Chapter 22

Clark had built a fire to take the chill off of the room. Lois shrugged out of Clark's tuxedo jacket, slipping it over a chair back, and came to stand beside him in front of the hearth.

"Jimmy and Chloe told me the big secret you've been keeping."

"Big secret?" He tensed.

"About our wedding. About the love spell. About how once we'd discovered that we were under a spell, we agreed to get to know each other better before making love again."

"Oh. . . that secret."

"I wish you would have told me."

"Yeah, I wish I would have thought of that . . . of telling you that, I mean." He just wished that Jimmy and Chloe would have thought to enlighten him. "Are you upset with me?

"Not at all. I think it's romantic and chivalrous. Everything makes sense now."

"Everything?"

"Your distance--your discomfort and the way you avoid intimacy, and sleep on the couch. I mean, we're newlyweds. We should be at it like bunnies."

"Uh huh."

"You were afraid that I would be upset that we got closer while I took a vacation from me. I get that now."

"Jimmy and Chloe tell you that too?"

"No, I figured that on my own. Something you said earlier about feeling like you were betraying me. I really get it. But I swear, I won't be angry later. And I won't feel compromised."

"Can I get that in writing?"

"I have a better way to seal a bargain."

Slipping her arms about his neck, she snared his lips in a seductive kiss. Slowly, deliberately, she leaned against him, first her hips and then the peaks of her thinly-clad breast, rousing his hot blood to boiling. Clark strove hard to convince himself that he had the discipline to withstand her assault. If not for the tidal waves coursing tumultuously through his veins, and crashing in ever strengthening swells of excitement against the crumbling walls of his restraint, he might have succeeded.

His fingers played at the back of her gown as his mouth feasted on her sweetness, searching, devouring, awakening sensual pleasures for them both. They were so drunk on the wine of desire, she barely noticed when her gown began to loosen and slip down between their bodies, exposing her breasts. His lips left hers, and she trembled as he trailed kisses down the sensitive column of her throat. His dark head dipped lower still toward the fullness of her breasts, and she caught her breath at the ecstasy he aroused. The flames of passion licked upward, suffusing her body with a fiery heat.

Her teeth nibbled at his ear, stoking the liquid fire that burned through his veins like molten lava. He hardly noticed as she reached into his trousers and pulled the tail of his shirt free, and loosened the studs of his shirt. Lois placed her hands on his hard, flat belly, sliding them upward over his ribs and chest, caressingly, tauntingly, feeling the heavy thud of his heart beneath her palm. The lightest brush of her fingertips fueled the fires of desire, and Clark was like a man on a slowly turning rack of intense pleasure, being stretched to the very limits of his control.

"L-Lois"

"Mmmmm?"

"We can't do this."

"Yes we can."

She pushed him back toward the couch and he crashed into it. She let her dress slither down the length of her body, and it slid to the floor in a whisper. Clothed now in only her lacy black panties and stiletto heels, she climbed on top of him, straddling him. She captured his mouth with hers and resumed her assault of seduction. He raked his large hand through the tangle of curls piled atop her head, knocking the pins free, causing her hair to cascade around them like a silken curtain. His other hand caressed her thigh, traveling to her tight, shapely buttocks. He cupped her bottom in his large hands and gathered her to him, lifting her, shifting his weight, and as he did so, she felt his rigid erection brush against her, causing her panties to dampen. She groaned low in her throat and swiveled her pelvis bringing her into contact with his erection once again, causing him to growl in response.

The phone rang.

"Don't answer it." Lois pleaded breathlessly.

"Answer what? He responded, still dazed by onslaught of her lips, and the scalding heat of her kisses.

Clark and Lois ignored the phone as the answering machine picked up, squaking a greeting and instructions.

"Clark, this is mom. Please pick up." Martha's tone instantly doused their ardor.

Clark tried to control his breathing before answering the phone.

"Mom, what's wrong?"