FOUR

Jon yawned widely as he trudged down the hall from the bedroom.  As he moved, one hand raised to shove aside the waistband of his black boxer briefs, allowing him access to the bothersome itch.  Jon’s lip curled into a silent snarl of annoyance as he scratched his ass while continuing his trek.

He still hadn’t gotten used to rising early, even though the tour had been over for months.  After almost four decades of nocturnal life his body clock was set for good.  Even if he was awake before 10:00 a.m. it took at least until then for his brain to fully engage.

As he approached the heart of the apartment Jon automatically swiveled his head to the left, toward the airy room next to the terrace.  Cate was exactly where he expected her to be:  on the elliptical trainer, her body swaying rhythmically as her legs pistoned on the pedals’ oval track. 

As usual, she had headphones clamped over her ears and her eyes were trained on a thick binder of papers that covered the exercise machine’s display.  Perspiration shone on her neck and chest above the scoop neck of her purple sports bra and on her bare midsection.  Her auburn ponytail swung like a pendulum, keeping the beat of her movement.

Jon watched her for a moment, debating whether he should enter the gym to offer morning greetings.  After a minute he decided against the interruption.  He would see Cate after she finished her workout.  Jon didn’t want to break her concentration on her case file; he was pretty sure whatever she was reading was both complicated and boring.

His mind drifted hazily as Jon stood staring at his wife for another full minute.  Then he realized it was probably best he not talk to anyone at the moment.  He needed coffee before he would be able to form a coherent sentence.

Jon turned and shuffled to the kitchen, following the aroma of freshly-brewed coffee.   Silently he offered up a prayer of thanks to the inventor of the automatic timer; this was one of those mornings he didn’t think he would survive the wait for a pot to brew.

He paused to scratch at a tickle on his bare, silver-furred pectoral, then ran a hand through his unruly mane before taking a mug from the tree next to the pot.  He yawned again as he decanted the dark, rich brew into his cup.

The first sip burned his tongue, as usual.  As usual, Jon swore, then tried again.  He snorted quietly as he wondered if his tongue could form a callus due to its frequent scalding, as his fingertips had grown permanent pads against the abrasions of his guitar strings.

He snorted again as he realized what a ridiculous thought that was.  Clearly he needed caffeine.

Jon stood in the kitchen for a few more minutes, sipping his coffee and staring through the wall of glass that separated the terrace from the kitchen, dining, and living rooms.  The sun was beginning to rise, painting the patio with a faint goldish hue.  It promised to be a pretty fall day.

As the caffeine went to work Jon finally found the impetus to move.  He wandered into the living room, rounding the end of one of the facing leather sofas.  Flopping down onto it with a groan, he reached for the remote and aimed it at the dark screen on the adjacent wall.  Immediately the window illuminated, filling with familiar morning show faces.  Jon sank into the couch and wrapped his hands around his mug.

Twenty minutes later Jon was informed of the day’s news headlines and weather, had seen a preview of the trendiest women’s handbags for fall, and had emptied his coffee cup.  Realizing a few more neurons were now firing in his brain, Jon heaved himself off the couch and turned back toward the kitchen.

He glanced toward the terrace again, this time his eyes settling on the far corner of the wall that jutted out perpendicularly to the glass.  He knew Cate was still in the exercise room, watching the sunrise light the terrace through that room’s floor-to-ceiling window.  She should be cooling down from her workout by now; it would soon be time for her to leave for work.

With a little smile Jon moved toward the kitchen with a task in mind.  He first refilled his coffee mug and again seared his already-tender tongue with another fresh sip.  Then he moved over to the stove, taking the stainless steel teapot from the back burner and carrying it to the sink.  Jon filled the teapot with water and returned it to the stove, then ignited the burner under it.  The soft pop and whoosh of the gas flame made him involuntarily flinch.

Next Jon wandered back to the coffee station and pulled open the door of the overhead cupboard.  He took out a metal travel mug and the wide wooden tea box.  Jon smirked at his plan; in a few minutes he would go into the gym and greet his wife with a smile, a good morning kiss, and a warm beverage.  Jon gave himself a mental pat on the back for being such a thoughtful and sensitive husband.

Cate had only recently begun drinking hot tea in the morning in place of her traditional coffee.  When she had quietly made the switch Jon had noticed, but didn’t inquire of his wife about her change in preference.  He didn’t have to. 

