Cate glanced sideways to see Jon mimicking her, his pinky
and thumb extended from his closed fist next to his ear. His nose wrinkled and his lip curled as he
mimed with silent sarcasm her end of the telephone conversation.
Holding her iPhone against her ear as she listened to
Santo’s continued narrative, Cate turned her face toward her smartass
husband. She stuck out her tongue
before giving him a little scowl.
Jon mirrored her action, shooting her a displeased pout
of his own before his lips relaxed into a smirk. He was positive from Cate’s reaction that he
had successfully telegraphed his impatience. He turned his face forward and closed his
eyes, settling back against the plush cushion of his poolside chaise. Jon let out an exaggerated sigh, reminding his
wife she was supposed to be relaxing with him.
“Hmm. He’s not
staying at the usual place? Well that’s interesting. Something worth exploring.”
Cate reached absent-mindedly for her drink, which she had
earlier set on the low table that sat between her lounge chair and Jon’s. Her fingers closed around the plastic
tumbler, then lifted it to her lips. She
grimaced at the taste of the tepid, watered-down remains of her limeade. Disregarding her thirst, Cate dropped the
tumbler to the concrete beside her chair.
“Who’s the on-call agent?
Silvio?” Cate nodded at her
partner’s affirmative answer.
“Good. He’s wired in better than
anybody down there. See what he can get
from his contacts. The second Cupid
steps out the front door Silvio should be able to tell you where he’s headed.”
Jon chortled softly at Cate’s directive. She sounded like a she was spouting off
dialogue in some spy movie, though Jon knew better. This was definitely real; his wife had checked in on her case at least twice
a day since they arrived in Saint Barthelemy three days ago.
Still, Cate’s use of the target’s code name made Jon
smirk. He knew his wife was being
cautious with her words, not just for his sake but because she was on an
easily-intercepted personal phone.
Operational and communications security were second nature for Cate,
even with regard to her personal life.
It was a behavior that Jon both understood and appreciated, but it also
drove him a little crazy.
“Depends. The
price of sugar cane has gone through the roof lately. Supply and demand.”
With a little snort and another impatient sigh Jon heaved
himself up from his recline and swung his legs over the side of the
chaise. He leaned forward to pick up
Cate’s discarded beverage from the ground before standing and retrieving his own
empty glass from the table. Jon paused
to let his gaze wander over Cate’s sunkissed body, delightfully displayed by
her skimpy turquoise bikini.
Jon chuckled again as he turned to shuffle toward the wet
bar at the back of the villa’s spacious lanai.
“Like living with a fucking Bond Girl,” he mumbled amusedly to
himself.
Reaching the bar, he set the plastic tumblers on the teak
counter before rounding it to open the cooler.
His train of thought still rolling, Jon grinned as he continued to talk
to himself. “Pussy Galore. No….
Holly Goodhead.” Jon snickered dirtily as he pulled a pitcher
from the refrigerator. “Oh yeah…”
Lost in his silly reverie, Jon refilled Cate’s glass with
fresh limeade before pouring himself a generous mojito. He was still grinning when he returned to his
and Cate’s poolside repose, just in time to hear her wrapping up her
conversation.
“Good work, Gus.
Keep me posted. And if Cupid does
something crazy, goes off the grid or something, call me immediately.” Cate paused for a moment, nodding as her
young partner offered his reply.
“Sure. If you can’t talk, just
text me the code, then call when you can.”
She looked up at Jon as he paused beside her chair,
leaning to set her fresh drink on the table.
Cate gave her husband a smile of thanks as she nodded in response to the
voice in her ear.
“Yep. Uh huh…
Yeah. You got it covered.” Cate nodded again at Jon’s lowered chin,
wordlessly acknowledging his demand for her attention. She held up a hand, one finger extended in a
“just a second” gesture. “Great. Just keep doing what you’re doing.” Cate’s smile broadened with
satisfaction. “Seriously, Gus. You’re doing great work there. Just remember your training, follow your
gut. Good job.”
Jon couldn’t stop the curve of his lips when he heard Cate
praise her young partner. He waved his
hand impatiently at his wife, circling his wrist in the “wrap it up”
signal. She nodded again in response to
his prod.
“Alright. Talk to
you soon. Be safe.” Cate lowered the phone from her ear and
tapped the screen, then peered up at her husband. “Sheesh, Mister Impatient. Surprised you still have your pants on.” Cate rolled her eyes with her sarcastic
taunt.
“Brought you a refill.”
Jon ignored Cate’s snark and gestured toward the tumbler on the
table. He took a step back and lowered
himself onto the edge of his chaise, at the same time taking a sip from his
drink.
Cate smiled gratefully.
“Thank you, Baby. I’m parched.”
She reached for the beverage, first dropping her phone onto the low
table. With a little sigh of relief she
raised the tumbler and took a long drink.
