Chapter 24

Silvery moonlight filtered through the opening where the drapes didn’t quite come together across the wide window.  Her straw hat lay on the desk next to his overturned Stetson.  Her dress and his jacket were draped haphazardly over the chair in the corner.  The rest of their clothes made a messy trail from the door to the bed.   They were lying crosswise on the bed, pulses racing, hearts pounding, like the hoof-beats of the horses that had run around the track just hours earlier.  Richie’s horse, the one he had put money on, California Chrome, had won the Derby and their celebration had carried over from Churchill Downs to their hotel room.

Stephanie rolled over, her body slick with perspiration, her hair a mangled mess from their frantic love making.  “Holy shit, Rich.”  She heaved in a breath and blew it out.  “Where did you…how did you…she sucked in another breath.  Just Holy.  Shit.”

“You okay there, darlin’?  You’re repeating yourself” Richie half chuckled, half mumbled with his face still buried under the pillows. 

“I lost some brain cells that time, I’m sure of it.”

Richie pulled the pillow from his head and rolled to look at her, “four orgasms too many for you, darlin’?”

Levering up on her elbows, she shook her head, pins from her no-longer-up do falling to the mattress, “not complaining, but four in rapid succession like that could kill a girl.”  Tossing her hair back she found his eyes with hers, “and just where did you learn to do that little trick with your tongue?”

He smirked and shook his head, “uh uh, not telling.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and playfully pouted, “meanie.”

Shifting closer, he stroked his hand up the inside of her thigh, “trust me, you don’t really want to know.”  He may have spent most of the 80s with one or more different women after each show and he definitely learned a thing or two, but he wasn’t about to go into details of that time with his wife.  Even if she was a fan and probably knew some of the stories, certain things were still better left unsaid.

He moved over her and settled between her thighs, “I can do it again” he wiggled his tongue at her, “practice makes perfect, you know.”

She laughed and pulled her knees up, knowing she would let him have his way with her.  She glanced down when her foot caught in the sheets, “hey,” she wiggled her foot to free it, “I still have my shoes on.”

Reaching for her ankle, he gently tugged the sexy peep toe stiletto from her foot and dropped it over the side of the bed.  Its mate soon followed with a soft thud, “I like the shoes” he murmured as he skimmed his lips up the inside of her leg and nibbling her thigh. 

“Why do you think I wear them?”  She managed to get out before his oh-so-talented tongue was on her and she was lost in a sea of sensation.

Later, sated and satisfied, they crawled to the top of the bed and pulled the blankets up.  She curled into him, sleep dragging at her.  “Love you, Rich.”

He wrapped himself around her, kissing her head, “love you too, darlin’.” 

YYYYYYYY

It was unusual for him to be awake and out of bed first, but the music tugged at him until he couldn’t ignore it.  He left her sleeping, pulling on loose cotton pants and settling on the couch.  His fingers moved swiftly across the page of his notebook, scribbling down his thoughts as quickly as they came to him.

The quiet strumming of the guitar and the low timbre voice teased her awake.  Keeping her eyes closed, she rolled over and hugged his pillow, just listening. 

First time we met, I must confess
That my heart was like an empty house
But the keys locked in my head
I will bide my time of need
You became my miracle
And my reason to believe
When the waves get rough
We can fall back on us
We'll be together
Forever all the way

Setting down his pencil, he started strumming, keeping his voice low and trying to work out the melody he could hear so clearly in his head. 

When we look back
At the landscape of our lives
There were moments that stood still for us
Like a Snapshot of our minds
There were things we could have done
Maybe wounds left unsaved
Still we kept our promise shining
And our passion in our bed

Moving closer to the edge of the bed, she strained to hear the words he was singing.  She loved listening to him like this, when he was unaware and lost in the moment. 

And when the waves get rough
We know that we've got us
I don't make many promises
But I'm promising you, yeah.

