Desperate Times

I noticed as we worked, putting together a chicken veggie stir-fry with steamed rice, how she kept 'accidentally' brushing against me. The feel of her running her hands and breasts over my back, as she stepped around me at the stove, had my spine tingling and my dick twitching like crazy. I knew she was doing on purpose to tempt me. Whenever she'd get playful and tease me like this, I'd have had her up against the fridge by now, with her panties down around her ankles and me sliding into her deep and making her squeal. But when she brushed her breasts against my back for the umpteenth time, reaching for a bowl, I just closed my eyes and hoped I could get through this without losing my mind, or my resolve, because I was so tempted to just give in and give us both what we needed.

It would be so easy, too. All I'd have to do was reach for her, slip my tongue between her lips and kiss her, and before we knew it we'd be naked, and I'd be dragging her down to the floor with our arms and legs tangling, moaning and going nuts on each other, like we always did.

But luckily, the oil in the wok was hot enough once I tested it with a tiny piece of broccoli, that I could start the stir-fry and try to ignore how hot she'd managed to get me.

We had a beer with dinner and we talked as we ate, actually more than we'd talked in a while. She told me about the latest touring production she'd been in, featuring hits from the eighties and nineties, until of course it was shut down because of the virus. And I mentioned, working for my family's food importing business, that now I mostly worked from home. So I'd brought my lap top, so I could keep up with things from here, while we were sheltering in place.

Then when there was a lull in the conversation, I looked up at her, and asked if she was seeing anyone. Then I held my breath till she shook her head, looked into my eyes and said, "No, I haven't been seeing anyone since we broke up."

When she asked me, I shook my head and said, "No way." With the way I was feeling about her, I couldn't imagine seeing anyone else.

After we cleaned up, we cut into the cake that Mina had baked, a rich delectably moist honey-nut, with a hint of orange that I'd enjoyed since I was a kid. When Kate took her first bite, she covered her mouth, rolled her eyes and started to moan. And I just laughed, because I always thought it was cute how she was never able to hide what she was feeling.

Her eyes wide, she pointed at it with her fork. "Oh, wow, is that ever good, and it already tastes like more. Do you think Mina baked it for us?"

I nodded. "Yeah, and my mom makes it, too."

"Oh, then I have got to get this recipe." But then she winced as she lifted another forkful to her lips. "Or, maybe not, because this is so good, I'll probably be making it all the time, and I might become addicted."

"No worries, I'll get the recipe for you when I thank Mina for helping us out," I promised, chuckling as she kept licking her lips and rolling her eyes as she ate.

Once we were done with dinner, to take the chill out of the air, rather than just bump up the thermostat, I put a fire on in the big stone fireplace, mostly because a blazing fire was a lot more romantic than simply flipping a switch. Nights were still cool at this time of year, and the room we were sitting in; a big open-concept, housing the kitchen, sitting and dining area, could feel a little drafty.

Relaxing side by side, we didn't talk much, just sat together on the couch and watched the flames dancing in the hearth. Before, I'd have pulled her into my lap, and I'd be holding her close, running my hands all over her, and probably kissing her face off. And the way she kept giving me the side-eye, I had a feeling she was wondering why I wasn't.

I noticed her shivering and running her hands up and down over her arms, and she said, "Ooh, I just got a chill."

Just to tease her back for taunting me while we cooked, I leaned in close, gently cupped her face in my hands, and whispered against her lips, "Well, I know what would warm you up."

Her eyes instantly flaring, she smiled expectantly and waited, probably sure that I was finally going to kiss her. But I surprised her when I let go of her and stood up, tossed her a blanket from the end of the couch, and said, "Here, wrap yourself in that, and I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate."

I could actually feel the heat of her glare boring into my back as I headed over to the kitchen to get a mug for her drink. And I really wanted to laugh at how pissed she looked when I carried back the steaming cup of hot cocoa and told her, "Here you go, that ought to warm you up."

Then instead of joining her again, I yawned and stretched. Of course making sure my sweat shirt rode up, so she could get a look at my abs that she'd always loved to run her hands over, as well as her hot little tongue, before I said, "Well, it's been a long day. So, I think it's time I hit the sack." Then, just to rub it in, I ruffled her hair, like I'd do if she was my kid sister, and said, "'Night, Kate."

