by Susanne Beck
Lifting her right hand from my face, I placed a kiss in the palm, then placed it over my heart. "Because you’re here. In my heart. And with every beat, more of you comes in, until I’m totally full with the joy of loving you. All of you, Ice. The part that’s happy, and the part that’s angry. The part that loves, and the part that hates. The part that forgives, and the part that seeks vengeance."
Releasing her hand, I placed my own on her face, tenderly holding it in my palms. "All of you."
There was a look of wonder on her face, but it was the wonder of a man alone in the desert who views an oasis from afar and yet is, perhaps, afraid to walk to it, afraid to reach out to find only an illusion where the promise of life once stood shining bright with hope.
Knowing further words would never convince her, I let my heart speak instead. Rising from my crouch between her legs, I moved our faces together and covered her lips with my own in a kiss as full of tender promise as I could possibly make it.
After what seemed a small eternity, she responded, moaning softly as the hand which had been cupping my cheek threaded its way through my hair, melding us more closely together and deepening the kiss we shared. Deepening, too, the bond between us.
An eternal bond.
After a long moment, she pulled away and looked down at me, her face still filled with wonder. But this time, the wonder was of a man who has found out that the oasis is, indeed, real after all. "I...think I needed that," she commented softly, her voice husky.
"Dear god, so did I," I responded with the fervor of one newly converted.
"Would you...could I hold you? For just a little while?"
Her simple request filled me with a joy I couldn’t even begin to describe, and I know my face showed it in the beaming smile I could feel growing there. "You don’t know how much I’d love that."
Her answering smile was almost shy as she reached out to take my hand.
The bedroom was cool and dim, and carried a slight hint of my lover’s scent on the still air. I breathed of it deeply, then followed as Ice sat down on the narrow bed, then stretched out on her back, her feet hanging slightly over the edge, even with her head resting cocked against the wall.
"Like being back in the Bog, huh?" I joked, grabbing one foot playfully.
"It’s not so bad," she responded softly, crossing her ankles and resting her clasped hands on the flat plane of her belly.
Taking her word for it, I crossed to the side of the bed and, at the last second, stripped off my shirt, needing more than anything to feel her skin soft and smooth against my own. Her eyes glittered as she watched me, and her arms opened wide and welcoming as I lowered myself onto the narrow bed. I melded myself to her side, throwing a leg over her thighs and wrapping an arm around her belly as I laid my head once again on her chest.
It was a sense of homecoming as brilliant and as perfect as sunlight upon new-fallen snow and I felt tears sting at my eyes from the sheer beauty filling my soul to overflowing.
Her hand came up to stroke my hair, her touch warm and tender and loving. My body flowed through with warmth and as sweet an ache as I can ever remember having. I willed my tears not to fall, well knowing that she’d stop the minute she felt their heat on her skin.
"I love you, Angel," she whispered.
It was the last thing I remembered as the day finally called in its marker and I fell asleep to the music of her heart beating in my ear.
I love you too, Ice. More than you’ll ever know.
* * *
A knock to the door roused me from my unintended slumber, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the door crack open and a shaft of light lance its way into the pitch-dark bedroom. Pony’s head materialized almost out of nowhere, a small grin gracing her lips. "Dinner’s almost ready, if you’re hungry."
"We’ll be out in a bit," Ice replied, stretching her long body slightly and settling herself back on the bed.
Nodding, Pony closed the door, casting the room back into darkness once again.
"Hey, sleepyhead. Get a good rest?" Her voice burred out of the darkness above me and sent a warm, welcoming tingle down the length of my body.
I was glad the darkness hid my blush. "Sorry. I didn’t mean... ."
"Don’t be sorry, Angel. You needed the rest."
"But... ."
"Shhh. It wasn’t any hardship to hold you as you slept. Believe me."
Bowing to her superior logic, I laid my head back down on her chest, breathing in the scent of her with undeniable pleasure. Not surprisingly, my hand had crept upward as I slept and now lay covering one of her breasts. I trailed my fingers lightly over the warm, soft flesh, smiling as I felt her unmistakable response.
