Spice Warning... Spice Warning... Spice Warning...
I am leaving out the most explicit parts but I do NOT want to offend anyone so if you don't care for that aspect of their relationship then please don't read. Only one more chapter after this one.
CHAPTER 6
Perry decided not to wait for ice. In fact he was tempted to turn the bottle up and drink the whiskey straight from it, but good manners led him to splash a generous portion into his now empty glass.
He'd botched things again. He knew he had. He and Della had never had any problem talking about… anything. But this? Was she nervous? But then he had to admit that he wasn't exactly calm either. But he'd meant what he said. He could be as patient as Della wanted or needed him to be… if she even returned … when she returned.
"Perry…."
Her voice, low and sensuous, warm as the whiskey he held in his hand, washed over him and he turned slowly, raising his eyes to see her standing at the entrance to the short hallway leading to her bedroom. Della's back was to him but her head was turned back toward him over left shoulder. Hazel eyes glittered with desire beneath the low brim of the black fedora, again perched jauntily on her head. Perry gulped. She had no idea how sexy she looked in that damn hat…
He took a step toward her, then froze as he realized that the fur coat that he had been trying so desperately to slip off of her earlier was hanging loose on her body. She shrugged her shoulders and skin appeared as the coat slid, ever so slowly down her arms revealing her bare back to him.
Perry forgot to breathe as the coat slipped lower, exposing a strip of black lace encasing her perfectly shaped bottom and long slender legs covered with the sheerest of silk stockings and ending in impossibly high heeled pumps.
"Coming?"
His brain processed the question as the legs his eyes were glued to stepped away from him then disappeared, the coat trailing behind slowly.
"Oh yes," Perry exhaled with a soft whistle, "most definitely." Draining his glass and dropping it on the nearest surface, he moved toward the hallway after his girl at a quick step, fighting the urge to run all the way.
The hall was dark but a faint glimmer of light shone in the door way at the end. Perry grinned and tugged at his tie then his wrists, slowing as the shirt buttons at the cuff of his sleeves refused to open. The right one finally released but the left one refused to yield to his suddenly clumsy fingers so he ripped it off in frustration as he softly swore. His hands were moving to his collar when he caught sight of himself in the mirror hanging there.
For an instant Perry didn't recognize himself, a stranger seemingly staring back at him. Who was this unfamiliar person? The face was his… but the smile on it was something that he hadn't seen in a very long time… the happiness… the joy! And the desire which made his indigo eyes almost black… Lust like he had never experienced… but so much more… Longing tempered with overwhelming feelings of tenderness… devotion… yearning for something that promised to become so much more than a single heated encounter. Perry was certain of his feelings for Della Street. He'd made absolutely sure of that before even considering saying anything to her. But what he didn't realize until he actually saw it reflected on his face was the depth of his commitment to this woman, made without him even comprehending it.
Perry Mason, very used to being the master of his own heart, now realized that he belonged to Della Street as he had never belonged to any woman… could never belong to any other woman ever again. But did she feel the same?
"How did my hair get mussed again?' he wondered absently, this thought leading to the absence of his hat. He grinned. Della looked so damned sexy in that hat. But why had she removed it then later put it back on?
'She put it back on because I put her in charge…' In a blinding revelation, Perry understood that to Della the hat had become the mark of his authority… Authority that he had given to her… freely.
'She loves me,'
He knew in his gut that she would have never said those words to him if she didn't mean them with every fiber of her being.
'… and I love her…'
More than he ever dreamed it was possible to love a woman.
'…and she wants me…'
Knowing Della so well, knowing that she was a lady, he was beyond shocked, yet delighted at the way she'd revealed the back of her body to him… the coat sliding down her slender but womanly frame, skimming over all of her milky white delectable flesh… but she wasn't nervous any longer, Perry realized. Her actions were those of a woman who was confident and secure in her decisions and her actions… his woman.
'… and god knows I want her.'
The image of Della wearing his hat exploded into his mind once again. Hands clenched the sides of his shirt and pulled, buttons flying down the hallway as he stripped his shirt away then yanked his undershirt over his head. She was his and he had to have her…now. The intensity of his need was staggering and he raced for the bedroom door.
"Damn!" Perry swore once again as his feet tangled in something and he fell forward, catching himself on the wall only by chance. Propping there with one hand he lifted his foot to remove his stumbling block.
'Shoes!' Momentarily distracted, he leaned back against the wall and stripped away his footwear and socks, dropping them where he stood. As his last sock fell from his fingers he remembered he still held the cloth that had tripped him in his other hand. Clenching it in his fist he felt damp softness and held it in the dim light to get a better view. The tiny garment of black silk and lace took his breath away.
