*****
Sonny smiled to himself as he heard the water run from Dara's bedroom. He knew she was up the minute he saw her bedroom door open a crack. She may have thought she was watching him undetected but he knew that after 20 years of being in the mob life, his eagle eyes would catch *any* kind of movement in an otherwise still environment. Still, he didn't mind her watching, in fact, he grew momentarily disapointed when she shut the door. He turned from the pan to where the cut up fruit and sauce sat. Quickly he grabbed table mats, cutlery, glasses and other assorted items needed and set the table, Corinthos style. After examining each angle of the dining room table, he nodded his head, satisfied with the arrangement. Just as he placed the meal on the plates he'd warmed up, Dara emerged from the bedroom wearing a gorgeous summer dress. She wandered across the hardwood floor barefoot, and gave Sonny a shy smile.
"Hi," Sonny smiled, his dimples flashing brieftly, a sight that was beginning to instantly illicit a deep blush from her.
"Hi, this looks great, it smells better," Dara said appreciatively as she approached the table. She could hardly believe what he had done, all of this for her?
"Tastes even better than it smells or looks, and thank you for the compliment," Sonny noted, bowing slightly before pulling out a chair for her. Dara's shy smile grew as she complied, taking a seat. As Sonny pushed the chair in, his fingers grazed the sides of her arms gently causing her to shiver, something that didn't go unnoticed by either. Sonny inhaled her scent and he closed his eyes, remembering how wonderful it was to be this close to her.
Sonny pushed the thought from his mind and turned to the counter to grab the plates and placed both on their respective table mats before taking the seat adjacent to her. Dara gingerly dug into her food and tasted it as Sonny observed her reaction carefully. Immediately her face softened as she savoured the delicious meal. "Ooh, this is wonderful, what is it?" she exclaimed as she dug into another piece.
"It's kind of like a Denver Omlette with a twist," Sonny said as he sampled his creation and smiled with satisfaction. Perfect.
"A twist, you know I heard you were a good cook but this is just absolutely fabulous! Now I'll never like ordinary Denver Omlettes again," Dara mused with a giggle.
"Then you should never go back, "Sonny said, his dark serious eyes boring into hers. Dara's light tone immediately vanished as she stared into his sensual eyes, her skin tingling and as if reading his mind, memories of the earth shattering night together flashed brieftly through her mind and left her breathless. He was doing it again, with a mere look, he was making her ache, deep within herself.
She broke the trance-like gaze with a shake and busied herself with her food and he soon followed suit. Once the main meal was finished, Sonny produced two bowls of cut up bits of assorted fresh fruits and a dish of fluffy white cream.
"Fruit with the breakfast meal is a must where I come from," Sonny declared as he sat down. "Oh really?" Dara asked as she reached for a piece of cantelope, only to be stopped by Sonny's hand capturing hers. The surprise of his skin on hers sent a jolt through her and she moved to pull her hand from his grasp but his fingers tightened slightly around her slim wrist, refusing to let her go.
"That's not how you eat it," he explained softly before he gently placed her hand on the table.
Dara gave him a small, slightly anxious smile, feeling foolish, "I'm sorry," she apologized but Sonny waved it off.
"It's okay, I'll teach you," he said, his voice taking on a suggestively seductive tone. He knew better, he knew better than to behave like this, but Sonny couldn't stop himself. The week without seeing her, feeling her near him had nearly drove him blind and now he was so close, he could touch her. He was good at reading people, the liars, the truthtellers, the bluffers and he'd gotten pretty good at reading Dara in their brief time together. She was a denier, denying herself what she felt, deep down inside until she nearly burst with pain and he could feel it, sitting so close to her, watching her every move. He knew the secret path to unlocking her, he'd been there once before.
Dara sat frozen for a moment. The red flag was waving furiously in her mind, she was getting far too close to the deep end and yet, she wasn't scared. Looking into his eyes, she suddenly lost all train of thought as to why she shouldn't be here, like this, with him. What had she told herself in the last week, over and over again about Sonny?
Dara blinked as she watched Sonny take the piece of cantelope she had wanted and dipped it into the fluffy white cream, before pulling it out.
Dara took in her breath, trying to get her mind back on track, but it seemed a useless effort. Everything she'd strictly instructed herself about Sonny seemed to crumble away into oblivion and to be completely honest, she didn't care.
His eyes rose to meet her gaze and he studied her face intently. Dara said nothing but it didn't matter. Her eyes gave away the intense desire she was feeling, but Sonny wanted to be completely sure.
"You ready?" he asked, his voice tight and laboured. Dara nodded wordlessly.
"Okay, shut your eyes," he instructed softly. Dara's eyes widened, she was unsure with his request but then, they slowly closed, she was willing to give him a chance.
Sonny pulled his chair around the table so the two were seated directly in front of each other, their knees almost touching. Sonny slowly guided the topping covered fruit to Dara's anticipating lips.
"Cantelope," he said, his soft voice taking on a sensual tone. Gently, he pushed the fruit to Dara's lips. Her head pulled back slightly, before she relaxed and opened her mouth to accept the piece of fruit. She chewed slowly, savoring the taste of both the fruit and the cream topping. Sonny continued his feeding, and not once, did Dara's eyes open.
"Melon."
"Kiwi."