“Mmmm…” she hummed as she savored the sweet-tart chill in her throat.
Jon grinned, seeing his chance. With a swift lean he snatched Cate’s phone
from the table and pulled it back to his chest.
“AHA! No more calls for you today, SpyGirl. You’re
off the clock.”
Cate squeaked at his bold declaration, swallowing her
limeade with an audible gulp before being able to protest. “Hey! Gimme back my phone!” She quickly set her limeade on the deck
before holding out her hand to punctuate her demand.
“Jon… Give it here.”
Jon grinned and swung his feet up onto his lounge
chair. “Nuh uh. You’re on vacation. No more work.”
He dropped Cate’s phone beside his thigh, making his body a barrier
between his wife and her enabling device.
“Jon…” Cate’s tone was a warning. “Give
me back my phone.”
“Nope.”
“JON…”
Jon shook his head vigorously, his sandy shag flying with
the movement. “No fucking way. You’re on
vacation, Cate. Let Santo handle
whatever-the-fuck is going on. You said
it yourself, he’s doing fine. If he gets
in a jam he can call the Duty Agent.”
Cate swung her legs over the edge of her chair and sat
up, facing Jon. She gave him a serious
look. “He’s doing great, but it’s still my case.
My responsibility. Vacation or no.” She held out her hand again, palm up. “Give it.”
“No.” Jon smirked
at her serious tone. To underscore his
disobedience he extended his arm, holding Cate’s phone further away from his
body and from her.
“John Francis
Bongiovi…”
Jon snorted a laugh at Cate’s stern invocation of his
given name. He waved her iPhone in his
extended hand, taunting her. “You want
it? Come and get it.” He gave his wife a
cheeky grin.
“Okay, now
you’re asking for it,” Cate growled a warning as she stood, though she couldn’t
stop a smirk from curving her lips. She
knew she was reacting exactly as Jon hoped, in response to his gleeful bait. He wanted her full attention, and he was
about to get it.
"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" Jon taunted.
"Don't make me brachial-stun your ass," Cate snarled playfully. She stepped close to Jon's chair and braced a knee on its edge, next to his hip. She leaned over his midsection, reaching toward his outstretched hand.
"Oh yeah? What're you gonna do about it?" Jon taunted.
"Don't make me brachial-stun your ass," Cate snarled playfully. She stepped close to Jon's chair and braced a knee on its edge, next to his hip. She leaned over his midsection, reaching toward his outstretched hand.
Jon grinned and dropped his hand lower, making Cate
stretch further. "You can't. I'm
not in the right position."
"I know a hundred other ways to hurt you," she
countered. Cate planted a hand against Jon's bare chest and swung a leg
across his hips. She settled on her knees, pinning him to the chair with
her straddle and her hand.
"So far, so good." Jon grinned lecherously and
raised his arm above his head, making Cate lean forward with her stretch of
pursuit. He chortled as her minimally-covered breasts hovered near his
face.
“Dammit, Jon!” Cate’s swear was softened by her throaty
chortle as she felt his free hand curve over her behind and squeeze. She purposely dropped her chest onto Jon’s
face as she lunged forward toward his outstretched hand.
Cate smiled at Jon’s muffled groan of content as her
fingers closed around her phone, prying it from his grasp. Immediately he pulled his arm back in close
to his body, resting his hand beside its twin on Cate’s derriere.
“I oughta smother you to death, you Pain in the Ass.”
Cate rubbed her chest against Jon’s face with her threat. A little charge tingled through her when she felt
Jon’s soft lips suck at the side of her breast.
His stifled nod of agreement made her chuckle.
“Mmmmfff… Wudda wah
tuh guh…” Jon’s reply was almost
unintelligible, murmured against her flesh.
But his playful tone communicated that he was fine with Cate’s
suggestion. He sucked a little harder,
then groaned disappointedly when Cate raised her chest from his face and
levered herself upright.
Cate smirked down at her husband from her perch astride
his hips before smugly raising her phone.
She swiped and tapped at the screen, making a show out of checking her
emails in defiance of his earlier order.
“Thought I told
you you’re not working anymore. You’re
supposed to be relaxing, spending time with your wonderful husband.”
Cate arched a brow at Jon’s petulant tone. “It was just a phone call, Jon. And it was only like, ten minutes.” She sighed half-apologetically. “Gus is a smart guy, but he’s a Rookie. He needs a little positive reinforcement,
that he’s doing the right thing.”
“So ‘reinforce’ him, then tell him you’re busy.”
“But I wasn’t
busy. I was laying here by the pool,
reading a book.”
Jon smirked.
“Yeah, so why did you tell him you were just sitting around the ‘hotel room’, waiting for me to come
back from a run?”
