SIW Nick Whelan 04

Saint Ives Whelan Chronicles: Dominic Saint Ives - Whelan

Chapter Four: Let's Party or Not?

The first thing she did when she got home was getting on the phone, calling her three friends, telling them to meet up at "The Vixen" by eleven o'clock later that night. She also made it clear they had to tell the bouncer they were there for the Whelan group, it would grant them instant access and a smooth walk up to a private room.

Both calls lasted a few minutes because she had to fill in each of the girls, she told most, leaving out the fast cars part. Only Mia knew of her fascination for the four wheeled monsters, as she called, because she worked for her dad.

When everything was sorted she decided to treat herself on a nice hot bath, seeing she had enough time left to get ready before Nick would be back to pick her up. Turning on the taps, she then poured in some strawberry fragrant oils.

When she stripped off her clothes Fran realized she didn't had her bra back on. Thinking back on what Nick did to her that afternoon she could feel the butterflies come back. Never thought it was possible to have such a nice and intense experience without any penetration.

Sitting on her bed, she gently brushed over her nipples, which immediately perked up again. There even more sensitive now! she thought. Discarding the rest of her clothes, she then picked them up and threw them in the laundry basket.

Making sure some towels hung ready, she then put on some nice jazz music and she set up an alarm on her phone, using one of its many uses, then placed it on the stool that was next to the bath tub. She didn't want to be rushing to get ready, but knowing she adored long hot baths, she forced herself to put on the timer, else she would be unfashionably late.

On the smooth tones of Shirley Horn's "Solitary Moon" she lowered herself in the bath. Enjoying the warm water caressing her body she closed her eyes, letting her mind drift away to what happened that afternoon.

The hot water just reached the bottom of her heaving breasts, when she made the water have some little waves by bringing up a knee, it almost felt like his velvety tongue was licking them again. Bringing up her hands she pinched them lightly, it almost gave her the same feeling it did this afternoon.

She was surprised how gentle he was at first and he got a bit rougher on them, but she liked and craved every delicious second of what he did to her. Again she felt that familiar twitching in her pussy and she felt deprived he didn't take things further.

He gave her a mind blowing orgasm, that was for sure, but then he held back again. Yet she had to admire the control he was showing, even when it was very clear how aroused he was himself, on more then one occasion.

If he was gonna keep that up for much longer she was afraid they might arrest her soon for raping him. Not knowing exactly where that came from, she kept surprising herself over and over in such a short time. She's not someone who goes for one night stands, that always was a big no no in her books. Having sex so soon was in that imaginary book as well.

If Nick would have pushed things, she would have gladly forgotten about those two statements. Questioning herself most of the time about almost every little thing, he made her feel more secure, stronger, more at ease. More importantly he made her feel cherished, taken care of, as if she was the most important person in his life.

Little did she know she was exactly that.

Also she admitted to herself he had helped her a great deal with coming to terms with how about she felt towards her father and the whole car crash situation. A smile forming on her red lips, she was thrilled he very obviously shared the same passion for fast cars.

There were some really nice examples right there in that barn, but when he let her uncover the Mustang, her heart had jumped. He didn't know that it was the exact same model she had worked on with her dad. Unknowingly she lost a piece of her heart to him right at that moment.

Then the biggest surprise came when he asked her to restore it. Again doubting herself, she held on to her newly awakened stronger side and she jumped at the chance he was presenting her with.

A giggle escaped, she just couldn't help but inevitable go back to their intermezzo on the bench. She longed to spend a lot more time with him, to explore him as much as he would do the same to her.

Suddenly the timer on her phone began to blurt out loud, Pink loudly overtaking the smooth crooning voice of the classy singer she had put on before stepping in the bath.

Turning off the alarm, she then set up straight, grabbing a soft cloth and started lathering herself up in soap, then rinsing it off. The last task was washing her hair. Swiftly drying herself, she then quickly toweled in her hair on top of her head.

In her room she grabbed a clean shirt and a pair of short pyjama bottoms and went back to the bathroom. Fran dreaded her next task, but it was needed if she somewhat wanted to make flashing appearance tonight. Most man liked long hair, but when it was a long as hers and slightly curled as well it was a nightmare to get dry.

Using the stool she first brushed it out, then picked up the hairdryer and bend over, tossing all her hair over to the front. She  stayed in that uncomfortable position for nearly fifteen minutes. Happy with the result she put the torture device back under the sink and made her way back into her room.

