Perception of Self

A Photographic View Of Emotional

Perceptions

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that is very true when you actually think about it. 

When you are happy, and everything is going well in your life, when you feel free and relaxed you can look in the mirror and say to yourself "Damn, I look good!" with no problem at all. Heck, there could be times where you are so happy that you look in the mirror repeatedly just so you can look into your own eyes and see that what is going on is real and that you aren't dreaming. 

Funny how the wrinkles fade and the grey hairs you just don't see are still there when you are happy. Funnier yet is how when the people you are around see the contentment and happiness  they don't notice them either. Our concept of reality is based on the emotions we color it with, and to me it's amazing that the human mind can affect such a change to something as simple as our own vision. I've often wondered if happiness and the chemicals the body releases while you are happy has it's own way of making this happen, the happy chemicals perhaps blocking certain receptors in the brain and so on, creating the effect of one having the proverbial "Rose Colored Glasses". 

But when things change (as they often do) and your mood becomes dark and depressed your vision changes. Not only to you yourself but how others view you as well. For instance in the beginning of what may be a tragic period in your life for whatever reason, you will for a time look perhaps something like this. 

Pale and wan, nothing to talk about because what you are carrying inside you is so big and painful you are scared. Scared to open your mouth because you don't know what is going to some out of it, laughter or tears, and neither of them will be of the healthy kind. 

People will try to comfort you, and you thank them but everyone knows that if you can't make it past this and the worst will surely not be this 'pretty'. Again, the human mind coloring what it sees and expects to see in the future. The image becoming not perhaps what it truly is, but what you perceive it to be. 

Exhaustion from your brain refusing to shut down begins to wear on you, as does the stress and you can't bear to look into the mirror hardly at all now, you only use it in a vain attempt to get others to see you differently and see that you are 'fine' and 'ok'. But you aren't, and it shows to the people around you, their worry or glee at your misfortune lends them the eyes to see where you are cracking and quite frankly the chemicals are telling them you don't look so good. 

Then the anger sets in.

To be quite honest no one wants to see this face either, even though your anger may well be justified. But it's frightening, for quite often when you are angry those close to you are not drawn to this sort of expression from you, the bodies natural instinct to anger is to back away from it as you never know if it will turn on you. The body gives off that lovely 'stay away' chemical and whether intended or not people look at you and have the desire to keep themselves at a distance. Self preservation changing how you and the world at large see you isn't something that any of us can deny. 

Then , perhaps you crack. The anger and pain are too much weight for you to carry and for a time you cease to care.

Soul wounded and blank, a piece of the story that no one wants to write, no one can change but you. They can see that you have lost something, a part of yourself that no one is certain you will get back. You can't even see what used to be for yourself, within your own self and so what everyone now views is this feeling of 'nothingness' that exists within you. 

Hopefully one doesn't get locked in this stage, I can't see anyone liking this perception of themselves for very long. So once again we change, ourselves and others perceptions as well. 

When grief and pain have run their course somehow everything is washed, if not clean then stripped of almost everything that colored the eyes before. What remains is a palate just waiting to become colored once again. You can look in the mirror once more, washed out but with just that little bit of hope inside of you that colors peoples view and you find them looking at you once more with tentative smiles. They once again are developing much friendlier eyes with which to look upon you, mother natures chemical reacting to what you are presenting to the world. 

The image of your happiness once more reflected in the mirror and in those around you, changed and yet somehow timeless once more. 

Every event in your life colors the palate of who you are thought to be. It's not completely in your control, no, nothing ever is. Never doubt however that what you are feeling on the inside isn't seen in the people around you, and you certainly can't hide it from yourself. 

Chilled Vodka

I wrote this some time ago, but the truth of the emotions that gave birth to this poem still hold true for me in MANY ways...ahhh. Being a Mother isn't always an easy thing, neither is letting go. 

Its tears for me tonight

Chased with the chilled vodka

It warms me so

Breathing has never been so hard

As I sit here enveloped

In my misery

My own mind

Feeling useless

Not needed

Trying to feel nothing

Failing at that too

The stupid cat

Is chasing the dog again

They look at me after a moment

Stopping the race

I didn’t yell or laugh

I can’t believe they noticed

Crazy animals in my life

Like the grown children

That I don’t know how to do without

As they run headlong into life

And I can’t protect them anymore

Will never love them less

For leaving me behind

Those people that I miss

Those that I have longed for

Seem so distant and cold

Stars that I can never touch

Never hold again

I am aging, not gracefully

Not that I care now

There is nothing to prove

To anyone anymore

I did everything I could

Gave all I had left

For this

Empty house

And the tears

Chased by the chilled vodka

That warms me now

Dream Before Sleeping, Chapter One

I'm in the process of working to self-publish some of my work on Kindle. I know, I've never been the biggest fan of self publishing but when one is told by the publishing industry that they are 'too imaginitve' or that the genre you are writing in is an 'over saturated market' you have to make choices and smile while doing it. I'm debating on which one to put on Kindle first, but I'm leaning towards this one, called Dream Before Sleeping. It needs some TLC and editing before it's ready but I do so love this story. 

Chapter One

Restless and tired with her life and the way it had been progressing up until now she sat alone in her living room. A glass of wine, blood red Merlot, in hand and soft blues music on the CD player were her companions tonight. They were her companions more often than not but tonight they were comforting to her, something to ease her mind from the reality she struggled through.

She tried to browse through a magazine but the restlessness was just too much for her. There was no way she was going to be able to pay attention to it tonight. She should be getting to bed, morning always seemed to arrive far too early when all she wanted to do was slip into her dreams and live the life she craved. Or live the life that had been hers up until a year ago, the life she couldn’t seem to remember.

Jackie Greene was on, one of her favorite songs as she raised the glass to her lips only to find it empty. As she refilled her glass she smiled at the words in ‘When you’re walking Away’, there had been people like that in her life, she was sure there had to have been, and he had such a wonderful way of putting it all together. It went down rather well with the wine really, for her anyway, tonight.

As she drifted with the wine and music she drifted into dreams. Not asleep, no, for her that would be far too simple and much too easy. No she drifted to that place in between wakefulness and true sleep, where everything is tangible in thought and yet you can never truly stay for long, no matter how hard you try.

The last part of the music she remembered before she gave up and lost herself in the dream state that was pulling at her was hearing the opening strains of Jackie’s ‘I’ll Let You In’.

She wondered tonight where it would take her, the music the wine and the stress. She hoped it would take her somewhere nice this time. Someplace safe, satisfying and where she was in control. Someplace where she was sure of whom she was and she was something more, something special.

It wasn’t too much to ask for was it?

