Chapter 16

With as much dignity as she could muster, Valerie went back to Jon’s room. She had to refrain from running up the stairs. She closed the bedroom door behind her and leaned against it for a moment, steadying herself. Grabbing clothes, she headed for the shower.

Down in the kitchen, Richie had stopped Jon before he could go up after Valerie. “So,” he said, “Valerie, huh?”

Something in his tone made Jon looked closely at his friend. “Why don’t you say what’s on your mind, bro?” He could tell that Richie wanted to say something, but wasn’t sure he should.

Richie considered Jon for a moment and just shook his head. “I was gonna ask you if you thought that this one was gonna drive the demons from you, but,” he looked closely at his friend’s eyes, “huh, I see that she already has. What’s her deal? Where’d you meet her?”

Jon told Richie about meeting her on the beach, and at Richie’s winged eyebrow chuckled. “I know, man, but if you could have seen her dancing in the moonlight, you wouldn’t have been able to resist her, either.” He told Richie a little bit about her situation, and Richie whistled when he heard about the circumstances surrounding her widowhood.

“It’s been two years,” Jon finished, “and she’s still having a hard time trusting people, same as me. I don’t know, man, we’re like kindred spirits or something.”

“Yeah, or something,” Richie agreed. “It doesn’t hurt that she’s hot, either.”

Jon just shook his head. “That may have attracted me to her initially, but believe me, I’ve had my share of pretty faces. There’s something real behind hers. Something that speaks to the empty part of me…”

“What?” Richie said when Jon had trailed off.

“That sounds like a good line for a song,” Jon said. “She speaks to the empty part of me…” he sang softly, “…fills my soul with her words.”

Richie rolled his eyes at him. “Man, you’ve got to cut this shit out.”

Jon looked at him, a shocked expression on his face. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Richie poked an angry finger into his friend's chest. "You're looking to her to save you, aren't you." He swore. "Man, look. Make her your lover. Hell, make her your wife if that makes you happy, but do not try to make her your savior. She's just a woman. You can't rely on others to save you; you have to save yourself. Isn't that what you told me?"

Jon nodded and sighed. Richie was right. But he didn't really think he was using Valerie as anything. He genuinely liked her, cared for her. If he searched his heart, he knew this was true. "Rich, man, I don't know what you're trying to do, but if you're trying to give me a pep talk, it ain't working. You suck at that."

Richie laughed at that. "I know. Listen, bro -- all I'm trying to do is to get you to think. I can count on one hand the number of women you've brought back to this place in the last two years. Not counting your housekeeper or our daughters, I think it's one. Valerie. I'm just saying you may be reading more into this than what's there. You may be trying to make her fix you. I don't know, man, I"m not in your head. I'm just trying to say be careful, I guess. Find out what she means to you before you – well, just before."

Valerie had stopped on the other side of the door when she heard the serious tones of their voices, not wanting to interrupt. She couldn’t hear much of what was said, but that last bit about being the only woman to be here in Jon’s house recently? That came through the door loud and clear. She heard that and it surprised her; in fact, it pleased her more than she cared to admit. She backed away from the door, intending to go back up stairs, when Richie came bursting through it. Busted.

“Hey there,” he said, and smiled at her. “I see you managed to get dressed without any help from us.” He pouted. “More’s the pity.”

Valerie chuckled, and put a hand on Richie’s arm. “I overheard that last bit of your conversation in there,” she said. “I’m not sure what Jon told you –”

Richie cut her off. “Darlin’, you don’t have to explain anything to me. Jon is a big boy. I’m just trying to be a friend to him, much as he has been to me over the years.” He covered Valerie’s small hand with his large one. “I gave him my advice, and it’s up to him whether he takes it or not. I’m not going to apologize for what you heard.”

“I’m not asking you to,” Valerie said. “I just want you to know, well, that it’s not my intention to hurt him, but I don’t want to do this, whatever it is, with a cloud hanging over us. I don’t want to have to watch every little thing I say or do.” She extricated her hand from under his and squared her shoulders. “I am – we are – in this with our eyes open. We spent most of yesterday talking, and I think we know each other pretty well, and I think I’m safe in saying if he thought I was in this for some nefarious purpose, I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now.”

