A Fresh Start
Chapter One Hundred Sixty Two
The cabin Richard rented is about two miles back from the road, guaranteeing them complete privacy. The cabin is two stories, with a wide front porch, perched on small hill above the lake. Through the trees you can see the water sparkling in the sunlight. It had all the necessary amenities, running water, electricity, heat and air conditioning, but that's where the modern conveniences ended.
There are four bedrooms, two bathrooms, laundry room and open living area, containing the kitchen, dining room and living room. This area is sectioned off with large wooden pillars. In the living room, one wall has a large stone fireplace. The chimney runs up the eastern wall and is shared by the fireplace in the master bedroom upstairs.
Large skylights, cut between the wooden beams in the ceiling and the double picture windows on the western and southern wall in the living and dining room, flood the first floor with astonishing amounts of natural light. When they arrive, Richard parks in front of the cabin. He gets out and walks around the car, as Cassie opens her door. He helps her out of the car and they turn towards the cabin. She stares while Richard watches her. "It's perfect." She breathes, looking at him.
"So, you like it?"
"I love it, it's perfect."
"Let's go inside." Richard says, taking her hand. They start up the walk to the front door.
"We've got this for two weeks." Cassie asks, as they walk up the walk.
"Yes, two weeks. There are trails behind the cabin. We can go for walks or long hikes. You might not want to do that with the baby…."
"Taking hikes and walking would probably help." Cassie says, as they walk up the steps to the porch.
"At the bottom of the hill is small beach, if we want to go down to the water. It might be too cool to do that. And we can spend the rest of the time here at the cabin, either on the porch or inside." He says softly, looking at her.
"Who says we have to be inside. We don't have any close neighbors do we?"
"No, not that I know of. I specifically asked for a cabin that was away from people so we could be completely alone." Richard says, taking the key from his pocket.
"When did you get the key?"
"While you were sleeping, I stopped at the office and checked in." He says, opening the door before he turns to her. "I believe this is an American custom."
"What is?" She asks, as he bends his knees and sweeps her up into his arms.
"Is it not the American custom for the man to carry his wife over the threshold after they are married?" He asks, walking into the cabin.
"Yes it is, but you can put me down before you hurt your back. I don't want to spend my honeymoon tending to you because I'm too heavy."
"You're as light as a feather, but alright." He says, when he sees that she's going to protest. Sitting her down, he turns to close the door.
Cassie looks around the first floor, going into the kitchen. "The cupboards are fully stocked." She says, opening one of the cupboards, showing him rows of food.
"Yes, I asked the owner if they could stock it for us." Richard replies, as she turns to look at him. "If we don't want to go out and eat, we can stay in." Richard says.
"You mean there's a restaurant here?"
"Yes, on the other side of the lake. And there are some shops down there. We can go over there if you want to." He says, as she shakes her head.
"Not today." She replies, walking over to him.
"Do you like this then?" He asks, when she slips her arms around his waist.
"I love it."
"It's not the…."
"Sh, it doesn't have to be the same. In fact, I don't want it to be the same." She says, taking his hand. "Let's go upstairs and look around."
He follows her upstairs. They look in each of the bedrooms. When they reach the master bedroom, Richard stops her. "I'll open the door." He says, reaching around her.
"You're not carrying me across this threshold." She says, as he opens the door.
The master bedroom is nestled at the end of the hallway between two large wooden pillars. Directly across from the door leading to the hall is a set of French doors, opening up to a small deck that overlooks the yard and the trails surrounding the cabin. Underneath another large window is the king size bed, covered by a quilt. Directly across from the bed is a stone fireplace with large overstuffed chairs arranged around it, good for curling up on a cold day with a good book.
To the right side of the bed there is a doorway. Richard stands in the middle of the room, watching Cassie as she walks around the room. He follows her as she opens the door. "Oh." She says, staring at the bathroom. "This is like a spa." She says, looking at the Jacuzzi tub, the large walk-in shower. The tiled floor and large double sink vanity. All covered in creamy colors of off white and surrounded with accent colors of sage greens and pale blues. There's a toilet around the corner from the vanity.
"So, you like this too." Richard asks from the door way as Cassie looks around.
She turns to look at him and then smiles. Walking over to him, she leans in and kisses him for a few seconds before she leans back and replies. "I love it. It's perfect."
"Good." He replies, leaning in to kiss her again.
Reaching for her, he puts one arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She wraps her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair. He pulls her closer, deepening the kiss as she pulls away. "Cassie." He whispers.