She stood before him in the cabin that had once belonged to her Granny, deep in the woods where she knew no one would hear. Her clothing was torn by her mad race through the woods; her dark red hair tumbled around her like a ruby cloak, barely concealing the tear in her dress over her breast, the deep rosy nipple peeking out with her every movement.

He looks at her, not speaking, just staring at her with those strange grey eyes reading her every movement. His long black hair cascaded around him and hid part of his face, the rest of it was hidden by the thick beard and moustache that he wore with pride. His hard muscled body did not move any closer and yet she felt as though he was looming nearer.

 Reaching out quickly he grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth, slowly as she gasped he licked the palm and then took each one of her fingers in between his lips, suckling slowly.

 ‘Oh, what a soft tongue you have.’ Her words were breathy and low, barely audible to her own ears and yet he heard her.

 ‘The better to lick you with my dear.’ Slowly he drew a path up her arm with his mouth, brushing aside the torn material of her dress as he drew closer. His lips and tongue were finally touching her neck, moving against her, teasing the sweet sensitive spot where her shoulder and neck met.

He grabbed her buttocks with his strong hands, pulling her hips against his. She moaned as his grip tightened, she was caught, helpless against his muscled form.

 ‘Oh, what strong hands you have!’ She gasped into his ear, her head falling back now as he now moved his mouth to her ear, his smooth tongue tracing the outer edges of it as he ground his hips against her.

 ‘The better to hold you with my dear.’ Gripping her even tighter, his fingers digging into her soft flesh he picked her up and moved her over to the bed in the corner. He placed her feet back on the floor and then grabbing her shoulders sat her down on the edge of the bed.

 He grabbed the remnants of her clothing and shoved them down over her shoulders. Her breasts were exposed to the cool air, the peaks already hard with her excitement. He looked at them for a moment before kneeling before her and taking them one by one into his mouth.

First gentle licks, tracing the taught peaks with the tip of his tongue and then blowing his warm breath across them as she disentangled herself from the useless material she had been wearing. Leaning back on her hands she watched in fascination as he drew one hardened peak into his mouth and began to suckle on it gently, making the sensations more somehow by teasing the very tip with feathery licks of his tongue.

 One breast and then the other, he teased her until she was moaning in response to his ministrations. Smiling against her willing flesh he lay her down on her back, her legs hanging over the edge of it as he knelt between them. With an effortless strength he tore the last of the cloth covering her from her body as he moved back just enough to see her pale silken flesh revealed to him.

 He watched her every reaction as his hands roamed her body. A stroke of the palm here and a light pinch there and soon enough she was wet and waiting for him to thrust himself inside her.

 Parting her thighs wider he marveled at the deep red of the hair covering that sensitive triangle of flesh that was her most secret place. He stroked the soft curling hairs with gentle fingers, coaxing the silken lips of her wide open to his gaze. Her clitoris was swollen, begging for his touch and he stroked it with the lightest of touches, teasing more than satisfying her craving for him.

 He kept his gaze on her face, enjoying the expressions crossing it as he toyed with her. There was such innocence in her yet and she was not used to waiting for satisfaction. She was so used to getting it when she needed it from him and he was looking forward to teaching her a new lesson.

 He leaned down, spreading the moist lips that were wet with her desire, opening her even further to him. She gasped as he touched his tongue to her swollen clitoris, moaning as he licked it with long languorous motions of his tongue.

 First one and then another finger he moved inside her tight sheath, wanting her open and ready for him. He kept the motions slow, mouth and hand moving with a torturous lingering touch that made her need build higher, keeping her just on the edge of her orgasm.

 Over these last few days he had touched her, wanting her to be familiar with him, comfortable with him. He wanted her willing to do whatever he wanted and had not sought the easing of his own needs that her body could provide him. He would have it now.

 He listened to her moans, her voice low with passion as she begged him to finish her. He felt her body shake as she hovered on the precipice, that fine line where need becomes agony and he unlaced his breeches, his swollen organ springing forth as it throbbed with a need of its own.

 He moved to stand over her, part of him reveling in her cry of despair as his hand and mouth left her warm flesh. Reaching down he sat her back up, her face just inches from his swollen and throbbing flesh.

 ‘Oh my…what a big cock you have!’ She stared, her eyes wide as she looked up at him and he smiled, seeing the little bit of worry in her eyes that he had wanted to see, he was large and he knew she had never seen one like his before.

 ‘The better to ravish you with my dear.’ With his thumb opening her mouth he moved his hips forward until the tip of his cock was touching her lips. ‘Take it in your mouth, please me.’

 She wanted to please him, knowing that if she did he would finish what he had started. She opened her mouth wide, stretching it open and took the swollen head into her mouth. His hands tangled in her hair and he drew her closer, forcing more of himself into her mouth. She watched him, looking up as she sucked on his hard flesh, his head was back and the pulse in his throat was throbbing madly.

 He used her hair to move her the way he wanted her, faster and deeper she took him into her mouth until she could barely breathe. She stroked him with her tongue, enjoying the shudders that wracked his frame every time she did so.

 ‘Enough’ he growled as he moved her away from him. He moved her again, turning her onto her hands and knees on the bed, her sweet moist opening now the perfect height for his entrance to her body.

 Grasping her hips he thrust into her, to the hilt as she cried out beneath him. She felt as though he was stretching her beyond endurance, grateful that he took a minute to enjoy the feeling while her body tried to adjust.

 She had never been so full, nor had she ever been taken in such a position before. It was like he was in total control of her and she wasn’t sure she was going to enjoy it.

 Then he began to move, drawing almost all the way out of her slowly and then thrusting hard and fast back inside. After the first few thrusts she loved the feeling, his hard cock was filling all of her and there was that heated pressure building up inside her, that tingling that thrilled her body just before a climax.

  One of his large hands held onto her hips and the other had wrapped itself in her hair again. Surprisingly the slight pull felt good as she gave up any sense of control as he rode her. Every time she tried to move with him his hand on her hip held her still and the hand in her hair kept her from collapsing forward onto the bed, she was his to do with as he wished.

 He moved in her, the feeling of her tight vagina around him was exhilarating. He moved slow and then faster, driving his shaft in her until he was buried inside her to the hilt. Her muscles tightened around him as he stroked into her again and again, clenching him almost to the point of pain.

 He closed his eyes in enjoyment. Her moans were loud and echoed back off the wall she was facing, sweet music to his ears, blending with the sound of slapping flesh as he now pounded himself into her slick sheath.

 She was so excited her wetness was flowing down onto his balls and he slid smoothly in and out of her willing body. He moved his hand around her and stroked her hardened clitoris, smiling at the near scream of satisfaction that came from her as he did so.