“You are right about that, but there’s more to him than his judge of character. Hell,” he laughed. “I could tell two seconds after seeing you that you aren’t some groupie or weirdo.” Richie shook his head, “and I’m a lousy judge of character.”

“I know there’s more to him than that,” Valerie said. Her voice was getting more heated now. “I know you don’t think so, but I know how much these last two years have hurt him personally and how it’s affected you all professionally. You think I live under a rock? I know a little bit about the infighting, the creative blocks, the personal hell he’s been living in. Don’t forget, I am living – have been living – in that same place.” She took a step toward the kitchen, wondered what the hell Jon was doing in there.

Her voice softened as she watched Richie watching her. He was listening, which is more than she expected. She had no less passion in her voice when she told him, “I know that he loves you guys more than his own life, and it’s killing him that he hasn’t been able to let you guys help him because he’s always been your leader and your rock He thinks he can’t show weakness to you. That’s how he sees himself now, you know. He thinks he’s weak, and doesn’t want to be anything less than perfect. I know that it’s hurting his heart not to have the chemistry, the camaraderie with you as his best friend that has been such a part of who he is for so long. I see it in his eyes. His soul aches from this.”

She paced a little, and Richie just watched her, seeing what Jon meant by her being more than a pretty face. She was pretty insightful, and very blunt. Richie decided he liked her. Valerie turned to face Richie again. “Look, when I met him, he couldn’t, or didn’t, really smile. Oh, his mouth made the right movements, and his eyes crinkled just so, but there was no sparkle in them. No light. Now, look at him. His smile reaches his eyes.” She stalked up to Richie and got in his face; in much the same way that he was in Jon’s face a few minutes ago. “I helped him do that; me, a little nobody from upstate. That’s got to count for something.” She shook her head and backed up, her hands up placatingly. “Alright, I’m done. Just know that I think I do know something about him, and I genuinely care for him, and will not knowingly do anything to hurt him.”

Richie nodded. “I can see that you do care for him. Most women wouldn’t have bothered to get to know the man; they would have just hung on for the ride.”

“I’m not ‘most women’,” Valerie said very softly. “I haven’t taken anyone to my bed since my husband died. If I didn’t care about him, he wouldn’t have been there.”

Richie heard the emotion in her voice, and gave Valerie a brotherly hug before leaving. Valerie went into the kitchen muttering to herself and stopped dead when she saw Jon standing there with tears in his eyes. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?” Valerie rushed to his side and took his hands in hers.

“I heard what you were saying to Richie,” Jon said, his voice thick with emotion. “Did you mean what you said to him?”

“Of course,” Valerie said, “I may be a lot of things, but a liar isn’t one of them. Did I say something to upset you?”

“No,” Jon said, gathering Valerie into a tight hug. “Not at all. I just haven’t had someone ‘get’ me for so long, to hear you talk about me like that, well, it just touches me.” He swiped at his eyes. “You are something special, you know that? Not a little nobody from upstate. Not to me. And for the record, I care about you, too.”

Valerie sighed and settled happily into Jon’s arms.

Chapter 15

They gathered their things, rearranged their clothes (what was left of them, anyway) and made their way back to the car. Jon once again opened the door for Valerie, and handed her down into her seat. He leaned in to fasten her seatbelt again, letting a kiss linger on her lips. He handed her the blanket, and as she turned to toss it into the backseat, she saw her present. When Jon settled behind the steering wheel, Valerie asked, “Can I have my present now?” She winked at him. “I’ve been good.”

Jon laughed. He leaned over to kiss her, and said, “Baby, you’ve been better than good.” He reached behind her to grab the package from the back seat, and dropped it on her lap. “It’s nothing really, just something you mentioned in passing.”

Valerie searched her memory, trying to think of what she had said to him. When she couldn’t figure out what was inside, she slowly unwrapped the box, slitting the tape with her fingernails and peeling the paper delicately from the package. “Jesus,” Jon said. “Christmas must take forever in your house!”

She laughed happily. It was true. Each person opened one gift at a time, and carefully separated the paper from the packages. One of her family’s traditions was to re-use the paper year after year, and they had some paper that dated back to before Valerie was born. Often, the unwrapping would extend into the next day. They didn’t care. The fun was in the guessing what the package would contain, and in the anticipation of opening, and seeing what everyone else had gotten. The younger children were exempt from this tradition; they were just too excited, but the adults kept it alive.

