Chapter 19

The smile was still plastered across JC’s face when he woke up the next morning.  He felt amazing.  He couldn’t recall a woman ever satisfying him so completely, both physically and emotionally.  He’d had great sex.  Honesty, he had had a lot of great sex.  And he had felt some very strong emotions during the course of his adult life.  But never had he felt such a strong combination of the two.  The connection he was experiencing with Ellie was better than anything he’d ever felt before.  He was in love... and it was so good it was indescribable.  

With a breathy and sappy sigh he rolled his nude body towards her side of the bed and ran his hand across the sheets where she’d been lying.  She’d rolled out quietly just a few minutes earlier, after kissing him softly and quietly on the temple.  He’d been awake enough just for the sentiment to stir him into consciousness. He’d barely opened his eyes in time to admire her curvy, naked behind before she disappeared into her adjoining bathroom.  

Rolling onto his back, he was still grinning, replaying their lovemaking in his head while staring blankly at the ceiling.  Did being in love feel this good the last time?  He didn’t think it did.  Yes, it had been awhile, but he couldn’t remember ever feeling like this.

When she reappeared, still utterly and completely nude--and gorgeous--she noticed instantly that he was awake, and watching her every move.  She grinned just as sappily as he felt and voiced a whispery, “hi.”

“Hi.”  He smiled in return, watching as she gracefully climbed back underneath the covers with him.  

“Sleep ok?” she asked.

“Better than ever,” he responded, figuring it was safe to finally voice how deeply he was feeling after all they’d shared the night before.

Her grin widened as she leaned in close, sort of hovering above him.  “Still love me?” she asked.

Bringing a hand up to the side of her face, he responded with an “oh god yes.”

She chuckled lightly and touched her lips to his cheek, and then  to the corner of his mouth before finally indulging in his lips.  “Thank you,” she said to him.

“For what?” he asked.  

“For last night... for everything.”

Smoothing his fingers to the back of her neck and into her hairline, he urged her lips to his once again.  “Sweetheart, you have nothing to thank me for.  I should be thanking you.”

With a smirk she responded, “I have a feeling we could argue about this for a long time.”

Grinning, he knew she had a point.  “You are probably right.”

Ellie was wishing she could stay in her “JC bubble” for the rest of the morning, but she hadn’t forgotten about the situation with her sister and all that had happened in regard to that the night before.  It seemed there was always something to complicate matters.  Worst part was she didn’t want to burst his bubble by bringing it up, but she knew she had to.

“What do you have on your schedule today?” she asked first.

“Studio,” he said, “but not until 2 o’clock.”

If only she could stay in bed with him until then.  

His eyes widened, as if he suddenly realized it was a weekday.  “Shit, what time does Daphne come to work?”

Ellie hadn’t even thought about that! “Uh... ten?”  She reached for her blackberry off the nightstand to realize it was it was already 9:20.  “Dammit.”

“What time is it?” he asked.

“Too early,” she said first.  “Or too late,” she added with a smirk, tilting her head to the side for added effect.

“Can I see you again tonight?” he asked.  “I know you have a lot to deal with today.”

“I can’t imagine NOT seeing you tonight with all I have to deal with today,” Ellie remarked.

He grinned sympathetically.  “I was trying not to bring that up.”

Ellie replied the look.  “I thought you had forgot.”

“Well,” he said, the back of his index finger skimming down her cheek, “there were certainly other events that happened last night that overshadowed that specific event.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “they most certainly did.  Did I say thank you?”

His brow furrowed in between his eyes and he stared at her with faux annoyance. “You did, and you have nothing to thank me for.  Trust me, everything that happened last night was absolutely my pleasure.”  She got the feeling that he couldn’t stress that quite enough.  It made her absolutely giddy from head to toe.

She wanted to tell him that she had absolutely never felt anything like the way she was feeling with him, but she wasn’t quite that brave.  Maybe thanking him wasn’t the right sentiment, but she wasn’t quite sure how to put her gratitude into words.  She felt extremely thankful at the moment.  Even with all the things  going on in her life, she felt as if her cup was running over with goodness, all thanks to what was happening with the incredible man--handsome, loving, caring, funny, sexy, tender, and kind--staring her in the face.

“Ok,” she said after a brief moment, “I’ll stop thanking you.  Do you think we can manage a quick shower together? Or is that too risky?”

His eyes lit up at the offer, as he immediately started to sit up in bed.  “We can manage,” he replied with confidence, and then hopped out of bed.  Ellie quickly followed.

JC had barely made it out of the house before Daphne showed.  LIterally, he shut his front door as Daphne was pulling up to the house.  She knew this because she had been watching him out the window.   

Ellie was barely dressed, her hair was wet and she had no make-up on when she let Daphne in through the front door.  But that was the least of her concerns.  She realized that her sister would be waking up at some point, and she needed to make her assistant aware that a guest was staying in the house.  This was a touchy subject.  She needed Daphne to be aware that Rose was not in the best state of mind, but she did not want Daphne knowing all of the details.  That trust wasn’t there yet.

Daphne came inside, dressed conservatively in jeans and a black blazer.  She didn’t seem to bash an eyelash at Ellie’s state of unreadiness.  

Ellie was explaining immediately anyway.  “I had kind of a late night.  My sister is here and her arrival was unexpected.  I need you to know that she is not in the best state of mind right now so if she makes any requests please let me know immediately--before complying.”

Daphne nodded.  “No problem,” she said.  “Should I get started?”

“Yes, please.  I’m going to finish getting dressed and then we can go over my schedule for the week.”

“Ok.”

Across the street, JC was still floating on a cloud.  So much so that he was beginning to feel a bit ridiculous.  “So I assume everything is good?” Tyler asked, popping up off the couch as JC made way into the kitchen across from the family room.  He was starving and had his mind set on leftovers from the bbq that were still in the fridge. 

“Yep,” JC answered curtly.  Things were better with his brother, but he was in nowhere ready to share what he was feeling.

“I do like her,” Tyler added.  

JC responded with a curt smile as he opened the fridge.  “Good.”

“Not that my opinion matters... obviously”

JC stopped pulling food out of the fridge at that. “Ty, you know that’s not true.  I don’t know how many times I have to apologize for what I did to you, but I am sorry.  And I am trying to change.  Believe it or not, Ellie is the first girl I’ve been with since I made that stupid promise.”

“Stupid promise?” Tyler responded, his voice raised.  “JC, you slept with a girl I had been out with more than once just to spite me, and you’re my brother!”

JC was immediately defending himself.  “You had been out with her but not seriously, Ty.  Don’t make it sound worse than it was.”

“Josh... come on.”  

Clearly this was far from resolved if Tyler was resorting to calling JC by his full first name.    He waited for more to come.

“Serious or not, it was fucked up and you know it.”

“Ok, yes it was definitely fucked up.  But how many times do we have to do this?”

Tyler shook his head, obviously annoyed and more than likely still hurt.  It was reminders of such behaviors that made JC wonder if what was happening with Ellie was too good to be true.  Did he really deserve a shot at real love after behaving so badly in the recent past?  

What made JC any better than Ellie’s ex?  Ugh.  The morning was turning into a real downer.  Dammit Ty.  Just get over it already!

“I don’t know,” Ty finally said.  “Maybe we just need to duke it out like when we were kids.”

JC smirked.  “Don’t tempt me,” he said.  “I can get us in the ring in an hour if you really want to.”  That was no lie.  Mac’s brother owned a gym and trained MMA fighters.  