 She felt her body convulse around him as she came hard, his fingers on her the extra feeling she had needed to reach the peak. Over the edge she flew, gasping for air as he continued his assault on her senses, leaving her feeling mindless as he continued to drive himself into her faster and faster.

 He could feel his sac tighten and withdrew from her, flipping her over onto her back before driving into her once more. He moved her legs over his shoulders and watched her face as he moved in her hard and fast, his breath now burning in his lungs as he strained to reach his own climax.

 He came hard inside her, the head of his cock jerking and shaking as it throbbed over and over inside her. He ground himself against her, getting as deep as he could as he shook again and again, his muscles contracting as he emptied into her heated flesh and he yelled out in triumph.

  Finally he fell on top of her, still inside her as they gasped for air. He recovered first and lay on the bed next to her, pulling her against him as she shook over and over in reaction.

 Soon he slept, holding her in a tight embrace and she watched him as she slept. The moon crept high into the night sky and its light bathed them with a silvery glow.

 The change came over her and she moved away from him, not wanting to hurt him. Her feet hit the floor and became paws; she went to all fours and luxuriated in the feeling of the warm fur covering her body, the strength that flowed through her with the change.

 ‘He might think he was the big bad wolf’ she thought as she looked back at his sleeping form, her tongue hanging out in wolfish laughter, ‘but he pales in comparison to me when it comes to true wolfishness.’

 She ran off into the clear moonlit night. Her senses filled with the joy and freedom of the beast as she left behind the only man who had ever come close to taming her. While she waited for her true mate to come into her life he would definitely be fun to ‘play’ with.

Well, and hadn’t THAT been interesting? She thought as she placed the wineglass in the kitchen sink before heading up to her room for the rest of the night. The lights were all off now and she walked slowly up the stairs, wondering how on Earth Jackie Greene’s music had somehow led her to some sort of sexually frustrating version of Little Red Riding Hood?

It must have been the color of the wine, she decided as she climbed into bed. It was late and there was the alarm clock to deal with in the morning. She would think about it some other time she supposed.

It was definitely something she would have to tell her shrink about. Then she smiled, wondering what Freud would have made of that particular dream. She would have to write it all down tomorrow if she remembered it: if she remembered anything, anything at all, anyhow.


All work here is Protected, no copying, altering or use in any form is allowed unless authorized my me, myself an I. 

Chapter Six of Kerry's Raine

Chapter Six

He got back to her place much later than he had intended. There had been cattle out when they had arrived and it had taken time to get them all in and the fence repaired while Terrance had parked the truck and wagon inside the barn where they usually stored equipment and then put out the hay and grain for the cattle. He didn’t even get a chance to call her and let her know he was still coming because he had lost his cell phone somewhere while making sure the cattle were taken care of, he was hoping that she would still welcome him when he showed up at her door, exhausted, muddy and incredibly sore as the lightning from the storm forked the sky again and again.

He was soaked by the time he made it to her door, knocking and waiting for her to come to the door he smiled to himself as he thought of her in the tub with him. When the door finally opened he saw that she was still wearing the shirt and skirt she had been earlier and she looked so delicate, so lovely with the lights of her house blazing behind her that he couldn’t speak.

“Come in silly, you must be freezing standing there in the rain like this.” Opening the door wide she closed it behind him and taking his hand she guided him to the bedroom. “Let’s get you into the tub before you catch your death or something ok? I’ll bring you something to eat while you’re soaking.”

In the doorway to her room he stopped her. “Kerry, you don’t have to do that you know, I can wait until I’m out of the tub to eat.”

“No, I know you worked hard today so now you just have to relax and do what I tell you to.” Standing on her toes she pulled his head down for a quick kiss. “Now, that bath is ready so go on in and I’ll be there in a minute, go relax.”

As she walked away he watched her, admiring the gentle sway of her hips as she moved with an unconscious grace that few could match and he wondered once again if she had ever trained to be a dancer. He turned and walked through her bedroom, silently noting that she had no family photos anywhere in her house, he was going to have to ask her about that someday.

He had never been in her bathroom before, he realized as he walked in to what appeared to be a jungle of plants and dramatic green and gold colors. It was strange but no matter how often she’d called him to come and fix something for her, of how often Summer had had him come here to do something for her she had never let him into this part of her house. Fascinated he stared at the glass shower, partially covered by some sort of vine that wound its way down the trellis she had leaned against the glass and he was trying to identify the different scents and plants that had gone wild in this room when the low rumbling sound caught his attention.

He pushed aside a curtain and stood and stared at what he saw behind it. He had to admit that it was the two small trees growing in her bathroom that surprised him the most, but the fact that this part of her room was up against the trees and all glassed in made him wonder how he had never noticed it before. In the middle of the two trees, the ferns and other plants that were growing here there was a tub that was sunken into the floor, almost flush with it actually and was surrounded by smooth black tile that was shot through with gold. It was a Jacuzzi tub and the jets were on full with the steam rising to coat the glass above with steam even as he saw more lightning from the storm through the glass.

Carefully he stripped, folding his clothing and setting it off to one side as the steaming, moving water seemed to call to him. His leg flashed with painful protest as he lowered himself to slide into the welcoming water, the old scars still pulling at the rest of his skin as though they were fresh, making him wince and then sigh as he felt the relaxing heat of the water begin instantly to ease the sore muscles of his body.

He lay back in the water, letting it come up to his chin as he immersed himself in the heat and felt one of the jets pulsing water onto his right thigh, making short work of the tense muscles there and he sighed as he closed his eyes.

“You know they say that being in a body of water in a storm is just asking to get struck by lightning right?” Her voice was soft and low, seductive as she moved into the room carrying a tray with a bowl of stew, some bread and two glasses of wine.

He moved to get up, not wanting her to feel like she had to take care of him. “Let me get that for you.”

“No, just stay there, I’ve got it all handled.”

And she did have it all handled, he had a feeling that there really wasn’t much that she needed from anyone, him included and that thought disturbed him more than he could say. She knelt by the tub her skirt flowing out over the tile in a pool of white, the contrast startling as she leaned to hand him a piece of bread and then pulled it back with a smile as instinctively his hand reached out for it, dripping with water from the tub.

“I need to get up, this isn’t going to work.” He grumbled, putting his hand back in the water as he stared up at her.

“Oh it will, you just need to move over here for a second and let me be in charge.”

“You want to be in charge huh?”

“Of course, wouldn’t you if you were in my position?” He would too, and she obviously knew it as well as he did. Knowing what he would want to do if she were in this tub while he was bringing her food he smiled and then moved over to where she knelt, watching her stretch out on the tile as though it were the most comfortable thing in the world, the bread still in her hand.