Valerie folded the paper neatly, and opened the box. There, nestled in the tissue paper was what looked like a hot pink t-shirt. Puzzled, she took it from the box, and it fell open. It was a nightshirt. She turned it around and burst out laughing. “I don’t believe you did this,” she exclaimed while she was trying to catch her breath. “This is perfect. I will wear it all the time.”

“Well, not all the time,” Jon said. “At least for this weekend, you don’t need any nightclothes.”

Valerie blushed, and put the t-shirt back in the box. She said, “thank you,” to Jon, gave him a kiss, and they set out for home.

When Jon pulled onto Lily Pond Lane, he looked over at Valerie. “Would you like to come home with me? We can swing by your place so you can get some stuff; I’d like to have you in my bed tonight.”

Valerie nodded. “I’d like that very much,” she said, pinching herself to make sure this was really happening to her. They stopped at the house on Gracie Lane and grabbed a small bag of clothes, and her toiletries. Jon was lounging in the doorway, watching her.

“Why don’t you take it all with you?” he asked. “That way, if you decide you want to say, we don’t have to come back.”

Valerie stopped short and looked at him. “Really?” she asked.

“I never say anything I don’t mean,” Jon said. He crossed to her and took her hands. “I’m more than happy to stay here with you, or if you’re not sure, I’ll just go, and see you tomorrow.” He kissed her softly. “I just know I want to see you in my house, among my things, and especially in my bed.”

When they got to Jon’s house, Valerie dropped her bags in the foyer and gawped. The entry was just glorious, two stories high, with marble floors and an enormous chandelier. Jon chuckled at Valerie’s reaction and grabbed her bags; leading her upstairs to the bedroom. He pointed out the library, dining room, and kitchen along the way. “I’ll give you a proper tour later, but for now, there’s only one room I want to show you.”

In Jon’s bedroom, Valerie’s eyes went wide at the California King bed that dominated the room. It was made up in linens of a hundred shades of blue and green, and reminded her of the ocean. She could definitely see herself drowning there. There were deep-set windows complete with padded seats, an antique roll-top desk and matching chair in one corner, and a sitting area set up in the other. There were two sets of doors leading from the room; she assumed these were to the master bath and the closet. All in all, this was a pretty Spartan room, and definitely masculine. Valerie could smell a hint of Jon’s scent in the air, and sighed.


“Well?” Jon said, watching Valerie’s reaction to his sanctum.

“It’s very, well,” she started to say ‘it’s very you,’ then realized she didn’t really know what that meant. She started again. “It looks like what I would imagine your space to look like. It’s very tastefully done, in colors I would have guessed you’d use, and very neat and organized, and just ‘wow’ enough. Does that make sense?”

Jon laughed. “Yeah, I guess it does.” He pulled Valerie into his arms and nuzzled her neck. “What I really want to know, though, is do you wanna try out the bed?”

Valerie laughed out loud. “Sure do,” she said, and turned her head to kiss Jon’s mouth. “First things first, though,” she smirked at him. “I’ve gotta see the closet!” She sprinted across the room and threw open the double doors. Racks of suits and shirts, shelves of jeans and sweaters, built-in drawers holding t-shirts, shorts and socks, and one short row of shoes filled the space. She whistled. “Wow, you have nearly as many clothes as I do!” She ran her fingers across some of the softer-looking sweaters, sighing at the feel of the worsted wool and cashmere garments. “I’ve got you beat on shoes, though.”

Jon rolled his eyes at her. “Of course you do, you’re a girl!” Valerie just gave him a look that made him chuckle. She came out of the closet, and opened the other set of doors which, as she suspected, led to a grand master bathroom. It was done in stainless and white, looking very antiseptic and somewhat cold. Valerie was surprised. She would have expected more colors in here. There was a triple sink along one wall, a huge, glass-enclosed double shower, an oversized claw-foot tub, and a separate room where she assumed the toilet was.

“Why the frown?” Jon asked.

“Oh, nothing, really, I’m just surprised that there aren’t more colors in here.”

Jon smiled and pointed to a control panel set into the wall. “What colors did you expect?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe something in reds?”

