Still the One

This one's is for the Valentine's Day Story Contest. So, your votes would be very much appreciated, and of course any feedback you could provide, as well. If you want to experience something truly sensual with your partner, for me, stripping off and making love by firelight has got to be the one the hottest. Happy Valentine's Day to All! And I hope you enjoy this story.

*

"The motorcycle?" The lawyer lowered her glasses to the tip of her nose and looked back and forth between the petitioner, Tess Matthews, and the respondent, her soon to be ex-husband, Jordan Matthews, waiting for one of them to answer.

"He can have it," Tess told her, before muttering under her breath, "I always hated that damn bike and I don't know why he ever bought it."

Especially after he'd nearly gotten himself killed, wiping out on the highway on the stupid thing.

Jordan just rolled his eyes, eager for the lawyer to finish divvying up their assets so he could be done with the whole sorry mess and leave.

"And what about the cabin in the country, are you both still agreeable to selling it and dividing the profits?"

Both of them finally looked across the conference room table at each other, hoping that somehow one of them could find a way to keep it, since it was the one thing neither of them wanted to give up. Neither of them could deny they'd shared some wonderful times at their little getaway in the woods, probably even the best times of their marriage were spent there, at least until it got to the point that they could barely stand to look at each other.

"Actually," looking Tess right in the eye, Jordan told her, "I've got a real estate agent coming out to appraise it later this afternoon."

Shocked, Tess sat forward in her seat. "Well, I'd like to at least see it one more time before we put it on the market." Glaring right back at him, she couldn't believe how fast he was moving to sell it, without even bothering to consult her.

After taking a quick look at his watch, Jordan shrugged and told her, "Well, Tess, if you don't mind riding up with me, I'm meeting her around five. And at least I've got a four by four with snow tires, that'll get us there safely even if it snows."

Realizing she didn't have much choice if she wanted to see their country hideaway one last time, especially seeing as her car was in the shop, Tess nodded. "Sure, okay."

Since they'd barely have enough time to meet the realtor if they left right away, they decided to reschedule and meet to discuss dividing up the rest of their assets another day.

Of course neither of them was surprised that the elevator ride down to the parking garage was uncomfortably silent, both of them staring straight ahead, neither wanting to say anything to the other. But Tess thought it wasn't much different than how they'd behaved with each other before Jordan had moved out. They'd grown so far apart they'd barely spoken a word, even when they were still living under the same roof. And now she had to face hours alone with him in the car -- and what a daunting prospect that was.

Without even thinking, once they reached his big black SUV in the underground parking garage, Jordan still took his wife's hand and helped her to step up inside, and when he noticed the belt from her leather coat hanging out of the car he tucked it in with her so it wouldn't get wet. Watching him walk around the front of the car, it occurred to Tessa that even after things had gone south in their relationship, and he'd moved out, it never really changed who he was. Thankfully, he was still an amazing father to their sons. And he still did thoughtful things like come over at night to plow the snow from their driveway so she could get her sons to school in the morning, before heading off to work. And amazingly, she could hardly believe he also did the same for her widowed mother, just to be sure she could get out of the house, too.

They'd driven for about twenty minutes on the highway heading north, with the radio set to an easy listening station, to give them a little background noise, when Jordan heaved a sigh, tired of the uncomfortable silence. Finally he said, "Hey, I've got an idea. Just for today, why don't we try to put our differences aside, and try to be civil with each other?" Cocking an eyebrow, he glanced over at her and waited.

Tess nodded, deciding it might be better than an awkward two hour ride. "Sure, why not." After all, they'd soon be divorced, and unless she had to see him for something to do with one of their sons, she didn't think they'd ever have a reason to talk to each other again.

Glad he wouldn't have to walk on egg shells for the next few hours, afraid to even open his mouth in case she took whatever he said the wrong way, and relieved to see her being reasonable, Jordan flashed her a heart-stopping smile, and naturally Tess couldn't help but smile back.

