Chance of Love

Chapter 10

The following weekend, Mark flew Amanda to Vancouver so she could meet his parents. After her initial nervousness wore off, Amanda enjoyed the visit. Mark's mom was generous and easy-going. His dad was a little tougher, but once Amanda played the piano for them, even he seemed to soften a bit toward her. Amanda loved their house. They lived in a large house in West Vancouver. Amanda couldn't believe how huge it was compared to Mark's condo.

One thing that relieved Amanda was that neither of Mark's parents judged them for living together without being married. She guessed they were more progressive in their views. She still felt guilty about an argument she had with her mom before she had moved in with Mark. She tried to forget about it so she could concentrate on everything good in her life.

Mark's father was quite excited about a new business venture he was starting with an old friend of his. They were going to operate their own flight charter business. He tried to convince Mark to join them, but Mark refused, stating that he was happy with what he was doing. Amanda could tell that his father wanted to pressure him further, but he didn't press the issue.

One night after the weekend, Amanda decided to surprise Mark. She went shopping for lingerie for the first time. After a certain amount of embarrassment, she found a pretty negligee with a matching robe that made her feel pretty inside as well as out. She decided to greet Mark at the door wearing it when he came home from work.

She made up a cold chicken salad while she was waiting for Mark to come home. She had a hard time concentrating because she was nervous about what Mark would say when he saw her. She didn't have long to wait.

When Mark came in the house, Amanda walked up to him. His eyebrows raised, Mark grabbed her around the waist.

"And what do we have here?" he asked, kissing her deeply.

"I wanted to surprise you," she breathed, once he let her go.

"Oh, I'm surprised, I assure you," he chuckled, hugging her harder.

All of a sudden, the doorbell rang.

Mark answered the door. It was Paul and Carrie. They were in the neighborhood and wanted to see how things were going.

Mark invited them in for coffee. Amanda did not have a chance to get changed before they saw her in her robe. Blushing, she asked them to stay for supper. They said they couldn't stay for long, but they tried not to notice what Amanda was wearing. She tried to hide in the kitchen while she made the coffee.

"So, how did it go meeting Mark's parents?" Paul asked when they were all sitting at the dining room with their coffee.

"It was great," Amanda replied. "They were a lot nicer than I was expecting."

"Hey," Mark retorted, sounding offended.

Giggling, Amanda said, "Just teasing."

They made small talk for a while before Paul and Carrie said they had to go. After they left, Amanda brought out the salad she had prepared earlier and she and Mark ate quickly.

A little while later, Mark started teasing Amanda when they were in the kitchen washing the dishes.

"Your cheeks have been red for at least half an hour. I didn't know anyone could blush for so long."

Amanda looked down at her hands in the soapy water.

"They knew I was wearing lingerie."

"And we knew that they knew that you were wearing lingerie," Mark responded playfully.

"And they knew that we knew that they knew I was wearing lingerie," Amanda said, laughing.

"And we knew that they knew that we knew that they knew you were wearing lingerie."

"What?! I've lost track!"

Amanda began to laugh helplessly and she flicked soap suds at Mark. He retaliated by untying the robe she was wearing. He ran his hands along her waist, admiring the curves which the lingerie accentuated. Amanda dropped the dishcloth in the soapy water, forgetting about the dishes.

Mark pulled her toward him, his hands roaming around her backside. He said, "You're going to have to think twice the next time you want to be spontaneous."

"But if I think twice, it won't be spontaneous, will it?"

Mark laughed and then he kissed her. They kissed each other hungrily, desperately. Amanda wanted to feel his naked skin next to hers. She shrugged off her robe and pulled at Mark's shirt, wanted him to take it off.

Mark slipped his shirt over his head and discarded it on the kitchen floor. Amanda ran her hands along his bare chest, fingering his nipples tentatively. He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, his lips never leaving hers. He set her down and he ran his hands down her back, unzipping her lingerie. As her lingerie fell to the floor, Amanda kissed Mark boldly, breathlessly, with all the passion she could muster. Mark shed his clothes as quickly as he could as he pulled Amanda toward the bed. He sat on the edge of the bed and hugged Amanda close to him. She felt his tongue slide slowly from her navel to her breasts. Her skin felt hot wherever he touched it and it tantalized her almost beyond her endurance.

Almost before she realized it, Amanda was lying entwined in Mark's arms.

"You're the most amazing woman," Mark said, sucking on Amanda's earlobe.

"You make me happy," she responded, breathing heavily.

"I've never been so happy as I've been with you," Mark said seriously, looking deep into her eyes. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she said, finding the words easier to say than ever.

A long time later, Mark said, "You can be spontaneous like that any time."

Giggling tiredly, Amanda responded, "I don't know if I can top that."

"I bet you can," Mark replied, kissing her.