Chapter Nine
Slowly the door opened, Jude gasped at the scene that greeted her. Tommy's hand tightened around Jude's as he too took in the view. Sadie and Victoria had managed to recreate the patio romance feel in their bedroom. Tea light candles were spread out across all the furniture, rose petals in whites, reds and pinks scattered across the floor and the king size bed. The room flickered in a soft glow as the moon danced outside the window, shining gentle beams of light over the couples getaway.
"I can't believe they did this for us," Jude gaped as she stepped into her room. Tears sprung to her eyes as love overwhelmed her body, "They did this for us Tommy," Turning to face her husband Jude smiled shyly into his face.
"I'm speechless," Tommy whispered as his attention was drawn to all the candles that cast his bedroom into a warm golden blaze.
"I'm in love," Jude smiled widely as she spread her arms out taking in everything, "I'm in love," Echoing her words in a giddy tone Jude spun around once, letting her dress twirl around her knees. Her eyes closed as she clutched her heart with her hands, her body swaying to an imaginary song in her head…in her heart.
Tommy watched Jude with a smile filling his eyes, she looked angelic to him. The glow from the candles danced off her soft skin as her long eyelashes cast shadows on her cheeks, her lips full and lifting around the corners as if she were on the verge of grinning.
"What are you thinking about?" Tommy asked.
Jude's eyes remained closed as she continued her dance, "After everything we've been through, right now this moment, I feel like I've never been happier," Finally her eyes opened as she found Tommy had moved, standing in front of her.
Tommy captured a strand of hair that had fallen out of Jude's clip with his free hand, "Right now, this moment," He spoke as his eyes held hers, "You've never looked more beautiful."
"Then why do I feel like crying?"
Tommy smiled before leaning in to kiss the exposed portion of Jude's neck, "People cry when they're happy," His lips moved against her skin.
"Am I happy?" Jude's head tilted back giving Tommy more access to kiss a fire trail of passion up to her ear.
"Yes," He answered before gently biting the tip of her earlobe.
A sigh of contentment escaped Jude's lips as Tommy continued to kiss her, his lips moving slow and gentle, making no mistake in missing an inch of her skin. The memory of being held in a similar embrace with her husband was so far gone Jude had a hard time remembering the last time she had been intimate with Tommy. All thoughts paused as Tommy's lips stopped a mere inch from hers.
"You're thinking again," Tommy whispered with a grin when Jude looked into his eyes with confusion.
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are," His lips connected with hers briefly before he pulled away, "What are you thinking this time?"
"It's not important. Besides I'd rather do this," Her right hand slipped behind his neck bringing his face back to hers. Before Tommy could react Jude's lips were pressing into his, not as soft as his had been.
Jude lost all thoughts of being gentle as a starving hunger flooded through her veins, filling her to overflow with desire for her husband. Both of her hands cupped the back of his head bringing him even closer to her. Tommy's hands clasped on to her shoulders as Jude continued to deepen their kiss. Tommy forgot he was holding on to his cane as it fell to the floor, leaving him off balance, his body pressed up against Jude's, his attempt to keep his frame upright. Jude mistook his intentions, believing Tommy was only leaning in for more. Her hands slide down to his neck, her fingers tickled his skin before they pressed deeply from her want.
Pain shot throughout Tommy's head and neck when Jude's fingers pushed into him. His mouth broke away from Jude's as a cry of pain filled the candlelit room around them. Tommy struggled to keep from falling backwards, his legs were wobbly causing him to grab hold of Jude's hands.
"What's wrong?" Jude asked concerned.
Tommy's grip tightened as a new wave of pain trickled from behind his head, "Shit!"
"Tommy?" Jude's concern grew when Tommy dropped her hands brining his to the back of his head, "Sweetheart what's the matter?"
"Can. You. Hand. Me. My. Cane?" Tommy asked between grunts of discomfort.
Jude watched Tommy curse under his breath as his knuckles turned white from gripping the head of the cane tightly. Her mind raced with questions. One minute they were great, kissing and being in the moment, the next he was in pain and she felt guilty. Why, she couldn't put together.
