Once shock gives way to pure, unadulterated euphoria, I find my voice. "Yes!" I shout without a single moment's hesitation, watching my tears splash against our joined hands. A sense of lightheadedness overcomes me, and I pull him to his feet and step into his embrace, craving the feel of his strong, supportive arms wrapped around me. Every muscle in his body trembles against my own, and I bury my wet face into the crook of his neck, straining to hear my voice over the surge of adrenaline in my veins as I repeat the only response that I ever contemplated, "Yes... yes... oh God, yes, Danny! Yes... I'll marry you... yes!"
His pulse races underneath my lips as I press them to his warm, salty flesh, and his breath is shaky as he asks in disbelief, "Yes?"
A thousand different, indiscernible emotions bubble to the surface, and I throw my head back and cradle his face in my hands, blinking away the lingering tears as I stare into his questioning eyes, reassuring, "I've never wanted anything more in my entire life. I love you, Danny." The setting sun pierces through the sheer curtains that cover the balcony doors, casting a soft, orange glow over his shoulders, and I glance around the room, trying to commit everything about this moment to memory. The moment when my husband asked me to become his wife.
Despite the tears that glisten in his eyes, his lips curl into a slow smile as he leans into my gentle caress, and he lays a delicate kiss in the valley of my palm, whispering, "I love you, baby... I love you so much." Dropping my hands to his chest, I memorize the rhythm of his wildly beating heart as it pounds against my fingertips. Tenderly, he brushes his own across my cheeks, wiping away the remnants of my tears, and I feel myself melting underneath his touch. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make all of your dreams come true, Michelle," he adds, the sincerity in his voice overwhelming me.
Leaning my forehead against his, I shake my head from side to side, saying, "I couldn't possibly have ever dreamt of anything as wonderful as this." His hands find their way into my tangled curls, his fingertips pressing into the sweaty skin of my neck as he lifts my head to his and lowers his lips to mine, parting them with the gentle insistence of his warm tongue. The taste of his breath as it commingles with my own is intoxicating, and I feel myself grow wet with arousal, reeling with a reckless abandon that I've never felt before. Realizing that Danny and I will share a lifetime of intimate moments like this one... moments that are familiar and brand new all at once... I send a silent prayer of thanks to God for blessing me with this gift.
The silky material of his tie slides through my fingers as I tug at the already loosened knot, and it lands with a barely perceptible thud against the hardwood floor as it slips from my grasp. My fingers hover above the warmth that radiates from his fevered skin as I slip the top two buttons at his throat through their holes. I reach out to touch his exposed skin, and when our flesh makes contact, my knees grow weak beneath me and my head begins to swim. My free hand flies to my temple as I stagger backwards slightly on shaky legs, and his lips abandon mine as he snakes a protective arm around my waist to steady me against him. "What's wrong, baby?" he asks, his voice full of concern as I concentrate on his swollen lips and the passion in his eyes.
Shaking my head to clear the fuzz from my brain and to regain my equilibrium, I can manage only a weak smile as I stutter, "No... nothing... I'm fine. I just felt... I just got dizzy all of a sudden, that's all."
Attempting to recapture the mood that I just destroyed, I resume undressing him where I left off, raising a trembling hand to the tiny buttons of his dress shirt. "Dizzy, huh?" he asks worriedly, squeezing my hand in his as he removes it from his chest and drops it to our sides. I close my eyes and chew my bottom lip as he rakes his other hand through my hair, smoothing a few springy curls behind my ear. "How long has it been since you've had something to eat, Michelle?"
My eyes flutter open as I recall the untouched tray of lunch that I left behind in abuela's room, and I bat my lashes up at him innocently as he waits for my response, shooting a penetrating stare right through me. As if on cue, my stomach releases a low, animalistic growl as it churns emptily, and he nods his head and scolds, "Uh huh... just what I thought, Michelle." Interlacing our fingers, he leads me behind him towards the bathroom, commanding, "Come with me."
There's something freakishly paternal in his voice that I find particularly erotic, and I follow behind him obediently, staring at his body as he walks ahead of me, wishing that his trousers hugged his ass just a little bit tighter. "It's your fault, you know?" I purr, a seductive smile turning the corners of my lips as he raises an eyebrow in my direction over his shoulder. "I would've eaten if I hadn't spent all day looking for my opal."