With each piece, Dara took more initiative, greedily taking the fruit in her mouth, sighing at the sweet juice flavour. Occasionally, Sonny's thumb and index finger would graze her lips as she bit into the fruit. Maybe it was accidental, maybe it was on purpose, it didn't matter, each time, it would send a thrill through her system.
"Strawberry."
"Grape."
Sonny had attempted this once before with Brenda, but she'd had no patience for it, giggling at first, before sighing with annoyance and boredom. Dara was different, she played her part beautifully and seemed to be enjoying every moment of it.
"Pear."
This piece was a little bigger than the others, and like most ripe pears, was extremely juicy. As Dara bit into the piece, a small trail of its juice trickled down her chin. Dara half expected Sonny to grab a napkin and wipe it up. Only he didn't.
Sonny waited, half expecting Dara to quickly wipe the juice away. Only she didn't.
Both waited for the other, until Sonny couldn't contain himself any longer. He came forward, his head dipping slightly and with his tongue, licked the trail of pear juice, slowly along her silky smooth chin. Dara gasped as she felt his tongue against her skin and her eyes flew open, but as he tongue neared her mouth, she bent her head downwards to greet him warmly and they met in an explosive, searing kiss. Moments later, their bodies also collided as Sonny swiftly pulled Dara into his lap, straddling him. Sonny's tongue quickly invaded Dara's mouth and he relished every inch of it, tasting the different combinations of fruit. Dara returned the favor as her tongue swirled around his. Their dance seemed to go on forever until they finally parted, slightly breathless. Sonny then moved to devour the nape of her neck and he fumbled with the buttons on her dress. Dara meawhile, occupied herself with the buttons on his own shirt. She quickly undid them all and pulled the shirt from his waistband only to find a sleeveless undershirt waiting for her. She sighed in disapointment and their eyes locked for a moment.
"I'll do mine, you do yours," Dara said and Sonny nodded. Dara expertly undid the buttons to her dress and pulled it down to her waist. She'd have to get off him to remove the rest but Sonny was already trailing kisses along her shoulder, having already dispensed both shirts to allow Dara's hands to caress his chest. After a few moments, Sonny's mouth along her sensitive skin was overwhelming and all she could do was wrap her arms around his neck, tilt her head back and sigh with pleasure.
Things were moving along at lightning speed although both enjoyed each step taken thoroughly until the shrill ringing of Dara's phone startled them both. Dara stiffened slightly but Sonny was well used to this sort of thing. "Leave it," he murmured as his mouth captured hers again. Dara relaxed and deepened the kiss, letting the machine pick up.
The awnsering machine whirred into action and a loud beep followed. "Uhh, hey Dara it's Marcus Taggert and since you're not in, I'm not going to pass along the details over the phone, so when you get this message-"
Both Sonny and Dara halted their movements as the familiar voice filled the room. Dara immediately felt jerked back into her old routine of backing off from Sonny and jumped off his lap and awkwardly attempted to pull her dress back on. Sonny sighed and groaned inwardly, why did Taggert seemingly pop up *everywhere* in his life? Dara stumbled slightly towards the kitchen, desperately trying to hide. Once again, she found herself lost in Sonny and was reeling from the after effects once pulled back.
Sonny waited patiently for Taggert to stop babbling over the phone and when the machine finally stopped, silence filled the room. Sonny sat for a moment on the chair. Dara stood with baited breath near the stove, where she was hidden from his view. Eventually she heard him rise and move across the floor and around the corner to where she was. Feeling dejected, she turned and placed her hands on the counter, hunching over them slightly, examining them carefully so she wouldn't have to watch him approach her. God, what was he thinking when he looked at her?
Sonny watched her movements and he knew. She was having that same battle she'd fought each time they met. She was attracted to him, but the differences between them held her back. She was scared, nervous and excited. He stood behind her, close but he didn't touch her. Dara stubbornly refused to turn around, but it was hard to ignore his breath against the back of her neck and how it sent shivers down her spine.
"What is it?" he asked softly.
Dara hesistated, but somehow found her voice, "I-I don't know what's happening to me," she admitted.
"Don't deny what you want Dara," Sonny's sultry voice answered.
Dara knew, instinctively what she wanted, but she hesitated.
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.
Dara knew she shouldn't, that somewhere inside her, something was telling her that this was wrong. Only the ache for him was growing so fast, she didn't care anymore, she wanted this. She wanted him here, with her, now.
"No."
"Do you want me to stay?" Sonny whispered, now pressing gently up against her, snaking his hand around her waist to where the unbuttoned portion of her dress was located. He slipped his hand inside and placed it against her well toned stomach, feeling the heat of her skin and the trembling of her nerves. As usual, his touch was her undoing.
"Yes," she gasped as she covered his hand with hers and tilted her body back, into his. Her head tipped back and nestled into the curve between his neck and shoulder. With his other hand he tugged at the dress and freed her from it. Now both of his hands were roaming her tender, smooth chocolate skin. Dara's hands flew up to his head and ran her fingers through his curly hair.
"I promise Dara," he whispered feverishly as he devoured her neck. Dara barely heard him as she became dizzy with pleasure. She turned around and pressed the two of them together tightly. "No one will know," she finished as their lips met in a passionate kiss, their mouths opening, instantly deepening the kiss as their hunger grew. Sonny quickly picked her up and placed her on the counter top.
"No one will ever know."