Chapter 3

Ariel went into the kitchen to stir the pasta, which was almost done. She put the wine in the freezer to chill. Jack came into the kitchen and placed the long white box on the table. He walked up behind Ariel and slid his hands around her waist, pulled her close and kissed her neck. Ariel laughed and gently pushed Jack away, saying with a laugh, "Dinner's gonna burn if you continue doing that! Here, make yourself useful and toss the salad." She handed him the salad tongs and he took the salad out of the refrigerator. Ariel put the garlic bread in the oven, then drained the pasta. She put the pasta in a bowl and sat it on the counter.

Then she poured the hot marinara sauce and meatballs into another bowl, setting it beside the pasta on the counter. Jack placed the salad on the table, then he put the bowls of pasta and sauce on there too. Ariel took the bread from the oven, put the hot slices on a plate and put it on the table. "Jack, could you please get the grated cheese and salad dressing from the fridge and the wine from the freezer for me?" she asked him. He smiled and got them for her, setting them on the table.

Before they sat down to eat, Jack took Ariel's hand and handed her the long white box. It was tied with a big red ribbon. She untied it and removed the top of the box. Ariel moved the white tissue paper aside to reveal a dozen long-stemmed pink roses and a small white envelope. Jack said, "Go ahead, read the card, baby." Ariel opened the envelope and removed the card which read, "Ariel, Thank you for becoming a special part of my live. May we have many special moments together. Sincerely yours, Jack C."

Ariel looked up at Jack with tears in her eyes and said, "No one has ever given me such beautiful roses, Jack. Thank you very much..." Before Ariel could say anything more, Jack smiled and leaned down, wrapping his arms around her tightly, pulling her up hard against his body. He kissed her so gently and passionately that her knees grew weak and she almost collapsed against him. When Jack finally broke the kiss, they were both breathing hard. Ariel's hazel eyes were darkened with her desire to a beautiful cocoa brown, and his had darkened to a deep cobalt blue.

As Ariel was standing there against him, she could feel the proof of his desire pressing against her belly and she looked away quickly before Jack could see her blushing. Jack could tell she was nervous, so with a husky voice, he said, "Let's sit down and eat before this delicious meal gets cold." She nodded and sat down as Jack pulled her chair out for her. He sat in his chair and Ariel served dinner. Jack lit the candles for her and poured the wine. While they were eating, they talked about many topics, but always came back to former relationships that they'd been through. They sat there at the table for over an hour talking and laughing.