Cate smiled sheepishly as Jon pointed out her fib. “Because…
I didn’t want him to know you could hear my end of the conversation, okay? Technically, I shouldn’t be discussing any of this in front of you.”
“And you didn’t want to tell him you were sunning
yourself poolside on a Caribbean island, looking out over the ocean and sipping
fruity drinks and barely wearing this sexy little number?” Jon grinned and tugged at the silver ring adorning
the side of Cate’s skimpy bikini bottom.
“NO,” she
admitted with a chuckle. “Not exactly an
appropriate discussion for a Training Officer to have with her Probie, now is
it?” Cate poked at Jon’s belly with a
gentle finger, making him squirm.
“Besides, I didn’t want to make the Kid feel bad, that he’s working
while I’m lounging around in Paradise with a Rock Star.”
Jon snorted.
“Ain’t he in Miami, following your Goombah?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
Cate shook her head slowly as she smirked, silently confirming his
query. She knew Jon couldn’t quash his
curiosity about her case. He had
obviously listened closely enough to her several conversations with Santo to
put the pieces together.
“So he’s probably sitting by a pool right now, himself. Probably wearing some dorky flowery
shirt and maybe one of those straw Panama hats, hiding behind his shades while
he scopes out the tits and ass instead of keeping an eye on your fuckwad of a
target.” Jon grinned at the idea. “Rough duty.”
“He was on a break, in his room. And work is work, Baby. Doesn’t matter how warm and sunny it is or
how exotic the scenery.” Cate smiled and
gave Jon another little tickle, dragging her fingertips along the ridges of his
abdomen. Again he flinched at her gentle
touch.
“Yeah, well. You’re not working any more today.” Jon reached again to commandeer Cate’s iPhone
from her grasp. She relinquished the
device without resistance and watched passively as he set it on the table
next to his drink.
Cate’s gaze dropped to the thick sheaf of papers resting
on the deck beside the table. Her lips
curved into a defiant smirk as she watched the bent top pages stir in the light
tropical breeze.
“I’m not the only one
who spent part of this afternoon working, you know.” She tipped her head toward
the manuscript as she returned her glittering blue-eyed gaze to Jon’s face.
“That’s not technically work. I was reading.” Jon rested his hand on Cate’s hip, tracing a
fingertip idly around the silver ring on her bikini bottom.
“You were reading your script.”
“Yeah, so? Reading
is reading. Not working.”
“Not when you’re getting paid to read it. And don’t
tell me you weren’t working on memorizing your lines.”
“I wasn’t running lines.”
Jon smugly avoided her question, parsing the phrase to change its
meaning.
Cate noticed. “But
you were memorizing them.”
Jon chortled at Cate’s persistent argument. “Baby, we haven’t even had a table read
yet. What good would it do me to
memorize a script that’s gonna change?”
Cate’s smile gentled as she decided to let her playful
challenge drop. She lowered her gaze to
her hand, watching her fingertips trace along the fuzzy stripe below Jon’s
navel. “When do you start shooting?”
“We have read-through and production meetings second week
of January. That’s when we get the
shooting schedule.”
“And you have a lot of scenes?”
“Yeah, quite a few.
My character is gonna have a pretty big story arc. So I guess l’m gonna have quite a few days on set.”
“What about the studio?”
Jon shrugged.
“We’ll just have to hold off on demos and tracks until I have a few days
to kill. And I’ll write in my trailer, like
I usually do. Richie’s busy,
anyway. It ain’t gonna be easy to get in
the same room with him for the next few months.” He smiled and gave Cate’s hip a gentle
squeeze. “But at least I’ll be around
home a lot, get to spend more time with my Girl.”
“Well, hopefully.”
Cate sighed wistfully. “I may not
be home much myself. I’m not real sure
what office I’m gonna be working out of, the way this case is going…”
“You won’t be in
Manhattan?”
“Probably not.”
“Okay, so Newark, maybe Trenton? Trenton would kinda suck, but it ain’t that
bad a drive.” Jon paused, reading his
wife’s expression. “Cate, you’re not
gonna have to go…?” He frowned when he
saw her flinch in response to his half-verbalized thought. “Aw, shit. Seriously?”
“He’s unpredictable.
Hell, we didn’t know he was heading to…” Cate caught herself before
revealing her target’s current location. “… To where he is now, until he booked
the ticket the night before.”
“You said this case wouldn’t have a lot of ops.” Jon’s voice was calm, but held a hint of
accusation.
“It’s become something more than we thought it was. Way bigger.
More crimes in more places.” Cate’s
tone gentled. “This is what I do, Jon.
You know that. Besides, trips
won’t all be for operations. There are going to be meetings, attorney
briefings in other prosecutive jurisdictions.
Hell, before we’re done we’ll probably have a Task Force.”
“You know I don’t like it, Cate. You being out there.” Jon’s lips pressed into a sober line as his
hand slid across her belly. “But I guess it won’t be for much longer.”
