Chapter Fifty Four

Buckling up for landing at the small regional airport near Rachel’s home in California, Jon ran his fingers through his hair to tidy the messy locks back into something that didn't blatantly announce his carnal activities during the flight.

“You better hope this real estate thing works out baby, because the FAA would sure as hell fire you as a flight attendant for the shenanigans you pulled while in the air today.”

“Are you complaining about the service on this flight, sir?"

A bawdy laugh came from the depths of his chest and he was vaguely reminded he’d been laughing a lot lately. “Hardly.  I don’t recall a cross-country flight passing so quickly before.  I’d love to get you on a flight to Tokyo. Or Australia!" Flashes of pure evil ran through his mind and, with a lustful grin, Jon closed his eyes and crossed himself. "Oh yeah…The things you could do to me by the time we’d make Australia!”

Rachel pressed her lips together to blend the lipstick she’d applied, “Wait until you see what Mrs. Claus has in mind for the Christmas run next month.”

Winding his arm around Rachel’s neck, Jon pulled her into him for an affectionate kiss. “You gonna have a little ‘ho ho ho’ action for me there, Mrs. Claus?”

“Mmmm. You never know what might turn up in your Christmas stocking.”

Eyes narrowed, Jon drew the air in between his teeth and hissed, “You…in stockings. Jesus, Lord…I may have the pilot file the flight plan from Jersey to California via Russia. I could get into this whole dual-family, bi-coastal holiday thing.”

Rachel snorted a little and raised her eyebrows at him wryly. “Yeah if the fuel costs weren't
bankrupting you!”

“Right…you’re definitely the most expensive piece of tail I've ever had….but what a ride it is.” Jon cupped her chin and kissed her softly, “and worth every penny I might add.”

Rachel laughed softly at the realization that all men really were alike and rolled her eyes before she could stop herself.  “I'm sure my father will be delighted that you find my tail worth the tens of thousands of dollars it’s costing to transport it for the holidays.”

“Honey, if your father knew what your tight little tail was doing to warrant it being worth those many tens of thousands of dollars he’d have me arrested and you locked up for sure.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cab they’d taken from the airport meandered the love birds through the small, vineyard dotted community of Livermore, California. Jon knew he was in the right place when the property adjacent to the airport was planted in grapes and the up-scale nature of the neighborhood and surrounding wineries wasn't lost on him. Tearing his gaze away from the window, he smirked down at Rachel nestled comfortably against his shoulder.

“Well, you’re not exactly broke are you, little girl?”

Rachel’s face crumpled into a frown as she twisted to look up at him, “Whatever made you think I was broke?”

“I didn't….but I didn't expect Hearst Castle either.”

“Oh please….this place is probably smaller than one floor of your city apartment.” Grinning, Rachel relaxed back against his firm chest and resumed her gaze out the window at the passing scenery.

While Rachel unlocked the front door and disarmed the alarm, Jon paid the driver and carried the bags through the massive front door with side panels of leaded glass. The first thing to catch his eye was the black baby grand piano in the formal living room which sat at an angle next to a white marble fireplace.

“Who plays the piano?”

“Lauren and I did. I paid for lessons for Tyler – a complete waste of money - he was all about football.”

The house itself was beautiful, Jon immediately noted. The entryway was open to the second floor with the formal living room to the left and a formal dining room to the right. Dark hardwood floors accented the patterned carpet, making it stylish and elegant while still being comfortable and warm - just like Rachel.

“I never knew you played the piano.”

“Well, I can’t sell out Madison Square Garden, but I can tear up anything from “Saturday Night Fever.  C’mon…let’s get settled in and I’ll show you MY little world.”

Tossing the strap to his bag over his shoulder and carrying hers in the other hand, Jon followed Rachel up the carpeted staircase. Along the wall were two large frames holding a trio of pictures of each of the children.  First as babies, then toddlers and finally what he assumed had been current pictures at the time of their deaths.

Eyes drifting further up ahead, he found that at the top of the staircase was enshrined an enormous portrait of Rachel and Nick on their wedding day.  The parts of the house that he'd seen so far were understated, but this thing was far from understated.  It made a loud proclamation as to who the King of this castle was.

When Jon crested the stairs and  veered to the right,  in through the double-door entry to the master suite, he was surprised at the vastness of the room. The enormous kind-size bed commanded attention and couldn't be overlooked.  Nor could the picture on the night stand - of Rachel’s husband holding a newborn. Jon kept pictures of Dorothea and their children in his house, mostly for the sake of his children, but now he wondered if it made Rachel as uncomfortable as he felt in the same position. He didn't know if it was jealousy or a foreign sense of insecurity that had welcomed him into this room. Proof of Rachel’s life with another man was already engulfing him and he’d barely seen the place. She had loved and been loved here.

And Jon discovered he didn't like that realization one bit.

When Rachel had finished opening the shutters in the room and returned to his side, Jon pushed behind her ear the strand of fly-away hair that always seemed to be hanging from her blonde locks. “Would you be more comfortable if we…or I…stayed in a hotel?”

Eyebrows furrowed, Rachel shook her head firmly. “No! Not at all. This is no different than me being in your house.”

Rock star or not, at this moment, Jon Bon Jovi was just a man - in another man’s domain. He felt like an intruder.  Like he didn't belong here…or had no right to be here. It wasn't a familiar feeling.

He wasn't in  high school any more, the one place in the world  where he’d been an outsider. He could command the attention of thousands upon thousands of people with just a shake of his hips, for crying out loud!

“It’s a lot easier to understand what you meant about the ghosts of the past….now that the shoe is on the other foot.”

Rachel’s voice was quiet and tender when she slid her hands up his chest and gazed into his troubled eyes. “I'm happy you’re here.”  She kissed his mouth with a softness that contradicted the firmness in her fingertips at his neck. “I'm happy, period.  For the first time in a long time, it feels good to be in this house.   Now what I need is for you to be happy here with me. All of this…..” she swept her hands to motion toward the bed, “…..all this is brand new.  It's just for us - you and me - and tonight it deserves a proper Christening. Think you can handle that?”

The playful teasing in her eyes combined with the seductive tone in her voice was intended to comfort him. Jon knew that. He wouldn't disappoint her for anything in the world and that's why he tried his damnedest to follow her lead and match the light-hearted tone.  “Why don’t you finish showing me around the place before you start trying to get me naked, hmm?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                              

After a  brief tour of the upstairs that only gave a  passing glance to the children’s rooms, they made their way through the rest of the  house and finally to the kitchen and family room.  He would bet visitors to the Braden home were immediately captivated by the view from these rooms - who wouldn't be drawn in by a massive pool, spa and a fireplace that would have been to scale with most small resorts?

But Jon didn't give it any more than a swift glance.

His attention was captured by something far more ordinary -  the oversized leather chair and scuffed ottoman.  Nondescript and past its usefulness by some standards, it had obviously belonged to the man he’d formerly thought of as “Saint Nick”. 

Now?   Now, the ghost of “King Nick” seemed to be nipping at his heels with every step, and his throne took its own fair-sized bite.  

“That’s some pool you've got.” The blindly polite observation fairly leapt out of Jon’s mouth in an effort to stop himself from completing his thoughts about the deceased Mr Braden.

“It ain't exactly the Navesink River but it serves its purpose. I had the spa heated up…think I can tempt you for a soak later?”

Rachel was happy, or at least happier than Jon had seen her. Ever.  Happy on her turf, and he almost resented it.

She’d been warm and gracious while in his home and with his family, so why was he having such a hard time feeling the same?  She deserved that much and if he couldn't actually feel it, he was going to have to put those acting classes to good use or risk making Rachel  as uncomfortable as he was.

