Chapter Four

Once home, Della packed everything she needed for the rest of the weekend, in addition to the special outfit she had selected from the boutique. After arranging for the promised flight and a driver to meet her, she called her friends to reassure them her plans were underway.

Dawn came early for her. Eating a light breakfast, she locked up the house and took a taxi to the hanger. She figured, knowing him as she did, that Perry would still be fishing by the time she reached the cabin. While in flight, she allowed herself to think back to the first time Perry took her to the cabin. It wasn't long before those memories gave way to her first fishing lesson and the passion that had ensued. She remembered the shocked look on Perry's face when she jumped into his arms, and how he recovered, quickly returning her kiss with as much fervor and passion as a thirsty man tackles a waterhole.

A moan escaped her lips as she recalled the intense lovemaking that took place between them. Whoa, I miss him so badly. No one has ever loved me like Perry! I need to show him that he is the only man for me. She reached that decision at the same time the pilot informed her they were landing. She took the chauffeured car to a local market to pick up food for the special meal she wanted to cook for dinner.

A little after one-thirty the car pulled up at the cabin. While she unloaded the groceries and her belongings, she relived some of the times they had come up there. Those times were "Fun" with a capitol "F." Her hazel eyes danced as she considered changing into the cutoff shorts and tight t-shirt she had worn for that first fishing lesson.

Maybe I should wear that outfit again. Perry couldn't keep his hands off of me. Her sigh was filled with longing. I miss him and his hands all over me.

With the chores done, she took a long, hot shower and decided to put on Perry's pajama shirt and a pair of panties. As she descended the stairs she thought about how she was going to put her plan into action. The ingredients for his favorite dinner were waiting. Lasagna, with garlic bread and a fresh garden salad were all lovingly prepared. Next came the wine. Then the table.

To keep the ambiance as romantic as possible, she used the best table setting they owned at the cabin, decorated the room with candles, and made sure the lighting was perfect. After everything met her approval, she grabbed a book from her purse, curled up under a throw blanket on the sofa, and proceeded to read. About a chapter in, Perry entered the door and stood stock still.

Something felt different. A change in the atmosphere. A shift in his soul. As he entered the mudroom, the aroma of the lasagna and freshly baked garlic bread hit his nose. Only one person can make me a meal like this. Where is she? There wasn't a car parked in the front . . . How did she find out . . . Paul, of course. He's dead meat. A sweet smile played along his lips. Or I might give him a bonus. No telling what the poor man had to endure at her hands.

When he stepped into the living room, he stopped in his tracks. Della was curled up on the couch in his pajama top, looking as sexy as she could, completely absorbed in what she was reading. She looked as natural as the décor. The urge to call out to her, to come to her was almost overpowering. Although he wanted to kiss her, he checked himself midstride, involuntarily bringing her attention to him.

She looked up and smiled. "Perry."

He nodded. "Della."

Her smile faltered but held. He's going to make me work for his forgiveness.

"Why are you here?" His question had the effect of being doused with ice water.

"You're here."

There was nothing in his expression to indicate that her answer was satisfactory. He pushed his hands into his pockets.

"I thought you'd be getting ready for your dinner with Michael."

"You know I have no interest in dining with other men," she said softly, never lowering her eyes from his face. "And for the record, Counselor, I am home. I am here because you are here. I am home because you are my home."

He waited, saying nothing.

With a sigh, she continued, "If you had stayed for one more second, you would have heard me decline the invitation to dinner. And although you didn't ask, I will confess something. I tried to hire a private detective to find you. I pulled out all the stops. I went to the wrong firm. Paul wouldn't be bribed."

Perry arched an eyebrow. "Really? He's slipping."

She smiled at that. "I had to find my other half. Paul knew desperate when he smelled it. Now, I think I have answered all of your questions. I am going to go and complete dinner. It will be ready in twenty minutes." She stood, and his nightshirt fell to her mid-thigh, revealing her beautiful legs. She knew he noticed. He always noticed. "How about you take a shower and be seated at the dining room table while I tend to the last minute details."

She walked away with an extra sway in her hips. Perry licked his lips as she passed by him to enter the kitchen. Doing as instructed, he headed upstairs and took a shower. Ten minutes later he emerged dressed in the corresponding pajama bottoms and a clean, crisp t-shirt. He took a seat at the table, turning in his seat to admire all the effort she had put into the special candlelit dinner. Della joined him within minutes. When he would have stood to pull out her chair, she shook her head.

"Not tonight, Chief."

