The Convenient Wife
by Kelly

chapter 61

Sonny eyed her sitting in serene grace at their dining room table.
She had removed the silver domed top of a serving dish to reveal--of
all things--an assortment of fruit slices. Kiwi and pineapple, in all
their ripe succulent glory, lay resplendent before his eyes. And of
course there were strawberries…there just had to be. They surrounded
an ornate dish filled with whipped cream.

And presently, Alexis dipped one, long, elegant finger into the
sugary white mixture and slipped it between her lips.

He groaned softly. This woman would kill him yet.

She turned hearing the husky sound in his throat. "Doesn't it look
delicious?" she asked him, her wide eyes luminous even in the dimness
of the apartment.

"You look delicious," he corrected, and walked across to take her
hand in his, drawing her from her chair. With a satisfied sigh, he
sat down with her body cradled into his lap and was gratified to find
that his black nightshirt was indeed all she was wearing on this
night.

"Mmmm, I do enjoy the sight of you in this," he murmured, running his
hands up and down the silk until she faintly purred. "And the feel of
you in it."

"I aim to please, husband."

"And you do, wife. You most certainly do."

Alexis reached behind them to pluck a ripe strawberry from the
platter and dipped it liberally into the cream. She dangled it before
his mouth, her eyes full of mischief as he tried to bite it but
missed. Her quick fingers snatched it just out of reach. He growled
in mock frustration.

"Patience," she whispered, and used the fruit to dot a white path
lightly along his mouth. Then she leaned forward to swipe the tip of
her tongue along the trail she'd painted him with…finishing with a
deliciously deep kiss. It was only after she'd so indulged herself
that she let him take a bite of the berry.

"You like control, do you Mrs. Corinthos?" he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "That's Davis-Corinthos."

"Indeed it is," he whispered, dipping two fingers into the cream and
marking the delicate line of her neck. "And control is nice, but did
you know that sometimes it's better to surrender?"

His lips unerringly found the streaks of sugary liquid and suckled
them from her delicate skin. He felt her tremble, felt her gasp
against him, and finally felt the rumble of a husky moan in her
throat. He smiled from his soul, always in wonderment at how cool and
controlled she was in her public life yet how unrestrained and
responsive she was in his arms. The contentment of the moment filled
him with that peace that was fast becoming all too familiar.

"What did I do to deserve you?" he asked.

She shook her head, one hand pressed affectionately against his
jaw. "We're both lucky," she whispered. "To even know this kind of
connection…this kind of…of rightness...once in life is a blessing. To
lose it then get it back again is a miracle."

She couldn't have been more correct. He knew that he'd found the
truth now because he'd lived a lie for so long with the wrong woman.

His arms tightened round her as he leaned in to kiss the corner of
her mouth, tasting her unadorned sweetness before pressing his
forehead to hers. For long moments, they sat in a companionable
silence that enveloped them like a warm embrace.

"Sonny?" he heard her whisper.

"Yes?"

"I know you're…that you're happy. Here with me. But would you…would
you change anything? Anything about our lives? About us?"

He heard something in her voice--some thread of something…an unsure
note…a catch-- that concerned him. It reminded him of their
conversation in the limo when she'd been worried about his tie to
Carly. Was that still a concern?

He knew what Alexis' childhood had been like…one torturous moment
after another leaving scars of self-doubt that couldn't be eradicated
simply by his promises of love. She judged people by their actions.
He'd hurt her before when he'd returned to Carly. He'd let her down,
and perhaps to some degree he would always be making up for that.

He sat back now and tried to meet her eyes. But they darted away then
fell to his chest. Her hands fidgeted with the buttons of his shirt.
He'd read her correctly. Something was bothering her.

"There is nothing…NOTHING…about our lives that I would change," he
avowed. "I love you and even the struggles we go through prove to me
that we're worth it. Every battle. Every trial. Every opponent. They
don't matter. It all comes back to how you make me feel. That's
something I want for my whole life."

Her eyes lifted and met the truth in the darkness of his. But there
was something there still. Something deeply affected. "What, Lex?
What's bothering you?"

A tear appeared in her eye. She swallowed before she spoke, her
fingertip finding and tracing the curve of his upper lip. "I just…
we're going on our honeymoon tomorrow…I'm—I'm so close to having
everything I've wanted for so long with you. And I guess…I just want
to be sure that it's what you really want, too."

She took a big breath and expelled it in one long rush. "You can tell
me if it's not…if you've changed your mind…and I'll understand."

He stared into her lovely face and said—he hoped—words that
penetrated straight into her heart. "I want YOU. I want US. Without
reservation. And tonight I'll show you that. Until you never have to
ask that question again."

The doubt in her beautiful eyes hit him squarely in the chest and
made him ache. That this woman he prized above all should question
his commitment still… it just made him ache. He would prove himself
if it was the last thing he ever did for her. He would prove he loved
her and that what he'd done two years ago had been a colossal mistake
that he would never repeat.

The incredible surge of emotion that swelled within him made his
hands tender on her body, his touch reverent as it lit upon her
satiny skin. He held her and kissed her…over and over and then over
again…until at last he felt the tension…the questions…the fears….ebb
from her beautiful body. He kissed her until her mouth opened beneath
his. Until her arms wrapped round his neck. Until her body moved in
restless wanting against his. Until her long, long legs slid astride
him. Until her body was straddling the barely leashed power of his
and quivering in anticipation of what was certainly to come.

In the fewest simple but masterful moves, he had removed the shirt
from her body, filled his hands with the fruit she'd prepared for his
dessert, and had begun to create quite another type of delicacy with
her long lithe form as his canvas. His hands stroked her body, with
culinary artistry creating his masterpiece, leaving a trail of
sweetness across her skin like a path for his mouth to follow.

She became dessert, his midnight treat, his secret delight. The soft
moans in the back of her throat, the renewed tremors in her body
combined into one heady force that only escalated his desire…made him
want to please her even more…all night long.

And as he devoured her skin with his mouth he only prayed that he had
the discipline to survive the passion running riot in him at the
moment.

Her hands were by no means idle; she had unbuttoned his shirt and was
caressing the hard planes of his chest, tracing the contours she knew
he loved for her to touch, and smiling as he quivered in response to
her ministrations. Soon, she, too, was tasting. The flavor of his
skin mingled with the sweetness of fruit juices. An aphrodisiac no
one could bottle, one too priceless to even share outside this room.

Her hands worked at his belt buckle, her impatience and haste making
her clumsy. She swore under her breath inspiring the giddy laugh that
rumbled in his chest. "Patience," he said, echoing her advice back to
her teasingly. He half stood to his feet bringing her with him, her
legs wrapped round his torso.

He had planned to make his way to their bedroom, but she reached
behind her with both hands and grasped the table. "No," she told him
firmly, her tongue darting out to swipe her lower lip. "Here."

"Here?" he asked, and this time he was the one who was unsure.

She nodded, sliding backwards until she reclined against the
table. "Here."

The sultry look in her heavy-lidded eyes enflamed his blood. And he
smiled again…straight from his soul…as she subtly wrested control
from his hands yet again tonight. Her wish was his command as the
night became a fusion of tastes: sweet lips and savory, stimulating,
sensual kisses that exploded with flavor on their tongues.
Intoxicating…shattering senses…shaking them both to their
foundations.

And as they moved together as one…neither of them thought of stopping
for rest until appetites were whetted, satiated, and reignited yet
again. Until they had tasted all of the bounteous delights they each
could offer to the other during this one perfect and endless night.

chapter 62