Chapter Eleven:
Claire had never heard 'Amazing Grace' played on the bagpipes before...so when she first heard Leon's Uncle Jake playing it with skilled cadence she was impressed by the beautiful strains that radiated throughout the house. But then Lalaine decided that tonight was the night she took up the instrument. Pretty soon everyone who didn't live in the Kennedy home had disappeared with a polite but rushed goodbye and those who did live there were in the kitchen sipping coffee. And pretending that the infernal noise didn't exist.
"Am I doing it right, Uncle Jake?" Lalaine asked, stopping in the middle of a note to look up at him.
"You're doing just fine, darling." He assured her.
Claire hid a smile as Lanna and Lalique shared a snicker. "The cops in our family have always been good at lying." Leila whispered to Claire.
"Except for Leon," Lanna chimed in. "Living with us, he knew he couldn't get away with it."
Laughter filled their small niche of the kitchen before Claire stopped abruptly. "Where is Leon?" she inquired, looking around.
Mrs. Kennedy sighed. "I thought he had gone up to his room hours ago."
"Funny." Lanna said. "I could have sworn he stepped outside."
Claire smiled and rose up carefully. "I guess I'll go check on him."
"Ask him if he needs anything, would you, dear?" Mrs. Kennedy asked.
After assuring her that she would, Claire headed upstairs and knocked on Leon's door. "Leon?" she asked before opening the door a smidge. The room was empty and Claire opened the door all the way just to be sure. No one. She checked all the rooms and even searched the attic before returning downstairs.
"Leon's not anywhere upstairs. I don't think he's here anymore." She informed the girls. Lalaine had stopped playing the bagpipes by then, which seemed to give Leila and Lalique the opportunity to take a small nap on the couch.
"Oh dear." Mrs. Kennedy said, rising up. "Perhaps I should call around and see if he went anywhere."
Lanna shook her head and heaved an exasperated sigh. "Mom, he's fine. He always is."
Mrs. Kennedy looked back at her with the same exasperated expression and pursed her lips. "Why do you need to be like that about your brother, Lanna?"
"Whatever do you mean, mother?" Lanna mused, her words careful and soft but slightly pointed.
"You always make his problems seem so small. You never even worry about him when he runs off. He could be in serious trouble right now."
Lanna snorted loudly. "Oh, yeah. Mother, dear, I think the last time he even dared get in trouble was when he was caught smoking pot with Dan and that other delinquent friend of his."
"That's enough of that." Mrs. Kennedy snapped sharply.
"Why are you always protecting him, mom?" Lanna demanded, standing up. Claire took a deep breath and edged out of the room.
"What do you mean, 'why am I always protecting him?' He's my son!"
"We're all your children, mother! But for some reason you always babied Leon more than any one else. Like he was more delicate or something."
Mrs. Kennedy fumed for a few moments before mumbling something Claire couldn't hear but was significant enough to merit an outraged cry from the eldest daughter.
"Mother, you're really not getting it. I didn't mean anything by what I said; I just hate it when you get all hysterical whenever Leon pulls these type of stunts around here. For God's sake, he's twenty-eight, not eight! He can take care of himself."
"Shut-up. Enough of that. Call your uncles and aunts and ask around where Leon is."
Claire sat down on the couch as Mrs. Kennedy rushed past her and hurried up the stairs, her face nearly as red as her hair and her eyes full of tears. Standing up, she re-entered the kitchen and was met with surly faces and pouted lips.
"Leon is such a bastard." Lanna fumed angrily, clearing the table. Claire quietly collected the rest of the dishes and helped her load them into the dishwasher.
"He must have been hard to grow up with." She commented.
"Like hell he was." Lanna snapped, slamming the washer door shut. "The way they spoiled that kid, damn it, it was ridiculous."
Like poison that had collected over the years, Lanna began to tell of all Leon's antics and stupidities ever since they were little kids. Some of the stories were funny but some were down right aggravating. Claire could tell that Lanna wasn't even aware of the things she was saying and by the time she finished she was almost in tears.
"Dad just always loved the boys better. Loved them more." Lanna remarked bitterly as she sat herself down at the table. "Too bad he had a whole team of girls."
Claire nodded inwardly. Now it seemed a little clear. Lanna was grieving more than she was reprimanding Leon. Her father was really gone to her for the first time and all that she could think of was the past. Maybe more intensely than she had wanted to. All the good times seemed to have been used up and the bad memories were surfacing.
"I'm sure he never meant to do those things. Or make you feel that way." Claire guaranteed Lanna. "I'm sure he loved each and every one of you the same."
"Yeah?" Lanna asked, biting her lip and sniffing softly. She suddenly laughed. "Oh God, listen to me, I thought that whole sibling rivalry thing was over and done with."
"No, I think it'll always be there." Claire said fondly. "My brother, Chris and I, we would always..." she trailed off and brushed back her own tears. "I just think you're lucky that Leon's here with you now."
Lanna wiped her eyes and swallowed hard. "I know you're right... you got a brother of your own somewhere?"
Biting her bottom lip slightly, Claire nodded. "Yeah."
Sympathy filled Lanna's countenance and she rested the side of her head on her fist. "Where's he at now?"
"He's...overseas right now."
"Oh! What does he do?" she asked, not noticing the I'd-rather-not-talk-about-it tone Claire had given off unintentionally.
"What does he do?" she repeated. "Well, he... he saves the world..." she added the last part with some wistfulness and smiled sadly. "He kicks ass."
Lanna laughed. "Another enforcer of the law? No wonder you can stand my brother the way you do." She let out a weak laugh and looked about with a sigh. "Well, I guess I'd better be off and find him."
"I could go look for him if you like." Claire offered.
"I'd hate for you to be out there this late by yourself, Claire." She said.
