Jason rolled over onto his side and sighed. A sleepy smile was on his lips and in his brilliant blue eyes as he opened them and greeted the morning. His hand rested on Keesha's thigh and when he began to stroke it, she sighed in her sleep which brought a grin to his face. He lived for those mornings when they could just sleep in, laze the morning away in each other's arms, making love. The last four weeks had been pure bliss. Jason couldn't remember a time when he'd been happier. Being with Keesha and knowing that she loved him made Jason feel as if he was the happiest man in the world. Aw, ain't love grand, he thought with a contented sigh.
As he watched her sleep, he willed her to wake up, but he knew she wouldn't. She'd had quite a night, he remembered, giving himself an imaginary pat on the back. She wouldn't wake up any time soon. He gave her thigh another caress as he leaned over her to brush her slightly parted lips with an all too brief kiss. Then, slowly and carefully, he eased himself off the bed. A soft moan was the only indication that Keesha knew that something had changed as she remained in her dream world.
Jason shivered as he left the warmth of the bed. Grabbing his navy blue terry cloth robe from the chair, he quickly covered his nude form and quietly left the bedroom, closing the door shut behind him.
Keesha's apartment was filled with moving boxes some empty and some full, but Jason was able to make a bee-line to Michael's crib, which was in what used to serve as the dining area, without any problems. Jason found the baby sound asleep. Michael only stirred a little bit when Jason adjusted his blanket and placed a kiss on his forehead. Soon, he'd have his own room with lots of children to laugh and play with, Jason thought as he padded away from the sleeping infant and headed to the kitchen.
The low rumble of Jason's stomach reminded him that it was time for breakfast. With their move scheduled for the next day, the refrigerator and cupboards were practically bare except for one particular item. Jason's oranges. He couldn't get enough of them and he always made sure that they were always in supply. Once when they were grocery shopping, he caught Keesha eyeing the display of apples. He quickly pulled her away as she laughingly explained to him that they were red and delicious and were supposed to be eaten at least once a day. He only grimaced in reply as he grabbed a bag of oranges and quickly left the produce section. She didn't understand why he disliked apples so much, and neither did he. He just knew he did and that if he had his way, neither he, Keesha, nor Michael would never eat any again.
Pulling the bowl closer to him, Jason grabbed a couple of oranges and quickly washed them. After drying them off, he peeled one and placed it on a plate. He then placed the plate and the other orange on a tray, grabbed a couple of napkins and padded back to the bedroom.
He was surprised to see that Keesha had rolled over in her sleep. He was used to her sleeping patterns and he was a little sad that he hadn't been around when her sleeping position changed because she would have certainly be draped across him had he been there. His sadness disappeared and was replaced by desire as she shifted again, causing the sheet to move and revealing her perfect bare breasts to his greedy blue eyes. A small gasp escaped from his lips and her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Jason," she smiled lazily as she focused on him.
He smiled back at her and after placing the tray at the foot of the bed, he sat down next to her. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," he said, leaning over her as he greeted her with a good morning kiss. The kiss was deep and pleasurable for both and ended too soon for his liking. "I made breakfast," he said as he sat up straight.
"Let me guess," Keesha said with a teasing smile. Her eyes moved to the ceiling as she considered the possibilities and after a few seconds of pondering, she looked at him and said, "Oranges."
"That's right, baby," he said happily as he stretched to retrieve the tray.
Keesha took his momentary distraction as an opportunity to cover herself up and gaze at him. His blonde hair was somewhat mussed, reminding her of the passionate night they had shared. His hard, muscled thigh peeked at her from beneath the robe, daring her to touch it. She lost the dare and her hand found itself trailing a path from his knee back to up to his upper thigh. She felt him shiver and she smiled to herself.
"Breakfast," Jason said, pleased with himself, as he placed the tray between them on the bed.
"You know, I'm beginning to wonder about this obsession you have with these oranges," she said, watching as he pulled apart a wedge. "If you keep this up, I may start calling you Sunkist."
He laughed. "You may call me anything you like as long as you call me," he replied, flirtatiously. He held the wedge up and looking back and forth from Keesha to the wedge, he began to speak. "Look how plump and juicy this is. And when it squirts in your mouth and all the nutrients come rushing forth... Mm. You know you've never had anything better than this."
"Oranges are good, but apples aren't so bad ei-"
"Bah, apples! Hard, crisp, crunchy. Where's the fun in that? Plump, juicy, tangy, succulent...excitement," he replied, his eyes twinkling in his determination to get her to see things his way.
"Mm," was her only reply as she watched him bite into the wedge. The look on his face was one of pure joy and she couldn't stop the giggle from escaping her.
"Open up," he said. When she did, he placed the other half of the wedge in her mouth. His fingers lingered for a brief moment, enjoying the feel of her tongue and the juices from the orange before he slowly pulled them out. His voice was husky as he said, "Delicious, isn't it?"
