The starlit night shined over Oak Hills Drive while fireworks erupted inside Angela's bedroom. A newfound intimacy was found as yet another barrier was broken between them. All of Tony's inhibitions of making love to Angela in the bedroom he had cleaned and maintained the last eight years as her housekeeper were lost to the electrifying passion and connection they shared. The previous night had been exciting, full of passion and overdue longing for one another. Eight years of buildup sexual frustration had ignited into a combustible night of perfect love making. But tonight, there was something different. Something intimate and secure. Something lasting and certain. It was validating and reassuring. They weren't in a strange place, sneaking around like love struck teenagers. They were together in the house they shared. The house they raised their children in. The house that helped make them a family. The house they fell in love in.

After Tony pleasured Angela and they made love, they cuddled closely relishing in each other's arms, enjoying the peace and privacy that an empty house provided.

Laying on his shoulder, Angela suddenly popped up on her elbow, leaning over his chest and exclaimed, "I want dessert, what do we have to eat?"

"I already had dessert," he quipped cockily. "And it was quite delicious, if I do say so myself." Slyly smiling at her.

"Tony!" She gasped as she slapped his chest, her cheeks blushing.

"Owww," he whined, "It's the truth!" "I'm almost ready for a second serving," a devilish grin plastered on his face.

Leaning down to capture his lips for a soft kiss, "I'm all for seconds, anytime you desire, but right now, I was thinking more along the lines ooooffff say, chocolate cake?" Her eyes twinkled. "You do remember how much fun baking a kiss," she giggled, "I mean... baking a cake is, don't you?"

"Oh do I ever," he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in for a slow, lingering, passionate kiss like the one they shared on her birthday seven years prior after they both came home drunk and attempted to bake a cake together, which led to a flour fight in the kitchen which then led to their first kiss, well technically their second kiss but they didn't know that at the time.

"Ohhhh, ya, I think it's time we bake another kiss, I mean cake." He smirked.

Slipping his pants on while she covered up with nothing but his dress shirt, they descended the stairs, hand in hand and headed towards the kitchen.

Gathering all the necessary ingredients to make her favorite chocolate cake, he always kept them on hand in the event she had the urge, which she often did, he began to beat the flour, eggs, cocoa and butter by hand causing his muscles to flex and tighten with every swirl.

Sitting on the counter, next to the sink, Angela watched Tony as he mixed and beat and swirled and scooped the mixture, she smiled as she once again remembered their kitchen rendezvous and the conversation that took place the following morning when she thought her and Tony had slept together that night versus just having merely shared a kiss.

"You know," she dipped her finger into his batter, "I never thought losing you as a friend would ever feel so amazing." She licked her finger seductively before once again dipping it into the batter and offering it to him for a taste.

Thoroughly cleansing her finger of the batter with his mouth, lips and tongue, he grinned, "Ya, I know, not sure what took us so long but damn if I had knowing losing you as a friend would be so unforgettably magical, I would have tossed it in the garbage years ago." He leaned in and captured her lips tenderly.

"I think I like not having you as a friend anymore," she giggled. "But what do you think about going back upstairs and getting reacquainted so we can get lost again?" She purred seductively.

"What about the cake?"

"My appetite has changed slightly sitting here watching your sexy-self mix that batter, your muscles tight and flexing, your chest firm and oh so powerful," extending her legs out and grabbing his waist, bringing him into her as she wrapped her legs around his hips.

"You're pretty sexy your own self, there in my shirt, so beautiful and well, so beautiful."

"You said beautiful twice,"

"Ya, I know, I always say it twice!" He grinned.

"Ya, I know, and I love it!" She captured his lips again for a sensual kiss.

Dropping the mixing bowl on the counter, Tony wrapped his arms around her, crashed his lips upon hers again and breath, "So much for the cake," as he picked her up and carried her once again up the stairs to her bedroom, leaving the disarray of the kitchen to later.

