Chapter 55 - Guitar Lesson

Jon raised his eyebrows at her, then laughed and started strumming again. “Well, here’s another one I think you might know…”

A penny for your thoughts now Baby
Looks like the weight of the world's
On your shoulders now…

Cate sighed blissfully and nodded as Jon launched into “Miracle.” She took another drink of wine and felt herself relax. She settled more comfortably into the soft couch and watched Jon sing to her. Only to her.

By the time Jon hit the song’s bridge, Cate felt herself mouthing the words. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she was singing along with him. But she wanted to enjoy his serenade a little longer before she jumped in. A little tingle ran down her spine at the thought of singing with Jon. Another dream come true.

When Jon finished the song Cate balanced her almost-empty wine glass carefully on her lap and clapped softly. “Incredible,” she smiled. “God, I love that song so much. I listen to it all the time.”

Jon snickered. “I know.” he replied, a little smugly. He reached over and took another sip from his wine glass, then rested both his arms on the top of his guitar, grinning at Cate.

“Oh you do, do you? And how do you know “Miracle” is one of my favorites?” Cate asked. She was sure Danny had no idea which songs were special to her. He always complained that there were too many for him to keep up with.

“A little birdie texted me this afternoon and told me.” Jon answered.

Cate gave him a confused look as she thought about his statement. Then she realized. “Mandy!” she exclaimed. She gave Jon a faux-angry look. “You mean Mandy was texting back and forth with you this afternoon when we were at the café? When she was allegedly texting her brother? When I was waiting for you to call me?” Her words tumbled out in a rush.

Jon chuckled. “Yep.” His heart warmed at her last statement. She was waiting for my call. “I was trying to figure out what I would play for you. I asked for her opinion.” He grinned. “And, I might add, you didn’t make it easy on me. I haven’t played those two songs in years. I had to practice on the plane!”

“And you remembered all the lyrics,” Cate replied, a bit snarkily. Oh my God! Did I just say that? Cate’s eyes went wide and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Oh shit…

Jon tossed back his head, laughing heartily. Damn, she got me with that one! “Yeah, I remembered the words to my own songs!” he chuckled, looking back to Cate and seeing the mortified look on her face. His voice softened. “It’s okay. I’ll be the first to admit that I forget the words. Hell, you know I’m famous for it.”

“I’m so sorry. That was really rude of me,” Cate said remorsefully.

“Cate…don’t apologize. You can say anything to me.” Jon gave Cate a meaningful look. “Except that you want to go home.”

Cate drew in a breath at the longing in Jon’s beautiful eyes. “I don’t want to go home,” she answered softly.

Jon reached forward and gently brushed his hand against Cate’s cheek. “Good.” he said softly. He smiled, then shifted the guitar on his lap. “Okay. On with the show. One more of your favorites, according to Mandy.” He began to play the gentle melody.

“Ohhhh….” Cate sighed at the familiar notes. She gave Jon a dreamy smile. He sang gently to her, his voice soft and clear.

At the mirror you fix your hair and put your makeup on
You’re insecure about what clothes to wear
I can’t see nothing wrong

To me you look so beautiful
when you can’t make up your mind
Its half past eight, it’s getting late
Its okay, take your time

Standing here my hands in my pockets
Like I have a thousand times
Thinking back it took one breath
One word to change my life

Jon felt a little lump form in his throat as he gazed upon Cate’s lovely face. He remembered how he had felt when they met just a few short days ago, how she had intrigued and bewitched him. His voice turned slightly husky as he sang the words to her that expressed just how he felt.

The first time I saw you it felt like coming home
If I never told you I just want you to know
You had me from hello

Cate sighed again and smiled at him, understanding. Me too, she answered silently with her eyes.

When we walk into a crowded room it’s like were all alone
Everybody tries to kidnap your attention
You just smile and steal the show

You come to me and take my hand
We start dancin’ slow
You put your lips up to my ear and whisper way down low

Cate couldn’t help herself. Her heart was singing as she watched Jon serenade her. Her voice had to sing too. She sat up a little straighter on the couch and smiled at Jon. She picked up the chorus, singing the soft harmony she knew so well.

From the first time I saw you it felt like coming home
If I never told you I just want you to know
You had me from hello

Jon beamed at Cate as she joined in his song. Cate continued her harmony, her voice a little stronger, matching Jon’s.

And when you’re laying down beside me
I feel your heartbeat to remind me...

Jon strummed a little harder on the Takamine, moving through the solo. Cate swayed her shoulders to the rhythm, dancing in place on the couch, a blissful smile on her lips. As Jon came back to the chorus, she sang more softly, willing him to know she meant every word.

