"Damn," Riko muttered, studying the steel gray sky. "What have I done?"
Riko hunkered down into the couch, snuggling deeper into the super soft blanket the same light gray color of the clouds. The rain made her feel cold and sad. Thankfully, no tears invaded her eyes. The fat clear raindrops splashed into puddles and danced on the surface of the water in the pool. The sky cried for her so the tears would not burn her eyes or make her nose run.
Guilt multiplied her sadness. For some reason, unknown even to her, she had taken an extremely bittersweet trip down memory lane by flipping through the photo album loaded with Naruto's baby pictures. The cup of piping hot green tea she presently sipped contained a shot of vodka to bring on the numbness.
Her hand absentmindedly caressed the worn cover of the closed album placed on the couch beside her. The book cover was once white but had turned ivory with age. The plastic film meant to protect the cover had yellowed and cracked, peeling away from the tattered corners, leaving it vulnerable to more damage. She would have to buy a new one and switch out the photos before they incurred any irreparable damage.
The hairs on the back of her neck raised when she sensed body heat and movement behind her. Seconds later gentle fingers stroked down the sides of her neck as he placed a light, ticklish kiss to the back.
"Morning," Naruto spoke softly behind her.
"Morning," Riko returned in a low, breathy voice.
"I was worried when you weren't beside me when I woke up," he said, tugging on a curl at the crown of her head. "Are you okay?"
She leaned her head back to see his face as he bent over her from where stood behind the couch. "I'm fine."
"Are we okay?" he inquired, cupping her cheek with his large palm.
"Yeah," she replied, blinking slowly a few times before closing her eyes.
Naruto came around to the front of the couch, picking up the photo album from the seat to move it to the nearby coffee table. Sitting in the place where the book had been, he slid his arm behind her shoulders to pull her against his bare chest.
Riko lay her arm across his chest, covering him with the blanket. She smiled when he sighed as she nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Feeling safe and happy in his arms that enclosed her shoulders and held her close, she hummed with contentment.
"I'm glad you're here. You could always cheer me up on a rainy day," she said.
"I'm glad I'm here too," he returned, kissing the top of her head. "How long have you been sitting here stewing in your guilt?"
Although Riko had fallen asleep quickly last night, she did not stay asleep for long. Awakening before dawn, she had lay in misery for many long minutes, each one feeling like an hour, doing her best to slow her racing thoughts. When the sun did rise it was hidden from view, but brightened the sky to a pale gray, giving her enough light to slip from the bed into the living room.
While gazing at the pictures, reliving the memories associated with them, her emotions fluctuated from giddy joyfulness to tearful remorse. Physically, she was sated; positively elated their relationship had taken an unexpected and pleasurable turn. However, emotionally, she had been thrown into a maelstrom, spinning round and round, sometimes going under and almost drowning.
"It's not wrong if we both feel the same way," Naruto whispered in her ear. "Stop thinking whatever you're thinking. Don't feel sad or guilty. Please, don't regret what we've done. That would break my heart."
"You're a mind reader," she mumbled, clutching his shoulder.
From a young age, Naruto had always been eerily attuned to her thoughts and emotions. He astounded her. His uncanny ability to know the truth of her feelings frightened her by the smallest degree. Sometimes he was too much like his mother.
"I can't read your mind," he assured her, making small circles with his forefinger her shoulder under the blanket. "But I can tell you that not one single thought that has gone through your head hasn't crossed my mind as well."
Riko's chest constricted, squeezing her heart until she became convinced it would stop beating. She moved her head over to his chest. Focusing on his breathing, she mimicked his regular, even breaths. Under her ear his heart beat rhythmically, calming her before the anxiety could rise into a full-blown panic attack. The steady rise and fall of his chest under her head reminded her of the gentle motion of the waves.
"You are my anchor in a storm," she whispered, kissing his chest over his heart.
"Riko," he murmured, squeezing her tightly. "I am the cause of this storm."