"Tommy?" Jude asked again when her husband's curses stopped, "Please tell me what's the matter," She almost begged as her worry refused to go away.
"My neck."
"Your neck?" Jude's eyebrows rose in confusion before she realized what happened.
"Oh my God," Jude cried out as she stared in horror at her husband, "Baby I am so sorry. I- I don't know what got into me," Stepping forward Jude felt tears prick the corners of her eyes.
"Don't worry about it," Tommy spoke out as his free hand massaged his achy neck, "You didn't mean to."
"Tommy, I'm really sorry. Here let me---," She started as Tommy winced from the pain. He tried to move closer to the bed but his head was swimming in dizziness, "I got it."
Part Two
The candle's flickered and hissed from inside the glass holders, breaking into the silent room. Tommy and Jude laid next to each other on their bed. Tommy had managed to get his legs to steady while he walked to his side of the bed. Jude tried to help him but he pushed her away, needing to accomplish the task on his own. The pain in his body had minimized after Tommy let his body relax against the softness his bed was. He had been mutely staring up at the ceiling for an hour listening to Jude's sniffles from next to him, he knew she was crying… guilt from what she had done. Guilt pricked Tommy as Jude sniffled again, trying to quiet her cries, he hated it when she cried.
"Jude," Tommy's voice broke the silence, "Don't cry."
"I'm not," Jude croaked as another tear slipped down her face.
"Yes you are. Please. I know it was an accident," Tommy moved his head so he could see her, "I didn't mean to make you cry."
"It's not your fault," Jude's back was turned to him as she laid on her side staring into the flame of a candle on her nightstand, "It's mine."
"No it's not. It just happened, I'm over it," His hand warmed Jude's back as he rubbed it softly, "Kind of hard to talk to you when you're looking the other way. Even though the view isn't bad from here."
"That's not funny."
"Wasn't meant to be funny."
"The view can't be that good, my ass is huge."
"Really?" Tommy asked in amusement as his hand walked down her back stopping when his fingers connected with her rear.
"Hey!" Jude cried when Tommy's hand cupped her butt, "Don't do that!"
"Hmm…soft," Tommy smiled fully enjoying his hand on his wife's bottom, "Plump. Pleasantly."
Jude caught the humor in Tommy's voice but she failed to find it funny when he called her butt plump! Before she could think she rolled over meeting her husbands laughing eyes with a glare.
"Plump?" Her eyes narrowed when Tommy chuckled, "So you do think my butt is big!"
"Would you look at that, I got you to roll over," Tommy grinned when Jude put two and two together.
"You jerk! That was just a way to get me to look at you?"
"Maybe."
"Is my butt big?"
Laughing Tommy shifted rolling over to his right side so he could be face to face with Jude, "Let me check it out again," His left hand stretched over her body once again cupping his wife's bottom, "Nope not big," Pulling Jude closer to his body Tommy sighed in delight, "I'd say it's perfect."
"Good answer."
"Know what else is perfect?"
Tommy's eyes met hers before she asked, "What?"
With his hand still resting against her backside Tommy sought out Jude's mouth was his. She sighed into his mouth before letting his smooth lips do what ever they wanted. All Jude had ever wanted was Tommy… he completed all her missing pieces. As he gently took his sweet time kissing her Jude never felt more at peace.
"Us," Tommy whispered when he pulled away.
"Do you remember what you said to me on our honeymoon?" Jude asked. Her head had been resting on Tommy's chest for a few minutes. Both enjoying being wrapped in each other's embrace.
"I said a lot of things," Tommy answered. His hands drawing circles against Jude's back.
