Chapter 13

Walking into her apartment, Elise dropped her bag by the door and laid her keys on the table in the hall. Finding the TV remote, she turned on the TV just to have some noise. In the kitchen she checked the refrigerator and grabbed a Coke. Leaning against the counter she popped the top and took a long swallow.

Looking around she noticed for the first time how cold and austere her apartment was. Stainless steel appliances - easy to clean, pots and pans out of sight, one dish in the drain board with one glass. Looking through the doorway back into the living room, there was only a couch, a table and a TV with stand visible. Walking towards door she could see her stereo on the bookcase with her books, laptop on the coffee table.

And that was all. There was nothing of HER in this apartment. No pictures on the walls, a stereo but no CDs, no bric-a-brac. It was as if no one lived here. She slept here, ate here on occasion...but that was all. And that had seemed enough until John. Her time with him showed her how empty her life had been. Her job with Zoe met her financial needs. The apartment met the barest of needs for shelter...but she had no life ...except her job. She went nowhere, had no friends, no hobbies, unless going to the gun range and working out at the tai-kwon do gym, counted as hobbies. She seldom spoke to anybody at those places. Even her sparing partners were wary of her; she was very fast with her hands and feet. She hit hard and with purpose, all the time. More often than not she worked out with the bag...less talking.

Walking into the living room she sat down on the couch. Putting her Coke on the table and turning on her laptop, she pulled off her boots. She checked her email and found she had four, all from Zoe, all work related. No friends sending her jokes or family sending chatty emails..,just work. Shutting the laptop, she grabbed the remote, turned off the TV and leaned back on the couch. What was it about John Reese that made her look at everything differently? She'd lived here for two, almost three years, never had a problem, never felt the need for company. She was happy in her aloneness but now she questioned her whole existence!

Swallowing the last drop of Coke she crushed the can with her hand. 'Damn it! I don't like having someone else affect my life! I was fine! I had control of ME, I relied on ME, I was responsible for ME! What changed? Why isn't that enough anymore?' Slamming the crushed can down on the table Elise got up and started pacing, back and forth from her kitchen to the living room and back again.

'I didn't need anybody! People lie! People cheat! People are undependable! If there's just YOU and things foul up...you know who's to blame...YOU! I took care of myself! I beat just about anybody's ASS I wanted to! I could walk away from anyone or anything, anytime I wanted. I didn't owe anybody anything! I didn't NEED anybody!' She almost yelled. Standing there with fists clenched and breathing hard, she let out a big sigh. 'What happened? What changed? Why did it change?'

Turning back to the couch she plopped down and buried her face in her hands, elbows on her knees. 'John...John happened.' Uncovering her eyes and leaning her chin on her hands she looked around her apartment. 'It's like he's opened my eyes all the way. I was only half seeing my life….because I was only half living it!' Shaking her head she finally gave into the feelings she'd been fighting all day. She was a different person when she was with John. Totally and completely different. No subterfuge, no 'mask', no pretending, no keeping everyone at arms' length. She'd never been a dependent person but she found herself wanting to lean on him, be comforted by him. He seemed to meet her needs without having to ask. He knew them intuitively and he met those needs but never made her feel less than his equal.

Smiling to herself she felt the insane urge to run out the door and run back to the loft as fast as possible. She had been away from John for too long! Going to her bedroom she grabbed a duffle bag and threw in some under clothes and some jeans and t-shirts and another jacket. In the bathroom she grabbed her own toiletries and stuffed them down into the duffle bag. She was suddenly so eager to be gone she couldn't pack fast enough. Grabbing her weapons bag by the door where she'd dropped it, she turned around and looked at her apartment. 'I don't ever want to come back here to this again, at least not alone!' Slamming the door behind her, she almost trotted down the hall on her way back to John.

John opened the door to the loft with great difficulty. His arms were loaded down with the items he'd purchased on the way home. Placing the grocery bags on the counter in the kitchen, he put the bag of ice in the sink. He looked around and was happy to find the ice chest that he remembered seeing. One of the grocery bags was filled with two six packs of beer. Heineken for him and Mich Ultra for Elise. He smiled to himself thinking, 'You gotta love a woman who loves her beer.' He iced down the beer in the cooler and moved it to the side.