All it would take is one phone call.

“Honestly?” Ty said, “I think I’d feel a lot better.”

JC found himself smirking again.  “Alright, I’ll make the call right now.  I could use a good workout.”  If his brother wanted to fight this out, then so be it.

“Rose has been sleeping since we got in early this morning.  Should I try and wake her?”  It was one in the afternoon and it had been 12 hours since JC had carried Rose into the house, over his shoulder, and she’d collapsed in the guest room.  Ellie had checked on her several times since she’d gotten up and Rose was definitely still breathing, but the girl was knocked out. 

“Let her sleep it off,” Ellie’s mom replied.  “You know that’s best.  Then we can figure out what to do.”

“I hate this,” Ellie sighed.  “Why can’t I have a normal sister?”

“I’m sorry, El.  You know I’ve tried everything to fix Rose.”

“I know, mom.  I’m sorry if it sounded like I was blaming you.”

“I’d fly out there and handle this myself if I thought it would help, but in reality it would just add to what you’ve already got going on.”

“I know,” Ellie replied.

“Keep me updated, ok?  I’ve got my phone close by.”

“Ok, mom.  I love you.”

“Love you too sweetheart.  Keep your chin up.”

Ellie sighed, hanging up the phone and staring blankly at the kitchen wall.  Things were so crazy.  Her emotions were all over the place.  She wondered what JC was up to.  She hadn’t heard from him since he’d left.  Not one text or anything, which was kind of weird.  She had thought about sending something, but didn’t want to bug him.  He was probably just busy.  She knew he had studio time scheduled at 2.  Hopefully she’d hear something before then.

Daphne stepped into the kitchen then, carrying a large manilla envelope.  “Ellie, this was just delivered for you.”

Funny, she hadn’t even heard the door.  Stretching out an arm to accept it, Daphne handed it to her and waited for instruction.

“Thank you,” Ellie told her.  “I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

Daphne nodded and left the room.  Exhaling a deep breath, Ellie tore open the envelope.  She was surprised to find it was settlement papers from James.  She’d been waiting for more than two weeks.  How did her attorney not know this was coming in the mail?

She skimmed it over, nervous tension in her chest until she learned that it was exactly what she and James had agreed upon--50 million dollars.  Oh, this sure made life a lot less complicated!  Hallelujah!

Excitedly she called Stephen Blake’s office and explained what she’d received to his secretary.  They wanted her to come in later that afternoon to review everything.  She had no problems with that!  Next she dialed JC.  This was such great news! She wanted to share with him right away.

His phone rang five or six times and then went to voicemail.  “I have good news.  Call me!” she spoke excitedly and then hung up, ready to make the next call.

It hadn’t even registered that things weren’t that great between her and Jill until her friend answered, clearly surprised by Ellie’s call.  “El, I’m so glad you called.  I hope we’re ok.”

Shit.  Now she had to talk about it.  How could she have forgotten so quickly?!  “We will be,” Ellie said.  “To be honest, I’d sort of forgotten about it already.”

“Shit, sorry.  Again.”

Ellie pushed the visuals of Jill and JC out of her mind.  “It’s ok.  I have good news.  I got settlement papers today from James.”

“That is fantastic news!!!  So?”

“Fifty,” Ellie said simply.

“You’re getting the fifty?  Just like he said?”

“From what I can tell, of course Stephen still has to review everything, but that’s what it looks like to me.”

“Don’t get too excited until Stephen reads all the fine print, but El, that is great.  You deserve it sweetie.  I’m happy for you.”

“I just want it to be behind me,” Ellie said.  “And since I have you on the phone, you should know that Rose called last night.”

“Rose?  Is she ok?”

“She is passed out in my guest room,” Ellie revealed, instinctively looking toward the doorway.  

“Oh.  Have you called her sponsor?”

“That’s next on my list.”

“You’ve had one helluva week, haven’t you?”

Just thinking about it and Ellie was exhuasted again.  “Yeah, I have.”  She realized she wasn’t ready to have a long drawn out conversation with Jill just yet.  She was still upset.  “I’m gonna get off here.  I have more calls to make.  I’ll keep you updated as things progress.”

“Ok, babe,” Jill called her.  “Take care of yourself.”

“I will.  Thanks.”

They both said goodbye and Ellie found herself slumping into the counter.  Of all the things that could ruin her high, it was remembering what had happened between JC and Jill.  The visual of a 20 year old Jill riding JC like a cowgirl riding a bucking bull popped into Ellie’s mind.  Ugh.  Bad visual.  She almost felt nauseous over it.  How was she ever going to get past this?  She’d seen pictures of Jill at 20 and everyone had seen pictures of JC ten years prior.  This was terrible.  It was way too easy to imagine them getting it on and then some.  She gagged audibly, just before Daphne popped in the doorway again.  

“JC is here,” the girl announced, just before JC popped in behind her.  Immediately Ellie was knocked off kilter as she couldn’t help but notice he was sporting a rather gnarly looking black eye.  

“What the?” she immediately asked, rushing toward him, her sight focused in on the bruised left side of his face.  

JC was shaking his head lightly back and forth while sighing with annoyance.  “I don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

Like that was going to stop Ellie.  “Who did this to you?”  

“Ty wanted to box and I agreed.”

“What?!”  That was the last thing she expected to hear!  “Why?!”

He made a face, his nose scrunching upward, and then immediately looked sorry that he had done so as it obviously hurt.  Then he looked over at Daphne who was still in the kitchen with them.

“Oh,” the girl remarked, like she had just realized that she should probably leave the room.  And just like that she was gone.

JC visibly swallowed and brushed a hand down her arm.  “He’s still pissed off at me,” he explained quietly.  “He wanted to get in the ring and duke it out like we did when we were kids. I stupidly agreed.”

“Please tell me he looks worse,” Ellie replied automatically.

JC half smiled at that.  “Actually, he doesn’t.  I kind of let him get one good swing on me hoping he would finally be satisfied.”

“So you’re telling me you let him give you black eye?”

“Kind of... yeah.”

Ellie shook her head and slipped her arms around his waist.  “So did it work?”

“I’m hoping...”JC replied as he nuzzled in close to her shoulder.  “I need Advil.  Do you have anything?”

“Of course.  Are you still going to the studio?”

He shook his head.  “I rescheduled.”

Ellie lightly touched his face.  “Oh, baby...” she called to him softly.  “This was really necessary?”

"I am so not about resorting to violence to solve things," he sighed. "This was just stupid. I'm just so ready to be passed this stupid thing with my brother. I have apologized endlessly and he still keeps bringing it up. I'm just hoping this will finally put it to rest."

"Oh JC. All this over..."  She couldn't say it. After the visual she'd just had of him and Jill and now this fued with his brother over him sleeping with a girl his brother liked... It was just too much. 

"I screwed up," JC said.  "It's not one of my finer moments.  Are you upset? Do you want me to leave?"  He was so ready to stop reliving this specific mistake but he also knew he had to be completely honest with Ellie for that to happen. And not just honest about what had happened but also about his state of mind at the time. 

Unfortunately it was at that very moment that Rose decided to appear, looking completely dishelved and disoriented. She looked at JC with confusion and then hazily focused in on her sister. "Ellie?  JC Chasez?  How did I get here?"

