Kisses and Revenge

by Riser, Cherron

  A moment later he collapsed against her, holding her and panting against her back. They stood there for several breaths, trying to compose themselves. Then they pulled apart and turned to face each other. Warren's pants were around his ankles, and Leslie was completely naked, so she smiled when he stumbled toward her. His fingers ran through her hair, and he kissed her deeply.

  "I want to take care of you. I love you, Leslie. I always will," he whispered, letting their kiss grow again.

  ***

  Their night had been filled with lovemaking, and now the two of them lay wrapped in each other's arms, letting the waves wash over them. At one point, Warren had gone back to his bike to get the blanket he kept in his saddlebag. It was a welcome addition to their time together and now was wrapped around their still naked bodies. The moon shone brightly in the sky, accented by millions of stars. Where they had ended up was beautiful and far enough from the light of the city to allow the stars to really shine through.

  Both of them were covered in sand, and Warren had already offered to get them a room so they could clean up and maybe get some food. However, she wasn't quite ready to leave their little oasis on the beach. It had been a perfect bubble away from everything that had been going on in her life all year. Realizing it was all right to love Warren and be with Warren had been difficult but needed for her sanity.

  "You feel more relaxed than I have seen you in a long time. I know you feel weird about all of this, but I promise you, there is nothing wrong with who and what we are. I love you, and I'm always going to take care of you," Warren whispered, kissing the top of her head.

  "I know. I think I was so hung up on missing Adam that I lost who I was. I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone. I love you, and you have always been there for me. I should understand that and be there for you too," Leslie answered, snuggling in deeper to his chest. "I am more relaxed. I think letting myself realize the truth has been the most important thing I could do. Dr. Halbert has been trying to tell me that for a long time. I see it now."

  "We live in a society where doing anything can be judged, and we have a lot of people looking up to us. I know you worried what people would think about us being together. I also knew that eventually you would grow more comfortable with me and not feel bad for having normal human emotions," Warren explained. His hands softly petted her hair, comforting her and loving her. His actions showed her he wanted more from her than just her body.

  "Yeah, you're right, and I shouldn't care what everyone thinks of me. I just can't help it sometimes. But today has been the best day I have had in a long time. In fact, all of the good days I have had since Adam died have been because of you. Thank you for being so patient with me," she whispered, her voice softly moaning from how good it felt to have him holding her.

  The breeze blew against them, and the waves crashed up over their legs, a mix of cool and warm. Leslie felt tired, both body and soul, and was ready to get some rest. Their evening and night had been full of energy, and now she was ready for a recharge. Leslie wanted nothing more than to have him hold her for the night and never let her go. It had been a long time since she felt such peace, and it was nice to not be overwhelmed with pain and loss.

  Rubbing his hands up and down her arms, Warren began to look around. The area of beach they were at was void of people, but they were still naked on a public beach. Giving her a smile and kissing her head again, he started to move. "All right, let's go and get ourselves a place to sleep. I will drive you back home tomorrow at some point. I can't promise I won't try to ravish you in the morning."

  Leslie felt herself blush as she moved to stand up and brush off all the sand. She was sure it would take a shower to get rid of most of it. Thinking of sharing a shower with Warren made her body heat up again, and she was sure Warren would think she was turning into some sort of nympho. Warren just chuckled and helped her put on enough clothing to get to the hotel.

  In the room, they both went into the shower, Warren leaving the bathroom a bit dark, lit only by the lights shining in from the bedroom area. He took his time, washing her body and hair, pampering her to the extreme. Once they were finished with their shower, he laid her down on the bed and made love to her once more before they finally fell asleep for the night. For the first time in over a year, Leslie felt safe and comforted in the arms of a man who loved her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Admitting she cared about Warren had been the biggest step to her healing process. She had not realized just how much of a difference it would make in her life. Dr. Halbert had even made a comment on how much of a difference Warren had made in her wellbeing. Leslie was happy; it was the only word for it. She may not be fully healed and ready to let go of Adam, but she was happy.

  With his new position at SkyFinn Marketing, Adam was being forced to work longer hours. However, every night after work, he came to her place to spend the night with her. She was starting to wonder if maybe he would miss his own house, but she also wondered if being there brought back memories of his parents. Either way, she never really asked about it, figuring it was best to leave it alone.

  Sharron, at first, was concerned about her, worried she was jumping into something too quickly, but she was even starting to see how important Warren was in her life. During the day, when she wasn't working, Sharron would come over and try to encourage Leslie to go to work herself, but the idea of joining the workforce was terrifying. Leslie had never worked before, at least not something other than fast food. Sharron suggested she come work with her for a while at the firm, taking it a step at a time.

  "Come on, you are doing so much better. Get out of this house and do something with yourself. You would be surprised just how much happier your life would be if you had more purpose in it. Just give it some thought. I can bring you in as my assistant, and you can just work part time. I know you aren't in need of money, but sometimes it is more about your sanity than anything else," Sharron went on, pouring them both more wine.

