Kristina had walked along the private beach, much further than she had realized before turning back. She had thought long and hard about why Howie had kept Sarah’s visit and the private investigator’s murder from her. In the end, she continued to come back to the same conclusion each and every time. He hadn’t wanted to upset her prior to his proposal and he knew what her reaction would have been. She had also made a decision about the situation with Stephen as she walked. As scared as she was of him and what he was capable of, there was no other way to handle the situation than the one she had concocted in her head if she was to be free to love Howie unconditionally and publicly. She knew in her heart just what had to be done in order for that to happen and she was determined to follow through with it.

In the meantime, not able to sleep, Howie had begun to pace the floor nervously. Kristina had been gone far longer than he had expected and horrible thoughts were beginning to eat at him. Hearing thunder, he gave up and decided to go looking for her. He threw on a pair of thin gray workout pants and grabbed a wife beater from his dresser. He didn’t bother with shoes.

Howie had no more reached the ocean’s edge when the rain began to pour forth from the sky. He could see a distant speck approaching and he ran towards it, hoping against all odds that it was Kristina.

As they met, both of them soaked to the bone, Kristina ran into his arms and he held her tightly against him, thankful that she was okay.

He cupped her face in his soft yet strong hands and whispered, "Are you okay?"

"No" she replied flatly.

Looking her over to make sure he didn’t see any physical wounds, he asked, "What’s wrong?"

She said nothing, seeing the fear and confusion in his eyes. Instead, she kissed him hungrily, her lips parting to allow his tongue to mingle with hers, as the kiss became deeper and more heated. Her hands were in his hair, raking through the wet curls as he pulled her as close against him as possible, her breasts standing full and taut against his chest. Breathless, she pulled away from him and stared emotionally into his soft brown eyes.

"I love you, ‘D’. I love you more than anything in this world and I want nothing more than to be your wife."

His heart swelled, never doubting her love but amazed at how enthusiastic she was in reminding him of it. "I love you too, princess."

She leaned in and began to kiss his neck skillfully, her tongue caressing his earlobe before her teeth grazed the small gold hoop he wore. He hardened instantly, pressing against her stomach as a soft moan escaped his lips.

"I need you," she said impatiently as the rain continued to trickle through their hair and down their impassioned bodies. "Make love to me, please!"

He stopped her incredible ministrations on his neck, searching her eyes for an answer as to what caused this sudden change of heart. Seeing the overwhelming desire burning in her pale blue eyes, he asked, "Am I forgiven?"

"There’s nothing to forgive, ‘D’. You did what you thought was right because you love me and I blew up. I’m over it."

He kissed her softly, one hand cupping her breast through the white T-shirt that had now become sheer due to the rain.

His lips kissed her wet cheek and then moved down her neck as she leaned her head back, giving him complete access to do what he wanted. He knew he had her at that moment, the moment she relaxed and sank into his arms. Her neck was her most sensitive area and he now had full possession of her body and soul.

He suckled and nipped, licked and nibbled until her body trembled beneath him. Kristina was on fire, her body begging for release as he ravaged her neck. She wanted him to ache the way she was aching as she reached between them and massaged his throbbing shaft through the thin rain soaked material of his pants. He was bulging and she had to have him inside of her, fucking her senseless, making her scream out his name.

Lost in each other and the way their bodies were reacting to each other’s touch, a sudden bolt of lightening caused both of them to jump in surprise.

"We better take this back to the house" he laughed. "It think it will be far safer in there."

Kristina took his hand and the pair took off running as yet another bolt of lightening and crash of thunder surrounded them.

Laughing and out of breath, they ran up the stairs and in the back door. Howie shut and locked it behind them as the electricity flickered.

"Matches?" Kristina asked as she picked up a candle from the table and smiled.

"First drawer in the bathroom."

Kristina went to the bathroom in search of the matches, finding them exactly where he had said they would be.

Howie leaned against the doorframe quietly and watched as Kristina peeled off her wet clothes, unaware that he was watching her. As she slipped out of her panties and laid everything on the garden tub to dry, she caught a glimpse of him in the doorway. She turned and faced him, the soft glow of the candlelight casting a shadow across her face.

"Come here" she whispered, as he obeyed and strolled over to her. "You need to get out of those wet clothes."

She pulled the wife beater over his head as he helped her, tossing it on the floor. She knelt in front of him and pulled his pants down around his ankles, kissing his stomach, following his soft downy happy trail with her tongue. As he stepped out of his pants, he pulled her to her feet and took her face in his hands.

"I’m sorry..." he started but was quickly hushed as she put her finger to his lips. There was a loud crash outside and the lights went out, but they never flinched from the intimate gaze they were sharing. Moving her finger from his lips, she replaced the emptiness with her mouth and ran her hand under his hair to the base of his neck, raking her fingernails across the ultra sensitive area. It was a soft spot few knew about that drove him insane.

Kristina took a step back, never taking her eyes from his body and reached for the candle. Opening his eyes, he saw the mischievous look in her eyes and followed her into the bedroom. She set the candle on the nightstand and took out a satin scarf from her lingerie drawer. Crawling onto the bed, she lay down, the scarf lying beside her and waited for him.

On his knees, he crawled between her legs and bent to place a kiss right above her thigh before moving towards her breasts.

"You are so beautiful" he whispered, teasing her hardened nipples with his expert tongue. "I love it when you are all wet."

"You look pretty amazing when you are wet too, I might add" she giggled.

"Kris, what’s with the silk scarf?" he asked curiously.

"It’s for you!" she exclaimed in a husky lust filled voice.

"Me? What are you going to do to me?"

"Tie your hands together so you can’t touch me."

Positioning himself between her legs, teasing her wet folds with the swollen tip of his cock, he said, "But I HAVE to touch you. I can’t make love to you if I can’t touch you."

"Yes you can," she said as she squirmed beneath him. Pushing his weight off of her, she rolled him onto his back and straddled him, her face reflecting her satisfaction at what she had just done. "Trust me, baby. You are going to like this" she whispered as she took the scarf and tied his hands together.

Staring down at him, the helpless look in his eyes, she smiled wickedly. She had him right where she wanted him and tonight was going to be a night he would never forget.

Chapter 72       Index