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More Than Darkness	By : SaMe Category: M through R > Once Upon A Time In Mexico Views: 4591 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the movie that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-1
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-4
- 5-5
- 6-6
- 7-7
- 8-8
- 9-9
- 10-10
- 11-11
- 12-12
- 13-13
- 14-14
- 15-15
- 16-16
- 17-17
- 18-18
- 19-19
- 20-20
- 21-21
- 22-22
- 23-23
- 24-24
- 25-25
- 26-26
- 27-27
- 28-28
- 29-29
- 30-30
- 31-31
- 32-32
- 33-33
- 34-34
- 35-35
- 36-36
- 37-37
- 38-38
- 39-39
- 40-40
- 41-41
- 42-42
- 43-43
- 44-44
- 45-45
- 46-46
- 47-47
- 48-48
- 49-49
- 50-50
- 51-51
- 52-52
- 53-53
- 54-54
- 55-55
- 56-56
- 57-57
- 58-58
- 59-59
- 60-60
- 61-61
- 62-62
- 63-63
- 64-64
- 65-65
- 66-66
- 67-67
- 68-68
- 69-69
- 70-70
- 71-71
- 72-72
- 73-73
- 74-74
- 75-75
- 76-76
- 77-77
- 78-78
- 79-79
- 80-80
- 81-81
- 82-82
- 83-83
- 84-84
- 85-85
- 86-86
- 87-87
- 88-88
- 89-89
- 59
- 60
- 61
Jack glanced at the screen door that led into the
kitchen. �I wonder what that was about,�
he said in his Louisianan drawl.
�So do I,� Sands
said with a slight frown. �I fear I may
find out soon though.�
�It won�t be too
bad,� Jack said, even though he had no idea what had been discussed. �Aida�s discussions with her mother were
never all that quiet. They never seemed
to see things from the same point of view.�
�Why not? If you don�t mind my asking. They seemed to get along well enough.�
�They do . . . for
awhile. Don�t get me wrong, they love
each other, but they�re both stubborn.
Neither is willing to compromise, much less admit defeat. The only reason the arguments never got ugly
was that Aida always bowed to Susan�s demands eventually.�
�What sorts of
demands?� Sands asked carefully.
�Nothing big . . . Susan
and I always thought that it was best to let the children make those decisions
on their own. It was little things . . .
how short was too short for a skirt. How
late curfew could be. Wanting to be in
school and community theater at the same time at the cost of grades. That was actually the biggest fight.�
�Was that the
reason she left? Forgive me if I�m being
intrusive, sir.�
�No . . . that wasn�t
the reason she left. That happened her
sophomore year.� The older man took a
deep breath and studiously flipped the steaks.
�The reason Aida left � according to the note she left us at least � was
that she wanted a life she knew we wouldn�t approve of. And not only was she unable to find it here,
but if she stayed, she�d eventually give up her dream in favor of our feelings
on the matter and she didn�t want to have to do that.�
�From what I�ve
seen sir, she seems happy with the life she�s led but for one aspect. She�s missed you and your wife very much since
she�s been gone. I know I haven�t known
her for quite that long, but anyone can see that. Seeing you again has been her chief concern
ever since she sent you that letter. She
wanted to come sooner, but circumstances kept her in New
Orleans until now.�
�She was right in a
way . . . to leave I mean. Susan and I
have always been concerned for her. For
one, she has always refused to take the easy way to do anything, and for
another, she�s too good-hearted. We were
afraid that she might get herself into real trouble before she learned the
lessons she needed to get by in the City.�
Who says she hasn�t? �I promise you, sir: you will never have to
worry about her safety as long as I�m with her. I would never let anything happen to her.�
�That�s what a
father likes to hear. Now tell me, what
have you learned about my little girl? I
want to know if she�s changed any since she�s left us.�
�I�ve learned that
I don�t deserve a woman like her in my life, sir. She�s honest and kind and everything that I�m
not. She tries to make me a better
person and I love her for trying even though I�m not fully convinced that she�ll
succeed. I�ve told her this, and yet she
tries anyway. She�s strong, and brave,
and resourceful. She�s not going to let
this illness defeat her. She never was. She hasn�t let some of the experiences she�s
had in this life get her down. I love
your daughter very much, Mr. Grant. For
all of these things and more.�
�That sounds like
my girl. When she was little, she was
forever bringing home strays, birds with broken wings, abandoned nestlings . .