© BrandyRae 2013 

Chapter 20

JC was surprised when Ellie touched his arm and responded to him before turning toward her sister.  "Don't leave," she said softly. "Take some Advil and go lay down with an ice pack. I'll come talk to you in a minute.  Please?" 

He nodded quietly and did exactly as she said. Grabbing water, Advil and the ice pack and then trotting off to her bedroom to lay down. He'd be lying if he said he didn't have an enormous headache. It really had been stupid to go along with getting in the boxing ring with Ty. To be honest, his brother was a better fighter and did carry more weight behind his punch. The sad part is they'd been sparring with all of the appropriate protective gear. It wasn't until they were winding down and getting ready to leave that JC had egged on his brother enough to get punched in the face. 

JC had never been much of a fighter and he was a strong advocate against violence. He was mad at himself for getting caught up in such immaturity.  He was even more irritated because of the way the whole thing appeared to Ellie. He was thankful that she hadn't asked him to leave.  She had so much going on, the last thing she needed was to deal with his drama. He felt bad for involving her, but he just couldn't stay away at the moment. Her comfort was what he'd yearned for the most and before he could rationalize it he'd been standing at her front door.

Of course, his situation had been so distracting he didn't even get a chance to find out what her voice message had been about. 

In the kitchen, Ellie poured two glasses of water and sat down at the table with her sister. The clarity in Rose's eyes was slowly coming around. Ellie figured a strong cup of coffee would probably be a good idea and got up to start a pot.  She was stalling in a way, not really sure what to say or where to start.  The urge to handle Rose like a child was hard to supress.  Ellie had to remind herself that while Rose had never truly acted as an adult, she was one.   

"So do you remember what happened last night?" Ellie finally asked, sitting down again as the coffee began to purcalate.

"Before or after I got ditched and left in the middle of nowhere?" The resentment in her voice was not hard to recognize.  Unfortunately, Rose always had the tendency to blame others for her misfortune.  She rarely took responsibility for her own actions.

"Both," Ellie replied.  

"I'd rather not get into detail," Rose responded, brushing long, stringy hair away from her face and tossing it behind her shoulders.  "What I'd love is a shower and some fresh clothes."

Ellie audibly sighed.  "And then what?"

"And then I'll get out of your way."

"Aren't you even curious what's been going on with me for the last year?" Ellie asked.  She'd never admit it but it hurt that her sister didn't seem to care.  Of course she understood that Rose didn't have the ability to look past herself thanks to her addictions, but it still hurt, regardless.

Rose just shrugged.  "You seem to be doing just fine... as always."  The bitterness Rose felt was evident.  Maybe having a conversation was pointless.  "I can't say I ever expected you to go from billionaire media mogul to an ex member of a boyband, but I can see why you would.  He's hot.  Even with the black eye."

Ellie found herself sighing again, this time her shoulders slumping with defeat.  This really wasn't the conversation she wanted to have.  The coffee pot beeped and Ellie hopped up quickly to get a cup for her sister.

She slid a mug across the counter to Rose and sat back down.  Rose in turn took a long, slow sip of the steaming beverage.  "Are you hungry?" Ellie asked.

Rose shook her head no.  "I have some calls I need to make."

"Have you checked in with your sponsor?" Ellie found herself asking.

Aggravation spread across Rose's delicate but emmaciated features. "Yes, all the time."

Ellie knew that was a flat out lie.  She was hoping she still had Bob's number saved because he was about the only person that was ever able to get through to Rose.  Of course a call to him would definitely mean another trip to rehab for Rose.  

Ellie gave one slow nod and stood from her seat.  "Everything you need for a shower is in the bathroom next to the guest room."  With that she got up and left the room.

Poking her head into the office, she checked on Daphne.  Part of her wanted to send the girl home for the day, but then again she would have to leave soon for her appointment with Stephen Blake and she wanted Daphne to keep an eye on Rose.  How terrible was that?

After a quick update on the research task Ellie had Daphne working on, she headed toward her master bedroom to find JC.  The door was closed.  Quietly she slipped inside the dark room, her eyes adjusting quickly as there was just enough sunlight peeking in through the window to highlight his silhouette.  He was flat on his back, eyes closed, ice pack covering half of his face.  For a second she wondered if he was asleep.  "You ok?" he asked, not moving anything but his mouth to speak.

Ellie made way to the bed and sat down beside him.  "Not really," she found herself answering.  "She frustrates me more than I can handle."

He slipped the blue ice pack off his face and shifted sideways until he could see her.  "I'm sorry."

"Part of me wants her to just leave because it's so much easier when I don't have to think about what a mess she is, but the other part of me wants her to stay so I can try and get her back on the right track."

"How many times have you done that?" JC asked, reaching a hand out to brush her knee.

"More than I can count on one hand."

"Maybe you should go with your first instinct... not to be a jerk or anything, but it's hard to help someone who doesn't want to be helped."

Ellie reached out a hand to gently touch his bruised cheek bone.  "Trust me, I know."  Carefully she ran her fingertips against the contours of his chiseled face.  "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"It's kind of numb right now.  I don't think it'll be too bad."

"Don't you have to tape your show this week?"

JC smirked.  "Why, yes, I do.... but that's what makeup is for."

Ellie smirked, remembering that she still hadn't told him about the settlement papers she'd received.  "I have to go see the attorney in a little bit.  I got settlement papers in the mail today from James."

JC sat up at the news.  "What?  And you waited this long to tell me? You must be so relieved."

Ellie sighed again.  "I was at first, but now I'm just hopeful that I'm interpreting everything correctly."  She found herself whispering the next part, leaning in closer to him.  "Looks like I'm getting the doubled amount just like he said when he stopped by that one day."

JC's hands were on her cheeks then, kissing her lips softly.  "That's wonderful, sweetheart," he spoke quietly.  "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks.  I hope..." She grinned, feeling sort of shy about it all the sudden.  It was weird discussing such things with him.  It felt too personal, which was just silly considering how personal they'd become in regard to intimacy.  Affairs of the heart were different than matters of the pocketbook!

He smiled compassionately, a look of caring and love in his deep blue eyes.  It was obvious he hadn't showered after the boxing ordeal with his brother.  His hair was completely flat against the top of his head and a light aroma of sweat clung to him.  It didn't turn her off though; far from it.  He was dressed like he'd just come from the gym, black warm-ups and a black t-shirt.  Still, she wanted to curl up against him and just lay in his arms for as long as time would allow.  

"Are we ok?" he asked after their brief moment of silence.

Ellie found herself grinning sappily and nodding. "I should probably run far away after this thing you have going with your brother, but for some reason I just feel like I should trust you and not worry about it."

The sentiment he expressed in his eyes only confirmed what she felt in her heart. "There's something I want you to know," he said, reaching for her hand and grasping it tenderly.

"Ok..."  His words made her feel a little unsure.  What else could there be?

"When I'm single..." he took a breathy pause, "I have a tendency to be a very typical single guy, in case you haven't figured that out."

"I kinda have," she remarked.

"But when I'm in a relationship," he continued, his thumb brushing the top of her hand. "I take commitment very seriously.  I am loyal, honest and trustworthy."

"JC," she said softly, trying to stop him.

He kept going, his voice softening.  "I have a tendency to fall very hard and very deep.  That's why I don't let myself fall very easily."  He was looking her straight in the eye when he spoke that last sentence.  Her heart swooned in response.  "I'm not going to ruin this amazing feeling with you by doing something stupid or acting like an idiot like when I was single.  And I did act like an idiot.  Especially in regard to this whole thing with Ty.  Probably one of my most stupid mistakes ever."

