Chapter 19

They found the miniature golf course and braved the stares of the teen attendant when he wondered why they were there. Mac chose a green ball for herself, miffed that it was Kelly green and not Marine green. She insisted that AJ had to have the navy blue ball and he agreed with an amused chuckle. He also agreed to let her keep the scorecard.

"Ladies first," he told her on the first tee. This first one was a simple L, and Mac's putt landed three feet from the hole. She seemed pleased with this, and with a smile, AJ stepped up to show her how a real golfer handled himself.

Assuming a standard stance, he prepared to hit the ball. Mid-swing, Mac called out, "AJ!" sharply.

He stopped his swing with the club in the air above his head and glared at her. Didn't she know you never interrupt someone mid-swing? "What?" he demanded.

"Darling, this is a 20 FOOT drive, not a 200 YARD one!" she informed him with a smirk.

It was then that AJ realized he was about to hit the tiny ball out of the miniature course and into the hamburger stand across the street! Grinning sheepishly he 'powered-down' his swing and hit the ball. It was still too hard and instead of rounding the corner like he had intended it bounced back almost to his feet….AJ glared at the ball as if it had somehow done this on purpose, and Mac lost it! She was laughing so hard that tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"It's NOT funny!" AJ growled.

"Yes, it is!" she gasped out.

"Remember I out rank you!"

"Not here, you don't-unless you mean that you look like a rank amateur compared to me?"

"I'll remember that when you're giving me my back rub!" he declared again and hit the ball with enough force that it jumped the little six-inch rail and went into the water of the next hole's trap.

She laughed outright at him, and marked down another stroke!

By mid-game, Mac was fifty-three strokes ahead, and AJ was not happy. However, his spirits lifted on the tenth hole. This was the one with the swinging pole that would go back and forth over the hole, blocking the ball's access. Mac could just not get her timing right with the pole and ended up using twenty-two strokes to AJ's three on that hole.

Concentrating on his game with determination not to lose, AJ still came up short. Mac had beaten him by forty-seven strokes! He was not quite sure how it had happened, but after seeing the pleased look on her face, AJ couldn't stay upset. He did, however, continue to grumble good-naturedly on the car ride back to the hotel that it had not been 'real' golf!

They entered the room, and Mac asked if he wanted to give her the back rub before or after lunch. AJ suggested that they order room service, and he could get started while they waited for it to arrive. Agreeing, Mac picked up the menu and chose what she wanted before handing it over to AJ. After the call was placed, Mac handed him some of her favorite lotion that she had brought with her and then told him, "Turn around a minute, AJ."

He looked at her suspiciously and inquired, "Why?"

"Because I want to take off my shirt before I lay down, you didn't think I was going to have you put the lotion on my shirt, did you?" she asked with a smirk.

Sighing, he turned his back to her; this was going to be much harder than he had thought it would be. Forty-seven minutes of touching the woman he loved was one thing….doing it with no cloth between his hands and her back was going to be much more difficult.

"I'm ready," she called softly, once she was lying on the bed on her tummy with her head pillowed in her arms.

AJ could see the sides of her generous breasts when he turned and approached the bed. He had been right this was going to be hard…so was he!

To be continued….