With a few button presses, a soft warm red tint glowed from the walls and floor. Valerie gasped in amazement. “This is fantastic!”

Jon just laughed. “I don’t do techie stuff pretty well, but I do enjoy my share of cool toys, and this is the coolest.” He grabbed Valerie and picked her up off the floor. “Now, you’ve seen enough, it’ll all still be here tomorrow.” He kissed her roughly. “Let’s go to bed.”

He carried her to the bed, and tossed her into the middle of it, making Valerie scream with delight. She moaned in appreciation at the feel of the down comforter. She was right; she could definitely drown here. This bed must be what Jon was thinking about when he wrote

On any other day, I might just stay in bed,
Sink down in a sea of blankets, pull them up over my head

Jon shucked his clothes, and crawled up onto the bed after her. He brought Valerie up to her knees, and slowly lifted the dress off of her, leaving her gloriously naked. He pulled her into his arms, and reached behind her to pull down the covers. They lay together for a while, kissing and fondling each other until they couldn’t wait a moment longer. Jon rolled over on top of Valerie, and slid gently into her. He kissed her face and neck while he stroked in and out of her slowly. He felt her tightening around him and when she went off the edge, he was right there with her, whispering her name. They kissed once more, and settled into sleep, blissfully happy.

Valerie woke up in bed alone. Smiling to herself, she stretched and looked around the room. It really was a beautiful room, and she was storing up as many mental pictures as she could. Finally, she couldn’t ignore her bladder anymore, and she desperately needed coffee. After taking care of the first, she snagged her new T-shirt, pleased that it came down to her knees, and set off to find the kitchen. Jon had pointed it out to her during the brief tour of the manse last night, and she thought she could remember where the kitchen was.

Making her way downstairs, she looked at the art on the walls interspersed with photographs of Jon with his children, friends and family. She smiled at some of the early pictures, when Jon knew he had the world by the balls and was enjoying the squeeze. At the bottom of the stairs, she looked around, and caught a whiff of coffee. Smiling, she followed her nose to a swinging door, and pushed through, saying, “Thank God I found you –” and stopped dead when she saw the back of someone’s head. Someone who wasn’t Jon.

Richie turned around, and smiled broadly. “Well, darlin, the ladies don’t usually thank God for me until after we’ve been together.” He took in the t-shirt that Valerie was wearing and burst out laughing. “Although, I can see that I’m too late; which is too bad for you. I have much better technique. But, if that’s all you got out of it, maybe you wanna give me a try anyway?” Valerie, confused, looked down at her shirt, and turned beet red.

“Oh my God,” she moaned. The shirt Jon had gotten her said “I Fucked Jon Bon Jovi And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt”.

Jon chose that moment to come into the kitchen, and looked at the tableau in front of him: Richie leering at Valerie, and Val looking like she wanted to sink into the floor. He saw what Valerie was wearing, and laughed out loud. He crossed to her and took her in his arms, kissing her thoroughly. “Morning, baby,” he said.

“Morning,” Valerie said weakly. “You didn’t tell me you had company,” she said.

“Hell,” Richie said. “I’m not company, I’m family, darlin’.” He crossed the kitchen and kissed Valerie on the cheek. “And what’s your name, pretty lady.”

Jon looked at his friend with mock anger. “Oh no you don’t. Her name is Valerie, and she’s mine. She’s so happy about that, in fact, that she’s wearing the fact proudly on her chest.”

“Looks to me, bro, that you got the better end of the deal.” Richie’s eyes were twinkling, and it was impossible for Valerie not to laugh.

“OK,” she said, finally. “I came for coffee. I need coffee, and to go get dressed.”

“Need any help with that?” both men asked at the same time.

Valerie ignored them and crossed to the gourmet coffee maker on the counter. She looked around for mugs, and started opening cabinets until she found one. She filled her cup and left the room, but not before she walked behind Jon and bit his neck and squeezed his ass, making him jump.

“Pleasure to meet you, Richie,” she said breezily, as she left the room.

Chapter 14

After thanking their hosts for a delicious dinner, and complimenting the chef on his choices, Jon fetched a blanket from the trunk of his car and led Valerie out onto the rocky beach.