Riko lifted her head to look at his face. Naruto did not call her Aunt or Auntie. Of course he didn't; not when referencing the romantic torrent they found themselves in at the moment.
"You're right," she agreed with a smile. "This is all your fault. You should be punished."
"What do you mean?" he asked his blond eyebrows drawing together in bewilderment.
Riko stood up, allowing the blanket to fall to the floor at her feet. She wore a short black satin chemise held across her shoulders by the thinnest spaghetti straps. Her eyes skimmed over his body.
Naruto was something quite beautiful to behold. The embodiment of summer in human form. Hair yellow like the sun or a glorious sunflower. Eyes the color of the ocean or a clear blue summer sky. Sun kissed skin, golden brown, warm under her fingertips and smooth as silk as she glided her hands along his bulging biceps.
"What are you going to do?" he inquired, leaning forward to meet her lips but she pulled back to stay just out of his reach.
"I've noticed something about you," she said, her voice low, husky with the desire that glazed her eyes.
"What's that?" He tried to kiss her again when she leaned in closer, teasing him with her mouth hovering so close to his but not close enough for their lips to touch.
Riko captured his mouth with hers, placing her palm flat against his thigh knotted with toned muscle. Her fingers pressed into those thick muscles, her fingernails biting mercilessly into his skin. He ripped his lips from hers, issuing a lengthy open mouthed moan.
"You like a little bit of pain to bring you more pleasure," Riko stated flatly as his glossy sapphire eyes attempted to focus on her face. She straightened up to a standing position.
"You're right." He stood up in front of her, putting his hand on the back of her neck.
Pulling her upward, encouraging her to stand on her tiptoes, Naruto leaned down to meet her upturned lips with a tender kiss. Kissing her briefly, he reached down to cup her behind with his hands, lifting her up until she wrapped her legs around his waist.
"Kiss me," he commanded her in a beseeching way.
Riko framed his handsome face with her hands, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Her lips touched each cheek, both closed eyelids, the tip of his nose, his chin, then finally his lips. The peck on his lips was quick, followed by another and another, swift little teasing kisses each promising something more but never giving it.
Finally, Naruto used the hand on the back of her neck to hold her mouth down on his, seizing the deep, lip tingling kiss he desired. He turned around, lowering her onto the couch and kneeling in front of her. Peeling her hands away from his neck, he pushed her wrists down onto the cushions of the couch while his mouth made a line of feathery, ticklish kisses down her neck.
Riko squirmed under him, her breasts flattening under his chest which he used to hold her down while he tempted her with more playful kisses on her sensitive neck. A whimper escaped her slightly parted lips when he sat up to stare down at her. She pushed her pelvis at his, raising a groan from his throat as she rubbed against him.
"So what have you learned about me, my darling?" she asked.
One corner of the gorgeous blonde's mouth quirked upward into an arrogant smirk.
"You like to be dominated with a gentle hand, giving me the illusion of being in control, allowing me to push you only so far before taking that control away from me," he said, placing her hands on his waist.
"Does that bother you?" Her fingers traced the waist band of his shorts.
"No," he answered, pushing aside the material of her nightgown to reveal her breast. "In the end, you give that control right back to me."
Riko whimpered when he pinched her erect nipple sending a surge of pleasure through her body from the stinging discomfort.
"You're not too opposed to pain yourself, are you?" Naruto pointed out, massaging the sore, now sensitive, nipple with his thumb.
"As you know," she said, returning the favor by tweaking his nipple and eliciting a hiss followed by a sigh in response, "administering a little pain at the right time can make it feel so much better."
"I suppose we're making all sorts of new and interesting discoveries about each other." His hands slid up her thighs, pushing under the edge of her black panties. "There's something else I want to learn."
"Oh, yeah?" she giggled, lifting her behind so he could pull off her underwear. "What's that?"
"I want to find out what it takes to make you scream."
"Oh, my..."