Jill smiled at him but her attention was taken by the room.
Since she'd been getting ready Joe had transformed the space.
The lights were off, the glow from the en suite cast a soft pall over his face and the angles and crags she adored so much were sharper, sexier, more handsome than normal, if that was even possible.
The flicker of candlelight reflected in the huge panes of glass making it seem like they had four fires blazing in the room. Both the trick of light and instinct combined to instantly make her feel warm, like heat from the flame was reflected back onto her.
She looked towards Joe.
He was gazing at her.
She tilted her head and reconsidered a little. Maybe the feeling of heat was just a manifestation of the sheer adoration of her husband and her body was absorbing it.
Her skin prickled.
Senses heightened.
She could feel the surge of blood in her veins. Could sense the quickening of her heart, the tightening of her chest.
Behind him the dance of red spots zipping outside continued while the streak from the cockpit lights of the jet flashing past caught her attention. She followed its path until it was out of sight, streaking across the sky over Paris to scout the land and turn back in a graceful arc while its partner mirrored its flightpath in a perfectly synchronized movement.
Her vision was overloaded and she closed her eyes for a prolonged moment to clear the lights and dots and visions and fiery flames that danced across her mind. They waned in a moment, replaced by the image of her husband, grinning, looking longingly at her, ever patient, ever kind, ever attentive.
Opening her eyes again the room was softer, the darkness outside the window thicker, the stars prickling through even more vividly. Joe's smile was even broader, more beautiful, more full of love than even her own mind could conjure.
Taking a step closer she raised her fingertips and touched his face. The feeling of his skin against hers seemed to ground her, and seemed to fix her firmly in the moment. They were a thousand feet above the city, a thousand feet closer to the stars than any other person in Paris, in the suburbs or the hinterland or the nearby countryside and yet she felt more firmly rooted than ever. The physical connection to him; so tiny, so miniscule was all she needed to make her feel safe, to feel secure. To feel a love unlike any other.
Tears pricked her eyes when she pondered the lengths he had gone to make the evening special for her.
For them.
Moving closer to him had brought the color of the blanket into her sight line. She looked down, taking in the little nest of comfort he had crafted for them.
Wordlessly he held his hand out to her and she took it gratefully.
Kneeling first, cushioned by the blankets he'd strewn beside the leather recliner, she then lay back against the pillow and watched as he reset the height of the telescope and peered through the viewfinder. He twirled the knobs until he was satisfied with the focus.
It was a powerful device, the barrel was hefty, the casing shiny. She figured it was pretty new, the latest innovation. The view, she considered, would be incredible.
'Wow. That's pretty good', Joe exclaimed, as if confirming her thoughts. He moved back a little and rested on his heels.
'Want to have a look?' he offered and she got to her knees and crawled closer.
Setting her eye to the viewfinder she peered through. 'Oh my. It's amazing, Joe', she whispered.
He knelt on the floor near her.