“Why not?”
“Because. Pretty
soon you’ll be busy, getting ready to be a Mama.”
Cate’s smile faded.
“What does that have to do with my case?
I can still work while I’m pregnant.
Women do it all the time. It’s
not a disability, Jon.”
“Cate, you can’t seriously…” Jon paused and took a breath, knowing he had
better choose his words carefully.
“Baby… with all we’re going through to get pregnant, do you really think
you should take any more… risks… than necessary?”
Cate sighed softly as she brushed away a stab of
annoyance. They were back to the same
old song, different verse. She knew her
husband understood and respected her dedication to her career, but he also
hated the realities of her investigative duties. Jon’s worry for her safety was simultaneously
comforting and frustrating.
Since the day they married he had subtly hinted that she
should resign. When she had been attacked
during a field operation while he was on tour, he had vehemently insisted she
quit. Cate had stood resolute against Jon’s
pleas and his demands, not willing or able to give up her life’s work. She knew he understood why, for they were two
of a kind in that respect.
But he wasn’t one to give up easily.
“Jon, you know I wouldn’t intentionally put myself in
harm’s way. No good agent ever does, without careful planning and
thoughtful precaution. That won’t change
when I’m pregnant.” Cate covered his hand with hers and gave it a
gentle squeeze. “Besides, Baby… This is a financial crimes
case. It’s not like I’ll be out playing
Jack Bauer, chasing down terrorists with dirty bombs and killer germs.”
She paused until she saw his little smile of amusement at
her analogy. “Baby, you know I’m careful. Frankly, there’s a better chance of me
falling off a curb or some stupid clumsy thing like that than there is of me
getting hurt on duty.”
Jon shrugged, his gaze falling to her hand over his. He watched the diamond on her ring finger
sparkle in the soft late-afternoon light.
“I know. I just… Well, maybe
you’ll feel differently in a few months.”
Cate’s heart melted at her husband’s doleful sentiment. “You mean when I’m waddling around, all fat
and sweaty?” she teased gently.
Jon raised his eyes to hers and smiled. “When you’re beautiful and glowing,” he
corrected her. “And when you feel our
little one growing inside you. Moving
around, kicking…” He tilted his head and
gave Cate a long look. “Just think about
it, okay?”
“Jon, I can’t wait to feel like that. But I have no intention of quitting my job to
have a baby.” Cate smiled
half-apologetically. “I’ll take a lot of
maternity leave, but I’ll go back to work.”
Seeing the resolve in Cate’s sapphire gaze, Jon swallowed
his argument. He knew there was no point
in trying to convince her now. He would
wait until he had biology on his side, until maternal hormones and instinct
were his strong ally. Eventually he
would convince her, once their dream was almost a reality.
He shrugged and gave Cate a resigned smile. “Okay.
No more work-talk today. Deal?”
Cate nodded and leaned forward to slide her lips across
his in a grateful kiss. “Agreed.” She gave her husband an affectionate grin before settling back onto his lap.
“So, I’m thinking tonight we go to The Strand for dinner. Then maybe hit Nikki Beach for a few drinks, a little dancing?”
Cate giggled softly at Jon’s suggestion. “Dancing, huh? It’s been a long time since we’ve done the
club scene.”
“Yeah, well… what the fuck? It’s not like we gotta get up early tomorrow,
right?” Jon grinned. “I feel like gettin’ my groove on.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Cate pushed an errant strand of copper hair back behind her
ear. “Aren’t we supposed to have dinner
with Ron and Anna tomorrow night?”
Jon nodded. “They
invited us to stay on the yacht for their New Year’s Eve party, too, if you
want to.”
Cate shrugged. “I
guess so. You’d know more about their yacht
parties than I.” Jon and Dorothea had
been frequent guests at the annual festivities during their marriage, but Cate
had yet to attend one of the legendarily lavish parties.
“Actually, I was thinking maybe we’d have our own celebration,” Jon replied
gently. “We have something on our
calendar already, remember?”
Cate’s smile gentled.
“You mean the pregnancy test.
Baby, that will only take a few minutes.
Hardly an ‘event’.”
“But our celebration afterwards will be an event.”
Jon grinned as he rubbed his palm gently over Cate’s abdomen, her hand
riding lightly on his. “Actually, I
wanted to ask you… have you decided? Do
you want to stay here through New
Year’s?” They had purposely left their
vacation plans open-ended.
“I haven’t really thought about it,” Cate replied with a
little shrug. “I guess so, if you want
to. There are a lot of people down here
right now.”
Jon chuckled, understanding the subtext of her
comment. “Yeah, this is the celebrity haven this time of
year. But that works in our favor. Distracts the paparazzi from us, the boring
old Bongiovis. There are plenty of young
studs and starlets here, partying it up and strutting around the beach, to keep
‘em busy.”