'She's… oh, baby…' for in his hand he held the lace panties that had covered Della's very shapely bottom just minutes before. Perry felt the imminent explosion…
~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~
A single lamp illuminated the bedroom softly, casting a warm glow over Della, lounging against a pile of pillows on top of the fur coat she'd tossed on the bed. The corner of the top sheet was draped casually across her hips, covering her… but just barely. One knee was raised and drawn over the other, the sheet playing peek-a-boo with her curves and teasing Perry's vision even as a single finger beckoned him forward. She tilted her head, still cherished by the fedora, up and down, eyes traveling over his half clothed body, but for the moment Perry was paralyzed in the doorway, overcome with the sheer beauty of this woman… his woman, and the voluptuousness she displayed for him alone. Oh, he'd dreamed… but his dream Della was a pale substitute for the perfection now displayed before him.
"Perry?"
Taking the hint, Perry moved to the side of the bed, his hand lifting to cup Della's cheek and tilt her head back. The fedora slid lower over her forehead, shading her eyes but there was no mistaking the shimmer of need residing there. She exhaled softly, her breath warming his palm.
"You are so beautiful… so perfect… I've never seen anything as lovely as you…"
Perry smiled sexily, his intense eyes meeting Della's, telling her of his need without words. Releasing her cheek, his forefinger slid across her jaw and down her neck lightly, the touch meant to arouse.
It worked. Della's back was arching by the time the digit reached the valley between her breasts.
"Wait!" Della fought her way through the glorious sensation his touch was producing. "I'm the boss, remember?" Perry immediately drew his finger back.
She smiled and patted the mattress beside her. "Wouldn't you like to join me?"
Perry's eyes searched hers and saw only confidence and desire there. One hand moved to the button of his boxers while, with an evil grin, the other reached out and yanked the brim of the hat down over Della's eyes.
She sputtered and pulled the hat up but Perry was quicker. By the time Della could see again Perry was in the bed beside her, sheet pulled over his hips, boxers in a puddle on the floor. He reclined on the pile of pillows with a satisfied smile on his face.
"That wasn't very nice, Mr. Mason." There was visible movement beneath the sheet as Della's honeyed voice dripped over Perry's body.
He lifted a hand to her cheek and cupped it lightly. "I said you were the boss tonight, Miss Street, and I meant it. What would you have me do, my girl?"
Della shifted so that she was facing Perry, one arm holding the sheet over her breasts. "I would have you…" His heart skipped a beat when she laid a hand on his naked chest. "…be still."
"Be still?" One eyebrow shot up.
"Be still. As in don't move. Can you do that?"
Perry debated his answer. He had promised her control, after all. "And what will you be doing?"
"Exploring," Della's voice faltered but only slightly. I want to see all of you… touch all of you… as I have in my dreams."
"And?"
"And I want you to do the same to me… if you want to."
"Oh Baby… I want!"
He exhaled slowly then settled back against the pillows and raised his hands above his head, fingers curling around her headboard. "But you start…Explore away."
So she did, her hands starting on each side of his head, fingertips caressing his ears. No single inch of his face remained untouched as she stroked to her hearts content, finally touching him in the way she had been dreaming of for months.
When her fingers reached his full lips he couldn't resist teasing her, taking the opportunity to nip at each tip and suck them into his mouth, one by one. He was pleased to see her breathing increase beneath the cover she still held firmly in place with her elbows.
"Naughty, naughty," she chastised. Perry simply gave her a devilish grin then went after the next finger.
Della was amazed at how only the feeling of his mouth on her fingers aroused her. And his eyes on her… all of her senses were swimming. She had to stay in control. But those deep blue eyes…
~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~
Perry knew if he lived to be one hundred he would never forget Della's face at that moment… the moment she shattered for the first time beneath his touch… wonder and amazement in her eyes in the seconds before they closed…mouthing his name over and over, her delicate hands clenched in his ebony hair as her body arched and writhed beneath him…and still she continued. Higher and higher…
And he kept moving.
Faster and faster…
Her name now a mantra on his lips…
Over and over…
A loud cry… from who?
And then the universe exploded into the purest pleasure he had ever known.
~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~
Della hummed happily as hot water from the shower sluiced down her body, soothing muscles that weren't used to quite the type of workout they'd had throughout the night. Even the washcloth rubbing over her sensitized skin made her moan softly… and the thought of the handsome man still sleeping in her bed made her smile.
Between the late hour and the exertion, sleep had come easily, the exhausted lovers wrapped contentedly in each others arms. But, true to his word, Perry had kept his promise. Just before dawn Della had slowly come awake, the vivid dream she had been having become reality as Perry's hands and lips roamed all over her body.
Reluctantly Della turned off the water and stepped from the shower, knowing that she couldn't be 'too' late for work, especially since the police were sure to be hunting Perry and the missing witness he had supposedly 'hidden'. Perhaps this hadn't been the best time to begin this new phase of their relationship, but now that it was done Della wouldn't change anything about their first night together... the first of many, she hoped.
