Mister Nobody – Part 38 | And we’re still making love in my secret life

Whisperwind Restaurant. Highlands, Scotland – June 2018

The Whisperwind was an ultra-glamorous restaurant, and he loved how well it showed an era of flawless, vintage luxury that seemed to be gone, but not quite. The restaurant had been opened in the Forties, and the whole atmosphere evoked a chic, old-school quality: the romantic, subterranean delight was perfect for a night out.

Still holding the wine list in his hands, and not particularly interested in the nonetheless delicious salad in front of him, Michael glanced around, at the grey slate walls used as a backdrop for stunning prints – recognizing the hand of at least two Scottish artists, Cadell and Peploe – and ornately framed mirrors. A beautiful setting for the opulent oval room strategically placed in the heart of the restaurant, and decorated with plush, luxurious fabrics.

It was late in the evening and tiny lights twinkled, candles flickered on the tables.

Michael was unsure about his choice: the à la carte menu was excellent regarding wines and cocktails, but the decadent desserts sounded even more appealing for what he had in mind.

“Excuse me, please…”. Michael slightly rose his hand in the direction of the elegantly dressed waiter passing by. The young man smiled gently and stepped closer.

“Yes, sir”.

Michael studied the wine list one last time and then placed it back on the table.

“I would like you to bring a bottle of… ah… Tablas Creek Esprit De Tablas Rouge to the table on the left. The one near the French doors”.

Michael had vaguely motioned his head and the waiter had glanced in that direction. He did it subtly, paying particular attention not to be noticed.

“The one with the madam in blue, dining alone?”.

“Exactly”. Michael entwined his fingers on the table and raised an eyebrow: unlike him, the lady in blue looked very much immersed in reading her menu.

“Yes, sir. Excellent choice, sir. Any message for the lady?”.

Michael didn’t know if the man was talking about the wine or the woman. He narrowed his eyes for a second and smirked, just slightly.

“Just that it is an homage from the heart… And that it comes from the gentleman dining alone at the table near the balcony”.

The young waiter couldn’t help but grin up his sleeve.

“Yes, sir”.

“Thank you so much”.

Michael watched the waiter disappear into the private area of the restaurant and then studied the lady he had put his eyes on for a moment. She was still reading the menu and acted as if she was completely alone in the restaurant. Even better. Michael loved a dare, and had never known a challenge he didn’t want to take on.

All the while, absent-mindedly, he played with the wedding ring at his finger, pulling at it, rotating it. The handcrafted platinum band shone in the candlelight and he realized that he was not hungry at all. Not for food, anyhow. Even the mature, demure version of him still loved the thrill of a novelty, after all. And a little flirting now and then. Possibly with a chance to get lucky, later.

When the waiter appeared from the kitchen with the bottle in his hands, Michael pretended to eat, but actually just played with the food on his plate. Glancing up furtively, he observed the waiter showing the wine to the lovely lady, and speaking to her in a very polite, reserved way. Looking taken aback, at first the woman turned her head toward the man and then, suddenly, blinked and calmly scanned the room, finally intercepting Michael’s table. For a moment, their eyes locked. Then, Michael looked down and strategically resumed repositioning his salad leaves on his plate.

He didn’t see the waiter walking back to him, but heard him clearing his voice as soon as the man was close enough to be acknowledged.

“Excuse me, sir?”.

“Yes?”. Michael raised his head to him. The young man caught in the middle of their little game looked partly amused, partly embarrassed.

“Sir, madam thanks you, but says she doesn’t drink”.

Michael’s eyebrows sprung up in surprise.

“Oh, that’s… unfortunate”, he tilted his head. “Well, then… Please, bring her a bottle of Perrier… in the best ice bucket you have. And… do you think it would be possible to put a ribbon on the bottle? A red ribbon…”.

The waiter smirked.

“Definitely. Any more messages for the lady?”.

“Yes. Please, tell her that I hope that some of the best water in the world can quench her thirst… and maybe convince her to talk to the lonely gentleman trying so hard to get her attention”.

Another subtle smile from the waiter. And a not so veiled glimpse of admiration.

“On its way, sir”.

Once again, Michael waited. When the man brought the carefully dolled-up bottle of water to the woman in blue, at first she looked sincerely surprised. Then she laughed heartily, her voice very low but the expression on her face utterly unambiguous. Michael grinned and, once again, played with the wedding ring on his finger.

This time, as the waiter poured her a glass of the precious water, the lady stared at Michael for what felt like an eternity and he didn’t lower his eyes. She raised her glass and tilted her head, and he mirrored her gesture by raising his glass of wine to her.

They drank at the same time, studying each other, both assessing the situation, as the waiter moved from her table to Michael’s.

“Sir… Madam was very pleased. She thanks you for being so thoughtful and would like for you to join her at her table”.

“Thank you so much. You were very helpful”.

“My pleasure, sir. Enjoy your dinner”.

Finally breaking eye contact with the lady, Michael took his napkin from his legs and folded it, carefully placing it on the table. Then he discretely removed his wedding ring and put it into the pocket of his jacket. He pushed his chair back and stood up, taking his glass with him. He moved smoothly across the oval room and walked over to the woman’s table. She was waiting for him, and observed him as if she was trying to figure him out from afar, her hands clasped under her chin.

She was stunning. Not a chance in the world such a beautiful creature could end up having dinner alone. It was just not fair.

When Michael stopped by the table, she smiled imperceptibly.

“Good evening”. The color of her voice managed to raise the temperature in the room. It was dark, husky and velvety. Michael took a sip of wine, as his throat suddenly felt dry.

“Good evening to you”.

“Please”, she motioned to the empty chair across the small table, “Have a seat”.

Michael obliged and unbuttoned his jacket as he sat. He leaned back in his chair and they stared at each other for a while.

“I am sorry about the wine”.

She just shrugged her shoulders, vaguely.

“No need to be. How could you know that I am not drinking, tonight?”.

Michael arched his eyebrows and sighed.

“I couldn’t. My strategy was pretty simple: I went for a classic. And I chose a bottle of wine that, in my humble opinion, was a perfect match for you”.

Those words seemed intriguing enough to get her complete attention.

“Really? How so?”.

“Well…”, Michael observed the ruby red liquid swirling in his glass, “It almost comes off like a Pinot noir, showing a bouquet of exotic fruit, but then surprises you… finishing with a spicy flavor and a full mouth-feel”.

The lady looked pleased. Michael almost detected some blushing on her cheekbones.

“That was an interesting choice of words, sir. And certainly an original way to start a conversation with a stranger”.

Michael laughed, quietly, his eyes lowering – because part of him had always been genuinely shy and her intense gaze, those shiny bright eyes that reminded him of the sea at night, could be disconcerting at times. In the best way possible.

“Thank you… You know, at my age you have to be original and interesting if you want to break the ice… especially with a beautiful lady like you”.

She didn’t reply with words, but her lopsided grin was enough, for him.

“Well, I think you broke the ice just fine”. She extended her hand. “I’m Lisa”.

He shook her hand and pretended not to notice the familiar butterflies taking off in his chest.

“Nice to meet you, Lisa. I’m Mike”.

Ròs House, May 26th, 2018

The soft, romantic instrumental jazz playing in the background was the perfect frame for their slow dance. And the empty tables all around them were the only witnesses they desired.

Michael and Lisa were alone in the greenhouse, and the evening had turned into a quiet, serene night. Their first night as a married couple after… how many years? Too many. And yet, a part of them understood and knew that a marriage of souls, a spiritual binding of their most profound beings was perhaps the only way to define a relationship that had started so long ago, but was never destined to finish. Not even in the afterlife – the only place where, for a very long time, Lisa thought she would ever meet Michael again. That was the truth they had denied for so long, and that they couldn’t ignore any longer.