. anything she could get her hands on.
She was never able to keep any of them � a lot of them she didn�t really
want to keep � but she was always
trying to make things better for the broken things she found.�
Sands gave him a
small smile and nodded. �Yes, she�s good
at that still.�
�That�s good. Then the lessons she learned weren�t too
painful.�
�I don�t know about
that, sir,� Sands said cautiously. �She�s
had some hard times, I know. She wasn�t
quite living in squalor when I met her, not nearly, but she was definitely . .
. pinching pennies.�
Jack glanced
sidelong at his new son-in-law. That was
an odd thing to say, if one took Aida�s upbringing into consideration. �How much has Aida told you about how she
grew up?�
�Some, but not
every detail sir. She said her mother
was a housekeeper and you worked in roofing. Why?�
�That�s right. Neither of those jobs make a lot of money,
and we were raising six kids on those salaries.
Aida learned from the crib how to pinch pennies. All our children did.�
�Oh,� Sands said
slowly, looking uncomfortable at his unintentional faux pas. �I�m sorry.�
�Don�t be. The two of you come from completely different
worlds.�
Sands nodded
slowly. �I often think that we still
have more differences than similarities most days, sir.�
�Well . . . that�s
what makes a marriage interesting. It
doesn�t make it successful, mind. That
only comes if both parties are willing to look at those differences and work
through them. But they do make life
interesting.�
�She�s . . . trying
her best, sir. As am I. I�m not often an easy man to work with though,
so have no doubt that she�s got the harder of the jobs.�
�But Aida has
always enjoyed a challenge. If she ran
out of them, I�m not sure what she�d do.�
Sands laughed
shortly at that. �I�m not sure, but I
know I wouldn�t want to be around if she does.�
�I don�t think you
have to worry about that, son. Something
tells me that you�re just the challenge she�s been looking for.�
�I hope so,� Sands
murmured, still not liking to be called �son� but not arguing it either.
�All you have to do
is keep your wits sharp and her mind occupied.
No matter how much she protests it, Aida has always been a smart
girl. Perhaps not book smart, but we
never had to tell her the same thing twice.�
�I�ve tried telling
her that, but she never wants to believe me. She thinks that because I had more schooling
than she did or got better grades that she�s somehow inadequate,� he said with
a sigh. �Finding out that I speak eight
languages didn�t help any,� he murmured under his breath.
�What was that?�
�What was what,
sir?�
�What did she find
out? You�re going to have to speak up a
little. Twenty-some years next to a nail
gun tends to be hard on the ears.�
�Oh. I�m sorry. She . . . found out I got straight A�s all
through school and that I speak eight languages.� He shuffled his feet a little as he said this.
�Really. Eight?
That�s certainly something to be proud of.�
Sands shrugged the
comment off. �I guess. That kind of thing just always came easy to
me.�
�Just like acting
came easily to your wife. Everyone has
their talents.�
�I suppose, sir.�
Jack decided to let
that be at the moment, especially after he saw the steaks were done. �Why don�t you go find out if the women are
done primping, and tell them that the steaks are done?�
�Yes, sir,� Sands
said, not waiting to walk into the house to get Aida and Susan. He found them setting the table. �Mr. Grant sent me to tell you that the steaks
are done,� he said to Mrs. Grant in particular.
�Alright. Aida, please get ��
A silent Aida was
in motion before her mother�s directions could be voiced. In one fell swoop she gathered the tray of
condiments, the salad, and the bowl of steak fries.
Sands just stood
out of the way as best he could, rubbing at his still sore wrist as he watched
Aida and her mother move about the dining room table like a whirlwind. As he watched them, he almost felt guilty that
he was taking her away from all of this. Almost. He could see how happy she was to be here and
how much she had missed interacting with her parents. He knew she had been looking forward to this
moment for a long time and he didn�t want to have to take it away from her. It was unfair, but that was the way it was. He couldn�t do anything about that, as much as
he might care to try for her sake, and he was sorry for that.