I knew sitting there alone would give her something to think about.

KATE

As I stared into the fire I kept wondering what Daniel was trying to prove. I knew he still wanted me and I think he still loved me, too -- at least I hoped.

So, when I told him I was cold, I thought after the nice evening we'd shared that he'd pick me up, put me in his lap, wrap me in his arms, and at least runs his hands up and down my back to try and warm me up. And hopefully, after six long months of waiting -- he'd finally kiss me, too.

What I didn't expect was that the jerk would just toss me a blanket, hand me a mug of hot chocolate, and tell me to warm myself up.

I know he's upset, and I can't really blame him. After he got down on one knee and got the courage to ask me to marry him, I know it had to hurt when I told him that I wished I could say yes, but I couldn't, and I had to turn him down.

But he should have known I would have said no. I'd told him about my family's track record on marriage, so there was no way I wanted to take a chance on ruining what we had. My own father only hung around long enough to produce two kids, and then he split, never to be heard from again. And my mother's parents made it to their forties before they decided they couldn't stand living together anymore and went their separate ways. Sadly, I just don't think my people are cut out to be tied to another person for the rest of our lives.

As I washed and dried out my mug and put it away in the cupboard, I knew we had to talk, or these next few weeks together were going to be unbearable.

Next morning, I got up early. Since I'd barely slept, I knew it wouldn't do any good to stay in bed tossing and turning, hoping to nod off. So I threw back the covers and gave up.

I was making us breakfast, scrambled eggs and toast, when Daniel walked in, fresh from the shower. With his hair still damp, looking too sexy for words, knowing he'd smell fantastic, he had me wishing I could just wrap myself around him and tug his head down for a kiss. Freshly shaven, his face just looked so smooth, I wanted so much to trace my fingers along his jaw. But afraid he might push me away, I couldn't risk it.

The fact that he sounded cheerful, after how strangely he'd been acting last night, bugged the hell out of me, when he smiled and said, "'Morning, Kate, how'd you sleep?"

I wanted to say, "I didn't sleep, you jerk, I was up all night tossing and turning, trying to figure out what the hell you're trying to prove." But I just smiled back sweetly, and said, "Great? And you?"

Blowing out a breath, he nodded as he poured us both some coffee. "Yeah, I slept good, too."

Somehow, I had my doubts.

Just for laughs, Daniel's next trick was deciding to freeze me out while we ate. He sat with his phone beside his plate checking for messages and texting while I clanked away with my knife and fork, ready to explode. As the minutes ticked by, with him refusing to even look up, I was honestly tempted to toss a slice of toast at his head. Not only for the pleasure I'd get out of seeing it bounce off his thick skull, but to let him know how rude he was behaving, totally ignoring me when I was sitting right across the table from him. Then when he finally looked up at me, all he muttered was, "Nice breakfast, thanks."

Ugh, he had me so frustrated I wanted to pull out my hair. Or better yet, maybe I should reach across the table, and rip out a chunk of his. At least that would get his attention pretty quick, the smartass.

He knew he I was pissed, too. He could read me like a book. Yet he was still ignoring me like I wasn't even sitting with him, and was probably enjoying seeing me stew.

So, once I'd had enough, without saying a word, I pushed back my chair, picked up my plate and walked it to the kitchen. Finally, he looked up from his phone and called out, "Hey, you made breakfast, so I'll clean up. Just leave everything on the counter, okay?" Then he was right back on his phone.

Resisting the urge to flip him the bird, after I'd left my dirty dishes in the sink for him to handle, I went and got a shower. A very long, hot relaxing shower, deciding I'd leave him to wonder what I was up to. While unbeknownst to him, I was happily sinking my teeth into my lip, tossing my head back and quivering all the way to my toes, as I got off on toying with my clit with what had to be the most powerful pulsating showerhead ever invented, set to the absolute max. Ooh, and it just felt so good. With my nipples pebbling, and my sex clenching, finally I was getting some much needed relief, since I knew damn well I wasn't going to get any satisfaction from smartass.

