Chapter 81-Practice For the Real Thing

"Bad Timing"

As she unpacked the groceries, she noticed her mother inspecting every item knowingly while she stammered an explanation about having a nice night in.

"Well, I can certainly understand why they serve chateaubriand for two," Dotty hinted loudly with a wide grin.

"Yeah, it's..uh...big, isn't it," Amanda hedged knowing that her mother was no longer buying her lies about her relationship with Lee. She gripped the edge of the countertop for support for a moment, not quite sure what to say to that, so instead she just told her mother to have a wonderful time and kissed her cheek.

Dotty responded and replied, "And you say hello to Lee Stetson for me. He's such a charming man." She smiled brightly at her daughter grateful that she'd finally met this wayward man who'd been such a big part of her daughter's life for so long and to find that he was not the cad she'd imagined him to be.

Amanda couldn't help the blush that crept into her cheeks or the smile on her face as she resumed her task of preparing for her special night with Lee. While they'd had many nights together, this would be something new for them as she planned to invite him to spend the night in her home for the first time ever, not that she hadn't made plans to do so before, but something had always gotten in the way. After their conversation in the agency infirmary about practice making perfect, she'd even hinted to him what her plan was by telling him to bring a toothbrush to which he'd just given her an arched eyebrow and an "Oh?" of delight. She'd simply smiled and made an excuse about needing to go check in with Billy and update him on Lee's progress.

She finished emptying her grocery bags, put the bags away and began organizing the items for preparing her dinner for the man she loved. She couldn't help humming lightly while she worked, her happiness bubbling forth at the future she and Lee had planned. While it wasn't ideal, she still couldn't stop thinking about the fact that this time next week, she'd be Mrs. Lee Stetson, a position many women in his past had strived to reach, but none had. Her smile widened as she thought about how she'd succeeded where so many others had failed. Lee was hers...for life.

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Amanda stepped into the bathroom of the locked-down cabin that she and Lee were staying in to enforce his quarantine, no longer assured of her certainty that he was hers for life now that she knew that his life might soon be over. Her nerves were as raw as the steaks at her local butcher's at the unsettling turn of events the evening had taken as she undressed for bed, her overnight bag perched on the closed toilet beside her. She'd spent a good hour in the Q Bureau earlier in the evening crying her heart out after her date with her fiancé' had been interrupted with the news of his impending doom. She blinked back the tears that had once again formed in her eyes at the thought of losing him before they could ever make it to their wedding day. She'd been elated when they'd finally set a date for their wedding, an event that she'd thought early in their relationship would never happen.

Now completely naked, she began to remove her jewelry, a sigh escaping her as she removed the long chain that held her beautiful diamond engagement ring, the symbol of Lee's love for her, of the promise for their future. She removed the ring from its chain and slipped in onto her finger where it belonged. She may never get another chance to wear it since the man she loved may be dead in a day's time. She then reached into her overnight bag for the bright purple box she had surreptitiously stowed there when the agency guards had run her by her house long enough to pack a bag. She removed the cover from the box, surveying its contents, running a hand along the satiny fabric trimmed with lace, recalling the day she'd bought it in anticipation of her honeymoon with Lee. She smiled as she recalled all the times over the past three and a half years that he'd teased her about sexy nightgowns. Tonight the teasing would end, as this might be her one and only chance to wear a sexy nightgown for him.

She donned the gown and examined herself in the mirror nervously, hoping that for all the teasing, he wouldn't be disappointed. The circumstances weren't ideal to be sure, but she wanted this to be a night that neither of them would ever forget since it might be their last together. Stop thinking that way, she scolded herself just as a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Amanda? You okay in there?" the voice of her fiance' sounded through the door.

She took a deep breath to steel herself, opened the door and stepped out into the low light of the bedroom, illuminated by only one of the two bedside lamps. "I'm fine," she replied with a warm smile at him.

Lee let out a low whistle and responded with a grin, "Yes, you are." But his smile soon faded at the idea of what she had in mind. He took her hands gently in his and shook his head. "But we...we can't."

"Yes, we can," Amanda argued. "Dr. McJohn said the toxin is airborne only, right?"

Lee lifted one hand to caress her face. "He did, but I'm not taking any chance that I could pass this...this thing onto you. I love you too much to put you at risk. Plus, you've got your kids to think about."