A thrill ran through him as he watched her pour the wine and place it in front of him. As she was about to move to the other side of the table, she threw caution to the wind, cupped his face with both hands, and kissed him passionately on the mouth. He was stunned. There had been tears in her beautiful hazel eyes, but she hadn't let them fall. She wasn't trying to manipulate him; it wasn't her style.

Della, annoyed with herself for losing control, guided the conversation, focusing on casual things relating to his trip, the fishing, and the meal. When they finished eating, she cleared the table, ordering him to rest. He looked like he was about to protest, but then the light in his eyes changed, and he acquiesced easily enough. It took only a few minutes. She came back into the living room. Seeing that he was reading, she sighed.

She's up to something, alright. That dinner was one thing, but the way she kissed me? He looked at her over the top of the page. She was standing near the doorway, hovering in indecision. Then she left quietly, heading upstairs. He closed his book. And that, Miss Street, is how you pretend to read.

In the bedroom Della striped, then put on a white, corseted bustier with matching thigh highs and garters, along with sheer robe overlay and white slippers. It didn't take a legal mastermind to know that he was going to be defenseless against her charms. She was determined to have Perry inside her, calling her name all night. She was going to argue her case, going to prove her love to him, until he couldn't possibly reach any other verdict.

She gracefully descended the stairs and came over to the living room's hi-fi. After looking over the selection of music, she chose one and The Platters' "Only You" filled the silence. Walking over to the couch, she sat directly across from him and crossed her long legs.

Dear God in heaven! his mind exploded. He practically drooled.

It might not take me long to apologize after all. I don't think his eyes could be surgically removed from me!

"Perry, we need to have a long discussion about the other night."

He cleared his throat. "I don't think we do, Baby. Your words and actions showed how you feel about me and our relationship."

She shook her head. "If you're basing that on the restaurant, you're wrong."

He shook his head in return. "I'm basing it on a thousand days and nights. But mostly, on this one. I wanted you to have time."

"I came here after you to show you how much I love you. I was completely shocked when Michael came and kissed me." She looked down, then back up at him. "When I broke off my engagement, when I left Chicago, I never thought I would see him again in this lifetime. That's why I never mentioned the engagement. It was inconsequential."

"Incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial," he supplied.

"I realized I didn't love him, back then. I still don't. I never loved him as much as I love you. Perry you are my soul mate, the love of my life, and I—I feel empty without you. You're my best friend! My other half." She paused to control her voice, but it didn't work. "I love you as if you are my husband. If I could go back, I would introduce you as the most important person in my life. I was devastated when I went to search for you, and you were gone. My world imploded when you didn't tell me where you went. I thought you didn't love me anymore." She started to shake, and he had to force himself to let her finish her speech. "I had to find you, to tell you how much I love you. Please, please accept my apology, Love."

"Della." He said her name so softly, so tenderly that fresh tears escaped and fell down her cheek. "There is only one apology needed tonight. Mine. I never should have said what I did. I was a prideful mess. I had made plans . . . but I was hurt. And stupid pride plus hurt made me lash out at you. I just . . . I thought I was someone you didn't want your family to know, that you were deeply ashamed of me in your personal life. You didn't even tell Michael I was your employer!"

He moved to her side and knelt beside her, taking her hand in his. His blue eyes were dark and turbulent. "Della, you are my heart, my soul mate. I feel empty without you at my side, whether at the office, the courtroom, or especially at home. I came up here to think. I had to let you decide if we still have one. But then . . ."

She held her breath, afraid of what he was going to say.

"When I came, all I could think about was all the memories we made here. You're everywhere. So, you should know, I will argue until I'm blue in the face to convince you to stay in my life. I'll accept your apology, but only if you'll accept mine."

With the music still playing in the background, she stood, and he moved to wrap his arms around her. She pushed his chest, and he walked backwards to his seat, mesmerized by the vision of her marching toward him with purpose. Then his knees struck the sofa and he sat. She straddled him, peppering his face with kisses.

"Oh, Baby, I came up here to show you how much I love you. Let me do that tonight. Let me love you."

He caught her face in his hands and kissed her thoroughly. The passion-filled kiss covered the need and desire he had for her. Noticing that his arousal was very prominent, she pushed him back. She kissed his bare arms and his neck, leaving bite marks to claim he was hers, fully aware he would do the same to her later. His shirt came off, and she lowered her mouth to his chest. She sucked on and bit his nipples, eliciting a moan out of him. Her hands, always one of her best assets, caressed and massaged him. Then she reached into his pants while licking a trail with her tongue to the edge of the waistband.

"D-Della!"