"Right after we got to the hotel you pulled me aside," Pulling herself up Jude used Tommy's chest as an anchor so she could look him in the eye, "There was nothing special about the moment, no sunset, no stars in the sky, just a room with only me and you. But somehow you made it feel like I was standing before the most beautiful setting… when you looked down at me, your blue eyes, the ones I always dreamed about," Jude's eyes smiled lovingly into the sea blue eyes of the man she loved with everything she had, "You said, 'I think I've always loved you, even before we met, I loved you. When I first met you I felt complete. I couldn't explain the feeling but after a while I knew what it was…. After I fell completely, I knew it was love. I loved you before, I fell in love with you later, and now that my heart beats only for you I know I'll love you forever,'" Jude's voice lowered to a whisper as emotions threatened to halt what she way saying. Tommy stared at her, her breath warming his skin as she whispered, "I never said it to you then… but now I want you to know that I always loved you too. Before I met you, while we were getting to know each other, and now. I loved you, and I will continue to love you each day that I live."
Their lips met, no words could be said that would make the moment any better. His love for her and her love for him was enough. Tommy pulled Jude up on top of him as his lips trailed hot kisses over her face, tasting the sweetness her skin offered him. Jude's body melted into her husbands, her legs intertwining with his, her hands gently resting inside of his as he managed to roll them over to their sides, his lips never parting from hers.
Pain Tommy had felt previously disappeared, the switch had been turned off, allowing him to be in the moment. A moment in which he would never be able to have again. A moment in which he felt more passion, more desire for his wife than he had ever felt before. One of Jude's hands slipped from his, sliding up his chest before stopping at the top of his shirt. Capturing his lips with hers Jude struggled to unbutton Tommy's shirt. She never had mastered undressing him with one hand, Tommy had it down perfectly, her on the other hand, she always wound up giving in, letting Tommy help her.
Tommy broke away from the kiss, pushing himself into a sitting position he grinned over at Jude as he watched her sit up as well.
"We're getting old."
"What do you mean?" Jude asked as she settled for sitting on her knees in front of him.
"We used to be able to do the whole undressing thing within seconds."
Jude chuckled before she reached out to undo the top button of his dark colored shirt, "Don't make me laugh, that blows the whole romantic vibe we had going."
"Didn't plan on ruining it."
Part Three
Memories pooled through Tommy's mind, ones he held most dear. Jude would never know how much she had touched him by remembering what he had said to her on their honeymoon… he did remember saying that to her, at the time entering the hotel room had been unromantic but once his eyes met his wife's, once his heart began to beat rapidly the way it always did when he saw Jude, once the realization that he was married to her finally hit him, that was when Tommy felt those words slip out. Naturally. Perfectly.
He was dying yet he felt more alive than he ever had. A contradiction to the fullest. Jude's head rest against his bare chest, her hair down, tickling his skin. Sending sensations throughout his veins. Her ear was placed over his heart, her eyes closed…her fingers exploring his shoulders and neck.
Tommy and Jude took their love slowly. No rushing needed, they had all the time they could ever need, time to show one another what their love meant. Hands explored, running the lengths of their bodies, making sure nothing was left untouched. Kisses exchanged, tracing paths of fire and passion.
Hours later Jude let Tommy's peaceful breathing sing to her, she lay awake wrapped within his embrace. Tommy had fallen asleep, the sight bringing a smile to her eyes. Sliding out from under his arm Jude sat up carefully, pulling the sheet with her as she moved on to her knees. Tommy was sleeping peacefully but she always worried about him, even after the night they had shared… Scooping up one of her fallen pillows from the floor Jude managed to slip it underneath Tommy's back without waking him up. Satisfied that he would remain comfortable throughout the night Jude laid back down, once again using Tommy's chest as a pillow. His heartbeat her lullaby.
As the moon and stars twinkled from outside the window, lighting the sky, sending soft beams through the window, shadowing the room in an elegance wrapped in enchantment, all the candles hissed their reverberation's from within the crystal holders, casting the room in a radiance only lovers would know. Scents from the rose petals filtered the air, scattering a scene of beauty one would only imagine coming from a fairytale.
"My Heart. My Soul. I'll forever love you," Jude whispered before the beat of Tommy's heart carried her away to dreams only her husband would be in.