"Yes, well... we're going to remedy that very soon," he snorts, flipping on the light switch as we enter the most spectacular, powder blue-accented bathroom that I've ever seen. To my right, a mirrored wall makes the room look twice as big as it reflects an enormous sunken bathtub covered with intricately hand-painted, mosaic tiles on the left. Beyond the tub, a walled-off, miniature garden sits behind a pane of glass, illuminated by the soft glow of track lighting. A tiny gasp escapes my throat, but Danny seems unfazed as he turns to me and insists, "You're going to relax in a nice, warm bath while I get dinner set up."
Sitting on the edge of the tub, I watch as he leans over to turn the gold faucet heads on, pausing to unbutton his cuffs and roll his sleeves up to his tanned elbows. "Are you always going to take care of me like this... even when I'm eighty and senile?" I ask, turning to dip my fingertips into the warm water.
Shrugging his shoulders, he turns to me and cradles my chin in his hand, answering with a wink, "Depends on whether or not you're still a babe." I smile as he reaches for my hands and pulls me to my feet, raising my arms above my head to divest me of my shirt. I grab his shoulders for support as I kick off my shoes, and I blink heavy eyelids and tilt my head back as his hands slide up my back to unfasten the clasps of my rose-colored bra. My breasts spring free as I wiggle the straps off of my shoulders, and the bra goes the way of the shirt and the shoes. "You are so damn sexy," he groans, his hot breath skating across my skin as he stares down at my half-nude body.
Catching my reflection in the mirror over his shoulder, I stare at my disheveled hair and my ruddy cheeks as he slips his fingers underneath the waistband of my slacks and panties. "You must really love me," I say as he kneels before me.
He eases the last bit of clothing off of my body, and I stand before him, naked and unashamed as I feather my fingers through his hair. "Don't ever doubt that, Michelle. I plan to show you just how much, tonight," he teases, looking up into my eyes before pressing his lips to my loudly growling stomach. "But, first we need to get something into that empty belly," he finishes, standing up abruptly and scooping me up into his arms. I giggle as he hoists me up over the edge of the tub and slides me down into the inviting warmth of the water.
As he reaches to turn off the faucets, I briefly contemplate pulling him into the water with me, but I think better of it when my eyes drift over the perfect crease in the trousers of his three thousand dollar suit. "Let's have dinner right here, Danny," I suggest, raising my dripping hand from the water and curling my fingers around his wrist as he turns to leave the room.
"A bathtub picnic, huh?" he questions, squinting down at me with his hands on his hips as a playful smile dances upon his lips. I lean against the cushioned bath pillow at my back, feigning innocence as I sink further down into the water, splashing it up over my tired shoulder blades. "Something tells me that you've got naughty intentions. Are you trying to seduce me, Michelle?" he asks, the sensuality dripping from his voice flaming my desire for him anew, and an all too familiar, slow-building warmth begins to tingle the sensitive flesh between my thighs.
Licking my dry lips, I shift my hips beneath the water in a desperate attempt to alleviate the ache at my core. "Could be. Is it working?" I tease, watching his eyes follow the work of my hands as I let my fingers linger over the tight peaks of my breasts.
I can see him beginning to strain against the fabric of his trousers as he mumbles under his breath, "Like a charm." Releasing a shaky breath as he reaches up to retrieve a washcloth from an above head towel rack, he hands it to me as he turns to leave the room, adding, "Give me a few minutes. I'll be right back."
Chuckling to myself when I'm sure that he's out of earshot, I unwrap the tiny bar of soap in the dish next to me, pausing to admire the sparkling beauty of my ring as glints of light from overhead bounce off of it. As I scrub my face clean, I think about what a horrible day this was before my prince came riding to my rescue, whisking me away with him to this secret place and surprising me with the most romantic proposal that I could've ever imagined. When I feel myself teetering on the verge of another emotional roller coaster, I lay the washcloth over my puffy eyes and grip the edges of the tub, allowing myself to process the sheer magnitude of what's happened in the past twelve hours.
"What're you thinking about?" he asks, ripping me from my reverie as he saunters into the room in his bare feet several minutes later, picnic basket in hand.
Smiling, I sit up and lean over the edge of the tub as he draws closer, tossing the washcloth aside so that we can join hands. "About what a shitty day this was until about an hour ago," I answer honestly and without hesitation as he bends at the knees beside me, his face mere inches from mine. He presses his lips to mine in a gentle, comforting kiss, and a devilish grin spreads across my face as I finish, "And about how you are very overdressed for this particular picnic, Mr. Santos."