Standing in front of her clothes rack she was deliberating what to wear, Nick asked for fancy. She could do fancy, but she would do it with a twist, having the urge to push his limits again. Reaching in she choose to go with her red dress. Gently spreading it out on her bed, she then went back to the closet looking for the matching shoes and purse.

After a few minutes of digging through her collection she found the items she was after. Then she strolled over to her dresser and selected a matching red thong. She didn't pick any bra because that didn't go with the dress she'd chosen and she didn't want to loose another at the hands of Nick.

Looking at the clock Fran noticed she still had plenty of time left to get ready, so she didn't rush things like she had to in the morning. Slowly changing into the clothes she had gathered on the bed, she left the shoes till last, it weren't the highest ones, but as long as it wasn't needed she preferred to walk normally until Nick got her to pick her up.

At her dressing table she rearranged her hair a bit, also deciding to keep the make up to a minimum, she only opted for a bit of black mascara and a see through lip gloss. Giving herself another quick once over, she was happy with the result.

Picking up her purse and the shoes, she went to the living room. She had a bit of time left before he would arrive.

Nick arrived with the same car he used yesterday. Luckily he found a parking spot just in front of her building. Locking up the car, he quickly made his way inside, ringing her bell. A quick hello was said and she buzzed him in.

Rushing the stairs two at a time, he didn't break any sweat when he reached her floor. He firmly knocked on her door and when she opened she took his breath away, again.

She looked like a modern day Marilyn Monroe, but instead of the famous white dress, she had on a Burgundy red variety, her hair, which had a natural curl of its own, was loosely draped over her shoulders. Then he had to chuckle a little, she was still barefooted.

"Hello, sweetheart," pointing at her feet, "Aren't you forgetting something?" he said.

"Hi, and no I'm not. You have no idea how torturous those shoes can be, so they stay off as long as possible. Come in, then I'll get the rest of my things," she said, while she stepped back and motioned him to come inside.

Before she knew it, he had her wrapped up in his arms, kicked the door shut with one of his feet and attacked her lips with a vengeance. She couldn't do much more as to let the kiss happen, it literally took her breath away.

His traveling hands discovered the dress had no back, that prompted him in aborting his sensual attack. Holding her one hand, he lifted it up and with the other hinted her to turn around. He wanted to howl out his appreciation.

She stopped twirling with her back to him and he then traced her spine with one finger, sending shivers all over her body. He stopped just above  her deliciously curved ass, looking at it he noticed she had a small  butterfly tattoo at the base of her spine. Giving it an appreciative stroke, he then slipped his arm around her, cradling her against him.

"You better get ready, cause if we don't leave in five minutes, we're not leaving at all,' he whispered in her ear, giving it a kiss afterward.

"You have to let me go then," she said, swatting his hands away.

Reluctantly he let her go, but he couldn't help a soft growl from escaping. This is gonna be hell. I have to find a way to tell her soon. I can't keep holding back for much longer, he thought, while he observed every move she made.

Bending over, she put on her shoes, grabbed her purse she had placed on the kitchen counter and came back to Nick.

"Here we are, all ready," she said with a big smile.

"Let's go then, before I change my mind," he replied, reaching out his hand.

When they left her flat he just couldn't resist hugging her again, holding her to his tense, highly aroused body.

"You know Fran, I could get used to this all day, every day," he said achingly, "I can't seem to stop holding you. I just have to touch you."

He said exactly what she was thinking. She felt completely the same, almost as if she were drawn to him like a moth to a flame. It had been like that from the very first moment they had met. Every part of her being wanted him. Her mind, her body, her very soul. She couldn't explain it to herself. She was never one to jump into things, whether it be love or work. She was usually much more cautious.

Turning around, she look up at him. Not being able to put into words her own feelings, she cupped his cheek gently and pressed her lips to his, choosing to show him she felt the same way. She felt him tremble, felt him trying to hold back his own passion to allow her to control their kiss. After what seemed like an eternity, she eased back slowly and gave him an understanding look, acknowledging what he said. Then she grabbed his hand, laced their fingers and followed him outside.

He opened the car door and helped her get in the passenger seat. Quickly he made his way around the midnight blue JAG and got in himself, swiftly maneuvering car in the slow Saturday evening traffic.

Keeping focus on the road, he reached out and grabbed her hand. Slowly his thumb was making small circular movements in the palm of her hand, which send shivers up and down her spine. He kept up these tender caresses until they reached the restaurant.

It turned out the be one of the most exclusive places in the city, you know those places where you have to call months in advance to get a table. He seemed to have managed to get a table in less then half a day. Little did she know it was a were property, owned by one of his own pack.