An hour later I emerged from the bathroom, fresh from my kinky little tune-up, clad in body-hugging soft gray yoga pants and matching clingy tank top, braless, not really caring if he could detect my achingly erect nipples through my top or not. I had my hair up in a messy bun, knowing how turned-on Daniel got just from the thought of running his tongue along my neck. Walking past him, I just gave him a curt little nod as I headed for the kitchen. But out of the corner of my eye, when I saw the way both his eyes and nostrils were flaring as he looked me over, I grinned like a cat that had eaten a whole damn flock of canaries.

I went to the fridge and got a bottle of water, and when I turned around, I yelped when I found Daniel standing right behind me with his both his hands and jaw flexing. So, hoping he was finally giving in, smiling up at him, I ran my hand down his chest to his fly, but when he jumped back like I'd stung him, I'd had enough. Confused and annoyed, I narrowed my eyes on him. "What I want to know is why did you even bring me here, if you don't even want me to touch you anymore?"

He seemed to mull that over for a minute before he blew out a frustrated breath. "Thing is Kate, I'd love us do a lot more than touch. But you know I need more than what we had. I want it all, I want everything with you."

I looked up into his eyes, pleading for him to understand. "But I've told you why I'm so afraid of getting married. Just the thought of getting hitched changes people. You know bridezilla's don't just happen. I'm sure a lot of them were fairly normal before all the stuff involved in getting married drove them crazy. I've been a bridesmaid four times, and those are nightmares I'll never forget. And two of them are already divorced, and another one's looking into marriage counselling. I was maid of honor for my sister, too, and she and her husband fight like cats and dogs." I rolled my eyes, remembering how crazy those two could get. "At least when they're not tearing each other's clothes off."

He shrugged. "Well at least they're still passionate."

"Yeah, until they've finally had enough and split up, too. If you really want to get married, I think you've got the wrong girl. I'm just not the white picket fence type. Just the thought of getting into a poofy white dress with you a tux and everyone we know staring at us while we say our I do's scares the living crap out of me. And it's not because I don't love you, Daniel, I do. But I just know if we get engaged, even before we walk down the aisle, that things will change, they always do. Marriage changes people, and usually not for the better."

"But it doesn't always, Kate, at least not for everyone. Look at my parents. They're so in love, even after nearly forty years together, that they can't keep their hands off each other. And I know tons of people who are happily married, and some of them have been together for years. Nothing stays the same forever, lust fades, but real love endures. And I think what we've got is special enough to at least give us a shot." He sounded so sincere when he said, "I really love you, Kate, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

I reached out and stroked my hand over his cheek, to soften my words when I asked, "But then why can't we just stay the way we are. I loved what we had, and I think we were happy, too."

He lifted an eyebrow. "So you just want us to date forever, is that what you're saying?"

When he put it like that, it sounded kind of sad. I could just imagine the two of us stumbling along hand in hand, dragging around our sorry butts into our dotage, still just dating; only going out for early bird specials, instead of heading to a club to dance the night away.

I didn't really know what to say. Finally I pressed my hand over his heart, as told him, "Daniel, if there was any way we could try something like a trial marriage, without actually having to go through with a ceremony and all the legal stuff, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I love you so much, that I just don't want to lose you."

He thought on that for a minute. Then he looked at me and began to smile. "Well then, why don't we do it now? We're going to be here together for at least the next few weeks, or however long this thing lasts, so while we're here, we can just pretend to be married. Then we can see how it feels to be man and wife, without the white dress or anyone having to watch us tie the knot. And no worries about a reception and the stress of a fancy wedding -- so there'll be no danger of you turning into a bridezilla, or either of us, or anyone in our family going into a meltdown. What do you think?"

Not too sure what to think, I stood and thought about how it would feel to pretend to be his wife, and I've got admit, seeing it was Daniel, I didn't exactly hate the idea of us being together as a make-believe couple. And while I was mulling it over, he disappeared down the hallway and then came back with a piece of paper and a pen. Then I watched him sit at the table writing something. Curious, I walked over and asked, "Daniel, what are you writing?"

He looked up at me flashed me a smile and said, "Our marriage vows. Even if it's not legal, I thought it would be nice if we made a commitment to each other."

