Chapter 34

She felt Jon tense behind her and then relax. Long moments passed before he spoke, “you want to what?” He wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. Frannie looked up at him, “you heard me.” He shook his head, “you’re out of your mind.” She propped herself up so she could look at him. She noted the look of surprise on his face and the myriad of questions in his eyes. She rose from the chair and he grabbed her arm, “you drop something like that on me and then you leave, where are you going?” She smiled and pulled her arm from his grip, “I’m going to go take a shower. Just think about it, okay?” She kissed him and went inside.

Jon thought about her request. could I really let her do that? How many times have I been approached for pictures like that? What would the guys say? What would other people say? If I said yes, could I convince her to keep it to herself? Why does she want to? What does she see in me that would make her want to draw me like that?

When he went inside he found Frannie drying her hair. He stood and watched, not saying anything just yet. She straightened, flipping her hair back and saw him watching her. He wasn’t smiling but he wasn’t frowning either, she wondered if that was good or bad. He didn’t say anything as she passed him and went to the dresser for underwear and then to the closet. She pulled on a soft cottony sundress and turned back to him. “Are you going to say something?”

He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “Why?”

Frannie took his hand and led him over to the full length mirror, “what do you see when you look in the mirror?” She was curious as to how he saw himself. He looked at himself, trying to see what she saw. All he saw was a 46 year-old man, nobody special, just John. Frannie stepped up beside him, “well?” He looked down at her and then back in the mirror again, “I see me, a 46 year-old guy with blue eyes, wrinkles and gray chest hair.” Frannie shook her head, “want to know what I see?” He nodded his head, “sure.”

She met his eyes in the mirror, “I see a man who enjoys life.” She traced the lines by his eyes and mouth, “these little lines, evidence of a man who smiles and laughs, a lot. They add character where little was needed.” She moved to his eyes, “these blue eyes,” she stroked his temples lightly with her fingertips as she talked, “they take in every little thing and express more than any words you could ever write.”

Her fingertips slid down along his jaw, resting on his lips, “this mouth is a dangerous weapon. The words you speak, songs you sing with this mouth, you touch people with them both. You can bring a woman to tears or to the height of ecstasy with your mouth alone.” She stopped him when he opened said mouth to say something, “No. I know what I’m talking about; you’ve moved me to both, more than once.” He smiled slightly and shifted restlessly. Her light touch on his skin was making him ache for her.

Frannie continued, moving behind him, running her fingers lightly across his back, kissing him gently, tracing the superman tattoo on his left shoulder with her fingertips before meeting his gaze in the mirror again. “These broad shoulders carry a load that would fall two men, yet you do it without complaint.” She moved to stand in front of him, kissing his lips lightly, “shall I go on?” His head wanted to say no, but his heart won out and “yes” came out of his mouth. She smiled and moved back to his side.

“Your chest is strong and the gray hair is evident of a man aging with grace and dignity. I’ve seen my daughter rest her head here more than once, it brings comfort to her and,” she circled a nipple with her finger tip, “pleasure to me.” He sucked in a breath as her finger scraped over him. Her hands continued their journey lower, across his stomach, coming to rest on his hips. “You have the body of a man who takes care of himself, keeps himself in shape as much for his lifestyle as for the fact that it makes you feel good. It’s no wonder women the world over fawn over you.”

She met his gaze in the mirror again, his eyes were intense, dark. “But that’s just the wrapping. It’s what’s inside is what I want to capture. The charisma, the confidence you exude, the intensity and passion when a project overtakes you, everyone has seen that. I want them to see the John that I get to see everyday. The man who is happy to sit in the floor and play with my baby girl, the man who cries almost as easily as he laughs; the man who got down on his hands and knees and scrubbed blood from the floor so I wouldn’t have to. I want them to see the caring, loving man that I know. I want them to see you with all the rock star celebrity excess stripped away. I want them to see you, just you.”

Jon didn’t know what to say; no one had ever said anything like that to him before. He turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her. He lowered his head, their mouths meeting in a long, slow kiss. Her words were swirling in his head as they kissed and he could feel himself getting lost in her. Without taking his mouth from hers he moved them to the bed, easing her across it. There were no words spoken as he slid her dress up and off, kissing every piece of skin he exposed. When he pulled her panties from her he could see that she was as wet for him as he was hard for her.