The flirty grin came easily to Jon; he used it a hundred times each night on stage. “It almost sounds as if you’re trying to seduce me, Ms. Braden.”

Based on the flash in his girl’s eyes, it was every bit as effective on her as it was the fans. But then the flash faded and he was immediately aware that she knew him better than he realized.  She immediately could see through his feigned enthusiasm, but Rachel continued to play along.

“If it only ‘almost’ sounds like I'm trying to seduce you Mr. Bongiovi then I'm being entirely too subtle.”

“Shocking….. considering your total lack of subtlety on the plane.”

The smirk that came as second nature to him indicated that Jon was warming up to his surroundings. Rachel knew the best way to totally thaw her man was with wine. Lots of it. “Well, I guess I can luxuriate in the hot tub with a glass of wine by myself if you’re getting all shy on me.”

Shoulders and face relaxed, Jon ran his fingers up under her sweater while his thumbs brushed across her middle.  His natural appeal came front and center, where he was most comfortable.

“Am I going to need a glass of wine and a soak in the spa after dinner with your family tonight?”

Mission accomplished, Rachel was sure he was over his jitters. “No…but you’ll probably want to plan for an extra-long workout tomorrow….my mother will feed you the minute you step foot in the door and won’t let up until we leave.  If you’re ready, I’d love to head on over there.”

“Sure, let’s go.” The horny teenager that she knew and loved  in Jon carried on, “The sooner I get you there, the sooner I can bring you back here for that wine-laced romp in the hot tub.”

The sliding glass door had been secured and Rachel was fluffing the pillows on the sofa as she rolled her eyes at Jon’s never-ending sex talk. “My parents’ house isn't far, only about 5 minutes. Car keys are on the hook next to the door. I'm just gonna run upstairs and get my purse.  Be right there.”

Jon watched with a relaxed,  indulgent smile as the whirlwind that Rachel had become virtually skipped across the room and up the stairs.  She was anxious to see her family and he was feeling more at ease. The promise of an early evening and sipping wine with a naked Rachel in the spa had done wonders for his irrational insecurity.

He absently grabbed the key ring off the hook, and opened the door leading to the garage.  Pushing the button to raise the garage door, he muttered good naturedly to himself, “I guess that means I'm driving, huh?”

No more than two minutes later, Rachel bounded into the garage only to find him rooted to the center of the floor, with a frozen expression.  It came close to  matching the coldness in his eyes and the icy, almost accusatory tone when he demanded,  “Was this your husband’s car? The key chain has an “N” on it.  Was this Nick’s car?”

“Yeah….I didn't replace my car after the accident.”

Jon held the keys out to her and shook his head resolutely.  “I'm not driving the guy’s car Rachel! I'm sleeping with his wife in his house, but I draw the line at driving his car.”

Rachel stared at him in amazement. “You’re being silly.”

Jon shrugged his shoulders and held his ground, stubborn as always. “Whatever.  I'm NOT driving his car. Trust me, he’d like that even less than me sleeping with his wife.”

Rachel thought he was just being a jerk.  The rolling of her eyes, followed by her own stubborn silence conveyed the message quite clearly, because the ice melted a bit and he sought the words that would smooth this situation over.

“Look Rachel, if your husband were absent because you divorced, this would be a totally different thing….but the guy’s dead! The only reason we’re together is HE’S dead. It’s a guy thing.  In this situation driving another guy’s car is taboo!  Just trust me.”

She stepped in, placing her leg between his and pulled him as close as was physically possible with a firmness that relayed she meant business.

“The only reason we’re together is because we want to be. Circumstances brought me to you, that’s true enough, but I've already told you...as much as I loved Nick and our life, I can’t imagine missing out on you and me.” Her fingernails scraped through the hair at his temple as she kissed him. “ I'm not anybody’s wife any more.  This is a house I shared with my family, yes, but I hope you and I will make our own memories here, just like we have in your home.”

Jon felt her love, felt her need to soothe his discomfort, and he loved her that much more for it. He kissed the top of her head with a soft sigh.

“I’m not an insecure guy Rach, and if he were alive he wouldn't even be on my radar. I think the circumstances of this whole thing just became more real when we got here.  I had the reality of you loving somebody else slap me in the face as soon as we walked in the door. The reality of somebody loving you…..And it made me a little possessive, that’s all. I'm sorry.  It’ll be fine.”

He felt her wind her arms around his waist.   He saw the sincerity in her eyes just before they started to tear up and then he heard her speak the most soul-baring words yet.  

“Jon...I told you the other night that I've never loved anyone like I love you. Not with the passion or the depth that I love you.  Don’t make me elaborate on that.  I don’t have the heart to lessen what I had with Nick and our family.”

And there it was.   Confirmation that he was her number one. 

Without her saying the words, Jon realized what she was telling him and he knew he would never ask her to go down that road again. She loved him more than she had anyone else. He knew that wasn't an easy thing for her to admit to herself, let alone to him. She loved him enough to want him to know he was King of her castle, wherever that might be.

The kiss started out as a silent, healing acknowledgement between them. Then the emotional road they’d just crossed quickly took it to a more passionate, almost desperate tangling of arms, hands and mouths.

Jon vocalized what his mind had been screaming in between hot, feverish kisses, “Too bad your parents are expecting us…”

Eyes fluttered open, frowning at the interruption of her hand’s desperate search for his skin.    The frown was followed quickly by the mischievousness of Rachel that became more evident with each passing day.   “My parents don’t even know we've landed yet…”

“You don’t say….”

Taking her hand, he guided her through the garage door and into the kitchen, punching the button to seal the outside garage door on his way.

It was interesting how the house looked and felt different to him.  While they’d been in the garage, Ghostbusters had come and cleaned the place out, leaving nothing but a home where the two of them would make happy, hot and horny memories.  

It left only one serious matter hanging over their heads:    Christening the bedroom.

Chapter Fifty Three

The vacant space in the bed beside him, although still somewhat warm, dragged Jon reluctantly from his deep slumber as his arm searched unconsciously for Rachel’s familiar frame. Groaning softly when his arm made a clean sweep of the mattress in a fruitless search, he flopped over onto his belly and burrowed deeper into the pillow while his brain slowly flickered to life. Waking up in a bed with Rachel’s side empty and cold was not how he had planned on starting the day. He much preferred having her warm and willing body wound around him to accept his faithful morning hard on. The only upside to being alone was the opportunity to recall every detail of the previous night’s encounter without getting distracted by his morning playmate’s pawing at him, replacing the old memories with new ones.

Rachel was a morning sex kind of girl. Sex and coffee were certain to put a smile on her face, and it didn't seem to matter which order they came in. He liked that little habit of hers a lot. If she had gotten up early enough to forego her morning fix Jon wondered what kind of mood she might be in. Last night she had finally given herself completely and totally to him and rolling onto his back to stare up at the ceiling he rubbed the stubble on his chin, grinning at the recollection. Rachel was not one to quickly let her guard down, neither was he, so that was easy for him to relate to. He was getting turned on just remembering how lost she got during their sexcapades last night, so lost in fact that she told him her most guarded thoughts and feelings. 

But babies? 

His pleasant grin was replaced with a slight frown at the thought of Rachel wanting children. With him, or by him. Whatever. 

His four children were the most cherished people in his life and he loved having children. He enjoyed kids…his and a few that belonged to friends or family. But he’d thought he was long done having babies. The subject was one he had intentionally asked her about while they were vacationing in the Hamptons, early in their relationship. Rachel had told him no, that the time for her to have children was long past but her highly aroused state last night had given him a different answer. However, that aroused state had also allowed her to admit she loved him.