She held the slice of bread to his lips and he took a bite, smiling and shaking his head as he chewed, enjoying the look of pleasure in her eyes as he ate from her hand. “So are you trying to tame me with food?” He said after he had swallowed.

“No, not that, never that.” Reaching out she placed the bread to his lips again, her eyes almost a grey as she looked at him, her face serious. “There are some things in this world you ruin if you try to tame them, it’s best to just care for them as they are.”

Was it a warning? He wondered as she fed him. Bite by bite the bread and stew disappeared as his body relaxed. Sip by sip the red wine she had brought in helped to ease the sore muscles in his body as they shared it and he watched her, trying to figure her out, trying to understand why it was now, after three years of knowing each other that she had chosen to be with him and he had to wonder how long she would let him stay this close to her.

“Still hungry?” She asked as the last bite of stew was gone and the bowl sat empty on the tray.

“Not for food.” He replied and held his hand out to her. “Come in, the water’s just right.”

She stood and for a second he was afraid she was leaving the room. But she only picked up the tray and set it out on the vanity in the other part of the bathroom, bringing back one of the wine glasses that was somehow full again. Placing it next to the sunken tub she undid the knot in her shirt and let it fall to the floor, her skin pale in the light and the sight of her small firm breasts making his hands feel as though they were literally itching to touch her. She lowered her skirt, revealing her rounded hips and thighs, the smooth skin of her legs and the even smoother skin at the juncture of her thighs where he suddenly wanted to place his lips, kissing her there until she cried out in pleasure.

“Damn you are so beautiful, I can’t even think.”

“No, I’m not but thank you.”

She stepped into the tub, and then lowered herself to sit next to him in the steaming froth of water as he opened his arms for her. She curled up against him, her face pressed against the side of his as he ran his hands over her skin, loving the feel of her there against him. Closing his eyes he was content to just lie there in the water and hold her close, and he found himself once again praying that it wasn’t a dream that he was going to wake up from because he couldn’t bear to lose what was happening between them.

When she turned his face to hers for a long slow kiss he let her do as she pleased, let her take control of what was happening, the way he knew she wanted to. The food, the wine, the heat of the tub and her kiss all combined to make him more comfortable and relaxed than he had been in years and for a few hours he knew he would be able to think of nothing but her, and the world wasn’t going to fall apart because of it.

Her hands roamed his body, exploring him as he lips brushed over his face that was damp from the steam that surrounded them. Lightning flashed in the sky again and she jumped a little, shocked by the sound of the thunder that seemed to shake the glass around them. At his murmured question, she shook her head no, she didn’t want to get out of the tub and she went back to caressing him as though his body was something she wanted to memorize by touch alone. He knew that feeling, that want, for he wanted to do the same with her.

“You are so not the average man.” She actually giggled in his ear as her exploring hands finally touched him where he needed her to, her slim fingers wrapping around the hardened flesh between his legs and stroking it with the same slow rhythm that she had used before, driving him crazy with the need she built inside of him.

She moved to place herself over him, but he stopped her with the sudden grip of his hands on her hips. Her eyes opened wide as the lightning flashed again and the thunder shook the house as he shook his head no.

“What? You don’t want…” He silenced her with another kiss, hard and deep as his lips and tongue plundered her mouth that tasted of the wine they had shared. While he had her distracted with the kiss he shifted their positions and then slowly raised her out of the water until she was sitting on the edge of the tub, her buttocks sliding a little on the black tile and as he pulled away from their kiss her lips were parted, her eyes wide with surprise at where she was sitting.

“I’m hungry.” He was not surprised that it came out as a growl, his voice echoing a little in the room.

“Do you want…”

“I want you to lie back, let me have you.” He pressed against her shoulders until she finally lay back against the tile, her body open to him and her legs dangling into the water.

Kneeling in the water he spread her legs wider, his fascinated gaze roaming over her pale flesh against the black sparkling tile, the contrast making her look as though she wasn’t even real, perhaps some ghost of his imagination. His hands moved over her, cupping her breasts for a moment as she closed her eyes in pleasure, her nipples hard against his palms, pressing against them as she moved into his touch.

“You like that.” He whispered, remembering how she had done that earlier when they had been together.  She nodded her head, not opening her eyes or speaking.

Dipping his head down he trailed kisses along her belly, his tongue delving into her belly button to lick the water away that had pooled there. There were marks on her belly, on her hips and just above her pubic bone, small marks that he knew most women had after having a child, but as far as he knew she didn’t have any children, saying nothing he simply traced the fine lines in her skin with his lips, stroked with his tongue the small scar that lay just under her belly button, enjoying the catch of her breath as he loved her with his mouth while his hands moved low to caress and massage her legs.

She was panting, more than ready for him as he finally lowered his head to those sweetly shaven lips, to that soft pink flesh that he wanted to taste. He parted the soft folds of her there with his hands, blowing his warm breath across her flesh and her hips rose in reaction, glancing up at her he saw that she was watching him, her neck bent to hold her head up and her face expressionless but for the fact that she was holding her bottom lip firmly in between her teeth once again. Opening his mouth slowly he licked, his tongue trailing a line from her wet opening to her hard and swollen clitoris, making sure she saw his every move and how much he enjoyed what he was doing to her.

He was going to kill her, she decided, and she was going to love every single second of the pleasure of it. The cool feel of the tile on her back, the warmth of the water and the heat of his mouth and hands on her had her shaking, wanting to cry out with the pleasure of it, but she kept her lip between her teeth literally biting back the groans she wanted to utter. As one of his long thick fingers slid inside her he began to suckle lightly on her clitoris and try as she might to arch her back to bring her hips closer to him it was impossible on the slippery tile, she had to just lie back and feel what he was doing and it was an exquisite torture for her.

Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him tighter to her as he tasted her with slow licks and light kisses, wanting her to cry out for him, something inside him needing to hear her cry out in passion. She was so wet, hot and soft that he was having a hard time restraining himself from burying his body deep inside her, knowing now how she felt surrounding him. Suckling harder now on her clitoris, rolling his tongue along it over and over again he held her in place with one arm as she writhed on the tile, her hands now helpless at her sides as her thighs began to shake.

“It’s too much, too much.” She finally cried out, her teeth chattering as she shook with the feeling of what he was doing to her.

He lifted his head for a moment, his fingers gently stroking that hard nub of flesh he had been stroking with his tongue, not wanting the heat inside her to lessen. “Kerry. Kerry love, just relax, let go.”

“I don’t think I can, not like this.” She whimpered as another tremor shook her thighs.