The evening had been fabulous. Everything had been so natural, spontaneous, genuine. It didn’t matter how Michael presented himself to the world – another name, another appearance, another identity. He was still the same. He was always the young man in black suit and lavender shirt Lisa had met when she was twenty, at another wedding. The most infuriating, frustrating, adorable, thoughtful, courageous, lovable, sexy man who had ever crossed her life. The man she had never been able to let go completely. Her man.

Lisa sighed, and her hand grasped Michael’s shoulder tighter. They were finally alone. Everyone had left, called it a night, and they were still dancing in the now deserted and dimly lit space.

After the ceremony, Michael and Lisa and their guests had all walked across the garden and straight to the greenhouse, so beautifully set up for the occasion – with small round tables, and delicious food, and music playing in the background. It was time for a celebration, for a communion.

They had toasted, they had laughed, they had enjoyed their dinner and Orin had been a fantastic host – so much, in fact, that neither Lisa or Michael had to worry about taking care of anything. Their only role for the day was that of the newlyweds – and it had been amazing.

Lisa and Michael had barely been apart for the entire evening. Distractedly, they would reach out and take each other’s hand as they talked to the guests. Now and then, one or the other would search for a kiss or would whisper some hushed words to the other. Perfectly in tune, in sync, just like a part of them always had been, no matter the time, no matter their physical distance. They didn’t have to hide it any longer. It was refreshing. It was honest.

The handfasting ceremony didn’t have any legal value for the rest of the world – Lisa was still Miss Presley for the law, and Michael, or better, Ethan, was still the charming bachelor who had never been lassoed. Nothing farther from the truth, but it didn’t matter. Their wedding ran even deeper than the one they had celebrated the first time around, subjected from day one to the general scrutiny. On that same day, so many years earlier. It had been such an oppressive burden for a young, somehow naive, genuinely in love couple that just wanted to survive and do good by one another. A blessing and a curse and, in the end, an impossible task to carry out. Not back then. Not in that environment.

This was different. The profound symbolic meaning of the betrothal ceremony Lisa and Michael had chosen for themselves connected them forever, in front of everyone and everything that mattered to them. Papers and contracts didn’t mean anything. Intent and commitment did. And the handsome baby boy sporting the perfect combination of his parents’ most treasured qualities and unique genetics, was the most important, blatant testimony of the current state of affairs. Things finally were the way they were supposed to be from the start.

Most of the people there knew that. And those who didn’t, understood the importance of the event they were a part of, nonetheless.

At one point during the evening, Bigi had approached his dad and had wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

“Dad… I don’t see you for a while and you guys make a baby. Then I don’t see you for a few more weeks and you even convince Lisa to marry you again. I mean, how cool is that? I told you already: you’re a superhero in disguise!”.

So, yeah, Michael did cool things and was a superhero in disguise, according to his teenage son. And those simple words had made him so proud, had inflated his ego so much, that once again he had wanted nothing but do an endless string of cool things and be “the man” for the rest of his life. Just to make his family proud. And, most of all, to be at peace with himself and so, very happy. He wanted to be a good husband and a good dad for his kids – and he wanted to see Kellan grow and be proud of being his son. He wanted what he had never had: complete privacy and the time to live his life fully.

Michael had experienced absolute and utter happiness in his life, he couldn’t deny that. He had achieved so much with his art, had managed to have three lovely kids, had fallen in love and had been loved in return. Then, at one point, he had lost everything. For a very long time, he had been reckless, full of anxiety and overwhelmed by the void that his existence had become. Several years thinking that there was not a way in the world he could have back what he had lost. In a sense, he had been right: some things were lost forever. Yet their legacy remained, because, at the same time, they were also immortal. And, in the meantime, he had managed to take back what meant the most to him and create new wonders. Now he no longer missed what he couldn’t have. A chapter had closed, he had moved on.

What he was experiencing now, was an entirely different kind of happiness. An ecstasy made of peace, of hope, of quiet serenity. Of thrilling expectations for a future that didn’t involve anything but his family and his private life. No more spotlight. Now Michael knew that he wouldn’t change who he was and what he had for anything in the world. He had discovered that every moment in time held its treasures, and that the way you value things changed with time, as well.

The wedding party had encased all those new and ancient feelings so beautifully, so smoothly. The last time Michael had danced so much had possibly been on stage. And it had been a very different kind of dancing. In this specific occasion, he had danced with Paris – more than once -, with Alicia, with Riley, and at one point even with Priscilla. He had noticed that she was sitting all alone at her table, looking a bit bent out of shape and slightly miserable and stiff, and had leaned toward Lisa, speaking directly into her ear.

“You know what?”.

“What, baby?”. Lisa had placed her fork back on the plate and had covered his hand with her own.

“I think I’m gonna ask the mother-in-law from hell to dance with me”.

Her hearty laugh had made a few heads turn, but Lisa had been unable to control herself.

“How I wish I could have a glass of wine, right now! You have no idea!”.

Regaining some composure, she had finally managed to turn to him, narrowing her eyes, trying to guess if he was serious or not.

“You’re for real, aren’t you?”, she had eventually murmured.

“Of course I’m for real. Look at her, Lise… she’s all alone, her toy boy is in L.A., and the only man she danced with, was Orin. I think that was a kinda shocking experience for her… I mean, it can’t get any worse if she dances with me, right?”.

Another deep, throaty laugh by Lisa and Michael had fought the sudden urge to grab her hand, drag her into an empty room and find twenty minutes for a steamy, torrid and satisfying quickie. God, he didn’t think she realized how otherworldly beautiful she looked in that wedding gown.

“Yes, you’re probably right…”, she had agreed. Then she had looked pensive for a moment. Finally, she had leaned over, resting her hand on his face and gently kissing his lips. A series of slow, innocent pecks. When she had pulled back, her eyes were full of utter tenderness. “OK, my beloved knight in shining armor… once again, go and face the mighty dragon”.

“I got this. You promise to wait for me, my beautiful damsel, although you’re not in the least in distress and are in no need to be saved?”. He had smirked and bit his lip. Another quick kiss had followed.

“Cross my heart. Now go! Before mother starts spitting fire and incinerates the greenhouse…”.

Michael had giggled, standing up and walking over to Priscilla casually, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

“Hi, Priscilla”.

Seemingly enraptured by her phone, she had glanced up at him in surprise.

“Oh… hello…”.

Michael had held out his hand, deciding to go straight for the kill.

“Shall we dance?”. He had smirked at her, trying to convey his good intentions but thinking that he was going to get a big, fat no in response. Instead, Priscilla had stunned him by taking his hand and standing up at once.

“Sure, why not?”. Michael hadn’t missed the amused, daring expression in her eyes. Yeah, Mrs. Presley was almost as shatter-proof as she looked.

And so he had danced with that same woman who had once contributed so much in damaging his marriage to Lisa. Michael’s kindness was honest, and so was his forgiveness. At the same time, those both existed because he had finally won. His perfection could only go so far.

Their slow dance was not at all the extended hug and sultry, intimate swaying back and forth that Michael was currently experiencing with Lisa, naturally. With his mother-in-law, he had been way more traditional and official: he had held her hand in a very chivalrous manner, designating the space between his body and Priscilla’s, and had put his other hand on her mid-back, while Priscilla had rested her hand on his shoulder. At first it had all been a bit tentative and awkward, but ultimately they had just let go and had swayed to the soft jazz playing in the background, looking at each other. Neither of them had felt the need to say much, and they had only exchanged casual pleasantries. Toward the end of the dance, Michael had suddenly gotten very brave and adventurous, and had even invited Priscilla to twirl. He had merely taken a step back from their embrace and had held her arm up in the air.

