Chapter Seventeen

Walking into the apartment, Marie's eyes widened at the sight of her apartment. Every available surface was covered with candles, casting pale light throughout the room; or with flowers- tiger lilies to be exact, Marie's favorite flower. Her mouth hanging open in wonderment, Marie could only stare at her apartment, transformed in the glow of the candles.

"You like it?" Kyle asked, stepping out from the hallway dressed in a pair of dress pants and a nice, navy blue button up shirt.

"What…what is all this?" Marie could barely speak for the astonishment of it all. The smell of dinner wafted up her nose, making her mouth water.

"I thought that since we're kind of a…couple now, that I should take you out for a nice dinner. But, since I'm kinda broke right now, I thought I'd bring the dinner to you." Kyle shifted on his feet, and looked at her slightly worried. "Do you like it?"

"This is amazing." She smiled. Kyle beamed and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Marie allowed herself to melt into his hold, giving herself over to the feelings that he evoked within her. Kyle was not like Bradin in anyway, but maybe that's what made him so special.

Pulling away, Marie smiled up at him. Kyle's face glowed in the candlelight. His eyes caught the flames and held the fire's magic within their depths. There was something in his gaze, a spark that could not have been brought on by any match.

"What?" She asked, slightly self-conscious as he continued to stare at her.

"You're beautiful." He whispered, bringing his lips down to hers. Marie melted. Kyle knew the right words to say, the right way to act. He would never try and hurt her, he would keep her safe no matter what. But even as she told herself all of this, Marie couldn't help but think of Bradin.

He had never done anything this romantic for her, but Marie still felt that the night that they had said they loved each other was the most perfect moment that could ever happen in her life. But this moment, right here, right now, was not about her and Bradin, this was about her and Kyle.

Marie returned Kyle's kiss fervently, trying to block out all thought of Bradin. With her eyes shut tightly, and her arms wrapped around Kyle's neck, Marie pushed Bradin to the back of her mind. But he would not remain there. The look in his eyes, the way they had been in her dream the night before, brought her tumbling back down to earth and to reality. She pulled away from Kyle quickly, her breath coming in quick, anxious gasps.

"What is it?" He gently cupped her cheek in his large palm, caressing her bottom lip with his thumb.

Marie shook her head, determined not to let thoughts of Bradin ruin her evening.

"It's nothing." She shook her head. Kyle didn't seem convinced.

"I swear, I'm fine." She smiled up at him, trying to lay his fears to rest. Standing up on her tip-toes, she placed a delicate kiss on his lips.

"Now how about we have some of that dinner you made. It smells delicious."

"Nikki, have you heard even a word of what I've said?" Nikki looked up at Cameron, broken from her thoughts by his question.

"Huh?" She asked, confused.

"Guess that answers my question." He chuckled lightly and shook his head. "What are you thinking about that has you off in your own little world?" He draped an arm around Nikki's shoulders and directed her towards the movie theater.

"Nothing." She shook her head and smiled slyly. "I was just thinking about how Marie and Bradin are both still so in love with each other but afraid to do anything about it."

"Please don't tell me you're not trying to get them together again." Cam looked at her reprovingly.

"I'm not." She hastily denied the accusation, but Cam knew better.

"Sure." He didn't believe her for a second.

"What! I'm not."

"Nikki."

"I'm just putting the thought in their heads, you know, prompting them." Cam rolled his eyes. "Hey, can I help it if they both come to me to talk about the other? I don't think so."

"Just, keep your nose out of their business."

"I make no guarantees."

Dabbing her napkin over her mouth, Marie sat back in her chair.

"That was amazing, Kyle." She said, taking a sip of her water.

"Thank you." He smirked and stood up to help Marie out of her chair. "But dinner is not over yet." He led her to the couch and sat her down before returning to the kitchen.

"And what, pray-tell, do you have planned next?" Marie giggled.

"Dessert, my fair lady, is what I have planned." Kyle returned to the living room, a plate of chocolate covered strawberries in one hand, a bottle of wine and two champagne flutes in the other.

"Kyle, where did you get that?" Marie eyed the wine dubiously.

"Don't worry," he sat beside her, placing everything he held on the coffee table, "I swiped the wine from my mom's collection before I came out here."

"And you thought that there would be a large call for wine?" She shrugged.

"You never know when a situation will arise that calls for a romantic beverage." The tone in his voice, coupled with the look in his eyes sent shivers down Marie's spine.

He poured the wine into the two glasses and held one out to Marie. She took it from him nervously.

"To a friendship becoming…so much more." He said, holding his glass up.

"Here, here." Marie took a deep breath as she gently tapped her glass against Kyle's. Tipping the champagne flute to her mouth, Marie took a sip. The wine was fruity and cold as it gently slid down her throat.

"Now," Kyle placed his glass down and picked up the plate of strawberries, "you have to try one of these. I picked them out and dipped them in chocolate, myself."

He held one out to Marie, holding it by the stem so that the only way she could take it from him was with her lips. Tentatively, she leaned over and bit into the strawberry. The fruit burst over her tongue, mixing pleasantly with the chocolate and with the aftertaste of the wine. She looked into Kyle's eyes and blushed furiously. He was staring at her as if she were the most precious thing in the world, and Marie didn't know if she could handle it. His eyes bore into hers as he moved closer. Paralyzed by something more than fear, Marie remained glued to her seat, unable to move away as Kyle's lips claimed hers.

