She sighed, when she stood in the back door of his house and looked at the result of her work. His garden was all ready now, she finished it just a day earlier and even though every single time, when her work in one place came to an end, she felt sort of melancholic, this time her feelings were somewhat different. She spent a few weeks there, and those were very crazy weeks, which caused a lot of twists and turns in her personal life. She would have never suspected it to happen, when she had decided to do this job but now she was thinking about it as the intervention from fate.
Appearing in her life again, Myles brought some light back into it. Of course, it wasn't that she wasn't happy earlier, but not the same way that she was now. Everyone could see a change in her, in both of them in fact, and it was most definitely a positive one. She didn't even deny it any longer; she was in love with him, she has probably always been even if those feelings were buried deep in her heart. Who would have thought that this eccentric and infuriating man would turn out to be the one, who was destined for her. It was the more astonishing that they had a chance to build something great all those years ago and she would think, that if they were really meant to be together, it would work out in the past. If it had, they might have been married for about fifteen years now, had an almost grown-up son and who knew, maybe another son or a daughter. It hadn't, though, but it still seemed that it was IT.
"Admiring the perfect work of a very talented gardener, I see?" she heard his voice behind herself and turned around with a smile on her face.
"I don't know, something doesn't seem right…" she spoke and he rolled his eyes.
"I can't imagine anyone doing it more perfectly than you… Other than me, perhaps." he added, and even though his voice was entirely serious, she knew that Myles wasn't. "I'm sorry that I kept you waiting, I'm all ready now."
They were going out for yet another one of their dates. This time they were going for a dinner, and even though he didn't tell her where, by the need to dress very elegantly she judged that the place must have been quite exclusive and most probably very expensive. She felt quite bad every time she took her to such restaurants, knowing how much he needed to pay for a simple dinner while it really wasn't necessary, but he wouldn't hear of it. She still remembered his outburst, that those were his money and he could spend them however he wanted, and she had no other choice but to succumb.
She came to his place after he called her, that he was still at work and wasn't sure if he would be able to make it on time. He didn't want to lose the opportunity to spend time with her, so he suggested for her to get to his place – as she still had the spare key – and if he was late, he would buy something to eat on his way home. Luckily for them, he got there in the last possible moment, which would still give him time to get ready and later take her to the restaurant. What she didn't expect was that he would take her to what was considered the best restaurant in the area, which people needed to make reservation at half a year earlier than they would go there. How did he manage to do it so quickly? Was it possible that he intended to take someone else there, and now he simply used the opportunity?
"It's not like that." he said, when she asked him about that. "Well, not exactly…"
"What do you mean, not exactly?" she could feel her anger rise a little and Myles didn't have any problems seeing that.
"It was actually Jack, who made this reservation… Today is the fifth anniversary of the day, when Sue appeared in his life and he wanted to celebrate it in some special way." he explained, but her raised eyebrow made it clear that she still wasn't really satisfied by his answer. "She's pregnant now, and it seems that her stomach reacts very badly to a lot of different food, but it's the worst when it comes to take-outs or eating at the restaurants. As much as they both regretted, they agreed that it would be better for them to stay at home and celebrate with a home-cooked meal, which she might actually tolerate…"
"I know exactly how she feels…" sighed Toni and looked up, when she felt him capture her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. "So, he passed the reservation to you?"
"Yes. He was planning to call it off, but I asked if he would mind if I used it instead."
She nodded her head and he watched her carefully. Even though he didn't show it, he was very aware of why she inquired so much and it hurt. There were moments, when he regretted telling her the whole truth about his relationship with Lucy, because this one mistake, which ended it, seemed to have a huge influence on his relationship with Toni, or at least on her uncertainty when it came to him.
With a corner of his eye he noticed a band move to the side of an empty area, surrounded by tables, and wanting to turn her thoughts to a different subject, the moment the music started he stood up from his seat, approached and asked her to dance.
"It's funny to think that we've been on so many dates and yet, we've never really danced together." she remarked and even though it surprised him, he had to admit that she was right.
"Then we have to correct it all the more." was all he said.
She smiled, when he placed one of his hands on her waist and captured hers with the other one, while she rested her second hand on his shoulder. Even though she was sure that she wasn't going to be able to walk on the next day, she was grateful that Rebecca insisted that she should get the four-inch heels to match the dress, because the height difference between her and Myles was now at least partially reduced, what made it more comfortable to dance. She sighed, when he moved closer and she could feel his breath on her neck, while his fingers moved a little, gently caressing her side. As they swayed a little to the rhythm of the music, she had difficulties to focus on anything other than the smell of his cologne mixed with his own, unique scent, him being so close to her, his fingers moving along her side…
The spell was broken, when the song finished and he led her back to the table, where the waiter brought their main course, and she couldn't help feeling disappointed. She would eagerly spend the whole date in his arms; there was something in his embrace that made her feel so safe and special, and even though she saw herself as an independent woman, she really enjoyed this feeling. It was only the more evidence of how attracted she truly was to him; she didn't remember her reactions to ever be like that – maybe with the exception of when they were together in the past. How could she think, that she could remain indifferent to him? It seemed so stupid now and she definitely didn't regret that she wasn't capable of that.