“Ready?”, he had grinned and raised his eyebrows and, that time, Cilla had looked taken aback for real, and had even giggled. For the shortest moment, she had looked and sounded just like her daughter – something that had managed to startle Michael. Then, being the twirl quite a standard move, Priscilla had known what to do and after the 360 was complete, she had just returned to her starting position, resting her hand on Michael’s shoulder, and had resumed swaying with him.

Priscilla had looked as if she wanted to say something, but then had just shaken her head.

“What?”, Michael had observed her, narrowing his eyes.

She had snorted, imperceptibly.

“Nothing… I was just thinking that… never in a million years I would have thought I’d ever be dancing with you”.

Michael had chuckled lowly, his head lowering. He was honestly amused – mainly because he knew that Priscilla was right. She had even dropped her insufferable ice queen attitude for a second, perhaps without even realizing it. So, apparently there was at least a tiny bit of her that didn’t look like she had come out of a Terminator movie. Or any horror movie. Interesting.

The music had faded off and Michael had moved a step back and, in a very gentleman-like manner, had kissed Priscilla’s hand before thanking her for the dance.

“No, thank you…”, she had replied. Wait, was that a light blush he detected on her cheeks? No, it was probably just the lights in the greenhouse. “Now go back to your bride, mister… Since it looks like my daughter’s finally done waiting for you”.

Alright, her slightly bitchy mask was back in place. Michael hadn’t paid too much attention to it, knowing well that Priscilla’s slight jab was only half-serious.

He had just nodded his head and had walked back to the newlyweds’ table, already noticing the amused stare in Lisa’s eyes. He had sat down and cleared his throat in a very nonchalant manner. Lisa had leaned in and once again had spoken in his ear.

“That was so heroic, my dragon whisperer… I’m glad you made it out alive. Just promise me the last dance of the night’s gonna be with me…”.

And so now they were, slowly swaying to the music, back and forth, just the two of them, as if time and space didn’t exist at all. Lisa’s arms hung loosely around Michael’s neck and her face rested on his chest. Their whole bodies were joined and moved in sync. Lisa’s eyes were closed, and the steady, strong beating of Michael’s heart was the only thing she heard. Her right hand let go of his neck and slid down, resting on the smooth fabric of his black shirt.

Tu-thump. Tu-thump. Tu-thump.

She had never heard anything more fascinating than Michael’s heartbeat. A shiver – the ancient trauma of having to live without him sound asleep, but still very much alive – ran through her body like a cold, winter wind and Michael noticed it. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms tighter around her and pulled her closer to his body. Lisa’s fingers tangled in Michael’s hair, on the back of his head. His heart, his mind – they were everything she craved. And in that, resided the most profound meaning of her constant research of physical contact.

“Are you OK?”. Michael’s breath caressed her ear and Lisa smiled, her eyes still closed.

“Yes. I am also very much in love”.

She heard him smile.

“I am, too”.

They both relaxed, their hearts beating with the same tempo.

“I still haven’t told you… how stunning you look today”. His voice was low, his words accompanied by a gentle kiss on her temple. Lisa pulled back just enough to glance at him.

“You don’t look too bad yourself”.

Her crooked smirk made him giggle and he pulled her closer again, one arm around her shoulders, his other hand resting on the small of her back.

She let him lead the dance, although they were barely moving. She loved when Michael made her feel as if everything was in control. She loved how protected she felt in his arms, how their bodies seemed two pieces coming from the same, perfect puzzle. The moment Lisa had felt more exposed, helpless, vulnerable to every attack, had been when she had thought that he was gone. Lisa hoped she would never have to experience anything like that, ever again.

“This is the last dance of the night… you know that, right?”, she murmured, softly.

“I know. And it’s all for us… that’s why I hope it never ends”.

“Corny. Do you also know that we can keep dancing in our bed?”. She lifted her head and looked up at him. He was smirking that sexy smirk that always made her tingle.

“Well… Sure. Unless you’re too tired…”.

“Too tired? You should know better, grandpa…”.

Michael chuckled.

“We’ll see who’s gonna need a wheelchair tomorrow, woman…”.

“Yeah… we’ll see”.

He tilted Lisa’s chin up and, turning serious, stared at her lips for a moment. Then bent his head enough to kiss her. The soft, gentle kisses deepened, but remained slow. In perfect tune with the music. Half-heartedly, especially because Michael’s hands had started to roam over her back, Lisa pulled back and focused on his soulful dark eyes.

“What are you doing in a couple of weeks from now?”.

He looked only moderately surprised.

“What am I doing in a couple of weeks from now…”, as if looking for an answer, he glanced at the glass ceiling and the sky, painting a superb canvas of stars in the dark blue night, “…I wouldn’t know… I should ask my wife. I’m a married man now, you know? I just can’t come and go as I please…”.

A married man. Her husband. How right those words sounded.

“Oh, I see… Well, what would you say if your wife had planned a mini-honeymoon for the two of you in a very special place?”. Her gaze lowering, Lisa became entranced with Michael’s neck and started to kiss it. He shivered, their sexual tension rising as the space in his pants suddenly started to decrease. Clearly, his gorgeous bride had the uncanny ability to shrink fabrics.

“I’d say that… ah… my wife is a very caring woman… and that’s one of the many reasons why I married her…”. His hands roamed lower and reached her ass, and she nipped at his warm skin. “…twice”.

“Yeah? And what else is she?”.

“She’s… drop-dead gorgeous and smart and…”, he lowered his head and spoke to her in a whisper, “…so fucking good in the sheets…”.

“That’s funny, you know?”. Now that it was Michael’s turn to kiss her neck, Lisa’s words suddenly came out slightly slurred. “I, too, am married to a very thoughtful, handsome, sexy hunk of a man…”. Michael’s teeth grazed her neck and she squirmed, giggling. “No, but for real… I booked a brief out-of-town stay in the Highlands… We’re gonna leave on Saturday morning and be back on Sunday night… if you say yes, that is”.

“What about Kellan?”. Michael pulled back and scrutinized her.

“Riley and Ben are gonna stay here until the end of June… and they are already volunteering to take care of him. Plus, Denise’s gonna be there, too. And an extra nanny. And a nurse. And Miss Emma. Just in case”.

Michael closed his mouth and Lisa laughed, tenderly.

“See? I got it covered. I also spoke to doctor Russell… you know, you’re not the only anxious parent here, and I wanted to be sure that it was OK, for us, to leave our baby for a couple of days…”.

“You were feeling guilty, didn’t you?”, Michael’s knowing smirk made her smile.

“Fuck, yes. You know I did. Anyway, the doc said it’s perfectly fine and she suggested some alone time for us… told me that being partners and lovers is just as important as being parents… both for the baby, and for us as a couple…”.

She felt Michael’s body relaxing and he resumed kissing her neck slowly. Lisa’s head fell back, her body pressing against his. All of a sudden, she felt the need to slide out of her clothes just to grant him complete access.

“Well… if doctor Russell says so… and the baby’s in good hands…”.

“He’s in perfectly good hands…”.

“In that case… Go ahead, Lise… Tell me more about your little plan…”.

Lisa ran her fingernails on the nape of Michael’s neck and reveled in the goosebumps she perceived under her fingertips.

“Curved Stone House in Ullapool… a beautiful place in the West Highlands. Independent house in a very secluded area… privacy-oriented… a lot of amenities… all about three hours away from here… This way, we can be only moderately apprehensive about our beloved baby boy. What do you think?”.

“I think…”. Michael suddenly picked Lisa up bridal-style and started walking over to the door. “…That you deserve a proper reward for your wonderful idea. And that we’re definitely going”.

Lisa laughed, hiding her face in the crook of his neck, and sighed as he strode across the garden and toward the mansion.