Over the past few months Cate had stopped drinking alcohol, weaned herself off caffeine, and restricted her diet almost exclusively to organic and unprocessed foods.  She also exercised religiously.  Jon and Cate had always been health- and fitness-conscious, but since they had decided to try for a child her attention to her diet and body had become almost compulsive.  While Jon admired her willpower and dedication to their goal, he couldn’t stifle a nagging worry about his wife’s sudden renewed self-discipline.

Jon lifted the lid of the tea chest and surveyed the assortment of flat paper envelopes inside.  He frowned slightly as he saw there were more than a couple different varieties.   Jon wasn’t sure which type of tea Cate currently favored; once the bag was removed from the wrapper there wasn’t really any way to tell them apart other than by taste.  He would have to guess.

Jon plucked a plump brownish-green packet from one of the rows and turned it over for inspection.   Immediately he knew he had the right one:  the wrapper was printed with the slogan “FertiliTea:  A Tea for Preconception.”  His brow furrowed as he pulled the bag closer to his face to read the smaller print.  “An organic tea containing vitex, red raspberry leaf, and other herbs to enhance fertility.”

Giving his head a small shake, Jon sighed softly.  A little stab of worry pierced his heart as he tossed the tea bag onto the countertop, then closed the chest’s lid.  Though he knew he should let Cate deal with her anxieties by whatever means she needed, he just couldn’t help himself.  He hated to see her struggle.

“It’s just a tea bag, Dummy.” Jon mumbled the chastisement to himself as he picked up the tea chest and returned it to its place in the cupboard.   He pried the lid off the travel mug before ripping the paper cover away and dropping the tea bag into the empty metal cylinder.  He crumbled the FertiliTea label into a tight ball before tossing it aside, a symbolic gesture of his determination to put his concern aside.  This morning he wanted to be the sweet and loving husband, not the overprotective worrywart.

Within a minute the kettle was boiling, its escaping steam filling the kitchen with a shrill whistle.  Jon carried the travel mug over to the stove and flipped off the burner before pouring the bubbling liquid into the cup.  He stared idly at the submerged tea bag as he raised and lowered it by its string to steep it in the boiling water.

Once the liquid had turned a reddish-amber Jon added a dipper of organic honey from the pot on the counter and stirred briefly.  Then he held the open-topped mug to his nose and sniffed.  The tea didn’t smell awful, so he took a cautious sip.  He grimaced; the tea was much more bitter than it smelled.  Considering Cate had always drank her coffee practically half-diluted by chocolate-caramel creamer Jon wasn’t sure how she stomached this stuff. 

Making another face, Jon added another large dipper of honey to the brew and stirred, then warily sipped at the beverage again.  This time it wasn’t as bad.  With a little shrug Jon shoved the travel cap on, being sure to catch the tea bag’s string in the seal.  Then he took one more swallow of his coffee to rid his palate of the unpleasant aftertaste of Cate’s morning beverage.

That done, Jon picked up the mug and headed for the gym.  His bitter-tea grimace was replaced by an amused smirk as he saw Cate through the open door before he stepped into the room. 

She had finished her workout on the elliptical trainer and dismounted the machine.  Her back to the doorway, she was bent over at the waist, her nose touching her knees and her arms circled around her calves, stretching out her glutes and hamstrings.  Her position provided Jon an enticing view of her shapely derriere, sheathed minimally in black spandex boy-cut yoga shorts .  And as a bonus, the little shorts had ridden up with her movement, baring the bottoms of Cate’s cheeks to Jon’s approving stare.

“Well Good Morning to Me,” Jon drawled as he leaned against the door frame.  He gave a low wolf-whistle at his wife before grinning broadly.

Still bent over in her stretch, Cate moved her face to peer around her knee.  Her messy ponytail dangled down past her head and she gave him an upside-down smile.  “Hey!  Didn’t think you’d be up so early.”

“I’m a busy guy. Got places to go, people to see,” Jon joked.  He raised the warm metal mug in his hand.  “Brought you somethin’.”  The ghost of his concern vanished as he chuckled at Cate’s grin in response.  She seemed to be in a bright mood this morning.

“Awww, Baby.  My tea.  That’s sweet of you.”  Her stretch completed, Cate levered her torso upright and raised her arms above her head.  Interlocking her fingers, she stretched her arms upward and raised onto her tiptoes.

Jon’s eyes automatically roved over Cate’s half-naked body as she stretched.  He almost let out another whistle as he evaluated her physique. 

The muscles of her back were clearly defined, flexed by her current position and banded by her purple sports bra.  Though her back was to him, Jon could see the outer ridges of Cate’s abdominal muscles along her trim sides.  Her ass was taut and round under the little black shorts.  Her legs were toned and smooth.  Her summer tan had not quite fully faded, and her body shone in the morning light, slicked by a light sheen of perspiration remaining from her workout.