"Oh, it's nothing. Really. You're tired enough as it is."
He wasn't at any of their relatives' houses. Nor was he at any of his friends' homes or apartments... although that girlfriend of Dan's was really something else. At the mention of Leon's name, the girl had practically jumped down her throat, wanting to know specific details of their relationship. She left the place in a huff and drove all the way to the edge of town to try to calm down. Suddenly, she remembered the park where the family had had lunch the day before.
The park was empty and the sound of the Jeep door shutting echoed in the vast vacancy of the place. Being wary of hiding thieves and rapists, Claire made her way down the winding pavement looking left and right. After fifteen minutes she was about to call it quits when she saw a figure in the distance just underneath a large tree. Tightening her grip on the thick coat in her arms, she headed close enough to see the stooping figure was wearing the same funeral clothes Leon had been wearing and had the same flaming red hair even in the moonlight.
She started forward and climbed the slight hill that Leon sat upon.
He had seen her coming from far off. Those damn heels of hers could be heard tapping out a staccato rhythm from a mile off as it was. When her silhouette breached the top of the hill directly in front of where he was seated, Leon smiled to himself. At least she had thrown on a coat to keep warm against the night chill. But the dress she still had on didn't do much to keep her legs from freezing.
Leon kept his head bent, his gaze focused on the ground then finally gazed up as Claire started climbing the hilly area he was perched upon. He grinned merrily up at her but was met with nothing but a stern frown.
"JFK, do you know how many strip clubs I went to looking for your ass?" she demanded.
Leon shook his head, enjoying the light he saw in her eyes. "Miss Monroe, I don't know what else to tell you. Surprise." He emphasized the last word with a grand, open-armed gesture.
Claire rolled her eyes and threw the coat she was holding over Leon's shoulder, simultaneously dropping to her knees. She was sitting beside him now and she placed a small kiss on his cheek. She sucked in a sharp breath and backed away. "You're as cold as ice."
Leon shrugged and leaned back against the tree. Claire gazed up at the long, withered branches and cocked her head to one side in thoughtful appreciation. "It looks like someone painted silver on the undersides of the leaves." She whispered.
Looking up, Leon realized what she meant as the dark leaves glinted with a slivery mist thrown off by the moon.
He lowered his gaze and he sighed before meeting Claire's eyes. The bright blue had turned gray and she nuzzled close to him, resting her head on his chest.
"Do you want to talk?" she asked.
"No." he replied plainly. He didn't. He didn't care if he never spoke one word to anyone ever again. "I don't really feel there's anything left to say."
Claire nodded and rested her head on his chest once again. The weight was reassuring and Leon smiled as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo. His hand found hers as he looked out over the shadowy square and entwined with her fingers. After a long, quiet look about the grounds of the park, Leon saw that there really was nothing that he or anyone could say. Claire started humming a soft tune under her breath-Amazing Grace, Leon thought it was-and the gentle vibration that ran through her body and radiated off of his made him laugh when he thought of maybe just one thing he wanted...
"What's so funny?" asked Claire when he chuckled.
"Nothing." He replied. "It's just...nothing..."
There was a small 'tsk-tsk' sound from Claire and then the warm sensation of her breath on his hands. Then the heat from her lips on his fingertips registered.
Leon released his hand from her hold and let his open palm slide down the side of Claire's thighs. Claire didn't resist but she didn't give any sign of acknowledgement to his seduction either. She just cuddled even closer to him in a somewhat neutral way, like he was a teddy bear or something. Her attention was focused entirely on the little pond off to the left of the park.
Feeling an unreasonable jealousy that she should be looking at a millpond when she was getting him all hot and bothered put a dent in his ego. Couldn't she see what she was doing to him? Claire suddenly slid herself over so that the back of her thigh was grazing against his groin. She pressed her back into his chest and furtively rubbed her neck alongside his lips.
Minutes past that way, with Leon holding her in his arms, pulling her close to him; Claire's response every now and then was to pull away slightly only to return at an even closer position than before. Closing his eyes, Leon breathed her scent in again and felt her heart race against his chest. Claire's breathing was heavy and fast and he became aware of the tiny sighs of yearning and restraint that escaped her lips.
Finally reaching the end of his patience, he pulled Claire's coat away to place a kiss on her neck and then another on her shoulder. His tongue grazed her skin and she let out a gasp before mumbling, "The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?"
Feeling slightly amused at her comment especially since her eyes were practically closed and her body turning towards him, he slipped his hand up her dress.
"It's gorgeous." He replied. His free hand reached around her back to tug at the zipper to her dress. "I couldn't think of a better view...except maybe one other."
The zipper relinquished its hold easier than he expected and he was about to bare her shoulder when Claire held him back.
"Are you sure?" she whispered, looking around. "Here?"
Leon grinned wickedly. "Why not?"
Claire snorted. "Well, it's freezing, for one..."
"So?" Leon grinned. "I can keep you warm."
He raised his hips up towards her and gave her a long kiss, their tongues brushing against each other. Claire giggled slightly as he moved his mouth down to the nape of her neck. "I'm pretty sure you could do a lot more for me..."
With that, she stood up and reached behind her to fully unzip the dress. With a soft 'plop', it hit the grass and she stood above him in lacy pink underwear.
"Why did I figure you'd wear that underneath your dress?"
Claire puckered her lips and looked thoughtful. "You just know me too well, I guess." She reached up to undo her ponytail and Leon ran his hand up to the hem of her French-cut panties.
A sharp pain entered his chest and Claire shoved her heel and forced him back to the tree in a suddenly aggressive manner. "I'll have none of that, young man. If you want to play, stay in line."
Leon chortled lewdly at that and shook his head. "That sounds even sexier than the way I imagined it would."