Jon couldn't blame her for wanting more children under her circumstances. He was certain she was a natural at motherhood, and to have lost not only her husband but both children in one horrific accident…well, he knew he would be a total ass to deprive her of that. He’d do anything to make her happy or ease her loss.

BUT BABIES?  SOOO not on the agenda.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The only thing Rachel enjoyed more than coffee and CNN to start her day was coffee and sex to start her day. This morning she’d had to settle for CNN and the stock reports while she sipped coffee at the kitchen breakfast bar and looked over emails on her laptop. Last night’s festivities had been exhausting. Physically and emotionally. Sexually satisfying, certainly…that was nothing new. She had a sexual chemistry with Jon that any college co-ed would be envious of. 

Letting go of herself to fully accept and return Jon’s love had meant letting go of the past on some level deeper than she’d experienced before. While he had fallen into a deep sleep, punctuated only by the occasional ‘puffing’ sound his lips sometimes made as he exhaled, Rachel had found it impossible to do anything more than doze. All night long, movies of her past life replayed in her head…and not just vague memories, these were on a high-definition big screen, complete with surround theatre sound and on a continuous loop. The sense of sadness and loss often stronger than the sense of joy at this new love she’d found.

It really is darkest just before the dawn.

Grateful for the peeking of the Eastern sun as it rose, Rachel had risen with it, attempting to shake off the remnants of grief which had taunted her all night. The skies were cloudy and grey which, oddly enough, only served to remind her that there was a rainbow hidden in them somewhere.

“I wondered if you ran away on me.”

Jon’s voice behind her broke the train of thought and Rachel’s lips curved into a smile, willing herself back into the present. His scruffy chin edged her hair away from one side of her neck to kiss it while his arms wrapped around the other side and squeezed. Rachel reached her arm behind and past her head to tunnel her fingers into his bed-head mop of hair and affectionately tickled at his neck before turning her barstool to meet his face.

“Nope. You said you’d chase me to the ends of the earth if I did so there didn't seem to be much point…..Coffee?”

Jon greeted her with a kiss to her forehead and stroke of her hair, “I’ll get it.”  Bare feet padded around the kitchen island and as he retrieved a mug from the cabinet Rachel absently wondered why his feet were never cold, before he moved on to the coffee pot. 

“You’re up awfully early.”

“Yeah, I woke up and then my mind kicked in, I finally just decided to get a head start on the day.”

“Have time for coffee with me?” 

Rachel scooted off her barstool and walked with him into the family room, “I’ll always make time for you.”  She tucked her socked feet under her as she eased down on the sofa, “Looks like rain today…”

Jon had picked up the remote control to turn on the gas fireplace before he glanced out the French doors and beyond the deck, “It does….wish we could play hookie and laze in front of this fire watching old movies all day.”

This was what she loved about being in love. Ordinary, mundane conversation about the weather over a cup of coffee. It beat grand, romantic gestures every time.

Jon flopped down beside her and casually laid his arm across her leg to give a loving pat to the top of her thigh, “So…do you still love me this mornin’?”

Her eyes were focused on the slightly grey hair above his ears as she tried to smooth the hair he woke with, “I love you as much this morning as I have for many mornings.”

The fingers on her thigh slid into the back of her knee for a squeeze, “Niiiice….you didn’t even flinch, baby.”

His crinkled eyes and scrunched nose when he made the comment transformed his insane good looks into dorky and sweet...and completely the opposite of his carefully crafted public image. Rachel found him adorable and completely irresistible.

“I know I've been a little…reserved but I really am working on that. Blind faith? That doesn't come easily to me. But YOU……” Rachel fondly jabbed a finger into his ribs to bring her point home, “YOU have to stop playing me like one of your guitars. You have a disturbing ability to get me to say things I wouldn't ordinarily even think.”

Jon slurped the hot coffee before asking for clarification, “Like?”

“Like I want dozens of babies with you….insane!”

Jon wondered if he should let the comment pass or grab it by the horns and go for it. Rachel seemed relaxed and at ease. 

May as well throw caution to the wind…

“I don’t wanna piss you off…but obviously babies sounded pretty appealing to you last night…. How about we deal with it instead of acting like it was some insane thought now that the light of day is here.”

He briefly held his breath when Rachel got up to refill their coffee cups. Slip sliding across the polished floor in her socks, she handed his cup back to him with raised brows.

“Oh, c’mon Jon! You know the things people say in the throes of hot sex can’t be considered rational. The way you and I communicate in bed would never be part of a conversation we had outside of the bed.”

“Maybe it should be. We speak very easily and naturally to each other IN bed, we always have. It’s outside of bed we sometimes walk on eggshells."

Jon accepted the full cup from her outstretched arm, pausing to take a sip of the steaming brew;

“Pillow talk is like liquor talk, at least in my opinion….you usually get the absolute truth. There’s nothing wrong with you wanting another baby or a couple of them. Hell, even I can understand why you’d want that.”

“I already told you, Jon, getting pregnant in my twenties was nearly impossible. At forty one, I'm too old now for sure.”

Relieved that she’d shown no signs of being uncomfortable with the conversation, Jon relaxed a little and shrugged.

“Dorothea was still having kids in her forties… a lot of women do. Especially these days.”

Settling back on the sofa beside him, Rachel turned to face him.

“Honey, just as a side note….I realise you have incredibly fond and respectful feelings about your former wife which is great, but you seem to hold her as the epitome of what every woman should be. The comparisons to her are a little disconcerting. Not a big deal…just want you to be aware of it.”

“You misunderstand what I'm getting at. Some of the things we talk about? My only point of reference is Dorothea. We had kids in our forties so that’s why I mentioned her. Simple as that. But my real point was that you’re NOT too old for more kids if that’s what you want…and I can certainly see why it would be.”  Jon rubbed the vein at the corner of his forehead, wondering if it was starting to bulge with the headache that began to creep in. “The reality with you, Rach, is that you play things so close to the vest getting you to open up is hard. And then when you do open up you pull back most of the time or totally run away….it’s like two steps forward and one step back sometimes.  It makes it hard to know what it is you truly need from me and this relationship.”

The silence hung in the hair for a few seconds, Jon uncomfortably wondered if he’d pushed too hard and she was about to withdraw…or worse…were they in for a brawl?

Rachel took a sip from her cup as she considered what he’d said, then drew in a long breath, 

“Okay….I’ll work on that.”

She could have knocked him over with a feather.

Shock turned to delight and Jon leaned closer to give her lips a surprised smacker of a kiss;

“Well, well, well! Who are YOU and what have you done with MY Rachel?”

Blushing Rachel fondly pushed him away and gazed into the dark swirl of coffee still steaming from the cup cradled in her fingers.

“I'm sorry. I know I've not always been easy to deal with and you've been so patient with me but this thing with you? It’s like jumping out of an air plane for me…it’s been scary. Allowing myself to feel for you forces me out of the safe place I created to cope. It’s like I said, just letting go and falling for you heart and soul is like standing on the edge of the Empire State Building and trusting that you’ll swoop in, cape and all, and catch me before I hit the ground.”

Lifting the sleeve of his t-shirt to show her the faded Superman tattoo, Jon couldn't resist a cocky smirk.  “I’ll catch you…”

The first sign Rachel was giving careful consideration to what she was going to say next came in the form of her chewing on the corner of her lip. Her furrowed brows were the next.

“Okay, then. Since you want me to have all this blind faith, here goes nothing.” She drew in a nervous breath before continuing, “Last night? The thought of forever with you was amazing, but the thought of having a child again – our child – was nothing short of euphoric for me. It felt like the most pure, highest form of love. It brought such intense happiness that I can’t even describe it.”