Ellie was smiling giddly.  He was saying all the right words.  She wanted to jump into his arms and squeeze him as hard as she could, but somehow she refrained and instead leaned in to kiss him softly.  "It feels incredible being with you," she told him quietly. 

"I couldn't agree more, sweetheart."

Ellie felt like she was on pins and needles waiting for Stephen Blake in his executive conference room.  She found herself re-reading the settlement agreement over and over again.  Although she was far from an attorney, she had enough legal experience to realize there were some definite caveats in the agreement.  This was not cut and dry and the whole thing was far from over.  She should have known that was coming. 

When Mr. Blake finally entered the room, looking as dapper and professional as the last time she'd been in his presence, she was overcome with nervousness.  This was it. Whatever was in those papers affected her whole life. She took a deep breath and then exhaled loudly. 

He was instantly looking at her with reassurance. "I know this is stressful," he said, "but we are going to make sure this is fair and that you are getting everything you deserve."

Ellie was immediately thanking him. "Part of me feels really greedy for what I am asking for, but when I think of all the opportunities I sacraficied because James did not let me do anything on my own..."

"You're not being greedy," he assured her. "You deserve every penny of the fifty million, Ellie. And aside from a few minor clauses, like signing the confidentiality agreement, I don't see anything in these papers that will prolong this much further.  You will get the settlement that you deserve and rightfully so.  Go home and celebrate.  I am going to review these with a fine tooth comb."

JC had slept for a good hour, still fully clothed, on top of Ellie's bed, knowing full well that there were two complete strangers in the house with him.  That alone was kind of amazing and so not like him.  Ellie was either making him way too comfortable or way too secure. He wasn't sure if he should feel so "ok" with that, but for some odd reason he was more than "ok".  He was perfectly "ok"!  

With a stretch and a yawn he wondered how the appointment had gone with her attorney.  He also found his mind wondering as to whether he'd see much change in her if she did get the 50 million.  He liked Ellie just the way she was; what he constantly found himself describing as "real".  He would be highly disappointed if her divorce settlement changed that fact.  Real was not easy to find in Hell-A. 

Brushing a hand down his face, he remembered how stupid he had been with Ty earlier in the day as his fingertip brushed the left side of his face. He rolled his eyes at his own behavior and then reached for his phone to text his brother.  Are we good? Was all he sent.

Ty responded almost immediately.  I don't know.  Are you pissed?

Pissed because Ty had sucker punched him?  Hmmmm.... he probably should be.  Instead he typed back nope.

Cool.  All good then.

JC responded simply -- yep

Can we do dinner tomorrow?  Ellie too?

JC smiled.  He liked that his brother was finally going to make an effort and show his true colors.  Ty really was a good guy and an awesome brother.  JC really wanted Ellie to see that.  For sure, he answered and put his phone back on the nightstand.  He closed his eyes just before the yelling started in the room next door--something about "how could you do this to me?!" and "you left me stranded in the middle of nowhere!" 

He wasn't sure if he should get up and find out what was going on or stay put in Ellie's bed.  He knew either way, he wasn't going back to sleep.  He also knew, regardless, Ellie was not going to be happy.

© BrandyRae 2013

Chapter 21

Scratching the back of his head, JC sat up and headed toward the continued yelling spewing from the guest room next to Ellie's master bedroom.  When he popped open the door to the hall he found Daphne standing still, confusion and bewilderment stamped across her face.  It was pretty obvious that she wasn't sure if she should interrupt the girl’s rant, or not.  "I can't reach Ellie," she said quietly,with concern. 

JC shook his head, "She's probably still meeting with the attorney."  

"Should I?" Daphne loosely pointed toward the shut door where the loud one-sided conversation was coming from.

JC shook his head again, a definite no this time.  "Let's just wait it out."  He could see that she looked pretty nervous about the whole thing.  "How much longer till you are scheduled to leave?" he asked quietly.

"She asked me to stay until she returned," Daphne responded, sliding a hand into the front of her straight pocketed dark denim jeans.  Next she was looking down at her feet, which were adorned with simple nude colored flats.  JC felt bad for the girl, she was obviously uncomfortable.

Hell, he was uncomfortable too but he also felt like he should be more in charge of the situation than Ellie's one and only employee.  He wanted to tell her to go ahead and go, but thought that might be overstepping a bit.  So the two of them stood there, listening, as Rose continued to shout, clearly upset with whoever it had been that had left her stranded at the gas station where he and Ellie had picked her up the night before.

“Please just come pick me up!  I can’t stand being here!”  

JC cringed at Rose’s words.  What was so terrible about being at Ellie’s?  Was she coming down from something?  This was a terrible situation.  He had no idea what to do, and he couldn’t help but feel extremely bad over how hurt Ellie would be if she had any idea what Rose was saying.

Of course it was at that very moment that he heard the door slam from the other room.  Ellie was home.

He rushed out to the front of the house before Daphne could beat him to it.  He hoped she’d just go back to the office.  When he found her--the girl he had fallen head over heels in love with--it was clear that the appointment had gone well.  She was giddy--smiling, eyes twinkling.  All until she saw his face.  His expression must have gave everything away because her face fell blank immediately.

“What?” she was quickly asking.  “What’s wrong?”

He waited to speak until he was close enough to brush a palm down her forearm.  “It’s your sister,” he  told her softly.  “She’s been yelling for the past 10 minutes.  Apparently on the phone with whoever it was that left her last night.”

Ellie’s stomach was instantly tied in knots.  She had been through such a roller coaster of emotion over the last 24 hours.  Again, in thirty seconds time, she had just gone from the highest of highs to an extremely low.  This was the last news she wanted to hear... and the last thing she wanted JC to have to deal with.  She had so much drama in her life at the moment, she would understand if he wanted to run.  She’d be extremely hurt, but she’d still understand.  Of course, she could tell by the gentle expression on his face, the softness in his gray blue eyes, that he was going nowhere.  That made her heart skip a beat--another small dip on the roller coaster she seemed to be stuck on.

“You better go,” Ellie sighed.  “You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

His touch was smoothing down her arm before she’d even finished her sentence.  Reassuringly he squeezed her fingers and clasped her hand.  “If you want me to go, I will, but I want to be here for you... If you’ll let me.”

Deeply she inhaled, and then let out a raspy breath.  Instead of replying with words, she nodded her head once, slow and long.  Then she watched as he leaned in toward her cheek, his soft lips pressing tenderly to one side of her face as his fingers traced softly against the other.  It felt as if her heart had swelled inside the cavity of her chest--like all the sudden it barely fit, thumping strong against the inside of her rib cage.  “I love you,” she whispered, not able to hold it in even if she’d wanted to.  Tears stung her eyes and she forced the burn away, blinking adamantly.  

Instead of responding he captured her lips in a hot and fiery kiss that warmed her from the inside out.  Then he mumbled against her, his lips barely separating from hers just long enough to return the loving sentiment.  

After a moment too short, she broke away from him, feeling a hundred times stronger.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  He had no idea the strength he gave her.   

She turned and headed through the house, not sure if JC was behind her or still standing in the hallway near the garage where she’d left him.  It didn’t matter, because this was something that could not wait one minute more.  

Stopping in the office first, she peeked in at Daphne.  “I’m back,” she told the girl.  “Thank you.  I’ll see you on Thursday.”