When he slid into her the groan was ripped from his throat. As he moved them both closer to the relief they both sought, one word was pulled from him. As they both lost themselves to the ecstasy they brought each other, that one word echoed in the room.

“Yes.”

Chapter 33

Jon rolled in the night to curl himself around Frannie and was surprised to find the bed empty. He sat up and looked around wondering where she was at 3 in the morning. Before he could call to her he heard her in the bathroom. Padding to the bathroom on silent feet he grimaced at the sight before him.

Frannie had woken with her stomach churning. She had barely gotten to the bathroom before heaving her dinner into the toilet. She had been up the better part of an hour and that was how Jon found her. “Baby, are you okay?” She retched again, “does it look like I’m okay? Go back to bed.” He ignored what she said, instead turning to the faucet to wet a cloth and fill a glass with water for her. Dropping down beside her he handed her the cloth and rubbed her back. “When did this start?” He was curious as to how long she had been up. She took the wet cloth and wiped her face, “what time is it now?” He leaned back to look through the door into their bedroom, “just after 3.” She groaned and dropped her head forward to rest on her knees, “an hour” she managed to say before her stomach rebelled again.

When Frannie felt like she might be all right, she leaned back against the wall and took a sip of water. “You should go back to bed Jon, you don’t need to sit here with me.” He studied her for a minute, she was pale and her eyes were puffy, “if you think you’re ready to go back to bed, I’ll tuck you in.” She took another sip of water and started to stand, only to have to lean over the toilet again. “Please Jon, just leave me alone.” He stroked her back one last time before finally leaving her in the bathroom.

The next time Jon opened his eyes the sun was streaming in the windows and he was once again, or maybe still he wasn’t sure, alone. He got up, pulled on some shorts and went into the bathroom. Frannie was lying on the floor, having fallen asleep at some point. He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her across the bed. “Poor baby” he whispered as he covered her and kissed her forehead.

Frannie woke to find herself in the bed. How did I get here? She didn’t remember coming back to bed. Glancing at the clock she winced, it was past one in the afternoon. She wondered where Jon was as she didn’t hear any noise coming from the other room. She got up and went to the bathroom. After brushing her teeth and hair she pulled on some cotton shorts and a tank top and went out onto the deck from their room. She found Jon and Sophie in the pool. He was floating along on his back with Sophie resting on his chest.

“Hey.”

Jon looked over and stood, cradling Sophie against him, “hey baby, how are you feeling?” Frannie curled up on the chaise, “like a dishtowel that was wrung out one too many times.” Her stomach muscles ached like she had done nothing but crunches for four hours. “It must have been something I ate last night, but I can’t figure out what.”

Jon got out of the pool and handed Sophie to her so he could dry off. Frannie kissed the baby’s head and was dismayed to see that Sophie wanted nothing to do with her mother. She started to fuss and reached for Jon. At Frannie’s raised eyebrow Jon just shrugged, “what can I say, she loves me.” Frannie just shook her head and smiled, “like mother like daughter I guess.” Jon kissed her as he took Sophie back and sat down. “Okay, let’s see last night we ate pretty much the same thing. We shared our dinners, drank the same wine and had coffee.” He rubbed his chin, “I don’t know babe.”

Frannie turned to face him, “we fed each other bites of our dinners and mine was lobster. What was your seafood medley made up of?” Jon thought for a minute, “scallops, shrimp and mussels I think, maybe conch. Why?” Frannie groaned, “scallops; that had to be it. The last time I ate them this happened. I should have known.”

“Do you think you want anything now?” Jon thought maybe she should at least drink something if not try to eat something light anyway. Frannie shook her head, “the thought of food is not even remotely appealing right now. I could probably drink something though.” Jon stood and held out his hand, “let’s go see what we’ve got.” Together they headed into the kitchen and Jon poured Frannie some juice before taking Sophie to her room to change her. Frannie followed to see just how well he would manage.

Standing in the doorway she fell a little more in love with Jon as she watched him blow raspberries on Sophie’s belly before doing a surprisingly good job getting her into a clean diaper and dry clothes. “Nice job” she told him as he picked Sophie up and turned toward the door. “You didn’t think I knew what I was doing did you?” Frannie shook her head, “you’ve got four kids I hope you know what you’re doing.” He laughed, “yeah well, it’s not my favorite job, but at least this one was only wet.” Frannie chuckled, “you’re lucky.” He nodded his head and smiled, “you get the next one.”