  "I know I have been a bit up and down, but I swear I am a lot better now." Leslie laughed, leaning against the counter.

  "Yes, you are. Now you need to get a life. Don't jump from being the overly devout wife to the overly devout girlfriend. You have never had your own life, not since we were young. You deserve to have something that is just you," Sharron suggested with a grin on her face.

  "Okay, well, I guess I can think on it. I just don't know how well I would be working. I have never held down a real job before. It will be a new experience." Leslie felt her heart racing just thinking about going to work.

  "That is all I am asking. Think about it, and if you want, come to work with me one day and see what it is like. I could always use the help, and you are really smart. Leslie, I love you, and want to see you happy. I feel like you gave up a lot being Adam's wife. I know you wanted to, and I know you loved him, but I always felt like you were selling yourself short when it came to being his wife," Sharron continued.

  She was right; Leslie had been so focused on being a good wife to Adam that she had never done a lot for herself. She gave up her career, gave up her identify really. When it came down to it, Leslie was "Adam's wife" not Leslie by the end of it. She would always love Adam, and miss him terribly, but Sharron had a point. It was now time for her to start being who she really was.

  Looking around at her kitchen, for the last several months, she had spent so much time in that room. It wasn't even just her being in her house, it was this room. It was the easiest room for her to be in, and she had been using it as a wall to keep her from the rest of the world. Sharron was giving her a way to break down those walls, and Leslie was pretty sure she needed to break out of her walls as well.

  Even Warren kept her inside of her walls. He always came over to her house and spent time with her in the kitchen. They ate dinner together, listened to music, or danced in the kitchen. Leslie hadn't really thought of it that way before, but now, talking with her best friend, she was starting to see just ho
w much she had been hiding away.

  "Yeah, I will do that. I will come and spend a day with you, then decide if I want to actually try to have a job. I love you, Sharron. Thanks for being here for me this whole time. I know it has been difficult to be my friend lately," Leslie whispered, reaching out and giving her friend a huge hug.

  "Girl, I have been your friend for a long time. I would be a pretty crappy friend if I wasn't here for you," Sharron answered, holding her close.

  It was good to hold Sharron and feel her arms around her. Leslie had pushed everyone away. Bringing them back into her life was hard but rewarding for her. Each moment, each day, she was starting to feel better and closer to the people who had always been there for her.

  ***

  Leslie had dinner ready by the time Warren got there. It was late, much later than usual, but he had sent her a text to let her know he would be late. There had been a meeting at work that ran over, something that had happened with Adam more than once.

  Not wanting Warren to have to wait, she went ahead and made dinner. When she heard the door open, she poured their wine to make sure everything was perfect. It was a similar situation to how she was with Adam in the past. Hopefully Warren wouldn't get upset with her for treating them similar.

  "Hey, baby, you went ahead and cooked dinner?" Warren asked as he came in and gave her a hug and kiss.

  "Well, I figured it would be better than you having to wait. I wasn't sure when you ate last and didn't want you to be hungry," Leslie answered, moving into his arms.

  "I think I had something on the way to work this morning, so I have to say I am thankful you have dinner ready. I'm starving." Warren smiled and gave her another kiss before taking a seat at the table.

  Leslie quickly served their plates. It was nothing special, just hamburgers with gravy and rice with corn. It was a simple meal, but one that was sure to fill him up and make him feel better after a long day. She had even made some cornbread with butter to add to their meal. Once his plate was served, she made her own plate and sat down near him. His eyes watched her as she moved about the room, like a wolf hunting his prey. He always looked at her that way, and it made her blush thinking about what may be going through his mind.

  When she sat down, she crossed her legs and moved her foot out to rub against his leg. The corner of his lip twitched up on the corners as he looked up at her. She could feel the heat in his eyes peering into him, but she didn't want to let him distract her from the things she wished to talk about.

  "So Sharron came over and hung out with me some today. She is offering me a job with her. She thinks it would be good for me to get out of the house now and then. Besides, I have a degree that I never used. Maybe it is time to do so," Leslie began, mixing all of her food together to make one big glop of gravy to eat. It was how she had always eaten this particular meal.

  "You want to go to work? That is interesting. You don't like being a housewife?" Warren asked. The way he said "housewife" was more erotic than she had thought he could say those words. Warren pretty much was picking up where Adam left off, and it was no longer strange.

  "I do, but I also need a life. You work a lot, and I spend entirely too much time in this house. I want to feel like I am doing something with my life." Leslie sat back, hoping he would understand.

  Warren sat back, watching her as he thought things over. Leslie could never understand why it was so important to her what other people thought, but it was. She didn't want to upset Warren by wanting to work, but she also needed to be herself. "That sounds reasonable. I have been working longer hours, and you are here a lot. It makes sense, but can I ask a favor? Can you wait a little bit before you start? I thought I might take you on a bit of a vacation first. You deserve to have something for you. I just want to see you smile."