“Careful, Mike… your back… I don’t want you to get hurt because you wanna be all macho and carry me ‘round”, she murmured, secretly loving to be treated like a little picnic basket. She was glad that Michael’s penchant for picking her up every chance he got hadn’t changed. And maybe it had been that very gesture that had planted the seed of recognition into Lisa, almost two years earlier, when he was still Ethan Murphy to her. The day she had felt dizzy on the cliff and he had carried back home, holding her into his arms that way.

“My back’s fine and carrying the bride is tradition. Plus, you’re as light as a feather, baby girl… the real question is, are you gonna do something about the only part of me that’s aching?”.

“I love me some caveman every now and then… Bring it on, big guy”.

And he did. He carried her straight to their bedroom, disrobed her of her beautiful gown just as she took off his suit, and all the while they kissed as if it was their last day on Earth. Then, once he finally had her completely naked, Michael laid her down on the sheets and made love to her. Slow, sweet, languid love, spooning her and taking her from behind for a very long time, pressing his chest against her back, one arm wrapped around her torso, caressing her breasts, his other hand in between her legs, Lisa’s face turned to him, their lips connected in an endless kiss. Afterward, when they were both spent and their bodies still tingled in the aftershocks of their intense, simultaneous climax, she rested her head on his shoulder, her hand stroking his sweaty chest and abdomen, his arms and neck.

They stayed quiet for a very long time, in the room illuminated only by the moon’s white brush strokes.

“Mike?”.

“Mh…”.

“All of this… feels so different than the first time…”. Lisa’s voice was barely a whisper.

Michael’s hand kept drawing lazy circles on her naked back, his fingertips playing on the surface of her smooth, soft skin.

“Yeah… Can you hear this?”.

“This… what?”.

He stayed quiet some more.

“This silence. This peace. Something we didn’t have, back then…”.

Lisa bit her lip and kissed his chest.

“You’re right… we didn’t. Aren’t you afraid, Mike? Afraid we’re not gonna make it?”.

“No. I am sure we will make it. We are doing everything right, now”. His lips rested on the top of Lisa’s head. “Nothing comes before us. Before our family… Why, Lise? Are you scared?”.

She took a deep breath and replied saying what her heart told her to say.

“Michael… With you by my side, I forget what fear is”.

Curved Stone House – Highlands, Scotland – June 2018, later that night

Her knees pressed into the soft seats of the couch, her body in direct contact with Michael’s, Lisa didn’t know where she ended and he began. The fusion was complete, all their systems were ignited and engaged – mind, soul, body, heart – and it didn’t matter how breathtaking the night was, how the dark blue sky caressed the highlands outside the massive glass doors, how the crickets chirped outside, how great it would have been to take a walk out, together, hand in hand. They couldn’t hear anything but their breathing and their whispered words, they couldn’t see anything but each other. They didn’t want anything but become one with the other.

They hadn’t even bothered turning on the lights in the house. The moonlight was more than enough to show what needed to be shown and Lisa pulled back slightly, just enough to enjoy the sight of Michael leaning back into the couch as she sat astride him, her hands on his broad shoulders, her body pressing down on him. She loved how his breath was already uneven and short, how his dark eyes had turned almost black in rapture.

She loved how his hands held her at the hips and how he directed her movements on his body. Without much of an effort, he lifted her slightly and pulled her closer, and her fingers slid on his face, framing it, as they shared their umpteenth slow, passionate, open-mouthed kiss.

Was it surprising that their want and lust for one another burned enough to melt steel? Not really. Was it surprising that they had role-played for the entire night, pretending to meet casually and agree to engage in a torrid, one-night stand? Maybe a little bit. Because they hadn’t done anything like that in a very, very long time, years really, and they both knew they were now implicitly trying to make up for all that useless time they had so stubbornly spent apart.

Time had become of the essence. Every hour, every minute was meaningful, and even the most casual moments hid awareness and intention. All those moments were wholly natural and purposeful at the same time. And they all felt right.

The dinner at the restaurant had been enjoyable, to say the least. Lisa had been expecting the wine – or maybe a flower – but the bottle of expensive water delivered at her table in the elegant ice bucket had caught her completely off-guard and had made her laugh. Of course, Michael had been good at feigning surprise when she had refused the wine – although he knew very well that Lisa couldn’t drink as long as she was still breastfeeding their son – but everything else had felt very genuine. It was probably because role-playing, just like many other things in their lives, now felt familiar and new at the same time. An uncharted territory that needed to be rediscovered because they both had changed through the years. Evolved.

As soon as Lisa had invited Michael to join her at her table, the game had been one hundred percent on, and they both had played their cards flawlessly. They had talked, pretending not to know anything about one another but being completely honest with their answers. They had enjoyed their light dinner together. Then the teasing and flirting had started.

“Look, I just want to tell you this right now. I don’t care how much you beg. I don’t care how much you plead. I am not having sex with you tonight. You gotta know that I’m not that kind of man”, Michael had told her at one point, almost out of the blue. It was one of his notorious surprise attacks. His voice was deep and low and his eyes showed a mischievous glint, as he studied her reaction while he distractedly pulled at his beard. His strategy had worked and Lisa had thrown her head back, laughing heartily. He could be such an adorable jerk, and few people in the world had the power to make her laugh like he did. How she had missed his silly jokes…

“What are you talking about? I’m not hitting on you…”. Lisa was still giggling and could tell that he was trying hard to hold back his own chuckle.

“You know exactly what I am talking about. I see what you’re doing, but your feminine wiles won’t work on me”.

“What a moron you are, Mike”, Lisa had to wipe her eyes. “You’re the one who should get his mind out of the gutter, here…”.

This time he had laughed, too, lowering his head and trying to control himself. They were a little out of shape in their role-playing, apparently. He had cleared his throat and had looked up at her again.

“Not really. So please, stop thinking those dirty thoughts — we just met. And don’t look at me like that, I’m not a piece of meat”.

Lisa’s laugh had finally subsided and she had started feeling all tingly and hot. Because that was always the other side of the coin of Michael’s playful attitude.

“For real?”. Turning serious, she had narrowed her eyes. “So you’re not an easy guy, uh? Well, too bad then… since I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I’d like to do to you tonight… and what I’d want you to do to me…”.

Lisa had rubbed her foot up and down Michael’s leg under the table in a slow, tantalizing way that promised even more heavenly ministrations, in a more privacy-oriented setting. His entire body had stiffened and he had blinked, the words he was about to say dying on his lips. Then he had regained some control over himself and his warm, strong hand had reached down, disappearing under the table and resting on Lisa’s knee. She had shivered, as his fingers played on her skin as if he had just started discovering her. As if he wanted to move things further, right there and then.

“That’s right, Miss Lisa… I’m very hard to impress…”.

Wasn’t it incredible how their silly words had managed to make her feel all jumbled up inside, her panties already on the verge of combustion? Once again, not really. Lisa knew her man intimately, she had made love to him thousands of times, had allowed him to take her any way he wanted, to have all of her. There was absolutely nothing she had denied him, through the years, not an inch of his body she hadn’t explored and worshiped. Lisa knew how Michael’s breath would quicken when he would move into her, she knew his moans and sighs and little whimpers in the moment of ecstatic pleasure that coincided with his climax, she knew how he liked to be pleased and what he could do to please her. However, there was always an element of surprise about Michael, something about him that she had never been able to decrypt completely. Lisa guessed it was part of his attractiveness.

Oh, so many years earlier she had quickly discovered that Michael had the power to switch his charm on and off as he pleased. He could come across as harmless and innocent one moment and then, once he had set his mind on something – or, in this case, someone – he would instantly turn seductive, charming, tantalizing. Tempting. Sexy. Irresistible.

Just like now.