Since she didn’t seem inclined to halt the proceedings, I felt myself growing bolder, and repeated my actions as I lowered my head just slightly to lay a line of gentle kisses down her exposed chest.
She tasted of salt and sunlight and mysteries to be explored. I felt my hunger growing, but it wasn’t for food. Her fingers tightening in my hair, she guided me gently, and when I closed my lips around her, suckling, the soft sigh of pleasure she allowed was a homecoming all its own.
I would have continued growing still bolder in my attentions had my stomach not chosen that very moment to announce its own demands; demands having very little to do with the hunger that was consuming the rest of my body.
Releasing her fingers from my hair, Ice gentled herself out from under me.
"Hey! I was enjoying that!"
"I think your belly would enjoy something a little more nutritious first."
"Then my belly can just walk itself out to the kitchen, ‘cause the rest of me’s staying right here." I reached for her again, only to be halted by tender hands.
"Food first. Fun later."
"Awww... !"
She chuckled softly. "I’m not going anywhere, Angel. We have all night."
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see the faint shadow of her face above me. "Promise?"
Her smile was full of love. "Promise."
"Alright then. What are we waiting for?" I asked, as I scrambled off the bed and grabbed my shirt while tossing Ice’s at her.
Catching her shirt, she exited the bed much more gracefully than I. Yanking the garment over her head, and smoothing it on, she paused to run her fingers through her hair, settling it back into order. An action which caused my hormones to dash off a rather pointed note to my stomach for spoiling their fun.
My stomach growled in response to the missive, which sent the hormones back into hiding, cowards that they were.
"Ready?"
"Oh, yeah."
We both knew I was talking about far more than food.
* * *
Dinner, as it turned out, was fantastic. Rio proved herself an excellent chef, and all but ruined me for any other Mexican food anywhere. The brief respite we’d had seemed to have relaxed Ice, which, in turn, allowed the others to relax as well. The conversation was pleasant, if forgettable, and even Pony lightened up enough to crack a joke here and there. All were invariably horrid, but at least it was better than sitting there looking as if her best friend had died and she was next on the list.
After the meal was consumed and the dishes were washed and put away, though the night was still quite young, everyone claimed exhaustion and were ready for sleep. There was a second bedroom in the house, with two single beds, where the policemen guarding Ice had slept. To Rio’s immense relief, Ice doled out sleeping assignments, which had Critter and Nia sharing the bedroom and Rio and Pony sleeping in the living room.
As Ice went off to make some phone calls, Pony and Rio took a last walk around the outside of the house, checking for any signs of trouble. I chatted with Critter for a bit while Nia washed up, and once the bathroom was free, I decided to treat myself to a long, hot shower to wash the last of the day’s pressures away.
Not that anything as simple as a shower could wash away the images of blood and death the day had w
rought, but perhaps a physical cleansing could affect a spiritual one as well.
At least, that was my hope.
Stepping into the shower, I closed the curtain behind me and grabbed the soap as the hot, steaming water cascaded down over me. Hot water, a luxury I would never again take for granted, no matter how long I lived.
As I drew the sweet-smelling soap over my body, the images of the day began to be replaced by other, more personal visions. Scenes of bodies wrapped tight in loving, of sweating skin gliding effortlessly together, of lush moisture and quiet moans.
So wrapped up was I in this waking dream that I didn’t, at first, notice that fantasy had become reality as if my thoughts had willed it so. I stiffened at first, at the belated awareness of a body pressed close behind me, but the feel of that body and the tender strength in the hands which captured the soap from my own turned my muscles from cement into jelly within a beat of my heart.
Strong, tanned hands worked the bar into a full, foaming lather, then replaced it on the ledge. Those same hands then traced a silken path over my body, teasing my breasts in maddening circles until I thought I would go insane with need.