If he hadn't known he loved her before, Jon would've known for sure when he saw the emotion in her eyes and felt a glimmer of the pain she’d endured. He realized now what he’d watched happen within Rachel the night before wasn't some form of exorcism or sexual inability. 

It was healing. 

His voice was soft, his touch tender when he spoke, “You don’t have to describe it. I was there. I saw what it did to you…where it took you.”

Rachel never broke eye contact with him, only granting him a sheepish smile, “You’re probably going to regret encouraging all this blind faith…… I guess I'm wondering now if more children is even an option with you?”

Jon looked absently at the fireplace wondering if the thermostat was working properly. All of a sudden, the room was feeling uncomfortably hot.

“Physically, yeah. At least as far as I know - I never had any problem in the past, the first two kids were conceived on the first try. Jake was a surprise and Romeo was because we didn't want Jake to grow up alone, and he wasn't much effort to conceive either.”

“What about beyond ‘physically’? Would you want more kids?”

And there it was: The proverbial fork in the road. 

Jon thought he could actually hear the blood rushing through his head as he searched for the words to convey what he was feeling.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I even want to get married again, let alone have more kids. I was thinking about that this morning. You deserve to have that, if you want it and I’d be a heartless, selfish bastard to deprive you of it, I know that. Starting over with little ones again changes things in my world. I'm gone a lot….it’s fine when kids are little, but eventually they’re in school and they have their own lives, their own interests. They don’t WANT to travel with dad…even when they can and a mother isn't inclined to leave her kids with nannies to jet set with dad the rock star, ya know? It changes things all the way around.” 

Jon pulled Rachel closer to nestle into his side and kissed her temple before asking, “Would it be a deal breaker for you? No marriage … no kids?”

“Jon! Until mere hours ago when you drove me to declare my undying love and desire to have a bunch of kids with you – none of it was even on my radar.”  Rachel’s laughter indicated a lightness she wasn't sure she actually felt, but it was a better perception than him sensing how disappointed she was.

 

“Kids…??? Probably not a deal breaker, but now I don’t know. I guess if it were important to me I’d want it to be important to the man I loved and as for marriage? I loved being married….and I doubt I’d want to spend the rest of my life as some guy’s girlfriend.”

Silence descended around them as they both stared at the flickering blue and amber flames of the gas fire. They’d covered more ground in the past ten minutes than they had in their entire relationship to date and the intensity of it was starting to wear them both.

Jon sighed softly and looked down at the nest of blonde waves that were nestled against his shoulder.

“Maybe we should table the heavy stuff for now and talk about the holidays?”

Sitting up, Rachel nodded, relief that they were moving onto another subject evident in her enthusiasm.

“I was thinking about that this morning, my brother in law’s fiftieth birthday is the weekend before Thanksgiving and I want to be there for that but Nick’s family always had their traditional family dinner on the night before Thanksgiving so we could all eat leftovers and watch football all day. If you had a couple of days, you could come with me and still be back here with your kids – or I could try grab a red-eye on Wednesday night and be back here before dinner on Thanksgiving – would that work?”

“Yeah, actually I could stay with you until after dinner and we could fly back together that night, assuming your family wouldn't be uncomfortable with me on the scene?”

“I’ll go over it with them and if it’s a problem we can rethink that plan……” Taking a sip from her cup, Rachel grimaced at the now cold taste of coffee. “So what about Christmas? We normally do a family dinner on Christmas Eve and open gifts that night so I could still be with you by Christmas morning if that’s what you want, or sometime later that night?”

Jon stretched his legs out in front of him as he thought out a plan. “Our thing is Christmas morning and dinner that night so if we don’t mind flying cross country during the night, that sounds workable…… at least we’d be guaranteed some private time with just the two of us on the plane..”

Rachel’s eyes brightened with mischief. “Hmm…… that could be a lot of fun… our own little holiday celebration at 30,000 feet! I've always fantasised about being a flight attendant….”

Chuckling Jon shook his head at her. There it was, her infectious sense of adventure that kept drawing him back, time and time again. No matter what they faced together in the future, life with Rachel would never be dull, he was sure of that.

Chapter Fifty Two

Richie let the door to his room close quietly behind him, thankful that the Madison Square Garden DVD was nearing completion.  God knew he had been more than ready to leave the studio after another long day spent dealing with Jon and his perfectionist tendencies.   By the time they’d finished for the day, Richie was ready for an evening out with Rachel, whom Richie had affectionately referred to all day as “The Neighbor”.  Partly because it would certainly lessen his friend’s anal retentive mood, and partly because it turned out Jon’s latest flavour of the month was a gal Richie enjoyed hanging out with.

 

At the restaurant tonight, Rachel had proven she was capable of an actual conversation, an intelligent conversation no less, and while she’d been interested in getting to know him, never once was there a hint of flirtation.  She was obviously familiar with and fond of Jon, but she had scarcely paid him any attention, focusing most of it on Richie himself.  When the subject of the holidays had come up, he’d told her of his plans to spend Thanksgiving in California with his ex-wife AND her new boyfriend for the sake of their daughter. “The Neighbor” had been impressed with Richie’s efforts to maintain good relations with his former in-laws, and took the opportunity to reveal that her holiday plans mirrored his.

  

Relaxed by the vats of wine that had flowed freely throughout their dinner and the ensuing evening back at the house, Jon had been content to sit back and allow the other two to carry the conversation for the most part.  That is, until Rachel’s casual declaration that she was spending Thanksgiving with her late husband’s family. Richie saw the familiar blue eyes snap sharply to life from across the table, knowing that his friend was completely blind sided by the blonde’s holiday plans. Or didn't approve of them. Or both. 

Sometimes, Richie was grateful to crawl in bed alone at the end of the evening.  Nobody to hold him accountable. Nobody to chastise him for having had too much to drink. Nobody to hassle him about his holiday plans with the ex. Richie knew what was ahead of him tonight: a hot shower, a warm bed and a reasonably peaceful night’s sleep. He also knew that Rachel’s night might not be nearly so simple or pleasant. After thirty years, he could read Jon’s body language as easily as the articles in Playboy, and tonight’s article was short and sweet. Jon wasn't on board with “The Neighbor’s” Thanksgiving plans. Not even close. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I didn't know you planned to go back to California for the holidays. I assumed we’d spend them together.” 

Jon had just stepped out of shower, while Rachel had done the same from the bathtub. As soon as they’d gotten home from dinner with Richie, she’d filled the immense tub to enjoy a long soak while Jon called his kids and checked out with them for the night. Now they were finishing up their nightly routine, which had become…routine. She took a bath. He took a shower. He took the pillows off the bed while she hung up his towel, which he never managed to do, instead simply leaving it on the floor. Night after night they stood in the marble bathroom together sharing moments from their day. It was almost always a playful time as they maneuvered around each other, their nakedness sometimes getting in the way of their best intentions to make it to bed early.  

“This kinda goes back to our conversation last night….I can’t read your mind, sweetie. If you want me to know what’s going on in there you have to tell me,” Rachel teased as she squeezed the toothpaste onto her toothbrush, then handed the tube off to Jon.

Loading his own toothbrush with the paste, Jon considered the best way to approach the conversation.  A few minutes of brushing and the silence in the bathroom broken only by the sounds of water and the swooshing of teeth being brushed, he decided the direct approach would be the best. He spit into the sink and, without bothering to rinse or wipe his mouth, declared matter-of-factly, 

“Okay, I want you here, with me, for the holidays. How’s that?” 

Bending to rinse, he then wiped the residual water from his mouth with the back of his hand and looked into the mirror. It was time for his favourite show. 

