_________________________________________________

*April 12, 2003*

"Okay, great," Amy said into her cell phone. She glanced around, trying to remain as discreet as possible.

She was outside in the backyard, the dogs frolicking in the small garden. It was actually quite early in the morning, but she'd opted to get up early for her plans. Adam was blessedly asleep. When she'd entered the living room less than an hour earlier, he'd been sitting there on the couch, his makeshift bed, his mouth slightly open, eyes closed, his breathing deep and regular. All she could think was thank goodness for small favors.

"So, just come over as soon as you can," the redhead spoke into her phone. She watched Branny and Luger as they ran and played in the garden. God, it was so beautiful outside this morning. She was so happy to be living in Florida again after all these years. And to think that, back in October, she'd been considering moving from Virginia - where she'd lived at the time - to North Carolina to be closer to that stupid Matt.

"Okay," she said, glancing back around over at the house. She could just imagine Adam having woken up and come right out here and standing right behind her, overhearing the entire conversation. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. "Okay, so I'll see you guys later. Bye, Jay."

She pressed the End Call button and stood there, watching the dogs some more. They too seemed to be enjoying the morning, and she felt an incredible peace come over her. The only thing that would make the way she felt *perfect* was if Adam hadn't been injured.

Amy sighed. Her birthday was two days away, but she hadn't really given it much thought. But truthfully, it really didn't matter to her. She was happy - and exactly where she wanted to be. As long as she spent April 14th with Adam, she was a happy woman.

A tiny breeze blew by, gently swaying her hair and the nightgown she still wore. It felt absolutely heavenly, that breeze combined with the warm sunlight hitting her face. Maybe tomorrow she would sit out here on a lounge chair in a bikini and catch some rays. She couldn't do that today, as she had far too many things to do.

She was so lost in her multitude of thoughts that she didn't even hear the screen door open and close. She only became aware of his presence when his tall shadow suddenly fell over her from behind, and then his arms wrapped around her waist. She closed her eyes at his touch but didn't dare to put her head back for fear of coming into contact with his hard neck brace. But God, it felt so good to be in his arms, even if this was the only way possible for now.

Adam lowered his eyes, gazing down at the top of her head and wishing he could move his face to hers, gaze into that gorgeous countenance and kiss her for all she was worth.

He'd just woken up maybe five or ten minutes earlier, and after a quick trip to the bathroom, he'd looked for her and realized she'd taken the dogs outside. He couldn't get his mind off of her, or off of the fact that he wanted her, needed her. God, he'd been going absolutely nuts this entire month. The hard brace was coming off his neck in another two weeks, and then he would be required to wear a soft, more giving one. At least then he'd be able to move around a lot more - and sleep in his own bed! And that, of course, was to say nothing of all the other things he wanted to do with the beautiful, delectable redhead in his arms. He'd been going absolutely nuts this last month, and he couldn't wait to be able to have his way with her when he was physically able.

Amy made a deep, contented sound deep in her throat as she arched her body into him. She ached for him. Well, two more weeks and then he would be getting the hard neck collar removed and a soft one in its place. She could hardly wait. She could imagine how antsy *he* must be feeling.

Adam allowed his hands to roam over her luscious curves, down the swell of her hips and then up again, slowly until he was cupping her breasts. She let out a soft sigh, not caring that he was touching her in such intimate places out here, as there was a fence around the yard and it was doubtful that any neighbors could see inside.

"Mmm..." The redhead arched against him some more, all of her senses heightened and alive. God, she wanted him. She wished he could take her right here, in the garden, among the lovely, fragrant flowers and lush blooms. But she knew it couldn't happen right now, while he still wore that damn rigid neck brace. But she was all for it because it was going to make her man better than ever - so she could wait, and be plenty patient. However, she couldn't wait until later, when she could talk with her diva friends... She'd been wanting to talk with them for awhile now about this issue. She swallowed hard at Adam's hands still on her breasts, his fingers finding the nipples and kneading them. God, did he know what he was doing to her?

Adam groaned as she suddenly turned around to face him, her lips parted, eyes glazed slightly. He knew he'd been getting to her, and damn it, he was turned on as well. He was steadily growing hard in the jeans he'd thrown on. He wondered how he was going to get through the next two weeks and if she would just keep pleasing him the way she'd been doing... And he decided he'd better get these thoughts out of his head until they at least got back into the house. He swallowed and started to call to Luger and Branny to go back inside.

As they headed inside, Adam lingered just behind Amy, his gaze dropping to her shapely backside. He wanted her... He wanted her so badly, he could taste it. Damn this neck brace. Well, he could take it off for showering - what if he took a shower right now and invited her to join him? But he knew she wouldn't go for that because she wanted him to heal up properly. Still... What harm would there be in giving her some subtle hint?

"When did you get up?" she questioned, finally catching her breath. Her nipples were still erect under her nightgown.

"Just a few minutes before I went outside," the tall blond man replied. "I'm gonna take a shower." He didn't move a muscle and instead merely eyed her after saying that.

"Okay," the redhead said evenly. "Want anything special for breakfast?"

'Just a nice blowjob in the shower...' he thought. He held his tongue, however. Although she'd been so generous in doing that for him lately, he doubted she would appreciate him saying that. So instead, he said, "Anything *you* want is fine by me."

"I'll whip us up some pancakes," the redhead replied.

"Okay." The blond man turned and headed for the bathroom, a long sigh escaping him. He entered the small room, closing the door behind him and leaning against it for a full moment, his eyes closing. Damn it, he was going nuts here. He didn't know how much longer he could go without.