Geena came back and Jon and Frannie were able to spend the rest of the afternoon lounging on the deck. Jon occupied one chaise, Frannie the other. She was sketching and he was going back and forth between the book he had brought and watching Frannie. He had watched her draw before and yet the way her hand moved across the paper always got his skin itching for her touch. The way her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth made him want to run his tongue over it and soothe the marks away. He shifted in his chair, trying to ease the growing ache between his legs.

Frannie knew he was watching her, could feel his eyes on her. She was doing her best to concentrate on what she was doing, but it was getting increasingly difficult. She flipped the page and started to draw him instead. She knew she could draw him a million different ways and still not capture the essence of him. Her mouth twitched into a devilish smile, would he let me? She wanted to ask but she wasn’t sure what he would think of the idea. “Jon.” He looked over at her, “what babe?”

She moved over onto his chair with him, settling herself between his legs, resting against his chest. “Would you let me draw you again?” He kissed the top of her head “aren't you tired of drawing me yet?” He felt her head move against him “no, and I don’t think I ever could be. But this would be different.” He took the sketch book and pencil from her hands, setting them on the table before wrapping his arms around her, “how would this be different?” She tried to hide her smile as she tilted her head to look up at him.

“I want to draw you nude.”

Chapter 32

For long moments they stood there in the moonlight, looking at each other, Jon waiting for Frannie to say something. “Baby?” She raised her eyes to his and he could see the tears that had gathered there, “what’s wrong?” Frannie shook her head slightly, “nothing. You love me?” His fingers grazed her cheek lightly, catching a tear that had escaped, “I do baby.”

The longer she stayed quiet the more nervous Jon got. He hoped he hadn’t scared her, but he had needed to tell her how he felt. It had been building most of the day and he had to get it out. “Frannie, you don’t need to…” she stopped him with a finger on his lips, “I love you too Jon. I just needed a minute for what you said to sink in.” He pulled her hand away from his mouth and lowered his head to hers, stealing her senses with his lips.

When Jon’s mouth left hers, Frannie moaned at the loss. He left a trail of light kisses down her neck, running light circles with the tip of his tongue in the hollow where neck met shoulder. Frannie felt his fingers toying with the straps of her dress and she stopped him, “not out here Jon.” He skimmed his hands lightly down her arms, bent and picked up their shoes. “Come on baby, let’s go.”

They approached the villa and it was dark, save the light Frannie had left on in their room. Letting Frannie enter ahead of him, Jon dropped their shoes right inside the door, sliding it shut behind them. “Now, where were we?” He pulled her back against him, moving her hair out of the way before nuzzling in her neck, kissing up by her ear, nibbling on her lobe. Frannie closed her eyes against the flood of sensations running through her.

She could feel his arousal pressing against her and she reached behind her. Her hands stroked his powerful thighs before sliding up and caressing him through the light material of his pants. As she reached for the button he stilled her hands, “not yet baby.” He rested her hands at her sides and felt for the zipper on her dress. He followed the path of the zipper slowly with his mouth, leaving hot, open-mouthed kisses down her back. Straightening, he gave the straps a nudge and sent the dress to the floor, leaving Frannie in the scrap of red lace that he had caught a glimpse of earlier.

They moved to the bed together, Frannie helping rid him of his shirt, then stopping to stroke the skin that had been burnished gold by the afternoon sun. Her mouth followed the path her hands took, pausing to trace each nipple with her tongue, sucking lightly before nibbling her way back to his mouth. As her tongue invaded his mouth, her hand opened his pants, slipping inside to stroke him slowly. With her free hand she pushed at his pants, letting them fall to pool at his feet. Pulling her mouth from his, she slid to her knees in front of him, leaving a trail of kisses down his chest and across the flat of his stomach.

Jon sucked in a breath when he felt Frannie’s warm breath on him, then her tongue laving across his balls. His hands wound in her hair as she ran her tongue up the hardened length of him, circling the head, then slowing taking the whole of him in her mouth. She reveled in the feel of him, soft and hard at the same time. She moved her mouth slowly, savoring his flavor. When she took him deep she was rewarded with his low groan of approval.