Claire rolled her eyes. "Sexy or not, it's true. Get some of your clothes off before I give you detention." She shook her hair loose and hung her dress up over a low-slung branch of the tree. Now in nothing but her underwear and heels, she walked past him and sat on the other side of the tree, just out of sight. After a split second of shock, Leon hastily undid his pants and unbuttoned his shirt. A few fumbling moments later, clad in his thin white tank shirt and boxers, he crossed to where Claire was sitting, rubbing her goose-pimpled arms and shivering slightly. Leon threw his coat over her shoulders and pulled her towards him. Claire's response was to wrap her arms around him and pull him on top of her.
"It took you long enough." She said, planting a kiss on his lips and cheek.
"Sorry about that." He mumbled in between kisses.
Claire's skin was chilled from the cold night air so she didn't object when he ran his hands over every inch of her body.
"Leon..." she whispered sweetly into his ear, the hint of her tongue on his earlobe making him tremble violently. Her knees locked at his hips and she lifted her pelvis up to meet his, her back arching just enough so that he could undo her bra. Leon moved his lips down to brush against her collarbone, tossing her bra to the side. A tiny yap escaped Claire's breath as the wind seared her skin, her nipples hardening at the exposure.
Pulling her closer than they already were, Leon wrapped his arms around Claire's back, rubbing briskly to create a warming friction but as the intensity of their kisses heightened it didn't seem necessary. Heat enveloped them and soon they couldn't concentrate on anything but each other. Every sensation was felt: the slightest sting of Claire's nails on his back, the thrill of the pressure Leon exerted on certain parts of her body...
When it got to be unbearable, Claire grasped Leon's wrist, which was beside her ear as Leon used all of his strength to hold himself up and led his hand down. Their eyes locked deeply and Leon was aware of the texture of coarse lace on his fingers and he insinuated them just inside her lingerie. Then he dragged the garment down the length of her legs until they were low enough for her to kick away. Sitting up quickly, Claire pulled herself into his lap, pausing just above his boxer shorts. With a deep, voracious growl, Leon freed himself of his restraints and pushed urgently against her folds.
Claire shied away from him engagingly, her tongue playing around his, drawing his out then pushing it back in. Breaking away, she licked at his neck with sweet fervor, lowering her sex on his again. Before he could pull her hips down onto his, Claire drew away, moving her tongue into his mouth. The same pullout, push-in motion only with more need than before and she lowered her lips to his chest; then the synchronized shift of her hips above his, the growing wetness between her legs teasing against his erection.
Leon released an almost bestial grunt, gripping fistfuls of Claire's hair and mildly shoving her away.
"You don't need to do that, baby." He said, meeting her mischievous, vixen eyes with his dark gaze. "Don't you see I'm already biting?" He lowered his head down to tease the supple flesh of her breasts.
"Mmhmhm." It was a simple noise coming from Claire's throat; a sound somewhere between a moan and a giggle, but it seemed to vibrate throughout Leon's body and echo in the park's grounds. He bit down lightly on Claire's nipple and enjoyed the sound of her shocked gasp. When he looked up, her eyes were tightly closed, her teeth biting hard on her right finger. He watched in amusement as she chewed forcefully on her reddening digit, his fascination ending when he removed her finger and replaced it with his mouth.
Claire rose up on him, her teeth cutting into his bottom lip before forcing her tongue against his jaw. Leon's mind became fuzzy and he leaned back, pulling her with him. The hill dipped down and they began rolling with it. Leon almost didn't notice the change in movement until he heard Claire groaning in discomfort and then feeling himself on the bottom, his back hitting the ground roughly before momentum brought him on top of Claire again. They completed almost five rotations, their limbs becoming entangled when they finally reached the bottom of the knoll.
"Shit." Leon mumbled, digging his hand into the ground just before they rolled straight into the pond. There was a soft splashing sound and Claire groaned in frustration.
"Shit." She copied his first response.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Scooting out slightly from underneath him, she glanced down and then sighed before looking back up at him. "My shoe fell in."
"What do you mean? In there?" he asked, looking toward the pond; circular ripples marked the area where her shoe had fallen in. Claire nodded pitifully, burying her face into her pillow of hair.
They were frozen for a few moments before Claire shrugged and pulled him toward her. "What the hell?"
Their desire fanned again and it didn't take long to pick up where they had left off. Without any more hesitation, Leon slipped between her legs and felt her walls close in on him.
Claire grunted and groaned in exertion for the first few times Leon moved inside her, the stinging pressure growing as she took more of him in. But the tension and tightness eased away and soon all she could feel was pleasure as Leon's movements grew faster. She loved everything about this moment. She couldn't have imagined it more perfectly than this. She might not have thought that their first time would be in a park in the middle of the night but that only made it all the more exciting.
Leon's pace began to quicken and he started thrusting from different angles and the shift caught Claire's attention and her insides twitched. Then an animal growl escaped from Leon and continued as the pistoning motion of his hips accelerated and she could hear the sounds of their skin smacking against each other. Her breath caught in her throat and her body start to spasm. Without realizing it, she began to scream in ecstasy. She dug her nails deep into the flesh of Leon's back with her left hand, at the same time biting down hard on her bottom lip, while her right hand jabbed at the soft earth beneath her body.
She was halfway through her climax when Leon's hit. Even in her semi-paralyzed state she could feel him pulsing inside her and the sudden warmth that invaded her body was all but unpleasant. Claire was barely down from her orgasm when Leon came again with a fierce shudder. Claire stared at him in amazement as he hooked one of his hands on the inside of her knee and pulled it up so she could wrap her leg around his back; There was a wild, driven look about him and despite how cold it was there were beads of sweat around his temple and forehead. Their lovemaking didn't stop even though Claire had reached another orgasm and her vision had fizzed away until all she saw was a hodge-podge of colours and white light. She groped blindly at Leon's body, the thin gloss of sweat on him making her hands slip off and she was suddenly crazed at how badly she wanted to feel him. So when his pumping receded she pulled forcefully on his hair and pressed her lips to his ear.