Lisa’s eyes focused on his flushed skin and she ran her hands over his naked chest. She loved seeing him like this. His light blue shirt unbuttoned and crumpled but still on, his trousers open and only slightly lowered. She, too, was only half-naked: her dress was gone, but she was still wearing her lingerie. Thigh-highs included. There was something so incredibly arousing in having still some clothes on. And that, coupled with the confidence and familiarity, trust and communication she and Michael had built together, made sex even more adventurous and satisfying than it had ever been. Their lovemaking was like fine wine – it improved with age. They could be sexual as they wanted to be, because it all had to do with their relationship and because they had a history of enjoying their intimacy. They were extra steamy – just like the long, luxurious showers they would usually take. Together. With lots of soap. Getting much wetter – or more slippery – than that wasn’t easy.

She took Michael’s left hand and kissed his fingers, one by one, all the while staring at him.

“Mike…”.

“Yeah…”. His free hand ran on the soft material of her stockings, then reached the skin of her lower abdomen, caressing it gingerly. Lisa gasped, her pelvis pressing down on his rock-hard bulge. He was already burning her, and she hadn’t even touched him yet.

“I want you to put your wedding ring back on…”.

Lisa knew she had broken character, but she didn’t care. She didn’t want to interrupt the intense foreplay they had been engaging in – quite the opposite, in fact – but suddenly she didn’t feel like playing anymore.

Michael held his breath for a moment and then exhaled a long sigh.

“Thank God…”, he mumbled, and reached over, grabbing his jacket from the armrest and retrieving the ring he had carefully stored in the front pocket. Lisa smiled. Well, apparently great minds did think alike.

Michael grinned and took Lisa’s hand, placing his wedding band in her palm.

“Wanna do the honors?”.

Wordlessly, she put the ring back on his finger, then kissed his knuckles. She held his hand close to her mouth and looked up at him with those eyes he had never been able to say no to. Michael caressed her chin.

“You read my mind, baby girl… I need my wife. I miss her already. Don’t get me wrong… Miss Lisa was smoking hot, and until a few years ago I would have tapped that thing any day of the week, but you’ve been my lover way too long for my taste… And now I want more”.

Lisa tilted her head and smirked, her eyes narrowing. Yeah. His half-playful tone hid some melancholic truth. He was probably thinking about the very last stage of their relationship, before everything was blown to smithereens. At that time, he had indeed asked her to start again, clean slate. A part of her had even realized that he was ready to marry her again, and she had been terrified at the idea of another failure. What a fool she had been, ignoring what had been so indisputable in her soul, despite her many efforts of burying the truth under the usual pile of shit.

She ran her hands through Michael’s hair, combing it back, then kissed his forehead, over and over, pushing her intense sexual desire for him back for a minute, letting tenderness surface and take over.

“I want you to be my lover for the rest of my life… And I definitely want you to keep tapping that thing any day of the week… or any hour of the day, really… but please, Mike, more than anything else… Please, don’t ever stop being my husband…”.

He pulled her closer to him.

“Never again, Lise… Never again…”.

His lips on her collarbone, and every time they touched her skin, it was like tongues of fire lapping at her, making her soar even higher.

“Playing was fun… but our reality is even better, for once…”. His husky whisper caressed her deep inside and Lisa slid her hands under his unbuttoned shirt, finding the hot skin of his back, scraping at it slightly as he unclasped her bra and tossed it on the couch, his mouth immediately on her breasts.

She arched back, offering herself to him, entirely. She held his head down, where she knew he wanted to be. Where she, too, wanted him to be.

“Would you ever do that?”, she panted, her eyes closed.

“Do what?”. Michael’s voice had once again reached that deep, husky baritone timbre. His tongue and teeth kept playing with her, his lips wandering all over her soft skin, then latching onto her nipple.

“…Cheat on me”.

Now, those words effectively stilled his movements and he backed off slightly. Lisa opened her eyes and looked at him. His face was serious and grave. But also open, honest.

“No. I have never cheated on you and I’d never do it. You know that. You know me”.

She did. When they were together, nobody else existed. Through the years, they had both had other bodies warming up their beds, but those people – their purpose was different. Somehow they had been caught in the crossfire. Their role – it wasn’t at all about all-consuming love, unbridled passion, desire transcending a physical necessity. Those were people needed to chase loneliness away. People Michael and Lisa had thought could replace that one person they seemed unable to banish from their minds. Worst case scenario, people they had punished themselves – or the other – with. So, yeah, Michael was right. He had never cheated on Lisa. And neither had she. If anything… Michael had been her lover even when he wasn’t supposed to be. And Lisa didn’t regret a single minute of the time they had spent together, even when they were officially apart. Even when she was married to someone else.

“Would you?”.

His question startled her and, for a moment, she just studied him. The seriousness in his eyes was clear.

“You honestly think I would ever want to be with anybody else but you, Mike? That I’d want to share my bed, or my life, with any other man on this planet?”. Lisa’s voice stayed soft, even.

His eyes lowered, then looked up again just as his hands started running on her thighs.

“No. But I want you to say it…”. The soft caress on her legs turned into a firm grasp. Not enough to hurt her, obviously, but enough to be felt and noticed. “…Say it, Lisa Marie”.

That was Michael’s possessive streak saying hello. It happened, from time to time. Lisa couldn’t really blame him. They had both put each other through heaven and hell too many times to forget about the past. They could only deal with it, as best as they could.

“No, Michael. I would never cheat on you. You have no idea how many times I’ve found myself thinking about you while I was with someone else. I was never able to erase you from my heart… or from my body”.

He set his jaw and Lisa bit her tongue. Michael had never liked to hear her say that she had been with anyone else but him, even if he knew that was what had happened. But he had to see the truth – he had to see that she was always his. Even in their worst moments. Even when she pretended to forget.

“Did you really think about me when you were… with him?”.

Michael was talking about Lockwood. In retrospect, the worst person Lisa could possibly marry. What a bitter aftertaste, to realize that she had decided to trust a classless gold-digger instead of Michael. What a bitter aftertaste, to remember how her heart had screamed in agony when she had lied to Michael, talking about her alleged indifference. To protect herself, yes, because at that point she was disarmed and hopeless. But still.

Well – lies were banished, from their new life. Too bad the same thing couldn’t be said about regret – or guilt. Those were rooted way too deep to be eradicated. Sadly, judging was always more comfortable in hindsight, but the past could not be changed and the future had yet to be written. Only the present remained – and mattered. And so, Lisa took Michael’s face into her hands and stared at him, waiting for him to understand that her heart was nothing but open and sincere.

“OK… let me ask you this… Would it surprise you if I told you that I did… every… fucking… time? That I missed you, every single day?”.

He seemed to ponder over her words for a second. Lisa felt he was unsure. Once again, she couldn’t blame him. That was on her. She had done that. And now she aimed to undo it. To unbreak what had once been broken. Not a single crack was allowed to alter the perfection of what they had become. Didn’t he know? It didn’t matter what would happen, he would always be the one for her. He was always it.

Lisa leaned in and kissed him, hard and full. She pulled back and stared at his slightly parted lips and then went in for the attack again. Another kiss, even deeper this time. His scent, his taste – intoxicating. She moaned into his mouth and wasn’t surprised when he felt him hook his fingers into her G-string and rip it off in one single motion. Liquid heat ran through her as she realized that his gesture was the prelude of so much more. Craving it with every cell of her body. Michael was marking her his. And she needed it to happen.

It was not only because of their past, because of the baggage they would always bring with them, anyway. It was also because they hadn’t had much time to make love, lately. The preparations for the wedding had absorbed them so much – they both wanted everything to be perfect and had been consistently busy, organizing every single thing in detail. Then the guests had started to arrive, in different moments, not to draw useless media attention – something that had been a moot point anyway, in hindsight. Obviously, their families and friends had stayed at Ròs House, which was spacious enough for a small army. But they also were a bit… demanding, in the most endearing way. And finally, their beautiful baby boy: Kellan took all of Michael’s and Lisa’s time, and they loved it. So, at night, when they would finally lie down in bed, they were usually too exhausted to have the energy for something more than a quickie. They were not thirty anymore, after all – even if it didn’t look like it. Since resuming their relationship, both Lisa and Michael looked younger, fresher, fitter, more energetic and definitely happier. It seemed as if at least ten years had slipped off their shoulders. Love and happiness had that power.