"But you said this was just going to be pretend, so why would we need vows?"

He stood up, tipped up my chin and pressed a soft little kiss to my lips, his gaze warm and soft as he looked into my eyes. "Because, I think we should still put on paper something to show that we're together and we're not just dating anymore, and that we're in love -- even if it's only for these few weeks, and just for us."

Then he picked up the paper, smiled into my eyes and read what he'd written: "So, here goes; I, Daniel James Ellis, promise to love, honor, cherish and respect, you -- Kathleen Marie O'Day, until the day I die. And I would be honored, even just for these few weeks we're together to be able to call you my wife."

Then the way he looked at me, once he'd finished, his eyes so full of emotion, I could feel my bottom lip starting to tremble, because I could actually feel how much he loved me. And it surprised me, that just hearing him say the words had me tearing up. Though even the thought of a fake marriage scared me, I've got to admit it still sounded pretty wonderful to hear him committing his life to me.

Then he handed me the pen, and it was my turn. Not too sure what I was going to write, with the pen feeling like a lead weight in my hand, I sat down. When my hand finally stopped shaking, finally I took a deep breath and wrote what I was feeling. Then I read it out to him: "And I, Kathleen Marie O'Day promise to love, honor, respect and cherish you, Daniel James Ellis, until I breathe my final breath. And for now, I would love to be able to call you my husband." Looking down at what I'd written spooked me a little, but it also made me realize just how much I loved him and wanted him back in my life -- especially if I was willing to do something this crazy, agreeing to be his make-believe wife.

After I'd finished, probably from the slightly freaked out look on my face, Daniel chuckled running his hand over my shoulder. "Hey, don't look so scared. It's just words on a page, Kate. And we don't have to have vows, if you don't want to. Go ahead and tear it up if you want. We both know we don't need a piece of paper to tell us how we feel. I just thought it would be nice to have something to remember from this time we're spending here together, especially now, as more than just a couple."

But when I looked down at what we'd written, knowing this might be as committed as we'd ever be, I decided he was right and we should keep it.

I looked up at him and managed an awkward smile, pleased to see how happy he looked that I was agreeing to go along with this, and play house with him even for just these next few weeks.

Then he flashed me a sexy grin, and slid his hand up into my hair, sending goose bumps crawling over my skin. "And you know what happens now that we're married?"

I shook my head, not sure where he was going with this, but still loving what he was doing with his hands. "No."

He pressed his lips against my ear and whispered, "We spend these next few weeks on our honeymoon, enjoying the hell out of each other." Oh, god, I clenched my thighs. Now I was so glad I'd signed on for this. Spending weeks on end in bed with Daniel, had to be my naughtiest dream come true.

Then when he tugged me out of the chair, pulled me into his arms and nearly kissed me senseless, I decided I might just be able to handle this marriage business after all.

Of course the first thing I did, now that I finally had him in my arms, was cup his delectable ass in my hands and squeeze. I just loved the feel of his buff, hard body pressed up nice and tight against mine. And since he had the tightest butt I'd ever seen, I just couldn't stop kneading it in my hands as we got lost in the hottest kiss we'd probably ever shared.

Desperate to get at each other, our hands seemed to be everywhere at once, with Daniel struggling to pull off my tank top, while I was busy pushing up his sweater, moaning against his mouth as I dragged my fingers over his rock hard abs up to his darkly matted chest. Eager for a taste of him, I licked all around his nipples as he dug his fingers into my hair, groaning. "Baby, you keep that up, we're never going to make it to the bedroom."

I looked up at him, wiggling my eyebrows. "Who needs a bedroom, when we've got a couch?" Or the floor, or the wall—damn, he could have me anywhere he wanted, as long it happened soon. Because I know I'd never been as stoked in my life to get with a man. Especially my man, or I guess now... my new husband.

With a quick decisive nod, he muttered, "Couch." Then he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder so fast I laughed as he gently swatted my backside and then unceremoniously deposited me on the long leather couch. His eyes were hot as coals as he looked down at me with my arms stretched open wide for him to join me. "God, I've missed you, Kate," he said, just staring down at me.