“Yes you can Kerry, just trust me.” Watching her face, he went back to stroking her with his tongue while she writhed on the cool tile and the thunder echoed in the room, lightning streaking across the sky as she gasped for air.

Minutes, seconds, she didn’t know and she couldn’t care, caught between sensation and need. Each streak of lightning in the sky somehow timed with each wave of feeling that she couldn’t hold back, fight off, and as she stared up at the night sky she found a glory in the flesh that had been lost for her in many ways so long ago. His words ‘let go’ echoed inside her with the thunder and she did; her spine bowed, her hips jerking against his mouth and fingers as a deep and loud moan came from her in a long wail that to her seemed never ending as the lightning feel of her release ripped through her again and again, the thunder rippling inside her as the sensations went on.

Her cries echoing against the tile, against the windows and in his mind he rose above her. On his knees in the water he held her hips tight and he slid inside her before the last of her orgasm had finished and when he drove himself deep inside the slick heat of her convulsing sheath she cried out again, her inner muscles tightening around him as her body shook. Slowly he moved inside her, watching her, oh how he loved to watch every expression that crossed her face, showed in her eyes.

“Raine…please…”She moaned, reaching her arms out to him as he rode inside her, above her, just out of the reach of her searching fingers.

He knew what she wanted and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up until she was almost sitting up, the angle of his hardness inside her making then both gasp and go still. She shifted her hips and he held her, when she put her hands back against the tile for support he kissed her, moving slowly inside her once again as he murmured soft words against her lips.

With her whispered encouragement he moved faster yet, the water in her whirlpool tub sloshing up and over the edge with the force of his movements as she gripped him with her legs, her ankles locking around his hips. It wasn’t long before the feel of her around him, the feeling of her slick heat so tight where his skin was so sensitive had him gritting his teeth and groaning as his orgasm started. He tried to pull out of her, the thought of her getting pregnant occurring to him now as it hadn’t earlier in the day but she wouldn’t let him go, her strong legs pulling him closer as her inner muscles contracted around him again and she cried out in pleasure, her own relief not to be denied as he shook with the force of his own, kissing her lips as he was still hungry for the taste of her as the last of the satisfied shudders came over them.

After a moment they separated, leaving the tub and drying each other off as the flashes of lightning outside grew infrequent and the sound of the thunder became more distant. They didn’t talk, just dried each other and then walked hand in hand to her big soft bed.

“I really didn’t know you were such a religious man, I’m kind of surprised.” She finally said as they lay together, her cheek pressed to his chest as he held her curled up against him, warm under the silky sheet that covered them.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh it was all that praying you were doing earlier, it made me realize how religious you really are.” He felt her smile and he tipped her head up so that he could look at her, giving her a half-grin as he saw the mischievous light in her eyes.

“What praying?”

“Oh, you know, the whole ‘Oh God, oh God, Oh God.’, that you were doing just about fifteen minutes ago. It impressed me, really.”

Seconds later she was laughing hysterically as he tickled her, both of them rolling around on the bed in what he called a ‘tickle war’. Their little war led to kisses and the kisses led to another example of his religious devotion as she knelt over him and took his hard member into her mouth, enjoying the sounds he made as he lay there beneath her, loving the feel of his hands in her hair as he called her name when the hot and salty pulse of his release filled her mouth and he drove himself helplessly between her soft lips.

They fell asleep with her curled up on top of him this time, his arms around her holding her tight as he finally succumbed to the weariness that was inevitable. Her hair was the only blanket they had this time and he for one couldn’t think of anything better to have covering them.

Copyright protected, no use of this material in any way shape or form without express permission from the author is prohibited. (Copyright 2008 M.P.O.) 

Chapter Five of Kerry's Raine

Chapter Five

She was working on a new idea for a story, the romantic feeling of sleeping in the hammock overnight wrapped in Raines arms had sparked something in her and she needed to get as much of it down as possible before it faded from her thoughts. She had put the rest of the coffee that he had made in her carafe and had taken that and the strawberries she had bought yesterday back to her room while she worked. She tried to push him entirely out of her mind but couldn’t quite manage it, that last kiss before he had left was something that…well, she knew she’d never really been kissed like that before, not kissed as though she meant something, really meant something to the person kissing her.

He was inspiring, that was for sure, but getting really involved with him was going to require a lot of thought. She stopped writing for a minute and glanced at the clock, ten AM and she had already been at her desk for almost five hours with already nearly a hundred pages of the story in front of her, no wonder she was getting stiff. She took a drink of coffee that had long before grown cold and so she grabbed up the carafe, the cup and headed for the kitchen, the strawberries long gone already.

The phone rang while she was in the kitchen, she was startled because she had been looking out in the field, wondering where Raine was, knowing he was going to return today to rake the hay he had mowed that day before. She answered it with a smile when she saw the caller ID, knowing that Nathan was going to love hearing about her night and the new story that she was working on.

“Hey love, how is the Big Apple today?”

“Well, I am great and I guess the city is the same as ever.” His laugh over the phone was infectious and had her laughing in return. “So, how did dinner with the cowboy go?”

“Oh, it went.” Smiling she waited for his reaction, and after he expelled a long and drawn out sigh she got it.

“It went, that’s all I get? Where are the details girlie? I need some details or Chris is going to be very upset with me.” She heard an ‘I will too’ in the background and she fought the urge to giggle.

She outlined everything, from the tractor ride to the sleeping in the hammock all night with each other. Both of her friends “ohh’ed” and “ahh’ed” over him holding her knee while they were riding down the road on the tractor and they exclaimed in terror over her close call with the bull. They loved the kiss part and then when she got to the part about the hammock she could have sworn they were both going melt, there were several sniffs that let her know her tender-hearted adoptive family was more than likely crying.

“Why don’t you ever hold me all night long in a hammock Chris?” Nathan was sounding a bit put out about the whole thing. “That has to be one of the most romantic things I have ever heard in my life.”

“We don’t own a hammock, we live in New York City remember?” Chris had picked up the other line so that he could hear the details better and the sarcasm in his voice made her grin, she knew that somehow there was going to be a hammock in their apartment by the weekend, and knowing Chris he was going to surprise Nathan with it and make it the most romantic thing he possibly could. “So what happened when he woke you up? I have a feeling you haven’t gotten to the good parts yet.”

“Well he carried me into the house…”

“He carried her, did you hear that?” Nathan was actually crying now.

“I know, I know, I never carry you anywhere. I might if you weren’t taller than me, now let her finish the story.”

