Author's notes:

Angela,

This one's for you!

Love,

StoriesOfTheHeartie

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"Are there any other tables that need to be cleaned?"

"That seems to be the last one," I answered. But my tone sounded a bit breathless and far away, even to my own ears.

From the hunched over position he was cleaning the table in, he glanced over his shoulder, catching me shamelessly staring at him…or rather at his backside.

"Enjoying the view, Mrs. Thornton?" he asked, straightening his stance and turning to face me, a knowing grin on his face.

The old Elizabeth would've shifted her eyes elsewhere, made an excuse, or waited for him to take the lead. But I was done with that.

"As a matter of fact, I was. I take it you don't mind?"

"Mind? No, Mrs. Thornton. I don't mind."

"Mrs. Thornton" had become somewhat of a pet name for him when he flirted with me. I liked it very much, but I can't say it was the name that did something for me. No, it was the way he looked at me and the tone in which he said it that really stirred my senses.

He sauntered over, his grin now fully Cheshire, while I continued to stare. That blue suit made his eyes pop and did wonders for his body, leaving no room for uncertainty as to the magnitude of his physique. Who could blame me for enjoying the view?

Gripping the small of my back with his interlocked hands, he pulled me close and said, "I haven't had a kiss from my best girl yet tonight."

"Mmm. That's true. Would you like one now or later, Constable?"

"How about one now…and several later?"

Needing no more coaxing, I let my hands travel up his arms and over his broad shoulders, before grasping the back of his neck and pulling his lips to mine.

It would never cease to amaze me how soft his lips were, how he kissed me precisely the way I wanted him to, or how powerful my desire burned for him with even the slightest peck. He was, simply put, a gorgeous man both inside and out.

A gorgeous man who belonged only to me.

Sometimes I wondered if Nathan knew the extent of my longing for him. How I went to bed with thoughts of being wrapped in his arms. How I'd occasionally wake up with a smile on my face when my subconscious let those thoughts run their marital course. Every day was getting more difficult to be apart and made these quiet, intimate moments all the more necessary.

He pulled back and looked into my eyes smiling at me.

"There's some cake left. You want to sit down and have another slice with me? I know it's your favorite."

"I might have some later, but I'm not hungry right now. I'll sit with you though."

As we walked over to the table where the leftover cake sat, it dawned on me what he had just said.

"Nathan? How'd you know that chocolate is my favorite?"

"You made chocolate cupcakes for Allie's slumber party."

Astonished I said, "you remember what kind of cupcakes I made?"

He leaned in, his warm breath in my ear as he whispered, "I remember everything, Lizbeth."

I shivered as his sincere eyes came back to mine. I would never compare Nathan to my previous relationship, because there was no comparison. Nathan was the man I had always loved. But I couldn't help acknowledging how my former fiancé missed so many little details about me, even while being my intended. Yet, my loyal friend Nathan saw all of me...and forgot nothing. I squeezed his hand and smiled lovingly at him, as my heart was in my throat allowing no words to escape.

He sliced a big piece of cake for himself and I sat quietly, watching him enjoy it.

"Is chocolate your favorite, too?"

"I don't really have a favorite. If it's sweet, I like it."

I giggled.

"You really do love your desserts, don't you?"

"I really do," he said with a wink.

I smiled and continued to watch him, but my mind wandered a bit thinking of the party.

"Nathan?"

"Hmm?"

"I hope Allie's party was everything she imagined it would be. I wanted it to be special for her."

He smiled warmly, taking my hand in his.

"It was. You helped give her a night that she'll always remember."

"I'm glad."

"It was fun watching the kids dance, wasn't it?"

"It really was."

"How about Oliver? I've spent a lot of time with him. He's never seemed like the type to want attention, so I was surprised when he was the one to get everyone dancing."

"He did it for Allie," I thought to myself, but audibly replied, "that was surprising."

Truth be told, I was thrilled to see Oliver show signs of a crush on Allie. He was exactly the kind of young man I'd like to see Allie reciprocate feelings for. I was troubled by the thought of who I'd seen her affections drift towards…because it felt all too familiar. But I wasn't in the mood to discuss that just yet. I was holding onto the hope that she'd eventually choose more wisely, preferably without getting hurt in the interim.

"Something else on your mind?"

"Hmm? Oh, no. Nothing important."

"Okay," he said. "Then would you like to dance? We can't let the kids have all the fun tonight."

"That would be lovely, Nathan, but there's no music. Oliver took the gramophone back to the school for me."

He stood, offering his hand to me. I reached for it and he pulled me into his arms.

"We'll make our own music," he whispered.

He grinned, no doubt seeing my complexion flush in reaction to his words, as he covered my hand and placed it over his heart. With his other hand on my hip, I placed my free hand on his shoulder and we began to sway to a rhythm of our own making. I couldn't begin to guess how long we stayed like that. Minutes? Hours? Time seemed to stand still as we enjoyed the nearness of each other. But at some point, after I completely relaxed in his arms and laid my head against his chest, I experienced something I'd only heard from afar.

In his spine-tingling baritone, a familiar tune and words filled my ears as he began to quietly sing to me.

"Let me call you sweetheart, I'm in love with you. Let me hear you whisper that you love me too. Keep the love light glowing in your eyes so blue. Let me call you sweetheart, I'm in love with you."

Lifting my head from his chest, I looked up to see his kind, unassuming, loving eyes were already locked in on mine. I was breathless, but I managed to move my hand to the back of his neck, gently guiding his ear to my lips.

"I'm in love with you, Nathan," I whispered.

He let out a long breath as we faced each other again.

"I'm in love with you, too…sweetheart."

He stared intently at my lips and my chest began to heave in anticipation. Slowly, but deliberately, he pulled me closer to him. My hands instinctively grasped his neck in response as he brushed his lips with mine, murmuring words of love against them, until I felt his tongue gently glide against the seam of my lips. I parted for him, responding in kind, as he pulled me closer. I let my fingers thread through his hair, fully absorbed in our kiss, until I felt his hand travel down my hip and grasp behind my knee. Surprised, I gasped a bit as I looked up at him. But he just grinned, spinning us around the dance floor, my thigh at his hip in the style of the tango. Grasping at his shoulders, I couldn't help but giggle at how carefree he looked in such an intimate moment between us. But then again, it made sense as to why he would. After six years of friendship, Nathan wasn't awkward anymore and the reason was clear.

Because he no longer feared my rejection.

He was confident, charismatic, and devilishly handsome. I loved every version of him, past and present. But this Nathan, the one who was free to love me openly, was such a joy to discover...and he was so very sexy.

Invigorated by his carefree spirit, I pulled his lips back down to mine. We began to kiss more ardently, both of us allowing our hands to move with a bit more freedom, as we traveled across the dance floor. The flames of desire burned through me as I collapsed a bit from the intensity of the moment, only to realize I was pinned against the piano. Breathless for the man I loved, I allowed myself to fall against the keys, my bottom plinking along, playing the "tune" of our passion for each other, until Nathan pulled back and rested his forehead against mine.

"I don't want to, but I think it might be a good time for us to call it a night," he said as we caught our breath.

"I don't want to either, but I have to agree," I barely managed to reply.

We straightened, taking a second to look around to collect the rest of our things, and he walked me home.

Once at my door, he pressed a quick, gentle kiss to my lips and said, "thank you for the dance, sweetheart."

Grinning I said, "thank you for the dessert, Constable."

"The dessert?" Is that what we're calling it now?" he asked, with a lopsided grin and a wink.

"No, I was talking about chocolate. It's my favorite...but it never tasted so good as it did on your lips tonight."