Daphne nodded, trying not to show her relief but Ellie knew she was thankful to be able to leave.  And truly it was for the best.  Ellie had no idea how the next few minutes were about to go down.  

Ellie’s conservatively dressed assistant was just grabbing her nude leather handbag when Rose’s screeching voice startled them both--one long, drawn-out expletive.  Daphne quickened her pace as Ellie tried her damndest to keep the strength she’d gained from the support of JC just moments ago.  

“Go,”  Ellie urged her, quietly.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll be fine.”

Daphne nodded silently, brushing past JC who was heading Ellie’s direction down the hall.  Thirty seconds later the front door slammed.  Daphne was safely out of the house.

Ellie gave JC one last look of confidence before bursting into the room Rose had been occupying.  “Hang up,” she demanded.  “Hang up the phone.”

Looking like a child who had just been reprimanded, Rose tossed the cell phone down on the bed immaturely.  Then she slammed her arms across her chest, standing stiffly.  “I don’t want to be here,” Rose finally said through gritted teeth.

Ellie looked past the shell of a person that was once her beautiful, caring sister, trying hard to not let her emotions get in the way.  “Fine, I will take you wherever it is you want to go, but do not call and ask me for help again, do you understand?  Because I am done.”

“I never said I wanted your help,” Rose countered.  “Your house is like a fucking prison.  I never asked to be here.”

Ellie wanted to argue.  She wanted to remind Rose of the call she’d made late last night, asking Ellie to rescue her from a gas station in the middle of nowhere.  But she didn’t.  She was done.  It was time to stop trying to help her sister.  She couldn’t do it anymore.  She just couldn’t.  Not until Rose was ready to help herself.

“Fine.  We’ll leave in 10 minutes.  Be ready.”

Without another word she turned and left, shutting the door behind her.

She wanted to break down, to collapse and let all of the emotion she was feeling consume her, but she didn’t.  She held her facade of strength, as she turned to meet JC’s strong gaze.  

“I’m going,” he said.  “Don’t you dare ask me not to.”

Ellie didn’t argue.  She couldn’t.

The next 45 minutes was one of the uneasiest periods of time JC had ever experienced.  He was thankful that Ellie had not argued when he’d taken her car keys to drive.  They’d spent the following 20 minutes trying to get directions from Rose, who was irrational and hardly coherent.  JC couldn’t help but wonder if she’d had something on her and taken it before they left.  She’d went from being irate at the house, to being obviously high on something after they’d got into the car.

JC’s heart was breaking for Ellie.  He couldn’t imagine his brother or sister being in such a state.  He just wanted to hold her and comfort her and tell her how much he was there for her, but at the moment he was instead doing his best to support her by being quiet and doing whatever he could to help get the situation over with as quickly as possible.

Once he finally got a solid address to punch into the GPS he felt slightly more at ease.  The area was actually very upscale.  Of course that didn’t mean the company was good. It took them 25 minutes to get there with traffic.  Rose was silent in the backseat.  He was thankful for that, because it was almost unbearable to listen to her slurred speech.

When they pulled up to a large estate with full security, JC wondered if they were in the right place.  “Just stop here,” Rose instructed, before they were able to start up the drive.  

JC did as instructed.  Ellie didn’t even say anything as Rose hopped out of the backseat.  “Thanks,” the girl managed as she stumbled out of the car.  JC couldn’t bare to watch her as she walked up to the security guard.  Ellie, on the other hand, didn’t turn away until the last moment.  

“She’s in,” Ellie sighed.  “Go.  Please, before I lose it.”

JC didn’t say a word.  He just drove.  He had no idea what to say as he headed back toward the freeway.  Using the control on the steering wheel he turned the radio on softly--his favorite jazz station on satellite radio.  It was music that soothed him.  He hoped it had the same affect on Ellie, as he found himself humming along softly.

The melodic tone of JC’s soft hum was the only thing keeping Ellie together at that moment.  She wanted to tell him how much he meant to her, how she had never received this type of emotional support from her ex-husband, or any man for that matter, but instead she stared blankly out the window, a million thoughts running through her mind.  Every time she ended an episode with Rose she couldn’t help but wonder if she’d ever see her again.  Maybe she’d been harsh to just drop her and not even say goodbye.  She would probably regret that for a long time, but it was just too difficult interacting with Rose when she was in such a state, clearly under the influence of whatever her drug of choice was at the time.  It was upsetting and disheartening, but eventually the sadness would turn to anger and that was much easier to deal with.

She needed to call her mom, but that would have to wait.  She didn’t have the energy for that either.

They were close to their exit on the freeway when Ellie finally let her gaze settle on JC’s handsome features.  His jaw was stubbled and he wore a plain black hat on his head, matching the black t-shirt and black warm-up pants he’d had on for the majority of the day.  He was casual, cute and still completely sexy, and possibly the most amazing man she’d ever met.  She was more thankful for him than she could express.  Right now, he was her rock.  It was clear that he only had her best interests at heart and that he would do anything he could to support her both emotionally and physically.  She’d never experienced that before, and over everything else she was feeling, that part felt amazing.

“I don’t want to go home,” she finally spoke, knowing that she conveyed exhaustion in her eyes whether she wanted to or not.

“Ok.  Do you know where you want to go?”  He looked over at her briefly while driving, sending more comfort and strength than he realized.

“Can we just go to your house?” She didn’t want to be reminded of all that happened at her home over the past 24 hours, but she didn’t want to be around a ton of people either.  She just wanted to forget and relax.

“Absolutely.”  Less than 10 minutes later JC pulled Ellie’s car into his driveway.  “I’ll move it later,” he said to her.  “Let’s get you inside.”

She nodded silently and popped open her door to step out.  JC was immediately at her side, wrapping an arm over her shoulders and tenderly pressing a kiss to the side of her head.  Quietly they walked up to the front door, side by side, his warmth both secure and comforting.  She found herself squeezing into his side as he unlocked the door.  She needed to feel his arms around her.  There was nothing more she wanted at that moment than to feel his strength against her.

They stepped into the house--empty and quiet--and she let him close and lock the door before snaking both arms around him.  “Hold me,” she whispered, her voice more shaky than she wanted it to be.  “Please.”  

He didn’t hesitate, his strong arms circling around her and his face nuzzling into the side of her neck.  A low hum sounded from his voice, and she felt his chest rumble against her.  She melted against him automatically, closing her eyes and taking deep breaths, trying to concentrate on nothing but him and the amazing way he felt against her.

Lovingly his hand stroked down the back of her head.  “I wish there was something I could say to make it all go away.” There was so much love and tenderness in his words.  It made her feel so much, she was overcome with emotion.  He had no idea how much his words meant to her.  Not just his words, but his actions.

Tears brimmed her eyes and she realized that he had yet to see her cry, but she couldn’t hold back and she didn’t want to.  Her emotions were real and she wanted him to know every real part of her.  Burying her face into his shoulder, she sniffled, taking in a whiff of his manly scent--fabric softener, old cologne and sweat.  “You have no idea how much I appreciate just the fact that you’re here.”  The tears were streaming now.  There was no going back.  The floodgates had opened.

Gently he pulled her head from his shirt and braced his palms at her jawline.  With his thumbs he tenderly wiped her tears away.  She blinked and more fell.  He did it again, looking at her with such tenderness and caring in his soft blue eyes.  “I’m here for you,” he told her softly.  “I want to be here for you as long as you’ll let me be here.”