Their kiss got deeper and more passionate and Lisa reached down blindly, just as Michael started caressing the soft, smooth skin of her sex. Her hips jerked forward automatically and she trembled against his touch. Her shaky hands found him, and she started to rub him through his underwear. The only thing Lisa wanted, was to have him buried inside of her. She finally reached in, her fingers closing around his already very pronounced erection, and Michael backed off, his gaze roaming all over her body, his breath short. One hand still in between her legs, the other skillfully reaching around and resting on her ass, he bit his lip and smirked, imperceptibly.

“God, baby girl… your body is made for sex…”.

Lisa smiled.

“So is yours, daddy… so is yours…”.

His hand moved from her ass and came to rest on top of Lisa’s just as she wrapped her fingers tighter around his dick. Lisa’s gaze fell and she stared in fascination at the way he guided her movements. Their fingers interlaced and she replicated his gesture, covering his other hand with her own. She pressed Michael’s hand at her center and bucked against him, moaning. She loved feeling his touch on her, just as she loved touching him. And the moment his hips started to move slightly, and he allowed himself to glide into her hand, which couldn’t even hold him fully, she began to feel dizzy.

Lisa sank against him and they kissed some more, as their movements intensified.

“I don’t wanna hold back, tonight… and I don’t want you to do it, either… I need everything you have to give…”.

“Yeah? Why?”. His grip on her hand tightened, his movements quickened slightly. His commanding, demanding tone worked as an aphrodisiac and Lisa swallowed.

“Because I am yours… and I need you to make it very clear”. Which was the truth. She wanted him to leave his mark on her, because she was his, and because she wanted him to be entirely sure of that, too. She wanted him to never have doubts again.

“That’s right, Lisa…”. His breath was labored. “You’re mine… Come on, baby…”.

She looked at him with smoky, bedroom eyes, then leaned in and kissed him again. She spoke right against his lips.

“What do you need, Mike… I do whatever you want, you know that…”.

His face was in check, and no definite expression gave away his deepest emotions. His eyes, though… those were a different animal altogether. And they could not lie. Not to her.

“I want you to go ahead and take it… come on, Lise… put it where it needs to be…”.

She let his words sink in, shivering. Then rose to her knees and guided him inside of her. She descended on his body ever so slowly, feeling every single inch of him. And he had a lot to give.

Michael flinched.

“Damn, girl… you got me all worked up… Can you feel how hard you’ve got me?”.

She looked down and exhaled a shaky breath.

“Holy shit, Mike… oh, baby…”. She held onto his shoulders, her legs trembling. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on him completely and they both moaned. Lisa squeezed her eyes shut as her body accommodated him fully.

“Lise…”, his low voice called out to her. “Don’t do that… Eyes on me, baby. Always on me”.

Her head spinning, she lazily opened her eyes and they stared at each other.

“Look at me…”, he repeated, and then started to move. Slow, dragged, deep strokes, touching her everywhere, making her feel whole, complete. Lisa winced and clung to his neck with one hand, the other pushing his shirt off his shoulder. Her pleasure was already mounting, like a tidal wave.

“Fuck… It’s too much. I can’t stand it. Kiss me, baby. Please”.

Michael reached out, grabbing her by the back of her head and pulling her down and against his lips. His tongue seeking entrance and finding it, no opposition, no resistance. He thrust into her, rotated his hips, and he, too, was gone already – careening nowhere, straight into the void, and yet sinking into that agonizing transcendence, losing himself and finding her in the process. Finding her with each and every stroke. He couldn’t help it, couldn’t control himself and his movements became sharper, more aggressive, and Lisa took the brunt of his passion, her stormy eyes staring, staring at him in between kisses. Michael vanished into her eyes and told her, without even realizing he was pronouncing the words.

“You disarm me. Completely. I have no defenses against you. I am drowning in your eyes, Lisa… drowning in you…”.

Lisa’s eyes turned watery and she flinched again, and Michael felt her wetness slipping on his skin. She braced her arms on either side of his body, looking for more leverage, and bucked against him again, sobbing. His gentle, tender words, right after he had seduced her with his domineering attitude made her feel in desperate need of feeling him all over, both inside and outside. After being fragmented for such a long time, she realized she became whole again, every time they made love. And they had this night, now. Their mini-moon before they found the time for a more extended, much-deserved vacation.

“I love you… I love you like this… I love you in between my legs, I love how you love me…”.

Their foreheads touched as she started riding him harder, and his hands reached around, grabbing her ass. Michael pressed her down on his body and his head fell back. Lisa noticed his pulse accelerating.

“Oh shit… oh baby… Gosh, I fit in you so perfectly…”.

“Yes… yes, you do…”, she panted and grabbed his hair, on the back of his head, forcing him to look at her. “Eyes on me… Look at me… don’t look away… remember?”.

Michael clenched his teeth and surged up in one, strong thrust, making her whimper. Without leaving the sheathing warmth of her body, he suddenly rose from the couch and in a couple of long steps reached the glass table at the center of the room. He made her sit on the cold, smooth surface and Lisa moaned, then resumed moving with him, without losing a beat. She wrapped her arms around his body, tangled her fingers in his sweaty curls and pulled him closer, whispering in his ear.

“You like it when I spread my legs and take you in?”.

“Fuck, yeah…”. Michael nipped at her shoulder.

“Tell me how much you love it… talk to me… I wanna see that gentleman losing all his inhibitions…”.

Whatever control Michael had been keeping on himself snapped at her words. He pushed her back until she rested on her elbows, and he looked down at her, stilling his movements for a minute, taking in several deep breaths.

Lisa recognized the quality of his look and trembled in anticipation.

Michael’s hands ran over her thighs, slowly, deliberately.

“You’re a bad, naughty girl, Lise…”.

“Yes, daddy… I’m afraid I am…”. She reached down and touched herself – and him – where they connected.

“That’s right, you’re so bad… I’m going to treat you like a bad girl, baby… the bad girl you always wanna be, deep down…”.

“It’s true… I want to be bad, Mike…”, Lisa nodded her head and, as he pulled back slightly, closed her fingers around him. “And I want you to give it to me good…”.

“Yeah?”.

“Yeah… if you think you can still do it, obviously…”. A smirk accompanied her bold words. Michael grinned, shaking his head, and Lisa knew she was in trouble.

“You better be careful there, with all that taunting, baby girl…”.

“Really?”, Lisa cocked her head and watched him with innocent eyes, “Don’t you like that, you bad boy? I thought you did…”.

“I wonder what you like, Lise…”, he underlined his words with a slow, deep thrust and her eyes rolled back for a moment. She swallowed.

“You know the answer… Come on, Mike… make me scream… fuck me good…”.

Still smirking, Michael hooked his arms under her knees and started to move again with forceful, vigorous strokes, pounding into her. Lisa cried out and reached back, grabbing the edge of the table with both hands, contrasting his assault as best as she could… and loving every minute of it.

“Come on, baby…”, she managed to breathe out as he drove her to distraction, as he occupied all the space inside of her, body and soul, making her dangle dangerously between pleasure and pain. “There you go, Mike… oh shit… oh fuck…”.

“That’s it, baby… You like being fucked like that? You like it hard and rough like that, don’t you?”, he snarled.

“Oh, fuck, yeah… just like that, honey. Oh, shit… I’m coming already…”.