Finally everything
was brought to the table. Aida and Susan
stood by their chairs as Jack brought the steaks in. Glancing at her husband, Aida made a gesture
indicating that he should come sit at the seat next to hers.
Sands nodded
imperceptively and went to join his wife at the table, waiting until Mrs. Grant
sat down before claiming his seat. He
had been about to reach for one of the steaks when Aida grabbed his hand. He looked at her confused when he noticed that
each member of the Grant family � including Aida � had bowed their heads.
�Dear Father in
heaven, we thank you for this meal, for regained and new family, and your
protection and forgiveness each and every day. Be with our family as they travel tomorrow and
may they all get here safely. In Your
name, Amen.� Susan finished and looked
up, indicating that it was now time to eat.
Aida squeezed Sands�
hand before letting go and reaching for the salad. At
least she didn�t ask me to pray. The abruptness with which her mother had
reasserted her parental authority rankled, but Aida was trying not to let it
get to her.
Sands still looked
a little confused by the whole proceedings, but shrugged it off and filled his
plate with the rarest steak he could find and steak fries. He avoided the salad all together. He sighed a little at the water he had been
given to drink, and wished he had had the foresight to have picked up a bottle
of wine as a gift.
Aida added fries
and the smallest piece of steak to her plate before Jack said, �Okay . . . what
was the disagreement about?�
Aida stared at her
plate, unwilling to answer.
�I�ve informed Aida
that her and Sands� presence is requested at St. Catherine�s on Sunday,� Susan
said calmly.
Sands narrowly
avoided choking on the piece of steak he had currently been chewing on.
Aida still stayed
silent, hoping that her father would put a stop to this but not willing to ask
for his help.
Jack on the other
hand just shook his head. This was
something he�d discuss with his wife later.
In private. �Sunday is still a
few days away,� he said calmly. �In the
meantime, there�s a concert in the park tonight and I thought it might be nice
if we all went.�
Sands kept his
frown to himself and turned to Aida. He
had wanted to have her alone after this; to be away from these people for a
little while before tomorrow at least, but he wouldn�t blame her if she wanted
to go. �What kind of concert, sir?� he
asked casually.
�Jazz and
bluegrass. Susan and I often go.�
�Oh.� He looked to his wife again. She still seemed to be fuming silently over
the news that they would be going with her parents to church on Sunday and
therefore not offering up any excuses as to why they couldn�t go. He himself found he couldn�t lie like that to
these people. Not about something so
petty as to whether or not they could go to a concert with them. �I guess that sounds alright. Sure. Thank
you, sir,� he said with a small forced smile.
�I don�t know how
long we�ll stay,� Aida suddenly volunteered.
�Sands will probably feel the need to rush me to bed the moment I start
yawning.�
�Probably,� Sands agreed, trying his best not
to show how relieved her statement made him. He simply turned his focus back on his meal,
simply trying to get through it in one piece.
�What did you study
in school, Sands?� Susan asked politely, seeming to sense the tension in the
room and doing her best to dissolve it.
�Abnormal and
clinical psychology,� Sands said after a moment. �I even have a doctorate in it,� he murmured. He didn�t think he had ever told Aida that. He hadn�t necessarily wanted to after she had
reacted to finding out how he had done in school compared to her own
experiences. He still remembered her
very clearly saying, If we had met in
high school, I probably would have hated you. That had affected him more than he had let on at
the time.
Aida was a little
hurt that he�d never told her that, but she wasn�t going to let anyone know
that. �Sands simply doesn�t like to tell
people that because for one, he did it because he was interested in psychology,
not for the prestige; and two, he doesn�t want people coming up to him and
asking for a diagnoses.�
�I don�t think I�d
be quite qualified for that,� he murmured for her ears alone.
�I can�t say I
blame you,� Susan said, a little taken aback by this information. It gladdened her heart to see a man who had
had so much grief in his life achieve such things. �Should we be calling you Dr. Sands then?� she
asked, only half teasing.
