The picnic

After their light lunch Ryan and Marissa resumed their positions on the rug laying back and enjoying the peacefulness. The only sound that of the trickling water and the occasional bird. Marissa felt very reassured after Ryan's comments about Trey. She knew that the thought of possibly having to have anything to do with him had been like a dark cloud hanging over her… but it seemed that was not going to be the case. She had been running over everything that Ryan had said about family in her mind and she knew that she wanted the same thing. One day they would have their own family and they'd both seen enough of the wrong way to go about things that surely even if they just did exactly the opposite then they'd be a chance of getting it right. And of course they would have Sandy and Kirsten to guide them.

She ran her fingers lightly over Ryan's chest over his t-shirt and then moved to his waist to run her hand underneath the fabric and over the toned flesh … feeling his nipples respond as she played with them. She pushed the t-shirt higher wanting to play with his nipples … this time with her tongue… and then decided that she wanted it off all together.

"Are you right there?" Ryan asked as she pushed the offending garment still higher.

"I think that you've been spending too much time inside lately and you're looking a little pale. If you take your shirt off you can get a little sun." she explained.

"Of course." He nodded. "You just want me to get some sun?" Ryan asked … doubt written all over his face.

Marissa nodded ... the look of innocence she was trying for … totally given away by the sparkle in her eye.

"And what about you? I haven't been inside on my own. If I'm pale then you must be too." Ryan replied as he sat up and pulled off his shirt. "Maybe you should do likewise. Get some sun." he suggested imaging her sun baking beside him in her underwear.

Marissa smiled and stood up at the end of the rug. She was wearing a floral print sundress and where she was standing she was directly between the stream and Ryan with the sun coming from behind her. Ryan moved his head slightly so that he wasn't looking straight into the sun but all that did was give Marissa an aura. She moved to pull off her dress over her head and then stood before him completely naked.

Ryan was awestruck. He couldn't have said anything to save his life. His jaw dropped and his eyes became fixated as he stared at the vision before him. He wasn't even aware if he was still breathing. His beautiful wife stood before him completely naked … with the sun's rays spreading out around her. His whole body ached for her. And when he looked into her eyes the longing that he saw there matched his own.

Marissa smiled at his reaction. It was exactly what she had been hoping for when she had been making her plans in the morning and decided to leave off her underwear.

When Ryan felt the ability to speak slowly return only one word made its way from his lips. "Ris." He said as he reached for her.

She joined him back on the rug as he instantly took her lips in his and then covered her with his own body … he knew that he would never be able to get enough of her. He wanted to lose himself in her completely.

She moved to undo his belt and Ryan hesitated for a moment. "Do you think that we should be doing this here?"

Marissa nodded. "Why not?"

"Well what if there is someone around?" He asked.

Marissa laughed. "We haven't seen another soul for 3 days. Are you sure that you're not just tired of me?" she asked.

Ryan smiled a slow sensual smile that made Marissa's toes curl. He quickly rid himself of his jeans and boxers. "I'm occasionally tired out BY you …. But I'll never tire OF you." He said as his hands started to move over her.

Her body couldn't help but respond. He knew every spot to touch ... every way to touch it. His fingers, his mouth, his tongue worked their exquisite magic until she could take no more. She rolled onto her back and pulled him on top of her and he slowly and gently entered her. Their love making was slow and infinitely sweet; it was a sign of their commitment to a life together and yet hot as hell at the same time and after they had both climaxed Marissa held him to her as if her life depended on it.

When Ryan had recovered, he went to move off her but Marissa held him tightly where he was. He was puzzled but stayed there for a few minutes more … but she still held him where he was … deep within her. Ryan whispered. "Aren't I squashing you?"

Marissa shook her head. "No. I don't want you to move." She said softly as she hooked her feet behind him just to prove how much she wanted him to stay where he was. She had her own private reasons for not wanting him to move that she would share with him one day soon ... but for right now she just wanted them to stay exactly where they were ... for as long as possible.

"What about you wanting to get a tan?" Ryan asked puzzled by her actions. She couldn't get a tan like this. Not that he was complaining. Lying inside her was never a problem. "Are you hoping for another round?" he asked still puzzled by her actions.