Unable to take the sensual teasing any longer, I grasped her hands and drew them up my body until they cupped my breasts. Long fingers glided effortlessly over my nipples, lightly pinching, lightly pulling. My breathing kept time with soft sighs and whispered moans.
Soft lips and sharp teeth nipped at the skin of my neck and shoulder, her tongue darting and teasing and tasting as I squirmed beneath her hands.
Then she turned me to face her. Cupping my face in her large, gentle hands, she lowered her head and melded our mouths together as the water cascaded down over both of us. I tasted the sharp tang of minerals and the sweet hunger of her lips as she opened them and drew in my tongue for a tender duel.
Her breasts, full and firm, brushed against my sensitized skin, sending prickles of sensation through my body and pooling the moisture building between my legs. Her hands left my face and trailed over my spine, reaching lower to curve over my hips and pull our bodies tight together along their lengths. Soap and water provided a delightful slickness, and we slid together as if dancing to a sound only our hearts could hear.
God, I ached for her. An ache as strong and as needing as anything I’d ever felt before. It consumed me. It robbed my breath from me. It made my heart thunder in my chest, my body throbbing with every forceful contraction.
Our mouths still entangled in a passionate kiss, she lifted me slightly off my feet, and as my legs spread of their own accord, she placed her long, strong thigh between them, and rested me back down on top of it. I groaned in pleasure as she steadied me, then moved against me, my back pressed flat against the warm, slick tiles of the stall.
Sure, tender hands glided me along the length of her thigh and I gasped at the sensations which raced through my body, turning it to a searing flame which knew no bounds. Slowly at first, then gaining delightful speed, she pressed into me, her warm, supple flesh and iron hard muscles relentless in pursuit of my pleasure, and hers as well.
Moaning softly, she broke the lock of our lips and rested her forehead against the tile next to mine, turning her head and tracing her tongue along the shell of my ear. "Come for me, sweet Angel," she growled low in my ear, searing my nerve endings as she suckled on my lobe. "Let me feel you."
Gasping for badly needed breath, I tipped my head back, well past any semblance of rational thought, baring my neck to the assault of her lips and tongue and teeth, my hips gliding in a timeless, primal rhythm of hunger and aching desire.
Her tongue lapped at the hollow of my throat, and then at the pulsepoint bounding strongly, rapidly in my neck. And when her teeth gently bit down on the flesh she’d so lovingly captured, it was the trigger which released me as the darkness behind my eyelids burst into a brilliant pattern of light and shadow.
My soul was free, floating on a sea of bliss and sensation. Ice was my anchor, her warm hands and softly murmured words of love keeping me tethered to the real world as my spirit soared to the heavens and beyond.
Slowly, so slowly, I came back to earth to find myself tight in Ice’s fiercely tender embrace. The water had since turned cold and the icy spray sent uncontrollable shivers through me. A quick hand cut off the water, and before I knew what was happening, I was borne up in strong arms and carried out of the stall.
I was placed gently on the floor, and steadied as she reached for a large, fluffy towel. She dried me carefully, tenderly, making me feel like the most cherished person on earth, then wrapped me in the towel and lifted me into her arms again, the look of absolute adoration on her face almost painful in its intensity.
We walked down the short, dark hallway, Ice uncaring in her nakedness. She shut the bedroom door behind us with her foot, and placed me gently on the bed, her expression sweet and loving. "How ya doing?" she asked, brushing the bangs from my eyes.
"Oh, I’m...I’m...wonderful."
Her smile was slow and sweet. "I’m glad."
"So am I," I replied with fervor.
Tousling my hair, she straightened and stepped away slightly, stretching her shoulders back and rolling her neck. to loosen the bunched muscles there. I looked on silently, drawn, as always, by the sheer magnificence of her naked body. The cold water and her undeniable arousal had done wonderful things to it, as I’m sure you can imagine, and as I watched, spellbound, a single bead of water, fat with moisture, rolled slowly between her breasts, down the muscled ridges of her abdomen, and nestled in the well of her navel.