Jon nodded slowly in appreciation of his wife’s glowing body.  Regardless of her motivation, Cate’s new diet and exercise regimen were certainly beneficial to her figure.  She looked fantastic.

Cate finished her stretch and relaxed, then turned to face Jon.  She gave him a little smirk before moving toward him.  Jon grinned back, knowing she had enjoyed displaying herself for him.  He held out the mug as she approached, presenting his Thoughtful Husband offering.

“Morning, Baby.”

Cate’s smirk turned devilish as she stopped in front of her husband.  “I’m glad you’re up.  I was gonna come wake you.”  She reached for Jon’s middle, grasping the elastic waistband of his briefs and tugging lightly, then slipping her hand inside.

“Wha.. WHOA!”  Jon’s eyes widened with surprise at her bold movement.  Involuntarily he bent at the waist, automatically seeking to protect his most sensitive area from her unexpected grope.  Remembering he was holding a hot beverage, he stretched his arm out away from his body.  “Jesus! Cate!”

Cate giggled and stepped closer to Jon, reaching further down to cup him in her hand.  “Sorry, Baby.  Did I scare you?”

“Yeah!”  Jon’s surprise was still evident in his exclamation, though his posture straightened.  Despite his shock, he felt his dick stir in response to its sudden attention.  “Uh…”

Cate wiggled her fingers inside Jon’s briefs, gently kneading the two soft lumps around which they were curled.  “You’re not really a morning person, are you, Babe?”  She moved closer, slipping her free arm up around Jon’s neck and molding her moist body against his side.

Jon groaned softly as his arm automatically slipped around Cate’s waist.  “But… I brought your tea…” he protested weakly.  Though his wife was now in his one-armed embrace he still held his cup hand out wide of his body, forgetting the hot beverage was contained by a lid.

Cate giggled and leaned up to nuzzle at Jon’s neck.  “That’s very sweet of you, Baby.  Thank you.”  She nipped lightly and heard his little squeak in response.  “But I’m not really in the mood for tea at the moment.”  Her lips traveled downward, along the ridge of his collarbone.

“Uhh... Yeah.  I can… tell.”  Jon sucked in a breath as Cate released his balls and circled her fingers around his awakening shaft.  He looked dazedly at the mug in his left hand, realizing there was no place to set it within his reach.  He hadn’t even made it all the way through the workout room door.  “Cate… uhh… Time Out?  I need to set this mug down.”

“Time Out?”  Cate raised her head from Jon’s chest and grinned evilly.  “Okay, but you only got thirty seconds.”  With that she slipped her hand from Jon’s briefs, being sure to drag her palm hard against his semi-rigid cock.  She stepped nimbly out of Jon’s arms and gave him an expectant look, one brow raised.

Jon stared at Cate, his mouth hanging open as he tried to comprehend what the Hell was happening.  It wasn’t like this was the first time she had wanted to have morning sex, but it had been a damned long time since that had happened.  And she had never been this aggressive before.  

“Tick Tock, Jonny.”

“Oh.”  Jon started at her playful prod.  He quickly moved into the gym and to the nearest corner, where he set Cate’s mug of tea on a small table.  He felt her move up behind him, then her arms were around his waist and her warm body was pressed against his back.

“Christ, Cate… what got into you this morning?”  Jon chuckled, his arms crossing over hers around his middle. 

“In a couple minutes… You.”  Cate’s sultry purr was not-so-subtly demanding.

“You wanna go in the bedroom?”

“No.  Right here’s just fine.  No need to waste time.”

“What?”  Jon half-laughed with the question as he turned in Cate’s arms to face her.  He gave her a bemused smirk as he gazed down into her pink-flushed face.  The desire roiling in her sapphire eyes made his cock jump.  “Baby, this isn’t like you.  I’m not complaining, mind you, but...”

“It’s time, Jonny.  Now.  This morning.”

Suddenly comprehension smacked Jon between the eyes.  Of course. 

Cate had been scrupulously documenting her body’s every detail for the past few months.  Every morning when she awakened she took her temperature and recorded it on her iPad.  At first Jon had been amused that there was an App for that, but when she explained its purpose he understood.  Using the patterns of her basal body temperature she could predict her most fertile days.

Apparently this was one of them.

“You’re ovulating?”

Cate nodded vigorously and pulled at the waist of Jon’s briefs.  “Come on, Baby.  Do me.  I gotta go to work.”