Chapter 122 - Sunrise

THURSDAY

Cate eased her eyes open to the faint light of dawn. She blinked sleepily, waiting for the cobwebs to clear from her mind as her eyes focused on the rumpled pillow next to her. It smelled just like Jon.

She slid an arm across the sheets, reaching for his ghost. It took her a minute to fully comprehend that Jon wasn’t there. She was just starting to wonder if she had dreamed what happened last night when she heard his unmistakable voice, muted by the heavy doors separating the master bedroom from the rest of the villa. Cate smiled as she heard the strumming of a guitar in accompaniment.

Stretching with a yawn, Cate pushed herself up and slipped out from under the covers. She smiled again to herself as she stood and felt the soft fabric of Jon’s pale blue dress shirt slide over her body. He likes the way I look in his clothes.

Cate padded into the bathroom and took care of her needs, then returned to the bedroom. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was only ten past six. Does he ever sleep? she wondered, chuckling throatily to herself and giving her head a little shake.

She moved to the heavy pocket doors, sliding them halfway open and stepping through into the living room. She paused at the breathtaking sight before her. Jon sat on the edge of the big, round ottoman, bare-chested and tousle-headed, wearing only a pair of faded camouflage cut-offs. He gazed through the open French doors at the ocean as he strummed on his ebony Takamine.

Jon sang to himself, quietly enough that Cate couldn’t quite make out the words. He frowned slightly as he struck a chord that didn’t quite sound right, looking at his left hand on the guitar’s neck like it had acted improperly, of its own accord. In his glance he saw Cate standing in front of the bedroom doors. Jon raised his eyes to meet hers, giving her a gentle smile.

“Morning.” His honeyed-whiskey voice awakened the butterflies in Cate’s stomach. She blushed slightly and looked down at her painted toes at the realization he could still do that to her, after all that had happened between them.

“I didn’t wake you, did I?” Jon asked. God, she looked beautiful, standing there in the doorway, her hair tumbling over her shoulder. The pale blue of his shirt made her eyes seem to glow like cobalt embers surrounded by a fiery mane of chestnut and chocolate. Jon’s gaze traveled down Cate’s neck along the vee of his shirt, tracing the curve of her breast, then dropped to the hem that skimmed gently across the tops of her tanned thighs. Jon’s heart tightened with happiness at the thought of waking up to such a lovely sight every morning, forever.

Cate shook her head, sending auburn waves spilling across her shoulders and back. “No. I just woke up. I’m used to getting up with the sun.” She wandered slowly toward him as she spoke, unable to take her eyes off his magnificent form. It was as if he was pulling her to him with some invisible magnetic force.

As she neared Jon moved the guitar from his lap and rested it against the side of the ottoman. He reached out and guided her with a gentle hand on her hip, to sit on his lap. Cate sank down onto his thigh, her knees together between his, and slipped her arms around his neck.

“Hi.” Cate murmured softly.

“Hi.” Jon replied gently. He tipped his face upward and gave her a tender smile. Cate recognized it as “her” smile – the one that had taken her breath away last week when they had shared their first private moment. She couldn’t resist lowering her lips to his, to taste it. It tasted as sweet as it looked.

“What were you playing?” Cate asked when their lips parted. “I didn’t recognize it.”

“Oh, just something I’m messing around with,” Jon replied with a little shrug. “I kinda like it. I’m gonna get together with Richie and John in L.A. next week and lay down a demo. I think it may have a place on the new record. We have a bunch of songs already, but there’s still this… kinda… hole, in the story. I’ve been trying to figure out what fits.”

Cate inhaled as she recalled Jon’s words of last night, when they lay cradled in the hammock after their lovemaking. My soul knows yours, Cate. We fit.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” she murmured gently. Jon could see from her expression that she was thinking the same thing he was, reliving their night together.

“Yeah. I think I already have,” he smiled, the double meaning of his words evident only to him. He gave Cate a little squeeze and kissed the side of her neck, then turned his gaze toward the ocean. “Look,” he said quietly. “Sun’s coming up.”

Cate turned her head to look at the horizon, seeing the glorious pinks and yellows and oranges reflecting off the shimmering waves. Just the top of the sun was visible. She felt Jon hug her closer to him, and she tipped her head sideways to rest against his. “The sunrise is always the best part of my day,” she remarked quietly.

“Why’s that?” Jon asked.

“It means I have another chance to do something right,” Cate answered. “I survived another night.”

Jon heard the unspoken “alone” in her melancholy tone. He hugged her a little tighter. “This is the best sunrise I’ve ever seen.” He declared, a little smile in his voice.

Cate chuckled. “Oh sure. You’ve seen the sun come up practically everywhere in the world. You can’t tell me Coastal Georgia has the most beautiful sunrise on Earth.”

“From where I’m sitting, it does,” Jon answered gently. Cate’s heart melted as she turned her head to see him gazing at her, his eyes shining.

Her eyes glittered back at him. “You’re right. It IS the best sunrise ever.” she smiled.

Cate and Jon sat together in silence and watched the flaming orange ball slowly drift above the horizon. Finally Cate rose from Jon’s lap and, after another sweet kiss, headed into the kitchen to make coffee. Jon called room service, and within fifteen minutes they were enjoying breakfast of omelets and toast on the deck.