She mouthed a silent thank you before reaching up to meet his lips.  She felt so much in his kiss, more than she’d ever felt from any other man.  Her eyes closed, tears stringing down her cheeks, but his mouth didn’t stop for a second, not even when the salt of her tears intertwined with the touch of their lips.  Her arms sliding around his waist, her touch slipping up the back of his shirt, she realized there was only one thing that was going to make her feel better at the moment.  Urging him to remove the top of half of his clothing, she knew he’d get the hint.

And he did, practically tearing his black tee over his head and tossing it carelessly to the floor.  His mouth left her for only a few seconds of necessity, coming back and taking her even more aggressively than the kiss they’d shared tenderly only seconds before.  He guided her backwards.  She felt slightly disoriented, but she trusted him completely to see them through the maze of hallways toward his bedroom.

Clothes flew once inside the safety and serenity of the masculine space. When JC laid her down on top of his firm bed, Ellie could hardly wait to have him.  All she wanted was to feel him, his strong body, his soothing hands, and his amazing ability to take her over the top again and again and again.

They were engaged in a steamy, passionate kiss as he finally slid into her, unsheathed and incredibly hard, she couldn’t help but cry out with pleasure.  He stilled, not moving any part of his body except for his hands, which stroked down the sides of her face lovingly.  They were completely connected--body, heart and mind.  A fact that was reiterated as he leaned in and placed sweet kisses at the top of her cheeks.  She closed her eyes and his lips softly touched down on her eyelids.  She felt herself smiling.  He was so amazing.  How did she get so lucky?

Slowly he moved inside her, one slow and sensuous movement.  Desire swelled inside of her as he stopped and returned his mouth to hers, engaging in another passionate kiss, his tongue sweeping inside, dancing with her own as he kissed her hard and deep.  Instinctively she pushed her hips into him, her eyes rolling back into her head from the sensations it caused.  “You make me feel sooo good,” she groaned against his mouth as she managed to push out her words. He didn’t say anything, instead he pulled his hips back slowly, returning just as achingly slow as her walls clenched around him.  Her arms clasped onto his back, her fingers pressed into his warm skin as she couldn’t help but curse before breathing his name.  

A pleased “mmmmm...” escaped him.  She was searching out his lips again, kissing away his smile of satisfaction.

“You feel amazing,” he finally whispered.  “I love being inside of you.”  And with that the torture ended as he initiated a steady rhythm, in and out, alternating intimate stares and passionate kisses.  Her legs tangled with his, she was always amazed at how perfect he fit and how quickly he caused her desire to climb.  She didn’t hide one ounce of the emotion she was feeling--groaning, grasping and panting as his thrusts grew more forceful and needing.

Watching his face, she could see that he was getting close as desire clouded his eyes.  Meeting her stare, he grinned, pleasure across his handsome face.  Her hands smoothed across his sturdy shoulders and down his sculpted chest, just as he groaned loudly before biting his lip.  He smiled again as his eyes returned to her face and he leaned down to brush his lips to hers, groaning again, against her mouth.

The waves were crashing in, the spring so tight she could hardly hold it together for one second longer.  Her hand clasped the back of his neck, as she kissed him so hard that her lips hurt.  He was groaning again, the sound rumbling from deep in his chest, and she knew he was starting to come.  That was all it took for her, a rush of sensation flooding her from head to toe as she tilted her head back and cried out with a rush of emotion as JC thrust into her completely, hard and strong and deep, grunts and moans pouring from his sexy voice.  

Ellie panted and groaned and practically screamed it felt so good and she’d needed it so much.  Tears fell down her cheeks but she barely felt it.  She was too caught up in the overwhelming sensation he made her feel.  He just continued to thrust and push, each movement meeting her desire to the fullest, as he filled her with everything he had, their bodies connected in a mix of pulses and sensuous throbs.  Experiencing him climax was almost as good as her own amazing experience.  She loved how incredible it made her feel knowing that she could make him feel so good.  It just intensified her own overwhelming orgasm, as she writhed and rocked against him, the quake in her body slowly calming but in the most fulfilling way ever.

When he finally collapsed on top of her, she was so consumed with emotion that she was full on crying again.  But she didn’t care.  She wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed.  She was allowing herself to feel more than she ever had.  It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, like she had found emotional freedom.  Like it was finally ok to let go.  It was indescribable.  

“Did I hurt you?” he finally asked with concern, softly brushing her tears away.  “I know I got a little carried away.”

She shook her head no, grinning at the thought of him thinking he’d been carried away.  She was the one that had been carried away.  “You make me feel, JC.”  The emotion she was feeling was evident in the shakiness of her voice.  “You make me feel so much... I can’t hold it in.  I just can’t.”

Tenderly he touched his lips to hers.  “I don’t want you to hold it in, sweetheart.  Ever.”

She was smiling and sniffling at the same time.  His weight still pressed into her, he leaned in and pressed another tender and loving kiss to her lips, but Ellie felt like she was a few seconds away from snot dripping out of her nose, and it was beginning to ruin the moment.

He lifted and she found herself giggling for no explainable reason.

“What?” he grinned, bewildered.

“Ten more seconds and you’re going to be kissing snot off my face.”

With a goofy grin, he licked her top lip.  “Nope,” he said,  “all good.”

She shook her head, surprised at his actions.  He was constantly surprising her.  Most men would have kicked her out of the bed for crying, let alone threatening to spread snot on them.  

Slowly he removed himself from her, rolling carefully to her side.  Immediately Ellie hopped up and rushed to the bathroom.  She didn’t dare look at herself in the mirror, even though it was nearly impossible.  Such a man’s bathroom to have mirrors everywhere.  Women are much more strategic in mirror placement!

JC rolled flat on his back and stared up at the ceiling.  What a crazy, whirlwind of a day.  Through it all, Ellie still managed to rock his world.  Did she have any idea how much she affected him sexually?  Just thinking about how good she felt and he was practically at attention all over again.  It should be illegal for a woman to feel so incredibly good.  

He was pulled out of his train of thought when he heard her voice only seconds later.  “Did you have all those mirrors installed or was the house like that when you bought it?” she was grinning as she stepped back into the room, still completely nude of course, the remnants of her tears barely showing.  She slid onto the mattress beside him, on her stomach, smoothing her hands across his stomach and resting her chin into his chest.

“Do you not like the mirrors?” he asked instead.

She cocked one eyebrow and the left side of her lip scrunched upward.  Instinctively he brushed a thick strand of her auburn hair away from her face.  He tried to tuck it behind her ear but it fell right back into place next to her cheek.  “It’s not that I don’t like them, exactly, it just makes it impossible not to look at yourself when you’re in there... sometimes in vulnerable positions.”

JC chuckled.  He thoroughly enjoyed this side of Ellie.  Smiling, he tried getting that hair out of her face one more time.  It was no use.  “I love looking at you in all positions,” he told her, coming across way more cheesy than he would have liked.

One of her hands was smoothing up and down the side of his abdomen as she held her weight on the opposite elbow, propped up right next to his side.  Still grinning, she pressed a kiss into the center of his chest.  “Thank you,” she said next.  “You’re amazing.”

“Well...” he remarked, “I wouldn’t say all that, but thank you for the compliment.”

