Can I Ask You A Question
It had been a truly wonderful afternoon together for Liv and Fitz. From their shortly enjoyed morning coffee, to spending time together out on the beach, to him cooking her a fantastic late lunch. Even now, she could hear him puttering around her kitchen, washing the dishes and putting them away. He had insisted on doing the cleanup, saying it was part of his new full package maid service debt he owed her.
So, she had left him to it.
Her full belly was making it difficult to keep her eyes open. Grabbing a square blue couch pillow, she laid down on her side and curled her little body into a ball. She was out in seconds.
When Fitz had finished with the kitchen, he made some coffee and poured two mugs. He knew better than to even glance at the saltshaker as he poured. With a big proud smile on his face, he went into the living room where Liv was probably reading more of her book.
The sight of her sleeping peacefully in a little ball of cuteness had his heart skipping again. Putting the mugs down on the coffee table, Fitz stood in front of her sleeping form admiringly. Here she was, sound asleep, breathing in and out through her mouth with her dainty little hands neatly tucked under the blue pillow. It was the most mundane thing that every human being did like clockwork.
Somehow, it didn't look mundane when Liv slept. It looked like a piece of art that should be displayed in a gallery. She was truly beautiful, and completely at peace.
His hand itched to touch her soft skin. It moved – almost as if of its own volition – towards her face, before he realized what was happening and dropped it immediately to his side. The movement was so quick, the palm of his hand actually slapped his outer thigh. The sound seemed so much louder to his own ears.
His eyes doubled in size and his brained screamed "IDIOT!"
Liv's body stirred slightly, and she sighed.
Fitz stopped breathing.
She would definitely think he was a creep for looking at her while she slept.
When her eyes stayed closed, and his body told him he was in the clear; that it was indeed safe to breathe now, he inhaled through his nose. That had been too close!
The faded yellow thin throw hanging over the back of the couch behind her caught his eye. Very carefully, he draped it over her body and smiled again. She looked as comfortable, and content as could be.
As much as he wanted to continue watching her, he decided on something else. Very quietly, he carried the mugs back into the kitchen, and poured her coffee down the drain. After washing the lone mug and putting it into the drainer, he saw a magnetized memo pad on her fridge and brought it and his mug to the table. He began making a list as he emptied his cup.
When his clean mug was sitting in the drainer beside hers, Fitz scribbled a note to Liv – in case she woke up before he got back - took the list he had made, and quietly tiptoed upstairs to grab his shoes and car keys. Taking the outside route to avoid waking Liv up from her nap, he walked to his car and drove to the grocery store.
Taking his time, he smelled and thumped produce for freshness and spoke to the man working in the meat department for the best cut of steak. He knew he'd be cooking all the meals for the next few days, so he bought enough food for that. Remembering Liv's request for something other than seafood, he made sure to buy only enough for one more meal consisting of it. When everything was in his cart and he was making his way towards the cash registers to pay, he saw a small floral department inside the store. Thinking again of the sleeping ball of beautiful female on the couch, Fitz smiled and veered his cart in the direction of the fragrance calling to him.
He had no idea what her favorite flower was or if she even had one. On a whim, he ended up with a pretty arrangement of pale pink peonies. They looked delicate and feminine, just like Liv. He put them into the front of his buggy and went to pay for everything. With all his purchases in the backseat, he turned on the radio in his car. His baritone voice began singing along, as he eagerly headed back to the beach house.
After carefully and creatively gathering all his bags in his hands, to only make one trip, he locked his car and once again went into the house from the steps outside that led to his space. Quietly as he could, Fitz set the floral arrangement on the counter, and began putting everything away in an orderly fashion.
As he was finishing up the task, he heard the door that connected the top floor from the bottom one open. Peering around the kitchen doorway, he saw Liv leave the door open, yawn, and make her way towards the noises she had heard from below.
She caught his smile from the door frame.
"Sleepyhead is awake." Fitz teased.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep on you, but I was out like a light after that amazing lunch!"
He lifted his arms, and his fingertips gripped the top of the white doorless frame. It was the only thing he could think of doing to keep from touching her. "I'm glad you liked it."
It was hard to keep her eyes from traveling up and down his long lean body as he stood there all stretched out. Even so, his fuzzy navel poked out from the bottom of his shirt, and she became fixated on that for a little longer than necessary. When her eyes finally lifted to his, he was grinning at her.
She felt like an idiot. And then she realized that he didn't care that she was checking him out. He seemed to be moving past his walls of self-perseverance. That was interesting. There were a lot more walls she wanted to see if he had dropped, but now didn't seem like the right time.
The silence was deafening.
She moved to the archway he was currently displaying his long lean body with and leaned against the side of the frame.
Think of something to say!
Nothing came to mind. Averting her gaze from his, Liv glanced around the room, seeing the plastic grocery store bags on the counter. "Looks like you made good use of your time while I napped. You get anything good?"
"I did." He stated proudly. "I got a couple of beautiful steaks, some chicken breasts, and some mahi-mahi. As requested."