Sands couldn�t help
frowning as he shook his head gently. �No.
Just Sands.� He wished he hadn�t told them about it.
�We went to Hawaii
for out honeymoon,� Aida said quickly, wanting to change the topic before
anyone else could continue on the previous line of questioning.
�Really? I�ve always wanted to go there. What was it like?� Susan asked, leaning
forward in her seat, eager for details.
�Warm. Very warm.�
Jack laughed. �I don�t think your mother is going to be
content with that, Firefly.�
Aida sighed. �It was absolutely gorgeous. We got the honeymoon sweet, and three whole
walls of the room were floor to ceiling windows. We walked on the beach, did some shopping,
and watched the sun rise every morning.�
Sands regained a
little of his lost balance as he remembered their honeymoon fondly. He especially remembered a session of
passionate lovemaking that wouldn�t be fit for Aida�s parents� ears. Even though he thought it would be highly
amusing at the moment were he to share it. He held back for Aida�s sake. �She watched it every morning. I sort of slept-watched it.�
Susan laughed. �Not a morning person, I take it?�
�Not in the least,�
Sands answered.
�It was definitely
a struggle to wake him every morning, even with the sun starting to come in the
windows. And our bed had these gauzy,
curtainy things that didn�t do much to block the light so I�m not sure how he
managed it.�
Sands might have
said something sappy like, �I had you by my side to keep me content,� but he
couldn�t quite manage it in current company. �I�ve learned to sleep wherever I find myself,�
he said with a shrug.
�What do you mean
by that?� Susan asked.
�Oh, um, I meant
that . . . while I was in school, I often fell asleep in the library or
something.� He had actually meant he had
gotten used to waking up strange places after Jeffrey had been out for the
night. I�ve got to get fucking out of here before I make another stupid slip
like that, he berated himself. One
would think that while he was so tense around the Grant�s that he�d be able to
keep better control of himself in that situation. The opposite was more often true actually.
�He�s also traveled
quite a bit, so he�s used to sleeping in strange places.�
�Where have you
been?� Susan asked curiously.
�Uh, I�ve been
throughout the US,
naturally, because of my work and I�ve been to Italy.
I�ve always wanted to travel more,
especially in Europe, but I haven�t had the chance.�
�Well perhaps you�ll
get that chance someday. Italy,
really? Do you speak Italian?�
�Naturalmente,
signora. L�italiano � una lingua bella.�
�Oh, what did you
say?�
�I said that
Italian was a beautiful language,� Sands answered with a slight duck of his
head.
�Sands talks to me
in Italian sometimes. It�s very
romantic.� Setting down her utensils,
Aida pushed her plate away and leaned her head against Sands� shoulder.
�Is that all you�re
eating, Aida?�
�Yes, Poppa.� Jack nodded and continued eating his own
meal, listening to the conversation as it flowed around him. Why can�t
Momma do that? Aida wondered wistfully.
�Are you alright,
Aida?� Sands asked her softly, nodding his head at her mostly uneaten dinner.
�I�m done.� Her eyes warned him not to make a fuss about
it lest her mother follow in the same vein, but Aida had the feeling that it
was already too late for that.
�But you�ve hardly
eaten anything. Aida, you�re too thin as
it is,� he said in that same soft, discreet voice although he could now feel
Susan�s eyes on them though she hadn�t said anything yet.
�I�ll eat something
later if I get hungry,� she replied in a stilted voice. She wasn�t going to regain her old body
weight overnight.
�Fine. Forget it. Sorry for caring,� he muttered.
�Is everything
alright?� Susan spoke up.
No. Everything wasn�t alright. Her husband was mad at her, she was being
forced to do something she didn�t want to do, and she was getting a
headache. �Yes, Momma. Sands is just playing mother hen again.�
Sands grew very
still at her comment and his face went blank. He picked his napkin up off of his lap calmly,
wiped his face, and laid it gently on the table next to his plate. �Sir, ma�am, if you�ll excuse me, I�m going
out for a cigarette.� He got up and left
without another word.
