Aftermath

Chapter 6

I have always loved that moment between sleep and full awakening. That moment when your mind is in both the subconscious and conscious moment, where dreams feel like realities and the harshness of the real world hasn't yet had the time to re-establish itself.

Only the soft twittering of the dawn chorus breaks up the stillness of the room. A shaft of early morning sunlight bathing my face with its welcomed warmth and its promise of another fine spring morning.

My body still feels a little leaden and I haven't yet opened my eyes; for to do so would break the moment that I cherish so much. Instead I succumb to the sunlight's warmth and turn my face further into it, letting its glow penetrate my still sleep fogged mind.

I feel the soft satin of the bed sheets slide against my skin as I slowly stretch my limbs and revel in my nakedness.

The sense of déjà vu that I have been experiencing up to now evaporates as that last thought sweeps across my consciousness.

My eyes slowly open and I take a moment to allow them to adjust to the dim morning sunlight that filters into the room from my half open window blinds. It casts curiously slanting shadows of dark and light across the surfaces of my bedroom and I follow them with my gaze, watching dust motes lazily drift in and out of the amber light.

I unfurl from my foetal position in the bed, feeling the muscles in my lower back elongate as I work them. As I do so, the first stirrings of protest, from other more intimate areas, make themselves known to me, as slowly my body fully awakens from its rested state.

A soft smile breaks across my lips as memories start to slowly drip feed into my mind from the previous nights activities.

The hast in which we disembarked from the cab after its interminable slow drive back to my house from the restaurant.

The gun shot sound of the deadbolt sliding into place as I closed and locked my front door, the sound echoing in the silence of my hallway, as though it were a starters pistol, announcing the beginning of the intimate race that we were about to embark upon.

The heat of Daniel's hands upon my skin as he brushes confident fingers across my bare shoulders, eliciting a trail of goose bumps in their wake. The firmness with which those same hands pull my eager and willing body against his, twisting us until my back is up against the hallway wall, pressing himself against me.

The soft whisper of fabric sliding against fabric as I push his jacket over his shoulders and down his arms, followed by the muffled thud as the material hits the floor at our feet. The rasping sound that his tie makes against the silk collar of his shirt as I free him from its restraint, the sound of buttons popping softly open, exposing his warm skin to my lips and tongue.

The gentleness with which he lowers the zipper of my dress, the reverence of his touch as he slides the garment down across my torso and over my hips, exposing my underwear to his heated perusal. The surprised widening of his desire filled eyes as he takes in my garter clad lower body.

The feel of his long drawn out groan as I slide my tongue deep inside his mouth, its vibrations emanating outward from his body into mine as though it were some kind of echo location beacon, its resonance settling deep within my core, setting me afire with need.

The brush of his fingers against my stockings as they travel determinedly up and over the exposed flesh of my upper thighs, briefly making contact with the fabric of my garter belt, before his fiery hands sweep over my hips, grasping my waist as he pulls me upward so that my legs can lock firmly around him.

The unexpected sound of my giggling as Daniel tries to navigate his way toward my bedroom, bouncing us off of walls and doorways in his haste, soft curses leaving his lips as he mistakenly identifies my guest room for my boudoir.

The cool feel of satin sheets against my heated skin as he gently lowers us onto my bed, his clothed body caging mine, pressing me further into the mattress with its welcomed weight.

The sound of our lips moving against each other as our kisses become more fervent, our tongues duelling, teasing, tasting. Teeth softly nipping against lips, coaxing the heat of our passion higher, the need within us burning brighter and with more urgency.

The unaccustomed trembling of my fingers as they slip across Daniel's naked torso, the feel of his toned muscles clenching as I run them teasingly across his broad back, following the line of his vertebra, sweeping them across his taut abdomen, coming to rest against the aroused evidence of his desire for me.

The snick as the front catch of my bra is released, the cups swept away, the feel of his hands against those now over sensitized orbs of flesh, his thumbs rubbing against my nipples, teasing them into pleasurable peaks. The feel of his tongue as he brushes it across them, making me squirm beneath him, wanting more of his mouth upon me.

The long drawn out moan of approval that breaks from my lips as I am finally granted my wish.

The bereft feeling that washes over me as Daniel abruptly leaves the sanctity of our bed to hastily shed the rest of his clothing, the feeling of loss burned away and replaced with hot, wanton desire as I gaze unashamedly at the glory of his naked body.

The thrill of excitement that surges through my nerve endings when his assured fingers glide across my still garter clad thighs, unlatching the clasps, shedding the stockings and the last pieces of silky material that act as a final barrier between us.