"Please, don't stop." Was her throaty whisper.
Despite how spent he must have been, Leon acquiesced her plea. And begged her for more once she came down from a reeling chain of involuntary spasms. It didn't seem like they would ever stop or that they were capable of stopping. Every time it seemed they were drawing to a close, one would mumble some need and they would start all over again. Finally, Claire was too exhausted to go on. She let her head drop to the ground and Leon pulled out of her. Suddenly lonely at he absence of him inside her she cuddled up next to him in a spooning position.
Leon's breath came in short pants but he managed a worn out chuckle as he looked at his watch.
"What is it?" she breathed, her eyelids fluttering wildly as she struggled against sleep. The last thing she wanted was to wake up with the sun shining on their two naked bodies with some old couple walking their dogs toward them the next morning.
"We took a little bit longer than I though we would..." Leon told her. Claire took a look at his watch and a surge of energy overtook her. They had been at it for nearly two and a half hours.
"I never knew you were such a record-breaker." Leon remarked playfully.
"We should get going." She murmured, pulling herself up to sitting. She looked around, puzzled, before she remembered that her shoe had fallen in the pond and she stood up. Leon just gazed at her for a long time before she looked around bashfully.
"Come on." She urged him. "If I catch cold, it'll be all because of you."
Leon sighed and picked himself up off the ground, he dusted off his legs and backside before pulling her in a front-to-back hug. "You know, getting sick wouldn't be such a bad idea. You could spend all day in bed...and I could be there with you."
"I throw up a lot." She remarked, moving up the hill to where their clothes had been abandoned. Leon only laughed at her retort and followed her like an adoring Adam following his empyreal Eve.
It didn't take Leon long to find his clothes but Claire had a significantly harder time. Aside from her shoe, she had lost her hair tie and her lacy pink underwear. "God, where is it?" she raged, frantically zipping up her dress and stumbling around the tree. Leon grinned like an idiot as he pulled her close to him. "Forget about it."
"That's easy for you to say." She snapped, forcing back a giggle as he pressed his nose to her neck.
"Yeah, I just want to get you home and into bed." He replied, putting her coat over her shoulders.
"Didn't you have enough here?" she wondered, buttoning it up.
Leon stepped around her and looked at her evenly, his manner suddenly quiet and sincere. "Thank you." He whispered, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead. Then he gave her that look with his sad, little eyes and she pretty much forgot about her underwear and hair tie and shoe.
Leon drove home with one hand on the steering wheel. The other he kept clasped with Claire's soft one, rubbing his fingers along her knuckles and wrist. The house was quiet and Leon assumed that everyone had already gone to sleep. That was a good thing. Because he and Claire did need to take a shower as they had slight smears of dirt and grass stains (among other things) on their clothes.
After they had quietly crept into the house and up the stairs, Leon let Claire shower first and he waited patiently for his turn. He let out a loud yell as the water hit him; it was freezing and Leon realized the heater must have kicked off. Damn, damn, damn, he thought as he rushed to finish his shower, the frigid pain cutting into his bones. The euphoria he felt with Claire evaporated and he was once again left with the painful memories of the day.
Wrapping himself in a towel, then thinking better and throwing on a robe, he ventured out into the hallway. The dull pain in his heart gnawed unforgivably and he stopped in front of a picture on the wall. It was at one of the station's annual picnics and he was sitting at a picnic table with his parents and sisters, Lanna and Leila. It was before Lalaine and Lalique were born. The picture was mainly of his father, embracing his mom in a warm hug; in the background he and Lanna were fighting angrily. She was winning only because she was older and stronger at the time.
The door opened at the side and he looked over, expecting to see Claire but instead, Lanna was peeking out of her old room.
"Hey sis." He greeted wearily.
Lanna smiled somewhat awkwardly. "I was just checking to see if you were back."
"Were you up all this time?" he asked.
Lanna rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Go figure. Mom was worried."
"Oh. Yeah, I'm sorry I did that to her."
"Well, she's sleeping now. She's fine."
"Oh." Leon said again. He took another long look at the picture on the wall. Lanna's door creaked as she started to close it but Leon called her back.
"What?" she asked tiredly.
Leon inhaled deeply and looked around. "I'm sorry I made you worry, too. I know I put you through a lot of shit."
Lanna looked at him with suspicious amusement. "Did Claire say anything to you?"
Leon let out a laugh louder than he had intended to. "Nah, no. We didn't do much talking."
Lanna blinked rapidly. "Oh. Oh, you are disgusting."
"Heh. Night, Lanna." Leon said seriously.
"Night." She replied with a smile before disappearing into her room.
He stood in the hallway a few more moments before he returned to his bedroom. Claire sat up when he came in and watched in interest as he removed his robe and put on a pair of boxers. Prickling from the chilly air, Leon dove under the covers of his bed where he met Claire's warm body.
"JFK, you look like you had a pretty rough day." She crooned, simpering sultrily.
"You have no idea." He said, lying back against his pillows. He motioned for Claire to move closer and she did, fitting perfectly into the crook of his arm. Kind of like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
As he ran his hand through her hair, Leon felt the energy leak out of her body until her breathing evened out and she was sound asleep. Feeling exhausted himself, his allowed his eyelids to give into the heaviness and start to close. Before he gave in completely he looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms and smiled at how different she suddenly looked. Everything about her seemed to glow; and the way she cuddled up to him made him feel as if he were the only man in the entire world.