Rachel pumped the body lotion into her palm, rubbing her hands together to make the creamy concoction easier to distribute evenly over her skin. He knew next she’d lift her leg onto the side of the bathtub and rub the lotion over it in a small movement that always did something to him. The way her body moved in that position made her almost irresistible to him.  

“Have you thought that through?” she asked absently, completely unaware of how this particular ritual captivated him.  “If I were in your shoes, having children, I'm not sure I’d want the new boyfriend involved in my family holidays until things were… further along.”

She didn't pause from her after bath routine, gracefully switching from one leg to the other, and Jon paused to prop his naked butt against the marble counter top not wanting to miss a minute of the erotically innocent show taking place in her bathroom.  

“I dunno, Rachel. Do you see this thing between us as temporary? Because I don’t. If I did, I’d never have involved my kids in the first place.”  

As unconcerned with his nudity as she was, he crossed his legs at the ankles and arms across his chest, getting comfortable. It wouldn't be long before she would move on to slathering her arms. After that – thank you Jesus – she would run her hands over her breasts, carefully applying that lotion over each fleshy swell, paying extra attention to the aureoles and nipples. It was his favourite part of the ritual.

She never glanced up, and offered him only the slightest of shrugs.

"I'm not much of a future planner these days. I live more in the moment than I used to."

Jon was puzzled by her response, enough to distract him from the show she unconsciously performed.    He frowned at the contradiction in how she’d described her past life and what she was telling him now.

 

“You said you had your future planned out and that you and Nick always had a ‘life plan’….”

“But I also told you that when he and the kids died the future was a black hole. I don’t want to plan my future around you, not knowing what you have in mind. It’s not something we've ever talked about.”

Blending the last of the body lotion into her hands and arms, she cut him only the briefest of glances as she moved onto the next phase of her routine. The porn factor of her post-bath ritual was gone once she started with all the lotions and potions she used on her face and neck. But it wasn't the lack of porn factor that had Jon wondering if she intentionally avoided touching him as she returned to the sink to start on the boring stuff. 

“What do you have in mind for us, Rach?”

His question hung in the air while she silently went through the army of little jars and bottles one after the other. The last of the cream was carefully dabbed around her eyes, and Jon knew she’d cap the tube and drop it into the drawer. She would complete her beauty regimen with a final wipe down of the counter top. Impatient for her answer, he nonetheless was aware of the difference when something in her body language changed as she crossed the room and came to a stop in front of him.

Rachel’s shoulders were noticeably more relaxed and when she tipped her face to his, Jon could see her eyes held their familiar affection for him.  She was free of make up and took on a look of fragility that reflected the events of her life and loss in recent years. But in that was an innocence that Jon couldn't get enough of. Her hands ran down his stomach and traced the “V” along the region, a body part she’d shown particular favoritism to.

“Right now, the only thing I have in mind for us is seeing how many times you can make me come tonight.”

Jon cuffed her wrists and offered a token whisper of a kiss before bringing her hands down his sides and wound his fingers with hers.

“I’ll make you come until you don’t think you have anything left. And then I want one more.”

Jon wasn't sure if it was relief that she’d gotten away with changing the subject, or just plain desire that flashed through her eyes. Rachel never uttered a word when she leaned closer to press his leg between hers. Whatever it was he saw in her eyes a second ago, the meaning was crystal clear now.

Their good friend lust had just stepped into the room, intent upon taking over body, mind and soul.

That happened a lot. 

It had happened the previous night too, when Jon had tried to talk with her about all the red flags Richie had waved at him. But then Rachel had slipped her leg between his and it all went downhill from there. The sex was as physical and intense as it always was; Jon had no problem with that. He just wanted to be able to finish his thought before tonight turned into another sweat-drenched, bed-thrashed fuckfest.

The nip he gave her bottom lip was meant to soften his temporary rebuff at her advances. 

“All that can wait. It hasn't escaped my attention you’re adept at changing the subject or distracting me with this lovely body of yours when a subject comes up you’re not comfortable with. It’s been like that from the beginning with us, Rach. I let you get by with it most of the time. Sometimes because I don’t want to fight with you…sometimes because the temptations of your body are more than I care to resist.”

He watched her chest and neck turn red, knowing it only happened when she was completely turned on or completely nervous. Jon had seen her nervous only a time or two, but he was pretty sure the flush wasn't the passionate kind he’d witnessed plenty of times.

“It’s a simple question, Rachel. What do you see happening with us?”

The voice she spoke with was louder; the limbs he still held were stiffer than his when she answered his question.

“I… I ….. don’t even know how you feel about me. How am I supposed to respond to that?”

“I just told you how I feel about you, Rach.”

He could see she was agitated as she stepped back from him and reached for her robe, the movement passively forcing him to release one of her wrists. 

 

“No. You didn't tell me how you feel about ME, Jon. You told me you wanted me to disregard my family traditions for the holidays so you can have everything your way.”

He sensed that she was scrambling to cover herself with the robe, uncomfortable with the conversation and seeking the protection of clothing. 

“Stop.” He didn't vary the soft tone he’d been using for the entire conversation when he took the robe from her and tossed it to the floor. He pulled her still-naked body into his and gingerly locked her within the confines of his arms. “This is just us.  There’s not an inch of your body I've not touched. Talking about what you’re feeling isn't something to make you squirm away or hide from me.”

Instead of comforting or relaxing her, his gentle hold only added to her nervous edge, evidenced by her rolled eyes and huffed breath. 

“ I'm SO not in the mood to fight with you tonight.”

Jon could see his current approach wasn't going to take him where he wanted to go. Rachel wasn't a passive woman and he knew that. He liked her that way. They were a lot alike in many ways. Both were used to being large and in charge but, in their relationship, she had always been the softer of them. Unless you backed her in a corner and trapped her like an animal which, by the look in her eyes, was exactly how she was feeling now. 

“Then don’t……..”

Jon wound his arms around her hips, his fingers lazily roaming the hills and valleys of her curves on a journey of distraction. Each tease of an erogenous zone was meant to tell her she wasn't a hunted animal that had to fight for her life, and that he wasn't interested in stealing her soul – the essence of who she was. Tossing in his puppy-dog eyes with matching boyish grin, he hoped to offset her tension.

“Rach, don’t make me get you drunk enough or turned on enough to tell me what I want to know. I’d rather you make a conscious decision to talk than to have to torture you for information.”

The minute she put her hands on his chest and sighed, he knew it was the right way to steer the conversation.

“That might be preferable….and definitely more comfortable.” Rachel slid her hands up to Jon’s shoulders and let her fingers absently play with the hair behind his ear before kissing up and down his neck. “ I'm not exactly a touchy/feely kind of girl…. I'm not going to spend hours on end talking about my feelings. I like you, you like me, we have hot sex….it works for me.”

The hunter becomes the prey. 

Jon saw her attempts to sway their talk back to the bedroom from a mile away, and he knew at that point Rachel wasn't going to go down the ‘relationship talk’ road willingly. She was good, he’d give her that.  She could negotiate and maneuver better than his own attorneys. It was now up to him to find a way to out-manuever her. He had two choices: He could push her or he could pull her. Pushing was going to end badly, because she would only push back harder and probably louder.  Pulling her, on the other hand…that might get him what he wanted.

It was time to play the “turn you on” card. 

I warned you, sweetheart.

“BULLSHIT,” was hissed into Rachel’s ear when he grasped her ass with one hand and the nape of her neck with the other. He pulled her close enough to feel her nipples pebble from the friction of his chest hair. A nibble here and there along her neck, jaw and chin would short circuit any attempts she had at rational thinking. Jon had learned that little morsel early on in their relationship. The only sound he heard her make was to suck the air through her teeth.

