Chapter 8

Franie shut the door behind Jon and Stephanie and with a sigh she leaned against it, dropping her head to her hands. What is the matter with me? Jon had been understanding, but she had seen just the slightest bit of disappointment in his eyes when she pushed him away. Maybe she needed to push herself a little harder. Moving away from the door Frannie went through the house shutting off the lights and making sure her doors were locked.

Once she was settled in bed Frannie’s thoughts again took her to Jon’s living room. The last line of the song they had danced to stood out in her mind, All in the eyes of a boy. She shut her eyes and tried to remember what she had seen in his eyes right before she got lost in his kiss. Lust, want, longing. There was no evil lurking there. Somewhere in her mind she knew he wasn’t going to hurt her, that being with him would be beautiful and wonderful. With a sigh she rolled over and looked at the clock. It was late but still, she picked up the phone, hoping he would still be awake.

Jon was sitting in his den, staring into the fire he had stoked and thinking about the evening and the woman he had spent it with. He leaned back on the couch, laying his head against the back with his legs spread before him. What do I have to do to get her to trust me? He was at a loss at the moment. He had told her he wouldn’t rush her or push her into anything, but they didn’t even get past a kiss. He sighed and got up off the couch. How do I get her to see that I won’t hurt her? He crouched to poke at the fire. Deep in thought, the buzz of his phone at his hip startled him and he nearly lost his balance and fell on his ass. Checking to see who it was before he answered, he was surprised to see the number. “Hello.” There was a long pause then a quiet voice, “hi.” He got concerned, “what’s wrong Frannie?” She shifted in her bed, “nothing’s wrong Jon.” He stood and moved back to the couch. “Well then, what can I do for you?”

Now that she had him on the phone, she wasn’t quite sure what to say to him. “Frannie?” She took a deep breath, “I wanted to apologize again for what happened tonight Jon. I feel just awful.” So, he wasn’t the only one thinking about it. “You don’t have to apologize Frannie, its fine. I understand.” She smiled, “I know you do. Look, are you busy tomorrow night?” He mentally ran through his calendar, “I have a late meeting, but should be free by 7:30. Why?” She took a deep breath, “How do pizza and a movie sound?” He thought about it for minute. He had a feeling he knew what she was doing and he didn’t want her doing anything she may regret later. “Are you sure Frannie?” She tried to be nonchalant, “its just pizza and a movie Jon. What’s not to be sure about?” He shook his head, “Okay, okay, I should be there by 8.” “Good. I guess I will see you then. Thanks Jon, and goodnight.” “Goodnight Frannie.”

The next day Frannie had Geena come by and keep Sophie entertained while she worked in her studio. She spent most of the day working on the scene she had memorized from the night before. By the time she finished and stepped back to look at what she had done, it was nearly 7. She left the painting to dry and headed in to shower. She opened a bottle of wine and had just changed Sophie into her sleeper when the bell rang. She looked down at herself before heading to the door. She had worn dark jeans, black lace cami and a brown v-neck lightweight sweater. She had left her hair loose and, at the moment, Sophie had one little hand tangled in it. She opened the door and Jon grinned at seeing the two of them. Frannie tried to get Sophie’s hand out of her hair, “hi, come on in.” He closed the door behind him and held out the flowers he had in his hand, “I’ll trade ya.” Sophie heard his voice and her grip loosened and she started to kick her legs. Frannie pulled her hair free and handed her over to Jon. He passed Frannie the flowers and looked down at Sophie, “how’s the little princess today?” She gurgled and smiled. Frannie looked at her daughter and then up at Jon, “I think she’s in love.” He smiled at Frannie, “the feeling is mutual.”

Frannie led Jon into the kitchen and he set Sophie down in her baby seat. Frannie got out a vase and put the flowers in some water. “They are really lovely Jon, thank you.” She set them off to the side on the counter, “would you like a glass of wine?” He smiled at her, “your welcome and yes I would.” Frannie poured the wine and watched Jon making noises at Sophie. “You’re really good with her.” She handed him his glass and he clinked his glass with hers, “what shall we toast to?” Frannie thought for a minute, “to a fresh start.” Jon caught her eye and winked at her before taking a sip from his glass.

