Chapter 24: A Chapter to Remember
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Jordan awoke with a violent jerk, sitting upright as the last vestiges of her nightmare swirled through her mind, finally fading to leave her empty and exhausted. Touching a hand to her cheek where Aleksei had last touched her, she cringed at the coldness she felt there. Fearfully she looked to where Aleksei had been sleeping, panic surging forth when she found the bed, and the room, empty.
"Aleksei...?"
Silence was her answer. Trying to control her panic, she climbed from beneath the covers, slipped Aleksei's abandoned T-shirt over her head and inhaled deeply of his scent that still clung to the shirt. Slowly she walked through the doorway into the large room, calling his name, and still she found nothing but silence. Quietly she stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do next, fighting the urge to simply collapse to the floor and cry.
The door suddenly opened, it's frame filled by Aleksei's enormous form holding an armful of firewood, the snow swirling behind him as he tried to close the door with one foot and still hold the wood.
Jordan launched herself at him, ignoring his warning of being cold and wet with snow, and literally pushed the wood in his arms to the floor, easily sidestepping the falling debris. Without a word she threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly as she tried to melt into him, squeezing the breath from him.
Aleksei's surprised grunt at her behavior subsided the moment he saw her pale face. Her eyes were wide and panicky, their darkness glazed, tears that still trailed down her cheeks. Her lips trembled as she tried to answer his question. "Jordan, what is it?" he repeated when he wasn't sure if she'd understood him the first time.
Jordan could only shake her head; afraid to put her dream to words for fear it would give it the power to become fact. "Hold me, Aleksei...just hold me," she mumbled, burrowing against him.
"Come here, sweetheart," Aleksei coaxed, walking her to the couch and gently placing her on the soft cushions, wrapping the fleece throw around her shoulders. "Let me get the fire going. I'll be right here," he stated, waiting until she nodded in agreement before he left her side.
In short order he had the fire roaring healthily, the heat penetrating even the farthest corners of the room. He had watched Jordan silently watch him build the fire, the panicked look in her eyes slowly fading as she had watched his every move, never speaking aloud but communicating her fear to him clearly.
"That ought to keep this place warm for a while," he offered conversationally, leaving the hearth and crawling on his hands and knees across the floor to kneel before Jordan on the couch. The throw stayed firmly wrapped around her shoulders, her knuckles white where she held the fabric close beneath her chin.
"Are you okay?" he asked her quietly, brushing wayward curls from her temples and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I think," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his and closing her eyes, the deep breath she took still a bit shaky.
"Want to talk about it?"
Jordan's head popped up, her eyes dark and full of fear at his question, her heading shaking back and forth adamantly. "No, it might come true!" she gasped, pulling Aleksei into her arms, her body trembling. "Aleksei, please...just hold me," she pleaded.
Aleksei held her tightly, gently stroking her back as he whispered soothing words of comfort. At a loss as to what could have frightened her so much. He couldn't have been away from her for more than five minutes. The woodpile was just outside the door, not fifty feet away from where she had slept, so he had not idea what any of this was about. "As you wish, Jordan. I'll hold you all night if that's what you want," he whispered into her hair, lifting her easily into his arms and settling comfortably into the corner of the sofa. Gently he set her between his spread legs, her arms releasing the fleece throw to wrap about his waist as she snuggled her cheek beneath his chin, closing her eyes and heaving a deep sigh. Aleksei held her tightly, resting his chin on the top of her head and breathing deeply of her soft perfume.
Slowly, over time, Aleksei felt Jordan relax in his arms, heard her breathing calm, felt her trembling stop. Patiently he waited for her to come to terms with whatever had frightened her, wishing he could chase away whatever had shaken her so, knowing there were some demons she would have to fight alone. Her sudden, quietly voiced, question surprised him after her lengthy stillness.
"Aleksei - nobody leaves, right?"
"That's our promise to each other," he answered simply, releasing her when he felt her push against his chest as she moved to sit up, her eyes capturing his and refusing to break contact.
"Swear it! Swear that with the two of us, nobody leaves!" she demanded urgently.
Aleksei's hands cupped Jordan's face, pulling her forward until their lips nearly touched. "As God is my witness, Jordan. Nobody leaves!" he stated emphatically, his eyes delving deeply into hers, reaching her soul, and sharing his courage and belief in what he said.