“You reveal yourself when you don’t think about it,” he murmured against her neck. “You just said you didn't know how I felt about you – and then you tried to steer this conversation in another direction. Sometimes I think you pick a fight with me to avoid me.” 

Jon felt Rachel pull her neck away from his tongue and lean her head back. He had wound his body so completely around hers that her head was the only thing she could move. Knowing she needed space, he loosened his hold on her hips just enough to catch her breath and gather herself enough to finally speak.

“You make me feel like I'm on the ledge and you just expect me to step off and have blind faith you’ll catch me before I hit the ground. That’s a lot of trust with nothing guaranteed back to me.”

Progress, baby……. keep talking to me.

Jon let one hand wander softly up her side and across the outside of her breast. The pad of his thumb barely brushed across the nipple, stiffening it even further. Rachel’s fluttered eyelashes and sharply inhaled breath spurred him to delicately bring her earlobe into his mouth before whispering,

“You know exactly how I feel about you.  You've known for a long time, haven’t you, baby?”

Jon felt her body more fully relax and tense…… all at the same time. It was classic Rachel in full-blown sexual mode. Her lower body would become more pliable to his hands while her upper body would become more rigid. Her hands would almost always find their way to the bounty of hair at the back of his head and when she greedily grabbed hold, Jon knew she was beyond controlling her actions. He hoped the same would apply to her thoughts. 

“If I say the words, will it freak you out and make you run?”

His head was pulled down to Rachel’s mouth for a breathy, hungry kiss, "....Never…run from you.”

Jon wasn't sure which was the actual cause of his body responding to her. Was it her writhing and pawing? Or the ego-driven sense of power at being able to manipulate her INTO the writhing and the pawing?

“You’d never run because you love the sex that much, or you love me that much?”

“Mmm hmm…” was her muttered response in between sucking, licking and kissing every part of him that she could get close to.

Christ! She’s tougher to break than I thought.

His barely-there finger between her legs took things up a notch. She wanted more, and Jon refused to give it until he got some answers from her.

“Do you want marriage and the white picket fence…is that what you want?”

Rachel tugged at his hair and moaned, “….Just…this…forever…”

His torture continuing, Jon scraped her clit with the side of this thumb, “This? Or us? What do you want, baby?” 

“Us…...you ..…. just you.”

He rewarded her immediate answer with a greedy finger, slipping easily inside her. “Could you wake up every day with me?”

Jon couldn't see her eyes, they were closed tightly when she threw her head back and hissed, “Mmm…oh God, yes….”

That’s it, sweetheart….keep it up.

“Your perfect life with me…what is it? Paint it for me.”

Jon slipped the second finger into her and pulled forward, rubbing the rough patch inside her that he could count on to send her into another dimension.

“You...me…a family…always,” was her uninhibited reply just after she bit down on his shoulder.

Jon couldn't have been more turned on than he was by the primal response. It was the first time she’d sunk her teeth into him and damn if he didn't like it. Restraining himself enough to finish his interrogation left him short of breath right along with her. 

“Always, baby? You want us for always?”

“…Always.” 

The intense redness of her chest combined with the momentary limpness of her neck was a sure sign she was about to come. Jon had seen that move countless times. It would be quickly followed by a stiffening and a mind-clearing orgasm if he didn't scale things back. He left his fingers inside her, but lessened their movement and put just enough distance between them so that her nipples no longer dug into his chest. 

Jon was turned on. Not like she was…not to the point of blind rambling, but seeing her like this was a first. The only reason he could maintain any control over himself was his determination to bring Rachel to a full awareness and admission of her own feelings.

 

“What else, Rach? Tell me your wildest thoughts. Babies….do you want babies with me?” He heard the words leaping out of his mouth, not knowing where they came from, nearly as lost in the moment as she was.

“Mm, yes…babies….lots of babies….and you….all of it.” 

Jon wasn't sure if he had backed her to the bed, or if she had drug him to the bed – the details were lost on him. 

 

Not that it mattered to either of them when he ran the tip of his dick through her slickness and then across her clit. Rachel had told him once that this particular technique would be more effective with her than water-boarding. It proved to be near-fatal for him. 

He had always loved sex with her, always enjoyed watching her get lost in the act. But he was usually a more equal participant. The restraint he was exercising during this encounter allowed him to see a different part of Rachel that was more captivating than anything he’d seen in her before.  He couldn't take his eyes off her, mentally comparing her to some natural wonder….a falling star, a meteor shower….the Northern Lights. Something exquisite and rare. 

“Lots of babies, huh?”

Rachel was virtually clawing at him when she purred, “Mm…lots of beautiful babies. This…need you ….. inside me”. 

With one thrust, Jon buried himself inside her, causing her to buck up and throw her head back all in one swift movement. Her bare neck thrust itself to his lips and his teeth grazed the side of her throat.

“Like that? Is that what you need, baby?”

“Just….just…like that….right there…”

He wanted to put them both out of their misery; Jon knew she was one thrust away from the full-blown orgasm that would seal the passageway between her thoughts and her voice. He still hadn't heard what he wanted to hear, and with that uppermost in his mind, he slowed. The change in tempo was enough to bring a panting Rachel’s eyes open, their depths pained with longing as they met his.

  

“Can you love me forever…will I be enough?”

Her mouth met his and between kisses she uttered, “You’re always enough…always.”

The desire he felt for her at that moment swept through him with the heat and intensity of a California wildfire.

“Say it baby….I wanna hear you say it.”

His slower pace only seemed to wind Rachel up another notch.  The thrashing of her head side to side was definitive proof that she was fighting to retain control of her mind and her body. 

“Mm….I want on top.”

No way, baby.  You’re right where I want you.  If I don’t break you now, I never will.

"Don’t fight it, Rachel. I swear to God you won’t hit the ground….jump off that ledge.”

Her thrashing was like watching an exorcism. It was almost painful to watch her fight against herself as the last of her barriers wanted to crumble, exposing her heart and soul. Her cries bordered on pitiful.

“Jesus, Rach…let go!”

Jon pulled out of her and immediately slid his body down the bed. Shouldering her thighs wide, he pushed in to wind his tongue around the pearl-sized nub that was his best shot at detonating those barriers. Her thrashing was now taking over her entire body and Jon grabbed her hips with both hands to still her. Gazing intently up the length of her torso, he watched the graceful point of her chin wave through the air with each forceful toss of her head. She was so close - why wouldn't she let go?

“Jump, Goddammit!” 

She had the strength of ten men when she broke through his grip and forced her hips back to his mouth, moaning “Oh god… Mmn…I love you.  I love you like I've never loved anyone else…ever…not ever, Jon.”

When he could feel her return to a more relaxed state, Jon moved slowly up her body, kissing the top of each thigh. He ran his finger across her C-section scar before he moved further up to give each pink nipple a gentle swipe with his tongue. Entering her without fanfare, he noted she was more physically spent than after the most rigorous of workouts. When her eyes fluttered open, she offered a silent smile and gentle kiss as he adjusted his forearms to hover above her.

“Was it really that hard to say the words?  You've shown me for months that you love me. I've felt it, just like I know you've felt it from me.”

She still said nothing; breathing was her only audible sound as Jon kissed her neck and chest.

“You’re one of a kind, Rachel. I’d chase you to the ends of the earth.” Jon smirked against her sternum. “So there’s no point in running….” 

While Rachel widened her eyes and showed an alertness that had been absent, she still didn't utter a word.

A tenderness crept between them as Jon’s fingers eased into the hair at her temples, “I don’t know that I can give you all the things you want or deserve….but I know I’ll love you the rest of my life.  There will never be another woman who fills me the way you do. There never has been.”