Amanda nodded and released his hand. "I thought you might say that, so I came prepared." She turned, rummaged through her bag and produced a box of Trojans, showing them to him as she swiveled back to face him.

Lee chuckled softly. "In more ways than one, it seems." He lightly fingered the thin strap of the gown she wore. He couldn't believe her boldness in light of everything.

"This?" She twirled for him slowly. "I bought it for our honeymoon, but since we might not-" Her voice broke then as the cold reality of what they were facing hit her again.

"Hey." He took the box from her, tossed it aside onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "We'll make it through this, just like we have everything else."

She clung to him tightly and protested with a strangled sob, "You don't know that." She lifted her head from his chest to look him in the eyes. "If Dr. McJohn doesn't come up with a cure, we may never get married and I've wanted that with you for so long and I feel horrible that I was the main reason we put off setting a wedding date for so long because I was afraid and now that we have one and are this close, I'm afraid it won't happen." Blinking back the tears, she shook her head and fixed him with a determined gaze. "If you can't guarantee me my wedding, at least let me have my wedding night. With all we've been through, haven't we earned it?"

"You're damn right we have," he agreed as he captured her lips with his own in a fierce, hungry kiss and began walking her toward the bed. He pulled back for a moment and used his thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks, "I love you," he whispered softly. "And this..." he gazed down her body at the sheer, sexy nightgown she wore that hugged her curves in all the right places. "You look beautiful." He lower his lips to her neck and lightly nipped at the tender skin there. "And incredibly sexy," he croaked in a hoarse whisper.

Amanda let out a contented sigh and replied, "You always did say you liked the way I looked in blue and I thought..."

He cupped her face in his hands and shook his head. "No more thinking, huh?" He softly brushed his lips against hers and lowered her to the bed and quickly joined her on it.

She propped herself up on her elbows to gaze longingly into his eyes. "I love you so much."

He nodded. "And I love you," he repeated, knowing she need the reassurance in the moment when his life was on the line. He rose to his knees and reached for her to gently pull her to his level and kissed her again, a tender, searching kiss as if it were their first one as he ran his hands over her lithe form. It didn't matter that he'd now lost count of how many times they'd made love; this time it was different because it might be their last. If these did indeed end up being his last hours on earth, he wanted to spend those hours remembering every inch of her. He broke their kiss just long enough to tug on the hem of her gown and she raised her arms to allow him to pull it over her head.

He glanced down for a moment at the material in his hands and teased, "I can't believe it takes me being on the brink of death for you to finally wear a sexy nightie for me."

"Oh, stop!" she admonished him with a playful slap on his shoulder. "I told you a long time ago, you could've had the sexy nightgown if you just weren't so stubborn...or have you forgotten that ridiculous brother and sister cover?"

"No, I haven't forgotten. I've thought about it many times since you told me you'd packed a sexy nightie for that weekend." In a jesting tone, he added, "I just can't believe this is what it takes for you to finally wear it." He grinned broadly, his dimples deepening as he did so. He was hoping to at least keep her laughing because laughter was infinitely better than the tears he'd just seen.

"Oh, this isn't even the same one," she informed him as she took it from him and dropped it to the floor. "Weren't you listening? That's just like a man, you know. I told you I bought this one specifically for our honeymoon."

"Oh, so I guess I've already got this husband thing down if I'm already not listening to you," he joked.

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help laughing. "More practice for the real thing, I guess."

"Speaking of practice..." he said in a husky voice as he pulled them both down to the mattress so that they were lying side by side facing one another. He ran his hand down her back until it rested on her rounded bottom. He used his leverage on her backside to pull her closer and continued, "Wasn't there something else we were supposed to be practicing?"

"Yes, there was," she responded eagerly as she tugged on the back of his head to begin another round of heated kissing while their hands roamed over each other's bodies, touching and teasing until they were both panting and moaning against one another.

Lee let out a low groan when Amanda reached inside his boxers and freed his hardened shaft from their confines, but then broke their kiss. In a soft, crooning, voice, he said, "Easy there. We've got all night." While he wanted her desperately, knowing that they may never have another moment like this, he wanted to take his time and savor it. He eased her onto her back and slid her satiny panties down her legs, then sat back to drink in the sight of her lying fully naked before him. "You're beautiful."