Aida looked down at
her plate. The back door closed with too
much gentleness to indicate anything other than Sands was upset.
�He . . . he doesn�t
understand,� Aida said through her dry mouth.
�Eating when I�m not hungry will only make me throw up, but he�s
concerned for me. He wants to see me
healthy again.�
�I suggest you go
talk to him then, Aida,� Susan said in a soft voice. �And I�m sorry if I in some way caused this. Especially after . . . what you told me.�
�No. It�s not your fault. I should know better than to make light of
his concern. And it�d be better if I
left him to himself for awhile.�
�If you�re sure.
You know him best.�
�He loves you very
much.�
�I know,
Poppa. I know. He won�t be upset for long.�
Meanwhile, Sands
was a walking, muttering, chain-smoking blur across the length of the back yard
as he paced. �It�s like she doesn�t even
care that I worry about her,� he muttered on one turn. �Why did she have to say that in front of
them? I shouldn�t have left like that. Shows lack of control,� he muttered on
another. �I�m not going back in there. Not now. Not after I walked out like that. I won�t face them again. Not now. They�re probably talking about me right now in
their biting whispered confidences. Why did you marry him, Aida? Can�t you see he�s unhinged? He couldn�t even stand to sit through one
comment in front of us. That�s what
they�re saying. I know it. They don�t care about me. I�m just a source of amusement in their dull
little lives.� He wondered vaguely, just
for a second, if he might have been overreacting just a tad, but the thought
passed by the wayside as the irrational thoughts moved in, each one more
appealing to his current mood. �I�m not
going back in there. They can take their
boring normal petty lives and go straight to hell,� he muttered, taking another
long drag on his . . . third? fourth? . . . cigarette.
Light spilled
across the yard three cigarettes later as Aida came out to sit in the porch
swing. Sands would come talk to her when
he was ready, and she�d try to make amends.
Sands took note of
her but didn�t go over to meet her right away. His mind was still moving too quickly for him
to stop now, so still he paced for another handful of turns and smoked
cigarettes before stalking over to her. He
didn�t say anything to her though yet. He
just moved himself so that he wasn�t standing upwind of her, and continued his
irritated smoking.
�My parents
left. I told them we might meet up with
them, but to not expect us.�
Sands nodded,
dropping the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stepping on it as he blew
smoke through his nose. �I didn�t . . . appreciate
what you said, Aida. I worry about you
and you treat it like it�s nothing.�
�I know you worry
about me. And you know � or you should
know � how much I hate being told what to do when I already know. I know
I need to gain weight, but it�s going to be a slow process because the
radiation and chemo won�t fully work their way out of my body for nearly a
year. True, I could eat everything in
sight in an effort to gain weight, but it wouldn�t be healthy weight. Also, I hate being skin and bones as much as
you hate it for me. And I wasn�t
disregarding your worry. I was trying to
deflect my mother�s. If you hadn�t let
it go, she would be nagging me to eat something every five minutes for the rest
of this visit, and I couldn�t take that.�
That thought � the
thought that told him he was probably overreacting that he had ignored � made
him bow his head a little. �I didn�t
mean to walk out like that, Aida. And I�m
sorry I didn�t come back. I just . . . I
couldn�t face them again after what I had done.�
�It�s okay. I made sure they understood. They won�t hold it against you. I explained that we were both tired from the
drive, a little stressed with moving plans, and that we both needed to get laid
before we�d act like normal human beings.�
She said this last part with such a straight face that it was hard to
tell whether or not she was telling the truth.
For a few moments
he attempted to glean the truth from her casual statement, but then decided it
wasn�t worth it and nodded. �Just say
the word and I�ll be more than happy to oblige.�
�Well . . . I did
call and make reservations for us at the motel.
Unless you want to go back to my bedroom first . . .�
�Later. It�s not as much fun if there�s no one around
that might catch us,� he said after a moment�s thought.
�See, I was
thinking the exact opposite.�
�Oh. Well if you want to, far be it from me to deny
you anything, spitfire.�
�Do you?� The reappearance of the nickname was a good
sign.