Wrapping her robe around her still damp body she moved quietly into her bedroom, pausing to stare on her way to her closet. Perry lay on his back, a contented grin on his face. One arm was thrown above his head, the other draped across his stomach. His black hair was mussed and his swollen lips were surrounded by a day's beard stubble. Della wondered how a man could look so sweet and so sexy at the same time, then realized it was because he was 'her' man… and she had no intention of ever letting him go.
She couldn't resist altering her path to stand by the bed, hand reaching out to wrap a dark curl around her finger. "I love you," she whispered. But the sun was rising in the sky and she knew she had to move. Sighing, she let the curl go and turned toward her closet.
Strong fingers clamped over her wrist and tugged. Della fell forward onto the bed and onto Perry… a very wide awake Perry. "Good morning, gorgeous!" His lips whispered across hers while his hands wandered beneath her robe.
"Good morning… chief…" Della returned his kiss fervently but tried to halt his questing fingers. "I have to get to the office," she protested half heartedly.
"I know your boss. He won't mind if you are late." Perry managed to get one shoulder of the robe halfway down her arm and his lips went to work on the exposed skin as he tried to roll her beneath him.
"Hmm… probably true." Della reluctantly pushed away from him, straightening her robe. "But someone has to be at the office when our client comes in. Peter Brunold… remember him? And our missing witness, Hazel Fenwick? Oh, and the police… We can't forget about Sergeant Holcomb."
"Damn!" Perry swore but he let her move away after one last lingering kiss. "I have a great sense of timing, don't I?"
"I thought your sense of timing was pretty darn good…" she replied saucily as she pulled a beige and brown work suit out of her closet.
"Baggage!" He mockingly glared at her then broke out into deep swells of laughter when she stuck her tongue out at him.
Perry rose from the bed and looked around for his clothes, grinning at Della when he caught her eyes raking up and down his naked body, and then realizing that all of his garments were in the den and hallway. By the time he had gathered them and returned to the bedroom Della was dressed and had applied a light makeup to her classic features. Watching her swipe lipstick across her swollen lips, he was overwhelmed with the urge to capture them again. He sighed.
"This isn't going to be easy, is it? Working when all I want to do is kiss you, touch you…"
"No…" Della agreed. "But your client…"
"Brunold will get one hundred percent of my attention. But as soon as the case is over will you go away with me? Somewhere we can give all our attention to… us?"
Della reached up to straighten the tie Perry had just put on. "I'd like that VERY much, counselor… so we'd better get busy and get this case solved, hmm?"
This time Perry simply couldn't resist the urge to taste her lips once more. Della responded to his kiss eagerly but when it threatened to get out of hand she broke away then reached for a tissue to wipe away the traces of color left on Mason's face.
"You do realize that if you keep doing this you are going to have to give me a makeup allowance?" Della asked saucily as she dabbed at the stains on his mouth. "I sense my lipstick usage is about to go up exponentially."
Perry just grinned, a sexy boyish grin that melted Della's heart and seriously tempted her to throw caution to the wind and invite Perry back to her bed immediately. 'Focus, Della!'
"Anything I need to do this morning?" She tried to drag them both back into work mode.
"Just keep the wolves at bay. I'm going to grab a shower and shave and change then I'll be in the office."
Della's fingers played over his stubble. "I don't know… I think you would look even sexier with a beard, if that's possible."
"Maybe someday I'll grow one for you. Now as much as I want to stay here with you, we have a client to represent. You take my car and I'll catch a taxi."
"Okay… oh… your hat…" Della's eyes searched the floor. "What happened to it?"
"It's here somewhere…" While Della walked to the other side of the room to check the floor Perry flipped back the covers on the bed. "Uh oh…"
"Oh NO!" Della exclaimed, rising up from the opposite side of the mattress with her fur coat in her hand, rescued from where it had apparently been ejected from the bed sometime during the course of the night to see Perry picking up a flat felt blob from the middle of the mattress. "I'm so sorry!"
"Well I'm not," Perry replied ruefully. "You looked damn sexy in my hat."
"I will buy you a new one."
"I don't think it would make any difference, baby." For just looking at the smashed remains of his hat was causing a particular reaction in his body. "I don't think I'll ever be able to wear a hat again without thinking about you… how you look wearing my hat… especially how you look wearing my hat and nothing else."
Della tossed her coat over a chair as she moved toward him then took the flattened material from Perry's hands and turned it over and over. "Maybe it could be fixed?" She pushed the crown back up so that the piece was actually recognizable as a hat again. "Or maybe not…" Sadly, the structure of the fedora had been broken down. She smiled ruefully at Perry.
"I think the end result was worth the loss." His hand was reaching out for her.
"Oh really?" Della grinned sassily as she popped the hat down on her head once again, smiling in her usual charming way, not even slightly aware at that moment of the reaction her action was causing inside the man standing in front of her.
But seconds later… she knew… oh how she knew!