“Ok, ok I will try to restrain myself Mr. O’Pain in the Ass.” She was laughing so hard she didn’t hear the tractor pulling up outside, leaving her with tears in her eyes and her hand holding her side when Raine came up to the door and knocked. She stopped laughing and then saw that it was him and she smiled.

“I’ll tell you all about the rest of it a little later guys, looks like my cowboy is at the door.” Smiling she motioned for him to come inside, pouring him a glass of lemonade while she said her farewells over several protests.

“Lemonade?” She turned and had to step back, he was standing so close to her. As she looked up his long body to his face she smiled, his eyes were fierce, hot with need and desire.

“Got anything stronger? I could use it after listening to your voice all day long.” But he reached out and took the glass, drinking the contents in three long swallows.

“You listened all day long? I thought you were working today”

“Some of the tractors have CD players in them, and since I’m the boss I decided I would get to drive one that has one, just so I could hear your poetry.” Shaking his head he took the lemonade pitcher from her and poured another glass. “It damn near killed me I swear.”

“That good was it?”

“Better than good, better than…it was amazing.” He drained the second glass and she noticed that he had been sweating quite a bit and she realized that it must be incredibly hot outside. She looked outside to see where Misha was and her head tilted to one side and she sighed as she saw that her horse was sleeping in the shade near the small pond again, looking innocent and lovely as she was surrounded by blooming flowers, almost like a fairy tale.

“Thank you, “she said as she went to pour him another glass, placing the pitcher back in the refrigerator when he shook his head no. “I’m glad that you like it.”

“Oh I do.” To her surprise instead of kissing her or doing something similar he took her by the hand and began to drag her to the door.

“Where are we going?”

“Oh, you’re going to learn how to rake hay today I think.”

“Excuse me?” She laughed, surely he was joking, and she had only just been on a tractor for the first time yesterday and truly had no desire to drive one of the things herself.

“You heard me, I’m going to teach you how to rake hay today, and you’ll love it.”

“I’m not exactly dressed for that you know.” He stopped in the door and looked down at her, she was wearing the same baggy Oxford style shirt she had been wearing after her shower and she had on a pair of, well they looked like nylons but they ended just after her knee, he could see her skin through the bronze color of them as they sparkled metallic in the light.

“What are those anyway? Those aren’t pants are they?”

She just had to laugh at the look on his face, something between desire and confusion. “They’re called leggings Raine, Summer gets them for me at the Dollar Store in Traverse.” She held out one leg so that he could see them better, the shirt moving almost enough so that he could see if they were sheer all the way to her waist. “Aren’t they cute? They’re comfy too you know, I love to wear them when I write.”

“They look fine to me, let’s go.” Taking her by the hand he walked outside and she felt the heat like a blast furnace, making her gasp for air that apparently wasn’t there. The humidity was terrible and after being in the air conditioned house all morning it felt as though she had suddenly walked into a sauna that was set far too high.

“Good lord, you’ve been working in this all day?” Her shirt felt like it was plastered to her with sweat already and they hadn’t even walked to his tractor yet. “Say, what tractor is that? I don’t recognize…and what on earth is behind it?”

“Oh, that’s my trusty old Case, and that creation behind it? That would be one of those ‘new fangled’ V-rakes. You can rake the hay twice as fast and it picks it up better.” Smiling he lifted her up to the first step of the tractor. “Sit there on the fender and I’ll get going, then when you think you’re ready you can take a turn ok?”

“I don’t know Raine, I’ve never driven something like this before, and…well what if I break something?” She looked adorable, and nervous sitting there high above him and some song he had heard forever ago ran through his mind, he stood there staring at her, enjoying the view while he tried to remember the name of the band.

“You won’t break anything, I promise.” He finally said as he pulled himself up onto the tractor to sit in the seat that was covered by an old burlap sack. His hand stroked her knee for a second and he smiled at her, the grin on his face having never really seemed to have left him today. “It’s supposed to rain tonight so Terrence and the guys are coming over in a bit with the baler so we can get all of this hay up before it gets ruined. Did you know that the price of hay is going to be sitting at about four dollars a bale for square bales this year? You are about to become a hay wealthy woman, you know, in case you get writers block.”

Before she could reply he started the tractor and they roared off through the break in the trees to where her hay field was. The round wheels on the contraption behind then were spinning a little with the motion of the tractor but she couldn’t see what good they would do the field so high in the air. Well, she supposed, this was going to be a learning experience, maybe something she could put into one of her stories and she couldn’t wait to hear Nathan and Chris shriek when they heard she had been running a tractor as they were deathly afraid she’d get hurt doing some ‘farming’ thing.

Once Raine had the tractor positioned just past the beginning of one of the rows of hay he stopped, put the tractor in neutral and then pressed a lever. He couldn’t help but shake his head at her crying out in wonder as the two sections of the V-rake lowered to hover just an inch or so above the ground. If she thought that was exciting he couldn’t wait to see her reaction once they actually got moving, he was happy and only regretted that her hayfield was so much smaller than the ones he had for his hay, the V-rake would make short work of this field.

“Hang on!” He yelled to her as he put the tractor in gear, one of the things he liked the best about the V-rakes was that you could almost rake hay in road gear, and the faster you went the better the rake worked, it was about time someone had come up with something to make haying less time consuming. She grabbed the handle that was on the front of the fender and held on as the tractor took off with a little lurch, then she watched behind her as the wheels that held the tines began to move and suddenly two rows of fallen hay became one long thick and high row as the rake moved over it.

He hadn’t planned on her being such a distraction and he almost missed stopping at the end of the row. She was sitting on the side that he normally turned towards to keep an eye on the equipment running behind him and he honestly spent most of his time looking at the sway of her breasts underneath her shirt instead of watching the rake behind them. He was going to have to look over his other shoulder for the next row because he wasn’t sure how much of this he could take, and the last thing he wanted to do was start something here in the middle of the field that should take place in a nice comfortable bed.

He hit the lever to raise the rake just a little so that he could turn and start on the next two rows that he would rake and again smiled at her as she watched them lift. Who knew that farm equipment could be so fascinating to her, he hadn’t and he knew her almost as well as anyone in this area did. He was explaining things to her, telling her what he was doing and why, making her lean in closer so that she could hear him as he set the rake down once again on the next two rows that were going to be raked when he asked her if she wanted to try it, laughing she said no, she would watch a few more times before she gave it a try.

He knew she was avoiding it, and he knew as well that he could tease her into doing it, while in the meantime he just worked the field, doing his best to turn his head in the opposite direction so that he wasn’t staring at her all of the time and was watching the equipment like he should be. After a few more rows were raked he grabbed the water bottle out of the toolbox and offered it to her, her face was flushed with the heat of the day and there was perspiration trickling down her neck, disappearing into the open neckline of her shirt. She took a drink and then she frowned just a little as she drank a few swallows of the warm water, looking at him in question.