Myles felt the same way, but in contrast to her, he didn't try to deceive himself even for a moment. Everyone could see a change, which happened in him when Toni appeared in his life. He still was the good old Myles Leland and yet, there was something different about him. Even after all those years he still had feelings for her, and he believed that it spoke volumes. And he seemed to be falling for her even more after each date or just a while, which they spent together. He was getting quite certain that Toni was the one for him after all. He felt like that already back then in the past, but now it was as clear as ever. She was the most beautiful and interesting woman he had ever encountered, and he wished they didn't lose all those years. There was nothing he could do about that now, but he definitely wasn't going to let go of her again.
"It was a really great evening." she said, when they later left the restaurant.
"I agree… I really like your company and I wish it didn't have to end so quickly…"
"Actually, I don't think it has to… I don't see the reason why we can't spend some more time together." she spoke with a smile, linking her arm with his. "It really doesn't have to be anything special, Myles… We could even watch TV together!"
"If you say so, why won't we go back to my place? I have a very nice wine and since it's such a great, warm evening we could sit in the garden instead of the couch."
"Sounds good, too!" she grinned and allowed him to lead her to his car.
There was no traffic problems on the way, and they reached his house quickly. Myles smirked, when he noticed Toni step out of her heels with a relieved moan the moment they walked into the house. Soon, they were seated in his very comfortable garden chairs, sipping red wine and talking. It felt great and natural to spend time together like this, in such a casual way and talk about something and nothing at the same time. She didn't inquire about his job again, knowing that he wasn't going to share anything with her anyway, and he knew what sort of topics it was better not to touch, too.
"Do you want some more wine?" he asked, when he noticed that her glass was empty.
"No." she spoke, biting her lip a little as she stood up from her chair.
His eyes followed her every move, as she slowly approached and sat on his lap. He was surprised, but he definitely didn't mind and placed his hand on her side, holding her against himself as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I wouldn't mind your arms, though… It's starting to get a little cold…" she said, snuggling to him.
She really enjoyed sitting with him like this, with his arms wrapped tightly around her and holding her close, sharing his warmth with her. He liked it very much too, although there were moments when he wished for her hands to stop moving and her fingers not to brush against his body every now and then. His reaction to her was always very strong, but with her small body pressed against him, even the smallest of action had a huge effect on him.
It was only after a moment that he realised that she was actually doing it quite purposely. He shivered a little, feeling the cool evening air against his chest and it was then, that he noticed that his shirt was half-way unbuttoned. He turned his head to look at her and saw her bite her bottom lip playfully, and before he could say anything, she brushed her lips against his, silencing him effectively. She raised herself a little, shifting and straddling his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck as their kiss continued, slowly gaining more passion. She sighed, when she felt his hands move, caressing her back and sides and parted her lips willingly, when she felt him sweep his tongue against her bottom lip. She let out a soft moan, when their tongues met, engaging in a small battle for dominance, and moved her hands down his chest, then up to his shoulders before she resumed her work on unbuttoning his shirt.
"Toni…" he groaned, feeling her wriggle a little on his lap.
She just smiled and instead of capturing his lips again, she started to place kisses along his jaw up to his ear, gently nibbling on his earlobe, while her fingers worked on the small buttons, brushing against his bare chest every now and then and sending gentle shivers through his body. She chuckled, when she felt him cup her face, making her look into his eyes, darkened with passion, which made the one displayed in her almost black orbs. It was just one, relatively short look, yet it was almost as if a whole conversation has taken place. Neither of them had any doubts, just how strongly was the other's desire and he could see the consent reflected in her eyes, in the way she was looking at him and he could feel her heart swell. He knew, that as much as it would bring them both a physical relief, her consent also had much deeper meaning. It was like a non-verbal way of saying, that she was absolutely certain about this relationship, like she was finally giving her whole heart and trust back to him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck again, when she felt his grip on her tighten, understanding his intentions perfectly. Pressing her against himself, he slowly stood up and made his way back into the house, enjoying the sensation of her lips, brushing against his jaw and neck. It was only when they reached his bedroom, that he placed her back on the ground and shuddered, when he felt her cold hands moving along his shoulders, making his shirt fall to the ground. He smiled, leaning down to her and resumed their kiss once again, while his hands continued to caress her body, with no inhibitions this time. Soon, his lips moved to her neck and she sighed, tilting her head to the side to give him a better access and moaned, when his tongue found the place, which made her grip his shoulders tighter. He started to move down with his kisses, his hand reaching to the zip of her dress and lowered it, allowing the dress to fall to the floor.
She sent him a questioning look, when he moved away from her a little, as she stepped out of it, and leaned to the ground, only to pick the dress up and throw it over the back of the chair, standing next to the door.
"Wouldn't want for it to get ruined." he said, his hands now reaching to her back in order to unclip her strapless bra, and when he got rid of it, they started to travel all over her bare skin, setting it onto an even bigger fire than it already was on.
"You're crazy…" she said just before she let out yet another moan, when one of his hands cupped her breast, giving it a gentle squeeze as his thumb flicked over her nipple.
"I definitely want you like crazy…" he murmured, taking care of the last bit of her clothing and swallowed hard, when she unbuttoned his pants.
"Show me…" she whispered, and he picked her up again, making her feel the best proof of the honesty of his words, and then placed her in the middle of the bed.
She bit her lip playfully, as she watched him take off his pants and boxers, before he joined her on the bed and captured her lips again, hovering over her, supported on his arms and knees. She gasped, when – not for the last time that evening – he made them one, resuming his claim on her.