He got out of the car and helped Fran get out. He then tossed the keys to the valet.

"Take care of her," he said with a smile.

The youngling hurried over, surprised that his Alpha would let anyone else drive one of his cars. Get one scratch on it and you'll work the rest of your live repaying for it! Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned towards Nick, straightened up and gave him a firm nod. I'll take care of her as if she was my own baby, Sir, he mentally replied.

Nick brought one of his arms around Fran and led them towards the restaurant, ignoring the few waiting and staring people and walked straight in.

Within seconds the head waiter had made his way towards them. Exchanging quick and polite hello's, he swiftly lead them towards one of the more private areas of the establishment, knowing his Alpha wasn't a frequent guest here and very much guarded his personal life, he knew Nick would appreciate their seating.

He had grabbed a pair of menu's while he was leading them to their table and now placed one in front of both of them.

"I'll be right back to take your orders," the head waiter said. Nodding to Nick he then turned and went away, tending to a few nearby tables.

Nick tried his best to concentrate on the menu before him, but he couldn't help stealing quick glances, taking in her natural beauty. From the moment she had opened her door, he was hit with that strawberry scent again and his libido went in constant overdrive, and his wolf, well he simply went crazy with lust. It was taking more and more effort to talk some reason into him.

Dammit, Nick, you got yourself in right a mess here, he cursed by himself I'm sitting here like a love sick puppy and I can't tell her what I am, holding back a sigh. He realized he had to tell her, sooner better then later, for her sake and his own. But not tonight, tonight we enjoy ourselves.

Fran was a bit overwhelmed by the place, she never thought she would see a place like this from the inside, let alone have a meal here. Seeing no prizes on the menu only confirmed her this was a place for the rich and famous.

The waiter came back, took down their order and was back in what only seemed seconds with their drinks.

They settled and started some easy conversation, making a few plans about the car they were going to fix up. Nick asked a bit more about her family, her friends. He tried to be as honest as he could about his own family without have to bend himself backwards for hiding the fact they were werewolves. It made him more convinced he had to tell her.

Tomorrow, I'll tell her tomorrow and hope for the best. Then he pushed all the worry and heartache back, he wanted to enjoy this evening.

Time passed easily when they fluently switched from one topic to another, agreeing on one thing, arguing about another, without getting angry. She even managed to put him straight a few times.  He liked their conversations and he liked she didn't shy away and making her own opinion very clear.

Looking at his watch, he noticed it was almost time to go to the club.

"You want dessert? Or do you prefer to go straight to 'The Vixen'?" he asked.

"Honestly? I would love one but I'm afraid I don't have room left for one," she admitted. "The food here is exquisite, think I shouldn't have eaten so much from the main course. Then I could have tried some dessert as well."

"No problem, then I have a reason to bring you here again," he replied.

Gesturing to the waiter, who quickly made his way over, he told him to put the bill on his tab. Getting an affirmative nod, they then got up and made their way outside again.

The valet who parked his car earlier, quickly disappeared to get it again. A few minutes later, he stopped in front of them. Nick opened the passenger side door to let Fran step inside. Giving the valet a generous tip and a pat on the back, he then got in himself and drove them to the club.

He parked in the side alley again, noticing that his two brothers car's where there as well. Looking at the bike, he saw they called in reinforcement in the form of Adam.

He had to chuckle, they sure were pulling out the stops.

They made it inside without any hold ups, Nick leading them straight to the private room upstairs.

Her friends were already there and were happily chatting away with the other men present.

"Hello all, how are you all doing?" she directed to the group in front of her.

Taking in all the men she thought that so much testosterone in one room should be forbidden. Nick was drop dead gorgeous in a tall, dark and handsome kind of way, but she could see his brothers were a very close match to him.

They all shared the same black hair, but whereas Nick had his hair long and straight, mostly in a ponytail, the younger looking one wore it long as well, but it was wild and curly, just reaching his shoulders. It framed a strong and handsome face, the few wrinkles next to his cherubic blue eyes a positive prove he liked to laugh a lot.

Giving a quick nod towards Nick, he then held out his hand to Fran.

"Good evening, I'm Chris. I think you already know the loud mouth over there," tilting his head towards Adam. "And this is Ed," Chris finished, pointing to the last man in their party.

Again he had the same black hair, but his was cut short and he had a "I'm just out of bed"-look, spikes going in every direction, some stubble covering his cheeks and square chin. He shared the same dark eyes as Nick had.