Rachel’s fingernails absently tickled through the hair above his ears before she pulled him toward her for a slow, soft kiss. “You love me?” she murmured when the kiss broke.

“I love you. I swear to God I’ll always love you. When I'm a hundred years old, I’ll love you then, too.”

Now comfortable that his soul had been laid bare and she wasn't going to run, it was time to lighten the tone.  Jon knew she’d ’done’ all the seriousness she was capable of in one night. He needed to let her get back into her comfort zone and acclimate to the turn their relationship had just taken.

 

It was time to just fuck.

Rachel’s gasp when he pinned her arms above her head brought forth a carnal grin from him. It was clearly a grin she was familiar with, as her eyes flashed with renewed lust. When he thrust upward inside her, he stilled to let her body find its place around him and asked, “And when you’re a hundred years old, you’ll still want to have wild sex all night long with me, right?”

The lessened intensity of the moment manifested itself in Rachel’s closed eyes, relaxed body, lascivious wiggle and her whispered, “Mmm…I love that you love it as much as I do.” 

Jon felt her smooth leg wind around his, and then she twisted her body, rolling them over so that she was on top. Her fingers linked with his and she stretched up like a sleepy kitten and began to slowly grind against him in a sensual rocking motion. The subtle aging caused by grief that he had noticed earlier in her face seemed to have been replaced with peaceful tranquility. A contented sigh escaped her lips when she bent to kiss the hollow of his neck and he felt her bring her knees along his sides. She ran her tongue across his nipple and abruptly sat up, her face scrunched in worry.

“Jon…now that we've said the “L” word…we don’t actually have to ‘make love’…do we?”

His laughing outburst at her disdain for ‘making love’ was quickly overshadowed by his separation of their hands. He placed them roughly on her hips, forcing her body further down as he bucked upward.

“Gawd no! We’ll fuck as hard when we’re a hundred as we did the first night.”

And that night ended as most others did: sweaty bodies mingled with thrashed sheets and blankets, exhaustion forcing them to sleep wherever they fell. The only difference on this cold November night was the closing hole of Rachel’s heart as Jon whispered, “Aw, Rach…love you so much, baby.” 

Wrapped around the man she’d finally given all of herself to, Rachel drifted into a peaceful sleep.  For the first time since she’d landed in New Jersey, she felt whole.

Chapter Fifty One

Richie groaned loudly as the tight kinks in his shoulder muscles protested when he reached into the fridge for a bottle of water. Now just after midday, Jon had been busting his ass all morning on finishing the final mix for the Madison Square Garden DVD they were releasing in the spring and after a busy couple of hours they were finally nearing the end. They were both anxious to get it out of the way and move onto the new record, the familiar itch was back in full force. Gazing out the window, Richie’s eyes followed the progress of an SUV that had just pulled into the large house across the road from the studio, the house he now knew was home to Jon’s latest conquest. Curiosity piqued, he moved closer to the glass to watch as a slim woman with a high blonde ponytail moved around to the rear of the vehicle to begin unloading grocery bags. He had to hand it to Jon, his friend sure knew how to pick ‘em, this one was as pretty as he’d seen in a while. Hearing tired footsteps on the staircase behind him, Richie turned to wink at Jon’s grumpy face as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Based on the little blonde that just pulled up across the road, I’d say your new neighbour is home.”

Any signs of frustration instantly vanished from Jon’s face as he grinned and moved swiftly to yank open the window. Sticking two fingers in his mouth he blew out an ear piercing wolf whistle that successfully caught Rachel’s attention. Setting her grocery bag back on the tail gate she straightened up and shook her head at him, her amused voice travelling easily through the still, cold November air.

“Geez Bongiovi, just stay up there and watch me unload the car why don’t you!”

Chuckling Jon hollered back at her. “I like watching you bend over and reach waaaaaaaaaay back – in fact I think you may have missed something in there!” Smirking at Richie standing behind him, he beckoned to her from out the window. “Come over for a few minutes, will ya? I got somebody here I want you to meet!”

“Sure thing……..see you in a bit.” With a wave, Rachel picked up the last bag and headed into the house leaving Jon to close the window with a satisfied grin.

“You’ll love her Rich, she’s a spitfire and a half – keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure!”

Glugging down some more water, Richie eyed him warily as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “You had a woman that tried to keep you on your toes. That went down in a ball of flames in case you've forgotten.”

Taken aback by his friend’s attitude, Jon shook his head at him in irritated disbelief. “Did we trade bodies or something? Suddenly you’re the cynic and I'm the romantic hopeful? What the fuck’s up with that? I'm happier than I've been in a really long time and you’re here bustin’ my balls over it – I kinda thought you might be happy for me!”

Richie sighed wearily and raised his hands pleadingly. “Jon, we've been around this block before together. You’d have been better off to have kept things simple with this gal….now you've got her believing she’s different…special…..and that it’s just the two of you.” He risked a sympathetic glance at Jon’s stony expression as he continued. “You and I know better – it’s only a matter of time before boredom or opportunity has you looking at another pair of legs and then you’re gonna have a big scene with this neighbour of yours. Then you turn into a prick with everybody else – it’s drama neither of us need and I can already see the handwriting on the wall because from what you've told me this is a girl who’s had more than her fair share of heartbreak…….”

He broke off as Jon interrupted him abruptly, his blue eyes piercing through his own with annoyance.

“Tell ya what Rich, spend ten minutes with her and then tell me you don’t see what I mean, until then let’s just get back downstairs and get this shit finished.”

Richie stood back as Jon brushed past him and stomped back down to the studio, his boots echoing loudly against the wooden boards. He was pissed but Richie knew he’d get over it, there was no way he was going to stand back and watch his friend self-destruct over some girl he barely knew, no matter how fuckin special she was – their lives just didn't work like that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little over half an hour later, the two men were side by side hunched over the control board when Rachel peeked in the door.

“Knock knock…….”

Jerking upright, Jon swivelled in his chair to greet her with a smile. “Hey there doll! C’mon in!”

Rachel smiled happily as she walked in to be embraced by Jon’s waiting arms. Reaching up to brush her lips with a soft kiss, he stood to introduce her to a silent Richie still sitting by the control board.

“Meet Richie Sambora – guitar God extraordinaire and my best friend for the better part of my life. Rich, meet Rachel Braden!”

Rachel extended her hand to shake Richie’s as he stood to give her a peck on the cheek. “Nice to meet you sweetheart. Jon’s told me you’re a remarkable lady…. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better.”

Flashbacks to the story Jon had told her of what had happened the last time he’d stayed in LA with Richie surfaced to the forefront of Rachel’s mind as she smiled back at him. While she knew he wasn't entirely to blame for Jon’s antics with the ‘skank in the tank’, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of lifestyle Richie led and if she really wanted to be a part of it.

“I've been a fan of your music for quite some time Richie, the pleasure is all mine.” Turning her attention back to Jon, she smiled warmly at him. “So! What are you creative geniuses up to today?”

Jon, surprised by the slightly cool demeanour she had displayed with Richie but passing it off to first time introductions, waved to the hundreds of tiny switches that dotted the board in front of them.

“Mixing the sound for the DVD we filmed at Madison Square Garden.”

Rachel shook her head in awe. “I know it’s normal to you guys, but to hear things like that – wow – it must be amazing to play these venues that are famous worldwide huh? Any shows planned?”

“There’s a couple of one-off's in the work but nothing firm.”

“What’s a one-off?”

“A single show that’s not part of a tour.”

“Ah, I see…….” Genuinely fascinated Rachel nodded in understanding. “So, when you say ‘mixing’ – how does that all work?”