�Do I want to have
sweaty, intensely passionate sex with you in your old bedroom on your frilly
pink bed? The thought has occurred to
me, yes.�
Aida toyed with the
hem of her shirt. �Perhaps you should do
something about that then.�
�Hmm, perhaps,� he
murmured, taking her by the hand and pulling her to her feet. �Come on. As interesting as having sex on a porch swing
might be � we�ll have to try it later � I want somewhere a little softer in
which to pound you into the mattress.�
�I�d appreciate
that,� Aida purred, wrapping her arms around his neck. �You going to carry me away like the hero in
a romance novel?�
�I�m no hero, and
this isn�t a romance novel, but I will definitely carry you away,� he said,
lifting her into his arms.
�You can be my
hero,�� she whispered.
�And what if I don�t
want to be a hero?� he asked as he carried her inside the house � making sure
to close but not lock the door behind them � and down the hall to her bedroom.
Aida smiled
sadly. �You�re my husband. I don�t think you get a choice.�
�Oh really? Well, I suppose I�ll just have to accept it
then,� he said as he set her down on the bed. �Door open or closed? I�m for open, but it�s up to you.�
�I can dig having
it open.� Since her arms were still
around his neck, Aida pulled him down enough so that she could start kissing his
face.
�Good,� Sands said
before kissing her back hungrily. Something
in him broke free as he realized that he finally had an outlet for the mountain
of nervous tension that had settled upon his shoulders.
Aida moaned under
his onslaught, but kept up. Her fingers
dug into his shoulders with the pleasure as her toes curled. His answering moan spurred her on, and she
started to aggressively kiss back, warring for control of the kiss and
ultimately their coupling.
Her response only
served to spur him on further, until their kiss was something bruising and
vibrant. His hands began to move over
her clothing, pulling at whatever he couldn�t remove immediately.
Aida pushed him
away, panting. Without a word being
exchanged between them, they started to furiously pull off their clothing,
doing anything they could to get naked as quickly as possible.
Once that was
achieved, he growled in a lust-filled voice, �Roll over.�
Aida didn�t want
to. She wanted to be on top. However, his voice was so damn sexy that she
found herself rolling over anyway, and waiting with mounting anticipation and
lust for what he was going to do.
He pressed his
hands down the length of her sides before taking her from behind, rolling over
a little onto their sides so he could move one hand around her body to right her
breast and the other to her clit. He
fingered both roughly as he thrust up into her, pulling her as close to his
body as he could in the process. His
mouth immediately latched onto the curve of her neck and shoulder, and he began
kissing and nipping at her in pure lustful abandon.
Aida cried out in
mingled passion and hurt, the latter of which was quickly fading. With one hand she reached behind her and
tangled her fingers in his hair while her other hand traveled down to the
devilish fingers between her legs. As
she gasped, moaned, and whimpered, her fingers placed themselves over his and
helped maneuver them to maximize her pleasure.
Sands just groaned
in his own pleasure as he felt what she was doing. �God it makes me so fucking hard when you help
me get you off, spitfire. You have no
idea.� She pulled at his hair a little
for his curse, but he only smiled and began kissing her again, enjoying the
sensation.
Aida did in fact
have a very good idea of how her actions affected him, which was why she was
doing what she was. And it had more than
a noticeable affect on him; she enjoyed it to.
It gave her a sense of control and of power that she liked very
much. �S-so . . . good baby. . .� she
whimpered, her hips starting to slam back into his.
�Oh . . . tell me
how you like it, Aida. Tell me how I
make you feel,� he growled at her, his tone implying he would accept nothing
less
�Fucked. Full.
A completely out of body experience,� she groaned.
�Not good enough,�
he murmured, nipping on her earlobe.
�I-I can�t,� she
panted, bucking against his hand.
�Try,� he said,
moving his hand away.
Aida just shook her
head and took over the job herself, shuddering at the sensation of her own
arousal on her fingers.