Dinner was a lively event with Sophie right there. Every time she heard Jon’s voice she laughed and made some sort of happy noise. After they were finished he kept her entertained and Frannie loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. Before they started the movie, Frannie took Sophie and fed her and put her down, hopefully for the night. Coming back into the living room she found Jon sitting on the couch. She reached out her hand for him, “come with me?” He took her hand and followed her out to her studio. “What are we doing out here Frannie?” Jon was curious. Frannie just smiled and led him to the easel in the middle of the room. “You said you wanted first crack at my latest project, well, have a look.” He turned his gaze from her to the easel. It was the scene from the night before, minus the two of them. It was amazing, even the flame on the candles seemed to come alive on the canvas. “How did you…, you captured every little detail. It’s fantastic.” She put her hand on his arm, “it’s not too recognizable as your apartment is it? I tried to keep it generic.” He looked at it again, trying to find anything that would compromise his home, but couldn’t find anything. “If I hadn’t been there last night, I wouldn’t know it was my dining room. You did a great job with this.”

Jon turned to face her. She had dropped her head to look at the floor, slightly embarrassed by his praise of her work. He lifted her chin with his fingers, “why are you embarrassed? You should be proud of what you’ve done.” She let her eyes meet his, “I am Jon; it’s just that I’ve never had praise like that from the subject of one of my paintings before.” He didn’t take his eyes from her face, didn’t say anything, just lowered his mouth to hers.

Like the night before he kept the kiss firm but gentle and when she tilted her head he took that as permission to deepen the kiss. He parted her lips with his tongue and he tasted her again. Jon felt her slide her hand up his arm to rest on his shoulder and bring her other hand up as well. He slid his arms around her waist and waited. She didn’t pull away so he pulled her closer. He felt her trembling and hoped it wasn’t out of fear. He pulled his mouth from hers and she nearly cried out at the loss. He scanned her face, “you’re trembling, are you all right?” She nodded her head, “I’m okay.” She looked up into his eyes, gone was the summer sky blue, replaced with a deeper, darker sapphire. Again she saw what she had seen the night before and that bolstered her courage. “Kiss me again?” How could he resist such an innocent plea? He dipped his head and took her mouth with his again. With his arms around her Jon pulled Frannie flush against him as their mouths mated. She didn’t push back this time, but he felt her stiffen slightly in his embrace. She pulled her mouth from his and took a breath. “Jon?” He kissed her cheek and up to her temple, “what?” “Maybe we should go watch that movie now.” She could feel him pressing against her and she needed slow things down a little. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, reached to take her hand and together they headed back into the house.

“Go on into the other room Jon. I’ll be right there.” Frannie stopped in the kitchen to make popcorn and grabbed a soda for him and a bottle of water for herself. Jon saw her coming with her hands full and reached to help her. “I grabbed a soda for you; I hope that’s all right.” He nodded, “that’s fine. What are we watching?” She went to the DVD player and put the movie in. Grabbing the remote she moved back to sit next to Jon. “Goodfellas. I know it’s not the Godfather, but it’s one of my favorites.” Jon smiled at her, “a girl who likes mob movies, if you tell me you like football too, I may just have to marry you.” Frannie laughed, “get ready to buy a ring pal, I love football.” Jon put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. “What’s your favorite team?” He hoped she didn’t say the Cowboys. She smiled up at him, “pro, college or arena?” Jon raised an eyebrow in surprise at her, “you follow all of it?” She nodded her head “hmm mmmm. Pro team is the Giants. College is Ohio State and the Arena League,” she paused and looked him up and down, “the Soul.” They chatted a bit more about football and then Frannie started the movie. She let herself lean against Jon, enjoying the feeling of his shoulder under her cheek. She could feel his fingers playing with her hair and then trailing up and down her back. She relaxed against him and let herself enjoy his touch.

While watching the movie, Frannie felt like she was being watched. She picked her head up and looked at Jon, his eyes weren’t on the movie, they were on her and they were that dark sapphire blue again. She leaned up and, without taking her eyes from his, she laid her mouth on his. He pulled her closer and she didn’t back away. She wrapped her arms around him, opening her mouth against his, their tongues dancing over each other. Jon let one hand wander up from her back and slowly let his thumb caress the curve of her breast. Frannie pulled her mouth from his and gave a slight gasp. Jon stopped, “are you all right?” She closed her eyes and took a breath. “I’m fine.” He wasn’t convinced, “are you sure?” She opened her eyes again, he didn’t see any fear in them, “I’m sure.” His mouth met hers again and as she concentrated on the kiss his hand found its way under her sweater and cami, caressing the silky soft skin beneath. Pulling his mouth from hers he shifted and eased Frannie back so she was laying down on the couch.

