A Fresh Start
Chapter One Hundred Eighty Eight
Richard lays Cassie down on their bed. Pulling off her shoes, he undresses her before he pulls back the covers and moves her under them. After she's settled, he goes to see about the boys. RJ has finished his bath and is in his room. "You have your spelling words out?" He asks, walking into his room.
"Yes sir." RJ says, picking up the piece of paper from his bed.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to get your brother ready for bed and we can go over them."
"Okay." RJ replies, as Richard leaves his room.
Going into the bathroom, he finds Will playing with one of his toys. "Alright, buddy. It's time to get out. Did you wash everything?"
"Yes sir."
"Did you get behind your ears too?" Will reaches for the wash clothe and rubs it behind his ears. "Okay, then let's go." Richard says, pulling the plug on the water as Will climbs out of the tub. Richard dries him off and then helps him get into his pajamas before they leave the bathroom.
"Can I tell Mommy good night?"
"She's sleeping. Come on, let's go." Richard says, turning him towards his room. They walk into his room and he crawls into bed as Richard pulls the covers up and then sits down on the side of the bed. "You did well tonight."
"But we lost. If Jimmy wasn't so stupid…."
"Jimmy wasn't stupid. He made a mistake. He got excited and he didn't realize what he was doing."
"But we had them. We were going to win and then he ran the ball down the field and scored on the other team's side. We would have beaten them and now they think we were dumb and we don't know how to play."
"Will, listen to me, this is sport isn't about winning and losing." Richard can see that he doesn't understand. "Why do you want to play soccer?"
"Because I'm good at it and its fun and RJ played it and I want to be like RJ."
"Okay. And how did you feel the first time you got the ball and you were running down the field."
"Really excited."
"And how do you think Jimmy felt tonight when he got the ball."
"I guess the same way."
"And have you ever been so excited that you didn't realize what you were doing because you were happy."
"No, not really."
"Well, trust me you will and I'm sure that's what Jimmy felt tonight. And I know you know what it feels like to make a mistake and do something wrong."
"Yes sir."
"So, how do you think Jimmy feels tonight?"
"Probably the same way, so I guess I shouldn't be mad at him. And we'll play those guys again and next time we'll beat them." Will says with a smile.
"Good boy, now it's time for you to get to sleep." Richard says, leaning over to kiss him.
"Nite, daddy." Will says, stifling a yawn.
"Close your eyes and I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay." Will mumbles, already falling asleep.
Richard gets up after a moment and when he turns he finds Cassie standing in the doorway. "You're supposes to be asleep." He says, walking over to the door.
"I woke up. You were wonderful with him."
"He's a good boy."
"So, are you ready for bed?" Cassie asks, moving closer to him.
"RJ still needs to go over his spelling words."
"I can do that while you go get a shower, if you want?"
"Why don't you go get a shower and I'll take care of RJ."
"Alright." Cassie says, as he pulls Will's door partially closed. "I'll be waiting for you." She says, leaning up to kiss him before she goes back to their room and Richard goes to RJ's
"Are you…?" He stops as he sees RJ on the bed asleep. "Alright, we'll go over them tomorrow night." He picks RJ up and then pulls the covers back and lays him down, pulling the covers over him. He leans down and kisses him before he leaves the room.
Cassie comes out of the bathroom a few moments after Richard comes in. "You're through with RJ's spelling."
"No, he was a sleep when I went in there. I'm going to go take a shower."
"Richard."
"We'll talk about it when I get out of the shower Cassie." He says, going into the bathroom. She sits down on the bed. She's still sitting there when he comes out of the shower. He walks around the bed and pulls the cover back. Getting in the bed, he asks. "Are you coming to bed?"
"Are you going to talk to me?" She asks, turning to him.
"Cassie…."
"You're mad because I stayed at the Beacon all day instead of coming home."
"I'm not mad. I'm worried. Dr. Sedgwick said you can't be stressed and no matter how much you want to tell me that you weren't stressed this afternoon, I know you were." He says, continuing to talk knowing that Cassie wanted to say something.