“But they know
we’re here.” Cate sighed. She and Jon had already encountered more than
a few photographers in their excursions around the island. As always, Jon had been aloof but
non-confrontational, allowing the paparazzi to get their snaps of him jogging,
shopping, and sightseeing. In return,
the paps had maintained a respectful distance and not interfered with their
activities.
Cate was also certain at least a few photos of their
afternoon on the beach had hit the celebrity tabloids and websites. It was practically a tradition for pictures of Jon’s
bared torso to hit the internet during the winter holiday. Mindful of that fact, Cate had been careful
to remain modestly covered during their beach outing. She had little doubt there was a telephoto
lens trained on them from some angle.
“I don’t think they’ll bother us.” Jon turned his hand under Cate’s and twined
his fingers between hers. He gave her a
little grin as he pulled her hand to his lips for a light kiss. “But it’s up to you. If you wanna stay, we stay. If you wanna go back home for New Year’s, we
can do that too.”
Cate smiled, her eyes gliding over her husband’s
sunkissed torso and tousled blonde-tipped shag.
“Well, it is a hell of a lot
warmer here than it is in Jersey…”
“And we can pick up a pregnancy test at the pharmacy…”
Jon added in a soft, persuasive croon. “So, whaddya
say, Baby? We kick off the New Year in
paradise?”
“Sounds good to me.”
*****
Cate sighed contentedly and dropped her cheek against Jon’s shoulder as they swayed slowly to the music. She felt his hand rub gently against her lower back, subtly acknowledging her affectionate gesture.
She smiled as she watched through half-meshed lashes the
couples surrounding them on the dance floor.
Though Nikki Beach was known for its celebrity clientele, Jon’s
appearance there always caused a buzz.
Over the past hour Cate had noticed a number of smart phones pointed
discretely in their direction. Jon had
even posed for a few overt photos with clubgoers who were brave enough to
approach him.
Cate’s gaze drifted beyond the dance floor to the bar as
she and Jon continued their slow shuffle.
She spied a heavily-tanned blonde staring hungrily at Jon from her perch
on a barstool. It was apparent from the woman's expression that she wished Jon was alone.
Cate’s smile curled into a smug smirk as she raised her head from Jon’s shoulder and brushed her lips across his. He immediately responded, his mouth covering hers more fully in a tender, simmering kiss.
Cate’s smile curled into a smug smirk as she raised her head from Jon’s shoulder and brushed her lips across his. He immediately responded, his mouth covering hers more fully in a tender, simmering kiss.
Yep, Sweetheart… and
he’s all MINE, Cate thought evilly, sure the blonde was still staring. She chortled softly as Jon’s lips stroked
over hers.
“What’re you giggling about?” Jon’s murmur was low and
sexy, his amusement evident.
“Mmmm…. nothing.
Just thinking how lucky I am.”
Jon chuckled throatily, dropping his forehead against
Cate’s and giving her a knowing smirk.
“Showing off a little, are you?”
“Just doing what every woman in this place wishes she
could,” Cate answered coyly. Her hand
slipped down from its resting place on his back, to tuck into his back jeans
pocket.
“You’re a baaaad Kitty,” Jon growled approvingly. “Taunting all these poor girls.”
“Sometimes I just can’t help myself. I can’t ignore their dirty looks all the time, you know.”
“Even though you know the truth? That I’m no prize? Just a gray-haired old pain in the
ass?”
Cate giggled softly.
“Yeah. But you’re still a pretty
sexy pain in the ass.”
“Well, as long as you love me in spite of it.” Jon rubbed his nose against Cate’s and gave
her a grin. “Wanna show off some more?”
“Maybe later. I
don’t want to cause a scene.” Cate
shrugged lightly. “I’d rather not land
us in the tabloids. Besides…” She shot a sideways glance toward the bar and
saw that the blonde was still openly staring, her botoxed lips pursed into a displeased pout. “Blondie over there got the
point.”
Jon laughed, pulling his face back from Cate’s and
shaking his head amusedly. “Baby, she
has no idea what she’s up against,
fucking with you.”
Cate giggled and shrugged again. “Nah.
Not like I’m worried. Even if she
tried something, I’d just stand back and let you deal with her.”
“Gee, thanks.” Jon chortled his answer, then raised a brow
as a new, more upbeat song faded in over the last notes of the slow
ballad. Automatically Cate stopped
dancing and pulled back from his embrace, sure Jon would want to return to
their table.
“Where you goin’, Baby?”
Jon grinned and tugged on her hand.
“I’m not done dancin' yet.” He
gave his hips a little shimmy, accentuating his protest.
