*****This chapter and the epilogue and this story will die a natural death. I have enjoyed writing this story and have loved reading all of your responses. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don't own them….not making any money from them.
She relaxed back and I felt a tear splash on my arm. I eased up the pressure of my arms and waited. She turned and I was astounded by the love that I saw in her eyes. She threw herself at me and we fell to the sand. She started kissing me all over my face. "Yes, yes, yes…I have other things to say to you…but right now, all I can think of is yes, yes, yes." I laughed deliriously and kissed her with all the love that I felt being returned to me.
Chapter 9
Can you say deliriously happy? That is what I was. I woke up with the love of my life in my arms. She was currently naked as a jay bird and her wild hair was spread across my chest and stomach. I stared at the ceiling and thought about our journey to this point. I could remember the first time that I kissed her in her parking lot and that first jolt of lust and longing. Just thinking about it made my insides burn and my cock throb.
I couldn't even fathom that I wanted to have sex again. We had made love on the beach, on the kitchen table, the couch, the chaise lounge on the patio, the shower and then in the bed. By the time we took a turn in the bed, we were so tired that I am not even sure how we ever finished. But, finish we did and it was like smooth silk. I knew that she was going to be sore. Hell, I was sore. My legs felt like rubber and my dick ached with throbbing need again.
I pulled out from under Stephanie and crept quietly into the bathroom. I took care of necessity and started the shower. My Babe would probably sleep half the morning, so I decided to shower, dress and start some breakfast. My Babe would feel better if she got some more sleep. After scrubbing away the smell of sex, (not that I minded her smell on me) I got out and dressed quietly.
In the bedroom, my Babe had flopped over face down in the pillows. I pulled the sheet over her and headed toward the kitchen. Mixing eggs while the coffee percolated, I thought about Stephanie again. I realized that we had really taken a big leap last night. I couldn't wait to take her dancing tonight. If her dancing lessons had paid off as well as her singing lessons, I was going to really enjoy dancing with her. I loved to dance especially salsa. The image of her body melded to mine in that erotic dance had my pants getting tight again.
I finished the cheese and mushroom omelets, just as the toast popped up. I loaded our breakfast on the tray and headed toward the bedroom. I was surprised to find Stephanie propped up against the headboard with pillows supporting her. She smiled broadly, "Hmmm…breakfast in bed, I could get used to this." I gave her a wolf grin, "Only if your attire is the same." She laughed and gave me a mischievous smile. "What this old rag? How about if I just take it off?"
My eyes darkened with desire that I tried to squelch. She hadn't always been comfortable around me. Now she was comfortable enough to strip off the sheet and sit Indian style naked and eat breakfast. We definitely had come a long way in the last few days. I sat the tray on the bed and stripped off my jeans and joined her on the bed. We fed each other and kissed between bites. When our hunger was fulfilled, I set the tray on the floor and pulled her into my lap.
Her legs wrapped around me and my cock twitched between us begging to join her heat that was a breath away. She kissed me softly, "Ric, I want to feel you inside me." I pulled back questioningly, "Babe, are you sure. I don't want to hurt you. Aren't you sore?" She nodded, "Yeah, but in a good way. I need you inside me." Those were all the words that I needed. I pushed gently into her.
"God, Babe. You are so fucking tight and wet. Please, don't let me hurt you." I could see the dark desire in her eyes. She shook her head, "You're not going to hurt me." We barely moved as we rocked back and forth. Our hands roamed and we kissed tenderly. I had never experienced such tenderness in sex. That's because this wasn't sex. This was making love and a joining of hearts. Our eyes never left each other as we took each other to a place that neither of us had ever been before.
I felt her walls clenching and I rode her wave of pleasure before I went over the edge with her. Her body melted into mine on a sigh. Mine or hers, I'm not quite sure. I lay back on the bed, bringing her down with me. I held her tight and pulled the covers over our bodies as we drifted to sleep.
The day had been great. We spent the afternoon exploring little shops on the boardwalk, walking hand in hand. I took her to lunch at a café that had mouth watering Cuban food. It made me think of home. I couldn't wait to introduce her to my family. I knew that talking about my family had her feeling sad about the rift that had been created between her and her mother by the Morelli break-up.
"Babe, I know that it makes you sad because your mother doesn't support you. However, I think if she knew the real reason that you broke-up, she would be a little more understanding." She sighed and shook her head. "Maybe that's true, but I don't need any more gossip. My family would spread that information because they would feel like they were vindicating me. No matter what my mother thinks of me, I know that she loves me. However, I can't have any of them going about telling how he hit me." That last bit came out on a shaky breath. "I don't want anyone to know. It….it is just too embarrassing. It's better that people just think that our relationship just died a natural death."
I wouldn't tell her, but I didn't agree. I wanted Morelli to pay and I was sure that someday he would. I just nodded consent and took her hand to lead her out of the restaurant. "Come on Babe. Let's walk on the beach back to the beach house." She smiled as we walked hand in hand toward the beach front. "So, Ranger, where are we going tonight?" She always wanted to know everything.