"Okay, fine. She stressed me out. She always has. Her attitude that she's superior to me has always rubbed me the wrong way. She usually has nonsense that she wants to complain about, but this time she had a legitimate reason for being upset."
"And how many times did you explain to her that Olivia would not be involved with the day to day operations of the Beacon?"
"A few."
"How many times, Cassie?"
"Okay, several actually. I knew what she wanted but I wasn't going to give into her."
"So, you sat there all day arguing with her. Stressing yourself out for no other reason than to prove a point to her. She wasn't going to change her mind about having the event at the Beacon otherwise she would have insisted that you release her from the contract. She stressed you out and put our child in danger."
"Our child wasn't…."
"I'm not going to argue with you about this. The only reason I agreed with letting you stay at the Beacon is because you said that you would cut your hours."
"So what are you saying?"
"I don't want you working, not now."
"Would you change your mind if I told you that it won't happen again?"
"How is it not going to happen again? Olivia's leaving and you have no one to take her place."
"Actually I do have someone to take her place."
"Ava, she's coming back…."
"No, Ava's not coming back to the Beacon. I haven't even talked to Ava about this yet."
"Then who do you have to take Olivia's place?"
"Reva." Cassie says, looking at Richard.
"Reva! How is she going to help you with the Beacon?"
"She approached me this morning when I got to the hotel and I told her about Olivia and she suggested that she take over Olivia's responsibilities."
"Reva wants to take over Olivia's responsibilities, why?"
"Because she wants something to do, so she doesn't spend all her time thinking about Josh. She was very good at Lewis and WSPR. She can handle the press and advertising for the Beacon too."
"So, she's going to take over Olivia's responsibilities."
"Yes. And my hours will go back to what they were before."
"Why didn't you tell me that before?"
"You didn't give me a chance."
"And you won't have to deal with the Ladies Auxiliary from Laurel Falls."
"I'll let Reva handle them."
"Good."
"So, now can we go to bed?"
"Umm, I think so, yes." He says, lying down as she crawls under the covers and over to him. "I love you when you're overprotective."
"You hate it when I'm overprotective."
"No, I don't. It shows me that you care."
"I only want you and our baby to be healthy and happy."
"I know and I promise that I didn't get too upset with that lady."
"I can't believe… well actually I can believe that you spent all afternoon arguing with her."
"She wanted me to give her a discount. I wasn't going to but I didn't want to loose her as a customer either. They've had their annual conference with us since the Beacon opened."
"She's not going anywhere."
"How do you know that?"
"Because women in her position have to get permission to change things like that and the Beacon is the best deal they'll get this close to their home."
"You were right about that. Towers would take their business but they wouldn't get the deal Olivia and I made them." Cassie says, snuggling in closer to him.
"Are you cold?"
"It's chilly tonight."
"Do you want me to turn the heat on?"
"No, but I need to call the chimney company and have them come out to check the chimney for the winter."
"That reminds me, be sure to remind me to give Will back his games. I was supposed to give them back to him before we left and I didn't."
"He hasn't played with them since the fight with RJ."
"No, I took them away from him and I didn't give it back to him before we left for our honeymoon."
"And that reminds me, I have a doctor's appointment later this week."
"I'll be sure to tell Jeffrey."
"How is he doing?"
"He seems to be fine. I think he was surprised that Olivia agreed to let Ava keep Emma."
"Is he okay with Olivia being free after what she tried to do?"
"He's the one that arranged it. He didn't want Emma or Ava to see her sent to jail. Olivia's a luck woman. And I almost married her."
"Yes, well you didn't. You married me."
"And I'm thankful for that everyday. I think we need to get to sleep the boys will be up early tomorrow."
"Umm, we'll sleep in a minute." Cassie says, moving to sit up.
"Where are…?"
She moves to straddle him, leaning in to kiss him. "I think we've got something else that needs to be done." She says, sitting up and looking down into his eyes.
"You do."