Claire had never heard 'Amazing Grace' played on the bagpipes before...so when she first heard Leon's Uncle Jake playing it with skilled cadence she was impressed by the beautiful strains that radiated throughout the house. But then Lalaine decided that tonight was the night she took up the instrument. Pretty soon everyone who didn't live in the Kennedy home had disappeared with a polite but rushed goodbye and those who did live there were in the kitchen sipping coffee. And pretending that the infernal noise didn't exist.
"Am I doing it right, Uncle Jake?" Lalaine asked, stopping in the middle of a note to look up at him.
"You're doing just fine, darling." He assured her.
Claire hid a smile as Lanna and Lalique shared a snicker. "The cops in our family have always been good at lying." Leila whispered to Claire.
"Except for Leon," Lanna chimed in. "Living with us, he knew he couldn't get away with it."
Laughter filled their small niche of the kitchen before Claire stopped abruptly. "Where is Leon?" she inquired, looking around.
Mrs. Kennedy sighed. "I thought he had gone up to his room hours ago."
"Funny." Lanna said. "I could have sworn he stepped outside."
Claire smiled and rose up carefully. "I guess I'll go check on him."
"Ask him if he needs anything, would you, dear?" Mrs. Kennedy asked.
After assuring her that she would, Claire headed upstairs and knocked on Leon's door. "Leon?" she asked before opening the door a smidge. The room was empty and Claire opened the door all the way just to be sure. No one. She checked all the rooms and even searched the attic before returning downstairs.
"Leon's not anywhere upstairs. I don't think he's here anymore." She informed the girls. Lalaine had stopped playing the bagpipes by then, which seemed to give Leila and Lalique the opportunity to take a small nap on the couch.
"Oh dear." Mrs. Kennedy said, rising up. "Perhaps I should call around and see if he went anywhere."
Lanna shook her head and heaved an exasperated sigh. "Mom, he's fine. He always is."
Mrs. Kennedy looked back at her with the same exasperated expression and pursed her lips. "Why do you need to be like that about your brother, Lanna?"
"Whatever do you mean, mother?" Lanna mused, her words careful and soft but slightly pointed.
"You always make his problems seem so small. You never even worry about him when he runs off. He could be in serious trouble right now."
Lanna snorted loudly. "Oh, yeah. Mother, dear, I think the last time he even dared get in trouble was when he was caught smoking pot with Dan and that other delinquent friend of his."
"That's enough of that." Mrs. Kennedy snapped sharply.
"Why are you always protecting him, mom?" Lanna demanded, standing up. Claire took a deep breath and edged out of the room.
"What do you mean, 'why am I always protecting him?' He's my son!"
"We're all your children, mother! But for some reason you always babied Leon more than any one else. Like he was more delicate or something."
Mrs. Kennedy fumed for a few moments before mumbling something Claire couldn't hear but was significant enough to merit an outraged cry from the eldest daughter.
"Mother, you're really not getting it. I didn't mean anything by what I said; I just hate it when you get all hysterical whenever Leon pulls these type of stunts around here. For God's sake, he's twenty-eight, not eight! He can take care of himself."
"Shut-up. Enough of that. Call your uncles and aunts and ask around where Leon is."
Claire sat down on the couch as Mrs. Kennedy rushed past her and hurried up the stairs, her face nearly as red as her hair and her eyes full of tears. Standing up, she re-entered the kitchen and was met with surly faces and pouted lips.
"Leon is such a bastard." Lanna fumed angrily, clearing the table. Claire quietly collected the rest of the dishes and helped her load them into the dishwasher.
"He must have been hard to grow up with." She commented.
"Like hell he was." Lanna snapped, slamming the washer door shut. "The way they spoiled that kid, damn it, it was ridiculous."
Like poison that had collected over the years, Lanna began to tell of all Leon's antics and stupidities ever since they were little kids. Some of the stories were funny but some were down right aggravating. Claire could tell that Lanna wasn't even aware of the things she was saying and by the time she finished she was almost in tears.
"Dad just always loved the boys better. Loved them more." Lanna remarked bitterly as she sat herself down at the table. "Too bad he had a whole team of girls."
Claire nodded inwardly. Now it seemed a little clear. Lanna was grieving more than she was reprimanding Leon. Her father was really gone to her for the first time and all that she could think of was the past. Maybe more intensely than she had wanted to. All the good times seemed to have been used up and the bad memories were surfacing.
"I'm sure he never meant to do those things. Or make you feel that way." Claire guaranteed Lanna. "I'm sure he loved each and every one of you the same."
"Yeah?" Lanna asked, biting her lip and sniffing softly. She suddenly laughed. "Oh God, listen to me, I thought that whole sibling rivalry thing was over and done with."
"No, I think it'll always be there." Claire said fondly. "My brother, Chris and I, we would always..." she trailed off and brushed back her own tears. "I just think you're lucky that Leon's here with you now."
Lanna wiped her eyes and swallowed hard. "I know you're right... you got a brother of your own somewhere?"
Biting her bottom lip slightly, Claire nodded. "Yeah."
Sympathy filled Lanna's countenance and she rested the side of her head on her fist. "Where's he at now?"
"He's...overseas right now."
"Oh! What does he do?" she asked, not noticing the I'd-rather-not-talk-about-it tone Claire had given off unintentionally.
"What does he do?" she repeated. "Well, he... he saves the world..." she added the last part with some wistfulness and smiled sadly. "He kicks ass."
Lanna laughed. "Another enforcer of the law? No wonder you can stand my brother the way you do." She let out a weak laugh and looked about with a sigh. "Well, I guess I'd better be off and find him."
"I could go look for him if you like." Claire offered.
"I'd hate for you to be out there this late by yourself, Claire." She said.