The wet trail of his lips and tongue as he charts every inch of me, my hands kneading the satiny bed sheets as his mouth closes in and then brushes provocatively against my most intimate of places. The reverberating sound of my keening cries and pleas as his mouth and practised fingers bring me to the brink of completion, only for him to bank the flames of my ardour before stoking them over and over again until I am writhing in pleasurable agony.

The scorching intensity of his gaze, the ocean blue of his irises replaced with dark pools of ebony as his pupils dilate with arousal. The unvoiced question asked within that powerful stare as he finally positions himself to enter me, its meaning clear and unmistakable.

The incredible feeling of his flesh pressing slowly into mine, of our bodies joining once more in that oldest of dances. The sensation of my body opening itself to him, slowly adjusting to his fullness. The slow ebb and flow of our initial thrusts as we begin our combined journey toward ecstasy.

The soft cadence of his voice in my ear as he seductively whispers his entreaties, coaxing me onward, taking me higher, merging us together in body and soul until we are truly one entity.

The inescapable quickening of our pace as thoughts give way to feelings, the coil deep within me starting to tighten in reaction to his body's focused stimulation. The feeling of him tensing above me, his muscles tightening under my fingertips as his body begins to drive mine toward the inevitability of release.

The sound of my laboured panting as the moment of climax rushes toward me, his gasps and moans mingling with my breathlessness. The sound of his name whispered over and over again as though it were a precious mantra emanating from my lips.

The sudden shift in my equilibrium as he changes position, rolling us until I am above him, the cool night air causing the perspiration on my back to prickle against my skin, my nipples to tighten into painful pleasure points, pushing me further toward the pinnacle of my desire.

Inarticulate moans turning into keening cries as his fingers close over my ultra sensitised breasts, kneading them, plucking at those hardened tips with the pads of his fingertips. The heat of his mouth as he encloses it around that point of pleasure, suckling it, swirling around and around it with the tip of his tongue.

The feel of my body as it is pushed to the brink of collapse, as sensation after sensation floods my already incredibly aroused nervous system. The sound of my pleas for Daniel to end the sweet torture that he has perpetrated upon my body merge with my appeals for him not to stop.

The awareness of his meandering fingers as they slowly and tenderly make their way down my body, across my hipbone, slipping through the curls at my apex to press deftly against where we are intimately joined.

The sensation of the overly wound coil inside me finally snapping, its high intensity vibrations rippling through me in convulsive waves, causing my body to spasm rigidly above him as I ride out the storm surge that is flowing through me, threatening to overload my brain and frazzle my synapses.

The faint understanding that my world has suddenly tilted upon its axis again as Daniel rolls me beneath him, his body surging inside me as his hips piston against mine, his release bursting forth in three short, sharp thrusts, my name a soft whisper upon his lips.

The vague awareness of our bodies still intimately entwined as Daniel gently rolls onto his side so as not to crush me, his exhausted muscles giving out. The soft kisses that pepper my face and eyes, my mouth and nose. The tender meaningful smile that graces his lips as he whispers his love for me as we settle down to slumber.

The overwhelming sensation of finally knowing what it feels like to be truly loved.

When I made love with Daniel last night it was without guilt and without fear. I gave myself to him in a way that I had never experienced before, not even with our previous encounter. Last night Daniel stripped me bare, laid me open before him and learned things about me that I wasn't even aware of myself.

I learned a lot about Daniel too.

I was allowed access into his very soul and witnessed the joy that my loving him can bring. I've seen the peace in his eyes as he lay sated and exhausted in my arms, seen the contentment that our union has brought forth. I have experienced the intensity in which he loves me, been the recipient of the passion that fires his heart and have been overwhelmingly accepted as his lover.

I know that I have made the right choice, that my place is by Daniel's side, for as long as he needs me.

I stretch again, feeling the warm satin sheets slide against my skin, wrapping me in their silky cocoon. As I relax into the sensation, I feel the heat of Daniel's body as he spoons up behind me, the warmth of his chest coming into contact with my back, his long legs entangling with mine. His hand slips across my hip and gently smoothes across my abdomen, pulling me further against his naked body.

"Sam, are you okay?"

Once again his voice isn't roughed by sleep and I wonder just how long he has been waiting for me to wake up. The sense of déjà vu that I had experienced earlier reasserts itself and for a brief moment I am catapulted back to another moment, in another bed, but this time my reaction is totally different.

"You know this is becoming a habit, Daniel."

"What is?"

"Waking up naked with you in bed."

I feel him place a kiss on my bare shoulder and his fingers gently caress my abdomen, just like he did on that morning in his apartment. This time I have no intention of pulling away from him and absolutely no reason to run from him.

