight neckline that cleverly hid the slopes of her breasts while accentuating a subtle hint of cleavage. The dress hugged every curve on her upper body, then flared out at the waist overtop a concealed layer of crinoline and fell over her shoes, just barely grazing the floor.
"You like?" She grabbed the sides of the gown and circled around herself.
"I REALLY like."
"Is my hair okay? I didn't have too much time to work on it." Her dark, wavy tresses were restrained in an elegant French twist.
"It's perfect," he said, eyeing her from top to bottom. "You're perfect."
"Thank you for this dress. It's breathtaking. I love it."
"And it fits."
"It's just a little big."
"Then I guess I'll have to hold you close so it won't fall down."
She smiled sweetly as she reached for her coat. "I guess we should go."
"You won't need that." He held up a matching crimson, jewel-encrusted shawl to sweep over her shoulders.
"Jed, it's almost February in New Hampshire. I'm going to freeze."
"Trust me, Abbey. I won't let you freeze," he assured her as he covered her with the shawl and adoringly squeezed her arms. "Let's go."
Abbey began to walk towards the door, but Jed veered her off to the side. "What are you doing?"
"I want to show you something out back."
"What?"
He opened the door and led her out onto the stoop. As if jolted by a wave, Abbey immediately gasped and pulled her hands up to her mouth at the vision of the sparkling lights that lit up the yard. She took a few cautious steps, turning around when she spotted a square-shaped pavilion just a few feet away. Bewildered, her eyes melted into his, searching for an answer.
"Go ahead," Jed encouraged as he ushered her towards the structure and through the double doors onto the hardwood floor. The interior red cedar pillars were decorated with lights snuggled in a bed of red and white satin streamers which altered their colors and shaded them with a rosy glow.
"A gazebo?"
"A heated gazebo, Babe." He shut the doors and closed one of the windows that had been left open for ventilation, creating a barrier against the frigid weather outside. "If we get cold, we can turn up the heat."
Abbey handled the baby monitor which sat on a table beside a battery-operated tape player. "I don't understand."
Jed took it from her grasp and placed it on the railing. "The other one's in the house so we'll hear the phone the second it rings. In the meantime, this is our night."
"What about the ball?"
"Who wants to go to a fancy-shmancy ball when I have everything I need right here?" He pulled her by the hips and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"You do. You love those things. You love anything that requires getting dressed up."
"We're dressed up and we look mighty fine. Wouldn't you agree?" She tilted her head to the side, laughing. "I bet we could pose for the top of a wedding cake."
"You're incredible."
"Why? Because I love the way we look all rigged out?"
"Because you're an incredibly romantic and caring man and I don't know what I ever did to deserve you," she replied in a more serious tone. "When did you have time to do all this?"
"I bought the gazebo back in November as a surprise, but I forgot all about it until a few weeks ago. It took them all day today to set it up."
"While I was gone."
"Yeah. And I really hope you like it because I'm having it moved to the farm next week. Maybe we'll even get a hot tub installed on the side."
"Oh, Jed..."
He covered her lips with his finger to quiet her as he pushed the button on the tape player and pulled her in closer. They swayed softly to the lyrics of 'In This Life.' "Are you cold?"
"Mmm-mmm." She pressed herself deeper into his frame, her eyes gazing, once again, at the baby monitor beside them. "I'm just thinking I'm so lucky to have you."
Jed released his hold and stepped back to look her into her eyes. "We're lucky to have each other."
Outside, a few stray snowflakes fell from the navy blue sky, dropping past the eight arched windows that lined the winterhouse. At first, it provided a beautiful backdrop for the evening, but as the storm grew stronger and ominous clouds hovered above, the wind picked up speed, howling through the small crack in the door and screeching as it slammed against all the glass.
Abbey was initially startled by the blast of loud noise. "Is this thing strong enough to withstand a storm?"
"I'm told it is, but if you'd rather move inside..."
"No, I'm fine."
Protected by the shelter of the gazebo, they continued dancing for a solid hour. The blustery weather was no match for the warmth that exuded their bodies when they were meshed against one another. Jed kept his hand on Abbey's waist and held the other up beside them as he twirled her around the floor spinning her out, then back in to snuggle into his inviting embrace.
Mesmerized by her glamorous looks, he ran his finger across her cheekbone. "If you get any lovelier, I won't be able to catch my breath around you."
"That's so sweet." She turned a suspicious glare his way. "Where did you get it?"
He suddenly stopped swaying and moved back to separate their bodies. "See what you did? You just ruined the moment."
