Ch. 33

The first thing Val did when they arrived back at the penthouse was to suggest to Dante that he go and change out of his wet clothes. Even though they both had gotten wet, somehow, he seemed to be the wetter of the two. "Here's an idea," he told her in response, "why don't we go up together, grab a shower, get warmed up…" "Which would work perfectly, except…" she reminded him, nodding in Rocco's direction. "You go up first and get changed, and then we can plan the rest of the night." After Dante dashed up the stairs to comply, Val glanced down at Rocco and asked him, "So what should we do while we're waiting for your daddy? I know, let's go to the kitchen to see what we're going to eat tonight." She took his hand and guided him to the kitchen. "Hmm. I don't know what your dad has in mind but for me, the best rainy day meal is soup and sandwiches. Maybe a small salad to go along… Do you like salad, Rocco?" "No," he said, shaking his head. "No," she agreed, "I didn't think you would." She began pulling ingredients out of the refrigerator and cupboards, muttering as she went along, "Let's see. We've got turkey; we've got ham, a bit of chicken. Cheese, definitely. What kind of bread?" In the middle of her musings, she heard Dante calling out, "Hey Val? Where are you?"

"We're in the kitchen, Dante," she called back. "What are you guys doing?" he wondered. "Trying to find something for supper. I was telling Rocco the best meal for me on rainy days is soup and sandwiches so I wanted to see what we had here. I have canned soup—I think homemade soup would take too long to fix. What do you think? Will this do, or do you want something more?"

"Soup and sandwiches sounds good to me. I'll work on this while you go put on something dry." Val reached into one of the lower cabinets and pulled out a huge pot, after which she rummaged around in one of the drawers for a large spoon. "What's that for?" Dante asked in puzzlement. "To keep little hands busy while you make this stuff. I figured if he was occupied-"

"Good thought," he agreed. They watched as Rocco happily banged away on the aluminum pot with the wooden spoon. Dante winced as he banged harder, reminding Val, "I'll remember this was your idea." "Ok, ok," she replied hastily, "I'll go change and then let's hurry and get this done. The sooner he's got something else to focus on, like food, the sooner the 'concert' will end." She went upstairs, quickly changed clothes, and then returned to the kitchen. A while later, a mini feast of tomato soup, ham and turkey with cheese sandwiches and apple slices was prepared. Dante was placing the plate of sandwiches on the little table in the kitchen when Val told him, "Hold on—I had a different thought. You two hang tight in here, and I'll be back in a minute." She ran out of the kitchen and Dante looked at Rocco, wondering, "Now what do you think she's up to?"

When she returned to the room, Val reached into one of the cabinets and retrieved two breakfast trays. She told them, "Let's see how coordinated we are. You carry the soup and apple slices on one tray and I'll take the sandwiches on another. Since Rocco's here, we'll have milk for now and if you're very good, maybe some wine later." "Milk? Seriously?" "Yes, seriously. For Rocco's sake, milk now, wine later. I think you'll live." Walking gingerly, they carried their bounty to the living room where Val had spread out a blanket in front of the fireplace. "I thought that was a real fireplace," Dante said as he gazed at the low flames. "It's gas," explained Val, going on. "I know it wasn't real cold today, but it's these kinds of days that, to me, go best with a fire burning in the fireplace. Something about the rain and a warm fire—so cozy." Settling down on the blanket, Dante helped Rocco with his meal and they all tucked in, munching happily. "An indoor picnic—good idea. What made you think of it?"

"It's one of those things my mom and I liked to do sometimes. A bug-free picnic, my favorite kind. One of the best things to do also is listen to recorded programs while indoor picnicking. We could have watched tv of course, but having to listen without the visuals to go along made it seem, I don't know, more exciting. It was different because we didn't do it often, so I always considered it to be a treat. We'd crack open the window in the front room just enough to make it seem like we were in the middle of the rain. It sounded so loud when it fell from the porch roof to the ground. But we'd be safe and dry inside, eating our soup and sandwiches. God, I loved that. Those were some of the greatest times-" She stopped speaking suddenly and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. Knowing what she was thinking, Dante rubbed her leg and pointed out, "As long as the traditions are kept and passed on, your mom is remembered, right? Isn't that kind of what you told me about passing my love of baseball on to Rocco? I don't want you to feel sad, Val. Think of it this way—your mom would probably be happy you have someone to keep the tradition with."

