After drama, there's steam. No other way to put. If you don't like it, don't read it….

Chapter 6

" I could seriously use a drink now. "

It had taken him half an hour to be admitted to his own penthouse. The concierge had asked him to fill in two forms, and had seriously wanted him to identify himself. Perry had said that he couldn't, his wallet was still inside, and that he needed a key to get in to fetch his wallet, and then he would be back to identify himself.

Following procedures, the concierge had refused that. After ten minutes of deliberating, the concierge decided to go to the frontdoor of the penthouse to open it himself, letting Perry in to get his wallet.

After he had proven he was really Perry Mason, the concierge had let him and Della in, and wished them a goodnight.

She laughed at the situation displayed in front of her. She felt better. Perry's absence had given her some time to think and calm down, though this also brought on more confusing questions. Walking up and down the cool hallway of the appartmentbuilding, she had been thinking how much she still loved him. How much she had really missed him, and how very attractive he still was to her. What if the struggle that had drifted them apart could also get them together again? He had obviously missed her too.

So what if he had gone through great lengths to get her this present, so what if he had planned it all? Maybe this was the right time for her to let go of control, maybe it was time to add some extra memories to the files? She didn't know.

What she did know, is that she felt better with every minute she was around him. What did this mean? What did it mean that she actually hadn't booked a hotelroom, but only made an incomplete reservation just in case? Did this make sense? Was she really driving home tonight? Or did she really want to be with him tonight? And what did that mean?

And did that really matter?

She hated the confusion. She decided to let go, and just watched him, as if they had never been apart. It made her feel better.

" My dear God. How's that for following procedures? " he grunted, leaning his forehead against the frontdoor. He grinned when he heard her holding back her laughter. It must have been quite a spectacle to her.

" What? " he playishly pretended to be offended.

She laughed her chuckles out loud now. " Oh, you just should have seen your own face…and his. And we must have been looking like a couple of idiots…, you barefoot, me with my crying eyes. "

" The look on his face….." he laughed out loud with her.

" He sure has a story to tell at home tonight..." She leaned back against the dining table and put her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with laughter.

Her chuckles, how he had missed her chuckles. It touched him deeply to have the sound of them in his house, her humour filled the empty spaces he had experienced here, gave him more room to breath. He quickly whiped away two tears, and just stood there, marvelling at the delicious sounds of her laughter and her matching breathtaking beauty. How the hell had he coped without her all this time?

She stopped laughing when she noticed he stood close to her, and she looked up to his face. The gentle blue eyes stared a very familiair stare. It made her feel warm, a kind of warmth she hadn't felt for a long time.

He took her hands, and kissed her fingers. He was surprised she accepted this intimate touch from him. But then she drew his hands to her and kissed them before pressing them to her forehead. She avoided his eyes now, she knew they'd be questioning. She decided to answer an unasked question.

" I don't want to be lonely anymore, Perry. I've been alone for too long. "

" What are you saying? " He leaned down next to her.

" I think we should talk about us. "

" Yes. We should. Now?"

" Yes, now. Is that okay? "

" Of course. "

" And we have tomorrow, "

" Yes, we have tomorrow, and you have to tell me what you want to do tomorrow. I know you stopped counting after thirty-nine, but it still is your birthday. "

" Don't you have to work tomorrow? "

" No."

So he had really planned it all. She would have to get used to this again. It made her feel dizzy.

" Are you all right? " His eyes close to hers.

" I am, Perry. " Her hand on his arm.

" So, let's talk about us. Where do we start? " His hand on hers.

" I don't know. Can you first just hold me for a while? "

" My God, Della, can I hold you for a while? I can hold you forever..."

He stood up and took her hands again, and pulled them to him to wrap her arms around him. She sighed, and moaned a little. His warmth, his scent. His chin on her head. She really had missed this.

Dwelling in the softness he felt in his arms, he forced her to look into his eyes. He knew he shouldn't, but he did. Leaning towards her face, he kissed her lips lightly, slowly, tentative, then drew back to see her reaction. Her eyes were closed, and he moved forward for one kiss, another, and another, lightly brushing her lips. A longer kiss, as he was holding her face now. Then she suddenly dropped her hands as her shoulders started to shake. Kissing her cheek he tasted the salt of her tears and he rest his chin on her head again. He moved his arms around her to embrace all of her completely, and swayed gently from one side to the other, waiting patiently until her sobbing would subside. She cried to his shoulder, silently allowing five year old tears to surface. Allowing him to spill some of his own without her noticing.

He kissed her temple a few times while he let her cry. He could easily stand like this the whole night, swaying, comforting her and holding her close.

Still hiding in his arms, she finally felt the strong tension and the need for control were leaving her body.

" I've missed you, " she whispered. " I've had so many lonely days and nights, I've felt so empty, Perry. I couldn't get back to you. I thought you wouldn't let me. "

He whispered to her. " Della, my Della. I … I couldn't, I thought I'd ruined it all. I… I was…." Too much emotions, too overwhelming. " I love you. We'll find a way. We will work this out…" He held her tight to him, and felt her moving her head to the side to rest on his chest. She sighed while she listened to him, his heart beating its rythm, his breathing deepened and calmed down.