His cocky side, so very strong and masculine, coupled with the way he was loving her, shattered her and her body started writhing underneath his. Michael stilled as she bucked and ground against him wildly, moaning out loud, her climax intense enough to threaten his sanity and endurance. He felt sweat tickle his temples and neck and wiped off his forehead with one hand, as the other still held Lisa at the hip.

“Good girl… oh yeah… That’s it… You come for me, Lise… God, I love you so fucking much…”.

His words pushed her further down the abyss of pleasure that was swallowing her up whole and she arched her back, pushing herself onto him and moaning.

“Fucking hell, Mike… Move, don’t stop…”.

He didn’t need any encouragement, really. He sank his hips deeper into her, leaving no doubt of his ability to grant her the highest sexual and emotional gratification. He let go of her legs and Lisa’s thighs closed in a vise around his hips, pulling him closer to her, her back still arched, her tanned skin almost shiny in the moonlight. Still moving inside her body, Michael bent over and his tongue traced a path from her navel and up to her sternum, then deviated to her breasts, first one, then the other. She whimpered and he felt her perfect body shuddering again, as he sucked and bit her the way she loved it. His blood thundered in his ears and, for a split second, he wondered how long he would be able to endure such torturous delight. It didn’t matter. They had all the time in the world.

Lisa’s arms closed around him, one hand on his head, the other one on his back.

“Keep going, baby… oh my God… keep going…”, her words sounded choked up, as if she was on the verge of tears.

“Baby… Oh shit…”. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth and Lisa grabbed his head, looking at him, her eyes wide open and so very, very blue. As he pressed his body firmly against her and stroked her with grinding motions, he could feel himself getting closer and closer to the precipice.

“No, wait… wait… don’t come just yet…”, Lisa swallowed and her internal muscles clamped down on him, almost stilling his movements, “…Hold it a little longer… can you do that? I wanna come with you…”.

Michael let out a breathless chuckle and propped up on his arms, his head lowering as he struggled, but somehow managed to keep his pleasure at bay.

“Damn, woman… Make up your mind already…”.

He felt her hands rest on his shoulders and glanced up at her. Lisa looked like a goddess – tousled hair, shiny eyes, luscious lips. A beautiful goddess suddenly about to crack up. And still clung to him like a koala bear.

“Sorry…?”. It almost sounded like a question and she rose an eyebrow, hesitantly. And just like that, Michael started to giggle. A second later, Lisa was chuckling too, the vibrations in her lower abdomen reverberating into his cock, making him flinch.

“Hey! Stop it! You’re gonna make me lose it if you keep that up!”.

Instead of turning serious, she laughed even more and he just withdrew from her body, giggling himself.

“What the fuck, Mike!”, still very much amused, Lisa sat up on the table and closed her legs in a very lady-like manner. She crossed her ankles and her feet started dangling in the air. “You sex me all up and now you’re leaving?”.

“Leaving? Are you for real?”. Michael gestured at himself and she burst out laughing once again.

“I’m so sorry I’m killing the mood, baby…”. Her fit of laughter continued and he just shook his head, stepping closer and wrapping his arms around her, kissing her in between giggles. She wasn’t killing the mood at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Not only he was still rock-hard and utterly aroused, but knowing they could be funny, and silly, even in their dirtiest moments, felt so… refreshing. So sexy, even.

“You’re not. But I’m hot”. Stepping away from her once again, he took off his shirt and tossed it aside.

“Oh, you’re hot alright…”, smirking and playfully holding her tongue in between her teeth, Lisa reached out and tried to grab him. Michael jumped back, pretending to swat her hand away.

“Whatcha doing? Come here, lover boy…”.

“I said…”, in a feigned huffy tone, he pulled down his pants and underwear and stepped out of them, removing his shoes and socks in the process, “That I’m hot… which means that I need to cool off”.

“What?!”. Another one of Lisa’s classic low, throaty laughs ensued and he smirked up at her, blinking. God, she was so stunning – his heart threatened to explode.

Now naked from head to toe, Michael kissed her lightly on the lips and walked over to the panoramic sliding glass doors facing the dramatic West Highlands vistas and Summer Isles. He opened the door and stepped out, on the external space of the house.

He just stood there, hands on his hips, enjoying the fresh June night and staring at the stunning view before his eyes. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, pretending to ignore Lisa’s laughs behind his back. He adored making her laugh like that. Through the seven years they had spent apart since June 2009, whenever he had followed her footsteps in the media she had always appeared so sad. So lonely. So very lost. And his heart had broken, every single time.

Well, no more! And if that meant standing butt naked on a patio of a house that wasn’t even his, so be it.

“Where are you going with that flagpole? You’re such a silly boy… Are you seriously prancing around with your fife out like that?”.

He smiled in the night, his back still turned to her.

“Stop complaining and come here, woman!”. Another deep breath. “You’re missing out!”.

“I know, right? But let me tell you… the view is amazing from here, too…”.

Michael ignored the double meaning in her words and just waited for her. And she appeared by his side, a minute later, wrapped in a blanket.

Lisa glanced down at him.

“I admire your staying power, baby. I really do. Junior never disappoints”.

Michael smirked and pulled her closer to him, positioning himself behind her back and circling her body with his arms. She immediately wiggled her perfect ass against his dick. Tease!

“That’s because I’m not even remotely done with you…”, he spoke in her ear and kissed her cheek. “But look at that…”. He pointed at the starry sky over the highlands. It looked like a sparkling white rainbow on a dark blue backdrop.

Lisa stayed quiet for a long time, just enjoying his embrace.

“It’s beautiful, Michael…”. Her voice suddenly became so very soft. She snuggled more against him and turned her face, meeting his lips. “You are beautiful…”.

And she was honest. There was a particular attractiveness in Michael’s gracious aging, and Lisa guessed it was also because, at one point, she had thought he would stay young forever – in her memories. Young, fascinating and unattainable. But now there he was, with her, and he was stunning. They had experienced life in its highs and lows, they had conquered their fears and mustered through the hard knocks. This was a new era for them. Their break of dawn.

More than ever before, in that very moment Lisa realized how much she loved the wisdom and vitality that this mature version of Michael had. It set him head and shoulders above any guys half his age. They just couldn’t measure up… in so many ways, literal and otherwise. They couldn’t measure up when Michael wasn’t even forty, and they couldn’t now that he was approaching his sixties and was still sexy as all get out. He was in his golden years and also the farthest thing from the grumpy old man. He was a man who had become very much capable of taking care of himself, who went jogging in the early morning, ate adequately and – gasp! – even managed to get a solid six or seven hours’ sleep at night. He was also the man who knew how to love his woman right – all of her. His body was fit and firm and his mind was sharp and stimulating. His spirit was restored. And sexually speaking… well, saying that Michael was pretty darn attractive was the understatement of the year. He no longer had to prove anything to anyone, which was liberating, and there was a sense of fearlessness about him that was so different from the stubborn recklessness Lisa had witnessed in the past.

“Baby, you’re poking me with that thing”.

She heard him giggle and then he scooped her up, her blanket falling on the floor. Lisa squealed.

“Oh my God, you’re completely nuts! Put me down!”. All the while, her arm circled his shoulders and she started kissing his neck. “…Or put it back in, at least…”, she purred.

Yeah. Lisa was the epitome of coherence. Michael walked back into the house, closed the glass door and let Lisa’s body slide down slowly, until her feet touched the floor. She was still wearing her stilettos and her elegant, toned legs wrapped in those thigh-highs pushed any further intent of playing in the back seat of his mind.

She felt it too, and her hands glided over his chest, his stomach and further down. They were warm and soft and, instinctively, Michael’s hips pushed forward. Lisa closed her eyes and inhaled a long breath.

He reached up and caressed her cheek, then bent his head and they kissed. The kind of kiss that would always make Lisa weak at the knees.