Then it was her turn to sigh. God, he was still so good looking, even at forty-five, it was impossible to deny, even to herself, that she was still attracted to him. And the sad thing was, things had been

so

good between them, until of course they weren't anymore.

Resting her head on the head rest, she began to think back to when they'd met in high school. Jordan was the hunky quarter back that every girl wished she could date. And when he approached

her

of all people at her locker after school one late afternoon and asked her to go to senior prom with him, Tess felt like she was on cloud nine, and couldn't even think how to answer him at first. He was just so cute, with his sexy dimpled smile and his carelessly tussled sandy blonde hair, and with muscles to spare -- everywhere. He had to be the hottest guy she'd ever seen. And she could hardly believe how lucky she was, that out of all the girls in their school, he'd picked

her

to be his date.

Then the night of the prom, held in their transformed school gymnasium, made to look like a magical winter wonderland with blue and white lights trained on all the winter themed decorations scattered around the room, she could still remember how giddy she'd felt walking in on is arm with everyone turning to look at them. They'd danced and held each other tight for most of the night, till finally Jordan tipped up her chin and confessed that he'd had his eye on her for a while, and thought she was the prettiest girl in school. And then she remembered how wonderful it had felt when he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers and finally made her fantasy complete, when he'd kissed her.

And that first kiss was so thorough it rocked her to her toes and was enough to make her shiver, even now. They locked lips for what felt like forever, wrapped in each other's arms, and that was the night she knew she'd fallen head over heels in love with him. When he ran his finger along her jaw, stared into her eyes and asked if she'd consider going out with him sometime, all Tess could do was nod, sure she'd never felt so overwhelmed or as thrilled in her life.

The first time he took her on a date, they were sitting smiling into each other's eyes over burgers and milkshakes, when he handed her a blue velvet box. And when she opened it, surprised that he'd buy her something expensive, she still remembered how pretty the little gold heart-shaped locket looked sitting on a bed of blue velvet.

"Open it up," he told her. And when she did, and saw it held a picture of her on one side and a dashing picture of him on the other. Thrilled, she got up and leaned across the table, and kissed him hard on the mouth, promising him, "I love it, Jordan, and I'll never take it off." And of course she always wore it, until one day she was at one of her son's baseball games, and when she felt for it on her neck, she realized with a sense of panic, it was gone. But knowing how much it meant to her, Jordan and her boys searched for it everywhere they could think of. And of course every time she cleaned the house she'd searched for it, too, but she imagined it just fell off somewhere and now it was gone. Though Jordan offered to buy her a new one, knowing it wouldn't be the same, she said it was okay and not to bother. But the funny thing was, even now, she'd often reach for it, and still felt a little sad that the most precious gift he'd ever given her was lost.

Of course after that first date, they only had eyes for each other. And as soon as they'd graduated college Jordan surprised her with an engagement ring on Valentine's Day. And she was so madly in love with him by then that she threw herself into his arms and instantly said, "Yes!" Eager to be together, they'd married soon after, but waited a few years to start their family. And when they finally had their two sons, Mark and David their life felt complete... until of course, it all fell apart.

-------

Glancing across the car, Jordan had to swallow hard and adjust the fit of his jeans when she crossed her legs and her skirt rode up high on her thigh. Tess had to have the shapeliest legs ever created, and just looking at them had him thinking about how good they'd felt wrapped around his waist when he'd slid into her deep.

Then suddenly, he didn't even know why, he just had to touch her, so he reached across the car and gently patted her knee, bringing her back to where she was. And Tess jumped, a little shocked by his touch. Then she looked around and realized they'd travelled a fair distance on the highway, which meant that soon they'd be saying their goodbyes to their cabin in the woods, before she said her final goodbyes to both her husband and their marriage.

"You looked like you were a million miles away," he remarked.

"Just thinking."

About how good it used to be between us before it soured.