"I'm going to hold you to it," Jordan promised, covering his hands, where they rested on her face, with her own, her cold fingers absorbing the warmth of his own. Slowly she moved the few inches forward until her mouth met his, their kiss sealing their vow to each other and chasing away her final fears left by her nightmare. Softly they explored the unhurried, gentle side of love, kisses shared simply for the joy of sharing, touching for the simple sake of feeling the wonder of love. When they finally parted, there was no remainder of the fear Aleksei had witnessed earlier, simply his shining, beautiful Jordan.
"Want to come skate with me?" Aleksei asked suddenly, his hands sifting through her copper-toned curls, a mischievous smile curving his lips.
"You brought our skates? Whittaker's going to kill you if he finds out," Jordan warned. "Remember, 'no skating, no skiing, no hiking. Nothing that could land you in the hospital!'" she reminded.
"You could land me in the hospital after the workout you put me through earlier," he teased, his smile widening as he watched the flush spread across her cheeks as he teased her about their earlier passionate encounter.
"Fine - don't expect another such threat to your health then. I wouldn't want to be the one responsible for your withdrawal from the Olympics," she threatened nonchalantly. Moving to leave the circle of his arms and making it as far as the edge of the couch before he circled her slim waist with one arm, he pulled her backwards, holding her slim back tight against his broad chest.
"Don't make threats you can't keep, brat," he whispered heatedly against her neck, his lips pressing hot kisses between his words to emphasize his point, smiling when he felt her melt against him.
"You just think you're irresistible, don't you?" her voice sexily low despite her cheeky response.
"No, you do!" he answered cockily, rubbing his beard-rough cheek gently against hers before turning her in his arms enough to face him.
"Why would I think you're irresistible?"
"I don't know. Why?"
"You want me to give you a list?" Jordan teased.
"A whole list, huh? I didn't know there were so many things about me that were irresistible," he stated flippantly, pleased arrogance clear in his tone.
"Don't get so excited. The list is very short!"
"You must have forgotten to poll everyone I know," Aleksei stated, his eyes sparkling mischievously.
"I only polled those females who have actual knowledge of your irresistibility. I was surprised at how willing they were to talk to me. In fact, most of them offered their opinions without being asked."
Aleksei's exaggerated cringe startled a laugh out of Jordan, "Touché, brat. Now give me this list."
"I really don't think it would interest you," she shrugged, pushing against his chest as if to leave.
"No you don't..." he started, tightening his arms and bringing her warmth and softness back against his chest, then leaning forward to give her a quick kiss. "You started this subject, you finish it. The list!" he demanded laughingly.
Jordan heaved a huge sigh, her expression one of 'if I must' and began. "Well - everyone agrees you're easy enough to look at... Ouch!" she complained, slapping at the hand that pinched her bottom. "Fine - you're gorgeous - too damn gorgeous if you ask me; but then, nobody did - ask me that is. Anyway, you're fun; whatever that means and I probably don't want to know, so we'll go on to the next thing on your list. You skate well. That I can generally agree with. Ouch!" another light pinch afflicted her bottom. "Your ass, unarguably, is the best in the business!"
"According to whom?" he choked out, an unexpected blush coloring cheeks.
"The only one who counts - me, of course!" Jordan stated firmly. "Therefore, you look wonderful in tight pants, and out of them, according to some who will remain nameless but can be easily spotted because they're limping. I won't say why or how they came to be that way, only that they are and that a certain ex-skater's ex-husband was happy to get the work," Jordan teased airily, snidely referring to the Nancy Kerrigan/Tanya Harding debacle.
"Moving on..." Aleksei encouraged, chuckling at her show of jealousy.
"Where was I?" Jordan pondered her face a study of innocence, "Oh, yes, tight pants. Next, there are those who are quite partial to your chest hair," she stated, pulling smartly on a few and enjoying immensely his flinch of pain. "I, personally, find them okay. All right, more than okay," she stammered, responding to Aleksei's smug look and raised eyebrows as he remembered how she hadn't been able to stop running her hands over his lushly covered chest when they'd made love.
"Ah." he nodded in understanding. "It would seem, the list is primarily about my physical attributes."
"You're surprised?"