  His answer made her feel good, but she was also surprised. What did he mean about going on a vacation? They hadn't talked about doing something so serious before. However, she remembered how good it had been when they spent the night on the beach. It had been the breaking point that made her stop living in grief. The idea of really going on a vacation was both frightening and exciting, and she smiled when she thought about it. "What sort of vacation?"

  "Well, I know you like it warm. I figured we could be cheesy and go to Hawaii or something. I just want to get you away from here for a bit, and then when we get back, you can go to work if that is what you really want to do." Warren was being so diplomatic about it all, and her heart raced thinking of going on such a romantic trip.

  Jumping up from her seat, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "That sounds so romantic! I am so excited. When are we going to go?"

  "Probably next week. I have to finalize some things, but that is what it is looking like. How about you go and buy some new swimsuits and things for the trip? I want to make it extra special," Warren answered, pulling her into his lap. He fed her a bite of his food then kissed her cheek.

  He was probably right about going shopping. She had lost so much weight after Adam's death that most of her clothes didn't fit her. Getting some new stuff for their vacation would be a good idea. Enjoying her food, she wiggled a bit in his lap to get comfortable as he took a bite of his own meal. Leslie couldn't help but wonder if this was a ploy of his to do something more serious. Would he want to ask her to marry him? Was she ready for that?

  Once they finished eating, she put the dishes in the dishwasher and finished off the bottle of wine. Warren changed out of his work clothes and came back to the kitchen with just a pair of pajama pants on. He always looked so sexy; his well-maintained body showing ripples of muscles was something he also liked to show off.

  Leaning against the counter, she watched him come toward her with a grin. He had the sexy walk of a predatory cat, and it made her whole body tighten. Maybe she should lay off the wine when she was around him. When he reached her, he turned her toward him and began to kiss her. She would worry about all of the details later. When he kissed her like that, she would much rather spend her time enjoying him and not stressing about everything else.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was pure paradise, which was all Leslie could think. They had stepped off the plane to a group of locals with leis and ukulele music playing, and from that moment, life at home disappeared. With Warren in Hawaii, it was like nothing else in the world mattered. Their real world was nothing to them anymore. All that mattered was being with him, together and holding each other.

  They were out on the beach, enjoying the Pacific sun and crystal waters the island had to offer. Growing up in Florida, beaches were nothing new, but there was something about this particular beach that made it extra special. Warren had ordered them some drinks and had set them up at a couple of wooden lounges with a small table between them and a grass umbrella providing shade. Like she had promised, she got herself a couple of new bikinis to show off for her man. This one was an emerald green color and looked nice against her tan skin.

  Warren and she had never talked about their relationship in terms of titles, but it was very clear the two of them were together in a very serious way. He always spoke about wanting to take care of her and be there for her. He showed her through his actions more than words just how much he cared about her.

  A light breeze blew across the beach, and she looked over to where Warren was lounging in his chair. He had on a cheesy pair of floral swim trunks. Leslie was pretty sure he had done it on purpose, but it made her laugh, so she didn't say anything. Grabbing her drink, she stretched and arched against her chair. It was a perfect day, just like every day had been since they had arrived on the island two days before.

  "So, what are our plans for today? Are we doing anything special, or are we just going to be lazy on the beach all day?" Leslie asked, setting her drink back down on the small table.

  "I thought about taking you out on a boat later, seeing if we could see some interesting sea life. I figured you wouldn't want to go out and do stuff every day
we are here, so I'm taking it easy right now. If we do something, we do, if not, there is always tomorrow." His answer was given with a heavy voice as he lay there with his eyes closed. The breeze blew his dark hair around his face, making him even sexier than usual.

  "Would we go snorkeling or something? That could be a lot of fun," Leslie asked excitedly, sitting up and turning to face him. She did like that they were relaxing so much and taking each day as it came, but she also wanted to enjoy everything she could about their vacation.

  "I'm sure that could be arranged. This is your vacation, and we will do anything you want to do. Well, and of course, I want easy access to fuck you whenever the mood strikes me, but other than that." The last was said in such a dark sexy voice that Leslie could feel her body tighten at the thought. Yes, there had been a lot of that going on. Even with the steady flow of passion they had been sharing, she seemed to not be able to get enough of him.

  The corners of Warren's mouth curled up a bit on the edges as if he knew the effect his words had on her body. It wasn't fair for him to have that sort of power over her, but she had to admit she enjoyed it. "You are such a bad man."

  "You have no idea. So, how about we head back to the room so I can show you just how bad I can be, then we can see about the boat trip?" Warren didn't wait for her to respond. He swung his legs over the side of the lounge and stood. Reaching out to her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard and deep. Leslie loved the feel of his powerful kisses, and it made her body throb with desire for him.

  "That sounds like a perfect plan to me." Leslie's words were breathless and shaky as she clung to him like he was her lifeline. In a way, he was.