"Umm, maybe we should get our luggage out of the car before we get too carried away."
He looks at her and then sighs, releasing her. "If you insist." He says, as she smiles.
"I'll make it up to you later." She says, as he looks at her.
"Come on, lets go get the luggage and then we'll get to the making up." He says, taking her hand and drawing her out of the bathroom as she laughs.
Mallet was looking over his other cases when Frank walks up to him. "I've been thinking about the Schultz case."
"What about it?"
"Maybe you should go ask Olivia some questions."
"It might tip her off."
"Just ask her general stuff. Find out if she knew the two men. See if she would have an idea of a plan kidnap Jeffrey."
"Okay." Mallet says, getting up from his desk. "Do you want to go with me?"
"No." Frank says.
"Alright." Mallet says, grabbing his car keys.
James reaches over, lightly caressing Olivia's cheek. She turns her head and kisses his hand. "I have to leave soon." He says.
"You've got to check in with JR."
"Yes, I want to see if things are settled with Sarah."
"You don't have to leave to do that."
"I also need to discuss the other projects we're working on."
"Okay." She says, moving away from him.
"I could come back after Emma goes to bed this evening."
"You would do that?"
"Yes, I've suddenly developed a craving for you." He says, leaning over to kiss her.
"Umm, you've developed a craving for me." She says softly.
"Yes, I have." He replies, nibbling on her lower lip.
"I have too." She says, giving up playing and kissing him.
He leans back and looks down, reading the desire in her eyes. "I don't have to leave right now." He says, moving to her neck.
"Umm, good." She replies, arching her back and pressing her body to his. An hour later, James walks out of the bathroom. Olivia is still in the bed. "Don't you need to get up?"
"Yes, but I don't want too." She replies, pushing the sheet back and getting up. She walks over to him, reading the desire in his eyes. "You don't have to leave to call JR."
"Umm, as tempting as you are, my dear…."
"You want to handle the rest of business with Sarah alone."
"Yes." He says, dropping the towel he was holding and slipping his arm around his waist.
"Okay." She replies, putting her arms around him.
"But I'll come back later." He says, leaning in to kiss her.
"Alright, I'll let you leave. I need to take care of some business anyway." Olivia says, releasing him. "So, I'm going to take a shower."
"Okay." He replies, releasing her.
She goes into the bathroom as he gathers up his clothes. Getting dressed, he goes back to bathroom, stopping a moment to watch her behind the shower curtain before he wipes the steam from the mirror and combs his hair and straightens his tie before turning to the shower. "Olivia, I'm going to go. I'll be back later."
"I'll see you then."
"Okay." He replies and he leaves.
Olivia has just finished her shower when Mallet knocks on her door. Grabbing her robe, she slips it on before she leaves the bathroom. She answers the door as he raises his hand to knock again. "Mallet." She says, in surprise.
"Olivia."
"I'm surprised to see you. Why are you here?"
"I wanted to ask you a few questions."
"Okay." Olivia says, stepping back. Mallet walks into the room as Olivia closes the door. "If you don't mind, could I get dressed. I just got out of the shower."
"That's fine." Mallet says, as Olivia turns for her bedroom. He looks around the hotel room while she's changing. She returns about twenty minutes later.
"I'm sorry that I took so long." She says, walking into the room. "You said you wanted to ask me some questions."
"Yes." Mallet says.
"Won't you have a seat?" She says, sitting down on the couch. Mallet sits down across from her. "I can't imagine why you would want to ask me questions."
"We arrested a man last week to claims to be one of your employees."
"One of my employees, for the Beacon."
"No, he would be considered a private employee hired by an associate of yours, or so he claims."
"I don't understand."
"He claims he was hired by a Reginald Simmons, to break into Sam's apartment in DC. Would you know anything about that?"
"No."
"Do you know Mr. Simmons."
"Reggie, yes I know of him."
"You know of him."
"Yes, he worked for the Spaulding's when Phillip was still here."
"Have you seen him recently?"
"No. We weren't that close. He was a Spaulding employee."
"Would you know anything about a plot to kidnap Jeffrey?"
"Kidnap Jeffrey, of course not."
"You've been quite vocal about your dislike of his relationship with Sam, their marriage and their baby, getting into arguments with them several times in public and you and Sam did get into a physical altercation right after she moved here."
"I will admit that I didn't like that Jeffrey had moved on. I'm beginning to accept that now and I don't wish any harm on either of them."
"Would you know anything about the abandoned inn going towards Oakdale?"