"Yes, maybe I need to make up for stressing you out today." She says, leaning over to kiss the side of his neck.
"Umm, well if you think you need to." He replies, turning his head and catching her mouth, kissing her.
He feels of her pressing against him, focusing on the warm sensations flowing between them. They stay like that for several minutes. Slowly, she moves her hand down his chest lightly caressing him. When she reaches his nipples, she lightly runs her thumb nails across them, lightly scratching him. "Cassie." He groans, closing his eyes while sparks of electricity flash through him.
She stops when she hears his groan and he leans up, kissing her. Leaning back after a few minutes, he whispers, his voice hoarse with desire. "Richard." She whispers, laying her head against his chest
After a few minutes, he lifts her head. Taking her hand again, he lays it on his nipple. "Do what you want to do?" he whispers.
She runs her hands down his chest to his stomach, gently scratching him, playing with his belly button. The more she caresses him the more shallow his breathing becomes and the sound turns her on completely. After a couple minutes, he lays his hand on the mattress, clinging to the sheet beneath them.
Leaning over him, she kisses him softly for a couple seconds before she moves across his jaw to his ear, nibbling on it and the side of his neck. She smiles when she feels him swallow a couple times. Slowly she moves away, stopping to lightly kiss the pulse pounding at the base of his throat before she moves on to his upper chest. Stopping for a couple seconds, she glances up; watching him through her eyelashes as she lightly kisses one of his nipples. "Cassie." He groans a little louder than before.
This time she doesn't stop, but continues. Slipping his hand through her hair, he holds her against him as he fights for control. After a few seconds, he tries to move her down his stomach, but she resists. Sitting up, she watches him for a couple seconds. "Darling." He sighs.
"Touch me." She whispers. Sitting up, he lays his hands against her hips while he leans in to kiss her. Slowly running his hands up her sides he lightly caresses her. Reaching for her breasts, he holds each of them in his hands, almost like he's weighing them. Squeezing them together, he leans over and lightly caressing her nipples, nibbling at them before sucking them into his mouth, caressing them until they become harden tips pressing against the roof of his mouth. "Richard." She groans, burying her fingers in his hair, holding him against her.
After a few minutes she moves until she is sitting in his lap, her legs are wrapped around his waist. "Cassie." He groans when he feels her lower body cradling his.
The vibrations push her desire higher. Un-wrapping her legs, she pushes against his chest, until he leans back and looks up at her. Reading the expression in her eyes, he lays back bring her with him. Wrapping his arm around her, he holds her against him as he kisses her, pressing her lower body against his until she pulls away. Reaching for her nightgown, she pulls it over her head, tossing it to the floor. And then moving back, she reaches for the waist of his pajama's and begins tugging on them. Lifting his hips, he reaches to help her. He kicks them off when she has them low enough. Lying back, he watches her slowly move her eyes down his body. Looking up, he reads the desperate desire flowing through her. "Do it, darlin." He whispers, laying his hand on her hips
Moving up, she watches his chest rise and fall with each shallow breath he takes. Reaching for him, she slowly runs her hands down his body, lightly scratching him. Closing her hand around him, she feels him shiver, as he arches his back. "Please darlin, I want…."
"I know what you want." Cassie replies, leaning over to kiss him as she moves to hover over him. "You want the same thing I want." She whispers as she lowers her body, guiding him inside her.
"Cassie." He groans, holding tightly to her hips as he slips inside, filling her. Slowly she rocks her hips. "Cassie!" Bracing her hands against his chest, she rises up and slides back down, taking him deep inside her. "You feel good, darlin!" He groans, closing his eyes as she leans over him, kissing him as she continues to rock and he thrusts against her sliding hips.
"Richard." She cries, feeling him brush against her. "Oh, please!" She sighs feeling her control break.
"That's it darlin." He whispers, as she arches her back and he feels her quiver from the inside out.
"Richard!" She cries, as the passion inside her snaps, pulling him deep inside her, holding him tightly.