She yanked them off of him so fast that he didn't know they were at his ankles until they were on the floor. Della paid extra attention to his arousal by kissing it from the tip to the balls and back up again. All Perry could do was intake air and moan. She looked up and met his eyes, and their souls collided. Then she returned her attention to his pleasure, taking him in her mouth, doing wonderful, thrilling, exhilarating, life-altering things to him until he shattered. Once he had recovered from his orgasm, she continued worshiping his body, working her way back to his mouth. Then she gave him a searing kiss.

"Della, Sweetheart— Please let me do the same to you. I want you to feel the same way I do."

As she was removing her robe, Perry caught sight of the corset and reached for her, pulling her close to him. He took a moment to appreciate all the ways the lingerie enchanted and enticed him, to note how she looked, and where to start.

"Dear God," he whispered in reverence. Then he set to work removing her garter belt, thigh highs, slippers and panties and threw them with his pants on the floor. Once she was undressed from waist down, she straddled Perry and slowly sank down on his erect penis and found a slow pace, since she could feel him all the way in her stomach. Riding him nice and slow, she smiled as Perry moaned and called her name like a mantra out to the gods.

Her hands ran through his hair and she tugged his face up for a kiss. "Oh, God, Perry! I realized I need you so much, and you mean so much to me. I think we should make this more permanent. Marry me, Perry?"

Perry, still in an orgasmic haze, stopped mid-stroke to make sure he heard her correctly. "What did you just say? I could have sworn I heard the words, 'Marry me, Perry,' come out of your mouth."

She smiled at him, and he could see all the love she had for him. Love that transcended attraction, physical passion, and affection.

"You did. I am waiting on an answer. These past few days made me realize how much I love you, and how silly, childish and prideful I've been. I don't want to be apart from you ever again. The distance between us was so unbearable."

He brought her down for a long lingering kiss. "That's a yes," he said when they parted.

"We can fly to Vegas tomorrow morning, and be back here by evening as Mr. and Mrs. Mason."

"Well, you have it all planned out. You really have thought this through. If you are really serious, then my answer is yes to Vegas. So long as you know that I am perfectly willing to have a wedding with our friends and family."

She shook her head. "The world has enough of you. I can show you off any old time. I want a wedding the two of us can call our own."

He laughed at that. "We can spend our wedding night there if you want. Paul and Gertie could be our witnesses."

She shook her head, then kissed him thoroughly again. "Vegas handles things like witnesses all the time. Besides, Paul is on his delayed honeymoon. I don't dare call him."

Perry growled. "Suits me. I already have my best friend." He grinned at her. The dimples robbed her of her breath. The smile widened. "I really love this ensemble. It may sound ridiculous, but I couldn't think of anything else but being in you."

She laughed, and it sounded like music. "That was money well-spent."

A small while later, Perry had Della pinned up against the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist. Della was holding onto him, trying to keep up with the pace he had set. He loved her with reckless abandon, as if his life depended on her to breathe.

"Della, Baby, I am so happy," he confessed breathlessly, "Seeing you in this outfit—the proposal—I just want to keep doing this all night. You are going to be my wife."

"Perry, don't stop. Right there. Don't . . . God! Go deeper," she urged until they orgasmed simultaneously.

In the days afterward, they returned to the cabin and consummated their marriage at home. He rose early one morning, determined to provide them with a meal from the lake. Della had let him go, spending the downtime straightening the cabin and preparing for their return to the city. As she watched him from the window, she couldn't help but remember the fishing lesson again. Who could have predicted that Michael would be the bait to help her reel in her lover?

She changed clothes, then came out to see him on the dock. Perry looked over at his wife, took in the cutoff shorts and the t-shirt, and his mouth ran dry.

"You minx! How am I supposed to fish when all I can think about is what happened when you last wore that outfit?"

She looked innocent. "What? This is my favorite fishing outfit."

"I'm the only catch you need," he informed her.

One Year Later

Perry stood leaning against the door of the bedroom as he watched his wife stare lovingly into the eyes of their six-week-old son. Perry Alexander Mason was the perfect blend of his gorgeous parents. Della was wearing a beautiful pink robe and nightgown set which her husband had given her, while their son wore a blue outfit Paul and Gertie had given them.

"Sweetheart, I wish you'd let him be a junior," she confessed, aware he was there.

"No. As glad as I am that your past made a visit so we could get our lives together, I draw the line with our son bearing his name. Perry Michael Mason, jr. just doesn't sound as good." He smiled at them both. "You have to admit, he doesn't look like a Michael."

She snorted. "I would say not!"

"I love you, Della," he informed her seriously. "I always have."

"I love you, too, Perry. You are definitely my present and my future."