I watched that journey through blazing eyes, licking lips suddenly desperate for moisture. Catching me in my fantasies, a secret smile spread over her face, and she crossed to the nightstand. My eyes were glued to her; glued to every sensual shift of muscle over silken skin, glued to the light sway of her hips and to the inky trail of wet hair as it spilled down her tapered back. My hands closed in fists, fighting desperately against the need to just reach out and pull her to me and ravish her senseless.
Opening a small drawer set in the nightstand, she reached in and pulled out an object which made my whole body implode with renewed, raging desire. Holding it in the dim light of the small bedside lamp, she shook the straps free, then looked at me, eyebrow raised and a tiny smile playing over her lips.
"Yes," I gulped, suddenly wondering where all the air had gone in the room, "please."
I spared a brief second to wonder just how she’d come by such a prize, but that thought was quickly lost in the blaze of her eyes as she closed the drawer and crossed back over to my side of the bed. She handed the phallus to me, and I took it with faintly trembling hands. It was of medium size, medium length, and double-ended, with the slightly shorter end to be inserted into the wearer.
I ran my fingers lightly over the warm, pliant skin, then looked up at her, smiling with anticipation. Eyes dark and glittering, nostrils flaring just slightly, she slowly lifted one long leg and planted her foot on the bed, opening herself to me.
She was glistening with moisture, so open and ready for my touch. I spread her fully to my heated gaze, drawing a finger through the lush wetness and watching as a shudder ran through her body. Unable to help myself, I leaned forward and drank deeply of her, moaning with the taste of her readiness on my lips and tongue. Strong fingers threaded themselves through my hair, holding me to her as her hips rocked against my feasting mouth.
I couldn’t get enough of her, this woman who was hot, and wet, and oh so very sweet. The more she offered, the more I took, like a greedy beggar at the feast of a king.
And as I felt her reach that place of no return, I reached up and eased the phallus into her, filling her full as I tasted the musky beginnings of her climax on my tongue. Her body shuddered, her inner walls clenching down hard on the toy in my hand and her hips thrusting uncontrollably against me. Her growl of release was sweet music to my ears.
When her shudders slowed, then halted completely, I pulled a
way after pressing a tender kiss into her flesh. Then I looked up at her, grinning cheekily. She stared down at me, her gaze half-lidded and searing as her fingers worked the harness over her hips and buckled it into place.
I found myself on my back, not quite sure how I’d gotten there, with Ice looming over me on all fours, like some great hungry predator with prey in her grasp. Her lips covered mine in a kiss of boundless passion as her fingers worked to unwrap me from my towel.
That task finally completed to her satisfaction, she lowered herself, lapping up each and every bead of moisture which had escaped the towel’s absorption, attending to her duties with great relish. Her tongue and lips seemed to be everywhere at once, and I shivered, my body taut and aching with desire. She blazed a heated trail down my body, pausing at each breast to suckle and nip, before moving lower, ever lower. When her tongue delved, thrusting, into the recess of my navel, I thought I would release then and there from the sheer erotic power of it.
Lower she moved, her tongue grazing the insides of my thighs, over my knees and calves and down to my toes. As she took the first one into the heat of her mouth, the release denied before came blazing full force and I cried out as the contractions flared through me like a windswept fire on a grassy plain.
She was relentless, though, this woman who was my lover, moving back up my body with the same slow, sure deliberation, until she reached the place where I was all fire and pulsing need. She took me into her mouth, growling as she tasted me, her tongue darting and teasing and stroking and dancing, pushing me higher than I’d ever thought I’d go, and then, still higher, responding to my cries with deep moans of her own.
My body finally reached its straining limit and stiffened forcefully as another climax seared its way through me on tendrils of hungry fire. She held me tenderly in her mouth as my climax ended, then moved back up my body quickly, nestling against me and looking down into my eyes, her own ablaze with love. My spent muscles trembling, I relaxed beneath the secure, warm weight of her body, my eyes closing as I felt her tenderly stroke my hair and face, gentling me and bringing me back home.