“You’ll want to take off your boots and walk in the water’s edge for a little bit,” Valerie said, doffing her own. “The rocks will play havoc with your ankles, and it doesn’t turn to sand for a little while.”

The two quietly strolled barefoot up the beach, hand-in-hand, aiming away from the inn. Up around an inlet in the harbor was a secluded stretch of sand, and Jon spread the blanket here and motioned for Valerie to sit. He sat behind her, and pulled her back to lean against his chest. After a few minutes, Jon tucked one hand inside the halter of her dress, loosely holding one breast and running his thumb across its peak gently. They sat that way for some time, just watching the water. There was very little wind, so there wasn’t much for waves, but watching the tide coming in was no less mesmerizing.

Jon leaned in to trail kisses along Valerie’s neck. “Dance with me?’ he asked; his voice a mere whisper in her ear.

“There’s no music,” Valerie said softly, recalling words to one of the most bittersweet songs she’d ever heard.

When I asked you to dance,
You said there’s no band there’s no radio
I gut up real slow, started singing real low
When I was melting in your arms I had to let go…

Jon stood and pulled her into his arms. “We can make our own music,” he said. Holding her close, he started to sway with her. Their heartbeats blended together, forming the beat they moved to. The gentle flow of water provided the melody. The frogs and crickets and katydids sang beautiful harmony. The pair danced together for a long while; long after the lights went out at the Inn. Jon put a gentle hand under Valerie’s chin, and raised her face so he could look at her. He put his hands to either side of her face, holding her gently, and brought his mouth down to hers. He stroked her throat with his thumbs, and they stopped moving altogether; just holding each other close while their tongues continued to dance.

Jon’s kiss was so potent that Valerie’s legs threatened to buckle out from underneath her. He took pity on her and lowered her gently to the blanket, stretching out next to her. He had his arms wrapped around her, and was holding her tightly while his mouth continued to plunder hers. He loosened one hand trail down to her hem. When he went to lift it, Valerie stiffened.

“What are you doing?” she asked, looking around as much as she could.

Jon chuckled. “If you don’t know, then I guess you did have too much to drink.” He kissed her again gently. “Relax, sweetheart; we’re all but hidden here. Nobody can see us.”

Valerie didn’t quite believe him. She sat up and looked around, needing to see for herself. Satisfied, she smiled down at Jon, who was propped up on one elbow, and watching her with an amused look on his face. “In that case,” she said, “I do believe it’s time for some payback.”

Jon laughed sexily, and arched an eyebrow at her. “Oh really?”

“Yeah, really.” Valerie pushed Jon’s chest until he was prone on the blanket. She knelt over him, straddling his waist, and let her hands lightly play over his face and neck. When he reached for her, she said, “No, Jon. Let me. Let me try to make you feel the way you make me feel.” She unbuttoned Jon’s shirt the rest of the way, and opened the plackets. She pulled him up by the shirtfront and eased the garment, off of him. Kissing him gently, she leaned forward until he was forced to recline on the blanket again. As she leaned down over him, her hair cascaded around her shoulder to tickle his side and make him twitch.

“What’s the matter, baby?” she asked, smiling against his mouth.

“Your hair tickles,” he replied, tucking a hand into her hair and anchoring her mouth to his. With a final little kiss, Valerie pushed back so she was once again straddling Jon’s waist. She gathered her hair in one hand, and leaned down, making the ends of her ponytail trail across Jon’s chest. He hissed and twitched, and when he’d have grabbed for her, she stopped the gentle torture. Valerie had slid down enough to feel the evidence of his desire for her against her core and chuckled.

“Well hello there,” she said softly, undulating gently against him. When Jon’s breathing quickened, Valerie stopped moving. She eased off of him, and slowly unfastened his pants, pulling them from him. She looked her fill of him. Clad in only tighty-whities and cowboy boots, he made quite the erotic picture. Valerie gave him a squeeze, which made him moan and loll his head to one side. She leaned down to bite him gently through the thin fabric, and Jon arched off the blanket, her name on his lips like an oath.

Smiling to herself, she scratched her fingernails up his chest as she continued gently nipping at him. He groaned her name, his hands fisting into the blanket to keep from reaching for her, hauling her up, and fucking her stupid. Valerie smiled and dragged Jon’s briefs down and off his body. His erection sprang free with a jaunty bounce, making Valerie chuckle. “Everything OK, baby?”