"Wow! Once again, I'm impressed. And excited about what you'll be doing with all of that." Her eyes landed on the pretty pink flowers, and she felt herself soften even more. "Those flowers will make a nice centerpiece for the table."
Fitz let go of the door frame and turned his body toward the pink bouquet. "Actually...I bought those for you."
That soft feeling grew even bigger. It made her feel like she would melt right through the floor. She watched him walk to the counter, gently pick them up, and hand them to her as she stayed glued in place. Flicking her eyes up to his, she reached to take them from him. Their hands touched and she held on to his fingers. Keeping her eyes on his, she put her nose into the flowers and inhaled deeply. They were so fragrant.
"These are beautiful. Thank you. But how did you know that peonies are my favorite?" She asked.
"Fate?" he joked.
"Naturally, I didn't know which ones you liked." He admitted. "They just...reminded me of you."
This was something different. "How did a bouquet of flowers remind you of me?"
He brushed a stray curl from her cheek, letting his fingers linger there. In a hushed tone, he asked, "how could they not? They are beautiful, feminine, and smell amazing. Some of them are closed, and they are still pretty to look at, but the ones that are opened are much more interesting and you can see all the delicate layers that lead to the real beauty on the inside."
Who says stuff like that to a woman, Liv wondered before she remembered to breathe. "You really know your flowers, huh?"
Again, in a low voice, he gave her an honest answer. "Not really, but I do feel like I learn more about you every day. I'm happy to add your favorite flower to the list."
She smiled shyly, dropping her gaze down to the amazing smelling pink bouquet in her hand. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? She felt like a middle school girl who just got stopped to talk in the hall by her crush. There was no way she could look at him right now. It would just have to be weird for a minute.
Not liking the fact that he had lost her attention, but sensing something more was happening at the moment, Fitz closed the gap between them. Without speaking, he leaned one arm just above her head on the door frame Liv was propped up against. Their bodies were flush against one another. He hoped she wouldn't be able to hear his heart pounding or sense the nervousness coursing through his veins at warp speed.
Her shaky intake of breath told him all he needed to know. She was as nervous as he was. Somehow that was as much a comfort as it was charming to him, and it brought a little smile to his face. Dipping his head slightly, he raised his index finger, put it under her chin, and slowly lifted her face upward.
The nerves were still apparent, but once they made eye contact, they disappeared completely for both of them.
Liv stared up into his bottomless blue eyes. It felt like he was looking into her soul at that moment. Like they were having a whole unspoken conversation with their locked eyes. Weird was long gone. This was intense yet incredibly settling at the same time. It was hot as hell too!
Although she didn't want this moment to end, she quietly asked, "what is fate telling you now?" as she continued to stare into his eyes.
Without hesitating Fitz's low baritone informed her of the answer. "To kiss you."
That was the answer she had been hoping for, but she still had to work to stave off the strangled sound that threatened to bubble up from her throat. Feeling bolder, she replied, "you know what they say about tempting fate..."
She had fallen right into his trap. Or had he fallen into hers? In his estimation, the end result was the same, so it didn't really matter who was caught. It was happening.
"Mmmmm. Never a good idea." He brushed his thumb across her cheek as he licked his lips and lowered his head even more.
Four eyes closed in unison, and two bodies pressed even closer together, anxious for another kiss. Once their lips brushed against each other, it felt like a gentle breeze on a warm spring day. It was light, soft, and all encompassing.
Neither one of them felt the least bit rushed. There wasn't any pawing at each other, demanding more. Now! Instead, the tender kiss had them both feeling content to share an intimate moment together. It was wonderful, exciting, and completely blissful.
Olivia broke the kiss, remembering Fitz's words about not being in a hurry to see what happened next. "Wow." she breathed out smiling. "That was..."
"Can I ask you a question?" He interrupted, holding onto her waist. "And you'll tell me the honest truth?"
Taken slightly aback, Liv nodded and said, "of course."
Clenching his jaw, Fitz put his cards on the table. "I don't know how to say this without coming right out and saying it. I want you. Right now."
She stared at him. Hard. Surely, he hadn't just said what she'd perfectly well heard him say? Blinking rapidly, trying to process his words, Liv stammered. "I... thought we were... taking our time?"
"Oh, we're going to take our time." He assured her, as he rubbed his nose against hers. "Lots and lots of time."
The groan couldn't be suppressed this time. She had no doubt he would be thorough at pleasing them both. And she believed he probably had energy for hours. It was both a thrill and slightly terrifying. Her sarcastic side had something to say about it all. "That wasn't really a question, was it?"
He gave her a lopsided grin and kissed her until she forgot what they were talking about. "Do you want to go in the other room with me and see what happens?"
Getting up on her tip toes she kissed him again, grinning to herself when she felt his grip tighten on her waist. She started tugging him towards his bedroom as she poured herself into the kiss and murmured, "mmmhmm!"
A/N- I'm so sorry for not getting this wrapped up in the season in which I started it. I'm mortally embarrassed by that. I'm giving 2 chapters as my way of an apology for being so lax. I've already started on the final chapter, so this should be finished by the end of this month. Thank you to anyone still reading this story.