66 - Love Me Tender

Jon leaned against the doorjamb and watched as Ari bobbed her head back and forth while she diced some vegetables he couldn’t see. The clip holding her hair on top of her head was slowly coming undone and a few curls had fallen to lay on her neck. Her hips moved in time with the music as she sang and she didn’t know she was being watched. Jon wasn’t about to interrupt her, as she looked too cute.

 

I got lucky when you found me

It only took one kiss to see

What did I do to get to beeeee so lucky baby?

 

“Why are you listening to this?” He asked as he move towards her.

 

Ari turned but didn’t stop or answer, she kept on with her little show. Jon joined her, running his hands over her hips and under his old white button down that she often wore. He smiled as his hands splayed wide against her ass, pulling her closer to him.

 

Ari gently cupped his face.

 

Whenever I see your smiling face

Lucky to be the one to be lucky

 

The music faded as the song ended, though they remained still in the middle of the kitchen.

 

“How’s Romeo?” She looped her arms around his neck.

 

“Still throwing up. He was sleeping when I left.”

 

“Do you think it’s the flu or just one of those twenty-four-hour bugs?”

 

“Not sure. I’ll call and check on him later.”

 

“Did you get to see everyone?”

 

“No. They were still at school. What’s going on here?”

 

“Making dinner. This place was stocked. Did you do this?”

 

“Sorta. Lidia, my housekeeper did.”

 

“She knows I’m here?”

 

“Yes. But no need to talk about business now. Come dance with me?”

 

Ari rested her forehead against his chest as they swayed slowly to the music. He could smell the hint of candied apple in her hair. They swayed around, moving from one room to the next, all the while Jon crooned softly along with the song, even when the music faded out of earshot.

 

“Jon, dinner.” She whispered as she felt the edge of the bed hit the back of her knees.

 

“Ssshh.” He slid his hands into her shorts and he tugged them off.

 

“Not tonight,” Ariana said. “I don’t want sex.”

 

“Tell me. Tell me what you want?”  

 

“Make love to me.”

 

His touch was light as he guided her onto the bed until she was lying on her back and climbed next to her. Keeping his eyes on hers, he reached for the buttons on her shirt, undoing all of them. She felt the flush of her cheeks as his cool knuckles grazed her warm flesh when he nudged the shirt open exposing her breasts.

 

Jon ran his hand down her side to caress her hip, and as he leaned down, he placed a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. Sinking her fingers into his golden hair, she tilted her head so she could kiss him fully.  

 

The softest, warmest, sweetest lips, kissing her so tenderly across her cheek, along her jaw, and back to her lips. His fingers trailing down her neck.

 

“So beautiful.” He whispered against her ear.

 

Her sensitized body registered the feel of his warm breath as he moved his lips down the nape of her neck, down her clavicle and into the valley of her breasts.  

 

He punctuated each kiss with words from the faint song still playing in the distance.

 

“My hopes....” his tongue traced across her nipple.

 

“My dreams come true....” he moved to the other.

 

She moaned as her nipples hardened.

 

“My one and only you” He trailed hot feathery kisses down her ribs, over her stomach to the faded black ink on her hip.

 

“Jon...I... Oh...god,” she gasped.

 

Jon’s body laid on top of her. He could feel the beat of her heart, the beat that made him feel secure, the beat that made him sleep at night, the beat that belonged to the woman he loved deeply and unconditionally.

 

“No one will ever know, how much I love you so,” He breathed out huskily as he slid slowly into her wet, velvety heat.

 

“I love you too, Jon. I’ve always loved you.”  Slipped from her lips as she stared straight into his eyes with a mixture of desire and love.

 

Jon leaned in and captured her lips with a moan.

 

Time seemed to slow as their bodies practiced the timeless dance they had done countless times before. This time it was different. It wasn’t hot, raw sex, it was the pure unfiltered love between the two that made it special. Jon reached up and moved a piece of damp hair off Ariana’s neck as their sweat slickened bodies moved in sync, steady until they hit that final elusive peak - crying out in unison.

 

Jon rolled away from Ariana and pulled her across his chest, placing a sweet kiss on her forehead, then her nose and finally a lingering kiss filled with love on her lips.  When he broke this kiss, Ari moved to get out of bed but he tugged her closer.