After witnessing
her actions and feeling her shudder, he suddenly didn�t care about hearing her
answer anymore. �Oh, you amaze me Aida,�
he told her in a breathless voice. �Just
watching you touch yourself like that is almost enough to make me fucking come.�
�Not yet . . . me
first.�
�I thought I was
supposed to be the demanding one?�
Aida tossed her
head. �Please . . .�
�What . . . are you
going to do for me if I do?�
�Come . . .�
�Good enough.� He was in no position to argue, and with his
blood roaring past his ears it was hard to think up any good demands. �Tell me what you want me to do, spitfire,� he
asked, moving his hand back between her legs.
�Harder,� she
panted, unable to specify what exactly she wanted harder. Hell, she couldn�t even manage to make her
brain stay focused long enough to explain.
All she knew was that she needed more.
Since he didn�t
know specifically what she wanted, he did it all. With one hand he pinched and pulled at her
right nipple. With the other he did much
the same to her clit. As he did this, he
forced himself to do his best to exhaust himself within her; he was putting so
much energy into his thrusts. From the
lovely chorus of sounds she was making though, any and all of it was worth the
effort.
Finally, Aida could
take no more, and she sobbed out her release in time to Sands� pounding thrusts. Her hand on his stilled his fingers on her
clit, keeping them pressed down firmly on the small bit of flesh as she
shuddered and shook.
�Don�t stop,� he
moaned in her ear, his hands still moving over her body because he couldn�t
seem to stop them.
Her mind blown,
Aida had no earthly idea what he was talking about. Since that was the case, a rough groan was
the only answer he got.
�Aida please, don�t
leave me this way,� he moaned desperately. He couldn�t just continue moving within her if
she wasn�t going to even respond to him any longer. That brought him no pleasure; only torment.
�On your back,� she
whispered.
He was too far gone
with lust to even consider arguing so he did what she asked, moaning a little
in loss as they separated.
As soon as she
could manage, Aida was on him again. On
and around and he was inside . . . and she was riding him backwards, throwing a
wild glance over her shoulder as she moved up and down and back and forth.
Sands groaned loud
and long and arched off the bed, his eyes fluttering shut and his head tossing
a little sending sweaty locks of hair to stick to his face. He neither noticed nor would have cared if he
had. His hands had curled into fists at
his side, but occasionally one or the other would open up and attempt to grab
her but immediately close up again as soon as she moved against him. His breath was coming in huge panting gasps
and still he attempted to talk. What he
was saying he wasn�t quite aware of � it sounded like frantic gibberish but
might have been Shakespearean love sonnets � but he didn�t seem to stop saying
any of it either.
Wanting to feel him
come, Aida continued her gyrations as she reached between his legs and started
to fondle him. The sound the maneuver
ripped from his throat was enough to let her know that he was enjoying himself.
Each movement of
her body, each stroke of her warm fingers against him brought him one step
closer to oblivion until he simply couldn�t take anymore. The pleasure grew so intense that he was
practically begging for it to stop while at the same time hoping that it never
ever would. This battle raged within him
for a few more exquisite/torturous seconds until she did something to him that suddenly had him both coming hard and fast
and screaming his release at the same time.
After what seemed
like hours later, his climax finally burned itself out and he simply lay spread
eagled on the bed, eyes shut and fingers twitching; too completely blissed out
to do anything else.
Moving slowly, Aida
flopped down on the bed at Sands� side.
For the time being, she didn�t think about being naked in her parent�s
house with her equally naked husband with the door wide open. All she could think about was the feel of him
beside her, and the sound of his breathing returning to normal.
Sands allowed
himself a few more minutes of ignorant bliss before opening his eyes and
frowning a little as reality came rushing back in. The truth of it was, that as incredible as
that had been, he was still nearly as tense as he had been before any of her
delightful attempts to convince himself otherwise. It wasn�t her fault. It was this place. But he wasn�t going to let her think that he
hadn�t enjoyed any of that, so he rolled over a little on his side to face her,
giving her a smile but not saying anything.
�Guess who�s ready
for a bath,� she whispered.
