Expectation

As she watched him walk away through the window, she considered cutting to the chase and hinting that she wouldn't be opposed to him asking her out. That would certainly let her know for sure, and she knew she could do worse than to get over her aversion to dating anyway. He was a bit of a social pariah because he'd left the church to become a vocal atheist after his divorce, but it didn't really concern Marie. She didn't have a great deal of faith in a higher power since her marriage disintegrated, either.

The sound of a car pulling into the driveway caused Marie to pull up short as she turned back toward the couch. A peek out the window at the car revealed that it was nobody she knew, but then the blonde delivery girl who had brought the flowers stepped out.

Marie waited until the young woman started up the stairs to the porch, and then opened the door. "Hello again..." She trailed off, fishing for a name.

"Amy." The delivery girl looked from side to side, appearing a little nervous. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Marie agreed, holding the door open.

As soon as the door shut, Amy blurted out, "You can never, ever, ever tell anyone I did this."

Marie laughed and asked, "Did what?"

The young woman pulled a folded slip of paper out of her back pocket and said, "I had one of my friends look in the computer to find out who ordered those flowers for you."

Marie gasped and covered her mouth, her eyes locked on the slip of paper that would reveal the name of the man who'd given her reason to anticipate Valentine's Day again after her divorce. "I... Thank you," she softly said.

Amy held out the paper and reiterated, "You have to promise never to tell anyone that I gave you that, please?"

Marie took the paper, gingerly holding it between her finger and thumb and noticing that she was trembling. "I promise. I'll never tell anyone."

The blonde breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, with girlish excitement, "Aren't you going to open it?"

Marie grinned and said, "I'm afraid to."

"Well, I've got to go before someone sees me here and starts asking questions. Will you let me know how it turns out? I work the afternoon shift at the florists most days."

"I will," Marie answered, and then glanced down at the slip of paper in her hand again.

"Good luck," Amy said, echoing Marie's words from the day before. She then let herself out.

Marie walked over to the couch and sat down, placing the folded answer to years worth of questions on the table in front of her, right next to the rose vase. She could just make out hints of words where the paper parted, teasing her and screaming at her to open it — but she couldn't will her fingers to pick it up again.

After a few minutes, she walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of wine, hoping the alcohol might live up to its name of liquid courage. She desperately wanted to know who her secret admirer was, but she was also deathly afraid she would be disappointed when she did find out. If that were the case, she wouldn't even have the little bright spot she'd come to yearn for every year.

Half an hour later, despite a second glass of wine, the paper remained on the table exactly where she'd placed it. Marie started and yelped in surprise as a knock on the door pulled her out of the near trance into which she'd settled. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands for a second, and then rose to answer the door. "What is this — Grand Central Station?" She muttered as she walked to the door.

"Hey," Jim said with a grin when she opened the door. "I can't believe I'm about to actually say this, but could I borrow a cup of sugar?" He laughed and continued, "I just want enough to cover my coffee for a couple of days until some of this mess melts off."

Marie laughed with him, glad for the distraction from her nerves. "Sure, come on in and take all you need. I stocked up before the storm hit."

As she closed the door, she saw something change in Jim's features, and noticed that he was looking at the roses on the coffee table. The look only lasted for a faction of a second, but Marie could have sworn that his smile grew a little wider as he looked at the flowers, and that his smile looked a little sad. Then, his brow furrowed for an equally finite moment before he said, "Nice flowers, but only eleven? Shouldn't there be twelve?"

"There were, but I always press one in a book when they arrive each year," Marie responded, thinking that his conversational tone sounded almost put-upon. Her heartbeat quickened as his manner made her consider something she'd never expected. "You know where the sugar is. Go ahead and get it. I'll make us a fresh pot of coffee so you'll have a buffer against the cold when you leave."

"Okay, thanks," Jim said, and walked to the kitchen. He glanced at the roses again as he passed them.

Marie watched him, her mind awhirl. When he walked into the kitchen, she quickly stepped to the coffee table and picked up the scrap of paper that had tormented her now for going on an hour.

