Freddie's Find Pt. 04

Freddie told Leona that she appreciated the thought and that, in the end, the past two years had been good to her. Leona seemed pleased with that answer, and Freddie made a quick excuse to get away. She decided that, after that little scene with Leona, room service in her apartment sounded like a much better idea than eating at the bar!

CHAPTER TEN

After months of hard work, at last everything was in place in the warehouse - down to the checkered napkins that Ryan, Jessica, King and Freddie had agreed upon. The only thing that was left was choosing an opening date, getting the food ready for the opening night and making sure that everybody in Manhattan knew that the time had come to experience Texas. Freddie was as thrilled with the finished product as King and Ryan were. Jessica had even conducted interviews and lined up an entire staff during the final weeks of her pregnancy. Everyone was just waiting for the date to be chosen.

In the end, it was the baby that helped determine the opening day of the restaurant. King and Freddie decided to surprise Ryan and Jessica by choosing the restaurant opening to be six weeks after the birth. King and Freddie agreed that it wouldn't be fair for Jessica and Ryan to not be at the opening, but it also wasn't fair to ask them to bring a brand new baby out for such an event. King and Freddie reasoned that six weeks into parenthood would probably be perfect timing for Ryan and Jessica to need a night away from their bundle of joy! Ryan and Jessica had been thrilled with the plan. Now the only thing holding them up was that the baby was past its due date!

After church one Sunday, Freddie was in the restaurant with King, putting together the basic food pantry for the kitchen when the long awaited call came in from Ryan. Jessica had broken her water and they were headed to the hospital. With a happy shout, King grabbed Freddie up in a hug and swung her around the room.

For three months, Freddie and King had been careful not to touch one another, and now Freddie remembered why. King's touch made her forget everything but the feel of his hands on her waist. Even the air around her seemed to suddenly realize that King was touching her, as it grew thick with tension. By the time King sat her down, all the amusement had flown from both of their faces. King was looking at her as though he wanted to read her soul. And Freddie was past the point of caring if he saw how much she loved him. She returned his gaze and silently willed him to see into her heart.

Whatever King saw there must have assured him, because in the next moment, he was crushing her lips with his own. Freddie had thought that two years would have cooled the heat of passion that flared between the two of them, but she was wrong. King tasted even better than she remembered, and she felt like a starved woman. Her own tongue snuck into his mouth as she heard him groan out loud. Or was that her? She wasn't sure and she wasn't about to spend too much energy to figure it out. She had missed King so badly and now she had him. It felt like her whole soul was coming back to life.

When King broke the kiss and grabbed her hand, Freddie was still lost in the wonder of their passion. But as King started dragging her out of the restaurant, throwing off lights throughout the dining room and locking the doors behind them, she began focusing on what he was doing. Confused, she asked, "King what are you doing?" King just gave her a smoky look that had her blood pounding through her veins. Then he was putting her into the truck and heading back to the motel.

Like deja vu, Freddie and King didn't stop to speak to any of their friends as they hurried through the hotel lobby. Once inside the elevator, King grabbed Freddie in a tight squeeze and began raining kisses all over her face, teasing her by never touching her mouth with his lips. When the elevator opened on their floor, Freddie automatically turned toward her own door, but King stopped her. In a husky voice, he asked, "Don't you think it's about time that you saw my room?" Freddie's breath caught in her chest.

Freddie stood behind King as he opened his door and took her hand. She had a moment to register that his apartment was laid out basically the same as her's, only with lots more floor space. King was pulling her toward his bedroom, though, with a speed that prohibited her from more than a brief glance at the other rooms. Once inside King's bedroom, he sat down on the bed. With Freddie standing in between his legs, they were able to look each other in the eye. King ran his fingers through her hair as he held her head still in front of him. He said, "I've missed you so much." Then he was kissing her again.

Freddie couldn't focus on anything but King. When her mind whispered that King hadn't made any promises about tomorrow, she ignored it. She went with her heart and it was telling her that she was exactly where she belonged. She kissed King back with all the love that was inside of her.