Cate laughed at his playfulness. “I just figured you’d only wanna stick to the
slow stuff. Since you’re an Old Guy, and
all…”
“Oh no… I got moves.” Jon gave his hips another wiggle in time with
the beat. “Not good ones, but who gives
a fuck? And besides… I like this song. Yeah
yeah yeah…” He grinned through his
singalong with the familiar tune.
“C’mon, now.” Stepping back, he
raised their joined hands, guiding Cate into a slow spin.
With another laugh Cate followed his guide, allowing Jon
to lead her in a slow swing dance. As
she twirled and swayed her filmy skirt flowed around her legs and her thick
auburn mane swung over her halter-bared back.
The sensual brush of the fabric and hair over her skin, the sexy croon
and sultry beat of the song, and the affection in Jon’s sparkling blue eyes
made her sigh happily. It had been a
long time since she felt so purely feminine.
As if reading her thoughts, Jon pulled Cate in close and
circled his free arm around her waist.
He rubbed his soft cheek against hers as he crooned in her ear.
I don’t know what
this is
But you got me good
Just like you knew
you would
I don’t know what
you do
But you do it well
I’m under your
spell…
You got me beggin’
you for mercy
Why won’t you
release me
You got me beggin’
you for mercy
Why won’t you
release me…
“Mmmm… no fuckin’ way,” Cate purred playfully in response
to Jon’s musical plea.
“Good,” Jon growled before stepping away from his wife. He slipped his arm from her waist and twirled
her again before giving his own little hip-shimmy.
Cate giggled playfully as Jon let go of her other hand and started to groove in a scaled-down version of his stage moves. She followed along, swaying her own hips in time to the funky beat. When Jon’s lips puckered into a Jaggeresque pout she burst into laughter, tossing her hair as she stepped aside to give him room to strut.
Cate giggled playfully as Jon let go of her other hand and started to groove in a scaled-down version of his stage moves. She followed along, swaying her own hips in time to the funky beat. When Jon’s lips puckered into a Jaggeresque pout she burst into laughter, tossing her hair as she stepped aside to give him room to strut.
Ignoring the excited reaction of the other clubgoers to
his moves, Jon turned back to Cate and gave her a saucy grin. Again he captured her hand and pulled her in
close, giving her a little kiss before stepping away to finish their
swing-dance.
By the time the last chorus faded both Jon and Cate were grinning and laughing, fully enjoying the moment. Jon wrapped Cate in an affectionate embrace and planted a playful kiss on her mouth before grimacing at the opening shout of the DJ’s next selection.
By the time the last chorus faded both Jon and Cate were grinning and laughing, fully enjoying the moment. Jon wrapped Cate in an affectionate embrace and planted a playful kiss on her mouth before grimacing at the opening shout of the DJ’s next selection.
Shot through the
heart
And you’re to blame
Darlin’, you give
love
A Bad Name…
“Ohhhhh NO,”
Jon grinned, shaking his head vigorously as the club erupted with the bombastic
guitar blast of his first hit song.
“No WAY.”
Cate laughed, giving his waist a little squeeze. “You mean you’re not gonna dance to your own song?”
“No fucking way.
Besides, I need a drink.” Jon
gave Cate a wink and a grin. “C’mon. Let’s go out to the beach. Get one of those chairs on the sand.” He tipped his head to the club’s lanai that
opened to the white sand beach.
“Okay.” Cate
nodded and followed Jon as he pushed through the now-crowded dance floor. When they reached a clear space away from the
crowd, Cate paused and tugged on Jon’s hand.
He leaned in close to hear her voice over the music and crowd noise.
“I need to stop at the ladies’ room. You go ahead, get us a chair. I’ll meet you out there.”
Jon pulled back and gave Cate a reluctant look. “I can wait for you.”
She shook her head.
“No, go on. You hang around here
and you’re gonna get mobbed, now that everybody knows you’re here.” She gestured toward the beach, where a VIP
section was clearly separated from the remaining club area. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
“But Baby…”
“Jon, go. I’m
right behind you.” Cate smiled and
reached up to stroke his cheek, a gesture she knew always melted him. “Want me to get you a drink on my way out?”
Jon shook his head.
“Naw, I’ll have the waitress bring something. Don’t be long, okay?” He leaned in to brush a kiss across her
cheek.
“ ‘Kay. Now
go.” Cate smiled as Jon gave her another
reluctant gaze, then turned and wandered toward the beach. Watching until he stepped on the sand, Cate
turned and strode down the short hall to the women’s restroom.
After completing her business in the small,
chicly-decorated lounge, Cate returned to the club. She slipped through the crowd to the bar and
stood for a moment at its end, until a bartender noticed her. She placed her order, then glanced at the
other patrons lining the long counter.
The blonde she had noticed earlier was still there, now craning her neck
to see past the crowd on the dance floor.
Cate rolled her eyes but said nothing; obviously the
woman was looking for Jon on the beach.