"Umm, no. I had no idea there was an inn out there, or that it was abandoned."
"Do you have any idea why Mr. Schultz would claim that you hired Mr. Simmons to kidnap Jeffrey?"
"Of course not. I've never made any such plans." Olivia says, standing up as Mallet does.
"Thank you, I think that's all for now."
"Does Jeffrey know about this plot to kidnap him?"
"Yes, he's mayor and he knows that we're taking this very seriously."
"Is he taking protection or precautions?"
"Not at this time."
"I only asked because of Ava. She doesn't need the added stress of worrying about Jeffrey and neither does Sam. Stress can be very detrimental to the baby when you're pregnant. I know I almost lost Emma because of stress."
"I'm sure Jeffrey will protect both Sam and Ava."
"What are you going to do about Mr. Schultz's accusations?"
"We're investigating and will follow wherever the investigation leads us." Mallet says, walking over to the door. "Thank you for speaking with me."
"You're welcome." Olivia says, following him to the door.
He opens the door and walks out. "Oh by the way, one more question."
"Of course."
"Do you know how to get in contact with Mr. Simmons?"
"No, like I said, he worked for Spaulding when Phillip was here. I don't have that much contact with the Spaulding's anymore, except through Emma."
"Thank you again." Mallet says, nodding.
"You're welcome." Olivia replies, as he turns away and she closes the door. Leaning against the door, she closes her eyes. "What do I do now?" She asks an empty room. She couldn't call Simmons. He hadn't contacted her with his new number yet.
Pushing away from the door, she walks over to her laptop. She couldn't call him, but she had an email address. Logging into her account, she types up an email and sends it before deleting the contact from address book.
Ava rolls to her side, slowly waking up. William is facing her and watching as she wakes up. "How long have you been awake?"
"I would say about an hour." He replies, watching her.
"You were watching me sleep for an hour?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to. I can remember it when I'm alone at night." He says, leaning over to kiss her.
"When do you have to go?"
"In a few hours."
"I'm going to miss you." She says, moving over to him as he rolls to his back.
"I'll call you every night."
"I'm still going to miss you."
"Maybe I could send the jet for you and you can come down. Would Billy let you off work for a while?"
"He's not going to give me a vacation. I just started working at Lewis. But maybe I could come down for a weekend or something. How long to the vote?"
"It's next week."
"And then after that you'll have either another coronation or another vote for the new president?"
"Yes. I think this should all be settled before Thanksgiving."
"Thanksgiving."
"Yes, it might be sooner. It depends on the vote." He says, putting his arm around her.
"Okay." She says, moving closer to him and laying her head on his chest. They lay there for several minutes until William turns his head and kisses the top of her head before he pulls away from her. "Where are you…?"
He leans in and kisses her, nibbling on her lower lip until she opens her mouth and he slips his tongue inside, playing with hers. He reaches up, lightly caressing her cheek. She reaches up and wraps her arms around him. He moves closer to her and she sucks in a deep breath. Breaking the kiss, she looks up. "I'm sorry, I can't wait. I was watching you sleep and you're beautiful." He whispers, looking into her eyes.
"You were only watching me sleep." She says in disbelief.
"Well, maybe I was imagining a few things." William says with a smile.
"Imagining a few things, like what?"
"Like last night, like what it will feel like to fall asleep with you in my arms every night, to wake up with you beside me in the morning. Our baby in your arms and nuzzling at your breast."
"All of that, did this." Ava asks, slipping her hand down his chest while surges of desire sweep over her, filling her body with liquid fire.
"All that, and more." William whispers, closing his eyes as she reaches for him
Wrapping her hand around him, she holds him for a moment before she leans up, catching his mouth. The feel of her hand holding him, breaks his concentration. Pulling away, he leans back and looks down. He moves into position as she opens her body to him, releasing him as he moves forward, slipping inside her, her body offering no resistance. "Ava." He whispers, closing his eyes
She leans up, kissing his neck as she moves her hand down his body. He moves, pulling away from her as he leans up onto his elbows, thrusting deep again, building the tempo. She looks up, watching him. Watching the reflection of satisfaction roll over his face. She waits until he looks down and then she moves her hips, bringing her body closer to his as he thrusts inside her again. He sucks in a deep breath, fighting his bodies demand for release.