"Oh, it's nothing. Really. You're tired enough as it is."
He wasn't at any of their relatives' houses. Nor was he at any of his friends' homes or apartments... although that girlfriend of Dan's was really something else. At the mention of Leon's name, the girl had practically jumped down her throat, wanting to know specific details of their relationship. She left the place in a huff and drove all the way to the edge of town to try to calm down. Suddenly, she remembered the park where the family had had lunch the day before.
The park was empty and the sound of the Jeep door shutting echoed in the vast vacancy of the place. Being wary of hiding thieves and rapists, Claire made her way down the winding pavement looking left and right. After fifteen minutes she was about to call it quits when she saw a figure in the distance just underneath a large tree. Tightening her grip on the thick coat in her arms, she headed close enough to see the stooping figure was wearing the same funeral clothes Leon had been wearing and had the same flaming red hair even in the moonlight.
She started forward and climbed the slight hill that Leon sat upon.
He had seen her coming from far off. Those damn heels of hers could be heard tapping out a staccato rhythm from a mile off as it was. When her silhouette breached the top of the hill directly in front of where he was seated, Leon smiled to himself. At least she had thrown on a coat to keep warm against the night chill. But the dress she still had on didn't do much to keep her legs from freezing.
Leon kept his head bent, his gaze focused on the ground then finally gazed up as Claire started climbing the hilly area he was perched upon. He grinned merrily up at her but was met with nothing but a stern frown.
"JFK, do you know how many strip clubs I went to looking for your ass?" she demanded.
Leon shook his head, enjoying the light he saw in her eyes. "Miss Monroe, I don't know what else to tell you. Surprise." He emphasized the last word with a grand, open-armed gesture.
Claire rolled her eyes and threw the coat she was holding over Leon's shoulder, simultaneously dropping to her knees. She was sitting beside him now and she placed a small kiss on his cheek. She sucked in a sharp breath and backed away. "You're as cold as ice."
Leon shrugged and leaned back against the tree. Claire gazed up at the long, withered branches and cocked her head to one side in thoughtful appreciation. "It looks like someone painted silver on the undersides of the leaves." She whispered.
Looking up, Leon realized what she meant as the dark leaves glinted with a slivery mist thrown off by the moon.
He lowered his gaze and he sighed before meeting Claire's eyes. The bright blue had turned gray and she nuzzled close to him, resting her head on his chest.
"Do you want to talk?" she asked.
"No." he replied plainly. He didn't. He didn't care if he never spoke one word to anyone ever again. "I don't really feel there's anything left to say."
Claire nodded and rested her head on his chest once again. The weight was reassuring and Leon smiled as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo. His hand found hers as he looked out over the shadowy square and entwined with her fingers. After a long, quiet look about the grounds of the park, Leon saw that there really was nothing that he or anyone could say. Claire started humming a soft tune under her breath-Amazing Grace, Leon thought it was-and the gentle vibration that ran through her body and radiated off of his made him laugh when he thought of maybe just one thing he wanted...
"What's so funny?" asked Claire when he chuckled.
"Nothing." He replied. "It's just...nothing..."
There was a small 'tsk-tsk' sound from Claire and then the warm sensation of her breath on his hands. Then the heat from her lips on his fingertips registered.
Leon released his hand from her hold and let his open palm slide down the side of Claire's thighs. Claire didn't resist but she didn't give any sign of acknowledgement to his seduction either. She just cuddled even closer to him in a somewhat neutral way, like he was a teddy bear or something. Her attention was focused entirely on the little pond off to the left of the park.
Feeling an unreasonable jealousy that she should be looking at a millpond when she was getting him all hot and bothered put a dent in his ego. Couldn't she see what she was doing to him? Claire suddenly slid herself over so that the back of her thigh was grazing against his groin. She pressed her back into his chest and furtively rubbed her neck alongside his lips.
Minutes past that way, with Leon holding her in his arms, pulling her close to him; Claire's response every now and then was to pull away slightly only to return at an even closer position than before. Closing his eyes, Leon breathed her scent in again and felt her heart race against his chest. Claire's breathing was heavy and fast and he became aware of the tiny sighs of yearning and restraint that escaped her lips.
Finally reaching the end of his patience, he pulled Claire's coat away to place a kiss on her neck and then another on her shoulder. His tongue grazed her skin and she let out a gasp before mumbling, "The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they?"
Feeling slightly amused at her comment especially since her eyes were practically closed and her body turning towards him, he slipped his hand up her dress.
"It's gorgeous." He replied. His free hand reached around her back to tug at the zipper to her dress. "I couldn't think of a better view...except maybe one other."
The zipper relinquished its hold easier than he expected and he was about to bare her shoulder when Claire held him back.
"Are you sure?" she whispered, looking around. "Here?"
Leon grinned wickedly. "Why not?"
Claire snorted. "Well, it's freezing, for one..."
"So?" Leon grinned. "I can keep you warm."
He raised his hips up towards her and gave her a long kiss, their tongues brushing against each other. Claire giggled slightly as he moved his mouth down to the nape of her neck. "I'm pretty sure you could do a lot more for me..."
With that, she stood up and reached behind her to fully unzip the dress. With a soft 'plop', it hit the grass and she stood above him in lacy pink underwear.
"Why did I figure you'd wear that underneath your dress?"
Claire puckered her lips and looked thoughtful. "You just know me too well, I guess." She reached up to undo her ponytail and Leon ran his hand up to the hem of her French-cut panties.
A sharp pain entered his chest and Claire shoved her heel and forced him back to the tree in a suddenly aggressive manner. "I'll have none of that, young man. If you want to play, stay in line."
Leon chortled lewdly at that and shook his head. "That sounds even sexier than the way I imagined it would."
