Chapter 7

"Nervous?"

"You have no idea," Sean answered.

"You big jerk," Elizabeth said while playfully swatting him on the shoulder. "I should be the one nervous about meeting your friends, not you." She wondered if she was dressed appropriately in blue jeans and black t-shirt.

"Yeah, I know," Sean said as he thought about his friends coming over, "But you have to understand I usually am not all that open towards my friends. They don't know much about my personal life, except for maybe Cheryl and of that only half of it. I am definitely not openly affectionate around anyone but you. Most of the time I'm just goofy and weird. Since I have the money I can call myself eccentric but they don't know about that. This is probably the first time where my personal life and my social life will meet. I like to keep them separate. If I had a choice I'd buy us a nice cabin in the woods with acres of land and you and I can just be together. But that won't happen. And no, it's not you. I'm sure they'll like you; it's me I'm worried about. I don't want to hurt you when I act differently. I may come off as a little aloof and strange when they get here so don't say I didn't warn you."

"Sean, that's why I want to meet your friends. So I can see another part of you. There's a lot of mystery wrapped up in you I intend on figuring you out."

Just then someone knocked on the door. Sean stepped toward it but was swung around by Elizabeth as she planted a very disarming kiss on his lips. "I love you," slipped out of Sean's mouth as they broke the kiss. Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise. The two stared at each other in shock, Sean for saying it and Elizabeth from hearing it. But Sean was quicker to grab his wits about him as the person outside knocked again. "Aha, I turned the tables around. Point for me!" He grinned playfully at Elizabeth and winked at her as he opened the door.

The first of his friends, Vince, showed up. "Sorry about the delay. Elizabeth and I were just sharing a word or three," he beamed a smile her way which snapped her back to attention. "Vince I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Elizabeth." Pleasantries were exchanged and a couple of more friends arrived. Derrick and Cheryl showed up last and more introductions were spread. They all filed back out of the apartment and into their cars for the mall.

"So, Elizabeth," Derrick said, "What do you do for a living?"

"Well, I'm an on and off accountant but mostly I'm just living off of what my lawyer could gut out of my rich ex-husband."

"You were married?" The whole group seemed to quiet a bit to listen.

"Sure, hasn't everybody?" Elizabeth fired off. "Nah, I just realized that he was jerk after we got married."

"Well, Sean's got nothing to worry about," Cheryl said. "He's a college student. Not a cent on him that he doesn't have to pay financial aid back for."

"I assure you that wasn't why I approached him."

"How did you two meet?"

Elizabeth chose her words carefully. She remembered Sean telling her that none of his friends knew how rich he was. "We met at a party."

"A party? Sean? You sure about that? Sean's not the kind to party."

"Not the typical beer bash guys. One of the stocks I invest in was throwing a sort of investor's meeting and I decided to show up. You know, so they could get us to buy more shares. Propaganda ball of sorts."

"Has any of that paid off?"

"Well, you know how it is. You jump in at the wrong time and jump out at an even worse time. But sometimes you get lucky. I just manage, I suppose." Elizabeth noticed how he sidestepped their meeting. Personally, she preferred they didn't know about Charles either.

"Anyways," Elizabeth continued, "I happened to sit next to Sean and he asked me to dance with him. The rest, they say, is history."

"I didn't know Sean could dance," Cheryl said.

"How long have you two been together now?" from Derrick.

"I can't dance. Not to that hip-hop funk that most people play at the college bashes at least. And trance just reminds me too much of Mortal Kombat. Nah, ballroom's for me. And we've been going out for the past four months now."

"Ballroom? You really are an old fogy."

Sean merely shrugged. Elizabeth had to wonder at how easily his friends questions slid around him, they thought him strange and never bothered to figure him out. He was a stranger to them. She wondered what his life was like to be so hidden and at the same time she was honored that he would trust her so much with his life. But then again... there was still so much to unlock about him. The conversation changed directions and the group discussed something else amongst themselves. Sean sidled up next to her and gently rubbed the small of her back.

"Hey." Elizabeth smiled at him. "Thanks for keeping the lid on things about my financial status."

"Thanks for not talking about Charles."

"You know, there's still a lot of things that you don't know about me and there's a lot of things I don't know about you. But whatever those details are I promise we'll find out together."

"I certainly hope so," she replied, "Having a past to hide means you've got character worth digging for."

"About what I said earlier. Um... it sort of just popped out. I do mean it though. I just haven't found the right time to say it."

"Well, now it's out in the open. No apologies. Besides, I feel the same way."

Elizabeth watched as Sean's eyes grew wide with hope. "I love me, too," she said. Sean's eyes dimmed and in a blink that goofy mask of insincerity slid into place as he laughed. She grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulled him in tight, and whispered in his ear, "I love you." And right there in front of all his friends she kissed him, long, passionately, with just a bit of tongue to simmer the blood.

"Whoa, you two," Derrick called out, smiling, "Get a room."

Together, Elizabeth and Sean gave Derrick the finger and continued the kiss until they ran out of breath. The two broke, laughing. For the second time that night Sean surprised her and picked her up in his arms and spun her around, the two smiling at each other without a care in the world. Sean's friends stared at the two of them and did what they could to either look elsewhere or rib Sean about getting a room. Elizabeth saw that Sean blushed as bright as she did and just wrapped her right arm tightly around his waist.