"We are going to Marselle's. It is a very nice restaurant that has the best prime rib steaks that you will ever put in your mouth. Then we are going to a club that my uncle owns. Do you salsa?" I wanted to hold her in the intimate dances of my culture. I hoped that she could dance the intricate steps.
She smiled widely. "Ranger, not only can I dance them, but I actually won first place in my dance class competition when I was in high school." My eyebrows rose slightly. She laughed, "Of course, my mother was appalled because it wasn't in ballroom dancing." Still smiling she continued, "My mother just never got it. I wanted to be different. Not like the other girls. My instructor said that I was very good. I hope that I remember the steps."
I hugged her close, "Babe, it's like riding a bike. You never forget because the music seeps into your blood." She stopped and slipped her shoes off and walked toward the water to splash in frothy foam. I had never seen her quite so carefree. She was always worried about money and what the "Burg" thought that she could never really let go.
She turned and motioned for me to join her. I was enjoying watching her, but could never deny her anything. I slipped off my shoes and rolled my pants up. We splashed and laughed with the closeness of new found love. I had loved her from the first time. However, this weekend was the first time that we had truly felt like a couple. I picked her up and spun her around before setting her down in front of me. Her body slid down mine and I saw that flare of desire mirrored in her eyes.
"I love you, Stephanie." She framed my face with her hands, "I have never been happier. I love you too." I kissed her forehead then her cheeks before taking her mouth to mine. Our lips melded together and I felt the love bursting from her. How had I lived without this? I am not sure, but what I did know was that I couldn't live without it again.
"Babe, I need to tell you something." I felt her tense slightly until I squeezed her hand in reassurance. I turned toward her and knew that this was the perfect time. The sun was getting low in the sky and the seagulls were squawking to the rhythm of the ocean swells. The romance of the setting was the perfect. "When you went back to Morelli….after the slayer incident, I knew that I would never be the same. My bed felt empty for the first time. I have never had anyone else in the RangeMan apartment, mainly because I never trusted anyone with my privacy."
I cupped her face and smiled, "I knew after the Ramos incident that I could trust you. When you refused to pick me up as a skip and then called to just ask if I was "OK"….I knew that I could always trust you. When you stayed in my apartment during the slayer episode, I would come in during the night and watch you sleep. I would pull you close to my body and hold you through the night, slipping away before you woke up."
She gave me a knowing look. I always wondered if she knew that I did that. "When you left, I couldn't sleep in my bed for weeks after that. When I finally did, I knew I was a goner because even then, I searched for your body in my sleep." Her look was one of complete fascination. She knew I was obsessed with her safety, but not that I was obsessed with her in general. I could fix that.
I sighed, might as well tell it all. "When you stayed with me during the during the Dickie ordeal, I was more than ecstatic. However, you were still with Morelli and I was trying real hard to do the noble thing. It was all I could do to keep myself from trying to break the two of you up. I did everything that I could think of to be close to you. When Julie was kidnapped, I had a place to stay, but was selfish. It gave me the opportunity to hold you again." Stephanie place a hand on my cheek and I leaned into its' warmth, closing my eyes.
"Babe, the whole time, I was going insane trying to figure out how to get you away from him. I still figured that he gave you what you needed." I shrugged my shoulders, "If I had for one minute thought that.." She pinched my lips shut and shook her head. "Ranger, it won't do any good to think about shoulda, woulda, coulda." She was right.
I took a deep breath for the finale, "Babe, when you returned to my bed this time, I knew that this was probably my last chance and yet…I still managed to fuck it up. My life still doesn't really lend itself to a constructive relationship, but….I want to try. With you." Tears were starting to gather in her eyes. I kissed them away.
"Please, Babe, move in with me. Let's make my bed…our bed." She smiled widely and nodded. "Ranger, everything that you have said answers all of my prayers. I couldn't ever commit myself to Joe, because I was always hanging on to the hope that you would change your mind about relationships. Yes, I will move in with you." I pulled her up for a hard kiss. "Boy are we a pair." I laughed out loud and swung her around with all the joy I felt in my heart.
That night I took her dancing and was mesmerized by the way our bodies fit as we moved to the sultry beat of the music of my heritage. During dinner, I told her more about myself. When I knew I couldn't hold it in any longer, I told her that sometime soon that I hoped that we could make our relationship permanent. She blushed and kissed me softly. I felt sure that her answer would be yes.
In bed that night, we made tender love sharing our hopes and dreams for the future. As we drifted to sleep, I had to say a little prayer of thanksgiving. Our journey had been long and tangled, but in the end, love had broken through our individual bonds of resistance. My heart soared at the thought that tomorrow we would leave this place and head back to what had once been a place to lay my head at night. Now, we were going to that place to create a home together. It was no longer my bed that I was trying to get her back to; it was our bed and I was going to keep her in it. Oh Boy!!
****I am going to write a prologue and then this story will be complete. I hope that you enjoyed. I don't think that there will be a sequel, but who ever really knows what the future holds? After I write the prologue, I will start back writing "My Version of FLF" (I need to get my smut back on). Thanks Babes for all of your support and encouragement.
