Post Split Decision – Season 8
Author's note: Let's just say there's no need to hold back in Season 8, so this chapter is edges toward a strong T+/light M.
Angela dribbled the warm oil onto Tony's back and pressed her hands into the tense muscles, pushing upward toward his shoulders and working her hands into the deep, endless knots. Tony's resulting groan could have been euphoria or agony – or, most likely, a combination of both.
While Angela was committed to doing justice to the massage and relieving the pent-up stress Tony had been carrying around for weeks, she couldn't resist taking full advantage of having him face down on the bed wearing only a pair of silk boxers. She knelt behind him on the bed in nothing more than a white tank top and shorts, doing her best to ensure each pass of her hands was accompanied by as much additional contact as possible. Tony's mental health might be her priority, but there were ulterior motives at work as well.
Upon arriving home from her weekend at the spa with her mother and daughter and learning that Tony had spent the time in a state of perpetual tension and anxiety, Angela resolved to help him unwind one way or another. To her great relief, there was one suite left at the spa for the next weekend, and Angela booked it before she unpacked her suitcase. Though Tony put up some token resistance, he nonetheless packed a bag and was ready to leave on Friday afternoon.
And so they arrived in their private room with an en suite sauna, dual shower, and oversized, jetted tub. In addition to the focus on rest and relaxation, it was also a couple's paradise, which Angela decided she and Tony needed just as much.
Tony was reluctant at first, but when Angela emerged from the bathroom wearing a thin camisole and tiny pair of running shorts, holding a bottle of scented massage oil, his mouth went dry and he stripped to his boxers in record time.
"Remember when we accompanied Sam on spring break a few years ago, and I rubbed sunscreen on your back?" Angela asked, as she pressed her thumbs into the base of his neck. She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "This is what I was thinking about the whole time."
Tony groaned again and tried to roll over, but Angela held firm. "Not yet."
Over and over, she worked the oil into his back, from shoulder line to waistline. She rubbed the tender spots firmly until the knots gave way and alternated between targeted efforts with her thumbs and wide, sweeping pressure with both hands. When she sensed the most important work was done, she ventured lower, over his boxers to his hamstrings. She slid her hands back up, and her fingers slipped beneath the hem of his shorts, curving over his muscled glutes. Her motives were as much about arousal at this point as anything else, and Tony certainly didn't seem to mind.
From his prone position on the bed, he welcomed every glorious pass of Angela's hands along his skin. How could he not? When a gorgeous woman who loved him unconditionally offered to massage away months of pent-up stress and tension, he wasn't going to argue. And he recognized how much they needed this time together – without school or work or the kids, which now included a new son-in-law. Was it any wonder he was on edge? His only regret was taking it out on Angela – but thankfully, she lived up to her name and was nothing less than an angel.
A bedeviled angel, he corrected, when she bent low enough over his back for him to realize she was no longer wearing her shirt. His restraint reached its limit, and in seconds, he reversed his position so that he was looking up at those warm and inviting brown eyes and pulling her down to lie fully atop him.
Their lips met in a fervent kiss that caused the rest of the world to fade away, along with the scant remainder of their clothes. The scent of cedar and sage hung heavy in the air from the oil that now covered them both. Eager hands and hungry mouths fought for purchase until Angela found herself fully astride Tony's hips and deftly guiding herself to him.
For the first time in weeks, they were able to make love fully and freely without fear of being discovered or guilt at sneaking around their own home. The experience remained new and novel and utterly mesmerizing. They were still learning all the wonders of this part of their relationship and were variously bold and timid as they discovered what brought the other pleasure.
From his vantage point, Tony watched Angela above him, scarcely believing his eyes. Nothing could have prepared him for the overwhelming sense of awe that swept over him every time he got to experience this long-concealed side of her. She was utter perfection in every way.
Starting at her hips, he dragged his hand over every inch of her he could reach until all he could do was pull her toward him and hold tight as a wave of euphoria crashed around him.
Minutes, hours, days? He wasn't sure how much time passed before he heard her voice whisper softly in his ear, "Feeling relaxed yet?" Though no longer directly on top of him, she was still pressed along his side, with his arm curled around her and resting quite contentedly on her backside.
"Mmm, I could win a gold medal in relaxation right now."
"Good, you needed it."
"We both did," he clarified, turning toward her and bringing his hand to her cheek. "We needed some time together, like this. How did I keep my hands off you for seven years?"
"You didn't know what you were missing," she quipped with a wicked smile.
"Not a clue – though I certainly thought about it on more than one occasion."
"You thought about me … about us, like this?" she asked in a low voice.
"Well, yeah," he said caught somewhere between stating the obvious and realizing he was revealing something she didn't know – or at least didn't let herself believe. "Didn't you?"
"Well, yeah," she echoed in admission, self-conscious at being called out about it. "But how was I supposed to know you did, too?"
"How could I not?" he asked rhetorically. "All those years sharing a home with you, seeing you in your robe and pajamas, dancing together …"
She continued when he paused, "Watching movies on the couch, seeing you working out in the garage …"
Tony shifted and turned so he was braced atop her. "It seems we both thought about this over the years," he replied, leaning down to capture her mouth.
"A lot," she added, suggestively, feeling smugly self-satisfied when she felt him stir against her. "It seems you're starting to tense up again," she quipped euphemistically.
He nuzzled her neck and kissed his way downward. "How about we make sure you have a chance to 'relax' as well."
Whatever reply Angela might have made was lost on gasp of desire.
For the next thirty-six hours, the outside world ceased to exist as Tony and Angela savored the indulgent intimacy of two nights together with nothing to attend to but each other.