She took a deep breath and opened the paper. Now that she had such a strong suspicion, she had to know. She covered her mouth in disbelief when she saw Jim's name. "Oh my god," she said into her hand, torn between her feelings and the impropriety of them.

"You okay, Marie?" Jim asked from the kitchen doorway.

Marie crumpled the paper into her hand to hide it and answered, "Yes, I guess I just spaced out for a second. Coffee." She walked to the kitchen on autopilot, still struggling with her conflicting emotions.

"You sure you're okay? You look like you just saw a ghost," Jim said with concern evident in his voice as she crossed the threshold into the kitchen and laid a hand on her shoulder.

Marie had to fight hard not to gasp when his hand touched her. As it was, she couldn't resist a little shiver as warmth flooded her every pore and her nipples stiffened beneath her dress. "Mmm hmm," she responded, unwilling to trust her voice to say more.

She prepared the coffee maker with practiced efficiency, but found her eyes constantly darting toward Jim where he sat at the small table in her kitchen. There could be no doubt about what she was feeling at the moment, nor did she harbor any illusions that she could possibly let those feelings show. He's half my age. This can't happen. She released a mental sigh and silently added, God — he's so handsome, and so romantic.

"Thanks, it is freezing out there and I haven't had my wake-up call yet today," Jim said as Marie brought over the coffee and sat down.

She nodded in acknowledgment and forced a smile. From that point on, she did her best to cover her uneasiness with her cup, which resulted in her drinking the coffee far more quickly than he did.

As Marie finished her coffee, Jim sat his down and said, "I've known you long enough to know something is wrong, Marie. If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. But, if you do, you know you can talk to me."

"I... It's nothing. I'll be back in a minute," she said, and then stood to walk quickly out of the kitchen, feeling tears well up in her eyes. The longer she sat near him, looking into his eyes and hearing his voice, the harder it was to hide the ever-growing feelings hiding inside her.

The sight of the roses ensnared her as she returned to the living room, and she unknowingly slowed to stare at them, Jim's face flashing before her eyes as she looked at them. Her hand opened, finally releasing the crumpled paper that had remained hidden there ever since she'd read it.

The paper fluttered to the ground just as Jim hurried to catch up to her. "Marie, do you want me to leave?" He asked as he bent to retrieve the paper.

"No. Yes. I..." Marie said — her eyes still locked on the roses. She turned just in time to see Jim standing with the crumpled note and gasped.

He saw his name on the paper as he reached out to hand it to her. He also noticed the letterhead of the florist where he'd bought the roses. "Oh, you know about the roses," he said with a wince.

"It's nice of you to try to cheer me up. I wish I hadn't found out so that I could keep the illusion that I have a secret admirer who wanted to sweep me off my feet. It doesn't make it any less sweet that you'd do this for a lonely old woman, though." The thoughts flowed through Marie's head in a rush, rationalizing why someone his age would send her flowers. The words tumbled from her lips almost as quickly as her thoughts formed, giving him the opportunity to confirm them and remove the conundrum she found herself in.

"You're not old," Jim replied with adoration in his voice and his eyes.

Marie felt as though her heart skipped a beat. His expression and tone left little room for doubt.

"I've been in love with you since I was thirteen," Jim said, taking one of her hands in his. "I actually told Mom about it. That's how strong I felt even back then. She said that it made her feel good to know that I had such good taste, but I needed to remember that you were a married woman." He smiled and chuckled as he remembered the incident. "I couldn't bear the thought of you feeling lonely on Valentine's Day, so I started sending the roses. It was as close as I could get to telling you how I feel."

"Feel — not felt?" Marie asked, her lip quivering.

Jim nodded. "I think about you constantly. I compare every girl to you, and they all pale by comparison. That's sort of why I haven't dated much." He let her hand go then and cleared his throat. "I'll go. I know I must be annoying you, staring at you like a moon-eyed puppy. I won't do that again," he said, gesturing toward the roses. "I'm sorry."

"No," Marie blurted out before she could think. "I mean... Oh god, this can't work out. We can't..."

Jim's eyes widened in surprise and he said, "You mean you... Do you feel that way about me?"

Marie drew in a long warbling breath that threatened to transform into a sob. Not trusting her voice, she nodded almost imperceptibly. "But we can't," she whispered.