Not too sure he wanted to hear what she was thinking, considering how sad she looked, he reached out and turned up the heat, asking, "You warm enough?" After she nodded that she was fine, he tipped his head and asked, "So, how are things with you, Tess? You doing okay?"

Of course she'd never admit to him that she'd felt so lonely, there were nights when she'd given in and cried herself to sleep. But instead of telling him the truth, all she did was shrug, and tell him, "I'm doing okay? How about you?"

He nodded, eyeing her. "I'm good." Though, nothing could be further from the truth, since he'd been miserable without her.

Blowing out a weary breath, she stared out her window at the forest of tall green pines that edged the side of the highway, looking like they'd been hand painted in a beautiful dusting of snow. The countryside looked so much prettier than the city, all covered in pristine white, but she started to wonder if she was dressed warm enough for a trek into the countryside, especially in mid-February.

She glanced over at her soon to be ex and her gaze settled on the way his big strong hands gripped the steering wheel, which got her thinking about how good those hands used to feel when he used them on her; tracing a finger around her nipples, ooh, or when he'd slid one inside her, or even giving her a few playful smacks on the behind when they'd made love for hours. But of course all that was in the past, and she knew she had to accept the fact that their love life was over, and soon they'd be living totally separate lives.

But just the thought of even trying to meet someone new filled her with dread. They'd been a couple for so long, she couldn't imagine being with anyone but him, and wasn't sure she could even handle a new relationship, never mind if anyone would even find her attractive enough to want to go out with her anymore.

Though, taking a quick glance at his handsome profile, she had a pretty strong feeling that he'd already hooked up with someone new. He was still a really good looking guy, and a real charmer, at least when he wanted to be. And with his sex drive, she didn't imagine he sat around night after night flipping channels, when all he'd have to do was walk into any bar in the city and he'd have no trouble finding some hot young thing to warm his bed. But just the thought of him

getting busy

with another woman made her cringe, since they'd only ever been with each other, until it dawned on her that he'd started to stray...

And when they were still together, especially near the end, she worried about the long hours he kept, with the stress of running a successful contracting and landscaping business from morning till night with his brother, that he'd work himself into an early grave. But now she guessed whoever he was dating could worry about him, because he sure as heck wasn't her problem anymore. Still, the thought of him literally working himself to death, especially since he was more than comfortable, and didn't need to scramble to keep a roof over his head anymore, like he'd done when they were first married, made her feel kind of sorry for him.

Never the type to stop and smell the roses, with his drive to succeed, she imagined he'd even forgotten what it felt like to let loose and have a good time. All she knew was that it had been a

really

long time since they'd had any fun together, he'd become such a workaholic.

And the sad thing was, at one time their marriage had been

so

good, that no one could believe it when they'd told everyone they'd split up. But of course none of them knew what their life had become. By the end, they almost never had dinner together, with Jordan rarely bothering to get home much before nine or ten at night. And then he'd gotten in the habit of putting on the TV in the family room, where he'd end up falling asleep on the couch for the night, while she waited to see if he'd eventually join her in bed.

Until finally, she'd had enough of living in a loveless marriage and she asked him for a divorce, hoping to scare him more than anything. But when he didn't put up much of a fight, Tess knew why -- he wanted out. Which was probably why he'd been slowly pulling away, obviously he already had someone new in his life and didn't know how to tell her.

When she noticed him putting on the turn signal to head off the highway into a service station, he told her, "Figure I'd better fill up, and get another jug of wiper fluid, just in case. You hungry? You want anything?"

She shook her head. "No, but I'd like to pay for the gas."

Jordan rolled his eyes as he hopped out and started to fill his tank. Like he'd ever ask her for a dime. He'd always prided himself on the fact that his wife had got to stay home and take care of their sons and had never had to work, or put their boys in daycare. And she'd only recently started working when she'd decided that at fourteen and sixteen their boys were old enough to walk home and do their homework on their own. That's when she got herself a job at a swanky design firm, since she always had an artistic flair. Their house was proof of that; beautiful, but warm and homey, too, all thanks to her.