The first time I saw you it felt like coming home
If I never told you I just want you to know
You had me from hello
Mmm Hmmm…
From hello.

The final notes hung in the air, then there was a long silence as Cate and Jon gazed at each other. Jon slid forward to the edge of the ottoman and leaned over his guitar until his luscious lips hovered just inches away from Cate’s. Cate took a deep breath and drifted slowly forward, accepting his invitation.

She touched her lips gently to his, marveling at their softness. Cate kissed Jon sweetly, tracing the tip of her tongue along his lower lip. She felt Jon’s tongue slip between her lips and gently push at hers.

“Mmmmm...” Cate hummed as she turned her head slightly to the side to allow him to more fully explore her mouth. Cate tangled her tongue with Jon’s, reveling in the taste of him. The kiss grew more passionate, and Jon moaned gently against her lips. Finally, he breathlessly broke the contact, giving Cate a yearning look as he drew in a deep breath.

“Wow,” Cate whispered. She smiled shyly and dropped her gaze to the wine glass in her hand. When she looked back up at Jon, she saw him smiling at her, his chin resting on his arms, which were folded on top of the guitar.

“Wow is right,” he replied huskily. He straightened up and lifted the guitar from his lap, pulling the strap over his head. He gently set the instrument down on the floor beside him, leaning its neck against the ottoman. “Let me get you some more wine,” he said softly, reaching out for Cate’s glass.

She handed it to him and watched as he picked up his own glass from the hearth, then moved lithely across the room to the sideboard. Jon took a long swallow from his glass, emptying it. Then he refilled both his and Cate’s wine glasses, finishing the bottle.

“I’ll open another bottle,” Jon said, looking at Cate. “It needs a little time to breathe.”

Cate nodded. So do I… She was starting to feel the effects of the wine. Between the two and a half glasses of Conundrum she had had with dinner and the glass of Amarone, she felt a warm, slightly fuzzy contentment. Or maybe she was just intoxicated by Jon’s kisses. She giggled softly at the thought.

Jon walked behind the sectional sofa and into the kitchen. Cate heard him moving around behind her. She looked around the room, again taking in the glowing candles and the beautiful furnishings. Her gaze settled on the sleek ebony guitar beside her. Reverently, she reached out to graze her fingers over the polished wood.

Jon grinned as he walked back into the living room and saw Cate looking longingly at his guitar. “Go ahead,” he encouraged, moving to the sideboard to open the bottle of wine he carried. “Give her a try. You won’t hurt her.”

Cate looked up at him and smiled, shaking her head. “Oh, no, I don’t play. I took lessons eons ago, when I was about ten, but they didn’t take.” She chuckled, remembering an interview where Jon talked about hating guitar lessons when he was a child. “I hardly remember anything.”

“So? You don’t have to remember anything. Just pick her up, hold her. See if it comes back to you,” Jon encouraged as he cut the seal over the wine bottle’s cork and stripped the wrapping away.

Cate slipped her feet from under her to the floor, then leaned forward to pick up Jon’s guitar. She stood and carefully lifted the beautiful instrument, settling the strap across her shoulders. Jon watched, smiling, as she placed her manicured fingers on the fretboard, trying to recall how to finger a chord. She gently drew her thumb across the strings, evoking a soft, melodic hum.

Cate looked up at Jon and gave him a little grin. “I do remember one thing,” she said.

“Show me,” Jon replied as he uncorked the wine bottle with a soft pop. He removed the cork from the corkscrew, then waved it under his nose before setting it on the sideboard.

Cate chuckled, placing her fingers carefully on the right strings in the right frets. She gently plucked the guitar’s strings, slowly picking out the introduction to “Smoke on the Water.” When she finished the little tune, she grinned proudly.

Jon laughed as he walked back over to Cate, carrying their refilled wine glasses. “Bravo,” he said. “See? Told ya you could play!”

“Oh yeah, right.” Cate laughed. “That was pretty pathetic.” She smiled as Jon moved to her, then set the two wine glasses on a small table near the fireplace.

“Well, let me give you a lesson,” he said gently. He put his hands on Cate’s shoulders, pressing lightly downward, indicating for her to sit. Cate sank slowly down onto the edge of the leather ottoman, where Jon had sat when he played for her. She shifted the guitar to a comfortable position on her lap.