"Why not?"

"What would people think?"

Jim took both of her hands in his. "I don't care. I love you Marie. I have for years. Your phone calls and visits are the only thing that kept me from losing it at the end with Mom. One of the last things she said to me when she saw me smile after talking to you was 'tell her.'"

"Really?" Marie asked, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"The only thing she disapproved of was me being chicken and moping about it."

A half-sobbing chuckle shook Marie's body as another tear traced down her opposite cheek. Jim wiped it away with one finger and smiled. His eyes locked with hers, and before she realized what she was doing, Marie leaned forward.

As their lips touched, Marie threw caution to the wind. She let go of the world, and let her entire being center on his soft lips. She felt as though she was hovering off the floor, caught up in the most perfect kiss she'd ever experienced in her life. At some point, they wrapped their arms around each other, but Marie only noticed when their lips finally parted. Marie let out a long, languid sigh and raised her hand to stroke his cheek. "That was wonderful," she whispered.

"Incredible," he whispered back.

Marie noticed that she'd broken out in goose bumps, and saw that he had as well. "Where do we go from here?"

"I want to stay right here forever."

Her feelings surging, Marie kissed him again. This time, her kiss was far more ardent, and he returned it with equal passion. She gasped when she could no longer hold her breath, and he did the same. As soon as she had air in her lungs once more, she sought his lips again.

Their tongues intertwined as they both allowed their desire to rise up within them. Marie pressed her body to his, letting him feel her firm breasts against his chest. He reached down to knead her bottom with one hand, twining the fingers of his other hand through her dark tresses.

Marie's hand wormed beneath his shirt of its own volition, seeking direct contact with his skin. She traced the lines of his back, and then moved back enough to gain access to the firm muscles of his abdomen. She let her fingers slip ever so slightly between the waist of his jeans and his skin, feeling the silky boxer shorts he wore.

Jim explored her body as well, but kept his hands away from what he obviously wanted to touch. He caressed her waist, hips, and shoulders, looking into her eyes as his breathing quickened.

Well beyond the point of resisting now, Marie unhooked the top button of her dress. Three more soon followed, revealing the lacy white bra beneath to his enraptured eyes.

"You're so beautiful," he breathed as she reached behind her to unhook her bra.

A few slow movements caused her dress to slip from her shoulders, and her bra immediately followed. She reached down to stroke the considerable bulge in his jeans at the same time as he cupped her breasts in his hands. Marie's head lolled back and she moaned from the touch, her hand squeezing his hardness to feel it throb even through the denim.

Her head snapped back up and she gasped, following the action with a hungry kiss that left nothing to the imagination. When they broke from the kiss, Marie grinned sultrily and turned on her heels. She walked toward the bedroom, looking over her shoulder and tugging downward on the dress gathered at her hips. When she reached the doorway, she let both dress and panties fall to the floor as he followed her.

Marie reached the bed and turned to see Jim pulling off his shirt, revealing his defined, nearly hairless chest to her hungry eyes. He stepped on the heels of his shoes on subsequent steps, barely breaking stride as he left them behind. She pulled him into another kiss as he reached her, and immediately went to work on the button and zipper of his jeans.

She moaned into the kiss as she pulled down both jeans and boxers, letting his manhood slip free. He groaned as her hand wrapped around his cock.

He fumbled for his wallet as she tried to push his jeans farther down. When he managed to retrieve it and pull out a condom, Marie said, "I'm on the pill."

The condom fell to the floor as Jim stepped out of his pants and climbed into the bed with her. Marie lay back, drinking in the sight of his well-muscled body and his thick cock. Easily on a par with the biggest she'd ever had, she licked her lips in anticipation as he leaned over her, his eyes taking in her nude body as well.

Jim straddled her and leaned down onto his hands to kiss her. She lifted her hips as their tongues slipped over each other, just touching her nether lips to his stiff organ. The momentary contact caused a dam to burst within Marie, and she pleaded, "I need you deep inside me."

Two bodies moved as one, in perfect unison, as he lifted first one knee, and then the other, allowing her to slide her legs out wide. Marie looked down her body at him as he settled between her legs, his cock twitching in anticipation even as her intimate muscles contracted in expectation.

