against her belly before stepping back to view him in his entirety.
'You are'-reaching to claim him, she searched for an adequate word-'resplendent.'
He laughed indulgently, with a quick flash of even, white teeth, then stood back, running his palms from her armpits to her hips.
'Am I really?'
'Mmm-hmm.'
'Funny thing… you are, too.' They gazed the length of each other's bodies, experiencing a subtle difference this time-they were husband and wife now; they belonged to each other. They touched… and trembled a little. Glanced up… and laughed softly. Glanced down… and fell silent.
They touched more freely. His bare foot covered hers. His naked knee lifted to separate her silken thighs, then pressed high and hard against her eager flesh. She drew her hands up the backs
of his thighs, clutching him close, 461 holding him for a long, appreciative moment while contemplating the fact that she need never say good-bye to him again.
'Sometimes when I remember, I get greedy. I want the years we lost.'
'Shh… don't,' he whispered gruffly. 'Only remember the good. Like the first time I kissed you here…' His hands again captured her breasts and he bent his head, rubbing soft closed lips back and forth across a turgid nipple while fondling the other. 'You were exquisite… you still are.'
In one swift motion he slipped his hands beneath her arms and fell back onto the bed, taking her with him and lifting her high while his mouth opened and sought her flesh. When his lips surrounded and stroked her breast, she breathed a throaty moan, arching sharply, head tipped back and eyes closed, letting herself be overcome by sensation.
He took her other breast in his mouth, biting lightly, washing it with wet warmth, then suckling it in a way that started her body rocking upon his. His legs fell open, creating a lee where her body fit precisely while he took up a
matching rhythm.
His arms trembled as he drew her higher, sliding her body along his until she straddled him, and he pressed his mouth to her flat stomach. And yet he forced her higher, murmuring unintelligible phrases while turning to brush his lips against the soft skin of her inner thigh, the warm secret hollow above it, then the core of her femininity. With his mouth still claiming intimate possession he rolled them onto their sides, nuzzling, stroking, bringing wordless replies to her lips.
Her body moved in lissome accommodation while heat radiated through her limbs and the blood quickened in her veins. Then with a sudden call, she forced his head back and withdrew.
'Stop.' Her voice trembled as she looked down at him, her fingers threaded through the hair at his temple. 'Together… the first time should be together.'
'The first time,' he repeated. His eyes closed as if in benediction, and he kissed her stomach one last time before drawing himself up until he was gazing into her lambent eyes. 'The first time as Mr. and Mrs. Gentry.'
Her eager hands sought his flesh, coddled it,
inciting his hips to seek hers as she 463 rolled to her back, drawing him atop her.
'Come into me, Tommy Lee… where you belong.'
She lifted… he lunged… and nature's choreography took over.
'Where I've always belonged.'
Marriage… the blending of souls that lent meaning to the blending of bodies. Though each time had had a magic all its own, no other had matched the poignancy of this. Holding nothing in reserve they gave themselves freely. He was powerful and tensile as he drove within; she limber and lithe while lifting to receive. His arms quaked and his head hung low while the thrusts grew mightier. She gasped at the brink of climax, driving her head back sharply, lifting her shoulders in the timeless gesture of appeal.
Together they hovered on that awesome brink while savoring the coming cataclysm, and when it shuddered through them, they called out aloud, clinging together until the final ease.
The afternoon sun splashed through the wide glass doors, throwing dappled patterns on the blue
carpet beneath a leafy schefflera plant. The fireplace awaited its first fire. Beside it, two cozy chairs invited years and years of contentment, while beside Rachel rested a man who promised occasional tumult.
She chuckled and he lifted his head to find her eyes closed as the sound rippled from her throat.
'What's so funny?'
She opened her eyes, smiled a very satisfied smile, and twisted a strand of his hair around her finger. 'Nothing. I'm just so incredibly happy. I really do have everything I want.'
He tucked her head beneath his chin, sighing with equal satisfaction.
'I love you, Tommy Lee.'
He kissed her forehead and nestled her close once more. 'And I love you, Rachel.'
She snuggled against him, toying with the hair on his chest while dreaming of their future. Suddenly she pulled back, reminding him, 'You never did finish telling me that story. So what ever became of the girl and boy?'
'Oh, let's see…' He pondered silently, absently caressing her naked spine. 'She turned into a successful businesswoman,
selling ladies' wear and showing all the 465 women in town what panache means, and he became a thin, dashing, handsome, irresist-was
'You can skip the unimportant stuff,' she teased. 'The love story-how did it turn out?'
'Why, he married her, of course.'
'Mmm…' she mused. 'He married her after all.'
'And carried her off to his beautiful castle on the shores of Cedar Creek Lake, and when she saw it, she knew it was where she'd always wanted to spend her life.'
'And did she?' Rachel smiled up at Tommy Lee.
He kissed the tip of her nose. 'Forever and ever. You see… they somehow managed to live happily ever after.'
She closed her eyes, feeling his steady heartbeat against her temple, the soft brush of his palm on her back. Then Rachel Gentry tucked herself close to Tommy Lee, and together they sighed with satisfaction over the final chapter of a love story begun many years before.