She flushed under the intensity of his gaze and held out her arms to him with a pleading, "Leeee..."

"Patience, Love," he replied as he removed his underwear and then reached for her. He lowered his lips to her neck to continue what he'd started earlier, trailing soft kisses down her ribcage to her stomach, and then her hip, taking his time as he did so, leaving her squirming in anticipation beneath him. He then playfully nipped at the inside of her thigh while his hand caressed its mate. He could smell the intoxicating scent of her arousal. When Amanda merely sighed at the contact, he moved to where he really wanted to be placing a soft kiss to her center. When she let out an audible gasp at the contact, he continued in earnest, all teasing aside. He flattened his tongue out against her and he was delighted to feel and hear her enthusiastic response as she raised her hips to meet his questing mouth with her hands on his head, her fingers running through his hair, spreading her legs wider for him, her breathing becoming ragged as he devoured her. Feeling her tensing beneath him and calling out his name as she climaxed made his heart soar. After seeing the tears she'd shed over him, he knew she needed that release before anything else happened between them.

"So good," she sighed contentedly.

"Good."

"But you know, as good as it was, I didn't just wear that thing for this and I didn't just bring the condoms along for that either."

He nodded. "I know, but I-"

"I understand," she answered before he could get his thought out. "But I want...I want to please you too."

"We've got time."

"Not really a lot of time," she reminded him as she pushed him onto his back and began a slow assault on his neck with her lips and teeth while running her hands over the firm muscles of his chest.

"Amanda," he breathed as she touched him. He relaxed further as he let her take over. While he'd never admit it to her, he rather liked when she took control in bed, something he'd never enjoyed with any other woman. He always liked to be the one in control before, but with Amanda, everything was different and had been from the day they'd met.

When she raised her head to meet his eyes with hers, he smiled at the smoky look of desire he saw in them. He reached for her to pull her down to him for a long, languorous kiss.

She was the first to break the kiss when she reached for the box that still lay on the bed where he'd tossed it and extracted a condom from it, tore it open, and then reached for his stiff member with her free hand, exciting him further with her long, slow strokes."

"God, Amanda," he groaned.

She rolled the condom over him, braced her hands on his chest and slowly sank down onto him and let out a loud cry upon feeling him fill her completely. "Lee!"

"Yes!" he hissed as she began to rock against him, but with all the anticipation, he soon began to feel things might end too soon and tonight was not a night for a quick finish. This was a night to value every second of their time together, so he grasped her hips and rolled them both to their sides, once again facing each other. He kissed her firmly, tangling his hands in her hair and urging her lips apart with his tongue needing desperately to taste her sweetness again as he cradled her slender body against his and slowly moved in and out of her.

Lost in the moment, not another word was spoken between them as they kissed and touched and held onto each other, both savoring every moment of their renewed intimacy. Their hands and mouths explored, memorizing every nuance of one another, something they'd done so many times before, but hadn't fully appreciated until now when they knew it might never happen again, both enjoying the slow pace this angle created allowing him to truly relish every sensation that being together brought.

They continued at their leisurely pace until there was no more holding back and they finally called out each other's names with their mutual release. Once they were both spent, neither made a move to shift their positions. They continued to lie as there were, their limbs tangled together, holding one another and sharing slow, languorous kisses while their heartbeats slowed and their breathing returned to normal.

When he was able to breathe somewhat normally again,he noticed the tears that had fallen on her cheek and brushed them away. "Hey, none of that," he lightly scolded. "We're going to get through this and I'm going to be just fine."

"Lee-" she began to argue, but he placed a finger against her lips to silence her.

"I mean it, Amanda. I'm not done fighting yet. It took us years to get her and get this close to our wedding day, so I'm not giving all that up without a fight, you got me?"

"Yeah," she nodded and gave him a watery smile.

"Good," he nodded in return.

Amanda protested as he rolled away from her to dispose of the condom. "I'm right here," he assured her as he quickly took care of business and returned to her side, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. "And I'm not going anywhere, I promise. One day we'll look back on this and just see it for what it is."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"More practice for the real thing."

"Well, I'm a firm believer in practice," she replied with a smile, her heart feeling lighter than it had at his new determination to beat this.

"Me too."