Richie leaned back in his chair and watched as Jon briefly explained to her how the control board operated and then hit the board to play a segment of ‘Always’ and demonstrated how the different controls allowed them to change the sound. To be fair, she seemed sincere enough and close up she was certainly not the blonde stereotype he’d come to associate with Jon’s normal ‘play things’. Dressed casually in jeans and a cotton button down shirt with only the bare minimum of make-up smoothed over her face, she was beautiful in the most natural sense and he was beginning to see why Jon was so drawn to her.

When the segment finished Rachel shook her head in appreciation. “Wow, I still think that’s one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard, the music and the words are so….. moving.”

Grinning cheekily, Jon squeezed her waist. “We call them lyrics, sweetheart!”

“Hey!” Rolling her eyes, Rachel swatted him lightly on the head. “I don’t have the Bon Jovi Official Dictionary of Rock Star Shit – gimme a break! Somehow I doubt you’d know what I was talking about if I started throwing around legal jargon and real estate terms!”

Unable to contain himself, Richie snorted in amusement and leaned over to slap Jon on the shoulder. 

“You’re right man – she’s a spitfire!” Turning his attention to Rachel, he grinned up at her. “You’re a Jovi virgin, huh darlin’?”

Eyes narrowed, Rachel giggled nervously and glanced sideways at Jon. “A ‘Jovi Virgin’? Well………define the ‘Jovi’ part?”

“Sleeping with a member doesn't count! A virgin is someone who’s never been to a show – so that makes YOU a virgin again sweetheart!”

Laughing at the thought, Jon raised his brows up to Rachel. “Whaddya think about that baby? You’re  a born again virgin – just like that!”

A light blush was just beginning to colour her cheeks as the banter began to heat up. “I think I’ll just make my way back home before I completely embarrass myself!”

“Good thing it’s a little early in the day for tequila otherwise there’s no telling the blush I could've gotten out of you when Richie explains how we pop the cherry of a virgin round these parts!”

Thoroughly amused Jon winked across at Richie as he swung around in his chair and cheekily slapped the curve of Rachel’s butt cheeks. Shaking her head, she fended him off with her hands as she ducked out of the way. “How about I change the subject and offer to cook you two renegades dinner?”

In an attempt to be polite, Richie shook his head at her. “Aww no babe, you don’t have to cook for us – we’ll take you out for dinner……” Throwing her an evil wink he chuckled. “…where we’ll tempt you with liquor and see what kind of a blush we really CAN get out of you!”

“You don’t know what you’re missing Rich – this girl can cook!” Looking back at Rachel, Jon shrugged happily. “It’s up to you Rach, if you wanna go out, we’ll go out!”

Folding her arms, Rachel grinned back at the pair of them. “I dunno, I might be safer at home as opposed to being out and about with the likes of you guys!”

“A home cooked meal for me trumps work, that is if Jonny here can tear himself away from this Goddamn DVD. And I’ll bring MY copy of the Bon Jovi Official Dictionary of Rock Star Shit – there’s a complete chapter on the whole cherry-popping thing – you’ll find it very helpful!”

Jon chuckled at Rachel’s open mouthed stare. “Jesus Richie, don’t give her any warning about the sacrificing of the virgins – you’ll scare her off!”

Regaining her composure briefly, Rachel nervously ran her palms down her jeans and cleared her throat. “Alright then, I think that’s about as much of you pair I can handle for one afternoon, I’ll get out of your hair and let you finish up – I'm gonna go home to prepare a garland of garlic and get out the crosses to protect myself – dinner at seven okay?”

Jon stood briefly to kiss her goodbye and watched her practically run out the door, his brows still creased in silent laughter. He knew she’d be able to hold her own, even against the warped humour Richie and himself so often liked to indulge in. Sinking back into his chair, he sighed happily and swung back around to the control board before shooting Richie a sideways glance of smug satisfaction.

“Still wanna argue?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crawling into bed with a contented sigh, Rachel snuggled in on Jon’s feathered chest and let her fingers trail lazily across the broad muscles. Dinner had been consumed with a rather large quantity of wine and with the alcohol knocking off any sharp edges that had existed between herself and Richie, she had found she enjoyed his company and humorous conversation. While they had chatted animatedly about life in California  in front of a roaring fire in her family room, Rachel had noticed Jon had been less than his usual confident self, cradling his glass of Pinot Noir and staring somewhat broodingly at the dancing flames.

“You seem a little quiet…….everything okay?”

The rustle of the duvet was the only sound that broke through the silence of the bedroom as Jon turned onto his side to face her, his troubled blue eyes capturing her attention. “You know I'm crazy about you, right?”

Scooting closer to his warm body, Rachel nibbled the nub of one nipple cheekily. “Well, I know you’re crazy……”

She stopped mid-sentence in surprise when he pulled away from her to sit upright, his voice laced with frustration. “C’mon……… just once have a serious conversation with me without using some flippant remark to turn the conversation in another direction! It’s getting to the point where I wonder if you’re capable of it.”

Irked, she stared up at him in disbelief. “Wow……. way to kill a good buzz! What’s up with you?!”

Sighing, Jon slumped back against the pillows and ran his fingers tiredly through his flop of hair.

“Just something Richie said to me earlier about fucking up every relationship, no matter how special the woman was and that I’ll end up hurting you too…… I mean, yeah, at first it was just a little flirtation with the hot neighbour but it stopped being that a long time ago – you know that right?”

Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him, instead choosing to shrug her shoulders and skip his question. “How about you and Richie stick to making music and leave the relationship stuff between you and me??”

“Rachel, you know my past history with women isn't great – let’s face it, monogamy hasn't really been my strongest trait. Richie knows me as well or better than anybody and he’s convinced I’ll screw us up too………..”

The troubled expression on his face melted any annoyance Rachel had felt when he’d pulled away from her and she slowly slid her leg in between his and edged her body back along his. “If there’s a woman out there that can take you away from me – she can have you!”

Amused by her confidence in him, Jon relaxed against her warm frame and smiled down at her, his brows raised in mock surprise as he felt her fingers squeeze between his thighs. “You wouldn't even fight for me?”

“Nu-huh…….. You’re a smart man Jon – if you don’t know what you've got in me you’re a fool! Besides, if you can get this turned on this often with any other woman, then I'm nothing special to you anyway!”

Suppressing a groan as she cupped his balls, Jon eased his way back down the bed to drape an arm across her back, his own fingers devilishly squeezing the soft swell of her ass. “So what do you find more attractive in me? My smart brain or my persistent hard-on?”

“Smart men are a dime a dozen my sweet, but this……… “ Rachel smirked as her fingers gently wrapped around the hard length of his shaft, “….. this I'm addicted to!”

Update

Hey everyone..........

Love For Sale is NOT on hiatus, suspended, cancelled or anything else that may lead to it's untimely demise. The outline of the story is complete and finished however the material needed to pull the chapters together is not, which is my fault NOT Audra's. I would like nothing more than to sit down and write it out until it's all done but with my schedule and personal issues at the moment it's just not possible. I write when I have the time to put everything else aside and am able to concentrate solely on Jon and Rachel, time which is a rare luxury at this point.

So, that having been said I have a proposition for YOU, our loyal readers. Which would you rather...

(A) We stop posting until the story is finished in it's ENTIRETY and then publish everything at once (I have absolutely no idea on the time scale of that)

(B) We continue as we are, posting chapters as we have them and when we can.

It is completely up to you guys, I shall continue working on the story when I can regardless of the decision. Jon and Rachel's story is far from done and they deserve to have their ending which is looking to be spectacular! But at the moment I can't promise you a chapter every week, it would be unfair to say otherwise so how we publish from here on in is your call!

Let us know your thoughts and as always, thank you for taking such an interest in Love For Sale!

Em xx