" Hold me. It's been so long. "

" Far too long. " He placed soft kisses in her curls, while she rest her hands at the small of his back. They still swayed, dancing to music that wasn't there. Songs playing in their minds. Time passed.

He felt her relaxing against his chest. Loosening his grip on her, he rubbed her back and massaged her shoulders. It made her moan softly. He looked into her eyes. Something in their state slowly changed, her breathing heavied a little. She moved to give him more room to do what he was doing to her, closed her eyes again, giving him the opportunity to watch her face shamelessly in detail. Indeed, time had just added some soft lines to her face, and the lovely little lines next to her eyes touched him. He had to love her, he couldn't help himself. How could he have let her go?

He brought his hands up from her shoulders to hold her face and kiss her soft lips. Gentle. Sensuous, long kisses, nibbling her lips one by one, tracing hers with his own, brushing his face to her cheeks, he made her sigh. She smiled. The voices in the back of her mind told her this was good. It was okay.

" I better take you to your hotel… " His voice was stable, but underneath his skin his blood was racing through his veins. His need for her was old fasionedly fierce and about to take over, but he couldn't take the chance, not now.

" Maybe not…" What was she saying?

" I really should…" Determined not to ruin it this time.

" I don't think so…" What was she saying?

" Look at me… what are you saying? "

His heart burst when she opened her eyes to him slowly. In the dim light, he could see her darkbrown glinsten from the tears she had cried, and now they smoldered with desire as well as promise. This look took them back in time. Some things hadn't changed. A familiar sparkle in her eyes reached his groin.

They both gasped. Years had just evaporated into thin air.

He was not taking her to her hotel. At all.

Her hands travelled up to his chest, and curled around his neck to touch the hairs above his collar, then went back down to her own collar. Lingering his hands down to the small of her back, he looked into her eyes to see where he was going to start what they were about to dance into. But the answer was not in her eyes. He lowered his gaze, because the answer was there.

She was unbuttoning her blouse.

He kissed her, to feel her face tilting to the side as an invitation to deepen their kiss. She breathed into his mouth when he sought acces to hers with his tongue, to feel her and taste her sweetness. Her taste was so familiair it aroused him, he growled softly, slowly pulling up her blouse from her skirt to touch the silk skin he knew was there. She gasped at the touch of his hands on her bare skin, he moved his hands up to unclasp her bra. His demanding mouth left hers and trailed down to find the sensitive flesh of her neck, kissing her there, leaving bitemarks, while moving his hands over her arms one by one to slide off her blouse and the straps of her bra.

She pulled his face to hers again to feel and taste more of his kiss, and pushed her body against his to feel his arousel. Breathing heavily, she unbuttoned his shirt, while she locked her eyes on his, that were darkening. Of their own record, her hands slowly moved down to his belt to open it and unzip his pants to give him room. She fondled him, eliciting him to groan, which she remembered to be the start of delightful loss of control. She watched his handsome face as he closed his eyes, and held back his head to enjoy what she was doing to him.

Flashbacks of places where this had happened before. His desk, her desk, his bed, her bed, couches, her kitchen, his kitchen, bathroomfloors, hotels, cars. Memories of his body entangled with hers, to have, to hold. Losing control, slowly, but inevitably.

He held her on her upperarms to gently push her against the wall behind her. He kissed her deeply, roaming his hands all over her body, then following his hands with his mouth, tasting all of her, until he felt she was witless in his arms. He was all around her now, claimed her completely, cupping her breasts in his hands, her hands running through his hair, moaning, wanting more. His mouth continued caressing her, while his hands unzipped her skirt and pushed it down to the floor. Stepping out of it, she took his hands to let him lead her to his bedroom. On their way to his bed, they lost his shirt, her stockings, his pants, her panties, his briefs. He held her to him, as a treasure, felt her bare skin to his, kissing her hard, losing track of everything around them.

Time and place were no longer required now and so they vanished. " I want you Perry…," she breathed to his ear, " …take me…I want to feel you inside of me..."

He lay her down on the covers of his bed, not bothering to close curtains or switch on lights. Just her, her desire, her skin, her sighs, her pleasure, here and now, and more of her, now.

His hands went up and down her trembling body, his mouth kissing, biting, licking, touching her everywhere, no exceptions made, no rules, no boundaries, no fear, just skin on skin, now heated, burning. The sweetest battle and he was winning. She melted into him while his mouth devoured her, moving his tongue, he felt her nails digging into his shoulders. He parted her legs with his to have her again and completely.

Dazzled from her touch, her scent, her taste, her sounds, he sank into her warmth.

Upon his entering, her release was instant and strong. A deep cry escaped her chest. She pushed her nails in his upperarms, and sighed his name, and again and again.

Strongly withholding his urge to move, he marvelled at her reclaiming consciousness. It took her minutes.

" Has it been that long? " he whispered, his voice had left him. There was a lump in his throat. Not sure where it had come from, he swallowed it.

" You were the last…" a tear fell from her still closed eyes, and he kissed it away. Then she opened her eyes to him, and whispered. " I could never give myself completely to someone else. You were always there…."