I watch him through a sensual haze as he stands, continuing the work that I began on those tiny, elusive buttons earlier. Delighting in my torture, his fingers move agonizingly slowly, and I chew my lip in anticipation of each piece of skin as it's exposed to me. My sense of patience and propriety thrown out of the window, I raise wet hands to the silver buckle of his shiny brown, leather belt, and he smiles down at my boldness as my fingers purposely graze the bulge of his semi-erect penis in the process. "Not going fast enough for you, I see," he teases, shrugging the shirt off of his shoulders, and I shake my head from side to side as my fingers unsnap the button and ease down the zipper. Freeing the material from around his hips, I let the trousers puddle at his ankles, and he flings both pieces of clothing on top of mine in the rumpled heap next to the commode.
Turning from me when my hands reach up to remove his tight, white briefs, he insists, "I'll do the rest, Michelle, or we'll never get around to having dinner." He's got enough self-control for the both of us today, I think, a slight pout playing across my lips as I avert my eyes from his nakedness and flip open the lid to the picnic basket.
I withdraw the long-stemmed, yellow rose that he's tucked inside of the basket, bringing it up to my nose to inhale the glorious scent, and I smile up at him as he eases into the water opposite me. Setting it aside, I remove the aluminum takeout box, folding back the foil to look at the heavenly concoction. Passing it to him along with a set of plastic utensils, I fish out a large, styrofoam tumbler, peeling back the drink tab to take a generous swig of the sweetened tea. My dry throat welcomes the cool liquid, and I let out a satisfied, "Ahh," before locking eyes with him.
"Planning on sharing that?" I ask coyly, finding myself suddenly ravenously hungry as I listen to him loudly crunching a sliced carrot.
He says nothing as he swirls a forkful of noodles and vegetables inside the box, coating it with the light sauce at the bottom. I grab his knee and scoot between his legs as he extends it in my direction, reaching up to guide his wrist towards my mouth. "Mmm," I breathe, closing my eyes to savor the aroma and flavor as my lips curl around the tines of the fork. Through slightly parted lids, I watch him studying my mouth intently as I chew, and when his eyes finally meet mine, I see the passion and desire swirling in their dilated depths.
We both make quick work of sharing the remainder of our dinner, offering each other bites of linguine and sips of tea. I feed him the last broccoli floret as he leans back against the cool ceramic tiles, and I feign interest in my pedicured toes that are peeking out of the water beside his shoulder as I draw my fingers into my mouth, sucking the remaining sauce from them. I can feel his eyes upon me, and a hot, undeniable magnetism passes between us. "Turn around," he directs, and I find myself aroused by his domination. Submissively, I do what he asks, scooting between his legs and sagging against his chest. I'm surprised by the gentleness of his fingers on my shoulders and of his voice in my ear as he whispers, "Let me wash your hair."
Nodding my head in agreement, I bend my knees and lay back against his thighs as he wets my hair, his long, slender fingers making sure that every strand is saturated. Grasping the edges of the tub, I sit up as he locates a bottle of complimentary, herbal shampoo in a nearby basket filled with bath products. I close my eyes and sigh heavily as he works a generous amount into my hair, feeling the day's stresses being kneaded away as his fingertips make delicate caresses across my scalp.
I'm caught up in the dozens of different sensations that I'm feeling when he nudges me to lie back down in the water. Wrapping my arms around his thighs, I look up into his adoring eyes as he rinses my hair and wipes the bubbles of soap from my ears and forehead. "Thank you, Danny," I say, and he focuses his attention on my eyes, a look of confusion spreading across his face. "Thank you for turning this into the best day of my life," I clarify.
He lowers his lips to mine for a sweet kiss, whispering against them, "Thank you for making me the happiest man on this earth by saying, 'yes'."
An overwhelming sense of playfulness suddenly attacks me, and I sit up abruptly, wringing the excess water from my hair as I lean over the edge of the tub and dig through the basket of shampoos, conditioners, lotions, and potions. "Ooh... French vanilla, Danny," I shriek, locating a tiny bottle of bubble bath in the mix and shoving it in his face.
Smiling at my happy demeanor, he shakes his head from side to side, saying, "I'm afraid it's too late for that, sweetheart... the tub's already filled."
Unscrewing the lid, I empty the entire bottle into the water, sticking out my tongue as I correct, "No... it's not, party-pooper." Pressing my breasts against his chest, I reach behind him and hit the gold button on the wall. Dozens of tiny, strategically placed jets begin to churn the water around us, creating a soft, fluffy cloud of vanilla-scented bubbles as I reclaim my spot between his legs.