He continues to thrust, moving them higher and higher into the realm of desperate desire. He looks down after several moments, watching her, tuning his movements to her desire. Thrusting again and again, he feels her trembling beneath him. He switches angles as she sucks in a deep breath. "William!" She groans, feeling him move deeper. They continue to move together, their muscles trembling against each other until he moves slower, fighting to hold on. "Finish… it." She gasps, rolling her hips over against his. He thrusts once more. His desire bursting free, filling her as she pulls him deep inside her, squeezing him. Spasms of desire course over each of them. "William!" She cries out.
"I love you." He groans, collapsing into her arms.
Shivering waves of desire washes over them while they lay there holding each other. It's a few moments before Ava realizes what William cried out. They continue to lie there as she works up the courage to reply, softly she whispers. "I love you too."
"What did you say?" He asks softly.
"I said, I love you too." He lies there without answering for several moments. "I'm sorry, I didn't…."
"Shhh Ava, I meant what I said. I was just surprised that I said it out loud. I do love you."
Richard carries the last of the luggage upstairs. Laying it on the bed while Cassie puts clothes away. He sits down on the side of the bed, watching her. After a while she looks up and catches him. "What are you doing?"
"Watching you, I like doing that." He replies, as she walks over to the dresser, putting the last of the clothes away. She walks back over to the bed, sitting down next to him. He reaches up and softly caresses her cheek. "Why do I feel like we're newlyweds?"
"Maybe because in a way we are. We've been apart for five years."
"But everything has settled back into the old routine. It's like we were never apart. The only difference is this time we're not waiting for our wedding night to be together."
"So, we should've…."
"No!" Richard says, as she laughs.
Leaning over to kiss him, he reaches up and slips his fingers into her hair. Pulling back, he looks down at her. "You're hair is longer."
"I decided to let it grow out." Cassie says, shaking her head.
"What?"
"Men are so unobservant."
"Why do you say that?"
"I've been letting my hair grow out for months now and you just now noticed."
"Maybe we've had other things on my mind." He says, looking at her. "And I believe you said you would make up for interrupting me a while ago."
"Maybe I should make you wait a little…." She laughs as he reaches for, pulling her into a kiss.
Wrapping her arms around him, she settles against him as he reaches up burying his fingers in her hair, he holds the back of her head, deepening the kiss. Slipping her tongue into his mouth, she tastes the desire course through her and she feels answering swells of desire rush through her. Pulling away from her, he reaches to pull her blouse up. "Slow down a little bit." She says, pulling way from him.
"No, I can't. I need you too much." He says, pulling his t-shirt over his head and tossing it to the floor.
He kicks his shoes off and then reaches for his belt, working it free before opening his jeans. Shivering slightly when she looks up. Seeing the desperate desire burning in his eyes. She stands up, unbuttoning a few buttons on her blouse, she pulls it over her head as she slips her shoes off. He stops for a moment to stare at her before pushes his jeans down.
Reaching for her, he pulls her to him, kissing her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she soaks up the warmth radiating from him. He pulls her to him, holding her still against his boxer. Letting her feel the desperation of his desire coursing through him. She releases him, bringing her hands down his chest, caressing him. Her nails lazily scratch his chest as she moves her hands down. She feels him shiver and she smiles, breaking the kiss.
Reaching for the button on her jeans, she pops it open as he reaches around her, unsnapping her bra. It falls to the floor as she reaches to push her jeans down. He reaches for her, leaning in. He closes his mouth over her nipple, sucking it into his mouth, tickling her with his tongue. "Richard!" She cries, reaching up to bury her fingers in his hair, holding him to her.
He plays with her for several moments before he registers what she's doing. Pushing his boxer over his hips, she reaches for him. Closing her hand around his erection, she squeezes him gently. "Cassie!" He groans, laying his forehead against her chest. His hot breath caressing her stomach. "I love you!" He groans, closing his eyes tightly.
She releases him as he looks up. Pushing her jeans down her legs, she kicks them off as he pulls his boxers down. He seems to be on fire as the material brushes over his erection. She kicks her jeans off and reaches for her panties, pulling them down. He stares at her. She sits down on the bed, scooting back. She reaches for him. Leaning over, he catches her mouth as she opens her legs and he moves into position.
Thrusting once, he sinks inside her. Her body closing around his, holding him. He clinches the comforter beneath her, fighting for control. She looks up, watching him, realizing the fight she clinches her muscles around him and he gasps, closing his eyes tightly. She does it again and he pulls back, thrusting into her. He leans over her, his hips driving into her.
"Yes! Richard!." She screams, closing her eyes.