The bright Sunday morning sun shined through the baby pink curtains, illuminating the room with rays of gold reflecting off the walls and onto Tony's tightly shut eyes.

Blinking as he adjusted his vision to meet the brightness of the room, he looked around admiring how bright the rising sun invaded the room with a beautiful glow. Angela's room faced east allowing all the splendor of the New England sunrise to adorn her quarters.

Still regulating the sensitivity of his eyes to the brightness, he looked down onto his chest where Angela's head rested upon him and softly began to caress her hair with his fingers careful not to wake her.

He laid there, taking in the events of the last day and a half. Glowing in the happiness he felt, holding Angela in his arms, spending time with her, unconcerned about the outside world, relishing in the intimacy they shared and the love they felt for each other. But the reality of what lay ahead with the family returning and life moving forward worried him. Yes, the family knew they were in love and they had adjusted nicely to going public about their feelings but Tony was still old fashioned in many ways and sharing a bed with Angela with Jonathan in the house and them not married and him still "employed" by her made him uneasy. Laying there, he thought to himself, "So much for not doing something dumb like sleeping with my employer," he recalled from their first argument when he started working for her and walked in on her and her then boss romping around on the kitchen floor and him thinking she was being attacked, causing him to nearly plummet Grant with a baseball bat. "So much for that dumb idea," his thoughts continued as he chuckled slightly.

Feeling him chuckle beneath her, Angela stirred slightly, in his arms, but remained asleep as his fingers continued to lightly play with her golden locks.

"How can we go back to where we were two days ago," he pondered. "How can I go back to my room, knowing she's just a few steps away and not want to be in here with her, holding her, loving her, waking up with her in my arms. Even a monk can't live that life with a beautiful woman in the next room." He shook his head in aggravation. "But it's not right, Jonathan is still young and impressionable. What kind of example would we be setting for him? Hell, he's going through puberty, he's going to think it's okay to sleep with girls out of wedlock. How do we explain the difference of what we're doing and what we want him to do? We just can't, we have to set an example, we have to figure out a way and keep the family out of our bedroom life. But how? Angela isn't going to go for it! Look where sneaking around got us last time. And what about Mona, she has a nose for this stuff and will read us like a book then she'll rag us incisively or then again, maybe she'll just think we're still our boring selves and leave us be. But I don't think I can handle it. I can't handle not being with Angela like this, holding her, caressing her, making love to her. God, this is all too hard! What will people think? The executive and the housekeeper shaking up. Does she pay him for his services? God that was terrible!" He shook his head again.

This time, his whole body quivered, and Angela began to wake up. "Hi," she said groggily as she raised her head off his chest, turning to face him. "Good morning," he replied, leaning in to kiss her forehead.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, it's okay, I felt you quiver, are you okay? How long have you been awake?"

"Oh, not long! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. Actually, I was enjoying watching you sleep. I was trying to memorize what you look like so I wouldn't ever forget. So beautiful, I just can't believe how happy I am being here with you, waking up with you in my arms, I love you so much." He wrapped his arms around her tightly as if he were holding on for dear life.

"What's wrong Tony?" She questioned sensing there was something in his tone and the way he looked at her and held her that wasn't like before.

"Nothing, I just don't want this moment to ever end," he gushed, bringing her in for another tight embrace, kissing her head softly.

"It never will, I love waking up in your arms. It's like it was always meant to be, how I always knew it would be, amazing. I've slept better the last two nights then I have in years and it wasn't from exhaustion either." She giggled as she leaned in to peak him on the lips.

Sighing, he replied, "Ya, me too." A distant, pensive look on his face. "Me too!"

"Tony, I know there's something wrong. You have the same look you had last night when we came up here. Talk to me honey, what's bothering you?"

Hesitantly, he responded, " I just never want this feeling to end but Jonathan and Mona are coming back today, and I have to go back to my room and..."

She interjected, "And what, why do you have to go back to your room? Why can't you sleep in here with me? Hell, Mother will be elated, we're finally having sex, what more could she want? I'm not seeing what the problem is?"