"Oh yes," Marie gasped as Jim pressed down on his shaft and scooted forward, aiming the mushroom tip of his cock at her moist folds. As soon as the head slipped between her lips, he pushed his hips forward.

Marie's mouth opened wide in a soundless squeal as his cock slipped into her depths, filling the aching void within her in a way she hadn't experienced in a very long time. Her walls tightly contracted around his throbbing shaft, causing them to both gasp and lurch from the sensation.

Still buried inside her, Jim leaned down to suck the pebbled flesh of her left nipple between his lips. Marie tousled his hair and wriggled her hips, stirring his cock inside her and sending jolts of ecstasy shooting up her spine. Her movements increased as he switched nipples. She wanted him badly, and she wanted him now.

He sensed her need and let the stiff bud between his lips slip free. He cupped her buttocks as he straightened above her, slowly sliding his hands up to her thighs and curling his fingers around them.

Her body protested as his thick shaft retreated from her, and then burst into an explosion of bliss as he filled her again. Each thrust and retreat triggered a sensation like a mini orgasm, quickly and steadily building toward the real thing, which Marie wasn't sure she would survive as the pressure built in her loins.

Marie's skin flushed with warmth, and yet she was covered in gooseflesh. Little gasps and whimpers tumbled from her lips as her pleasure mounted, and she could see the strain in Jim's face whenever she could force her eyes open as well. Though she didn't remember moving her hand, it now flashed over her hood in a blur to fan her flames even higher.

Her orgasm gripped her without warning, drawing a long, loud scream of release from her. She arched her back and grasped her breasts, the fingers of one hand slipping over her nipple from the abundance of her juices coating them. Her cry sounded distant and hollow, drowned out by the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Jim's fast thrusting cock kept her surging with ecstasy. She came for what felt like an eternity, the world vanishing in the warm blanket of bliss wrapped around her.

A loud warbling groan returned her to reality as Jim thrust home one final time. He lurched as he spilled his seed in her depths, his head dropping forward as his strength fled him, absorbed in the pulsing of his cock in her warm embrace. Marie moaned and shuddered, seeing the same perfect release in his features that she felt.

Jim's shoulders slumped as a last dribble of cream joined the hot pool inside Marie. Beads of sweat ran down both of their faces as they gasped for breath and trembled from the continuing waves of delight rippling through their bodies. Finally, his softening member slipped free of her and he collapsed to the bed next to her. Marie snuggled up against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. All considerations about what anyone might think of them being together melted away in his arms, never to rise again.

(~~~~→♥←~~~~)

Two years later — Valentine's Day.

Jim carried his new bride across the threshold and kissed her before letting her down. People had certainly whispered as they'd expected, but the murmurs had eventually died down. The couple had taken things slowly at first after the initial passion-filled revelation of their feelings, but soon enough realized that they were soul mates, and meant to be together.

Though they'd only planned to return home to change clothes before heading up to the mountains for their honeymoon, Marie didn't plan to wait that long before making love to her new husband. She'd stopped taking the pill two months earlier after a discussion about children, where they discovered that they both wanted kids as soon as possible. Though the necessity to use condoms annoyed them both, they felt it was worth it. Neither he nor she wanted to add pregnant bride to the lingering whispers about the age difference between them.

A coy grin spread across Marie's face as she turned and walked toward the bedroom they now shared. She looked back over her shoulder, her hips swaying seductively as she walked, and said, "My biological clock is ticking."

Jim matched her smile and responded, "Let's do something about that, then."

Marie gasped out, "Oh," when she walked into the bedroom. There on the nightstand stood her crystal vase, holding a dozen roses. Sitting next to it was a box of chocolates. Jim had made arrangements to ensure that their tradition continued despite the hectic wedding day.

"I love you so much," she said as she caught her smiling husband up in her arms.

"I love you too. Happy Valentine's Day."

(~~~~→♥←~~~~)

Hope you've enjoyed this tale. Please take a moment to vote, and perhaps comment via the public comment board or email. It's the comments that keep us writing, because that's our only payment as free authors.