Hope from the Ocean: 25 (adult)

"What do you mean?"  Todd said, wincing.

"Todd, please.  Tell me what is going on.  I mean it.  Something had to spark her curiosity and ignite her fears."  Dorian said.

"You tell me.  You were there.  What was said, at Timothy's?"

She thought about it.  "We walked in.  He was saying to someone, probably Sister Rebecca, that you said you'd handle Blair, and he was going to Dublin."

"She thinks I am scheming behind her back."

"Are you?"

He didn't answer.

"Todd, are you?"

"Yeah, but it's not like you'd think.  Don't ask me to say more, it's basically a surprise."

"Todd, this is not to offend you, but are you certain she's ready for your kind of surprise?"

"I thought of that.  I do think she will be.  I just can't tell her now.  I can't lie to her, but I can't tell her, either.  Not just yet."

"What do we do in the meantime?  The stress could put her in danger?"  Dorian was worried.

"I'm coming to get her, tomorrow.  She's my wife."

"I don't think there are enough words in your vocabulary to convince her right now."

"Well, then, what do you suggest, Auntie Dorian?"

"I think I have an idea.  Just play along tomorrow.  You'll figure it out."

***

"Where's Mom, Jack?"  Sam said, as Jack helped pull his pajamas over his cast.  Tina, who was helping out after Ray turned in for the night, listened to the two boys banter.

"She's staying at Starr's tonight."

"Why?  Doesn't she want to have mushy stuff with Dad?  They always do that, almost every night."

Tina raised a brow, "Well, maybe she needs a break."

"Maybe, but that sounds kinda weird.  Who's going to sing to me?"  Sam asked.

"Play her tapes," Jack said.  "Which one do you want?"

"The one where she sings about the house."

"Unforgettable?"

"Yeah, that one."

Jack fumbled through the little cassette tapes that Sam had and chose one to put into the tape player.  

"Mom, can you sing again?"

"Are you taping me, Sam?"

"Yes, I love to tape you, Mom.  Then I can hear you later."

"Well, all right."

"Go ahead, Mommy,"  That was Todd's voice.

"Unforgettable, that's what you are,
Unforgettable, though near or far.
Like a song of love that clings to me
How the thought of you, does things to me
Never before
Has someone been more."

Todd, who was just ascending the stairs, stopped outside Sam's door, and listened, a surge of want and sadness filling him.  It was as if it were yesterday.

"Unforgettable, in every way.
Unforgettable, that's how you'll stay.
that's why darling, it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too."

Sam was asleep.  Jack pushed stop on the tape player, and Tina, turned and looked at her nephew, whispering, "She sings beautifully."

They walked into the hall and ran directly into Todd, who was still standing, hearing the remnants of Blair's voice in his head.  He let it repeat, as his sister and son looked at him.  Tina said, "She really sings so well, Todd."

He nodded in agreement.  Jack said, "She'll be back tomorrow, right Dad?"

"I'm going to go and get her," he said.

"All right, night Dad."  Jack said, walking off.

"Goodnight, my brother," Tina said, turning toward her room.

He felt conspicuous, and noticed a tightening in his trousers.  He missed her, so much, and her voice had made him ache with passion.  He went to his room, and disrobed, putting fleece pants on, and a t-shirt, and lay on his back, on the bed, his hands under his head, and looked out the skylight.  Her side of the bed was empty; he was on his own end of it, in the dark, and her voice was still in his mind.

***

Blair was in bed, at Dorian's.  She was relaxed, warm and clean, and her skin had a unique softness from the bath and the special salts.  She took her cell phone from the side table, and turned it on, and there he was, in all his splendor, as her screen saver.  His picture, with his beautiful smile, and his scar, that was much more faded than it was when she had first met him, reminded her so much of when she had first met him in Rodi's.  Looking at his photo, she ran her fingers over his face, as if he could feel it, and her nipples hardened.  She wanted him so much.  

You're mad at him, remember?

***

Todd turned over, pulling the sheet up.  He was looking at her space, next to him, empty, and grasped  her pillow and pulled it to him.  It smelled exactly like her hair, and he closed his eyes, inhaling her.  Now the stiffness of him was becoming bothersome; he wanted the release only she could bring from him, and she was gone.  Just that day, he was fantasizing about her in the copter, and thinking how he'd make love to her when he got home, in front of the fireplace.  

Damn it, Blair.

***

She shifted positions, and looked at the clock.  Picking up her phone again, she was tempted.  And she had a reason.  He would never think twice if she checked on the boys.  Why wouldn't I just text Jack directly?  She frowned.  Then, Because it's late and the boys should be asleep.  She activated the messaging icon, and her phone began to flash with an incoming call.  Surprised, and also relieved, she answered it.  "Hello?"

"Babe?"

"Hi, Todd."

"Hi Blair.  I wanted to, well, say goodnight."

"I was going to text you.  About the boys.  Are they all right?"

"They're in bed already.  Sam listened to you, singing."

"He likes that."

"I listened, too."

She smiled, knowing what her voice did to him.  "Was it good?"

"It was, but it's not the same as the real thing."

"Well, I am glad the boys are sleeping.  Ray, too?"

"Yeah.  You okay?  I mean, the baby, and all?"

"Yes, we're fine.  I have to go now."

"All right."

Silence.  Neither one hung up.