“Warm water in the field on days like this hydrates you better and you don’t get cramps from it.” He explained as he took the bottle back from her and drank deeply, closing his eyes for a second as he tried to not think about wanting to lick the droplets of perspiration from her neck, her breasts, her stomach…damn, he had to keep himself under control, she might have been teasing him with that CD but he had no intention of scaring her off with moving too fast. Staying awake all night holding her and watching her sleep hadn’t helped his control any though, that was for sure.

It wasn’t too long and there were only two more passes to make, the sky was starting to darken with the storm that was coming in from Lake Michigan. He knew they had to hurry to beat the storm but he wanted to see if she would run the rake for the last two passes so he got up from the seat and picked her up, sitting her down on the seat and laughing at the shocked look on her face.

Finally she agreed that she would try, after teasing and laughter and her pursing her lips and informing him that if she broke everything she wasn’t going to be responsible for it. He helped her put the tractor in the right gear, made sure the rake was lowered into position and then they were off. She let up on the clutch too fast and made the tractor jerk hard, he made a grab for the handle on the fender so he was more secure and he watched behind them as the hay was piled into one neat row by the whirling tines.

When they arrived at the end of the row he had to push the clutch in for her, she had forgotten what he had told her about the brakes not stopping anything if the clutch was still engaged. Laughing she looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with the thrill of accomplishment as she shouted “I did it!”

Looking down at her from his seat on the fender he stopped thinking, she was so damn beautiful it took his breath away. Leaning down he kissed her, his hand went behind her head and he held her there while he pressed his lips firmly against hers, teasing her lips open with teasing touches of his tongue. When she opened her mouth to his he concentrated on the taste of her, the feel of her mouth opening under his as her tongue stroked his as she wound her fingers in his hair, trying to draw him closer.

He took the tractor out of gear and picked her up off of the seat, somehow managing to sit on the seat of the tractor with her on his lap, the steering wheel of the tractor pressing her against him and making him groan. Their mouths still locked together the kiss became frantic, as though they were starved for this, for each other and neither one of them noticed the other tractor pulling up to the edge of the field with Terrance at the wheel, pulling the square baler behind him.

***

Oh dear God, Terrance thought as he saw Raine sit Kerry on his lap, I should not be seeing this. He stopped the tractor and jumped off, trying to not see what was going on in the field in front of him as he turned his back and walked behind the baler to join the two men in the truck that had pulled the hay wagon over, following him as they get ready to finish the hay in this field before the storm broke.

“What, he’s not done raking yet?” Angus asked as Terrance sat in the air conditioned air of the cab with them, determinedly looking out the side window at the barn where Kerry’s horse watched them suspiciously.

“No, no I think he won’t be done for at least a half an hour yet, we need to come back in a while.” Angus wasn’t sure but he could swear Terrance was blushing.

“Well what did he say boy?” His voice aggravated he pressed for information. “It don’t seem like you hardly had time to talk to him you got back here so fast.”

“I know how long it takes to rake a field, and he won’t be done for a while yet.”

“Well I’m just going to walk over there and see what’s up, that storms coming in and he said he doesn’t want this hay getting rained on.” His hand on the door Angus was surprised to find Terrance’s fist caught in his shirt, preventing him from leaving the truck and talking to the boss.

“Don’t you dare leave this truck, just turn it around and we’ll come back in a half-hour or so.” Looking into Angus’s eyes he was as firm as Raine ever was when he was demanding that something be done, and Angus figured there was more going on than just hay being raked.

“Fine then- why don’t we go down to the bridge and have a swim in the river then?” He smiled, figuring that the boss had his pretty little writer up on the tractor with him. “Seems like a good time for people to cool off.”

Terrance’s fist relaxed and he let go of his older cousin, knowing a warning when he heard it. “Sure Angus, a swim would be just fine.”

Backing the truck and wagon up out of the wooded driveway took some time but Angus was a sure hand at the wheel. Terrance kept his face turned away from the field the whole time and Angus and Christian, the other man who had come along to finish off the hay, were a little irritated that the tractor and baler blocked their view as they left, they really wanted to see what was going on in that field.

***

  

In the field, still locked together on the tractor with the roar of it around them, the heat from the day combined with the heat of passion and they were swamped with it all. Kerry was pulling at his shirt, trying to get it off of his sweat soaked skin so that she could feel him against her and Raine was holding her hips, rocking her against him in a rhythm that soon had her gasping into his mouth as her world became centered on nothing but him and the feel of his body against her.

He broke away from their kiss to kiss and lick her neck, her throat and down to the V where the buttons of her shirt held it together, blocking him from following the trail of salty perspiration down into the valley between her breasts like he wanted to. Pressing her back against the steering wheel his fingers fumbled with the buttons on her shirt, his hands shaking so badly that he finally grabbed the two sides of her shirt and pulled it apart, buttons flying off in all directions as he bared her breasts to his gaze.

“Damn.” Was all he could think to say before he leaned forward to take one of her dusky nipples into his mouth, his tongue stroking it until it was hard with sensation before suckling on it gently his teeth scraping just a little as she arched into the feel of his mouth against her. Her hands wound into his hair again, pressing him closer as she adjusted her position on his lap, wanting to feel the hardness of him pressed firmly between her thighs again.  

He moved to lavish the same attention to her other breast, loving the salty taste of her skin on his tongue as her hands tangled in his hair and her heart raced. He was so hard the pressure of his jeans was literally painful and he moved a bit to try to ease the pressure there but there was not much room to move around. Her hands left his hair to work his belt buckle free, her small hands making fast work of it and of the button of his jeans before he could stop her, not that he wanted her to stop.

She had the fly of his jeans open now and he raised his hips as he kissed her lips once more, biting on her lower lip as her hand found him. Closing his eyes he moaned into her, his body shaking as he almost came from just the touch of her hand on him there. She had him pulled free of the material that was trapping him and her eyes were wide as they looked into his now open ones, pulling away from this kiss for a second as she wrapped her tiny hand around the girth of him.

He pulled her back and pressed his mouth against her ear. “We can stop if you want, we don’t need to…”

“The Hell we don’t.” She said as she began to stroke him and his head fell back as his eyes closed again, his mind reeling from the feeling of her hands on the swollen and sensitive flesh that he wanted to bury inside her.

He tried to pull her leggings down over her hips but they wanted to stay where they were, there wasn’t enough room to get her out of them where they were on the tractor, the body skimming material too tight to her in this position. He did the only thing he could think of doing, needing to be inside her, he took the stretchy nylon in his hands where it covered her most private places and he pulled as hard as he could, smiling as he felt the material rip apart and baring her to his touch.