“I’m serious, JC.  No one has ever made me feel this way.  NO one.  I’m so thankful that I found you.  You have no idea how thankful I am.”  Her expression had turned serious as she looked at him with eyes swirling with emotion.  It reminded him of what a fragile state she was in and suddenly all he wanted to do was hold her and comfort her.

Lovingly he leaned in and kissed her forehead.  “I’m thankful too,” he whispered, “more than you know.”  He brushed her hair back again once more.  “Why don’t you get into bed, turn on the TV, and relax.  I’m going to take a quick shower and take care of you for the rest of the night, ok?”

Simply she nodded, clearly appreciative.  “Oh... my car.”

He hadn't forgot it was in his driveway.  “I’ll take care of it as soon as I get out of the shower, k?  Don’t worry.”  He kissed her head again and sat up.  “I love you,” he told her softly.  

“I love you too.”

© BrandyRae 2013

Chapter 22

When JC got out of the shower, he found Ellie curled up in his bed, sound asleep.  He had to admit it did funny things to his heart to see her so peaceful and in his very private space.  Dark gray towel tucked around his waist, he moved toward the bed and leaned down to kiss her temple softly.  She didn’t stir, not an inch.

It was early, barely 6:30 in the evening, but she had every right to be asleep.  She was emotionally exhausted and rightfully so.  She needed to rest.  He had no plans to wake her.  In fact, he had just a few things to do around the house since he hadn't done much all day.  After that, he'd join her.


Ellie woke to darkness.  She was naked, in JC's amazingly comfortable bed, but he wasn't in it with her.  With a full stretch and yawn, she rolled to face the tall glass doors and windows that looked out onto the Hollywood hillside.  It was a breathtaking view at night. JC was right.  It was a much better view on his side of the street.  She grinned at the thought of their first meal together.  It seemed like ages ago even though it had barely been a month.  So much had happened since then.  So much.... like falling in love, incredibly and ridiculously in love.  
Other things had happened too, but for the moment she chose just to think about the love part.

She caught herself smiling again.  Even though she could have easily went back to sleep, she suddenly felt this terribly strong desire to see him.  So instead she sat up and switched on the lamp beside the bed.  Another grin eased across her lips as she noticed clean pajamas sitting on a chair across the room.  They were his clean pajamas, but they seemed to be put there just for her.

After slipping into the gray and white striped cotton pajama pants and white v-neck t-shirt, Ellie headed into the bathroom to freshen up just a bit before heading out of the room to find JC.  When she found him a few minutes later it was in a place she had never found him before--at the piano, in the sitting room off the family room.  It was the room with the second best view of the hillside, second best after his bedroom.  She found herself staring at him for a moment before letting herself be known.  He wasn't playing the shiny baby grand piano, at least not at that moment.  Instead, he was just sitting on the bench, hunched over a piece of paper.  The top of his head was pointing at her, his eyes down, as he leaned into one of his palms, elbow resting on the pristine dark surface.  Behind him it was clear night, the lights of high-dollar homes lit up the hillside.

Not wanting to startel him, Ellie cleared her throat loudly and waited for him to look up.  It only took a second for his striking blue-eyed stare to catch her, and when it did it made her heart skip a beat.  His stoic expression turned instantly into a smile.  "Hi," he said rather goofily.  

"Hi."

"Did you wanna come sit down?"

When he patted the bench beside him, she knew she couldn't resist, and fluidly moved to scoot in beside him, stopping as her knee knocked against his knee.  He was looking incredibly sexy wearing a pair of very warn denim jeans and a plain white cotton v-neck undershirt.  His hair was mussed and he smelled of that wonderful scent she'd grown to love--cleanliness and spice.  She found herself secretly taking in a big whiff of him.

Instantly he was wrapping one arm around her back, then leaning in to kiss the side of her face.  The tenderness made her swoon ten times over.  "I was planning to come back to bed with you, but after I put your car in your garage Ty came home for a bit and we were talking.  Then he left and I just had the urge to do some work.  So here I am..."
"Is that what this is?" she asked softly.  "Work?"  She glanced at the partially blank music sheets he had been penciling on.

With a boyish grin, he nodded.  "It's work, but it's also my passion.  You just never know when inspiration will hit."

Her hand fell to his strong thigh, but she couldn't take her eyes off his handsome face.  Her heart was swelling inside of her chest.  It felt amazing.  "Did inspiration hit tonight?"

He was smiling goofy again.  She loved that look on him.  It was so open and honest and real.  She knew in that very moment that this was 100 percent the "real" JC in his truest form.  She had never felt more drawn to him then she did in that very moment.  "Maybe..." he tipped his chin down a bit and grabbed onto one of her hands, his eyes dropping with the movement, almost as if he was being shy about it.  JC, shy?  That had never happened!

"Will you play something for me?" she asked him, hoping to convey a look of pleading because she really wanted to hear him play.
His grin turned wide and confident.  "Of course!" he sounded, and shifted his body straight toward the keys.  "But not the inspiration..." he added quietly with a quick sideways glance.

She couldn't help but think she had something to do with "the inspiration".  Another thing to make her heart swell and her body swoon.

Amazed, she watched in awe as his fingers danced and glided across the keys.  It was something uptempo and classical, something quite complicated to play if you asked her, although she had no idea really.  Regardless, she was completely smitten by his ability to play so effortlessly.  When he stopped, she couldn't help but tell him how good he was.

"It's what I do," he responded with a grin.

"I've never dated anyone musical before," she confessed.  "I'm feeling quite smitten at the moment."

JC's smile seemed to triple in size at that, showing in his eyes even. "Well, in that case, let me play another one."

Not a second later his graceful hands were moving seamlessly across the black and white keys.  She recognized the song instantly.  It wasn't his song, but it was very famous.  When he began singing along she thought she'd died and gone to Heaven...

Ocean's apart

day after dayAnd I slowly go insane

I hear your voice on the lineBut it doesn't stop the pain

If I see you next to neverHow can we say forever

Wherever you go

Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes

Or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted, all the times

That I thought would last somehow

I hear the laughter, I taste the tears

But I can't get near you now

Oh, can't you see it baby

You've got me going crazy

Wherever you go

Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes

Or how my heart breaksI will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how we can survive

This romance

But in the end if I'm with you

I'll take the chance

Oh, can't you see it baby

You've got me going crazy

Wherever you go

Whatever you do

I will be right here waiting for you

Whatever it takes

Or how my heart breaks

I will be right here waiting for you

The second he stopped she found herself near attacking him, swinging a leg over him and making way onto his lap, kissing him forcefully, with a mix of fire, passion and a little bit of desperation.  Her desire for him had spiked to an unprecedented level.  She could hardly stand it! 

Of course JC was not fighting the action in any way, shape or form.  In fact, he was grinning quite obviously against her kiss, his hands smoothed around her back, resting at the top of her backside.  
"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't expect to get this type of reaction out of you," he finally chuckled as she let him have a second to breathe.

Ellie's eyes rolled automatically.  She should have smacked him, but instead she was moving in for another steamy kiss. Damn him for being so desirable... and for knowing it!  

JC's hands smoothed down to the back of her thighs where he squeezed accordingly.  She found herself grinding into him even more.  It was hard to miss the fact that he was now hard as a rock and his erection was obviously straining underneath his jeans.  Ellie wanted him so bad she could hardly stand it.  Her kiss didn't hold anything back as she felt like she could practically swallow him right up at the moment.  