"Blair?"

"Yeah?"

"I miss you so much.  Please, can't we just talk?  I'll copter out there right now, and we can sit and talk about it."

"No, Todd.  I made a choice, and I am sticking to it until something changes."

"What do you want to change?"

"I don't want to talk about this now, okay?"

"Do you know what hearing you did to me?"

She smiled, softly.  "I can imagine."

"Imagine, then.  Close your eyes."

She did.  She saw him, in her mind's eye, shirt off, musculature covered in sweat, fully erect, holding himself over her.  She caught herself, "I don't think . . ."

"Shhh.  Now, picture us together.  You know what I mean.  Imagine us."

Her breathing began to give her away.  She wanted him so much.  She missed him.  She longed for him to touch her.  With Sam's accident, and the other complications, they hadn't made love to each other in days.  She dared to say, "What am I supposed to be imagining?"

"Me.  Inside you. Moving."  His voice was smooth, hushed, urgent.  She felt a jolt go through her at his words and pressed her hand to her crotch.  He had never been overly vocal, but the change in the last few years was welcome.  More often than not, he was very verbal with her, and it made shivers go through her when he talked.  

She said, teasingly, "I should get off the phone now.  It's late.  Besides, I've left you, Todd.  There's none of this mutual imagining stuff.  Not until it's all settled."

"What are we settling?  Oh, wait, you don't want to talk about it," he said, and his body was so primed for her that he began to pang all over.  "How about back to the imagining then?"

She couldn't help herself.  She said, "What are you imagining, Todd?"

"Me, over you, sliding into you.  I miss you.  Want you so much.  With everything that has gone on, we've been apart too long."

Her voice went whispers, "Then, pretend.  Because that is what you will be doing for a long time."

"Talk to me, then.  Talk to me while I pretend," he said to her, and felt himself harden, fast.

She was game.  She began to talk in hushed tones, and tell him what she imagined him doing to her.  The whole while, she reminded herself that she was angry with him, until he said, "God, I want you so much, I can be in that copter now and be there in twenty minutes.  Let me come there, Blair.  We don't even have to talk.  We can just love each other."

Shit!  I want him to.  I want him.  Damn.  "No.  Done and over with, Todd.  No more talk of that."

"What about talk of me, using my tongue on you," he said, and his hand was in his pants, stroking.  He said, "The way you like me to, the way that makes you open to me, and grab my hair with your fingers?"

She said, "Todd, you're turning me on, and that's what you intend to do.  I know that."

"Yeah.  So?  You're my wife."

She got brazen, and put her fingers against herself and pressed softly at first, then began to massage in small circles, using the same techniques he always did to make her feel good.  She closed her eyes and moaned in to the phone.  "Yes," she said aloud.

Hearing this, he stroked himself and listened to the sounds of her voice, silken and beautiful, moaning and sighing.  I'm getting her back tomorrow, damn it!

He moved his hand along his length until he felt the pressure building, and said, "I love you so damn much."  I can't hold back.  She's making me crazy with her moans.  It won't be long.  
"Keep imagining, because that's all there is," she whispered, and heard him softly moaning her name, then faster and with more urgency, as she talked him through an exquisite, detailed story about their lovemaking dance.  As she provided more imagery, his words got fewer and further between, and her moans echoed his grunts and groans of want.  She waited until she knew, through recognition of sound and time, that he was close to reaching his peak, and said, softly, "And if I were with you, right now, I'd lean down and take your earlobe in my teeth, lick it and kiss it, and then say, 'yes my love, love me, all of me.'"  At her words, he came in a powerful release, and she heard the enticing details of it in his crying out.  Hearing his sounds made her insides twitch.  As he moaned his pleasure, she flickered her fingers quickly, bringing herself to peak, which she demonstrated intentionally into the phone.  She heard him react and almost could hear him shudder.  

After a while of just his breathing, he said, "I'm coming to get you tomorrow, Blair.  You're my wife."

"So?  You're my husband, and I'm not going with you," she said, but her tone was receptive, sated and, he noticed, tender.

"Stay on the phone with me, Blair, until I fall asleep?  I . . . don't want to be alone.  Not tonight."

She flashed momentarily on what he had told her earlier.  "Is it on your mind?"

"It wasn't a minute ago, but when I'm alone, it's different.  I'm okay, but remembering sometimes gets to me."

"You mustn't think of it.  Don't, Todd."

"I won't, Mrs. Manning."

"At this rate, I won't be her for long."

"You're full of it.  You'll never divorce me, Blair."

"How do you know that?"

The line went quiet.  She waited, getting a slight nervous feeling in her stomach.  He said, "I just know.  We're married and you left me, we just had phone sex, like two teenagers who can't be apart.  We want each other so much, we can't even miss a few hours."

"Well," she said, demurely, "You're wrong.  We've been divorced before.  And God knows, we've been apart."

"Yeah, but not now.  Not anymore.  We've been through everything.  Together.  We've been there for each other.  Sing to me, Blair."

"You have the tape.  Go and get it."

"Please.  Sing to me and talk to me, forever.  Just you.  Just your voice."

Her heart twisted in her chest, and it felt as if it leaped into her throat.  "Forever?"  Her voice had become tiny, vulnerable.

"Forever, Babe.  That's what we've got left.  Sing to me?"

She did.

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