"Very," she said, her voice just as husky as his. Their eyes caressed and held each other as they quickly consumed the peeled orange. Upon silent agreement, they decided that the unpeeled orange would have to wait. They had more important things to do before they ate it...like make love.
Dawn woke with a start. Without opening her eyes, she knew that she was alone in the bed. Her body didn't feel as warm as it usually does when Nikolas was with her. She raised her trembling hands to her cheeks and was not the least be surprised to feel the wetness there. Tears. She brushed them away as she opened her eyes.
The bedroom was dark except for the small glow from the flames in the fireplace. The drapes were drawn tightly shut and if she hadn't glanced at the bedside clock she would have thought it was still night. But, it wasn't. The day had arrived and with it had come troubling thoughts.
She held herself very still as she listened for any telltale signs that she wasn't alone. Rushing water from the shower. Padded footsteps across the carpeted floor. Anything that would set her racing heart at ease. She almost shouted for joy when she heard the faint voice drift through the crack in the door which separated the bedroom from the sitting room.
"She was just seventeen,
And you know what I mean
And the way she looked
Was way beyond compare
I'll never dance with another
Ooh
And, I saw her standing there..."
She wasn't alone. The soft singing voice of her husband came to her, reassuring her with its offkey notes and heartfelt lyrics. She rose from the bed and without bothering with her dressing gown, she moved to join him.
She stood still in the doorway as she watched him. She needed a second to adjust before she made her presence known. She'd never grow tired of looking at him, she realized as she watched him, bobbing his head to the beat as he began to get into the lyrics. She'd never, ever stop loving him or being in love with him. As long as she drew breath, he'd always be the holder of the key to her heart and the keeper of her soul. Always.
When her breathing returned to normal, she knew that she was ready. Taking one last deep breath, just to be sure, she moved further into the room. "Happy birthday, Nikky," she whispered.
Nikolas beamed as he looked at her. Happy birthday was an understatement, he thought, as he looked at her. She came towards him, dressed in his special birthday gift, a silk plum-colored teddy. Delectable was the first word that came to his mind as he waited for her to reach him. The second word was love.
After an eternity, she finally reached him. When she moved to sit beside him on the settee, he moved fast to change her mind by pulling her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around him and lowered her mouth to his. The kiss she gave him left him panting and aching for more as soon as it ended.
"Thank you," he whispered, smiling at her.
"For?" she asked, a small frown on her forehead.
"Everything."
"Oh, that," she said with a toss of her head. Averting her eyes, she shrugged and said, "You're welcome."
Nikolas felt her moods as strongly as he felt his own. He knew something was wrong and when she moved to kiss him again, he moved away, causing the kiss to land on his clean-shaven face instead of his moist full lips.
"Hey! What's the big idea?" she asked, intending for her words to tease him but instead they came out scared and a little accusatory.
He heard it all and staring intently into her clouded brown eyes, he said, "You tell me."
She shrugged and looked away. When she did so, Nikolas noticed something he had missed before. "Have you been crying?"
She swallowed back the lump in her throat and nodded her head in reply. She still refused to look at him.
He cupped her cheek with his hand and turned her head so that their eyes met. "Why? Because of the party?"
"No, of course not. I'm looking forward to it. We're celebrating our marriage and your birthday in style. I can hardly wait," she said, softly.
"Then, why?" he asked, not impatiently, but with concern.
Dawn took a breath and felt her eyes well with tears as she said, "I had a bad dream, I guess."
"Tell me about it," he suggested, linking their hands together.
"It was awful, Nikky," she began, her voice tremulous and hoarse with the memory. "Everything seemed so real. We were in your bedroom...the one you had before. I was dressed in a teddy, similar to this one. You were there. And..."
"And, what?" he asked after she paused and then stopped speaking altogether. He laughed softly as he said, "From what you've described so far, it sounds pretty good. You, me, your teddy and a bed. How could we go wrong with that?"
"But, we did," she replied with a deep sigh. She nestled her head against his shoulder as she continued. "I dreamed we didn't love each other any more. We weren't in love with each other. It scared me. What if...what if it was a premon-"
"No," he said, shaking his head as he interrupted her. "It will never happen. Never."
"But, what if you fall in love with someone else-"
"I'll never love anyone as much as I love you or the way I love you," he said with conviction.
"Promise?"
"With all my heart," he said, his eyes sincere as they shone with love. A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes as he added, "And, I'll prove it to you, too."
"Oh, yeah?" she asked as the light began to shine in her eyes again. Even though his hands had begun to slide the straps from her shoulders, she still asked, "How?"
"In many different ways, Mrs. Cassadine," he said, gently lowering her onto her back. After parting her thighs with his knee, he carefully covered her with his pajama-clad body. His lips nuzzled her neck and his hand stroke her thigh as he said, "Many different, earth shattering ways."
[Song credit: "I Saw Her Standing There" The version I'm most familiar with is Tiffany's "I Saw Him Standing There" from the late 80s. Hers was a remake, but I have no idea who did it. lol! Sorry.]