The swirling, warm water around me and the pulsing of the jets against my skin act like aphrodisiacs, compounding the already insatiable desire that I feel for this man tenfold. When I feel him stiffen behind me, I know that he's similarly affected. "You know what this reminds me of?" he asks, seducing me with his voice. When I shake my head 'no', he breathes into my ear, "The creek."
I close my eyes and bite my lip, leaning my head against his shoulder. "How do you do that, Danny?" I ask on a ragged breath.
"Do what, baby?" he replies, his voice thick with lust.
Guiding his hands between my legs, I press two of his fingers inside of me, gasping, "Make me this wet with just your voice." He sucks at the skin of my shoulder, his teeth grazing me lightly as his fingers begin an erotic dance inside of me.
Sensing my unspoken need, he lets his fingers slide out as he turns me in his arms and lifts my hips out of the water. I lean back against my elbows, trembling with anticipation as he lowers his face to my sex, and my head spins as I feel him open his mouth over me, preparing to continue the work that his nimble fingers began. His hot breath dances across my quivering flesh as he whispers against me, "Mmm... vanilla... my favorite flavor."
I throw my head back violently, strands of my newly clean hair sending thousands of tiny bubbles flying in a dozen different directions as he presses the tip of his tongue to my opening. Desperate for him to deepen the penetration, I gyrate my hips beneath his mouth, and he makes slow, deliberate circles in the wet warmth. Whimpering lightly when his mouth leaves my body, I lock eyes with him briefly before watching him drag his tongue across his lips, which glisten with my silky juices. I clench my eyes shut tightly as I feel the first spasms beginning to quake at my core, and he returns his mouth to me, sensing my closeness. Thrusting his tongue deep inside of me, he wraps his lips around the swollen bulb of flesh that begs for his attention, and I press my body closer still as he sucks me ravenously.
I watch my reflection in the mirror as he sends me careening towards ecstasy, and I willingly tumble over the edge as my body gives in to the orgasm. Easing me back into the water when my breathing returns to normal and my muscles no longer tremble, he pulls me against him, his tongue demanding and insistent as it slips inside my mouth to tangle with my own. Pressing myself against him, I lightly caress his chest with the pads of my fingertips, letting them glide down his body until I find him hard and ready for my touch beneath the obscurity of the bubbles. I curl my fingers around his shaft, massaging the length of him as he brackets my face between his palms and licks a scorching path of heat down my throat. "Take me to bed, Danny," I beg, needing to feel him inside of me.
I kill the jacuzzi jets as I reach around to wrap my arms around his shoulders, and he cradles my back and my knees as he lifts me effortlessly from the water, stepping over the edge of the tub. "Oh, Danny," I gasp in shock as he carries me into the bedroom, my eyes drifting from the yellow rose petals that he's scattered across the pillowcases to the flickering light of the three candles that he's placed on the nightstand.
Laying my wet body against the satiny, cream-colored sheets, he lowers himself on top of me, saying, "I didn't just have food in that basket." Smiling, I thread my fingers through his hair as his mouth descends over my erect nipple, and I close my eyes, lost in the blended aroma of rose and vanilla that permeates the entire room. His tongue darts over the opposite nipple as he presses light kisses to the lower swell of my breast, and his fingers slide up my thigh, parting the curls that shroud my core. I open under his touch as he slips two fingers inside, finding me wet and ready for him, and I moan in anticipation when I feel the tip of him hesitating at my entrance.
Interlacing our fingers, he presses our joined hands into the mattress beside my head as he lays his forehead against mine, and I watch the flickering candlelight dancing in the depths of his eyes as he gazes down into mine. He enters me completely in one gentle thrust, and we both savor the feel of our joining as he remains still within me. "I love the way that you feel inside of me, Danny," I confess, nuzzling his nose with my own.
"I love the way that you feel wrapped around me," he whispers, his mouth closing over mine as he begins to slowly thrust within me. The feel of his weight pressing me into the mattress is exquisite as he pushes himself into me, and when he withdraws, my muscles instinctively clamp down around him, forcing him back. We've learned each other's bodies so well in the short time that we've been intimate, and there's no longer any awkwardness or inhibitions between us as we move against each other as one. I throw my head back as my engorged nub throbs violently against him with each stroke, and his lips suck at the sweaty flesh of my throat as I wrap my legs around his hips, encouraging him to move faster and deeper within me. I meet each of his thrusts, forcing my body against him as I squeeze my muscles around him, and I can feel the familiar quivering beginning in the pit of my stomach and radiating down to my center.