Grabbing the sheets off the bed and the towels from the bathroom he threw them in the washing machine and turned it on. His military background did not allow him the luxury of an untidy living space. He finished cleaning the kitchen area and the bathroom and took a break while waiting for the laundry to finish. Grabbing a cold beer he walked over to the wall of windows and sat down in the one he and Elise had 'enjoyed' the night before. Looking out on the city he was once again amazed at the people he could see from his vantage point, going about their day to day activities. Each one had their own story, their own pain and happiness. Each one was content to live in their own little world.

His world however, had been flipped on its axis since that night on a NYC street when Elise announced her presence with the screech of tires and the smell of gunfire and burning rubber. He had been knocked off balance by the sheer force of her personality and he wasn't quite sure he was back on level ground yet. After much pushing and shoving between them, they seemed to have found an equilibrium.

John felt he had been in a good place before she exploded into his life. He had a job that for once felt like it was good and fit him perfectly. He was doing what needed to be done, when it needed to be done, by any means. The 'rightness' of what he and Harold had begun resonated deeply within him. He could give himself completely to his job. No outside distractions...just the job and his growing respect and friendship with Harold...that was all he needed.

And then, somehow this spitfire had wormed her way into his thoughts and his dreams. He didn't want to have anyone he'd have to be responsible for, watch over, worry about! His job gave him that with the numbers the Machine kicked out. But then he'd find himself thinking about Elise, wondering what case she was working on, was she safe, did she have backup, what if her gun jammed, what if the client was too big for her to handle? Those thoughts made him angry. He liked being in control and he was now he was having no luck at all controlling his thoughts and he was fighting it tooth and nail. 'I don't need her around. I work better alone. I can only depend on myself. She needs to stay away or I need to stay away from her!' He frowned, leaning his head against the window. But that thought gave him pause. He knew he would never be able to stay away from her. He needed her, needed her strength, her heart, her humor, her smile, he NEEDED her in his life. This last thought made him smile. 'Never thought I'd need anyone ever again! Apparently I was wrong.'

Draining the beer he stood up and made his way to the washing machine to move the sheets and towels to the dryer. Reaching for his phone he called Elise, needing to hear her voice...

Using the key that John had given her, Elise put it into the keyhole but before she could turn it, John opened the door. Her breath caught in her throat just looking at him. So tall and those blue eyes that pulled her in and held her captive were sparkling to match his beautiful smile. She found herself returning that smile and she felt tingly all over.

Hearing Elise's key in the door, John hung up the phone and leapt to the door and opened it before she could turn the key. Standing there with a duffle bag almost as big as she was hanging over one shoulder and the other arm holding her weapons bag, John gave her a huge smile. "I never thought I'd be glad to see someone show up at my door with a bag full of guns, but I'm glad you're here." He reached for the weapons bag to take it from her but quickly remembered what happened last time he tried that, and changed direction, slipping the duffle bag off her shoulder and telling her to come in.

Walking in, Elise was surprised how clean and neat everything was. When she'd left this morning there was evidence of their...activities...all over the loft. But now the bed was made with fresh linens. The towels that had been on the floor by the windows were gone, and there was actually food in the kitchen. But the most surprising change was a small bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table, a multitude of colors overflowing the small vase holding them. It was so unexpected she stopped short to stare. Looking from the bouquet, to John and back again she finally smiled and shook her head slightly. 'This is a different John Reese that I've never met before!'

John walked over to the armoire and placed the duffle bag down beside it, saying, "You can put your clothes in here if you want, I moved out the 'safe house' clothes so there's room now for your clothes". Opening the door he gestured to the empty space and the drawers at the bottom. Surprised beyond belief at this gesture and what it signified, Elise unpacked her duffle bag, carefully folding her now very wrinkled clothes. Being in such a rush to get back over to the loft she hadn't packed very neatly. Taking her tooth brush and other items to the bathroom, she was pleasantly surprised to see the bathroom also back up to spic-n-span regulation.

Meanwhile, John was on the phone placing an order. He'd just hung up when Elise came up behind him. Tentatively reaching her arms around his waist from the back, she leaned her cheek against him and sighed deeply. It felt so good to be back here with John. Turning around within the circle of her arms, John faced Elise. Taking both his hands, he cupped her face, lifting her chin until he could stare into her dark blue eyes. Taking his thumb, he traced her lips one at a time. Moving his hands from her face to her hair, he buried them in its dark depths and tilted her face back a little more so he could bend down to capture her lips for a brief kiss.