When the last wave washes over her, his control breaks. Thrusting once he fills her with all the desire burning through him as she collapses in his arms. They lay there for several moments, struggling to catch their breath. Turning his head, he softly kisses the side of her head. "I think we need to get some sleep."
"I can sleep like this, unless you're saying I'm too heavy."
"You're as light as a feather…." He says as she laughs softly.
"Now I know you're lying." She says, sitting up slowly. Looking down with a smile on her face.
"I know better than to lie about that."
"You mean you know better than not to lie about that." She says, moving off him and laying down.
"I'm going to sleep." He says, as she laughs again.
"I love you." She says, moving over to him.
"I love you too." He whispers, turning his head and kissing her softly. She rolls to her side and he moves in behind her, laying his hand across her waist, he pulls her back against him and they fall asleep.
Soft rays of the morning sun wash over them as Ava and William lay in bed. "Don't you have something you need to be doing?" Ava asks, playing with his fingers.
"No, Parliament is handling the elections. Everything is settled with Emma and you have me for the morning."
"Speaking of Emma…."
"Somehow I don't think I'm going to like this?"
"It's nothing bad, I promise, but since Olivia has decided to let me keep her I think I need to go back to Springfield."
"Right now, you want to go back?"
"No, not right now, but soon. You're going to busy with the election and I need to get the loft ready for us."
"You could stay down here and we could get the loft ready together when the elections are over." He says, as Ava sits up.
Turning to him, "I've got a job I have to get back to also."
"You said Billy said to take all the time you needed."
"He did, but I did leave him right in the middle of some big projects. Emma's already missed school."
"She's missed a couple of days, a few more will not hurt her."
"You don't want me to go."
"No, I don't. I'm tired of always leaving you. I want us to be together."
"And we will be together after the election and you move to Springfield. Do you want to spend the first few months living at Towers because the loft isn't ready."
"I'll live at the loft with you even if we have twenty work men there everyday. Just stay here for a few more days, please."
"I have to go back."
"But do you have to go back right now. At least stay through the weekend."
"Emma…."
"Can tell her friends all about her stay at the palace. She'll be the envy of everyone in her class. And we'll get to spend some time together."
"Alright, I'll stay through the weekend. Now are you sure you don't have something you need to do."
"Actually there is."
"See, I knew you were neglecting your duties."
"I'm not neglecting my duties… well I am, but it's not to the country of San Cristobel."
"So, what duties are you neglecting?" She asks, moving over to him. "Because I don't think you've neglecting anything."
"Actually I've got to make some plans for my two girls. We're going to spend the day together."
"So, what are you planning?"
"I'm not telling anymore than that." William says, getting up.
"Will, come on."
"It's a surprise. So up you go." He says, pushing the covers back. "You get the shower first."
"Why do I get the shower first?"
"Because it takes you longer to get ready, go on." He says, pointing towards the bathroom.
"Gee, you're bossy this morning."
"We've got places to go and people to see." He says, as she gets out of bed.
"Alright, I'll get a shower and get ready."
"Good girl." He says, with a smile when she looks at him.
Propping the pillows up against the wall, Jeffrey settles back with Sam beside him. "So, is this all we're going to do tonight, is lay here?" Sam asks, looking up at him
"No, I brought my guitar." He says, nodding at the case laying across from them.
"So, you're going to play with your guitar while I lay here."
"Well, you deserve to lay here and relax. And I might play a few songs for you, and there are other things we can do." He says, looking at her.
"Is that safe on an air mattress?" She asks, with a smile.
"This is supposes to be just like a bed."
"Do you want to test it and find out?"
"No, but tell me something?"
"What?"
"Why did you pick Nashville for Med School?"
"Ah, it was close to home and I liked Nashville. My dad took us there once. The trip wasn't that great but I like the city. And Vanderbilt has an excellent Medical School."
"And why did you pick Medicine?"
"I liked helping people and being a doctor let me continue to do that. I wasn't saving the world from terrorists but I was helping people fight personal demons."
"Did your mom have something to do with it?"