With a little self-satisfied smirk Cate accepted her glass of seltzer
with a lime twist from the bartender, tipped him, and turned away. She moved slowly through the crowd, pausing to
sip from her glass.
In a minute she had stepped onto the sand and was
strolling toward the VIP beach lounge, where a cluster of wide, white-cushioned
chaises faced the ocean. Beyond the sand
the aquamarine water shimmered in the moonlight and reflected the winking stars
in the cloudless sky. The flames of
dozens of tiki torches flickered like fireflies in the night, unnecessary for
illumination under the huge full moon.
It was a vista made even more beautiful by the scenery
upon which Cate’s gaze automatically settled.
She hesitated, wanting a solitary moment to appreciate what she was so
lucky to call her own.
As promised, Jon had secured a wide lounge chair for them
to share. While she was busy with her
needs, he had made himself more comfortable.
Jon’s orange shirt lay draped across the foot of the chaise, and his
suede moccasins lay askew on the sand next to the chair’s leg.
He was reclining on the thick cushion, his bare feet crossed at the ankles, exposed by the calf-high cuff he had rolled into his jeans. Jon’s hand rested a footed glass on his abdomen as he gazed out at the water. His blonde hair stirred lightly in the warm ocean breeze.
He was reclining on the thick cushion, his bare feet crossed at the ankles, exposed by the calf-high cuff he had rolled into his jeans. Jon’s hand rested a footed glass on his abdomen as he gazed out at the water. His blonde hair stirred lightly in the warm ocean breeze.
The silvery-brown down that blanketed Jon’s bronzed chest
shone in the moonlight, almost making him look like he sparkled. Cate giggled softly at that thought,
recalling the literary description of the vampire characters in the Twilight books her stepdaughter had
insisted she read. “Vampires aren’t the
only ones who sparkle,” she murmured amusedly.
Standing another moment to take in the scene, Cate
finally resumed her trek across the sand.
The raucous music and laughter of the club faded behind her, softened by
the rush of the waves.
“Hey.” Cate
announced her arrival with a soft greeting.
It was unnecessary; Jon had sensed her approach. He turned his head to look at her, an
affectionate smile curving his lips at the lovely vision.
Cate’s long mahogany hair rippled in the moonlight,
flowing off her bare shoulders with the night breeze. Ribbons of softly-draped dark teal fabric
stretched up over her full breasts, cradling them from the wide band that
wrapped her middle several inches above her navel. A silver stud shone in the little dimple,
reflecting the soft glow of the silver tag pendant nestled between her
breasts.
Her sheer tropical print sarong-style skirt sat low across Cate’s hips and hugged her thighs, the mid-centered part fluttering in the breeze to reveal a long expanse of smooth, sunkissed flesh. Just above her skirt a thin silver chain circled her waist. She was shoeless as well, having traversed the sand barefoot, her sandals dangling from her hand.
Her sheer tropical print sarong-style skirt sat low across Cate’s hips and hugged her thighs, the mid-centered part fluttering in the breeze to reveal a long expanse of smooth, sunkissed flesh. Just above her skirt a thin silver chain circled her waist. She was shoeless as well, having traversed the sand barefoot, her sandals dangling from her hand.
“Hello, Gorgeous,” Jon responded softly. He turned fully toward her, swinging his legs
over the side of the chaise and dropping his feet to the sand. “C’mere.”
Cate smiled and obediently stepped closer, dropping her
flip-flops onto the sand near Jon’s moccasins.
“Miss me?”
“Always.” Jon
hooked the stem of his wine glass into the holder dug into the sand next to the
chaise, then sat up straight. He
bracketed Cate’s hips with his hands before lowering his lips to her
belly. “Baby, you look so gorgeous in
the moonlight.” His croon against her
flesh sent a tingle of pleasure up Cate’s spine.
Cate chuckled softly and tunneled her fingers into Jon’s
sandy hair as he sucked lightly at her navel.
“You look pretty handsome yourself, you know.”
“Mmmm….” Jon paused before raising his face to smile up
at her. “Our baby is gonna be
beautiful.” His blue eyes shone brightly
in the moonlight.
“All your children are beautiful, Jon.” Cate’s reply was gentle.
“Yeah, but our
baby…” He dropped his lips again to
Cate’s belly. “She’s gonna look like her
Mama. Thick red hair, big blue eyes,
probably some cute little freckles….”
Cate smiled at the vision he painted in her mind. “And hopefully her Daddy’s talent. And cheekbones.” She chuckled huskily.
Jon grinned. “Yeah,
well… I did get some good genes from my Old Man.”
“Some? How about all of them?” Cate snorted softly.
“Well, I didn’t get the ‘tall’ gene.”
“No, you didn’t,”
Cate agreed with a little laugh. “But
that’s okay.”