He leaned over her and kissed a trail up from the vee of her sweater, up her neck to her mouth. Again his hand was on her skin, working its way up the inside of her sweater and cami. When she felt the butterfly light play of his fingers on the underside of her breast, her breath caught in her throat and her nipple hardened instantly. When he moved to slide her shirt up, she stopped him. She grabbed his hand, “Jon, wait.” He looked at her, “what?” She pushed him up off of her and sat up. “I think we’d be more comfortable in the other room.” Standing, she held out her hand for his. He stood and took her hand, “Frannie, don’t do this if your not ready. I would never force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” She walked toward her bedroom. “I know Jon. You’re not forcing me, I want to.” She stopped at the side of the bed and turned to face him. She ran her hands up from his waist to his shoulders, marveling at the hard muscles that twitched beneath her touch. He pulled Frannie close, drawing her flush against him, letting her know just how much her touch was affecting him.

Frannie felt his hardness pressing against her and this time, she didn’t push him away. She ran her hands under his shirt, feeling the warm skin and silky hair across his chest. Jon slid his hands under her sweater, lifting it up and off. He pressed kisses across her shoulder and up her neck, finding a sensitive spot at the hollow in between. He ran his tongue over the spot causing her to shudder. He kissed his way back to her mouth as his hand slid up her side and closed over her breast, kneading and rolling the tip between his fingers. Her hands slipped down from his shoulders as he continued to bring to life feelings she had thought long buried. He urged her closer to the bed, laying her down across it. He tugged his shirt off and joined her on the bed, his fingers toying with the hem of her cami. Their mouths met again and Jon’s fingers moved up inside her cami, skimming across the soft skin of her stomach as they trailed up to her breast. Frannie moaned against his mouth as he lightly pinched the hardened tip. His hand left her breast briefly, pulling the cami up and off, tossing it to the floor. His mouth replaced his hand on her breast, tracing the tip with his tongue, before taking it into his mouth, sucking gently. “Jon” she breathed out on a sigh as her hands wandered, lightly skimming over his back and up and down his arms, the softness of his skin in stark contrast to the hardness of his muscles. With every pass of her hands, Jon could feel himself growing harder for her.

While his mouth continued its assault on her breasts one hand slid down across the flat of her stomach, stopping at the button of her jeans. When he didn’t notice any hesitation on her part, he reluctantly removed his mouth from her and sat up. Her creamy skin had a rosy glow to it, flush from arousal. He opened the button and released the zipper on her jeans, sliding them down her legs and off. Jon stood and, with Frannie watching, divested himself of his clothes. The only barrier between them now was the scrap of black silk that Frannie called panties. He joined her on the bed once more and ran his hands lightly up and down, from her hip to shoulder. She reached out, hesitantly and touched him, his cock twitched as she lightly ran her fingers up and down. She looked up at him, his eyes were closed and his breathing was unsteady. Feeling a bit bolder, she wrapped her hand around him and stroked him from base to tip. Leaning down she kissed his chest and ran her tongue around one flat nipple, causing it to harden in her mouth. “God Frannie” he breathed as she continued to run her tongue across to the other nipple, all the while her hand continued to stroke him.

She kissed and licked her way up his chest and neck to his mouth. Their kisses were hot and wet and with every stroke of her hand and every pass of her tongue in his mouth, Jon finally had to pull her hand from him. “I can’t… you gotta stop” he panted. God, he was ready to take her right then, but he knew he needed to be careful. Jon rolled her over and hooked his fingers in the waist of her panties, sliding them down her legs. Trailing his fingers up the inside of her thighs he watched her. Her legs opened of their own accord and there was no fear in her face as he continued. He let his mouth follow the path his fingers had just taken, her scent drawing him in. He could see that she was ready for him; her lips glistened with her need for him. He ran his tongue up and down her slit, dipping it into her pussy before seeking out and finding her clit. He slid a finger into her as his tongue teased her clit. He slid a second finger into her and could feel her start to tighten around him. “Jon!” she cried out as she felt her need for him growing, teetering on that precarious edge. He kissed his way up her body, laving each breast before claiming her mouth. He pulled his mouth from hers and knelt between her legs. “Frannie, look at me.” She opened her eyes and watched him as he entered her. He moved slowly; she was so tight he was afraid he might not be able to control himself.

Jon didn’t move right away, letting Frannie’s body adjust. He lowered himself, letting some of his weight settle on her. When she started to move beneath him he moved with her, letting her set the pace. As he moved in her he laved the hard points of her nipples with his tongue, and he felt her hands in his hair tugging him up. He lifted his head and her mouth fused to his. She could feel the wave building and she tore her mouth from his, “Jon... I…ahh! He felt her tighten around him and, as he drove into her once more, she dragged him with her into oblivion.