"Umm, yes. I watched how she suffered during the last days of her life. She was in enormous pain and no one did anything to help her. She didn't have to die. I know cancer is serious, but there were ways that the doctors could have helped her. She might have been saved, if they would have let the doctors do their jobs."
"Did you do anything besides school when you were there?"
"I've told you I went out a few times after I left. Why are you asking all these questions now?"
"No particular reason, I'm curious and we haven't really talked about our lives when we were apart."
"Mine was fairly boring. I went home. I buried my mother within months of leaving you in Russia and then I left Georgia and I went to Nashville. I went to med School, and that took up most of my time and what free time I did have, I spent it studying mostly. I might have went out a few times with friends, but I never let anyone get too close to me. For the first couple years, I was afraid that Pertrinkov's men would track me down. I saw Meagan a few times during those years."
'When did she start dating Patrick?"
"A few months after I came back."
"Was he a part of your father's…."
"No, Patrick was a guy that we grew up with. That's why they had to come to DC to be together. He wasn't in the church and the church forbade any relationship between them. Thinking about that makes me sad."
"Why?"
"They fought so hard to be together and now Patrick has walked away from her like that never happened. They were the one constant thing when I left you and maybe a part of me believed we would get back together because of them."
"Well, he's a fool to let your cousin go." He says, as she sighs softly. "Hey, I didn't mean to bring you down."
"It's okay. It just makes me sad for Meagan and the boys."
"Patrick will pay the price for what he's done." He says, as Sam moves in closer to him. "How is our baby boy doing?"
"He's fine." She says, with a smile, looking up at him.
He leans down, kissing her softly. As he pulls away, she hangs on, reaching up to wrap her arm around his neck. He leans back and smiles. "I guess we are going to test the mattress out."
"Do you want to?" She asks, looking up as he reaches for her.
She moves into his arms, straddling him while he settles back against the pillows. "If we bust this mattress, we'll have no where to sleep."
"I guess we'll have to be careful." He says, leaning up to kiss the side of her neck.
She's still for several moments, feeling his lips move over her neck. He moves up to her ear, knowing that it's impossible for her to resist anything from this point on. Slowly he moves his along the rim of her ear and feels her shiver as her breath catches and she moves slightly closer to him. Turning his head, he catches her mouth, kissing her. For a moment time is frozen until he lies back, looking up. "You have no idea how much I love you." He says, watching her.
"Yes, I do." She says, with a half smile. "I know because I love you just as much.
Sitting up, she crosses her arms and pulls the T-shirt he brought over her head, tossing it to the floor. She watches as the color of his eyes fade to a light green. Bracing her hand on each side of him, she leans forward and softly kisses him, pulling away before he gets too involved. She looks up and sees the look of frustration in his eyes. "You know you want me to tease you a little bit."
He looks up and then down. His hands are on her thighs. "Well, maybe I do as long as I can tease a little bit myself." He says, moving his hands up her thighs to her waist. He feels her breath catch, and he knows where she's hoping he will go but he decides to make her wait.
Moving his hands up from her waist, he gently moves it over her stomach, softly caressing her. "You know little one, you've got a pretty amazing mom. Incredibly beautiful and umm, totally sexy…."
"Maybe we should keep this to a G rating, remember he's our son. I don't think he wants to think of me as sexy."
"Okay, we'll keep it G rated then. But she is beautiful and so loving and protective. And I have never met anyone as strong as she is."
"Your Daddy's pretty strong too."
Slowly he moves his hands up her body, softly caressing her until he reaches her breasts. "You know, I can't wait to see him in your arms, watching you feed him."
"You used to dream about that, after I left?"
"Yes, I dreamed about it." He says, looking up. Leaning up on his forearms, he kisses her, his tongue slipping inside to play with hers.
Wrapping one arm around her, he lays back for a moment before he tries to move her to her back and she pulls away. "We can't do it like that."
"I'm fine, Sam. Let me love you."
"The doctor said two weeks and we're waiting the full two weeks."
