Unaware that anyone was up, much less lurking in the kitchen, Angela swung the door open causing Tony to leap ten feet in the air, dropping the milk carton as he descended back towards the ground.
"Oh my gosh, Tony, I'm sorry, I had no idea anyone was up. What are you doing in here," she questioned?
"Cleaning up spilled milk now, I guess," he quipped back sarcastically. "What are you doing here, I thought you went to bed hours ago?"
"I did, I'm sorry, let me help you. I couldn't sleep," she apologetically replied.
"Ya, me either. I was hoping some warm milk would help me. Why couldn't you sleep," he asked inquisitively?
Stumbling over her words, Angela replied, "I, well, I, uh just couldn't shut my mind off," she finally found the words.
"Funny, I was having the same problem, kept tossing and turning and just couldn't relax and get my mind to stop spinning," he replied coyly.
"Oh really, " Angela giggled, "What was your mind spinning about," she questioned?
"Oh, you know, things, just this and that," he stumbled.
Coyly hiding a slight smile, Angela shyly replied, "That's funny, I had the same problem."
"Oh ya," Tony curiously inquired, "What was your mind spinning about?" A sly smile creeped on his lips.
Determined to no longer let her insecurities about their relationship hold her back, Angela pulled the chair from the kitchen table to sit down as she shyly responded, "Us!"
Shocked by her answer, Tony flipped the other chair around, straddling it, as he exclaimed, "Oh ya?"
"Ya," she whispered as she looked down at the table, unsure if she could make eye contact with Tony at the moment.
"Funny, that's what was keeping me up as well," Tony lovingly replied as Angela's face rose to meet his eyes.
"Oh Tony, I just can't stop smiling knowing we can finally be honest about how we feel about each other but after everything that happened tonight, I'm scared that some greater power is now trying to work against us. Why does this feel so right but it seems so difficult?" She questioned, almost with tears in her eyes.
"Oh sweetheart, I know how you feel. I was so afraid to admit my feelings for you, to myself, much less to you and now, I can't do anything else but think about us and how much time we've wasted and how good it felt to hold you in my arms tonight, even despite the earth trying to swallow us up," he quipped, trying to make her smile.
Moving his chair closer to her, Tony raised her chin up to meet his face, "We have each other now Angela and we're going to figure this out. It just might take some time. We just have to be smart about it, we need to take our time and figure out what works best for us. There is nothing we don't know about each other except how to knowingly love each other. We've lived a lie for so long, it's hard to remember we don't have to lie about and hide our feelings anymore. Especially now that the family know," he growled.
"Ya, it was kind of silly for us to try and sneak around trying to keep them from knowing huh," Angela giggled.
"Well, it was a good intention to try and keep our privacy but yes, kind of silly," he laughed.
Sitting in silence for a moment, enjoying the presence of each other's company, Angela reached over and took Tony's hand in hers, looked deep into his eyes and proclaimed, "Tony, I don't think I can every truly express how much you mean to me. I'm not even sure I can remember how long it's been since I knew I loved you but I have so many regrets of all the time we've wasted not being true our feelings."
"Shhhh," Tony placed his finger upon her lips, "We didn't waste any time, we took the time we needed to build what we have now. I'm in love with my best friend and I never thought it would feel so good or so right to finally be able to say it out loud. The life we have shared so far Angela, has been unlike anything I could have ever imagined possible. I came here with dreams of giving Samantha a better life and little did I know that it would be the absolute best life for both of us. I never thought that being a housekeeper for some upper class broad," he smirked, "Could change our lives forever. I wouldn't change one thing of the past seven years because it brought us to where we are today. I love you Angela Bower and if I have to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you, I will."
"Oh Tony," Angela whispers as she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Why are you crying," Tony inquired as he wiped her cheek softly.
"Because I never thought I could be so happy. What you did for Jonathan and I when you walked through my door seven years ago is something I never thought possible. You changed my, our lives in so many ways, I don't know where we would be if I hadn't taken one of the biggest leaps of faith in my life." Angela sniffled.
Leading Angela out of her seat, Tony wrapped his arms around her in a tight and loving embrace. Inhaling his masculine scent, Angela buried her face into the crease of his neck, her legs becoming weak as his strong arms held her tight against his chest. Maneuvering her lips along his neckline up to his ear, she whispered, "I've never wanted anyone as much as I want you Tony!"
Whipping his head around to face her, he crashed his lips upon hers in a deep, passionate, and breathless kiss. Their tongues intertwined as they reached deeper and stronger, allowing their built-up passion to take control of their bodies.
