Satisfied.  That's the only word I could think of when I reviewed the days' events in my mind's eye.  I was satisfied that I'd made a good decision.  A big decision, but a good one nonetheless.
 
    "Are you happy?"
 
    Somehow, Nick always seemed to drag me out of my reveries with simple yet deep questions.  I turned to see him gazing at me between glances at the stretch of road we were travelling.
 
    "I'm very happy, baby," I said as I took his hand in mine.  "In fact, I don't think happy is the right word to describe how I feel."
 
    As much as I may have thought my answer would reassure him, it didn't seem to.  He bit his lip in concentration as he continued driving.
 
    "Nick?" I tried to meet his eyes.  "Are you happy?"
 
    I saw his eyes shift towards the exit on the road up ahead.  He flicked on the turn signal and turned down it, easing his hand out of mine to grip the steering wheel tighter.  He drove for a while longer, but I knew he had heard my question, and he would answer it in his own time.  I'd learned, just as he had, that we couldn't pressure each other to answer questions that we weren't ready to answer.
 
    By this time it was getting dark, and I could see that Nick was getting tired.  Even though I hadn't been driving, I was getting tired too.  I saw a sign pass by us marked "Motel: 1 KM" and I pointed to it.  He nodded, and as we neared it, he slowed the car and turned into the parking lot.
 
    It was easy to get a room.  This seemed to be a fairly deserted part of the country, yet the motel appeared clean and cozy, just what we needed.  We got our room key and headed back out to the car to get our luggage.  After we'd dragged it into the room, Nick started to roam around, checking things out, so I decided to have a shower.
 
    When I was small, I used to hate having baths and showers, I could think of much better uses of my time than to spend it in a bathtub full of water that was either too warm or too cold for my liking.  But as I grew older, I found them relaxing and soothing, just the thing I needed after a long, stressful day.
 
    Refreshed and revitalized, I stepped out of the shower stall.  I shivered as a chilly breeze greeted me, and I tugged the towel closer to my skin.  ‘That's strange', I thought to myself, ‘I don't remember leaving the door open.'  I shrugged and walked over to the mirror to wipe off the fog, and gasped as a figure appeared behind me.
 
    "Are you ready yet?" asked Nick, trying to mask his impatience and excitement.
 
    I gave him a seductive look and returned the half-smile he'd given to me.  "For you, always."
 
    He came into the bathroom and stood in front of me.  Looking down, he smiled again and bent to pick me up, while I still clutched the towel around me.  I was becoming more and more aware of the knot in my stomach, but I was doing my best to ignore it.  Nick brought me over to the bed and gently sat me down.  I looked around the room and noticed how quickly he'd worked while I'd been in the shower; there were candles all over the room, scented ones at that, soft music playing, and a bottle of champagne with two glasses sitting on the bedside table.  He handed me a glass full of champagne and smiled, clinked his glass against mine and took a sip as I did the same.
 
    "Are you trying to seduce me, Mister Carter?"
 
    He gave me that sexy half-smile again and winked.  "Yes ma'am, I am."  He took another sip of his champagne and set the glass down.  "Is it working?"
 
    I leaned closer to him and replied, "Keep going, and we'll see."
 
    He took my glass from me after allowing me one more sip, and set it down next to his.  Then he took my face in his hands and slowly started to kiss me.
 

 
    Jayme looked around the living room and sighed.  It had been a long day, and she wouldn't have minded in the least if she could just flop down on the couch right then and there and sleep.  But as she glanced over at the forest green piece of furniture, she decided that would be impossible: the couch was covered with pillows, sheets, books, magazines, CDs, and various forms of junk food.  She rubbed her eyes and stretched, then headed over to the couch and started to clean up.
 
    "Need some help?"
 
    She jumped when she heard the voice behind her.  It was a deep, raspy voice, one that she'd recognize anywhere.
 
    "I thought you guys were watching something in the rec room."  She turned around and almost dropped the armload of CDs she'd picked off the couch.
 
    AJ rushed over to her and lifted some of the discs off the pile she'd made.  "The other guys are.  I'm not much for Star Wars, but I couldn't talk Brian out of it, so I came up here to see what you were up to."  He gave her a winning smile and gestured to the mess.  "Guess it's a good thing I did."
 
    Jayme blushed and nodded, not knowing what to say.  Ever since the conversation she'd had with Sam before the wedding about the possibility of she and AJ getting together, she'd been quite shy around him.  The more she thought it, the more she liked the idea of her and AJ as a couple.  She gestured towards the corner of the room, where someone had already started a stack of CDs.  "Um, we can put these over there."
 
    AJ nodded and followed her.  They carefully set down the loads they were carrying, and Jayme started to make her way back to the couch for another load, but AJ stopped her.  He smiled again and ran his finger down her cheek.  "You know Jayme, you're a very pretty girl.  I've been noticing that for quite some time now."  He kept smoothing his thumb over her cheek.  "And you're definitely the type of girl I'd date."
 
    Poor Jayme.  Her heart was beating faster than she'd ever thought possible, and the way he kept looking at her made her think she'd died and gone to heaven.  She reached out her hand and tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling his face a little closer to hers.  Licking her lips in anticipation, she inquired, "So why don't you?"
 
    He moved even closer to her until their lips were only a fraction of an inch apart, and his breath felt soft and warm on her face as he replied, "Maybe I will."
 
    The kiss was one she'd never experienced before.  His lips were warm and soft, and he kissed her gently, as if afraid of scaring her off.  She returned his silent message, deepening the kiss until they slowly pulled apart, each of them breathless.
 
    "Wow" was all she could manage to say.
 
    "I second that" he said quietly.  He pulled her close to him again and embraced her, noting how easily her arms slipped around him in return, and how well she fit to him.  She lay her head on his shoulder and whispered, "Is this for real?"
 
    He kissed her head and closed his eyes.  "It's very real."
 

 
    I awoke to the sounds of crickets chirping and owls hooting.  Slowly, I opened my eyes and took in my surroundings: the dresser standing opposite the bed, the table and two chairs off in one corner, and the door to the bathroom, slightly ajar, all bathed in soft moonlight.  I moved my head up slightly and heard the steady rhythm of Nick's heart beating in my ear, joined by the even movements of his chest going up and down, up and down.  I turned slightly to kiss his chest, and I felt him shift and his breathing pattern changed.  Looking up, I gazed straight into his soft, blue eyes.
 
    "What are you thinking about?" he asked me.
 
    "You never answered my question earlier."
 
    His face wrinkled in concentration until he gave up.  "What question was that?"
 
    I moved myself so I was sitting on his stomach, my knees supporting me on the mattress.  I took a lock of his golden hair and ran my fingers over it, enjoying the silky texture.  "I wanted to know if you're happy."
 
    His knees bent up, and I leaned back, tracing my fingers over his chest.  His hands reached out to grip my waist on both sides and his thumbs massaged my stomach around my navel.  "Right now, I'm very happy."
 
    "Then why couldn't you tell me that before?"
 
    My abrupt question surprised him, and he responded by pulling me down to him and kissing me long and hard.  When we both pulled back, he looked down and proceeded to answer.  "To be honest Sam, I--I was shutting you out."  I gave him a quizzical look and he continued.  "Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve you."
 
    Wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders, I hugged and reassured him.  "Baby, I feel the same way every once in a while.  But then I remind myself that if you didn't want me, and if I didn't deserve you, then we wouldn't be together right now."
 
    He hugged me back and whispered in my ear, "That's why I love you so much."
 
    Relieved that issue had been cleared up, I replied "I love you too."
 
 

Chapter Thirty-Three
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