Claire rolled her eyes. "Sexy or not, it's true. Get some of your clothes off before I give you detention." She shook her hair loose and hung her dress up over a low-slung branch of the tree. Now in nothing but her underwear and heels, she walked past him and sat on the other side of the tree, just out of sight. After a split second of shock, Leon hastily undid his pants and unbuttoned his shirt. A few fumbling moments later, clad in his thin white tank shirt and boxers, he crossed to where Claire was sitting, rubbing her goose-pimpled arms and shivering slightly. Leon threw his coat over her shoulders and pulled her towards him. Claire's response was to wrap her arms around him and pull him on top of her.
"It took you long enough." She said, planting a kiss on his lips and cheek.
"Sorry about that." He mumbled in between kisses.
Claire's skin was chilled from the cold night air so she didn't object when he ran his hands over every inch of her body.
"Leon..." she whispered sweetly into his ear, the hint of her tongue on his earlobe making him tremble violently. Her knees locked at his hips and she lifted her pelvis up to meet his, her back arching just enough so that he could undo her bra. Leon moved his lips down to brush against her collarbone, tossing her bra to the side. A tiny yap escaped Claire's breath as the wind seared her skin, her nipples hardening at the exposure.
Pulling her closer than they already were, Leon wrapped his arms around Claire's back, rubbing briskly to create a warming friction but as the intensity of their kisses heightened it didn't seem necessary. Heat enveloped them and soon they couldn't concentrate on anything but each other. Every sensation was felt: the slightest sting of Claire's nails on his back, the thrill of the pressure Leon exerted on certain parts of her body...
When it got to be unbearable, Claire grasped Leon's wrist, which was beside her ear as Leon used all of his strength to hold himself up and led his hand down. Their eyes locked deeply and Leon was aware of the texture of coarse lace on his fingers and he insinuated them just inside her lingerie. Then he dragged the garment down the length of her legs until they were low enough for her to kick away. Sitting up quickly, Claire pulled herself into his lap, pausing just above his boxer shorts. With a deep, voracious growl, Leon freed himself of his restraints and pushed urgently against her folds.
Claire shied away from him engagingly, her tongue playing around his, drawing his out then pushing it back in. Breaking away, she licked at his neck with sweet fervor, lowering her sex on his again. Before he could pull her hips down onto his, Claire drew away, moving her tongue into his mouth. The same pullout, push-in motion only with more need than before and she lowered her lips to his chest; then the synchronized shift of her hips above his, the growing wetness between her legs teasing against his erection.
Leon released an almost bestial grunt, gripping fistfuls of Claire's hair and mildly shoving her away.
"You don't need to do that, baby." He said, meeting her mischievous, vixen eyes with his dark gaze. "Don't you see I'm already biting?" He lowered his head down to tease the supple flesh of her breasts.
"Mmhmhm." It was a simple noise coming from Claire's throat; a sound somewhere between a moan and a giggle, but it seemed to vibrate throughout Leon's body and echo in the park's grounds. He bit down lightly on Claire's nipple and enjoyed the sound of her shocked gasp. When he looked up, her eyes were tightly closed, her teeth biting hard on her right finger. He watched in amusement as she chewed forcefully on her reddening digit, his fascination ending when he removed her finger and replaced it with his mouth.
Claire rose up on him, her teeth cutting into his bottom lip before forcing her tongue against his jaw. Leon's mind became fuzzy and he leaned back, pulling her with him. The hill dipped down and they began rolling with it. Leon almost didn't notice the change in movement until he heard Claire groaning in discomfort and then feeling himself on the bottom, his back hitting the ground roughly before momentum brought him on top of Claire again. They completed almost five rotations, their limbs becoming entangled when they finally reached the bottom of the knoll.
"Shit." Leon mumbled, digging his hand into the ground just before they rolled straight into the pond. There was a soft splashing sound and Claire groaned in frustration.
"Shit." She copied his first response.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Scooting out slightly from underneath him, she glanced down and then sighed before looking back up at him. "My shoe fell in."
"What do you mean? In there?" he asked, looking toward the pond; circular ripples marked the area where her shoe had fallen in. Claire nodded pitifully, burying her face into her pillow of hair.
They were frozen for a few moments before Claire shrugged and pulled him toward her. "What the hell?"
Their desire fanned again and it didn't take long to pick up where they had left off. Without any more hesitation, Leon slipped between her legs and felt her walls close in on him.
Claire grunted and groaned in exertion for the first few times Leon moved inside her, the stinging pressure growing as she took more of him in. But the tension and tightness eased away and soon all she could feel was pleasure as Leon's movements grew faster. She loved everything about this moment. She couldn't have imagined it more perfectly than this. She might not have thought that their first time would be in a park in the middle of the night but that only made it all the more exciting.
Leon's pace began to quicken and he started thrusting from different angles and the shift caught Claire's attention and her insides twitched. Then an animal growl escaped from Leon and continued as the pistoning motion of his hips accelerated and she could hear the sounds of their skin smacking against each other. Her breath caught in her throat and her body start to spasm. Without realizing it, she began to scream in ecstasy. She dug her nails deep into the flesh of Leon's back with her left hand, at the same time biting down hard on her bottom lip, while her right hand jabbed at the soft earth beneath her body.
She was halfway through her climax when Leon's hit. Even in her semi-paralyzed state she could feel him pulsing inside her and the sudden warmth that invaded her body was all but unpleasant. Claire was barely down from her orgasm when Leon came again with a fierce shudder. Claire stared at him in amazement as he hooked one of his hands on the inside of her knee and pulled it up so she could wrap her leg around his back; There was a wild, driven look about him and despite how cold it was there were beads of sweat around his temple and forehead. Their lovemaking didn't stop even though Claire had reached another orgasm and her vision had fizzed away until all she saw was a hodge-podge of colours and white light. She groped blindly at Leon's body, the thin gloss of sweat on him making her hands slip off and she was suddenly crazed at how badly she wanted to feel him. So when his pumping receded she pulled forcefully on his hair and pressed her lips to his ear.