Val brightened as she listened to his words, saying, "Thanks for that, Dante, really. Right now, I'm happy and my mom would be glad I'm happy. Glad that I have someone to share this with. Hmm. Now, for the other part of the evening's activities, since we're done eating…" Turning the television on, she flipped through the channels until she found WordWorld, causing Dante to squint at her in consternation. "Oh, come on! You're kidding, right?" he queried. "This isn't about us, Dad. We're grownups; we can handle a little goofiness. This is for Rocco, and look at him," she added, nodding at Rocco, who was entranced as he stared at the screen. Leaning their backs against the bottom of the couch, Dante placed Rocco in between them. Watching Val from the corner of his eye, he slid his arm across the couch and around her, pulling her a bit closer to him, whispering in her ear, "As payment for this torture, I expect my prize to be huge. HUGE. Somewhere, there's a game with my name on it that I'm missing out on." She whispered back, "But see how happy he is? Isn't that worth more than some game? He's happy, he's quiet, he's focused-" Dante halted her words by softly kissing her. "Thanks for doing what you do to make sure he's comfortable when he's here, Val. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I told you, I want him to like being here. The more comfortable he is, the more comfortable you can be bringing him here. That works for all of us, I think."

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Several episodes later, Rocco's head slowly fell forward, giving the sign that he was tiring. "You take him up and I'll clear up here and then join you," Val said quietly, rising from the floor. Scooping him into his arms, Dante carried Rocco to the nursery to get him ready for bed. Val took the dishes into the kitchen and rinsed them, putting them in the dishwasher. She folded the blanket and took it upstairs with her, placing it in the linen closet in the hallway. She then crept into the nursery where Dante was gently rocking his son as he sat in the rocking chair. "Is he asleep?" she whispered. "I think so," he murmured in response, adding, "I'm going to rock him for a while longer to make sure." She nodded and then said, "I'll wait for you in the bedroom then." He gave her the "ok" sign with his fingers and she silently left the nursery, walking across the hall to the master bedroom. While she waited, she thought of what she wanted to give Dante for his "prize" and she moved to the bathroom to prepare it.

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Dante heard the light splashing coming from the bathroom as he walked into the bedroom. Realizing Val wasn't waiting in the bedroom as promised, he undressed hastily, pulling on his robe before going into the bathroom. He chuckled when he saw her sitting in the middle of the spa tub full of scented, gently swirling water. His eyes widened when, with her index finger, she gestured for him to join her. Before he could take one step, she stopped him, saying, "Wait. Go get the monitor and come back. I think we'll be able to relax better if we know we can hear him." Conceding the point, Dante retrieved the baby monitor and then returned to the bathroom, setting it down on the counter. "Now, where were we?" asked Val, continuing, "Oh, yeah, we were here," she reminded him, motioning once again for him to get in beside her. Dropping the robe on the rug nearest the tub, Dante climbed in and settled down into the warm water next to her. "Mmm," he hummed softly, "this feels good. What's that scent?" he asked after sniffing the air.

"All kinds of things, all intended to excite the senses."

"Really? It's working," he said, sluicing a handful of water over his arms and chest. "Or maybe it's because we're both naked and wet, sitting together in this huge tub. Finally." Without warning, he reached for her, splashing the water slightly as he lifted her onto his lap. "Dante," she exclaimed, "There's enough room for-"

"I want to hold you. Do you mind? I've been fantasizing about getting you in this tub ever since I saw it," he explained, scooping more water in his hand and spilling it out onto her breasts. "Tell me more about this scented water," he insisted.

"It's actually called 'Sex Bomb Bath Bomb,' if you can believe that. It's advertised as an aphrodisiac," she answered, arching her neck when he poured more of the water across her skin and rubbed it in with his hand.

"It's perfect," he purred, deeply inhaling the skin at her neck while lightly pinching her nipples, fondling them until they hardened into little points. Tilting her head back, he captured her lips with his, kissing her over and over. With a sigh, she returned his kiss, after which he teased her lips apart, his tongue tangling languidly with hers. As the kiss intensified, his hand moved down toward the center of her body and she gasped into his mouth as one and then two fingers slid into her. "Dante!" she cried out, her back automatically stiffening at the intimate contact.

"Shh, it's ok, Val. Let me. Let me take you over the edge first," he breathed into her ear while he worked her with his hand, starting slowly and then moving faster. Panting heavily, her eyes closed tightly as he goaded her closer and closer to a climax. Dante watched her facial expressions, using them as a guide to tell him how close Val was to an orgasm as he manipulated her. She shook her head as if trying to escape the sensations that were beginning to wash over her, biting her lip and moaning intermittently. Gripping his arm, she was unable to hold back any longer and she came hard, her muscles rapidly tightening and releasing around his fingers. Whimpering softly, she ground her face in between his neck and shoulder, her body tense and shivering as she was inundated with little aftershocks. "Oh my God," she was eventually able to utter, gasping for air and slumping against him. She jerked again when his fingers slid out of her and he pulled her close, hugging her.