"You're so stubborn. That's another thing about your mom…."
"Watch what you say, you'll find yourself sleeping on the floor tonight." She says, with a smile.
"You are stubborn."
"I'm not anymore stubborn than you are, and do we have to talk so much."
"Talking's good." He says, as she moves down, straddling his hips. "Okay, that would be better." He mumbles after taking a deep breath.
"I thought you would see it my way." She says, as he laughs.
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulls back up. "What were you going to do?"
"Help me with these." She says, reaching for his waist.
Kneeling over him as he lifts his hips, reaching to help her pull his boxers off, since they weren't going anywhere else that evening neither one had bothered to get fully dressed. She pulls his boxers down, freeing him. Sitting back, he kicks them off while he watches as she moves her eyes down his body. She looks up and catches the look of male satisfaction on his face. She starts to move towards him and he shakes his head and she stops. "The panties, take them off. I want to see all of you."
She looks at him for a moment before she lays back and lifts her hips, pushing her panties over her hips, she careful to make sure he sees nothing as she pushes them down her legs and she smiles when she hears his sigh of frustration. "I told you that I'm going to tease you."
"Come here." He says, holding his hand out. She takes it and he pulls her up into his arms, kissing her and refusing to release her when she tries to pull away. Tightening his arms around her, he holds her in place. After several moments, he lays back, taking a deep breath before he says, "Come here."
"I am here."
"No, closer." He says, pulling her up to him. He looks into her eyes for a brief moment before he moves lower in the bed. "Kneel over me." He demands, looking up.
She feels her heart jump, its rhythm beating faster with each second. "J."
"Do it, you won't let me love…."
She pulls away from him, moving to kneel over his shoulders. She waits, barely breathing, her heart pounding in her chest, in short staccato beats. He moves closer to her, taking a deep breath, breathing her in, letting his body fill up with the desire raging through her. She tries to ready herself for the first caress, the feel of his lips against her desire, the warmth of his breath, the wetness of his tongue.
Slowly he moves his tongue over her, caressing her, stoking the fire building inside until he feels the same raging inferno coursing through his body, shifting his hips, as she moans softly moving with his tongue as he teases her. Reaching up, he wraps his arms around her hips, holding onto her while he deepens his caresses. "J!" She cries, as flashes of light burst before her eyes and she squeezes them shut, rolling her hips against his tongue, over and over again until the last withering surge of release sweeps through her soul. She sinks back onto his chest, looking at him with a dreamy expression on her face.
After a moment, he asks. "Are we through teasing each other?" For a moment, she doesn't respond and he's about to say something, when she pulls away from him. Moving back, she reaches for him, slowly moving her hand over his erection, caressing him while she gently squeezes him. She looks up, watching him, watching the look of desperation in his eyes, feeling his body respond to her caress, feeling each throbbing surge of desire that rushes through him with each of her caresses. "Sam, please, no more, ple…!"
Moving over him, she guides him inside, sinking lower and lower until he's completely inside her, and they are totally connected. She pauses for a moment, letting the reality register before she moves, sliding her hips back and forth. She starts out slow and works her way up, until she's moving as fast as she can. Lifting his hips, he thrusts into her and she sucks in a deep breath. "Jeffrey!" She cries, her eyes falling closed.
They continue like that for several minutes and then she begins to slow down. Wrapping his arms around her, he rolls to his side, lifting her leg he puts it across his hip and then thrusts deep. The change brings him incredibly deep inside her, caressing the deepest center of her desire with each thrust, they work together until, he pulls her to him, holding her still.
The flood breaks, rushing through her body, flooding it with incredible surges of satisfaction, holding him inside with each desperate surge. He thrusts once more and that's it. Sweeping waves of desire, rush through him, flooding her with his release. He continues to thrust, bring tiny aftershocks of her release surging through her again, squeezing him. Closing his eyes, he holds her to him while she tries to catch her breath, resting his head on top of her. After a moment he says. "I think this will stand up to us." She laughs softly, kissing his chest.