"You're never sleeping anywhere but with me, Angel. Come on, let's go to bed." And they slept in each other's arms all night, blissfully at peace until she woke up this morning and all her memories were back.
She squinted her eyes slightly and realized that she also remembered what had happened the night they got married! Even that had come back to her, but instead of being elated about it, she just wanted to make it all go away again. Because with her memory returned she would have no chance of keeping her marriage. None whatsoever. Her eyes were moist from unshed tears and her throat burned with the effort not to cry. Somehow she had to let Donnie know how she felt about him, let him know that she didn't want a divorce. But how? Subterfuge and lying weren't her strong points, which was why the whole fake marriage thing was wearing on her. She was used to being in hot water; it was a chronic condition when she was growing up. She could take whatever punishment was dealt out; she was quite stoic about it. But if she told Donnie the truth, that her memory was back and she was in love with him, how would he react? She could hear him coming down the hall and smiled in spite of her angst. He was singing and making a lot of racket, even though he wasn't wearing boots. She considered pretending to be asleep but she wanted to see him too badly. He stuck his head in the door and gave her his most charming smile.
"Good morning, baby. I'm going out to clean out the driveway and the walk. I just wanted to let you know I'd be outside," he said.
"Good morning to you, too. What would you like for breakfast?"
"Whatever you feel like fixing. Don't go to too much trouble, you're supposed to be taking it easy, remember?"
She gave him a ravishing smile of her own. "I'm fine. I really am. You be careful out there."
By the time Donnie had cleared a path to the garage door, retrieved the snow blower and cleaned off the driveway, the sidewalks, the front and back steps and the back stoop, Angelique was all ready. She'd had a nice long bubble bath and was scented and lotioned and dressed in an outfit that wasn't blatantly sexy, but eye-catching all the same: jeans with a scanty little rose-pink sweater with a deep V in the front and back. She wasn't wearing any jewelry because if her plan worked, it would only get in the way. She'd made a wonderful breakfast consisting of salmon croquettes, grits, and biscuits, and she had the eggs whipped and ready to go into the skillet to be scrambled. She'd sectioned two grapefruits and put them in some nice little glass bowls and set the table attractively. Now all she needed was her husband to come in the back door. He did, covered in snow and looking exhausted.
"Do you want breakfast first or a shower?" she asked.
"If I was a gentleman I'd say a shower, but I'm starving, so how about some food?" he replied with a sheepish grin.
"Wash your hands and have a seat," she invited. "It's all ready except for the eggs."
After devouring the breakfast he couldn't stop praising, Donnie went to take a shower. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of another cold shower, but he couldn't be in the same room with her without wanting her. She looked so sexy in that sweater, he wanted to forget breakfast and drag her into the shower with him. He could picture her wearing bubbles and nothing else, a seductive smile on her face waiting for his hands to bring her to fulfillment. He groaned aloud as he realized that it was precisely this kind of thinking that got him into trouble. Turning the cold tap up high, he gave himself an arctic blast of water before getting out of the shower, then took a towel off the warmer and wrapped it around his waist before heading into the bedroom. He was shocked to find the fireplace lit and Angelique sitting in the middle of the bed. She looked at him with a shy smile and said, "I need to talk to you about something, Adonis."
"Sure, Angel, what is it?" He was on his way to the closet when he realized what Angelique had called him. "You called me Adonis. You remembered! Your memory is back." He sounded slightly dazed
"Yes, it is. I remember everything, Adonis. And what I have to tell you is this. I want... I want you..." she said in a voice so soft he could barely hear her.
He couldn't stand looking at her another moment He came over to the bed and sat down so that he was propped up on the pile of pillows with his long legs extended, then held his arms out to her. She went into them willingly. He held her for a long moment loving the feel of her body next to his, die softness of her sweater teasing the bare skin of his chest. He tipped her head back and kissed her eyes, her cheeks, and her tempting neck. Pulling her even closer, he began to speak in a voice full of passion aching to be fulfilled.
"Let me tell you what I want Angel. I want to be a real husband to you, in every sense of the word I want to be the last face you see at night and the first one you see in the morning. I want to be with you for as long as we both live, until death do us part I want to make you laugh, I want to comfort you when you cry, I want to be your friend, your lover and the one you turn to for shelter in the storm. I want you, my Angel. Just you. I love you, Angelique Clarissa Deveraux Cochran, and if you can find it in your heart to forgive me for being an idiot I'd like to start right now. Can you love me, Angel? Can you look past all my imperfections, all my stupidity and my selfishness and trust me to be the man you need me to be?"
Angelique was trembling from emotion and tears were running freely down her face. Donnie kissed them all away with a smile. "Hey, you don't shed tears, you cause them, remember? Don't cry, baby. I'm going to tell you a secret. I can't stand to see you unhappy. It makes my heart break in a million pieces when you do that," he whispered.
"But I'm not sad, I'm happy," she told him. "Do you really love me?"
"Absolutely. Even though you used my toothbrush, I love you. Even if you start calling me SpongeBob again, I love you. I love you, my Angel."
Her eyes closed and he cupped her face in his big, warm hands to bestow the first real kiss of their marriage. Their lips touched in a delirium of desire that was all encompassing. They parted their mouths at the same time, to give and receive the passion that had been building for so long. Donnie began an exploration of her mouth with his tongue, licking and caressing with her as a willing accomplice. The moans of pleasure that filled the room expressed their joy at becoming one. They broke apart long enough to divest Angelique of her clothing and take the towel off Donnie. At last they were in each other's arms with nothing between them. With the heavy draperies drawn, the fire was the only light in the room. It bathed them in a golden light that served to echo the fire in their hearts. Donnie reached into the nightstand to retrieve a condom.
"We have plenty of time to make babies. This is just us, Angel. Just you and me and all the love I have for you," he told her as he rolled the condom onto his now-massive erection. "Now come here and let me love you."
He positioned her on top of him and they lay there, barely breathing as they learned the feel of each other. He kissed her again and again, stroking her body over and over, loving the feeling of her silky skin. He kissed her neck and her shoulders and she tightened her grip on his shoulders, sighing in ecstasy as his touch unleashed feelings she didn't know she could have. He rolled over so that their positions were reversed and he was lying on top of her as her hips began to move in the ageless dance of mating. He slid his hands down her body and held her in place.
"Not yet, Angel, not yet," he groaned He kissed her collarbone and licked her down to the beguiling breasts he had desired for so long.
He captured a nipple in his mouth and kissed it as thoroughly as he'd kissed her mouth, tenderly at first, then increasing the pressure until she screamed his name. After treating both breasts to this sweet torture he began to take her body to higher levels of abandon, using his tongue to explore her stomach, her navel and her sensitive inner thighs. She wept out loud, crying his name helplessly as his seeking mouth finally found what it yearned for, the most feminine, intimate part of her that yielded up its sweet nectar as he pleasured her beyond imagination. Waves of startling excitement washed over her as he worked his magic; she felt like she was exploding into a comet of unending bliss.