New Years Revolution, chapter 3
As a rather drowsy Lee began to wake from his nap he remembered Amanda helping him to his bedroom and then leaving him with the promise that she'd wake him in a few hours. He was relieved to find that the aspirin Amanda insisted he take had actually alleviated the throbbing headache that had been plaguing him earlier. Before opening his eyes he decided to try to move his sprained ankle; he smiled with satisfaction when his tentative stretching didn't result in searing pain.
"You look as if you're feeling much better," Amanda said, startling him as he had thought that he was alone in the room.
"Ahh, yes," Lee responded as he realized that Amanda was sitting on his bed. "I guess the aspirin were a more effective pain reliever than the scotch was." Since they had acknowledged the depth of their feelings for each other, he'd been increasingly thinking and dreaming about what it would be like to share his bed with Amanda but he found the reality of having her that close unsettling. She had opened the neckline of her silky blouse to reveal considerably more skin than she ordinarily would. "It's gotten late, you must be starving, let's go in the kitchen and get dinner started," he suggested and began to sit up.
"Stay where you are." Amanda gently pushed him back down. "I've changed my mind about dinner."
"I understand; I know you'd planned to spend tonight with your family. I'm not that hungry any way, I'll make myself a sandwich-"
"They're already made; I decided you would be more comfortable if I made something that we could eat right here," Amanda said with a seductive smile as she reached out and stroked his arm while moving closer to him.
"Right here," he questioned uncomfortably. He was very proud of the fact the he was respecting Amanda's feelings concerning casual sex but he could already feel his body reacting to her proximity.
"Are you one of those people that don't like to get crumbs in your bed?" She leaned over further to continue caressing his arm; revealing even more of her cleavage.
"No, I'm not worried about crumbs…we should go in the other room so that we don't miss the ball drop in Times Square. You go turn on the television and I'll get the champagne."
"Okay, we can START our celebration in the other room," she conceded in a suggestive tone and reluctantly rose from the bed.
"Go on ahead of me…I'll meet you in a minute." After Amanda left the room, Lee got up, and untucked his shirt to cover the bulge in his pants. This is really strange. Am I totally misreading the signals she's sending?
Amanda turned on the television that Lee usually kept hidden in the corner of the living room. They met in the kitchen where he was opening the champagne and she was gathering the sandwiches she had made. They carried everything into the living room in companionable silence and settled on the sofa. As they ate and waited for the stroke of midnight Lee regaled Amanda with tales of some of the places he'd spent New Year's Eves over the years. When the ball dropped in Times Square they shared a tender kiss and then toasted the new year as Auld Lang Syne played in the background.
"I think I owe you a dance from last New Year's Eve. Will you dance with me before you have to leave?" Lee kissed her hand as he stood up and pulled Amanda up with him.
"I'd love to dance with you but there's no rush; I'm not going any place." Amanda pressed herself against Lee and initiated a very passionate kiss. They continued kissing until they needed to stop due to lack of oxygen. Lee started to back up so Amanda grabbed his hand to stop him.
"Where are you going," she asked as she ran her free hand through the hair at the base of his neck.
"I'm going to switch off the television; then we can choose a record to dance to. Holding you close feels so right…I'd like to dance for a little while before you have to go home."
"What makes you think that I have to go home? I'm a grown woman…I'm tired of having other people decide what I should be doing. Don't you want me…it certainly looks as though you do." Amanda once again pressed herself against Lee and reached out to touch the evidence of his desire for her.
"Whoa, Amanda!" Lee deflected her hand by clasping it between his own hands and caressing it tenderly. "Obviously, you can see how much I want you but I thought that we agreed to move slowly. Our relationship is very important to me…I don't want to screw it up…ah, poor choice of words. I'm just learning about building a long term relationship; you aren't like the women in my past and I refuse to treat you like I treated them."
"I appreciate that but I know when I want a man and I've wanted you for a long time." She paused long enough to eye him appreciatively and then continued, "Why shouldn't I act on what I'm feeling?" Amanda had a look of defiance on her face that Lee had seen on other occasions when she'd felt thwarted.
"If you've waited so long for this, why is it suddenly so important to you tonight? You seem extremely determined not to go home…why is that?"
"Why do you keep trying to send me home to Joe? Mother set me up to spend tonight with him. When he guessed that I'd been planning to come see you he told me what a huge mistake I was making. And you; you've been trying to get me to leave since I got here. Doesn't what I want matter to any of you," she demanded angrily.