“Everything’s fine,” Jon said huskily, “just fine.”

“Oh,” Valerie said with a pout. “I guess I’ll have to try harder then.” She winked at him. “You should be feeling way more than ‘just fine’.” She bent down and took him into her mouth, her hair hiding her face from him. Jon gathered her hair away from her face, and watched as she pleasured him. Seeing her move up and down on him was almost unbearable, and he felt the familiar tightening that had him tugging gently on her hair. Valerie took her hair from his hand and sat back. “What’s the matter?”

“I want to feel you around me; under me,” he said.

Valerie chuckled. “The next one,” she said, and dropped her mouth onto his cock again. This time, when Valerie saw Jon’s thigh muscles tighten and his abs flex, she stopped her motion but didn’t remove her mouth. She crept one hand down to Jon’s balls and squeezed while the other hand crept up his chest to pinch one pebbled nipple. She squeezed them in time with her head’s motions. When Jon hissed and moaned, Valerie dropped her mouth down just a bit more, deep-throating him, and he lost control. Calling her name, he emptied into her mouth, while Valerie kept up the pulsing on his balls and nipple. Soon, Jon was begging her to stop; the sensations were just too much. He felt as if he were flying and falling all at the same time. He didn’t know whether to laugh or scream or cry. He was dizzy with desire, and wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with this woman for the next hundred years or so.

Valerie removed her hands from Jon’s body, and slowly let him slip from her mouth. “Mmmm,” she said. “Now that’s good.” She licked her lips and smiled down at Jon. He opened his arms, and Valerie settled into them laying next to him, and rubbing lazy circles on his chest. The pair lay listening to the sound of the water. Jon had closed his eyes, and was trailing a hand up and down Valerie’s arm, making her shiver. The breeze was picking up, and the waves were hitting the shore with a little more intensity than before. She kissed Jon’s cheek and said, “Everything still OK, baby?”

Jon chuckled. “Oh yeah. More than OK. Everything’s perfect.” He opened one eye and looked at her. “Well, except for one thing.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Valerie replied playfully, her hand stealthily making its way down to his member again.

Jon grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from him, giving her a look. “You have far too many clothes on.” In a quick motion, he flipped Valerie onto her back, and thrust a thigh between her legs. She instinctively rubbed against him, making him laugh. Pinning her hands above her head, he reached behind her neck to unfasten the top of her dress and exposed her breasts to his view. He kissed down her neck, biting and nipping gently, until he settled on one rosy-tipped breast, and suckled greedily. Valerie moaned, and turned her head away, losing herself in the sensation.

Jon released her hands, and raised the hem of her dress. He ripped the panties from her, and tossed them behind him. Valerie’s dress was now bunched from both sides at her waist. Jon kissed his way down her chest, skipped the bunched fabric, and continued down her stomach until he was kissing her intimately. He drove his tongue into her, making her cry out his name. He continued tongue-fucking her until she started to tense. He sat up and looked at her, flushed and writhing, and grinned. “Everything OK, baby?”

Valerie just looked at him, giving him a look that made him chuckle. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, and bent back down to finish what he started. He slowly opened her to his view, and latched onto her clit, making her scream. Jon slid two fingers, then a third into her as she whimpered and begged for him to take her over the edge.

“Please,” she breathed, not sure what she was asking for. She was confident he’d know what she was talking about. He sucked harder on her, and buried his fingers in her as deep as they’d go. He could feel her walls starting to convulse, and when she screamed his name this time, he withdrew his hand from her and thrust his cock into her, burying himself to the hilt. He pounded into her, driving her up and over again, and lost himself in her cries. When they were both spent, Jon pulled from her and lay next to her, cuddling her close.

“No falling asleep,” he said drowsily. “I SO don’t want to wake up covered in bugs.” He leaned up on one elbow and looked out over the water. “Or carried out to sea –” Whatever else he was going to say was lost in laughter; great, gulping laughter that had Valerie chuckling without even knowing why.

“What’s so funny?” she asked between giggles.

Jon couldn’t talk. He just dragged her up and pointed. Her panties had been taken up by the tide, and were slowly floating away.