Aleksei searched her face, looking for censure and found none. "I probably shouldn't be considering I spent the better part of my early years proving my manhood to everyone. It's just kind of disheartening to know that my legacy is going to be how many beers I could knock back, how many fights I fought, how many bones I broke and how many women I knew," he stated, frowning at the memories of his youthful, reckless past.
"So who says that has to be your legacy?" Jordan questioned, smiling lovingly up at him from where she lay against his chest until he returned the smile. "Why can't your past be chapter one and what we do together be chapter two and what people remember?"
"Because people tend to remember the bad and ignore the good, the bad is typically much more interesting."
"Only in a wicked, voyeuristic, sort of way. It's easy for people to say 'can you believe the wild stuff so-and-so did? I can't believe he got away with it.', and still experience the same thrill vicariously without having to take the risk. People are warped enough to scream 'that's pushing the envelope too far' and wish they'd had the balls to think of it themselves, not that most of them would have had the guts to try some of the stuff you have. Still, they may shake their fingers at you and say 'bad boy' but secretly hope you keep doing the outrageous things that keep their lives a little more exciting," Jordan suggested.
Aleksei looked at her in amazement, astonished at her insight. "Obviously, your bio is wrong. How old are you?"
"Old enough to know better than to even think about doing some of the things you've done, let alone attempt them, but old enough to appreciate the thrills you've given those who needed a little umph in their lives. You've given a lot of different things to a lot of different people, good and bad alike, and I can't say I agree with all you've done. But you've changed, in ways the world is only starting to find out and I think you have every right to be very proud of this new chapter in your life," she ended softly, her cheeks blushing at Aleksei's warm, astonished, dawning gaze.
If someone had told him two years ago he'd be madly in love with this slip of a girl who had verbally, and physically, knocked him to his knees, he would have said they'd smoked a bad batch of weed. Instead, here she was, sprawled comfortably between his legs, her soft, full breasts resting warmly against his chest while her fingers absently played with the dark curls, her eyes melting into his, her lips only a small breath away. The sudden belief that he could be everything she said left him stunned. The fact she wanted to be a part of it left him feeling complete, as if he'd found the part he'd been missing and searching for all his life, filling him with a joy he'd never known.
"Marry me, Jordan," he asked softly, his voice low and filled with emotion.
Jordan's eyes widened, the dark green orbs fringed by lush, black lashes filling with tears. "What did you say?" she managed to gasp.
"You heard me."
"Say it again, please," she whispered.
Aleksei released his arms where they looped comfortably around her back and brought his hands up to cup her face, his thumbs gently rubbing away the tears slipping from her beautiful eyes. His dark eyes delved deeply into hers, his reflection clear despite the tears. He could feel her shallow breathing where their chests met, almost see her breath through her slightly parted lips. "Jordan, I love you with all that I am and all that you believe I can be. Marry me, please," he whispered deeply, dipping his head to lightly kiss her lips.
Jordan could only stare, unblinking, as tears slipped from her eyes, her voice lost, her orderly thoughts scattered to the winds at Aleksei's softly voiced request. His soft, searching kiss didn't help her sort through the swirling visions that danced through her brain and restore her to some semblance of balance. Never, in all her wildest daydreams, had Aleksei even hinted at something so permanent as his sweetly voiced request. Yet, deep in her heart, she knew this was the moment her life had been building toward. All her medals, and awards and trophies were simply stepping stones toward her final pinnacle: Aleksei.
"Yes!" she whispered softly, the soft stroke of her heated word touching Aleksei's lips at the same time he heard her quiet answer.
"Thank you," he gasped, his deep voice breaking with emotion as he held her tightly against him, spreading soft kisses over her face and finally, kissing her parted mouth voraciously, losing himself in the passion that flared between them.
The fire crackled noisily. It's flames cast shadows throughout the room, failing to reach the far corners and leaving areas of darkness. Shadows that gently caressed the couple lost to passion before the roaring blaze, celebrating their love and commitment to one another. Celebrating their happiness for the moment and their hopes, and dreams, and wishes for the future. A time when the world was theirs for the asking. A time when the world looked forward to a future filled with the beauty and perfection of Jamison and Rocmanov. When 'Fire and Ice' did lead to all things beautiful, and anything was possible.
Text Copyright © 2000 by Constance E. Moynihan