He pushes into me in short, quick thrusts as release looms near for both of us. I dig my nails into his sweaty back as he reaches between us to massage the sensitized flesh of my aching clitoris, and his hot liquid fills me up as I collapse around him. Pressing his face into the crook of my neck, his hot breath dances across the skin of my shoulder as he mutters my name, completely exhausted and fulfilled.
I lift his face to mine as I rain light kisses across his lips, my scent still lingering on him, and he rolls me on top of him, a light groan escaping his throat as he slips out of me. "Let's go outside, Danny," I suggest, propping my chin on his chest as I look up into his sleepy eyes.
Stretching his body out beneath me, he stifles a yawn as he asks, "What's outside, Michelle?", threading his fingers through my damp hair.
Rolling to my side, I swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, pulling him to his feet as I rise to mine. Ripping the blanket from the bed, I wrap it around our bodies as I grab a pillow in one hand and lead him to the balcony with the other, answering, "There's a hammock out here."
"A hammock?" he questions, his laughter floating through the warm, night air as I swing the door open. A gentle breeze rocks the loosely woven hammock back and forth in it's stand, and he steadies himself in its center before easing me down beside him. "How did you know about this, Michelle?" he whispers into my hair. "Just how many other men have brought you here to The Oaks?"
I pretend to count on my fingers as I mutter random names, and he slaps my ass playfully. "I actually listened to the bellhop's little speech, Danny," I answer as my laughter subsides.
Inhaling deeply, he says, "Ah... I see. Well, then... that explains it." I look up into his eyes, waiting for him to continue as I snuggle against his chest. "I was concentrating on the sexy blond in the room, not the pimply-faced kid," he finishes, shooting me a sexy wink.
Laughing, I concentrate on the beating of his heart underneath my cheek as I say, "Well... I'm so glad that I got your full attention." Holding my left hand up in front of my face, I twirl the underside of my band with my thumb, admiring the way that the diamond glimmers underneath the beams of moonlight and starlight overhead, adding, "Otherwise... you might have forgotten to give me this."
He draws my fingers up to his lips, pressing light kisses against the tips as he says, "You know... this was my first proposal. How was my technique?" I know that he secretly wishes that it was the first proposal that I'd ever accepted or even received, but he doesn't begrudge me my memories of Jesse, and he realizes that that experience has helped shape me into the woman that I am today.
Propping my elbow on his shoulder, I stare down into his eyes, answering sincerely, "It was magical, Danny. I'll never forget it for as long as I live." I turn his face to mine, tracing a fingertip over his rosy lips before pressing a lingering kiss to them. Laying my face against his chest once again, I stare up at the stars in the sky, letting my mind race with dreams of our future together as I admit, "I can't wait to tell our families."
"My family," he corrects, and I wrinkle my brow in confusion before he continues, "Yours already knows."
Completely stupefied, I shake my head in confusion and fidget with my ring nervously as I sit up slightly, asking, "What? How?"
Sensing my tension, he rubs calming circles across my back, explaining, "I stopped by the hospital this morning while your ring was being sized to ask Rick for your hand in marriage." Tears spring to my eyes and my heart swells with more love than I've ever felt in my entire life, and I find myself at a complete loss for words. Danny never ceases to surprise me. Who would've ever guessed that underneath that macho front, he's really just an old-fashioned guy? I look forward to spending the rest of my life trying to figure him out.
Realization of his words finally setting in, my hand flies to my mouth as I gasp, "Oh my God, Danny. What did he say?"
I can tell that he's trying to choose his words very carefully as he answers, "He thinks we're rushing into things, but he said that he'll support us if it's what we really want." I don't imagine that the confrontation was really as easy as that, but I do appreciate him for trying to keep me from worrying. "It is what you want, isn't it, Michelle?" he asks, turning anxious, questioning eyes to mine.
Grabbing his face in my hands, I answer honestly and from my heart, "I can't wait to be your wife and the mother of your babies, Danny. I've fantasized about it ever since you first told me that you loved me." His lips descend upon mine in a passionate kiss, stealing the breath from my lungs as if he's discovering things about me that even I don't know. "Promise me that it'll always be like this with us... like we're making love for the first time, every time," I plead, draping my arm across his waist as I collapse against him.
"For as long as I live, Mrs. Santos," he whispers against my forehead as sleep begins to overtake me.
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