"I'm sorry," she said, chuckling while she forced her way back into his arms.
"You are just so beautiful, Abbey. I mean it. If I wasn't so concerned that this floor would be freezing cold, I'd be tempted to have my way with you right here and now."
"Good thing heat rises then," she whispered against his ear as she pressed herself into his chest. "I have other plans for tonight."
Excited by her fingers gently nipping at his rear, he replied, "Then I REALLY think we should move this inside."
Silently, Abbey backed away, rearranging her shawl with one hand and grabbing Jed's arm with the other. The couple sauntered towards the house and took an immediate left turn, leading them down the hall and into the master bedroom.
Jed closed the door behind them and spun around to find Abbey standing in front of him, her arms prominently folded around one another and her shawl thrown on the back of her vanity chair.
"Hi," she said with a flirtatious grin.
"Hi." He held out his hands for hers, but she shook her head and moved out of his reach. "What?"
"You know, a few months ago, you and I had a bet going - one that you lost." She had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to trap him in his debt.
"Ah, the sex bet?"
"The sex bet," she confirmed. "You promised you could quit smoking for the duration of my pregnancy and you didn't. So, it's time to pay up."
"What does that mean exactly?"
"It means, for the next two weeks, I get to have my way with you, make you do anything I want to me, and you have to let me do anything I want to you." She closed the gap between them, moving in to stand mere inches away while she unbuttoned his jacket and slipped it off his shoulders.
"This could get very interesting." Jed stepped out of his shoes, pulled off his socks, and fingered his bowtie, undoing it as quickly as she untucked his shirttails.
Abbey smacked his hand. "I'm driving tonight."
He stood still then, an amorous smile forming across his face as he blushed at her eagerness to take control. It was hard and fast, the ambitious way she tugged on his pants to pull them to the ground. She slipped her hand into the elastic on his briefs and lowered them with the same fierce urgency that seemed to motivate all her actions. Her hands dipped under the bottom hem of his shirt and caressed his skin all the way up to his chest. She moved them apart, yanking the fabric open and letting it fall carelessly to the ground.
Glued to his spot, Jed watched as Abbey turned her back to him and reached behind herself to the low zipper that kept her bundled inside the crimson ball gown. She leisurely unzipped, revealing her black strapless bra inch by inch until she reached her garters and the very top of her lacy black stockings. The gown fell from her frame and pooled around her ankles into a large heap of jeweled polyester chiffon. She lifted her ankle over the crinoline and stepped out of it, one stocking-covered leg at a time.
She turned suddenly, locking her eyes into his. "Lay down on the bed, face-up, with your hands above your head."
Jed raised his left brow as he inhaled a shaky breath. Overflowing with love, her emerald orbs stayed on him, inspecting him from head to toe, following every line of his nude body and smiling when his shivers convinced her he had surrendered to the erotic temptations that spurred inside him.
"Okay." He walked timidly to the bed, well aware of his vulnerability. "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the fact that I'm the only one naked."
"That's part of the fun, Babe." She circled her hands around his chest and moved up to gently massage the muscles of his shoulders while he fought to relax on his pillow.
Abruptly, she let go and whirled around to face the foot of the bed. Her knees digging into the mattress, she straddled his upper body so he could see her panties clinging to her rear, outlining every single curve as she lifted his legs so the soles of his feet were resting on top of the sheets. He reached for the fasteners attached to the garter belt and released them instantly, giving her a devilish grin when she turned to face him.
"Fun for whom?"
Abbey didn't verbally respond, but her wicked smile was followed by the warmth of her lips pinching his earlobe. Jed turned his head to give her better access as her mouth followed a trail down the side of his neck. He squirmed against the mind-numbing sensations that came from that simple gesture, finding that the more he wiggled, the tighter Abbey held on.
She gripped his elbows to keep his arms over his head as she continued the passionate assault down his body. He thrust himself upward when her kisses landed on his chest. She nibbled lightly then blew over the rosy marks that colored his skin and proceeded down towards his private domain, the area that screamed for her touch.
She moved over his belly and down to the creases along the apex of his inner thighs. His knees bent and his legs opened wide, she positioned herself between them as she leaned forward to lay on her tummy and probe his trembling flesh, purposely ignoring the throbbing appendage that was now hard with desire.
"Jesus, Abbey, you're killing me here."
"Patience, Darling."
"It's not one of my virtues."