One of his hands left her and she broke contact with him just long enough to look at what he was doing--unbuttoning his fly and repositioning his aroused state.  Their eyes met and he pressed a needy and forceful kiss to her lips.  Then he was reaching behind her, fiddling with the large, expensive instrument--closing the lid on the keys she realized after a moment.  Grabbing her waist, he hoisted her up off his lap and pushed the bench backwards a bit so he could stand.  "As sexy as you are in my pajamas," he spoke gruffly, "I think you very much need to come out of them."  And then he tore the t-shirt over her head, leaving her breasts completely exposed.

"Ty's not coming back, is he?" she asked.  That was the last thing she needed.

JC shook his head no assertively.  "Not until tomorrow."

She found herself smiling, wondering what he had in store for her next.  Eagerly she reached for his shirt, wanting him just as naked as she was.  That was only fair, she figured.  Naturally, he obliged and tossed his plain white T to the floor.  He moved in close to her face and whispered, "Lean back" before pressing one soft, quick kiss to her lips. Then his hands were at her waist, his fingers toying with the too-big waistband of his PJs that she wore.  

As soon as she let her back rest into the cool, hard surface he slid them right off of her.  He gave her no warning before spreading her legs and delicately smoothing the tip of his tongue up her highly sensitive and needing center.  She cried out instantly, sensuous pulses shooting across her flesh in response to his skillful touch.  He did it again, dipping his tongue inside of her before smoothing his moist touch up and over her throbbing clitoris.  This time she found herself cursing in response, her body nearly convulsing at the sensation.

"Do that again," she begged gruffly, her voice low with desire.  He did, her body immediately reacting, pleasure flooding her, filling her every need. With little control she managed to shout and curse, breathlessly and simultaneously.  No one had ever done to her what he did.  No one.
When he didn't return she looked up just in time to catch his eyes.  "I was just taking a second to admire the view," he told her.  "You're so gorgeous."

She grinned, chest heaving, watching as his head disappeared again between her thighs.  She shivered at the feel of his warm breath, wishing she had something to grab onto once his tongue danced across her overly heightened arousal once more.  There was no stopping this time.  He lavished her with his amazing and sensuous mouth until she felt like she was going to explode, but before she did, he slid one strong finger deep inside her, searching gently until he touched her in a way that made her scream out loud.  She was too caught up to realize he'd found her g-spot, but when he smoothed his soft tongue across her clit and pressed inside of her just right, the waves crashed--and they crashed hard.  She shouted and panted and came harder than she'd ever came before.  Instead of pulling his touch away, he rode the wave with her, pressing into her throbbing center and holding it while repeated spasms of pleasure jolted through her again and again.  

When her body finally calmed, he gently pulled away. Slowly, she rose to look at him, almost dizzy and most definitely light-headed. She had no words to speak.  She was completely enamored by him.  He motioned for her to come to him and she realized that his jeans were gone and he was nude from head to toe.  With lust-filled eyes she gazed down upon his hardened member, just for a moment, before he guided her back to his lap, where he sat on the leather bench.

Her body was ultra sensitive, still in a state of readiness, and as she eased herself down onto his slickness, she found her eyes nearly rolling back into her head it felt so damn good. He braced his hands at her hips and whispered for her to "be easy."  She wanted to ride him like a cowgirl on a broncing buck, but she refrained.

She felt him swallow as he met her lips in a wet and passionate kiss. The strength of his arms cradled behind her back, one hand reaching up to her neck, tangling in her hair as she delicately rocked against him, tiny jolts of electricity shooting up through her belly each time.  "You make me feel so good," she whispered breathlessly, meshing her lips with his again and again.

He hummed against her.  "I love you, Ellie.  I love you and I love making love to you."

His words nearly sent her over the edge.  She closed her eyes briefly, taking in every sensation, every emotion that overwhelmed her.  "Lay me down, JC," she whispered. "As good as this feels, I want to feel the way you move inside me.  I need more."

JC didn't hesitate.  Carefully he swooped her up and laid her down on the ridiculously expensive large white area rug that spanned around the piano.  It was plush and soft and he couldn't wait to fuck her on it.
He took her over the edge, again, enjoying the sweet sound of her cries, the way she breathed his name and clasped at his back and his shoulders.  His climax was big and strong and earthmoving, and he let it be known to her every second of the way.  He loved being with Ellie. He was head over heels for this woman. And if there was one thing he planned on doing it was pleasing her to every extent possible. This was barely the beginning.

After several breathless moments, he kissed her tenderly on the cheek and spoke softly. "Do you think you can reach my shirt with your toes?"
The look she gave him was completely girlish and cute.  "Afraid we might make a mess?"

He was.  "A little bit."

She chuckled as he felt her moving her leg underneath him, carefully she curled her knee and brought her foot up high enough so she could reach the shirt she'd managed to grab with her foot.  With a grin, she handed it to him.  Then he removed himself carefully, using the shirt as a catchall.

Ellie rolled up quickly and scurried off into the bathroom.  After slipping back into his jeans, JC picked up and took his laundry to the laundry room. The housekeeper came tomorrow morning.  He didn't like leaving obvious clues in regard to his sexual activities, committed relationship or not.  Besides, Ellie was probably beginning to figure out, he was a bit of a neat freak.  He liked things a certain way.

He realized that Ellie was probably hungry and headed into the kitchen to find them something to eat.  The choices were probably limited, but, again, he wanted to satisfy her in every way possible.  After all she'd been though, he had this incredibly strong urge to take care of her.

When she found him just a few moments later, he was standing in front of the open Sub-Zero fridge, pondering what his possibilities were.  Her greeting warmed him from the inside out as she stepped behind him and wrapped both arms around his bare torso.  "You must be hungry."

"I am actually starving," she replied.  "I don't think I ate lunch even, let alone dinner."  He almost jumped at the feel of her teeth pressing into the top of his shoulder, mock bitingly.  It sent a pulse straight to his groin.  He was convinced that she still had no idea the affect she had on him.

With a tortured chuckle, he shut the fridge, turned, and pulled her into his arms, embracing her close.  "God, you feel good.  How do you feel so good?"

She was giggling.  He loved her giggle.  "How do you feel so good?" she asked in response.

"I'm a guy.  I highly doubt I feel anywhere near as good as you do."

The look she gave him was full of flirtation, her eyelashes batting without her even realizing it probably.  "Oh... I beg to differ," she remarked.

An easy smile spreading over his lips, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her cheek, purposely making a loud smacking noise against her.  He was in trouble with this girl... so much trouble.  He was falling so fast and so hard, he wasn't sure he'd be able to come out of this if it went bad.  But he was in way too deep to care.  He was intoxicated by her, and he loved the feeling of it.

"So you were going to feed me?" she asked after a second.

His eyes rounded momentarily as a stream of dirty thoughts ran through his mind.

"Food..." she continued.

"Yes, food," he smirked goofily. 

"Can we have dinner in bed?"

Again, his thoughts went straight to the gutter even though he knew that's not what she was implying.  Not this time.  "Absolutely," he replied.

"I like that," she grinned, confident and pleased.  "I'll let you figure it out then and bring it to me."

Brushing her hair back away from her face, he tenderly kissed her forehead and said "ok."  Then watched her strut out of the room in his pajamas.  His heart was pounding. He couldn't wait to get back to her and she'd just barely left the room.  He realized how bad that was, but he was too caught up to think twice about it.  

(c) BrandyRae 2013

Lyrics: "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx