Gail finished tucking Luke into his bed and placed a gently kiss on his forehead, smiling when he tried to force his eyes to remain open to keep her with him longer. 'It's alright little man, I promise I'm only down the hall so no more wandering and sleep tight' she said soothingly, stroking his hair as he began to drift off to sleep.
The children had behaved well at the meal and were clearly as exhausted as she was. Gail had already put her Daughter to sleep and Caleb had been just as tired with performing for more children than usual, opting to head straight to bed himself. Now that she had settled Luke down, Gail decided to get a long shower to wash off her frustrations and headed towards the bathroom down the hall.
As she opened the door, her senses were hit by the scent of vanilla and her mouth dropped open at the large bubble filled bath surrounded by scented candles. She glanced behind the door expecting to see her Husband; however, the room was empty. Counting her blessings she took off her clothes, tied her hair into a loose bun on top of her head and stepped into the bath, happy for some time to be alone with her thoughts.
The hot water scolded her skin as her body sank beneath the bubbles; however, Gail did not care. She had been angry for a whole week and the hot water soaking into her skin was easing her tensions, allowing her to begin to think clearly. She had allowed her pride to control her tonight, declaring ownership of Stuarts disappearance without all the facts was not a smart move and Gail should have known better. Her mind was clouded, she was pent up and all she wanted to do was release her darkness to allow her to have some space inside of her brain to truly gain control of her emotions.
Lucas stood discreetly at the entrance of the bathroom, as Gail closed her eyes and let the water engulf her body. Her skin was beginning to turn pink with the heat; however, she did not move and looked at peace for the first time in a long time.
'I can never be at peace here, too many loiterers' she advised sarcastically, sensing his presence instantly.
Lucas took the acknowledgement as permission that he could enter, then knelt down beside the bath and removed a stray strand of hair from her eyes. 'You relish in the power of our property, just like I do. A little company now and again ain't the end of the world for what we get in return' he responded coolly, enjoying how calm she looked in this setting.
'You tricked me didn't you?' Gail asked, spotting the signs instantly now that she could think clearly in this relaxed state.
'Into strippin' openly without a challenge?' he replied sarcastically, rolling up his sleeve and placing his hand beneath the water to stroke the inside of her thigh.
Gail let out a small laugh and shook her head, her eyes remaining closed and her composure calm. 'Into taking on the story, that was the plan with your earlier charade wasn't it?' she asked more directly, not giving him room to twist the question again.
Lucas continued to watch her closely, then smiled at her sharp intake of breath when his fingers reached the sweet spot between her legs. 'I didn't force you to have a pissin' match with Danielle-' he started, stroking his fingers over her gently.
'-I didn't say force I said tricked' Gail interrupted, biting her bottom lip when an intense burst of pleasure surged through her.
Lucas' smile grew wider, his plan to totally relax her so that her rage was overpowered by her desire appeared to be working and he took a moment to appreciate her natural beauty in the candlelight.
'You're far too distracted for the serious conversation that I'm trying to have here, maybe you need to allow yourself to relax fully too' Gail suggested sweetly, then leaned over and pulled off his shirt, indicating that she wanted him to join her.
Lucas did not need an outright invitation and stood up, removed his pants, then carefully stepped into the large bath tub and situated himself on the opposite side to her. 'Tricked is such a judgemental word, I merely got a few people together and allowed them to speak freely between themselves' he answered her initial question finally, stroking her feet softly as she moved them to the side of his legs.
'You ploughed three women with alcohol, one of whom is not used to such conniving company and just so happens to be my friend. Do you really expect me to believe that your didn't predict Danielle's grilling about Adam and me stepping in to protect Mary? That poor women has been through enough due to our interference in her life' Gail scolded, attempting to keep a stern tone.
'Oh please, she was drownin' in her miserable life and we eliminated the rock that was draggin' her down...I usually don't like such a hands on approach with these things, but you certainly do know how to tempt it out of me' Lucas responded smoothly, reminding Gail that it was her who instigated the untimely death of their previous Mayor John.
A devilish smile crossed over Gail's lips as she recalled their first proper venture together, unable to hide the satisfaction that she still felt from that incident. She had come to realise over the last few years that her Husband did have a much gentler approach, opting to give people enough rope to hang themselves rather than perform the action outright. Whenever he did lose control, she was always the catalyst and she supposed that she should feel bad about that.
'Oh not at all Love, you bring me back to my childhood years' Lucas answered her unspoken thought, closing his eyes and letting out a satisfied moan as his body relaxed fully in the soothing water.