Rolling her hips with his, she pulls him deeper. He thrusts over and over. Clinching her muscles deep inside, she tries to hold him inside her when he pulls free. He surges deep, brushing against her burning desire. He feels her muscles clinch involuntarily. "Cassie, Darling!" He groans
He pulls away, teasing her entrance until she begs. "Please… I need you, NOW!" She cries out.
He thrusts deep and her release shatters against her soul. Surge after surge crashes through her and he feels it all, thrusting through each wave. He thrusts once more and his release burst from deep inside him, coursing through his body and flooding her with each swell of desire. Collapsing into her waiting arms, he sucks in a deep breath.
Jeffrey looks down as the credits roll for the movie they purchase. Sam has her head on his shoulder and she's asleep. Reaching for the remote, he turns the TV off and then settles back. This was the second time they had tried to watch the movie together and Sam had fallen asleep last night too. Sighing, he turns his head and kisses her forehead. "We'll watch it together some other time." He whispers before pulling his arm free.
Making sure she doesn't fall, Jeffrey gets up and then he puts one arm around her waist and is slipping his other arm under her legs when she wakes up. "What are you doing?"
"I'm carrying my wife upstairs."
"No, you're not. You can't lift me Jeffrey."
"I'm fine, Sam."
"No, you're not. You're ribs are still healing. Dr. Stephens said no strenuous lifting or activity."
"My ribs are fine. They haven't hurt in days."
"But lifting me will hurt them and you. If they break loose, one could puncture your lung or heart." Sam says, pushing him away from her.
"Sam."
"No, you're not carrying me. I can walk."
"You are the most frustrating woman. I'm perfectly able to carry you upstairs."
"I'm a doctor. You're not able to carry me and you knew how frustrating I was before you married me. You're not…."
"Fine." Jeffrey says, sitting down beside her.
He sits there staring at her. "I know what you're…."
"No, you don't. You're smothering me. I'm fine."
"Jeffrey broken ribs are serious and potentially dangerous. I'm not going to let you hurt yourself further because you want to be a he-man, especially when I'm perfectly capable of walking upstairs on my own."
"I'm fine, I told you that. But you want to be my doctor instead of my wife."
"I'm your wife and I'm a doctor. When you're healed you can carry me upstairs anytime you want to and I won't object. But you're not healed…." Jeffrey starts to say something. "…no matter how good you feel. Yes, you're healing fast but it's been barely a week since the accident and you're ribs are just starting to knit back together."
"Stop being a doctor, would you?"
"I am a doctor."
"You're my wife."
"Why are we arguing about this?" She asks softly, getting up.
"We're fighting because you won't let me do anything." Jeffrey says, getting up too. "I want to love you and take care of you and you won't let do that."
"Not, when you're injured. No, I won't."
"Sam."
"J."
"Damn it, you are stubborn."
"You knew that too."
Jeffrey stands there staring at her for several moments before he says. "Let's go to bed." Turning for the stairs, he's halfway to them before he realizes that she's not following him. He turns back around, looking at her. She's standing by the couch with her arms crossed, watching him. Slowly he walks back over to her and stops in front of her. She looks up and he sighs softly. "We don't go to bed mad." He says. "I'm sorry." He reaches out and lightly caresses her cheek. "I want to love you and hold you and you're insisting we follow that damn doctors orders to the letter, and…."
"You're used to having me whenever you want me." Sam says, taking a step closer to him. "You're frustrated because of that."
"I want you to believe me. I feel fine."
"I do believe you, but I want you to continue to heal and doing things like carrying me upstairs is not going to help that along, even if I want to you carrying me upstairs to our bedroom and as desperately as I want to love you. I want you healthy more." She says, slipping her arms around his waist.
"How can you be so patient?"
"Because I'm a woman."
"Don't give me that sexiest answer, men can be patient too."
"But you can't be." She says, teasing him.
"I think I proved that I can be. I had no one when you were injured in Turkey or when you were missing in Brazil."
"But you slept…. I know you can be patient." She says, leaning up to kiss him.
"I can be patient, and you can finish what you were going to say. I slept with half the female agents after Russia."
"Yes, you did. But then you thought I was dead so I believe we're even. Come on, lets go to bed." She says, reaching for his hand.
He pulls her to him, putting his arm across her shoulders. He lightly kisses the top of her head. "Do you promise that as soon as that doctor says that it's okay, we'll come back here and spend the whole evening in bed?"
"Yes." She says, looking up at him and smiling.
He leans down to kiss her. "Then let's go to bed." He says, taking her hand and turning for the stairs. She follows him this time.