"If it's habit forming then it's one that I'd like to become addicted to." His fingers rise to brush against the underside of my breast and I gasp softly, pushing myself back into him, hearing him mirror my earlier sharp intake of breath as I brush up against his morning arousal.

"Me too."

He is holding me tightly within his embrace, his arms around my torso and his long legs entwined with mine. I wonder if it is a defence mechanism, whether he may still be worried that I might even now run out on him.

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not going to run away from you."

"I know."

"Then why are you holding me as though you are frightened of letting me go?" I raise my hand and tenderly caress his bicep, running my fingers softly over the warm skin, trying to instil upon him through touch alone my acceptance of our changed status.

"Because maybe I am."

"Why?"

I feel his lips against the nape of my neck, feel him place a series of soft open mouthed kisses against my skin.

"Because when I let you go I might wake up and find myself all alone again." He pulls me even further against his body as though he is trying desperately to merge us into one being. "I'm so tired of being alone, Sam."

The vulnerability in his voice brings tears to my eyes.

"Give me enough room to turn around and I'll prove to you that I have no intention of going anywhere, Daniel."

Slowly I feel the pressure of his arms and legs around me lessen, feel his arms slip away from me and his legs disentangle themselves from mine. I feel him roll over onto his back, the satin sheets sliding away from me with his movements, exposing my bare skin to the early morning coolness of the room.

I turn to face him, rising slightly so that I can bend my arm enough to rest my chin in my hand, so that I can look directly into those soulful blue eyes. I want him to have no doubt that what I am about to say is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth…

So help me God.

"I love you, Daniel, I think I always have."

His eyes widen slightly with my declaration, tears forming in their corners before he blinks them away.

"If the world were to end right now…at this very moment…I would die knowing that I have become a better person for having known you, for having loved you. You have a way of opening people's eyes, of challenging them, making them see beyond the expected to what is beyond. You touch the lives of everyone that you come into contact with and you're not even aware that you do it." I place my free hand upon his heart, feeling it beating softly beneath my touch.

"Sam I…" I stop the rest of his words with a shake of my head.

"I'm not finished yet." He gives me a quizzical eyebrow and I can't resist the temptation to close the distance between us and kiss him briefly on the lips. "You'll never be alone, Daniel, not in any real sense of the word. There are so many people whose lives have taken a different path because of your influence upon them. There are so many people on this planet and countless others that owe their very existence to that doggedness of yours and I'm proud to say that I'm one of them."

"You're making me sound like a super hero."

"Perhaps that's because to a lot of people you are." He chuckles softly at my remark and shakes his head. "I know that sometimes you believe that you haven't made a difference, but you have and it's a much bigger difference than you could possibly imagine. You'll never be alone, Daniel, because too many people out there hold you within their hearts."

"At the risk of sounding selfish there's only one person's heart right now that I'm interested in and that's yours, Sam."

I shift position on the bed, sliding across the sheets until my body is half draped across his torso, my leg sliding across his thigh, one hand smoothing its way across his stomach. I take his arm and drape it around my shoulders and snuggle further against him.

"I tried to tell you all this once before, but my timing sucked. I tried to tell you when you were too sick to understand. You were dying and I had this sudden epiphany and I was too much of an emotional wreck to properly understand it, let alone explain it to you."

"I guess Kelowna opened a lot of people's eyes." Daniel's arm tightens around me, holding me tightly.

"I loved you then, Daniel, and I love you now. You're not going to be alone anymore because I'm going to be with you every step of the way."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He rolls me beneath him, his heated body pressing my cooler one against the soft satin of the bed sheets. His lips descend upon mine in a hungry kiss which I reciprocate, sliding my tongue into his mouth as he opens it for my scrutiny. A long moment passes as we continue to explore one another, our heads tilting this way and that as we try to find the perfect fit. Eventually we have to break for air and Daniel rests his forehead against mine.

"I love you so much, Sam."

"Show me."

We make love in the early hours of the new dawn accompanied by the sound of the morning birdsong, the shafts of sunlight streaming through the window blinds encase our bodies within its golden hue as though the heavens themselves were giving us their seal of approval.

As a new day begins so does our journey together.

The End

Author's note.

Well that's it folks the end of this here tale. I hope you enjoyed it. I would like to say thank you to everyone that took the time to post a review as it really means a lot to me to know what people think. Reviews really are the only way that a writer can gauge the success of a story.

This was my first WIP and I have mixed feelings about it and whether I'd do it again, but as they say never say never, so I won't, especially as I'm working on another story that could quite easily be posted in chapters.

Until next time.