When there's no words left to say
Our love will find a way
We'll be together
Forever all the way

When she heard the guitar go quiet, she slipped out of bed, pulled her robe around her and snuck out to the couch.  She greeted him with a quiet “hey” not wanting to startle him.

Looking up he put the pencil down and set aside his guitar, “hey yourself sweetheart.”  He held out his hand to her, “come here.”

She moved to him, taking his hand, letting him pull her down on to the couch next to him.  “You’re up early.”

He shifted behind her and tucked his chin to her shoulder, nuzzling her neck.  “Couldn’t sleep, a song was brewing so I came out here to get it down.  Sorry I woke you.”

She turned her head, catching his lips with hers.  “Don’t apologize.  I love listening to you play and sing.  And I like what you’ve got so far.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded, “yeah.”

“Me too.”  His lips found hers again, the emotions stirred by the song translated to a long, slow kiss.  He let his feelings lead him, his fingers deftly loosening the tie on her robe, skimming over her, easing her back, down against the cushions.

There was no urgency this morning, no need to rush, just a powerful indescribable need to have her, to take her, to be surrounded by her.  He took his time, tasting her here, touching her there, pushing her to the brink before finally, finally burying himself inside her. 

Bracing himself on his elbows above her, he stared down at her.  “Open your eyes, darlin’.”

The witchy eyes he loved so much blinked and slowly opened, the green there nearly overtaken by the pupil dilated with desire.  “There’s my girl.”  He slowly pumped his hips, watching her face.  Her pretty lips dropped open and a small cry escaped as her muscles contracted around him.  “That’s right darlin’, let go, just let go.”  He kept his thrusts slow and controlled, prolonging their pleasure; and when she broke apart under him, he was helpless to do anything but join her.

Curled together she idly ran her fingertips up and down his arm.  She didn’t want to move.  If it wasn’t for the fact that they had to retrieve their daughter from her grandmother, she’d be happy to stay right here in the circle of his arms for the rest of forever. 

She sighed.

Richie squeezed her tight and looked down at her, “what’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“This weekend has been wonderful.  I almost hate to leave.”  The Derby had been more fun and exciting that she could have imagined.  The race itself the most exciting two minutes in sports that she could remember, but it was what had transpired in this room that she was most sad to leave.

“We can always come back next year.”  He pressed his lips to the crown of her head.

She frowned up at him, “you’re going to make me wait a whole year for a weekend like this again?”

His eyebrows furrowed together, “well the Derby only comes once a year, darlin’.”

Her hand snaked around and she pinched his butt before pushing him onto his back and straddling him.  “I wasn’t talking about the race.”

He cupped her bottom before sliding his hands up her sides, realization of what she meant dawning on him.  “Ah, I see.”  His hands cupped her breasts, his fingers teasing her nipples to hard points.  “You know we can do this at home too, right?”

She stared down at him, his brown eyes bright with mischief.  It was harder to find time at home now, between Lily, her Habitat projects and him writing and recording again.  She nearly frowned at the thought of him working with Ori.  Why does that woman bother me so much?

She wiggled her hips, trying to ignore the thoughts in her head.  He stirred under her.  “One more time before we have to go?”

He shifted under her, “you don’t know how good you are for my ego, sweetheart, but I’m old, I need more recovery time.”  He rubbed away the frown line between her brows, he didn’t like disappointing her.   One glance at her told him she was more than ready, her nipples were begging for his touch, her skin was flushed and pink, and he could feel her heat and wetness where she sat on his groin.  “Come up here.”  He pulled the pillow from behind his head, dropping it to the floor and wiggled down to lie flat on the couch.

Her eyes widened at his meaning and a sly, sexy smile crossed her face as she moved to straddle his face. 

Grinning when she complied, he peered up at her through her widespread knees, “hold on, darlin’.”

When she felt his tongue on the inside of her thigh, she grabbed the arm of the couch and lost herself to him once again.