"Then maybe you should have quit smoking. If you had, you wouldn't be in this predicament." Her face vanished once again as she lowered her head to the delicate area around his erection. She teased the sensitive skin with her tongue, gliding down until her chin just barely grazed his rear and he twitched with such intensity that his body rubbed harshly against the thin membrane of her lips.
Without warning, her hand wrapped itself around his shaft, covering it while she stroked tightly as her kisses resurfaced, nearing the long-awaited encounter that would render him speechless. Within seconds, her mouth closed around him and his head fell back into the center of the pillow. He gasped sharply at her sudden invasion and bit down on his lip, quivering from the debilitating force of his restraint.
"Abbey..." It was a strained effort to call her name.
She kept her mouth on him as she pushed her panties down her hips and over her stockinged legs to throw them off the edge of the bed. He was writhing in her powerful grip and when she finally released him to retrieve something from the nightstand, he swallowed hard in ragged breaths until she returned. She looked at him for approval then dressed him with a condom before mounting him and slowly lowering herself onto his shaft.
She held still for several seconds then gradually worked him with long, deliberate movements until he grabbed her hips to create the friction he was longing for. His wrists scraped against the top of her lace stockings while his fingers played in the folds just above where they were so intimately joined, pressing into her flesh and forcing her to speed up the rhythm as he tickled that familiar spot that drove her out of her mind.
In that instant, he took her control. She swayed from side to side as his hands urged her back and forth, giving them both the momentum to rise to the height of sexual ecstasy. Their bodies grinding against one another, her eyes clenched shut, her head fell back, and she swiftly tightened around him. He bore down on the bed and pushed himself up, his manhood swallowed completely into the depths of her femininity until she cried out his name and lethargically collapsed over him.
Abbey never missed a beat. She composed herself and gripped the base of his shoulders to roll them over. Jed was on top now, still fully embedded inside her as he continued to thrust. She unhooked the front clasp to her bra and his face dipped into the silky soft valley between her breasts as his mouth pressed into the swells that shaped her buxom figure.
She moved a hand between their bodies and coiled it around the base of his shaft, forming a narrow ring with her thumb and index finger. Her erotically constrictive hold nearly paralyzed him every time he pulled out of her, but her strong, shapely legs hugged his rear and pushed him back in, driving him to the deepest point of penetration. Her other hand lifted his head and traced the beads of sweat defining the faint creases that wrinkled his forehead when he plunged hard inside her one last time. His breath caught in his throat, his hips buckled, and he succumbed to the pulsating shockwaves that rippled throughout his body.
He breathed her name as his weakened limbs fell helplessly on top of her. "Is this what I can expect for two weeks?"
"This and much, much more." She stroked the dampened locks of hair that shadowed his forehead. "The condom didn't ruin the mood?"
"Nothing could have ruined what just happened."
"Once we get Zoey home and establish a breastfeeding schedule, I'll go back on the pill. That's when the fun really begins!"
Jed summoned his strength to slide to her side, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her on top of him. "All this for smoking? You don't think this is more of a reward than a punishment?"
"Oh, I do. But punishment wasn't really the object of the game tonight. That'll come later. Tonight was a reward for cutting back considerably on the cigarettes and..." she trailed off to kiss his lips. "...for loving me."
"It's not like THAT'S hard to do." An endearing smile dominating his face, he began to run his fingers up the length of her arm. She stopped him just before he brushed past her elbow
"If I tell you something, you won't make fun of me?"
"Abbey, no." Still catching his breath, Jed sat up slightly, preparing himself for whatever she had to say. "What is it?"
"When we were dancing tonight to our song, it occurred to me that I never actually told you why." She slipped her hand under his and joined their palms together.
"Why what?"
"The reason why I wanted that song to play at our wedding and why I have to be close to you every time I hear it. The lyrics just resonate with me, Jed. I feel empty without you. Your love is what keeps me going, it's the treasure that I long to find every single day."
"And if the world stops turning, if the sun stops burning..." He was smirking now.
"You promised." He made an exaggerated show of locking his lips together, encouraging her to continue. "Seriously, I feel safe in your arms and no matter what happens, I know it's going to be okay."
"Because I love you?"
"Yeah. As cheesy as it is, that's my rock - knowing that I'm loved by you."
"You'll always be loved by me." He dropped a tender kiss to the top of her head then scooted his rear back down to reclaim his spot on the pillow. "So this is what I get for cutting back on the cigarettes, huh?"
Abbey cuddled in the crook of his arm with her head tucked under his chin and her hands feeling the warm flesh of his chest. She took a deep breath and whispered, "Imagine what would happen if you quit smoking entirely."
TBC