With long sure strokes of her mouth she drew him closer to ecstasy. When he was close he urged her to stop, wanting to be inside her when he came. “Frannie, baby” he tugged his hands from her hair and pushed her back, helping her to her feet. He slid his hands around and down to cup her ass as he kissed her hungrily. Turning them, he gave her a nudge and, feeling the bed behind her, she lay across it. Jon slipped her panties from her, trailing his fingers up her leg and lightly tracing the insides of her thighs. Her scent called to him and he pushed her legs apart, needing to taste her. He ran his tongue up and down, teasing her clit and then dipping inside. Frannie was writhing on the bed above him, crying out as her orgasm washed over her. Jon lifted his head and moved over her, teasing her nipples as he slid into her.

“Baby, look at me.” Jon waited for her. She opened her eyes, trying to focus on him. “I love you” he told her as he moved, sliding out and then driving home again. They moved together, urging each other on. He laced his fingers with hers as he moved in her, “I love you” he told her again as they found their release together.

Chapter 31

Jon was sitting on the floor with Sophie, they had given Geena a break to enjoy the beach for a bit when Frannie picked up her sketch book. She smirked as she swiped her pencil across the paper; Jon was trying to convince Sophie that it would be the best trick in the world if she rolled over. She had a handle on going from her tummy to her back, but going in reverse wasn’t going well.

Frannie just shook her head at his antics. He was dangling a rattle over her face so she could see it and then he would move it to the left, trying to get her to follow it. She would roll and stay on her side, not fully ending up on her stomach. Frannie was furiously sketching try to capture the scene all the while trying not to laugh. To see this man on the floor with Sophie tugged at her heart. He may be a famous rock star, but right now, to her, he was just John, a man who seemed to be enjoying himself entertaining her baby girl.

Jon glanced over and saw the smile on Frannie’s face as she was drawing. “I almost hate to ask what you are doing over there.” She looked up, laughing at the look of horror on his face, “what’s the matter?” He crawled over to her, “please tell me you’re not drawing me.” She laughed again, “Why? what’s wrong with me drawing you?” He got to his knees in front of her, peering down onto her paper. “Jesus Frannie, you can’t show that to anybody.” She hugged the book to her chest and laughed, “I’m going to put it in my next show.” He shook his head and looked her straight in the eye, “you wouldn’t dare.” She tried to move but he had his hands on the arms of the chair, caging her. She held his stare, “try me.”

He tried a different tactic, running his hand up and down her arm, “come on baby, you wouldn’t do that to me would you?” Frannie looked over his shoulder at Sophie who was still contentedly lying on the floor with her toys, “it’s a sweet picture Jon, why shouldn’t I? Besides, it’s not like anyone can tell it’s you.” He looked at the picture again and sure enough, she had drawn it so you could tell that he was looking down at the baby, but all anyone else could see was the side of his face, back of his head, his back and the top of his shorts. She had started to draw the tattoo on his arm but then thought better of it and shaded it out.

Jon looked back at her, “I guess it’s not as bad as I first thought. I’m sorry I got upset. I do have a reputation to uphold though you know.” Frannie laughed and nudged him away from her so she could stand up, “and we wouldn’t want that reputation tarnished by a pretty little baby now would we?” He laughed and smacked her on the butt as she bent to pick Sophie up off the floor. “Hey!” She turned to him, “maybe you should go get ready for dinner while I feed her.”

Jon had just stepped out of the shower and was wrapping a towel around his waist when Frannie came into the bathroom. “Sophie all settled?” She nodded her head, “yeah, Geena’s with her now.” She turned the water on and hung her robe on the back of the door, “which restaurant are we trying tonight?” Jon watched her step into the shower as he rubbed his head with a towel, “Terrace. They have terrific seafood.” He watched her as she tipped her head back to wet her hair. The graceful line of her neck was so very inviting he dropped his towel and stepped back into the shower with her, trailing his mouth up her neck, nipping at her chin and finally capturing her mouth.