His tongue slid over her lips, silently asking permission. Marie's lips parted on their own, and his tongue darted inside her mouth. He tasted of wine and the dinner he had made. Marie's senses were overwhelmed by his taste, the smell of his cologne, and the feel of his body pressed against hers.

Heart racing inside her chest, Marie trembled as Kyle's hands pressed on her shoulders, gently pushing her down against the sofa. His weight settled over her, pining her to the couch.

Images of her stepfather flooded Marie's mind. Her eyes sprang open as she remembered all the times that he had forced himself on her. But he had never been as gentle as Kyle was being right then, he had never cared about Marie's own feelings. But Kyle did. Or did he? Marie wasn't so sure anymore as one of Kyle's hands moved from her shoulder to just above her breast.

"Kyle," she breathed, pulling away from him just enough so that his lips weren't pressed against hers.

"What?" His eyes were half closed as he looked at her through passion filled eyes.

"I don't know if I can do this." She whispered.

"Hey," he brushed a finger against her jaw line, "you can trust me."

Moments passed. Marie trembled beneath Kyle, unsure of what to do. She knew that Kyle wanted this; she could feel his want pressing into her. But could she do this? Was she ready to take this next step in her recovery?

She couldn't help but think of all the other times she had been in a similar position, all the other times she had been used for some man's pleasure. It was too much for her to take, and she knew that the answer to all her questions was no. So why, then, did she find herself saying yes?

Sunlight filtered through the darn curtains. Marie groaned as the light invaded her half-opened eyelids. She didn't want to get out of bed.

Turning onto her side, Marie tumbled to the floor, nearly hitting her head against the side of the coffee table. Fully awake now, she stared around her.

Kyle lay on the sofa, the corner of the blanket that had been covering them both covering only the space between his waist and knees. Marie blushed furiously as she looked down and found her own body naked except for the blanket that she quickly pulled up over her chest.

Guilt seeped deep into her bones. Marie felt weak from it all. Her body was sore and a heavy blanket of shame covered her. What had she done? Had she really slept with Kyle? Their two naked bodies was enough to confirm that fear.

Tears sprang to her eyes and Marie quickly stood, pulling the blanket full off of Kyle as she tried to keep herself covered. Her blush deepened as she looked at him. She looked away quickly and grabbed up the clothes that lay on the floor at her feet.

Hurrying into her bedroom, she stood in front of her mirror, simply studying her body. There were hickies on her breasts and on her collarbone. Shaking horribly, Marie dressed quickly, too ashamed of herself to look in the mirror any longer. Almost reluctantly, she walked back out to the living room. Kyle, thankfully, still slept, and Marie covered him with the blanket that she had stolen from him.

Marie couldn't breathe. A weight settled on her chest, making it hard to take in any air. The walls felt as if they were closing in on her, making Marie feel trapped. She needed to get out of there, she needed fresh air and thinking space. She needed to be free of Kyle's sleeping, naked form. But, most of all, she needed to be away from there when he finally woke up.

Turning his board towards shore, Bradin rode the next wave in; letting the water carry him as far as it would before he climbed off and walked the rest of the way onto the sand.

Spanish Cove was deserted that early in the morning. It was too early for people to be up out of bed, and too late for anybody to still be around after the late night parties that happened at the Cove. Bradin had no clue why he chose Spanish Cove to surf at that morning, but he just had a feeling that he needed to be there. After all, Spanish Cove was his and Marie's place. The place where almost every important moment in their relationship happened. And, if Bradin was right and there really was a chance that they could get back together, he felt that the place could give him some good luck.

Settling onto the rocks, he leaned back and let the sun cover him, drying the water that beaded on his skin. The morning held the same peacefulness that always comes just after sunrise. The peacefulness that occurred when the world was still asleep and there was nothing more than you and the wave and the gulls. Bradin loved that time. Back in Kansas he had never been an early riser, choosing instead to sleep until nearly noon during the summer. But, as soon as he had taken up surfing, Bradin was up to great the morning every day. There was no better time for surfing than the early morning, when the waves were high and the air was cool.

A smile flitted across his face. The only thing that could make that morning any better would be to have Marie by his side.

"Bradin?" That voice, it was as if God had heard his prayers. Bradin turned to see Marie standing on the sand, her arms wrapped tightly around her body, the wind whipping her hair about her face.

"Marie." He couldn't help the broad grin that spread across his face. "What are you doing out this early?"

"I…" She paused. Bradin could see tear marks on her cheeks and could see the redness on the tip of her nose.

"Hey," he jumped down off the rocks and wrapped his arms around her, just like old times, "are you alright?"

She shook in his arms, her body trembling so terribly that Bradin could feel the vibrations traveling through his own body.

"Marie," he tipped her chin back so that she was looking at him, "are you okay?" He was scared. He hadn't seen her act this way since before her stepfather went to prison.

"I made a horrible mistake, Bradin." She cried, her gaze dropping from his.

"Now it couldn't have been that bad," he tried to joke, to make the situation seem less serious than it was. "What did you do?"

Sniffling, Marie looked up at him, her eyes shadowed.

"I slept with Kyle."

Ooh, what's going to happen next? Lol. I told y'all that Marie would do something very un-Marie like, didn't I. Well, please review and tell me what you thought. Look forward to a confrontation between Bradin and Kyle in the next chapter.

jessesfan0409: No biggie, I don't mind if you don't review every single chapter. But thank you for thinking that the chapters were awesome.

Caitlin, Saynt Jimmy, Jmacsgurl15, Candi, beverleyd, AllyCat16, tinhyeu92, kandykane33, x buttercup: Thank you all so much for reviewing this story. You guys rock!