CHAPTER 14

Sue had finished the omelets, and had sat in the chair, near the front window, to enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning sun. She saw Jack start down the hall from the corner of her eye. She tried not to look, but it was too tempting. The magazine she was glancing through dipped down just enough to reveal his entire figure walking down the hall. He had a pair of sweats on and had barely buffed his hair out, it wasn't combed yet. He had taken the time to shave, and splash on some cologne. His head was bent toward the floor somewhat, yet his eyes never left hers. He was teasing her, tempting her. She made a mental note to make him, at some point, pay for that.

"Feel better?" She asked, getting up from the chair and walking toward the kitchen for breakfast.

"Much." Jack said, picking a dish up and starting to put his food on it. Sue turned to get the juice out of the fridge. He placed the plate back on the counter and turned toward her. As she turned toward him, he took the juice bottle from her hands and placed it on the counter.

"Thank you…" She said. He took her free hand in his, not saying a word. He shut the fridge door, and pushed her up against the wall, gently pressing his body against hers. He could feel her tense in his arms. His free hand went to her cheek, brushing her hair from her face.

"Jack…?" Sue began. He put his finger across her lips to shush her. He didn't say a word. He leaned forward, placing his lips over hers. She responded immediately with both her lips and body. Jack deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue into her mouth, exploring it. Their actions mirrored the others. Their passion increased with every movement. Jack pulled her into his arms, holding her tight to his bare chest. Her hands reached out and pressed onto his flesh, wandering more than she'd planned. He gasped at the touch of her fingernails raking over his nipples. Jack suddenly, yet lovingly ended the kiss, pushing himself from her weakened body. He looked her deep in the eye, and cleared his throat.

"One of these mornings, my love, that dream of yours will become a reality." He said with a wide smile.

Sue's mouth hung open, shocked at his kissing her, and his comment. She didn't miss her opportunity to make him pay.

"Is that why you needed a cold shower?" She said raising her eyebrow and smirking at him as she gathered her food.

"Yes." He said blushing slightly that she'd noticed. "It's amazing the things you do to me." He said smiling back at her. She giggled. The two walked to the couch to eat, sitting at opposite ends of the couch. The awkward feeling between the couple in the kitchen faded back into their usual strong friendship.

"We're going to gain ten pounds before this is over, you know that right?" Jack asked as he laughed.

"We'll work it off this afternoon." Sue rebutted.

"What about that huge pasta meal we had last night?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Energy for today." Sue said back at him with a "HA" look on her face. "I thought we could warm up and stretch out at the gym, then head to the ice around 1:00?" Sue suggested.

"Sounds good. We'll finish breakfast, then go." Jack said as he dug into his omelet and reached for a muffin.

Just before 1:00, the couple arrived at the rink. They casually stretched and warmed up on the ice. Each of them took turns in the open ice to do a trick or two, to get the feel for the ice. Sue noticed the speakers were still on the ice in the far corners.

At 3:00 the bands began to arrive and set up. The other skaters arrived and began to warm up. Sue and Jack took a break and observed their competition. Most of the couples were good, but Sue knew they would beat them. Randy and Randi finally arrived, but only warmed up. They did not reveal any of their routine.

"Do you think they're just skating like that on purpose?" Jack asked.

"Yup." Sue answered.

They looked at each other and smiled. Jack reached over and took her hand in his.

"You ready?" Sue asked.

"Yes- I think." He said. "You?"

"Yeah." Sue said smiling wide.

"I hope after all the work we put into this that I don't screw it up." Jack admitted.

"This is the hardest part. Once you hit the ice and the music starts, it'll just happen. Just do the routine- don't think that much about it. We'll be fine." Sue said trying to reassure Jack. She put her hand back in his and gave it a squeeze. He laced his fingers with hers and brought her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on it. Sue blushed a light shade of pink.

"We should go talk to the band, make sure the bass is up enough for you to feel it on the ice." Jack suggested.

"Good idea. Jamie told me that she will have Reba's band play part of the song during warm ups so we can judge. I will stand center ice and judge. If you want to stand next to them I can sign to you yes or no." Sue said.

"Sure. Let's go over and say hello." Jack said.

The couple headed off to the band area, making their introductions. After a few minutes of saying hello, the couple headed to grab something to eat. Sue had packed some chicken sandwiches and raw carrots, 2 oranges, trail mix, and water. Jack looked at the assortment curiously.

"What?" Sue asked.

"Just wondering about our lunch." Jack answered.

"My mom used to pack this same lunch for me when I was a little kid. There's protein to keep us going in the chicken salad and trail mix." Jack chuckled and Sue gave him a mock hurt pouty face.

"I'm sorry. Go on." Jack said, trying to make himself stop laughing.

"There's also a piece of chocolate for each of us, an energy bar, and enough water to resurface the rink between routines." She said smirking.

"Your mom?" He asked.

"Yup" Sue answered.

They sat facing each other, eating their lunch. As they ate, they would sneak peeks at each other, both getting caught more than once. Jack thought he felt like a school boy on a date on a Sunday afternoon. After their lunch, they took a stroll around the building, getting some much needed fresh air. When he was pretty sure he was away from prying eyes, Jack leaned Sue against the wall and kissed her softly. He smiled when she kissed him back. He wrapped her in a tight hug, kissing her on the cheek then the neck. One last quick kiss on the lips, and they were headed back inside.

"I've wanted to do that all day." Jack said smiling at her.

"Well you better make sure you control that INSIDE the building. We're going to be surrounded by half of the FBI today, someone's bound to notice!" Sue playfully scolded.

"Yeah, Lucy!" Jack answered laughing.

They went back in and stretched out some, using slide mats to stay loose without having to be on the ice.

The show began at 7. At 5:30, they changed into their costumes. Sue did her hair and makeup and Jack gathered up all his accessories. Jack waited in their assigned space back stage for Sue to come out of the dressing room. Jack was bent over tying his skates when he first noticed her. She looked like a beautiful summertime butterfly fluttering toward his direction. He froze, staring at her. His mouth fell open. She was gorgeous. As she walked into the low light of the backstage, she sparkled. Not just her outfit, but her smile too. She was happy, it was easy to see. The leotard was a royal blue with a light blue and periwinkle alternating shades which spread from a center seam to form what looked to be a butterfly. There were crystals and sequins that outlined the butterfly shape that made it shimmer as she strolled along the corridor. It was low cut and sleeveless, shadowed by more sequins. The skirt was light silky material covered in more sparkles forming the pattern seemingly made by the butterfly. She wore her favorite cross necklace and a pair of diamond stud earrings. Her hair was down, but curled. He loved her hair like that. The last time he'd seen her hair like that was the night of the ball she'd gone to with David.

"God, she's beautiful." He thought. A smile spread across his lips.