PART 2 – CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
His touch had been gentle and soft and soothing. She remembered him picking her up from the floor and holding her protectively on his lap. She had been too exhausted to even speak, and his silence spoke volumes. First came the feeling of complete safety, then the wash of peace as sleep overtook her tired body and weary mind. She awoke in bed, with his body spooning hers and his right arm and leg holding her close. A hint of morning peeked through the curtains. She dreaded breaking the paradisiacal moment, but she had to pee!
His eyes opened immediately at her first movements. "Babe, everything's alright. I've got you."
"I have to pee," she whined desperately. Great, I sound like a five year old. Some 'thank you for saving my ass yet again' and 'oh, by the way I totally love you and want you to love me too'.
He laughed gently and unwound himself from her. "Glad to see you still have your priorities straight, Babe." He got out of bed and helped her to her feet. She was surprised to see he was wearing her favorite black silk boxers. Their luxuriousness was in sharp contrast to the over-sized cotton RangeMan tee she was sporting. He held her arm and insisted on escorting her to the bathroom. "I'll be right outside if you need me."
She gave a deep sigh and was about to make some witty remark about not needing a babysitter. But his simple gesture almost brought her to tears. "Thanks. I'll be right out." God! I'm turning into a soggy basket-case!
After taking care of the most immediate need, she looked in the mirror. The woman looking back at her was older. Her eyes looked deeper into the world. Her mouth looked set and sad. "What could age a person so quickly?" she wondered. And then all the emotions of the last days, the last weeks, the last few months rushed at her like a tsunami. She held on to the sink for dear life and sobbed from her soul.
Ranger was at her side in seconds…holding her in his arms and whispering softly in her ear. "Hush, hush baby, it's all over. I've got you. I'll make it better. I promise." He slowly sat her down on the commode and turned to fill the claw-foot tub with hot water. Searching, he found a tube of body wash and used some of it to make an impromptu bubble bath.
Over her protests of "I'm okay. Really this isn't necessary", he helped her out of her tee and into the warm, inviting water. Kneeling at the side of the tub, he took a washcloth and began tenderly bathing her. She closed her eyes and relished his touch.
It was like a baptism. Her sins and sadness were being washed away and she could feel herself being reborn. By the time he had finished rinsing her hair from the shampoo, all the evil was put far away. What she was starting to feel was an entirely new emotion to her…trust. Steph knew at that moment that she trusted Ranger with her body and her soul. This was more than simple gratitude. This was an epiphany. She was not misunderstood and alone in the world. This man, this wonderful man knew her and accepted her with all her faults. She thought her heart would burst from sheer joy!
He watched her transform before his eyes. Her body relaxed. Her eyes, once hollow and dead, sparkled their brilliant blue. And her smile…her perfect, genuine smile was back. He could breathe normally again. His Babe was back. The cost of rescue…his heart and soul.
He wrapped her in a big towel and walked her back to the bed. "I'm starved. Is there anything for breakfast?" was Steph's attempt to break the sexual tension between them. She wanted him, needed him desperately. But would he want her? The last time they were together, he threw her away. And she was more damaged now than before.
"I'm starving, too. But I'm not hungry for food. Babe, I need to touch you. I need to hold you. I need to feel myself inside you again. If you will permit me, I would like to make love to you. I'm not asking for sex. I'm asking for your love and forgiveness." Ranger may have been looking into her eyes, but he was searching her heart.
Her arms went around his neck so fast that the towel flew from her shoulders. She pulled his mouth to hers as if all the oxygen in the world was contained there. Their tongues darted and whirled together in a ballet of passion. His hands explored every inch of her skin trying to imbed the tactile memory of her into his fingertips.
It should have been too soon for the both of them. Stephanie barely escaping the most horrific of sexual assaults. Carlos coming down from a harrowing mission. It could have been just the dump of adrenaline. It wasn't. It was a feral and basic need to connect with the long-lost and newly-found other half of their souls. This was life-affirming and love-affirming sex. This was joy wrapped in sweat and heat and wonderful body fluids. This was heaven on earth…right here in their bed.
She reached down to guide him into her. She wanted to reassure him that her need to feel him inside her was as great as his need to be there. He rested his weight on his forearms and allowed his hands to cup her face gently. His kisses and his thrusts were tuned perfectly with hers. She arched her back encouraging him to explore deeper and deeper into her core, eventually wrapping her legs around his waist to guarantee that nothing could separate them.
The glow began slowly, somewhere near her feet…or maybe the tips of her fingers. This didn't feel like a regular orgasm. Instead of growing outward, this was imploding inward. When it reached her center, she knew that she would explode into a million bits of light and join the cosmos. And she wanted nothing more than to have her beloved Carlos with her on this journey.
He was so filled with passion. The sheer joy of holding her caused his heart to beat faster. Feeling her around him, holding him inside her, his member pulsed with a force he had never known. Her climax pushed him over the edge and his seed released in spasm after uncontrollable spasm. He was pouring his soul into her and she was willingly mixing it with her own. They were now and forever more…one.