"I think I can speak for myself, Chris," giving his younger brother a friendly push, he then turned to the pair that just entered and said his own hello. "Glad you could make it, Nick, and welcome to my humble palace," he directed to Fran. "We already introduced ourselves to your lovely friends, we were just waiting for you two to make an appearance."

"As you see, we made it. How is the club tonight, Ed?" Nick asked the oldest of his two brothers.

"Packed as usual on a Saturday evening, but the majority still has to arrive," he replied, giving his brother a curious look at the same time.

Don't play the innocent one, Ed. I'm quite sure the other two have told you already. Yes, Fran is my mate, only she doesn't know yet and she doesn't know about us. That's gonna be the hard part, telling her, he mentally told Ed. Tonight I just want to have some fun, so don't push things.

Ok, I understand, just ask if you need help with anything, he replied. As a wide grin spread on his face he added, Who would have thought it possible, you finding your mate in my club, of all places? You do know the pack bitches aren't gonna like this?

I know, but they'll just have to deal with it, was his quick reply.

Nodding towards the girls, who by now were happily chatting away amongst themselves, he mentioned to the others to join them. Gently grabbing Fran's shoulders, he bent down and kissed her neck and brushed his cheek against hers, letting the other males in the room know she was his and his alone. It rewarded him with wide grins and chuckles from the three men.

"Come on ladies, we didn't invite you to have you all sitting here and chatting the evening away, let's go down and get some shaking done!" Chris said joyful, extending his hand out to Mia.

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," Mia answered, accepting his gentleman like gesture, "Let's go party."

Fran and Nick were already waiting by the door, Lis came as well, but Bron hesitated.

"Mind if I stay here? You know I don't dance," she hesitantly said.

"Of course they don't mind, I'll stay and keep you company," Adam stepped in, "To tell you the truth, I got two left feet, I would only embarrass them down there, so I might as well stay here, with you," he told her in a conspiring tone.

He noticed a slight blush creeping up her cheeks, which in his eyes made her even more adorable. Hoping he did a good job in hiding it from the Whelan brothers, but when the girls arrived not long ago, he felt like being hit by a sledgehammer and he simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend some time alone with the petite redhead. His wolf was longing for her.

With Adam and Bron left behind in the VIP room, the others made their way to the dance floor. Nick didn't let go of Fran's hand for a second, his brothers accompanying her two friends, for once acting more like gentlemen. He was pretty confidant part of it was an act to stay in his good books and to get to know the woman who was the completion to his soul and his wolf.

It didn't take long before the six of them got into the groove, dancing the night away. The girls going crazy when it were the more up tempo songs and the men happy when they could squeeze in some slow shuffle dancing.

His two younger brothers were joking a lot and even with the loud music they managed to keep some sort of conversation going. Nick noticed his youngest brother, Chris, leaning a lot into Mia and more than once Mia gave him some angry stares, which never lasted long before she burst out in laughter. Even Ed seems to loosen up a bit around Lis.

Chris had always been the jouster out the three of them, cracking jokes whenever he could and to whomever, getting him in more than the one off hazardous situation in their pack, especially when he just reached adulthood.

Nick let out a light chuckle when he remembered a few of those occasions and thanked god that by then he was already the Alpha of their own pack, which at that time made it possible to prevent him from causing more trouble then he already did.

He was glad Chris had toned down his jousting act considerably over the years, however he was still the first in line to crack a joke. It lightened up many of their pack meetings, making them less dull. It was only since Nick had to take over the leadership in his territory and became the Alpha Alpha, that he had to rely on his brothers more for guiding their own pack.

It was only since meeting Francesca that he was starting to second guess the time he put into everything. Being a werewolf was the biggest secret he still had to reveal to her, but there was one other little detail he hadn't told her. She was aware he was well off and lived in luxury.

If he really wanted to he didn't have to work, his company brought in more then enough funding to help the pack, but most kept a regular job or had their own businesses as well. He had to tell her he was also part of the St Ives Whelan family. A family well known to be very reclusive, which isn't really a surprise seeing their other natural form.

As old as the family was and no matter how much they wanted their kind to stay hidden from the masses, they also realized due to their prolonged lives they needed a bit of mystery as well. So at one point about 250 years ago Nicks dad founded SIW Inc, he started out small, providing job for most of his pack members.

Bit by bit the company grew, his father weaved an elaborate myth about the owner of SIW Inc. After a few years people knew the company and the myth itself died a bit, but they got used to the fact they never saw the owner of the company. It was told he lived like a recluse, not wanting outside contact, doing most his work by mail or errand boys.