"Thank you," she was eventually able to say, going on, "I feel kind of bad that you didn't-" "Oh," he interrupted, "I plan to get mine. Ride me." Helping her reposition herself over him, he pulled her down quickly, entering her in one motion. He gripped her hips as she adjusted to the invasion, holding her still as she grunted softly. "Whoo. That was a lot at once," she told him in a low voice. "Too much?" he asked, preparing, if necessary, to pull back out. "No, but give me a minute," she replied, trying to relax around him.

"I love this," he said huskily, rubbing his mouth over her chest before latching on to her nipple and suckling gently.

"Love what?" she inquired, involuntarily arching toward his hungry lips.

"The way you feel surrounding me. You fit me like a glove," he told her, slowly flexing his hips up and down.

"Speaking of gloves, you're not wearing one."

"You're still wearing the patch—I'm not worried about it."

"But what if-"

"If anything happens, we'll deal with it then. I'm not worried about it," he reiterated. Unthinkingly, he went on to say, "Now you know I lo-" Just in time, he was able to finesse his words into, "love hearing your voice, but you're ruining the moment." Pulling her into a tight hug, his eyes widened and his heart beat accelerated when he realized what he had been about to say. He frowned as his thoughts began racing. He knew he cared about her but surely that was all it was, wasn't it? Were his feelings deeper than he knew? He had almost said out loud that he loved her. Somehow, his subconscious was aware of how he felt before he was. He loved this woman. How was that possible? In such a short time, she had wrapped herself around his heart, and he admitted the truth. He was in love with her. "Oh my God," he whispered.

"What's wrong, Dante?"

His emotions were swinging all over the place and he rapidly blinked his eyes as he felt them prick with tears. "Nothing's wrong, Angel," he huskily replied, "Everything's right. Everything's suddenly right." He felt an odd sense of joy overtake him and his hold on her hips tightening, he began raising and lowering her up and down on him. He encouraged her to follow his motions by saying, "Come on, baby, come with me." She followed him, her inner muscles squeezing him as they flexed repeatedly. He felt his orgasm rising and he spurred her on faster, gasping, "It's so good—it's almost too good! Oh, baby, you're takin' me over, can you tell? Faster, Angel, faster! Come on-oh, God, please—Val! Damn!" He held her still as he pulsed inside her, groaning against her shoulder, trying vainly to catch his breath while falling over that cliff edge. His actions caused a chain reaction in her and she came again, crying out as she felt herself letting go and flying away. Val put her arms around Dante and held him as she collapsed against him. He rocked her slowly back and forth and then laughed softly when he noticed all the water that they had splashed all over the floor.

"What's funny?"

"We made a bit of a mess on the floor, Angel." She looked over the side of the tub in dismay. "Oops, I guess we did."

"No big deal—it'll dry." He reached over and turned the jets off, causing silence to descend upon the room. Val cupped Dante's face in her hands and she looked at him, her head tilted to the side. "I guess you didn't get your wine."

"What I got was better than wine. I feel like I've had about three glasses of Sonny's finest. I can't tell you how good I feel. I want to stay inside you all night—is that doable?"

"We can't stay in this tub all night, Dante."

"I know that, but when we're in bed, I want you in my arms, and I want to be inside you. I want to feel connected to you all night long." Her hands tightened on his face and she frowned as she studied him fully. "Are you sure everything's ok?" she inquired.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how it could get better," he answered, smiling mysteriously.

"Then come on, let's get out of the water, my-"

"Your?"

"Nothing. Just 'mine'," she told him, using the sides of the tub to lift herself up and off of him and then stepping out.

"Just yours, huh? I like that," he replied, climbing out of the tub behind her. He pulled the plug on the tub and the water began slowly receding. Glancing around at the water on the floor, Val wondered, "Should we clean this up now?"

"No, let's do it later. Right now, I have a strong desire, a STRONG desire, to lie with you and hold you."

"I don't care what you say, you're acting strange," she said, regarding him suspiciously.

"Whatever," he responded, drying her first and then himself. He grabbed the baby monitor and then he grabbed her hand, pulling her into the bedroom. "I'm gonna go check on Rocco and then I'll be right back. You get under the covers and warm up." He left the room and she called after him, "And when you get back, you're gonna tell me why you're behaving so weirdly, right?"

"I doubt it," he called back, muttering under his breath, "Guys who just found out they've fallen in love act strange sometimes, that's all."

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