“No more goofing off, baby girl…”, another slow kiss. “Turn around, hands on the glass… Open your legs for me…”.

Lisa’s hold on his cock tightened for a second and she gave him a light tug. Then she let go of him and turned, watching him in the reflection on the glass. She welcomed the idea of having no control, of being submissive to him, and felt already overwhelmed by the passionate, explicit nature of the position he had chosen to love her – one she considered extremely intimate because it made her feel so exposed, all the while knowing that she could trust Michael completely. It was their favorite – combining the dirty, deep penetration they both craved with the raw urgency that was so typical of their lovemaking.

Michael caressed Lisa’s back, massaging her muscles, kissing her neck as his arms reached around, his hands cupping her breasts. Lisa moaned and her head fell back, against his shoulder, as she felt him slowly rubbing against her. He was pure steel and she had to fight the urge to get down on her knees and taste him.

He stepped back and his gaze and hands reached her ass, stroking it. His face looked so very serious and mesmerizing, in the reflection on the glass door.

“Damn, babe… Your ass looks so good, up in the air like that…”.

“Yeah? Whatcha gonna do about it, Mike? Are you gonna take that pussy or not? That’s your pussy, baby… you know that…”.

He smirked, his eyes still focused on that part of his wife he had always loved so much.

“You’re such a bad little thing…”.

“Well then, maybe you should spank me… it’s the only way I learn”.

“Maybe… but let’s try this, first…”.

Michael bit his lip and surged forward, penetrating her from behind in one smooth stroke and Lisa moaned out loud, her head falling forward. Instinctively, her lower body pushed back and into him and he let out a sigh. Then he started moving, alternating tantalizing shallow thrusts with deep, circular movements. The way they were making love was so incredibly arousing – it was the primeval, lascivious position coming down from any human’s savage pedigree, but also the one able to create that incredible, intense eroticism that came with the uniqueness of their profound connection.

Michael leaned over and his sweaty chest adhered to Lisa’s back. His hand on her throat as he kept pounding into her, he turned her head until their lips met. They kissed for what felt like an eternity, and when they finally broke apart she was already coming, so violently that she thought her body would just crumble. But no – Michael was there, his other arm around her waist, his hand in between her legs, touching her just right, heightening her pleasure, disintegrating her and keeping her in her solid form, all at once.

“Fucking hell… You always make me come so fucking hard, Mike…”.

Lisa thought she was done, but then he gave her another solid series of perfect thrusts and she felt another string of words leave her lips, as she shattered and convulsed against him once more. She had no idea what she had said, exactly. She was only sure she loved him so very, very much. Michael kissed her again, swallowing her whimpers and she felt him tense and freeze for a moment.

“Lise… girl… Oh my God… oh, fuck…”.

“Oh, yes Mike… please baby, please let it go… I wanna feel you… let me have it, baby”.

And then he got lost, too, grunting and pushing into her hard, sighing and cursing. The feeling of him finally losing it, of him releasing into her as he sobbed his pleasure and throbbed inside her body, dragged her along and she climaxed again, with him. Or she just kept coming, she couldn’t tell. Lisa just knew that the pleasure he was subjecting her to was blinding.

She felt him tremble and then, finally, his body relaxed. Panting, Michael rested his forehead on her shoulder and kissed her salty skin. Although having him inside was possibly one of the best feelings in the world, to her, she needed to see him, hold him, kiss him. As if reading her mind, Michael pulled back with a long sigh and Lisa turned, immediately burying herself in his arms, closing her eyes. She almost didn’t realize it, when he picked her up again and carried her to bed, depositing her gently on the fresh sheets and lying down by her side. Her body moving instinctively toward what she needed the most, Lisa rested her head on his chest and he kissed her head, over and over.

“God, baby… your heart is racing…”, she whispered.

“For you… It’s racing for you”. Michael’s voice was hoarse. He looked down at her, at the perfect curves of her body, at the way the white sheets caressed her creamy skin. “I want to capture you, like this, and freeze this moment forever…”.

Lisa smiled against his chest and kissed his skin, again and again.

“I am so in love with you…”.

Michael’s eyelids fluttered closed and he held her tighter.

“Me too. My beautiful, beautiful bride…”.

Those simple words, spoken in such a soft tone in the perfect silence of the night forced a tear out of Lisa’s eyes.

“I was thinking that…”, she kept kissing and caressing his chest, “…I will never take anything for granted again… I know I’m gonna face every day with a feeling of wonder… knowing how losing you had devastated me… knowing how having you back has brought me back to life… Yeah… now I know, Mike… I do know what I didn’t know back then”.

Michael’s fingers tangled in her long hair.

“I, too, have experienced what losing you feels like… remember that?”.

Oh yeah. She did. The last year and a half replayed in front of her eyes like a movie.

Meeting him again – not knowing it was him. Her soul stirring, feeling his return from the darkness, even before her eyes finally recognized him. Their lives finding a new pace – and a different path. And then her trauma, her accident, her coma. His desperation, threatening to destroy what he had so carefully put back together. A loss he would not have been able to survive. But she had come back – for him. Because she couldn’t leave him, she was not ready to leave him, not at that very moment. Possibly never again. And then their passion. Their desire. But also their tenderness and that intense, perpetual longing. Their need to be a part of the other – forever. So neither of them could ever leave. Her pregnancy, their son, their wedding. Rapture, ecstasy, beatitude, ravishment, delight. Finally. And love – that, had always been there. It had never really left, not even in their darkest moment.

Lisa lifted her head and found his face. He was looking at her with his expressive, inquisitive eyes. She just leaned up and kissed him.

“I do. It’s over now… I’m here, Mike. And I’m not going anywhere. I am your wife…”.

He smiled, and every trace of sadness seemed to disappear.

“Yes… yes, you are. Finally”.

Lisa nodded her head lightly.

“So… what are we gonna do with our future?”.

Michael shrugged and smirked.

“With our future? Let me see… In twenty-four hours from now, we’ll already be back home… with our son. You’ll feed him, I’ll bathe him…”.

“…You’ll have to make sure he burps and doesn’t barf, first”.

“Well, obviously! Woman, let me finish!”.

Lisa giggled and snuggled back against his chest.

“I’m sorry. Go on”.

“OK, so… We’ll be back at being the demure, mature, polite and sophisticated version of ourselves…”.

“God, you make us sound so boring, Mike…”.

“Would you shush?”, he playfully pinched her side and she squealed, retaliating with a light bite on his forearm. “And stop biting. We are not boring. We pretend to be. So the paps stay away and leave us alone. But…”.

“But…?”. Lisa’s voice dropped an octave and she started kissing his chest with slow, open kisses. Michael sighed.

“…But the truth is that we are… and we’re always gonna be… anything but ordinary”, he scooted down and tilted Lisa’s chin up, kissing her lips. “…I mean… have you met my wife?”.

“I have… She’s one crazy bitch”.

Michael chuckled and kissed her again.

“I know… She often doesn’t make any sense, either, but I love her just the same”.

Another kiss, deeper this time, and Lisa pulled Michael on top of her and in between her legs.

“Alright, then. We’ll be back home in twenty-four hours. But what about now?”.

When he spoke again, his breathing was more labored.

“Well… for now, I plan to make love to you, over and over again… until dawn. Do not even think about sleeping, tonight…”.

“Oh, I wasn’t thinking about sleeping at all, believe me…”. Her hand started roaming down, disappearing under the sheets, finding him ready. “Oh, baby… Hi…”.

“Hi…”, he moved slightly against her touch and smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t wanna distract you. What were you saying? What are you thinking, Lise?”.

“I’m thinking that… it’s gonna be a beautiful ride”.

Michael took her arms and placed her above her head. Their fingers interlaced.

“It’s gonna be a great ride… This is where we start, Lise… The sky’s the limit”.

Chapter song