The electricity that light kiss generated was a physical thing, their bodies responded with no effort...like matching like. Tightening her arms around his waist, Elise stood on tiptoe trying to catch his mouth with hers. As the kiss deepened they were both transported to another place. Moving his hands once again, John reached down and picked Elise up and set her down on one of the kitchen stools. Moving her knees apart he stepped in as close as he could. He could feel her heat against his rigid shaft as he pressed against the apex of her thighs. Wrapping her legs around him, she pulled him even closer. Breaking the kiss, John's lips slowly traveled down her neck to the hollow of her shoulder, right above the neckline of the t-shirt.

Groaning in frustration he began to pull on the bottom of her t-shirt, wanting it out of the way. Panting slightly, Elise leaned back and pulled the t-shirt off and dropped it to the floor. John almost attacked that hollow spot again, sending shivers dancing all over Elise. Reaching behind her, he unsnapped her bra and pulled it from her. Released from their confines, her breasts drew his eyes, her nipples already demanding attention. With his left hand still buried in her hair, he used his right hand to travel down her neck to her shoulder and then to her breasts. Capturing one in his hand, he again marveled at their size for such a small woman. Massaging her breast and tweaking her nipple he was bringing Elise to a point of no return and doing the same to himself. Elise's small hands found his hardness and began to firmly rub and stroke him through his pants. Gasping at the pressure his manhood was under, Elise took the hint and unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his pants and pulled down his zipper. Thank God for commando, thought Elise!

At that moment the doorbell rang. Panting with desire Elise and John pulled apart and stared at the door, almost too far gone into the realm of passion to understand what that noise was. It rang again and was followed by a knock.

"Hello! Hello? Is anybody there? I've got the pizza you ordered..." came a disembodied voice from the other side of the door. Elise and John looked back at each other...then John remembered.

"Damn, I forgot I ordered pizza! This...". He gestured down to himself, "was not supposed to happen...at least not until later tonight." Growled John. Stepping back he zipped up his pants, not an easy task considering the state he was in. Reaching down he picked up Elise's bra and t-shirt and handed them to her. Slipping just the t-shirt on, Elise balled up her bra and threw it on the bed.

Hopping off the stool Elise faced John and asked "Pizza? You ordered pizza?"

Standing there, with her hair mussed, her lips swollen and red from being thoroughly kissed and her nipples poking through her t-shirt, John was ready to tell the pizza guy to fuck off. But he had special plans for them tonight so he backed himself down from the precipice. "Yes I did, hope you like pepperoni." He asked while heading toward the door.

Patting his back pockets for his wallet, John called out, "Hold on...let me get your money!" Realizing he didn't have his wallet or his gun, he turned around to see Elise smiling at him with a bemused look on her face. "What?" asked John while his eyes scanned for his wallet. He picked up his gun from the countertop as well. Even though he knew he'd ordered the pizza, he would never consider answering the door without gun at hand.

"You've got a nice ass John Reese…looks damn good in those jeans. Can't see it when you're wearing your 'work clothes', that suit tends to cover a number of your 'ASSets' she said with a giggle.

Smiling at Elise, he shot back at her, "Well I wish you'd wear your hair out of that damn cap more often. I want to run my fingers through it every time I'm privileged to see it." Finding the cash for the pizza he walked back to the door. Not wanting to share Elise with anybody at this time, he opened the door only wide enough to take the box of pizza. Blocking the delivery guy's view, he grabbed the pizza and shoved a wad of money into his hands and shut the door. The delivery guy saw just enough of Elise to understand this guy's hurry to shut the door. 'DAMN...wonder what I interrupted?' Looking down he noticed he'd been paid twice what the cost of the pizza was, pocketing the money he turned back toward the elevator thinking 'lucky bastard'.

Handing Elise the box of pizza, John walked to the other side of the kitchen and grabbed the ice chest. Hearing the elevator chime he knew the delivery guy had left. "Follow me." He said to Elise as he opened the door to the hallway.

"Anywhere, anytime soldier!" Laughed Elise. "As long as I get this view!"

At the end of the hallway there was a door. Pulling out a set of keys, John found the right one and unlocked the door. Waiting for Elise to catch up, he told her, "Let me go first, can you shut the door? I don't want anybody following us up here. I've got the only key. Well, I think I have the only key, Harold may have a copy since he gave me THIS key."