"We can't Angela! How will it look to Jonathan? We're not married, I'm still your housekeeper. What will people think? You're paying me for my services?"

"Tony!" She jumped up, grabbing the sheets, holding them up to her chest, "I can't believe you would say something like that, is that what you think? And what about Jonathan, do you really think he would care?"

"No, Angela, that's not what I meant, I don't think that. It's the Diana Wilmington's of the world that do."

"Well I don't give a fig newton about what Diane thinks, she can go straight to..."

"Woe now Angela," Tony interrupted, "Yes, I know you don't give a fig newton, but I do. I'm sorry, it bothers me that people still see me as your housekeeper." Hey, the Brooklyn bum scored him a good one."

"Tony, I thought we've been over this? You know how I feel, and you know I love you and I don't care what people think because we know the truth."

"And I love you and I know and I'm sorry."

"Plus who would know what we do behind closed doors anyway, what business is it of there?"

"Your Mother!"

"Oh ya, you're right, Mother!"

"You know she'll be all up in our business and blabbing about your sex life to anyone that will listen." He shook his head in dismay. "But really, I can deal with all that but, my concern really is Jonathan. Angela, what kind of example would we be setting for him? We're not married, you're still my boss, people will talk, and it will hurt him and he's going through puberty. What if he gets the wrong idea and then suddenly, he..."

"Hush Tony, don't even say it! He's too young and he's my little boy and he's not going to have, well you know." She cocked her head to the side insinuating what they had just filled their night with.

"That's exactly it, Angela. We have to set a good example. We can't share a bed with him in the room next door. It just wouldn't feel right. I can't put him in that position to have to defend us to anyone or explain our relationship more than he already has too. And Sam, what about Sam, marone a mi! I can't even think about Sam!"

"I love how you love Jonathan Tony, one of the things I love so much about you is how much you have always loved my son as if he were your own. More than Michael ever thought about, that's for sure. The fact that you would put him before our sex life, how did I get so lucky?"

"You hired me." He quipped.

"Ha, ha, very funny. So, what do we do? Sneak around, long to hold each other again, stop having sex?" Her eyes grew large in an amused panic.

"I don't know sweetheart, but we'll figure it out. But for now, can we keep this," he looked up and down her sheet wrapped body, " To ourselves?"

"Oh Tony, I don't know. I don't know if I can handle you not being in here with me after the last two nights we've had. I love feeling your warm body pressed up against me, your arms wrapped around me, you lips on mine, your," she cleared her throat, "Well you know," she blushed as she motioned to his lower extremity, laying back down on his chest and capturing his lips for a passionate kiss.

"Oh, how I know," he breath as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's not going to be easy, that's for sure. I foresee a lot of cold showers in my future." He frowned.

"What about Mother? Tony, you know she has a sixth sense about these things. She's going to see right through us."

"No, no she won't. We just have to be smart about it. Besides, she thinks you're a prude and I'm a bore so she'll never think we actually gave in and did anything...will she?"

"A prude? I'll show her a prude!" She exclaimed as she jumped up onto Tony, straddling him, awakening his masculinity.

"Ay, oh, easy now, I didn't say that. I know better!" He chuckled as he grabbed her and brought her body down onto his, arising her feminine senses.

"So, what do you say, are you okay with keeping us between us? At least for now? At least maybe till I graduate, and we can mark my not being your housekeeper anymore off the list?"

"If it'll make you feel better, we'll try. I can't promise it'll be easy, not sure how I'm going to cope keeping my hands to myself now that I've had a taste of the merchandise." She leaned down and took a bite of his chest, suckling on his nipple, causing him to quiver.

"What do you say we lose each other as friends again just in case we have to wait awhile before being able to get reacquainted?" He flipped her over onto her back, now straddling her, trying to invite himself into her.

"I think I'd like that," was all she could muster as her body became engulfed with his.