Finally they made it to the shower, where they spent a little too long enjoying the morning cleansing ritual. Despite Jon’s willingness to be late to the interview, Cate insisted he “save it for later.” After toweling themselves off, Cate went into the bedroom while Jon pulled out his shaving kit.

Cate quickly slipped into clean white cotton panties and Jon’s blue shirt, then laid out her sports bra, tan range pants, and a brand-new navy polo emblazoned with the Center’s logo, on the bed. She knew from experience that the navy and khaki combo looked best on video, and she wanted to look professional. That done, she finger-combed through her damp hair, heading back to the bathroom to blow-dry it before it became unmanageable.

What Cate saw when she stepped through the wide doorway to the master bath stopped her cold. She sucked in a sharp breath and stared.

Jon stood at the vanity, a creamy white towel wrapped around his waist. His tanned, bare, sculpted back was covered with a light film of dew from the humidity of the room. His damp hair curled at the back of his neck as he leaned forward over the sink. Jon’s left hand was braced against the marble vanity top, every contour of his bunched muscles plainly visible. His right arm was bent, his hand grasping his razor, poised to scrape away the shaving cream that covered his stubbled cheeks and jaws.

At the sound of her breath, Jon glanced up at Cate’s reflection in the mirror. Seeing her hungry and slightly dazed expression, he grinned, causing little crinkles in the creamy white foam. “Wanna watch?” he growled teasingly, turning on the tap and sending a stream of warm water trickling into the bowl of the sink.

“Yes…” Cate breathed, expelling the breath she didn’t know she was holding. She stood rooted to the spot as Jon rolled his eyes and shook his head, raising the razor to his cheek. He turned his head slightly and tipped it just a bit, then drew the blade across his skin, cutting a wide swath through the cream and leaving baby-smooth skin in its wake.

Jon glanced again at Cate as he washed off the razor under the stream of water from the faucet. He chuckled softly to himself, seeing that she was still wide-eyed. Who knew shaving was such a turn-on? he thought amusedly. He again raised the razor and scraped away another strip of stubble.

Cate was mesmerized, watching Jon shave. It was one of the sexiest things she had ever seen, not just because his glorious almost-naked body stood right before her, flexed and moist. It was almost unbearably intimate, her being here, observing this everyday task. After all the passionate, steamy, dirty, sexy things they had done to each other the past few days, she was almost embarrassed to witness this simple act of masculinity.

She flushed slightly, feeling a little bit like a voyeur. But she couldn’t tear her eyes away as Jon scraped the razor along his chiseled jaw. Cate unconsciously sucked her lower lip between her teeth as Jon tilted his chin up, exposing his neck. She whimpered softly as she watched his hand guide the blade under his left jaw, then under his chin.

Jon chuckled again at Cate’s reaction. He knew it would take nothing more than a smile to get her to strip off her clothes and attack him right here, on the bathroom floor. Damned press, he growled to himself with a little frown.

As he had the thought he drew the razor under his right jaw, slicing away the last bit of his day-old growth. He sucked in a sharp breath as he felt the sting of the blade against his skin. “Fuck!” he swore under his breath, angling his head and seeing the crimson droplet of blood on his jawline.

Jon’s curse startled Cate back to reality. “Oh!” she gasped out. “Baby… are you okay?” She stepped forward, raising her hand toward his wound.

Jon laughed gently at her concern. “I’m fine, Cate. It’s just a little nick. Happens all the time.” He pressed his finger over the cut, applying pressure.

Cate quickly reached for a tissue, tearing a little square from the corner. “Here,” she said softly, stepping closer and offering it to him.

Jon turned toward her, smiling. Instead of taking the paper from her he lowered his hand from the wound, tilting his head so she had a clear view of it. Cate hesitated before raising her hand and pressing the little piece of tissue against the droplet of blood. She patted it gently until she was sure it would stick, then pulled her hand away.

Jon reached up to capture her wrist in his hand, pulling it to his lips. “Thank you, Baby,” he murmured, giving her a sweet smile and kissing her fingertips.

Cate blushed slightly. “You’re welcome.” She reached up with her other hand to wipe away a little bead of shaving cream from the corner of Jon’s mouth. Seeing his opportunity, Jon leaned forward and dropped his lips onto hers. He kissed her sweetly, yearningly, pulling her hand against his chest.

Cate sighed against Jon’s lips as she felt his heart beating under her hand. God, she would be the happiest woman in the world if they never had to leave this bathroom, if they could just stay here in this moment forever.

The ringing of her Blackberry on the nightstand reminded her that that couldn’t happen. “Oh… shit.” she sighed, pulling her lips from Jon’s. “Sorry, Jon. I need to answer that.” The ringtone told her the call was official; someone from an office line on the Center.

“Go,” he smiled gently. “But thanks for rescuing me…. from my horrific shaving accident,” he added sarcastically, giving her a little wink as he turned back to the sink. He cupped his hands under the water and splashed it onto his face as Cate reluctantly turned and headed for the bedroom.