Part 12:
Willow woke, having no idea what so ever where she was… there was a lair of fuzzy stuff around her, and a warm presence beside her… gossamer curtains…
Oh!
She remembered now. She was that the Opera House, which meant that the warm thing beside her could only be…
"Erik!" She said, rolling over, her face pressing comfortably against the warmth of his chest. His bare, muscular… utterly masculine chest… She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts enough o form a coherent thought, let alone a sentence…
"Willow, have you heard a word that I've said?" he asked her, the smile on his face saying that he was pleased that she hadn't. She blushed furiously, which set off her mask wonderfully.
"No… what did you say?" the blush showed in the hushed tone of her voice as well… that and the fact that his chest was extremely muscled and comfortable. His pants were the low, tie up kind, which left the rippling planes of his stomach unobstructed…
A deep laugh rumbled through his chest, and he spoke once more. "I've repeated myself twice, can you pay attention long enough to hear one sentence that comes from my mouth?" His tone said that he didn't care in the least bit to have to repeat himself a dozen times as long as her blush got deeper, which of course, it did.
"Okay, I'll try this one last time… do you like my home?" he managed to stay focused long enough to answer.
"Yes…" She couldn't believe that she was laying here against his naked chest when they hand even kissed… of course, that had been Sandra's fault.
"Would you like to see the rest of it?" he asked her slowly, so that she could catch his sentence.
She reluctantly raised her head from his chest. "I'd love to." And he smiled brilliantly while sitting up. With a wicked glance at her, he stood and stretched, making his muscles strain. The only thing that Willow could do was keep her jaw from hitting the ground, though she had a great fear that she was going to have to find his discarded shirt to wipe her drool with.
"Erik, stop that!" She finally said in a half scream, half laugh. She spotted his fallen shirt on the desk beside her. She contemplated throwing it at him, and then, came up with a better idea.
"It's so hot down here…' She slowly unzipped her jacket and threw it to the floor, revealing a tight black tank top with dangerously low neckline. "Now then…" She made a sweet face… and bent down directly in front of him to grab his fallen shirt, giving him a clear view while picking up the shirt.
OF course, both realized that they had NEVER been so bold around ANYONE… why were they acting so now?
"I'd like to see the rest of the Opera House now…" His eyes snapped from her chest to her face, and it was he who blushed this time…
"What?" he said, while she grinned happily.
"Didn't you hear me?" she asked innocently, fiddling with his shirt in her hands. HE blushed once more, the red looking deeper from the light tone of his mask. She couldn't even remember if that was the same mask he had had on the day before.
"No, could you please repeat the question?" He smiled softly, realizing that he deserved exactly what he got, and he had enjoyed every bit of it.
"That's more I like it!" She grinned childishly. "Now then, I said, I'd like to see the rest of the Opera House if you please…"
He held out his bare arm, and she stared at it for a moment… "I think we better both put a few clothes on or else we may end up drowning while trying to cross the lake." Of course, he oh-so-reluctantly agreed, taking his shirt from her. However, when she leaned down to get her jacket, he stopped her.
"Let me get that…" and she knew exactly why he didn't want her to bend down and get it…
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An hour later, they were up on the stage. From her view, Willow spied a bag out in one of the chairs…
"What's that?" Erik shrugged…
"Must be something someone left…"
The Opera House was closed, so there was no reason for them to worry about getting caught… not that it mattered, since Erik had enough secret passages that they could get away easily. So, she stood on the stage with the image of a full Opera House, a falling chandelier, and the scene of Point of NO Return flowing through her head…
"Passarino… go away for the trap is set and waits for its prey…" Her eyes widened as the ghostly images were shattered by Erik's voice. Her mouth dropped open as he continued…
"You have come here, in pursuit of your deepest urge, in pursuit of that wish, which till now has been silent… silent…"
And the scene unfolded between the two exactly as it had before when they had sang in school, the passion and yearning returning full rush. Finally, he reach the end, except, this time, he continued…
"Say you'll share with me one love one lifetime… lead me save me from my solitude…" her mouth dropped open in shock as he sang the lines. However, his hand softly caressing her face made her close it quickly. "Say you'll want me with you here beside you…" He leaned towards her… "Anywhere you go, let me go to… Willow that's all I ask of-" and she cut him off… not wanting to ruin the perfect tradition quiet yet…
The difference was, where Christine had ripped off his mask, she pressed her lips and body flush against him.
She felt shock ripple through his body, before he melted into the kiss… this was the perfect time after all…
He explored her mouth with his own, kissing her like he wanted to crawl into her body through his mouth, and she kissed him back just as furiously. The kiss turned into a sheer act of need as the two clung desperately to each other, both yearning for more than just the touch. Both yearning for the acceptance of another who understood, both wanting the comfort of love that this kiss could give them. Erik's arms encircled Willows waist, pulling her fully against him, while she clung to his shoulder, trying to keep her head from reeling and breaking them apart…
Finally, both reluctantly pulled back, breathlessly staring at one another… and then…
A loud screaming cheer came from the supposedly empty seats. Both heads turned to see Sandra jumping up and down, the bag that Willow had spotted earlier swinging madly in her arms. She stopped, and yelled out… "I left my bag last night… Don't let me interrupt you!" And she grinned happily.
Willow burst into laughter, and Erik's shocked look didn't help the matter at all…
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