“Well, thank God,”
Jon mumbled playfully as again he pressed a kiss to Cate’s abdomen. “Glad you’re okay with the package you got.”
“Oh, I’m more than
okay with it,” Cate chortled. She gave
Jon’s head a little pat before taking a sip from her seltzer. “So, you gonna let me sit down there with
you?”
“Nah. Let’s dance
some more.” Jon grinned, then pushed
himself up from the chaise.
Cate took a step back, surprised. “Dance?
Out here?”
Jon reached for Cate’s glass, taking it from her hand and
setting it carefully on the chair. “Sure. I got my dancin’ shoes on tonight.”
“No you don’t,” Cate pointed out, gesturing to the untidy
pile of footwear on the sand. She giggled at Jon’s
eye-roll in reply, then let him turn her with a gentle hand on her hip.
Cate smiled as Jon stepped up close behind her and slid his arms around her waist, slowly rocking his hips from side to side with the beat of the dance music drifting over the sand from the club. She acquiesced to his lead, leaning back against his chest and swaying her hips in time with his. Jon dropped his chin onto her shoulder, and Cate raised her arms to circle behind his head.
Cate smiled as Jon stepped up close behind her and slid his arms around her waist, slowly rocking his hips from side to side with the beat of the dance music drifting over the sand from the club. She acquiesced to his lead, leaning back against his chest and swaying her hips in time with his. Jon dropped his chin onto her shoulder, and Cate raised her arms to circle behind his head.
“Mmmm, I like that,”
Jon growled, looking down Cate’s body to spy the sides of her breasts, revealed
by her skimpy halter top. “Very sexy.”
“Well, you
bring it out in me,” Cate chuckled huskily, pausing to grind her ass lightly
against Jon’s pelvis. His appreciative
groan made her smirk.
Jon chuckled wickedly and turned his lips to Cate’s ear,
deploying the honey-whiskey rasp he knew she couldn’t resist as he sang along with the
dance track.
Don’tcha wish your
boyfriend was hot like me
Don’tcha wish your
boyfriend was a freak like me
Don’tcha
Don’tcha
Cate tossed back her head with laughter at Jon’s musical
query. This was the last song on earth
she could ever imagine him singing. But
here he was, crooning it sexily in her ear.
Don’tcha wish your
boyfriend was raw like me
Don’tcha wish your
boyfriend was fun like me
Don’tcha
Don’tcha
Jon grinned at his wife’s response to his silly
tease. His heart squeezed at the beauty
of her laugh, the musical tone full of happiness and enjoyment.
Dropping a playful nibble against her bare shoulder, he looked again down her body, past her enticing bosom to where his hands moved to cover her womb. Jon sighed happily as he envisioned a day when his hands would span her swollen belly, full with their child.
Dropping a playful nibble against her bare shoulder, he looked again down her body, past her enticing bosom to where his hands moved to cover her womb. Jon sighed happily as he envisioned a day when his hands would span her swollen belly, full with their child.
Reading his thoughts, Cate dropped her arms from their
circle behind Jon’s neck and slid her hands over top his. She turned her head to brush her lips against
Jon’s cheek.
“Our baby will be
beautiful,” she replied gently. “Because
it will be ours.”
“Yeah,” Jon agreed in a whisper.
They stood together in a silent embrace for a moment,
then Cate smiled. “So, you gonna dance
with me some more, or what?”
Jon chuckled and tightened his arms again around Cate’s
waist, giving her a firm squeeze before beginning to roll his hips to the beat, guiding her with him. “You got
it, Baby. But we keep this up you’re
gonna owe me more than a dance when we get home, if you know what I’m sayin’.”
Cate rolled her eyes, then giggled. “I always know what you’re sayin’, Baby. You’re not
exactly subtle.”
“Good.” Jon
grinned and tightened his squeeze around Cate’s waist, picking her up and
spinning her around. She squealed with
surprise, then laughed merrily. When Jon
dropped her back onto her feet Cate turned in his arms and kissed him soundly,
then took his hand and spun away.
In the warm tropical night they danced and drank and laughed on the
beach, not caring who was watching. For
the first time in months husband and wife forgot about their struggles and
trials and simply enjoyed being together, with no distractions or worries, no pressure
or pretense.
From the distance they were unable to hear the quiet click of the camera’s high-speed shutter.
Aww nice to see them get away and enjoy themselves. Not sure I like the thought of Cate working if she is pregnant. Also don't like the camera guy either.
ReplyDeleteI hope they get their wish for New Years!
ReplyDeleteLong chapter. Appreciate it & your hard work. I really hope they start out the New Year pregnant. What a way to ring in the New Year. Hate the photographer caught their blissfull bubble.
ReplyDeleteNoticed the Jack Bauer reference, I know you love him :)
Btw, I wouldn't mind Jon singing "Don't Cha" It's both hilarious & hot. ;)