Cate sucked in a breath when Jon moved to her side, then swung a leg around and settled down on the ottoman behind her. She found herself sitting between Jon’s legs, his chest pressing against her back and his hands resting gently on her hips. “Hey, you do it to me on the range,” he chuckled, his voice soft in her ear. “Now, let me guide your hands.”

Jon raised his arms to brush lightly against Cate’s as she held his guitar. He quietly gave her instructions on where to place the fingers of her left hand on the guitar’s neck to form certain chords, and he showed her how to strum with her right hand. Cate tried her best to follow along, but she was having a hell of a time focusing as she felt Jon’s thighs pressing against hers.

As Jon told her what to do with her hands, his warm breath tickled Cate’s neck, raising gooseflesh and puckering her nipples to hard points. When he pulled her gently back against his firm chest so he could reach the strings to show her how to strum, Cate almost lost her control, feeling a warm dampness creep between her legs.

Jon wasn’t blind to the reaction of Cate’s body to his contact. He chuckled gently and took a few extra-long seconds each time he pressed forward to help Cate manipulate the guitar’s strings. He glanced down at Cate’s chest. Seeing her nipples poking against her snug tank, he felt himself stiffen.

He groaned softly and slid his hands gently up Cate’s arms, trailing his calloused fingers over her warm skin. Jon chuckled when he saw the goosebumps he raised, and he placed a gentle kiss against her neck. Cate whimpered softly as Jon trailed his hands down her sides to her waist, resting them there briefly as he placed another kiss, then another, then another on her warm neck.

Cate sank back against Jon’s chest, her hands moving to his thighs and gripping them firmly, the guitar lesson forgotten. Jon moved his hands up to cup Cate’s breasts, kneading them gently, feeling her nipples poke against his palms. Cate groaned with pleasure and tilted her head back, resting it on Jon’s shoulder.

He chuckled again and feathered kisses down her throat as he caressed her breasts. Cate arched her back, causing her buttocks to press back against his crotch. Jon sucked in a breath, closing his eyes.

He felt Cate shift in his arms and lift her head from his shoulder. Jon opened his eyes as she turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. Cate gave him a little smile, then she leaned forward and lifted the guitar from her lap, drawing the strap over her head.

Jon sighed regretfully as his hands slid from her breasts. He braced them behind him on the ottoman, leaning back and watching as Cate stood and gently placed the Takamine on the couch.

She turned and smiled down at him, her eyes roving over the bare expanse of his chest revealed by his open shirt. She purred softly at the sight, then leaned down to drop a light kiss on Jon’s lips, placing her hands on his muscular thighs to steady herself. “Excuse me for a minute?” she asked softly. “Little girls’ room.”

Jon nodded. “You can use the master bath, or there’s a powder room down the hall,” he replied quietly. Cate gave him another little smile, then stood, turned, and walked across the living room. She passed through the bedroom and into the master bath, sliding the oak door closed behind her.

Jon fell back onto the ottoman, his arms flung wide. He blew out a long breath as he stared up at the ceiling. He grinned and chuckled to himself, recognizing the same giddy feeling he had felt last night at Sonny’s, when he held Cate’s hand under the table.

What the hell is going on with me? he wondered. He didn’t even care that once again his aching arousal was going unsatisfied, at least for the moment. What he and Cate were sharing tonight was so much more intimate than sex. Their souls were connected in a way he couldn’t explain.

Jon shook his head again. This was the last thing he expected. Whatever it is, it feels good...

Cate closed the heavy bathroom door and sank back against it, closing her eyes. She had never in her life been high, but she imagined this must be what it felt like. Every nerve in her body sparked with pleasure, just from being near him. Her lips curved into a smile as she breathed rhythmically, trying to slow her pounding heartbeat.

After a long moment, she pushed away from the door and walked across the large bathroom to the water closet. After taking care of her needs, she moved back to the vanity and washed her hands. She cocked her head slightly as she spied her toiletry kit on the counter. God knows what Danny put in there…probably a whole damned box of glow-in-the-dark condoms!

She dried her hands on a soft towel, then unzipped the little bag. She rooted through the contents, finding nothing immodest. She did find a folded piece of paper, which she drew out with a smile. Unfolding it, she felt tears spring to her eyes as she read the words from her dearest friends.

Cate – You deserve a night of fantasy. Let it happen. Let go. It’s time to live again. Love you – M & D

Cate laughed through her tears as she read the post script.

P.S. – Wear the thong! - D

Cate folded the note and slid it back into her toiletry bag. She looked in the mirror and dabbed the tears from her eyes, then smiled brightly. I love you guys, she thought. She quickly finger-combed through her long tresses, then slid open the bathroom door.