"I'm not sure that I'm up for that just yet but you know that I'd never say no. Why don't you stay just right where you are and rest and we'll see what happens a little later."

Ryan smiled. He needed no further encouragement as he rested his head back onto her shoulder and nuzzled into her neck. "I could get to like this he said." He settled down and dozed off to sleep still deep inside her.

---

Marissa lay very, very still.

She wanted to give them every possible chance.

She knew that she was expecting miracles. It had only been a few days since she had flushed all of her contraceptive pills down the toilet. But she had checked her cycle and this was her most fertile day of the month. And she had remembered that a model friend of hers, who had been trying to fall pregnant, had told Marissa that her doctor had recommended her staying on her back for a period of time after her husband had ejaculated to give them the best possible chance of conceiving. And she was happy to try anything that might hasten things along. Now that she'd decided that starting their family was the most important thing in the world to her, she was impatient to make it all a reality. Plus having Ryan lying inside her was not a hardship … it was something that she could very easily get used to. The thought that one of his sperm could be swimming inside her at this very moment seeking her egg brought a big smile to her face. She turned her head away from Ryan knowing that if he saw it, he would wonder about the cause of her obvious joy. She closed her eyes and tried to doze with him …

and then woke with a smile.

She had no idea what had woken her but she just felt that this time was the one? Call it women's intuition. But she just felt that she had a tiny group of cells frantically dividing inside her. She knew that probably sounded strange. Even if she really was pregnant … why now? They had already made love twice today … why couldn't it have happened on one of those occasions? Maybe it was just wishful thinking but she just had a feeling that this was it. Everything had been going so well for them the last few days … if she was lucky they would have just created their first child … A child made from their love ... Here in the vineyards of France … a French baby.

---

Some time later, Ryan and Marissa made their way back to the farmhouse and Marissa knew that much as she didn't want to … she was going to have to find a way to get rid of Ryan for a while. It would be the first time they had been apart since Saturday afternoon and she'd loved every single minute that they'd been together but she needed some time to herself to contact Julie. If Julie and Dan were going to attend their wedding then they would need some time to arrange their travel plans. And Marissa couldn't speak to her with Ryan around without giving away her secret.

They were talking about what they would cook for dinner when she saw her opportunity. "I'd love to make Crème Caramel for dessert tonight but we're running short of eggs." Marissa replied.

Ryan shrugged. "We'll think of something else then."

"But I really like Creme Caramel." Marissa whined … a smile on her face to soften her words.

Ryan laughed. He doubted that he would ever be able to deny her anything. "Well … I guess that we could go for a drive back to that last village that we came through. I'm sure that we could get fresh eggs there." Ryan replied.

"How about you go for a drive to the village?" Marissa suggested.

"Why me?" he asked. "Don't you want to be with me anymore?"

Marissa smiled. "No. It's not that. It's just … believe it or not … I'm probably more well known in France than you. You may be the famous one in the states but people around here are used to seeing my face plastered over magazines. And if the papers are still carrying any stories about us, then I don't want to risk giving away our location. I've enjoyed out private interlude here much too much to want to share you with a bunch of paparazzi. I'm not prepared to risk that."

"I certainly don't want the paparazzi anywhere near us." Ryan agreed.

"Yeah. I rather enjoyed getting 'some sun' today." Marissa said. "I'd like to do it again tomorrow but if we're scared of prying eyes then we won't be able to."

Ryan swallowed thickly ... the memory of making love in the vineyards still very much at the forefront of his mind. And the possibility of it happening again only causing reactions in his body that he didn't want to deny. "You have a point."

Marissa glanced down at his crotch as she noticed him 'rearranging' things. "It looks like something else is trying to make a point too." She commented smiling.

Ryan smiled. "See what you do to me. Even just the thought of a re-enactment is enough to cause me problems."

"Well why don't you go fetch us some eggs and then we'll see if I can help you with those problems. I mean I am your wife. All our problems are shared."

Ryan gave her his half–smile that made her go weak at the knees. He picked up the car keys and moved towards the door. "I'll be back very soon. Just don't go starting without me."