Following John up the stairs, Elise wondered where they were going. She thought John's loft was on the top floor. At the top of the stairs John used the same key to open another door on the roof. The late afternoon sun shown down on the roof. Stepping out the door Elise was amazed. The panoramic view of the City was breathtaking. They weren't the highest building by far, but the view was...magnificent! Walking to the closest edge, Elise leaned against the wall and looked down. She could easily see people walking on the sidewalk or sitting in the park. The noise from the traffic could barely be heard. It was actually rather peaceful up here.

John came up behind her and took the pizza box and left her standing there taking in the view. Slowly walking the perimeter she was amazed at how different each direction looked. It was like looking at a different TV station on each side. One side was a business district with skyscraper buildings, another side was apartment buildings, a third side had the park and the fourth side was a mixture. The location of the loft allowed for viewing a perfect juncture of life styles. Turning to look for, John she found him near one of the sides crouched down over a...blanket? Walking over to see what was going on, Elise began to smile and her smile got bigger with every step she took. A blanket was spread out to provide a seating area, the pizza box was in the middle and the ice chest John had brought up stairs was off to the side. A large bouquet of flowers surrounded a candelabra situated in the center of the blanket. John was lighting the candles as she approached.

"What is this, a picnic on a roof top?" Elise asked as she came to stand beside the blanket.

Looking up from the candelabra John nodded and said, "I thought we could have dinner up here. I've got beer for you and pizza goes good with beer, so here we are. What do you think?"

Kneeling down beside John she gave him a brief hug and opened the ice chest. Pleasantly surprised that he remembered her beer of choice, she grabbed one for herself and one for him. Opening the beers she handed one to John. Tapping the beers together in a toast they both took long swallows of the ice cold beer. "This is a nice dinner to come back to. Do you do this every night?" asked Elise, watching John with a smile on her face.

"No, only when I'm trying to impress a girl. Is it working?" He grinned back at her.

"Better than you'll ever know" she replied.

Sitting cross-legged Indian style, they took their time eating pizza and drinking beer. Sitting facing each other with their knees touching, they talked about many things and laughed about lots of things. Their conversation was peppered with gasps and rather loud "Oh no!" or "You did not!" and an occasional "Oh my God!". They were compressing months of 'getting to know you' into a few hours of time. Before either of them knew it, they had finished the pizza and drank most of the beer. Both were feeling free and loose. It had been such a release to be able to talk about certain parts of their lives that they had kept closed away from other people. But each knew the other would not judge them and would be able to accept them as they were. After a pause they both stared into each other eyes, feeling a closeness, a connection that they had never felt for another person before…..to say so much with no words was a powerful moment for each of them. Each a lost soul reaching out to another and finding comfort, understanding and acceptance. It was a profound moment and neither wanted to break the spell.

At that moment John's cell phone rang. Cursing loudly John looked at the phone and saw Harold's number displayed. Showing the number to Elise, and watched her reaction...which was instantaneous...a nod. Smiling he answered "Yes Harold?" And waited for him to speak. Nodding his head, he kept his eyes on Elise, who was cleaning up the remnants from dinner, leaving the blanket open and inviting.

While John and Harold spoke about the possibility of a case coming up, Elise stretched out on the blanket. On her back she watched as the stars became more and more visible as the sun went down. She was able to pick out the Big Dipper and Orion's belt but they were low on the horizon as spring was far along. Puzzling over some of the other constellations, she wasn't aware when John had finished talking to Harold until he sat down on the blanket next to her.

"How's he doing?" Elise asked. Knowing that if there was something wrong, John would have handed her the phone.

"Fine, he was he was able to type some today but the typos from his still swollen fingers 'was going to drive him to drink' laughed John. Laughing with John she knew that being unable to type was more painful for Harold than the healing of his dislocated fingers.

John turned the ringer off on his phone and put it to the side. He moved around until he was stretched out beside Elise on his back looking at the stars. He began pointing out different things in the night sky, Russian satellites following a north/south path while the US satellites flew in an east/west path. Their blinking lights were easy to spot among the unblinking stars. Their conversation became very topical, steering away from any more personal revelations. As the moon rose, everything became starkly black and white. Rising up on one elbow, John took in the beauty of the woman next to him. Her features were classically beautiful, a small (but stubborn) chin, generous lips, and a slightly up turned nose were outlined in moonlight. Her eyes were so dark they seemed black. Her dark hair fanned out beneath her. With her head cradled in arms, her breasts strained against her t-shirt. The coolness of the night air was already working its magic, he noted, causing her nipples to stand at attention.