But of course, that's also when things began to change, when he suspected she was cheating.

So, when she told him she wanted out of the marriage, and asked him for a divorce, he knew he was right, and she'd already moved on with someone else.

After he'd gone inside to pay, Tess tugged her leather jacket tighter around her, and even turned up the collar. The wind was really starting to pick up and when she looked up through the windshield, she could see that the sky looked like it was threatening to snow. She just hoped they'd get up in time to see the place and make it home before the weather turned on them, because she sure wasn't dressed for a snowstorm. Clad in just her thigh length black leather coat, thin white silk blouse, beige skirt and favorite knee-high black leather boots, though stylish, they sure weren't designed for slogging through snowdrifts, especially with three inch heels.

A few minutes later, Jordan strode out of the gas station carrying two cups, with a bag in his hand. He winked at her when he got back in the car. "They had your favorite apple fritters, so I got you a coffee to go with it, since we probably won't be having dinner for a while."

Ugh

, just the thought of having dinner with him made her pull a face. Though she thanked him, she hadn't really thought of having to sit across a table and share a meal with him, and she wondered what on earth they'd find to talk about.

Thinking back, they used to talk for hours, especially in bed in the dark, where they'd laugh themselves silly when she'd share what their adventurous sons had gotten up to during the day. Like when the two of them decided that they'd cut each other's hair, and then did a horrible job of trying to glue it back on when they saw that they'd cut it too short, nearly scalping each other. Quietly chuckling to herself, she could still remember how hard they'd laughed at that. And of course Jordan would share stories about his day, too, telling her about his latest client, or some funny thing or another that happened at work with his brother, who was forever playing practical jokes.

And the best was how most every night, they'd end their day making love before nodding off to sleep, of course curled in together tight, loving the feeling of being close. Squeezing her eyes closed, Tess could actually feel her heart constricting in her chest, she missed that closeness so much it actually hurt to remember just how close they'd been, especially knowing what they had was lost forever.

But, she knew she had to accept the fact that what they had, as good as it was, was over and soon they'd be signing the papers that would end their marriage.

Once the snow started to come down heavy, the traffic gradually crawled to a stop, which had Tess sitting up and stiffening in her seat, doing her best not to panic. When Jordan glanced over and saw the anxious look on her face, without even thinking, he reached out, slipped his hand under her shoulder length blonde hair and began to gently massage her tense neck muscles. Calmly telling her, "Traffic's just slow because of the weather, Tess. And the cars behind us are stopped, so no one's going to hit us, we're safe."

Though she nodded, he could tell how nervous she was by the way she was wringing her hands in her lap and biting into her lip. Seems the accident they'd been in a few winters ago still had her scared. And he couldn't really blame her, considering that their car was totalled when they'd got slammed into from behind, and then pushed into the truck in front of them, till there was almost nothing left of their van. Though they'd been lucky and miraculously got out of it with only a couple of scrapes and bruises, unlike some of the more unfortunate people in the other twenty cars in the pileup, obviously it could have been a lot worse. And all four of them could have wound up dead, including their two boys.

Nervously clenching and unclenching her hands in her lap, anxiously staring at the line of stopped cars ahead of them, she told him, "Jordan, maybe we should head back, and I can see the cabin another time."

"Well, we're a lot closer to the cabin than we are to home now, Tess. And if you look up ahead, I think traffic's starting to move now."

"Okay," she said, heaving a relieved breath and unclenching her hands when the line of cars ahead of them slowly started to pick up speed and the bottleneck began to clear.

But Jordan still took hold of her hand and sat it on his thigh, gently massaging his thumb into her palm to try and calm her, hating to see her upset.

And as her gaze fell to their joined hands, Tess had to think hard to try and remember the last time he'd touched her. It seemed like out of nowhere he went from hardly being able to keep his hands off her, to avoiding her like the plague. And the worst of it was, she didn't even know why.