She wrapped her arms around him before easing her mouth from his, “what are you doing, you were all dried off.” Jon just shrugged his shoulders “I can dry off again.” He took her arms from around his neck, kissing each as he settled them at her sides. He dropped to his knees in front of her, leaving a trail of kisses down the front of her as he did. Frannie could feel his warm breath ghost across her stomach, Jon?” He heard the question in her voice, “I told you I would make it up to you for earlier.” She nodded, “but I thought that would be later, after dinner.” He let his tongue snake out to trace the crease of her thigh, “think of this as an appetizer, the main course will come later.” Frannie closed her eyes and murmured, “I’m sure it will.” He looked up, “what was that?” She shook her head, “nothing.” He picked up one leg and laid it over his shoulder, kissing up the inside of her thigh. Frannie reached for the wall of the shower to steady herself for the onslaught she knew was coming.

Jon looked up at her, she had her head tipped back, her arm was braced on the wall, her skin was flush with arousal (at least he hoped it was that and not sunburn) and her nipples were standing proud and erect. He had never seen anything more beautiful. He slid his gaze down her body and slow stroked through her curls with his tongue, finding her clit easily. Frannie moaned as his tongue moved in slow circles at first, keeping the pressure light. When he sucked it into his mouth Frannie nearly lost her balance, “Jon!” He steadied her and slipped his tongue lower, sliding it into her, tasting her sweetness.

“Oh God” she moaned as he slid his tongue back to tease her clit and two fingers pushed into her. Her hips bucked and he continued his assault, increasing the pressure on her clit and his fingers pumped into her. She tossed her head back, banging it on the wall of the shower, crying out his name as she came. He slid his fingers from her, tasting her one final time before he lowered her leg and stood, cradling her against him as the last of the tremors ran through her.

They finished their shower and Jon went to get dressed while Frannie dried her hair. Standing in her robe, she had just started to pin it up and Jon stepped back into the bathroom, “leave it down?” She looked over at him, he was wearing khaki pants and a white button down shirt, untucked and the top few buttons were undone. She took the few pins out and let her hair tumble back down around her shoulders, “you look so good.” He glanced in the mirror and then back at her, “if you say so.” She studied him for a minute, “I have something for you, hang on.” She left and came back with a small box. “Here. I bought this for you in that little shop at the hotel today.”

Jon took the lid off the box, looked down and smiled, “this is great baby, thank you.” He slipped it around his neck and the sand dollar nestled right at the base of his throat. Frannie pressed a kiss to his cheek, “I’m glad you like it.” He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her lips, “I love it. Now go get dressed so we can go eat.” She left him, dropping her robe on the bed and heading to the closet to find her dress and Jon caught just a glimpse of red lace as he left the room.

The restaurant was busier tonight than Jon had expected but they were still able to have a semi-secluded table on the open patio for dinner. The food was exceptional. Frannie’s lobster was tender and melted in her mouth. It sat atop a bed of linguine in a light cream sauce that had just the right amount of spice. Jon had a medley of seafood on his plate and they fed each other bites of their meals and chatted quietly of everything and nothing. As they sat and sipped their coffee Jon reached over and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Frannie’s ear, “did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?”

She was wearing a red and black slip dress and, at his earlier request, had left her hair down; the dark waves were lifted slightly by the breeze. “No, but thank you.” She caught his gaze, his eyes never failed to amaze her, the blue of them nearly indescribable. They seemed to be a multitude of shades, light easing into dark and back again. She reached out to stroke his cheek and he captured her hand, drawing it to his lips for a kiss. He stroked the tip of his tongue lightly along the back of her hand, watching her reaction, hearing the slight gasp. “You ready to go back?” Frannie simply nodded her head.

Instead of following the path back to the villa, Jon opted to lead Frannie to the beach. They removed their shoes and enjoyed the still warm sand under their feet as they walked slowly, hand in hand. Jon tugged Frannie to a stop and she turned to look at him, “Jon?” He dropped his shoes in the sand, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her lightly. She dropped her shoes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, opening her mouth to his, letting his tongue dance over hers.

Easing his mouth from hers, he leaned back so he could see her face. He reached up and pushed her hair back, stroking her cheek with his fingers, “baby?” She raised her eyes to his, finding an uncertainty she hadn’t seen there before. “What’s the matter?” He continued to look at her. She had gotten to him, her and that precious little baby girl of hers, he was happier now with her than he had been in much too long. “Nothing’s the matter.” He kissed her again, a soft, sweet kiss before he found her eyes again. “I love you baby.”