 

“Let’s just lay like this a little longer.”

 

“Okay.” She snuggled closer and laid her head back down on his chest.

 

“So, July?”

 

“Uh-huh. Do you know where we will be?”

 

“U.S. and Canada.” His fingers massaged the small of her back.

 

Shifting suddenly, Ariana met Jon’s eyes with a smile as he said Canada.

 

“Really, where?”

 

“Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Regina.” he tucked a curl behind her ear. “A Canadian bambino, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

 

“I’m not opposed to it.”

 

Smirking, Jon replied, “Well, if our little monkey doesn’t make an appearance in New Jersey first, it could happen.”

 

“Honestly, I don’t care where he’s born as long as we are all together.”

 

“He?” Jon raised his eyebrows.

 

Ari moved to get out of bed and looked back at Jon. “Just a feeling I have. I don’t care if it’s a boy or a girl, just as long as he’s healthy.” Smirking a little, she shrugged and continued, “Okay, I kind of want a boy.”

 

“Say what you want but I’m hoping a bubbly baby girl.”

 

“Bubbly? Of all words you pick bubbly?”

 

Taking her cue, Jon reached for his jeans and got out of bed. “Well, she can be a tomboy like her mother, I’m okay with that.”

 

“As long as he doesn’t have his father's grumpiness.”

 

Snorting, Ariana snatched Jon’s t-shirt from his hand before he could put it on. His devilish grin had her pulling it over her head as she ran out of the room.

 

“HEY! I’m not grumpy. I’m a very sensitive, caring gentleman.” He called after her.

 

Jon chased her around the kitchen island until he finally cornered her when she stubbed her toe on the corner counter. She let out a high-pitched squeal as he pinned her against the counter between his planted hands.

 

“You, young lady; must stop taking my shirts.”

 

“Guess you’ll just have to walk around without one.”

 

“So that's your plan? Well, I have plenty more and you certainly don’t need any more.”

 

Ariana gave him her best pouty lips and puppy dog eyes.

 

“Uh-huh. Don’t even try it. Now cook me dinner, woman.” he kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m going to check on Romeo.”

 

Jon just shook his head and chuckled as he felt her foot kicking him in the ass as he walked out of the kitchen before she went back to chopping the rest of the vegetables for the pasta.

 

Over dinner, she learned Romeo was feeling better but had admitted to his mother that he had eaten three candy bars he had hidden in his room from Halloween before he went to school, which would explain the belly monsters and the vomiting. Jon made sure to tell her he was both proud and amused by his son’s cleverness, which didn’t surprise Ari. It just confirmed that she would most definitely be the disciplinary parent, but she sorta knew that already.

 

Jon told her about his conversations he had with Jake and Jesse while they cleaned up after dinner, but it wasn’t until they were curled up on the couch together to watch some television that he mentioned Stephanie. 

 

“Stephanie asked about you.”

 

“She did? What about?”

 

“She wanted to know the basic stuff.”

 

“Anything else?”

 

“Yeah, I told her you were here with me now.”

 

“And is she okay with that?”

 

“Yes, she actually wants to meet you.”

 

“What did you tell her?”

 

“That I’d have to check with Dorothea first, but I was thinking, if you were okay with it happening sooner than later, we should do it.”

 

“Won’t that cause a problem?”

 

“What difference does it make? The press already knows, why hide it? If Dorothea wants to make this bigger than it is, then let her.”

 

“Jon, the difference is the press only knows the minor details, once they put two and two together...well you know how they can twist a story.” The idea of television long forgotten, Ariana twisted around to look Jon in the eyes.

 

“The press has nothing to do with you meeting my kids. They don’t even know you are here...yet. I could bring Steph here, and Jess if he wants to.”

 

“If that is what they and you are okay with, then I’m fine with it too.”

 

“Then I will call them in the morning to set something up.”

 

“And Jon you might want to mention it to Dorothea.”

 

“Yeah I will.”

 

Snuggling closer to Jon, Ari rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. Before she succumbed to sleep, Jon pulled her up, and they walked arm in arm back to the bedroom. Ariana practically collapsed into the soft pillows and as Jon laid down beside her, he wrapped an arm around her waist and placed a large palm over her abdomen.

 

“G’night Crash.”

 

“Goodnight Jon.”