"Please, don't stop." Was her throaty whisper.
Despite how spent he must have been, Leon acquiesced her plea. And begged her for more once she came down from a reeling chain of involuntary spasms. It didn't seem like they would ever stop or that they were capable of stopping. Every time it seemed they were drawing to a close, one would mumble some need and they would start all over again. Finally, Claire was too exhausted to go on. She let her head drop to the ground and Leon pulled out of her. Suddenly lonely at he absence of him inside her she cuddled up next to him in a spooning position.
Leon's breath came in short pants but he managed a worn out chuckle as he looked at his watch.
"What is it?" she breathed, her eyelids fluttering wildly as she struggled against sleep. The last thing she wanted was to wake up with the sun shining on their two naked bodies with some old couple walking their dogs toward them the next morning.
"We took a little bit longer than I though we would..." Leon told her. Claire took a look at his watch and a surge of energy overtook her. They had been at it for nearly two and a half hours.
"I never knew you were such a record-breaker." Leon remarked playfully.
"We should get going." She murmured, pulling herself up to sitting. She looked around, puzzled, before she remembered that her shoe had fallen in the pond and she stood up. Leon just gazed at her for a long time before she looked around bashfully.
"Come on." She urged him. "If I catch cold, it'll be all because of you."
Leon sighed and picked himself up off the ground, he dusted off his legs and backside before pulling her in a front-to-back hug. "You know, getting sick wouldn't be such a bad idea. You could spend all day in bed...and I could be there with you."
"I throw up a lot." She remarked, moving up the hill to where their clothes had been abandoned. Leon only laughed at her retort and followed her like an adoring Adam following his empyreal Eve.
It didn't take Leon long to find his clothes but Claire had a significantly harder time. Aside from her shoe, she had lost her hair tie and her lacy pink underwear. "God, where is it?" she raged, frantically zipping up her dress and stumbling around the tree. Leon grinned like an idiot as he pulled her close to him. "Forget about it."
"That's easy for you to say." She snapped, forcing back a giggle as he pressed his nose to her neck.
"Yeah, I just want to get you home and into bed." He replied, putting her coat over her shoulders.
"Didn't you have enough here?" she wondered, buttoning it up.
Leon stepped around her and looked at her evenly, his manner suddenly quiet and sincere. "Thank you." He whispered, giving her a soft kiss on her forehead. Then he gave her that look with his sad, little eyes and she pretty much forgot about her underwear and hair tie and shoe.
Leon drove home with one hand on the steering wheel. The other he kept clasped with Claire's soft one, rubbing his fingers along her knuckles and wrist. The house was quiet and Leon assumed that everyone had already gone to sleep. That was a good thing. Because he and Claire did need to take a shower as they had slight smears of dirt and grass stains (among other things) on their clothes.
After they had quietly crept into the house and up the stairs, Leon let Claire shower first and he waited patiently for his turn. He let out a loud yell as the water hit him; it was freezing and Leon realized the heater must have kicked off. Damn, damn, damn, he thought as he rushed to finish his shower, the frigid pain cutting into his bones. The euphoria he felt with Claire evaporated and he was once again left with the painful memories of the day.
Wrapping himself in a towel, then thinking better and throwing on a robe, he ventured out into the hallway. The dull pain in his heart gnawed unforgivably and he stopped in front of a picture on the wall. It was at one of the station's annual picnics and he was sitting at a picnic table with his parents and sisters, Lanna and Leila. It was before Lalaine and Lalique were born. The picture was mainly of his father, embracing his mom in a warm hug; in the background he and Lanna were fighting angrily. She was winning only because she was older and stronger at the time.
The door opened at the side and he looked over, expecting to see Claire but instead, Lanna was peeking out of her old room.
"Hey sis." He greeted wearily.
Lanna smiled somewhat awkwardly. "I was just checking to see if you were back."
"Were you up all this time?" he asked.
Lanna rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Go figure. Mom was worried."
"Oh. Yeah, I'm sorry I did that to her."
"Well, she's sleeping now. She's fine."
"Oh." Leon said again. He took another long look at the picture on the wall. Lanna's door creaked as she started to close it but Leon called her back.
"What?" she asked tiredly.
Leon inhaled deeply and looked around. "I'm sorry I made you worry, too. I know I put you through a lot of shit."
Lanna looked at him with suspicious amusement. "Did Claire say anything to you?"
Leon let out a laugh louder than he had intended to. "Nah, no. We didn't do much talking."
Lanna blinked rapidly. "Oh. Oh, you are disgusting."
"Heh. Night, Lanna." Leon said seriously.
"Night." She replied with a smile before disappearing into her room.
He stood in the hallway a few more moments before he returned to his bedroom. Claire sat up when he came in and watched in interest as he removed his robe and put on a pair of boxers. Prickling from the chilly air, Leon dove under the covers of his bed where he met Claire's warm body.
"JFK, you look like you had a pretty rough day." She crooned, simpering sultrily.
"You have no idea." He said, lying back against his pillows. He motioned for Claire to move closer and she did, fitting perfectly into the crook of his arm. Kind of like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle.
As he ran his hand through her hair, Leon felt the energy leak out of her body until her breathing evened out and she was sound asleep. Feeling exhausted himself, his allowed his eyelids to give into the heaviness and start to close. Before he gave in completely he looked down at the sleeping woman in his arms and smiled at how different she suddenly looked. Everything about her seemed to glow; and the way she cuddled up to him made him feel as if he were the only man in the entire world.