King made short work of Freddie's shirt and jeans, just as she tugged and pulled at his clothes. Almost at the same moment, the last articles of clothing came off both of them. King pulled her down on the bed over him and held her tightly against his body. The feel of his arousal against her stomach was the most exciting thing Freddie had experienced since the last time King had held her. Freddie began shifting and moving, to position King where she wanted him. She straddled his hips and sat back to look down into his face.

King was watching Freddie with fire in his eyes. That look reminded her of the power she had with King during their lovemaking. And it was all she needed to encourage her. She ran her fingers lightly over his skin, then followed them with her lips. King was moaning beneath her and begging her to not stop. She loved the feel of his muscles tensing as she caressed his body. He was everything she would ever want, and she wanted to give him the best of who she was.

After allowing Freddie free reign for several minutes, King suddenly flipped her over and lay above her. He grabbed protection off the nightstand and quickly slipped it over himself. When he entered her, Freddie was tight and hot. In fact, she was close to exploding. She had longed for this moment for over two years. And King was thrusting into her like it was a moment he had longed for as well. With a cry ripped from her soul, Freddie climaxed as she felt King soar over the edge of his own orgasm. It was a moment of heaven touching earth, and Freddie knew she would never be the same again.

In the aftermath, King rolled onto his side and faced her. He chuckled quietly as he caressed her face. He whispered, "Wow. That was incredible." Freddie just smiled at him, hoping he could see in her eyes all that she couldn't say yet with her voice. Then she closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

The next morning, Freddie was startled when she woke up. For a moment, she couldn't remember where she was. Then the events of the afternoon and night before came rushing back to her. After their first bout of lovemaking the day before, King had ordered up room service. He had fed Freddie lasagna with lots of dripping cheese. Then Freddie had returned the favor. Supper was barely finished before they were back in bed, tasting and sampling one another for dessert.

About seven o'clock, Ryan had called to announce that Jessica had delivered their daughter, Summer Alexandria Solomon. They were all doing well, but they were exhausted. King promised that they would visit the next day. Then he returned to bed with Freddie. Although they had managed to get a little sleep during the night, the majority of their time together was spent rediscovering one another. Freddie might never understand King's attraction to her body, but, over and over, she was assured that she was his fantasy come to life. And King's body was everything Freddie had ever longed for and more. If she had a lifetime to touch King, Freddie wasn't sure she would ever get enough of enjoying him.

And now it was morning. Freddie heard the shower running and decided to join King. She slipped into the bathroom and pulled back the curtain. She was planning on surprising King, and she could have done it too, since his eyes were closed. But the sight of him standing naked under the spray of water was too much for Freddie. She moaned out loud and King's eyes snapped open. He reached out and pulled her into the shower with him. Then he proceeded to clean her from head to toe. She took her own sweet time soaping up King's body as well. After they rinsed off, King raced her back to the bed and kissed every place he had just cleaned. He managed to show her even more new things about her body's responses as he brought her to another shattering climax. When it was over, he held her quietly as she drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

When Freddie woke up again, King was gone. There was a note on his pillow saying that he had some unavoidable business that he had to attend to, and that he would see her later. Then, as a 'P.S.', he had added that he had something important to tell her. Freddie wondered if he had kept the note from two years ago, or if he had just managed to copy it so closely from memory. She shook her head and hoped that today went better than the last "day after" had been.

Freddie returned to her own rooms and took another shower. She got dressed and was munching on a bowl of cereal when her phone rang. "Freddie? This is Joanna from the front desk. I've got a delivery down here for you. Could you come get it?"

Freddie thought she might get physically sick, but she managed to say yes before she hung up the phone. "So help me," Freddie thought to herself, "If Leona is down at that desk, I'm going to run out the door screaming!"

When she got there, much to Freddie's joy, no one except Joanna was at the front desk. Joanna smiled and, instead of handing Freddie the flowers Freddie was both expecting and dreading, she merely handed her an envelope. With a sigh of relief, Freddie opened it and saw King's handwriting. The note said, "I can't wait until tonight to tell you. Take a cab and get to the restaurant as soon as possible."