Momentarily dislodging their lips, Tony breathlessly exclaimed, "I want you so bad Angela, I can't keep this corked in any longer- A reference to their earlier conversation in the Jag about how even fine wines had to take their time before they were ready to be uncorked upon which he told Angela that he was ready then to be uncorked.
Effortlessly, he picked her up, her long, slender legs wrapped around his torso and briskly lifted her up on the counter, kissing her, caressing her, and entangling his fingers in her long blond hair. Her head leaned back as he placed butterfly kisses along her neck, down into her chest and along the crevice of the strategically opened part of her pajama top.
Her arms tightened around his strong shoulders, as her legs wrapped tighter around his waist. His strong arms, she had longed to caress and feel around her body were warm and protective. He had held her in his arms so many times before this when they danced but never had she left so protected and loved in them as she felt at this moment. Her fingers interlocked around the base of his neck as she pulled him into her, closer and deeper. Their passion had been ignited, the only thing that separated them now was a few layers of clothes.
They kissed, they caressed, they got lost in each other's arms. Angela could feel Tony's masculinity beginning to take over. Her own femininity, overzealous with anticipation of what was to come.
As Tony reached under the backside of her pajama top, placing his warm, strong hands against the low of her back, he suddenly hopped backwards and breathlessly exclaimed, "We can't do this, not here, not now!"
Shocked my Tony's sudden change in demeaner, Angela tilted her head to the side, confused and taken back and retorted, " Why not?"
Stepping further back, away from her, Tony raised his hand to his head, rubbing the stubble of his newly shortened hair and replied, "Because, it's not right, we can't do this here in the kitchen like this!"
Still confused and now suddenly allowing her years of insecurities and self-doubt to begin to take over her emotions again, Angela shyly cried, "Tony, don't you want me? Why do you always pull away? Why can't we," she couldn't finish her sentence as tears once again began to swell in her eyes and voice began to crack.
"On my God Angela, yes, I want you. I want you so bad I can't stand myself. There is nothing I want more in this world right now then to make love to you, but Angela, you're not a one night stand, kitchen romp around, counter top piece of," he hesitated, "Well you know what I mean! I don't want our first time to be in the middle of the kitchen where we then bid each other goodnight and retreat back to our own rooms. Angela, I want us to be right, I want us to be perfect. I want to wake up with you in my arms and know that I fell asleep with you snuggled against me. What if Jonathan were to suddenly wake up and walk in here. We can't do this Angela, I want our first time to be our time. You deserve to have magic and romance and passion. Remember after our first, second kiss," he chuckled, " And we said that if we ever lost each other as "friend" that we would want the other to remember it and they would, well, I don't want you to remember a cold counter top or have some regret because Jonathan suddenly wandered in to see us behaving like hormonal teenagers. I want something special for you, for us." Tony concluded as he stepped back towards her and tenderly kissed her cheek.
Half smiling and half not knowing what to do, Angela shock her head in agreement, knowing Tony had a valid point about Jonathan and about them being in a more romantic setting then the kitchen counter, but a part of her was still questioning the insecurities she'd harbored for so many years in wondering if that's what he truly meant or if he was just finding an excuse not to make love to her. After all, he hadn't had any issues bedding Kathleen in some sleazy hotel room.
Seeing the doubt and insecurity in her eyes, Tony leaned into her and whispered, "I love you Angela Bower and when you lose me as a friend, you're going find me as the best lover you've ever had."
Blushing, Angela turned to meet his lips and whispered, "When," as she softly kissed him?
"Very," he kissed the tip of her nose, "Very," he kissed base of her chin, "Soon!" He kissed her lips passionately.
Helping her down from the countertop, Tony wrapped his arm around her lower back as they made their way out of the kitchen, through the living and back up the stairs. As they reached the hallway that separated their rooms, Tony leaned in and whispered, "I think I need a cold shower now," as he kissed the base of her neck, making his way back towards her lips.
"It was your idea to stop, don't go getting started again," she giggled.
"If only you knew how hard this is to keep myself from taking you into that room right now and forgetting everything I just said, but Angela, you're a lady and I will forever treat you as such."
"I love you Tony," Angela said firmly, looking deep into his soft brown eyes.
"I love you Angela," Tony reciprocated. "Sweet dreams my love."
"Oh, how can they be anything but," she quipped as she released herself from his embrace disappearing into the privacy of her room and fantasies once again, leaving Tony alone in the dark hallway.
As Angela closed the door to her room, Tony collapsed onto the floor, put his head between his legs, his hands over this head and whispered to himself, "Oh my God Micelle, don't ever do that again! There is only so much self-control a person can have in a lifetime!"