The rest of the evening was pleasant and was even comfortable as they strolled around the mall and window-shopped. Elizabeth picked up a thing or two, and shoes to go with them, of course, while she watched Sean look at a few watches on display as he waited for her. The night was over and soon everyone filed out into their respective cars and headed back to their apartments. "Good night you two," Derrick said as everyone was leaving the parking lot. "It was nice meeting you Elizabeth." Cheryl chirped the same. "We'll see you two later." The two got into Derrick's old Volvo station wagon and left.

"Well, that didn't go so badly," Elizabeth, said.

"No, I suppose not. They seem to like you. So when's it my turn to meet your friends?"

Elizabeth took a moment to answer that. "More like 'friend'. I suppose it's about time I introduced you to Vanessa now that you got me to say that I love you."

"Well, you didn't have to say it..."

She swatted him on the arm. "Oh yes I did. I couldn't have you leaving me flabbergasted all night when you sprung those words on me first." Elizabeth didn't know what came over and pulled him up close, her eyes sad and desperate. "Please? Say it again, so I know it's not a dream."

Sean reached up and cupped her face, staring warmly into her eyes. "I love you, Elizabeth Richards. I don't know where we'll wind up but we'll be together. I promise you that. I love you." He kissed her, as hungrily and desperately as she kissed him. "I've been alone for too long and the gods be damned if they ever try to separate me from you."

Elizabeth's legs gave out beneath her and she crumpled into his loving arms, tears of joy streaking down her face.

Sean drove Elizabeth back to her place. The house was still and quiet. They didn't say anything on the drive back. They didn't have to. Elizabeth put her hand on Sean's and smiled at him as he pulled up to the driveway. "Please, stay the night?" Elizabeth didn't even really have to ask him he wanted to hold her tonight so that he could wake up in the morning and be sure that it all wasn't just a dream. She loved him! After four months of seeing each other they admitted that they loved one another. Sean really didn't know what to think. His mind was in a sort of haze at the revelation. They walked up to the front door and Elizabeth let them in. Sean closed the door behind him and nearly had the wind knocked from him when Elizabeth veritably pounced on his lips. Her hands were all over him, scrabbling at his clothes, feeling his muscles through the fabric. Sean was completely stunned, his mind worked desperately to catch up to his racing heart. That didn't mean he didn't kiss back, he gave as good as he got. His hands raced over her lithe form, gently running his hands up her sides, tracing her ribs, and finally cupping the shape of her breasts in his hands. God, her soft breasts were a delight to touch. Firm yet soft, the hard nubbins of her nipples poked through her bra, which he gently rubbed with his thumbs. She moaned into his mouth as her hips ground into his. Sean slipped his right thigh between her legs and sawed it across the crotch of her jeans.

They broke their kiss and gasped. "God, I want you." Elizabeth said between ragged breaths. "I've wanted you since you tangoed with me at that shareholders meeting the first time we met. You made me feel like a woman then. Make me feel a woman now."

Sean felt his denim shirt being torn open as Elizabeth renewed her attack on him. Buttons flew every which way as they popped off his torso. Their mouths mashed together in a twisting battle where the victor devoured the other. Sean liked how things were progressing, he wanted her as badly as she needed him, but he had other plans in mind for their first time. He gently gripped her by the wrists to stop her marauding hands and pulled them high up and apart as he slid his face from her mouth to her neck. Her flesh along her neck was hot and strained with tension like a violin string, and he planned on playing a full symphony on her before the night was over. Sean placed her hands behind his neck but they managed to slip up a bit to gently grip his hair as he continued his ministrations. His teeth grazed her neck and then clamped down as his arms reached around and scooped her up. He looked at her as she stared hungrily into his eyes with enough fire to melt steel, her breaths drawn in ragged pulls as she bit her lower lip in anxious anticipation.

Sean took a moment to leave his shoes at the foot of the staircase as he carried the woman he loved to her bedroom. He flipped the light on then placed her gently on the soft four-posted bed. "Did I ever mention that I love you?" he said before he dove into another breathtaking kiss. His arms roamed over her body, up and down her breasts and sides then rested at the top of her jeans. Effortlessly he unbuttoned the jeans and ever so slowly slid the zipper down. Sean broke the kiss and his face joined his hands as they exposed inch by precious inch of her black silk panties. When Sean saw those he looked up at Elizabeth questioningly.

"I've been wanting to get you in bed for the past two weeks but never had the conviction to go through with it, maybe hoping you'd be just a tad more aggressive. I..."

Her comment was cut short when she gasped as Sean buried his face in her crotch, his tongue and mouth rubbing the silk lingerie, in appreciation of her forethought. Her body arched in response, giving Sean the clearance to pull down her pants. Wanting to relish every second, Sean pulled her jeans down slowly with his right hand as his left kneaded her right thigh and planted kisses along every freshly exposed inch. His mouth trailed wet saliva down her leg as he kissed, licked, and nibbled down her right leg. Finally, the jeans were down to her ankles. He spent a moment to massage her calves then whipped the jeans off her feet and threw them across the room in one smooth motion. Sean switched to the right calf and ran gentle kisses up her leg as he rested her foot on his shoulder and even took a moment to nibble behind her knee.