Gail watched him closely, not used to him bringing up his childhood and smiled at the opening that he had inadvertently given her. She carefully knelt up in the bath and manoeuvred herself on top of him, so that she was straddling him. 'Well I for one am glad that I can help you revisit your youth Master Buck, it must be hard for an old man such as yourself to feel such pleasures easily at your age' she mocked feigning innocence, biting her bottom lip when she felt his manhood grow beneath her and hovering teasingly above him.
Lucas shot her a look of mock disapproval and spanked her bare behind hard, then squeezed it tight and pulled her down closer to him. 'There ain't no problems with me feelin' or givin' pleasure at my age Mrs Buck' he advised, sensing the mischief within her.
'Oh I don't know, it appears your real desire is older women and I certainly am not that' she responded sweetly, smiling at his look of irritation at her comment.
'You're not lettin' this go are you?' Lucas asked, not one for revisiting old mistakes.
'So Angela was a mistake? How so?' Gail disregarded his question and focussed on his unguarded thought.
Lucas cursed himself for allowing his guard to drop in his current position and forced himself to regain control of his senses.
'Oh sweetheart, you should know by now that I'm not going to let that happen after what you goaded me into tonight' Gail advised, then reached down for him and took him inside of her quickly, using the one thing she knew that he really could not resist.
Lucas let out a loud moan at finally being inside of her and his desire for her overtook everything else. She had done well to hold out for the whole week and his body would not allow her to withdraw now that she had willingly instigated the act. 'You don't play fair' he laughed, as she let out a pained moan and began to ride him before she was used to his length.
'Pot calling the kettle' she whispered, then ran her lips over his teasingly.
Lucas gripped her behind tighter and thrust his hips higher, ensuring that he filled her completely. He tried desperately to force his guard to remain up, knowing that she was just waiting for her moment to strike and cursed himself when he saw the smug look on her face, as his animal urges began to claw at his insides.
Gail laughed when he could not control his loud moans of pleasure and leaned down to his ear. 'Shhh Soulmate, we don't want to wake our boys, although it must be a pleasant change for our little girl to have the bedroom nice and quiet' she whispered and nipped at his ear playfully.
'Oh you think I'm gonna let you rest after this display? You just wait 'til I drag you to bed, then we'll see who's boss' Lucas warned, biting down on her shoulder as an intense burst of pleasure hit him.
'Is that what Angela did? Took you to her bed to show you who was boss? Or was it you who instigated the seduction?' she asked curiously, as she began to ride him harder. 'Truthfully, I doubt you'd allow yourself to be taken for such an innocent thing and suspect you used that poor woman to polish your methods of seduction'
Lucas smiled at how well she knew him and nodded, impressed by her theory. 'She thought she took me, at least at first' he answered without thinking, then bit his lip in irritation at himself for not shooting down this line of questioning.
Gail laughed at his honest answer, not expecting him to actually give her anything on this and opened her mouth to continue questioning him while she had the upper hand.
Lucas tangled his hand in her hair roughly and pulled her lips to his, to prevent her from continuing with her interrogation. He forced his tongue inside her mouth and smiled when she moaned loudly, her own desire overpowering her need for the truth.
Gail was overcome by a strong surge of pleasure which flowed through her body and dug her nails into his chest hard. Her mind was suddenly blank and all that was remaining her an overwhelming desire for him. Gail continued to ride him, biting her lips to lessen her volume as he pushed his hips up higher. She tangled her hands in his hair, bringing his lips to hers as their climax hit violently and he erupted inside of her.
Lucas held her to him as he kissed her passionately, crushing their bodies together, then released his grip on her and stroked her arms tenderly as they both breathed deeply to get some much needed air into their lungs.
'This isn't over' Gail advised, not ready to drop her interrogation just yet.
'Of course not Love, it's only just begun' Lucas responded mischievously, as he lifted her up and got out of the bath, then headed for their bedroom to make up for the weeks amount of punishment that he had endured.
Gail shifted uncomfortably in the drivers seat of her Mustang as she drove down the quiet streets, trying to ponder over the best way to approach this situation. Lucas had worked her harder than he had in a long time, she had opted for a loose fitting off the shoulder top to hide the bruises on the stop of her arms and a small pair of cotton shorts; however, every time she went over a bump, the soreness between her legs became evident and made it impossible to get him out of her mind.
Even though his plan to remind her of their activities all day was clearly working, it was worth it for her retaliations and she took pride in the damage that she had inflicted on him too. She could not remember ever drawing that much blood with her nails and teeth previously, her deep rooted urges had taken over her last night and she had ended up being even rougher with him than he was with her. She made a mental note not to cut him off in the future, realising that she was only punishing herself and they only ended up making up for lost time anyway.