Using his free hand, he picked up a lock of hair and let it fall through his fingers. He absolutely loved her hair. It was dark, thick and wavy and it felt so good to rub it between his fingers. Wrapping a lock around his finger, he leaned over and kissed it, then carefully put it behind her ear. The sharp intake of breath from Elise was his reward. Turning her head she smiled at him. It was a smile meant only for him and just like they said in story books, her heart was in her eyes. Everything she was feeling for him was there, open for him to see. Placing a hand behind her head, he leaned low to kiss those same lips that promised so much.

Her arms reached out and pulled him close, deepening the kiss. Pulling him off his elbow until he was almost on top of her, she turned into his body and pulled him even closer. The sweetness of the kiss slowly changed into a more passionate one. He sucked gently on her bottom lip, teasing it with his teeth. Pulling back for a moment he gazed at her in wonderment. How this woman could elicit such strong feelings in him was still a mystery. But a mystery he would love to solve over a very, very long time.

Missing his mouth on hers, Elise pulled his head back down for another deep kiss. This time she was the aggressor. Using her tongue she parted his lips and began the assault of his senses. She nipped and sucked his lips and then his tongue. She ran her tongue all over this mouth, darting in and out and in and out in an unmistakable rhythm, all the while slowly moving her hips in time with the thrusts of her tongue. She pulled back briefly and looked at John closely. His eyes were half closed and his breath was coming in gasps. Stretching her neck up and to the side, she exposed her neck as a welcome enticement to him. Needing no further instructions or invitation, John kissed her once more and began a slow move down her jaw line to her neck.

With every nibble on her neck, Elise felt wave after wave of tingling flowing through her body. Her hips took on a life of their own and ground themselves into John's. In answer to the pressure of her hips, his hips pushed back with his already hard manhood. Moving one of her hands down John's body, Elise began to rub his shaft in the same rhythm that their hips were moving.

Encountering the t-shirt neckline again, John pulled back until he was sitting up. Elise let out a distressed moan, feeling his weight being removed from her. Pulling her to a sitting position, he reached for the bottom of the t-shirt and pulled it quickly over her head. Moonlight gleamed on her dark hair as it fell to her shoulders. Her breasts were bathed in the light and showed their perfection, the shadows only adding to the beauty of the moment.

Looking at John, Elise knew what she wanted and knew she wanted it now. Lying back down, she pulled him over her once again. Giving him a quick kiss she once again stretched her neck guiding his mouth to the place he'd left off, the hollow between her neck and shoulder. Slowly working his way to her breast he took his time getting to her nipple. Kneading both breasts with his hands, his mouth worked its magic...kissing, nibbling and licking everywhere but her taut nipple. Pushed almost beyond endurance Elise thought she was going to go mad if he didn't just DO IT. Feeling her tense beneath his hands, feeling the more forceful moment of her hips, he finally relented and licked one nipple and then the other, leaving them wet and feeling cold from a slight breeze. Still not getting the release she craved Elise gasped out, "John...please, please".

Hovering above her nipple John watched Elise's face. Her eyes were half closed, her mouth was open and her tongue darted in and out rubbing on her bottom lip. Watching her closely he lowered his mouth to one nipple and began to suckle. Elise's hips lifted off the blanket and her hands held his head to her breast as she came in wave after wave. A low moan escaped her mouth as she slowly drifted down from the heights he had taken her. Transferring his mouth to her other nipple, he used his hand to keep the fully aroused one ...alert. Again he lowered his mouth to her nipple and began to suckle as Elise shook her head from side to side, gasping for air. Her hips continued their wanton rhythm and once again she was at his mercy as the waves of pleasure swamped her.

Raising his head he watched her slowly come back to herself, watched as she took a deep breath and smiled. Opening her eyes she looked at him and whispered, "Mmmmm...that was ever so very nice". Leaning back on one elbow he continued to knead and stroke her breasts and play with her nipples. As his hand moved down her stomach he felt the waist of her jeans. Expertly unbuttoning them and unzipping them, he began to try and pull them off. Elise raised her hips helping him and kicked the jeans off with one leg. John looked down at what he had uncovered and smiled. Looking back up at her, he raised one eyebrow and said. "No panties? Hm, you are a wanton one!"