He stroked her, groaning again as he felt the smooth shaven lips there between her thighs. He moved her hand from him as he explored the sweet and heady heat of her with his work rough hands, sucking her tongue into his mouth as he pressed one finger into the her tight flesh, moist with desire and so soft and ready for him. Stroking his finger into her he groaned when her hips moved with the motion of his hand, and she broke their kiss to pull him closer and whisper in his ear, he couldn’t hear all of what she was saying over the noise of the still running machinery but he caught the words ‘please’, ‘now’, and ‘so long’ and that was more than enough for him.

Moving his hands to her hips he lowered her onto him, trying to go slow, to make it last because she was so tight it was almost painful. He watched her as he entered her, she was leaned back and gripping the steering wheel for support as inch by slow inch he penetrated her while her eyes were closed and her teeth caught her full lower lip that was swollen from his kisses between them. He had never imagined anything so incredibly sexy in his life as seeing her now, needing and wanting him like this, he knew that he was the luckiest man in the world as of this very moment.

When he was inside her as far as he could go he held her hips still, his hands gripping her hard as he leaned back against the seat and gasped for breath, striving for control. She wriggled her hips, moving on him just a bit and his eyes flew open wide the sensation of her moving against him electric to his senses as he found himself telling her to not move, to please hold still for just a moment.

She smiled wickedly, shaking her head no as she reached up with one hand to take the clips out of her hair. Feeling the wet heat of her surrounding him and watching her hair fall around them nearly broke him, his eyes narrowed as she ran the tip of her pink tongue over the edge of her upper lip and he knew he was in trouble, loving this woman was going to be the death of him.

He relaxed his grip on her hips, praying he could last as she began to move on him, both of her hands once more on the steering wheel for support as she raised up until he was almost completely out of her, the summer heat feeling almost cool compared to the burning heat of her body. She drove herself back down onto him, deeper than he had been before with her wetness coating him and he cried out with the sensation as she took him almost all of the way inside, her muscles gripping him tight as her eyes closed and her head fell back in her pleasure. He watched her ride him, her face a mask of pure pleasure as she moved on him, his hands guiding her, encouraging her to quicken her pace while her slow movements tortured him with pure fire.

Unable to be passive any longer he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, kissing her again and again, stroking her skin, her hair as he whispered words to her he knew that she couldn’t hear. Words of love, of how much he wanted her in his life, how much she meant to him and his hopes that he could someday mean as much to her. Love, oh damn he was in love with this woman and he really didn’t think that she had a clue as to what he really felt as he held her hips locked in his grip once again and pressing his knees into the dash of the tractor began to thrust his hips up to drive himself into her, helpless to prevent his fast approaching climax as her hair tangled in his hands and her breasts rubbed up against him.

He wanted it to last longer, wanted everything to be perfect for her but something you’ve waited so long for, something that was this explosive wasn’t meant to last for long. With just a few more thrusts he felt her inner muscles clench him in a vise-like grip and her breath left her body in long and shuddering breath into him as she smiled against his lips. He lost himself inside her, with his orgasm he poured not only his seed into her body but his heart, his soul and everything he wanted-his outcry of release lost in her breath as she writhed in reaction, locked to him.

After a few minutes when they could catch their breath again she raised her head from his shoulder and smiled. “You owe me a new pair of pants.” He heard distinctly and he pulled her back down to rest her head on his shoulder once more, the orgasmic high fading into a contentment that he had thought he would never share with anyone.

“I owe you more than that, much, much more.” He whispered against her hair, resting his cheek against her as he watched the clouds continue to roll in.

Later, when she had gone back inside and he was running the square baler he couldn’t stop thinking about the way she had felt in his arms. She had fit so right, it was almost too perfect and he was sure that she was feeling the same way. He was going to ask her over to his house for dinner once the haying here was done and they were ready to head back to his place, he hoped that she’d go with him but with the storm clouds as bad as they were he doubted it, he knew how terrified she was of storms.

One wagon of hay was done and loaded into her barn already, the three men he had working with him were experienced farm hands and they made short work of it all. They had all laughed as Misha had pulled one of the bales down and had nipped the twine with her teeth, dragging it back towards her stall. Terrance had moved it for her with a smile and then he had opened the bale for her and spread some of the hay around, when the first peal of thunder sounded she rushed into her stall and kicked the door shut, she was evidently in place for the might so Raine knew he could tell Kerry that she didn’t have to worry about Misha until morning.

He couldn’t keep the grin form his face, and he tried to look serious and concerned about the oncoming storm. They raced the oncoming deluge with a practiced eye at what they were doing, knowing that if they didn’t get it done in time it would all end up as silage bales, and at the rate hay was selling for they couldn’t afford to lose good hay, but he wasn’t worried, suddenly consumed by the belief that everything was going to work out better than ever before and sure enough they got the tarp over the wagon and the last of the bales that they had to stack in the back of the pickup just as the first fat droplets of rain began to fall.

Lightning struck close, the sound of it drumming through them almost instantly as they looked at both of the tractors sitting there at the edge of the field, Raine decided that it was safer for them all to just head back to his farm and do the evening chores and make sure the cattle were settled for the night. It was going to be a bad storm, his leg ached like nothing else ever could and he was limping as he ran up the stairs of her deck to let her know they were leaving the equipment there, and to ask her to dinner.

She met him at the door, looking at him in concern. “You aren’t driving those tractors back tonight are you?” She was still wearing the same shirt she had had n earlier, now tied up in a knot in between her breasts and she had on a flowing skirt that was white and delicate looking, the smell of something delicious cooking had his stomach growling.

“No, if you don’t mind we’ll leave then here tonight and pick them up in the morning.” Reaching out his hand he smoothed her hair as it was frizzing with the humidity, she smelled fresh and clean, like she had spent time in the tub or shower and he hoped she hadn’t been trying to wash the memory of his touch away. “I was going to invite you over to my place for dinner but…”

“You’re busy, I understand, I have stew on the stove.” Shrugging her shoulders she smiled up at him. “You know you’re more than welcome to come back here if you can tonight for a meal, and I bet a long soak in my tub will help your leg feel better.”

With that she literally blew him a kiss and shut the door. He stood there grinning like a fool until Terrence shouted for him to hurry. Running to the truck as the rain poured down he knew that he would be asking Terrance to stay the night at the farm, because if his night went the way he hoped it would then he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight either.

Copyright protected no publication, copying or use in any form without the express permission of the Author is prohibited (Copyright 2008 M.P.O.)