Little did the they know he came to work every single day, dressed the same way as his employees, working from early morning until late at night. He still comes in to check on things, but since Nick took over about 50 years ago, limiting the visits to once a week. Nick worked for the company the same way his dad had, he comes in every day, a suit wasted on him, opting for easy jeans and a t-shirt, he also kept up the reclusive behavior as president of SIW Inc.

Sure times have changed, so did their resources, but for the sake of his pack Dominic St Ives Whelan shied away from every little bit of publicity. The only one that more or less had a public live was Ed, born Eamonn, but even he tried to hide his heritage. That isn't always the easiest when you own your own nightclub, which was one of the more popular ones.

Looking at Ed and Lis, he saw they got along fine as well. Taking another look towards Chris and Mia, he saw they were still up to their usual bantering, yet he seemed to notice a very cautious glance in Mia's eyes. He stored that little fact in the back of his mind, as he did with all his other worries, he didn't want them to ruin the night.

Focusing back on the slender brunette in front of him, he just wanted to grab hold of her and ravish her until she didn't know anymore who she was. Twirling her around, he gave her some more then appreciative looks at how the red dress moved around her. The bare back lured his hands to it every single time she was near, loving the feel of her smooth delicate skin.

"Think we can sneak out of here?" he said in her hear, after he had spun her around, straight into his embrace.

"You got plans?" she replied with a mischievous look in her eyes.

"No plans really, just not in a sharing mood. I want you alone," he let her know.

"What did you have in mind then?"

"It's not that late, maybe we could go to my place and watch a movie. If you want, that is."

"We could do. I have to admit, going out two nights in a row is more than enough for me." Chuckling lightly she added, "That makes me sound so old now."

"No, it doesn't, just means you prefer to relax as well, which is what I'm offering, a movie with a nice glass of wine," he countered her. "Let's go then, we'll go and say goodbye to the others."

"Ok, don't forget, we have to go back as well, Adam and Bron are still up there," she reminded him.

Holding hands, they made their way over to his brothers and her two friends and said their goodbyes. Fran promising Mia and Lis to call them the next day, Nick told his brothers he'd see them on their next meeting.

In the VIP room they were greeted with the sight of two people so wrapped up in their conversations they didn't even notice the couple entering the room.

Nick cleared his throat, hoping to get their attention. Only after he mentally poked Adam, did he turn towards them, Bron leaning to one side so she could see past Adam, to finding Fran and Nick just inside the room. A blush swiftly crept up her face and she quickly untangled her hands from Adam's.

"Just came up to get my coat and purse, we're heading home. We already said our goodbyes to the party animals, who knows when they'll quite tonight," Fran explained. "You think you can get home easily?"

"Yeah should be ok, I'm the one that drove tonight, so once I'm tired of it I'll just drag them with me, willingly or not," Bron answered.

"No worries Nick, I'll make sure the ladies will get home safely, even if it means I have to stalk them by bike," Adam interjected with a wink towards Bron.

"That's good to know. Means we're free to go home now, let's go," Nick said, ushering Fran outside, down the stairs and then out of the club, to his car parked in the alley next to the club.

Following the steady flow of traffic, they made their way out of the city, towards Nick's home. The ride over spend in enjoyable silence, Nick holding her hand and gently stroking the inside like he had done before.

She kept gazing at their intertwined hands and still couldn't believe how fast things were going. But it all felt so good and she considered herself crazy if she would back away from it. During the evening she had decided to throw away all her reservations and anxieties and just go with how things developed.

The last two days proved to be eye openers for her and she had that gorgeous man sitting next to her to thank for it. He never pushed for anything, stayed calm, instinctively knew what she wanted or what he had to say. And damn that man could kiss, if what happened that afternoon was a sign of how passionate he could be, she was convinced she would have a hard time keeping up with him then.

In the dark the mansion, where he lived at the ground floor, looked amazing, the moon reflecting in the windows of one side of it. She took in the surroundings and again had to admit it was all a little piece of heaven on earth, not a single soul in sight, or so she thought.

From the surrounding bushes they did have quite a few of onlookers, mostly unmated pack bitches who wanted to check out the woman their Alpha had brought into their territory. They could smell she wasn't a were, a fact which them all a bit startled. Would their leader bring in a complete stranger?