Elise laughed and said, "Well, I was hoping things might go in this direction so I just thought I should be ready." Reaching over, Elise began to unbutton John's shirt as fast as she could. Thank goodness there weren't too many to undo. Next she attacked his belt and jeans button. Pushing her hands away, John stood up. Pulling off his shirt he dropped it to the ground. Unbuckling the belt, unbuttoning the jeans, he pulled the zipper down and yanked his jeans off. Standing there in the moonlight he was a striking vision. Wide shoulders, defined chest with a light covering of chest hair, long arms, a pronounced happy trail leading to his erect penis. He was as obviously as ready for her as she was for him.

Looking down at Elise, he was struck by the wanton beauty of her. One leg was raised up slightly over the other, she was turned a little to one side, her breasts were perfect in their aroused state and her long hair wavy spilled around her head and shoulders. She tilted her head to one side, slowly smiled at him. The moonlight allowed him to see her tongue snake its way out of her mouth and slowly wet her lips, first the top one then the bottom one, all the while slowly undulating her hips. His reaction was immediate and very noticeable.

Raising her arms up to him she softly called to him, "Come to me John."

Slowly sinking to his knees he stretched out in front of her as her arms welcomed him and wrapped around his neck. Kissing her slowly and thoroughly he moved over her. Keeping his weight on his elbows he moved between her legs which eagerly parted for him. Feeling her hair beneath his hands he grabbed handfuls and buried his face in her neck. Her hands slowly moved down from his neck to his shoulders, lightly dancing across until she got to his arms. Pulling her arms under his she reached around and hugged his chest. She could feel the tip of his penis barely touching her entrance. Again, using her hips she teased the tip with motions that touched and moved away and touched again. Hearing him gasp in her ear she knew she was getting the desired reaction.

Relaxing his grip on her hair, he moved his arms underneath her shoulders, and looped his hands over the top of them. Holding her still with his hands he firmly pushed her down as he moved his hips upward. His hard shaft slowly entered her warm, welcoming sheath. Her legs lifted to increase the angle of her impalement and she hooked her ankles together to hold on because she felt this was going to be a wild ride.

Starting slowly with one long, slow slide inwards to the hilt John stopped and looked down at Elise. She was lying there with her head thrown back, her lips parted and her breath coming in small gasps. Her arms were wrapped around his chest and her legs around his hips.

Using her legs she pulled herself up to him and took him even deeper. Clenching him tightly with the walls of her sex she was poised to begin the dance. Opening her eyes to look at him above her, she saw reflected in his eyes the desire she felt in her own.

Leaning down John took one more kiss and began to move. Slow, sure strokes, almost all the way out and then all the way in. Being a well-endowed man that stroke was long and satisfying for both of them. Slowly he began to pump faster, each stroke pure ecstasy for both of them. Elise's fingers began to dig into his back as her inner walls clasped him tighter and tighter. Holding her still with his hands John began to stroke harder and faster. Holding on tight with her legs, Elise met him stroke for stroke. The harder he pushed into her the harder she pushed back. The power of each thrust was bringing them both closer to the point of no return.

"Love me, John...Love me!" Gasped Elise as she soared higher and higher. John's grip on her shoulders was fierce as he held her in place and pounded into her faster and faster. Finally they reached the moment they had striven for...John gasped out, "Elise, Elise...I love you, Elise." and erupted inside of her. Hearing his words took Elise over the edge, their love for each other had been consummated.

Burying his face again in her hair, he still kept his weight on his arms but his arms were shaking from the physical explosion they had just shared. He could feel Elise's body still pulsating around him, wringing every last drop out of him. Slowly Elise unlocked her ankles and let her legs slide down the sides of his hips until they touched the blanket. Her arms were still wrapped securely around his chest. He could feel her heart beat pounding almost as hard as his own. As their breathing returned to normal, he slowly slid out of Elise and moved over to one side. Pulling her up close under his arm he hugged her tightly. Snuggling up under his chin she stretched her arm out and hugged him back and sighed. John reached out and found the edge of the blanket and pulled it to cover them

Soon the evening's activities caught up with them and they both fell asleep on the blanket, on the roof…naked except for their arms wrapped around each other.