Freddie frowned at Joanna, but Joanna just shrugged her shoulders. Freddie went back upstairs and got her handbag and went to hail a taxi.

Fifteen minutes later, Freddie pulled up in front of the old warehouse. It didn't look anything like it had three months earlier. The building looked new and loved now. It was a place where anyone could feel comfortable. Freddie smiled in satisfaction as she climbed out of the cab.

Freddie looked around for King, but she didn't see him. So she went inside the door. There was only one light in the dining room and it was a candle in the middle of one of the tables. On the table was a beautiful steak dinner, complete with salad and bread. There was even wine for the meal. From the shadows to her right, King stepped into the light. He said, "Hello Freddie. I hope you're ready for lunch."

Freddie smiled at him and joined him at the table. "King, it looks great! When did you learn to cook something other than stir fry?" she asked. King laughed and held out her chair. Freddie was still confused about what was going on, but she decided to play along with King. After they sat down, King picked up his fork and started eating, still without any explanation. So Freddie followed suit.

During lunch, Freddie noticed that there seemed to be a lot of activity going on outside. King agreed and got up to check it out. He returned to the table and assured her that it was only some workmen, doing some last minute details to the outside. After they finished, King cleared the table, then came back and sat down across from her.

Looking earnestly at her, King said, "I need to tell you something important - the same 'something important' that I needed to tell you two years ago. Two years ago, I lost you because I didn't tell you how I felt. After you left, I didn't feel like I had the right to track you down and make you come back up here. But my heart never forgot about you. I know that Ryan and Jessica and the rest of my family have all told you how hard I was to get along with during those two years. But they don't really know the half of it, Freddie. I was the only one who knew just how badly I hurt inside. I've never felt anything like that kind of pain. And I don't want to ever again."

King continued, "I didn't mean for last night to happen. I had it all planned out, and I jumped the gun. I meant for this to be perfect, but I just couldn't help myself. You looked so beautiful when I told you about Jessica that I just couldn't stop myself. But I want to make it right. I want you to understand what I needed to tell you."

Freddie was totally confused. King wasn't making any sense to her. What was it he had wanted to do right? And why had last night 'jumped the gun'? She started to voice her questions, but King put his finger over her lips. He said, "Before you say anything, I want you to know something else, too. It's about this restaurant. I picked the name of this restaurant before I ever even heard about your school's cook-off. Before I came to D.C. and before you walked into that interview, I knew what the name of this place would be. You have to know that. Ryan will back me up on it. I started this restaurant for you."

Now Freddie was beyond confused. For three months, she had just assumed that the name of the restaurant would be "The Texas Steak House". But, apparently, King was trying to tell her something different.

King took Freddie's hand and led her out the front door. Several workmen stood outside on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. One of the them shook King's hand and asked, "So, are we ready?" King just smiled down at Freddie and nodded his head. Then one of the other men pulled a rope and the cloth fell away that had been covering the new sign over the door.

Freddie gasped as she read the name. She turned back to look at King as the realization of what he had just told her hit her. He had chosen the name before she had come back. He had chosen the name because of what she had meant to him. He had chosen the name because of her! The sign read:

The Wild Rose Steak House and Saloon

Freddie's heart was in her mouth. She jumped into King's arms and hugged him with all of her strength. The workmen watched as she and King kissed on the New York sidewalk. When she pulled back, she looked into King's eyes and said, "King Griffin, I love you!" King just laughed and pulled her back for another kiss.

After King and Freddie thanked the workmen, they wondered back inside the restaurant. King had his arm around Freddie's shoulders as he guided her back over to their table. He sat her in her chair, then dropped to one knee in front of her. Freddie looked at him questioningly.

King smiled and said, "Freddie, I wanted you to see that sign so you would know that I never stopped loving you. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me and I would never do anything to hurt you. Freddie, will you marry me?"

Freddie wasn't sure she could speak, let alone give King a coherent answer, so she nodded her head 'yes' and threw her arms around his neck. King kissed her over and over as she basked in the knowledge that he loved her. As King slipped a beautiful solitaire on her finger, Freddie whole face glowed with her love for him.

Maybe Mondays weren't so bad after all!