With very low whimpers and barks they communicated their surprise. For them it was unacceptable, each one of them hoped he would choose one of them eventually. The heritage of their bloodline had to be secured at one point, bringing in an outsider would taint it, or so they convinced themselves.

Stopping in front of the mansion Nick and Fran got out of the car. He immediately picked up the restless movements and whimpering talks in the nearby bushes. Letting out a mental sigh, he silently cursed himself for coming over, he wanted to relax, not set the females straight.

Not inclined to show much patience towards them he blasted them with a firm and no nonsense mental shake up <i>Make yourselves scares, I don't want to deal with your petty squabbles tonight. If any of you have issues you can bring them up at the next pack gathering. Now go!</i> Much to his relief they departed silently and without arguments. Saying a silent prayer, he then guided Fran indoors.

Taking her coat, he draped it over one of the couches in the living room. 

"Why don't you have a look and pick a movie, I'll go grab us a bottle of wine. Do you prefer white, red or a sweet rose?" Nick said.

"Hmmm, a white wine would be lovely, thanks. What kind of movie you want to see?" she replied.

"Just take your pick, it only holds those I like to see, though Chris managed to sneak in a few of his favorites, that would be the comedies," he answered, then making a trip to his kitchen, to sort the wine. Raiding his cupboards and fridge, he managed to get a little plate together with crackers and some cheese to accompany the whine.

Back in his living room he saw that Fran picked a movie and was busy figuring out how to get his DVD-player to work.

"Come, give me the remote, I'll get it started, just turn on the TV first, then come and sit down," Nick helped her out.

Fran handed him the remote when she came back, deciding her pumps had tortured her enough for that evening, she took them off and took a seat, her legs propped up under her, her red dress covering everything. Without any effort Nick started the movie, noticing she picked one out "Gone in 60 second". It wasn't really a surprise, seeing her fascination for fast wheels.

Taking a seat next to her, he started up the rest of the movie. While the piracy warnings rolled over the screen, he filled up their glasses and handed one to Fran, grabbing one himself and then settled back, putting up his feet on the coffee table.

"I see you picked a good one," he nodded towards the TV screen.

"I know, I know, I'm a sucker for 'Eleanor'. Given the chance I will most likely pick this one over everything else," she confessed. "It's a damn nice car, isn't much different from the one you got in your barn back there."

"Yeah, they're very much alike. If you want, we could use 'Eleanor's' coloring on this Mustang?" he offered.

"Ooh, that would be brilliant," she answered excited. "But we got a movie to watch now, so focus," she replied, pointing towards the screen, hinting him the movie just started.

Halfway during the move he slipped a hand under dress, gently grabbing her upper leg and tugging it. Looking over she looked at him to see what he wanted. He patted his lap with his other hand, letting her know it was ok to stretch out her legs on his lap. Nick had noticed she started to wobble them, not finding a more comforting position.

Relieved, she stretched out her legs, his one hand never leaving her leg. Once she was comfortable again his other hand joined the first, tenderly moving up and down her calves in a circular motion, while he kept watching the movie.

She found the little movements soothing, relaxing and enjoyable. Focusing back on the movie, his tender ministrations soothed her so much it didn't take her long to drift to sleep.

Bending over her legs, Nick reached out a little to grab the remote and turn of the DVD-player once the movie was finished. Not getting any response from Fran, he turned and noticed she was sound asleep. Very carefully he lifted her legs a little so he could get up.

Standing in front of her, he scratched his head, trying to figure out what to do now. If he let her sleep there, it was a sure bet she would wake up with a sore back and neck. He could wake her, but seeing her so peacefully and vast asleep, he disregarded that thought in a heartbeat.

The only option left was to bring her to his bed, at least she would be comfortable. Crouching in front of her, he studies her image once more, he couldn't get enough of it. Lightly brushing a strand of hair out of her face, he was tempted to kiss her, but something told him she needed the sleep.

"Fran, you have no idea what you do to me, love. I just hope once you know everything you'll able to accept me for me, for what I am." Knowing his next confession would be heard by him alone, he added, "I love you, Francesca Ontario, with all my heart, body and both souls. I hope soon you'll be fully mine."

He scooped her up in his arms, waited a second and then made his way to his bedroom. The sheets on his side of the bed were already pulled back and he gently laid her down, draping the sheets over her. Moving to the other side of the bed, he removed his shoes and socks, then got off his shirt, but he kept his pants on.

Like that he got into bed as well, moving up behind her, he spooned her, enjoying the feel of her naked back to his bare chest. With his arm tightly around her he drifted off to sleep.