'You're awfully quiet, what are you thinkin' about?' Merlyn asked from the front passenger seat, watching her Cousin curiously.
'My poor judgement when it comes to my Husband, have you hit that stage with Billy yet?' Gail asked curiously, spotting Merlyn had opted for a long sleeve blouse on this scorching day.
Merlyn thought back to her night and how good it had felt when Billy had thrown her down roughly, then bit her shoulder when his climax hit intensely. He had been so worried about how easily he pierced her skin and was ashamed when he saw the bruises on her this morning; however, she could not deny how much she had enjoyed his different tactics and part of her wanted to show off her wound proudly, knowing that his loss of control was due to how much she had satisfied him.
Gail gave Merlyn a look of disgust when her thoughts invaded her brain, not wanting to picture Billy in that setting, then saw how proud her Cousin was and could not contain her laughter. 'Well, I suppose I better officially welcome you into the world of adulthood. It's fun isn't it' she smiled, unable to judge after what she had done last night.
Merlyn stared wide eyed at Gail when she realised that she knew what they had done, then placed her hands over her face and began giggling. 'I swear I never thought it could be like that, it's just- wow!' she advised excitedly, feeling more alive than she ever had.
'Oh God, I'm not going to be able to look at Matt or Billy the same again!' Gail exclaimed sarcastically, feeling sorry for her best friend. Matt never stood a chance with someone so keen to explore life to the full, he was too considerate and soft. Usually that would be a good thing, but not with someone who has been through what Merlyn had.
Merlyn could not wipe the smile off of her face at the mention of Billy. She should feel bad for how she was portraying Matt; however, she was finally able to explore her desires fully now and she had done nothing wrong.
'No you didn't and I'm glad you're not dwelling on that time in your life' Gail advised, squeezing her knee proudly.
'I'm not, you drilled it into me enough that I have to embrace this new life and I'm finally startin' to really feel' Merlyn replied, for once in her life not caring about how others perceived her and just running with what she wanted.
'Good, you know I've got your back every step of the way so just be free and experience everything that you want, regardless of the consequences. I won't ever let anything come down on you' Gail said protectively, not wanting Merlyn to feel guilty about any of her choices.
Merlyn smiled lovingly at her Cousin, she had so much going on with her complicated life; however, she still found ways to remind her that she was not forgotten. 'I appreciate your faith in me, which is why I drop everythin' when you come hollerin'. Speakin' of which, what are we doin' just drivin' around like this?' she asked curiously, not used to being collected from her place of work in such a way.
'Well, my little devils are keeping secrets, not to mention your Brother and their Father' Gail sighed, glancing at her two youngest children in the rearview mirror who were watching her intently. 'I foolishly went back on my promise to keep out of this and let them fend for themselves, now here I am trying to cover a story which completely goes against my professional integrity'
Merlyn rolled her eyes at the mention of her Brother being involved in something. She wanted so much for him to be good and had worked so hard to keep him on the right path; however, she had been neglecting him for her own selfish desires and now she felt sick at the thought of what he could have done.
'Stop being so damn naïve, we both saw what he was capable of first hand when Lucas was buried and have been stupid to believe that he could be anything else...You focussing on living the life that was taken away from you so unfairly previously has not impacted his morals, he's just his Fathers Son and neither of us can change that' Gail advised, irritated at her own lack of control over Caleb.
'Don't be mad, Cal tries' Luke broke his silence from the backseat, knowing how hard his Brother does try to be good for his Mother.
Merlyn narrowed her eyes at Luke over her shoulder, then turned towards Gail when she just started laughing.
'You see what I'm dealing with? They all have each others back and I'm left feeling the villain when all I try to do is stop us all from being damned' Gail sighed, truly exhausted at continuously failing to guide her children on the right path.
'Now who's bein' naive?' Joshua's smug voice wandered into her brain and Gail instinctively began scanning the area for him.
'Oh you've got to be kidding me' Gail said in disbelief, as she suddenly recognised the large iron fence that they were passing and spotted a glimpse of a dark grey Ford Explorer close to the main house.
Merlyn stared at Gail confused, then followed her eyeline and realised where they were. 'What is it Gail?' she asked suddenly concerned, sensing the worry in her Cousin.
'Grampa!' Gail Jr called, unable to hold in her excitement.
Gail parked in front of the large iron gate, then turned towards her children and regarded them seriously. 'I swear, if someone doesn't start talking to me honestly in the next 30 seconds I'm going to leave you both in there to fend for yourselves, and you'll see just how little you truly know about survival without me there to protect you' she threatened, her rage flying to the surface at the thought of them messing with her families sacred place without her knowledge.
-To be continued-