He shrugged a
little. �As long as it�s not here and
you�re with me.�
�Here? Where my parents could walk in at any
time? No thank you. No, I want to go to the hotel. We�ll take a nice long bath, I�ll give you a
massage, I�ll sleep for an hour or two, and then you can wake me again.�
�Sounds nice except
for the you sleeping part, but I suppose I may be willing to compromise as long
as it�s soon.�
�We�ll go as soon
as one of us motivates the other to get dressed.�
He furrowed his
brow at that. Despite his willingness to
leave this place, that didn�t sound appealing at all. �In a minute,� he murmured at last.
�Nope. I�m going to fall asleep right here if we don�t
get moving.� Aida reached for her
top. �Let�s get moving.�
He nodded. He wasn�t really going to argue. �Did you see where my pants got to?� he asked
her, looking over the edge of the bed curiously.
�Umm . . . they�re
hanging off the desk.� Forgoing her underwear
for the time being, Aida pulled on her shirt and pants.
He looked where she
had directed and titled his head in amusement. �Whatever,� he murmured to himself with a slow
shake of his head. He got up and walked
over to retrieve them, not bothering with underwear easier after her example. It would be quicker to get undressed this way.
With a small but clearly mischievous
grin, he reached over to grab her discarded underwear when he heard something
and froze.
�Their car is still
in the driveway. They must be still
here. Aida? Sands? Are you here?� Susan called out.
�Crap,� Aida
whispered. She quickly crossed to Sands�
side and made some order out of his hair before attempting to do the same with
hers. �Do something with those,� she
hissed, meaning her underwear.
He nodded and
stuffed them into his pocket, absurdly thankful he had foregone his pocket-less
usual leather pants. He pulled on his
shirt and buttoned as many buttons as he could as quickly as he could before
helping Aida to straighten the bed.
Susan didn�t bother
knocking because the door was already open. �Oh, you are here. Have you been here the whole time?� she asked
with a slightly wary voice, knowing something was up by the way they both
simply stood their trying to look innocent. She knew her daughter even after being
separated from her for so long, and the look on her face was definitely one of
mischief.
�Umm . . . no. We went for a walk. And we were just getting ready to leave, but
I couldn�t find my purse.�
�It�s on the desk,
Aida,� Mrs. Grant said casually, gesturing to the desktop where Sands� pants
had been only moments earlier. �A walk,
you say?� She eyed Sands� half-buttoned
shirt and Aida�s flushed cheeks shrewdly before nodding. �From the looks of things, you should go on
walks more often. It looks like it�s
done you some good.� With a final
knowing look in Aida�s direction, she turned and left.
Aida grabbed her
purse and her husband, and left the bedroom.
�Night Momma, night Poppa!� she called as they left the house.
Once they were
inside the car, she started giggled. �Oh
god that was close.�
�Extremely,� Sands
said with a grin as he reached down to re-button his shirt. �And now I�m tempted to do it again.�
�No!� Aida smacked him on the arm
That just caused
him to laugh. �Oh come on. That was fun. Don�t tell me your heart�s not pounding in
your chest now; your blood rushing through your veins as your adrenalin levels
spike.�
Aida opened her
mouth a few times to deny it, but couldn�t.
�Alright, so it is. But that does
not mean a repeat experience is a good idea.�
�Why not?�
�Because just
because we got away with something the first time, doesn�t mean we�ll get away
with it again.�
�I know. And that�s what makes it fun. That knowing that we could get caught.�
�It�d be mortifying
if we got caught.�
�Yeah, probably.�
�Sands, I�m not
doing that again, and that is that.�
�We�ll see,� he
murmured as he started the car. �Where
is this hotel we�re staying at again?�
�At the far end of Main
street.�
�Alright. I remember where that is at least,� he
murmured before backing out of the driveway and heading towards their hotel for
the night, already anticipating the evening�s activities while trying not to
think about what he would be facing tomorrow.

****************************** ***
******************************

�I know this probably isn�t what you�re used to . . .� Aida
started as they entered their room.
�Don�t worry about
it, Aida. It�s still better than your
parents� house. No offense intended.�
�It�s more private
than my parents� house.�
�Indeed it is,�
Sands said, moving to look through the room after he had set the bag with their
few clothes down on the bed. �I don�t
think I�ve ever stayed somewhere like this before,� he said as he looked
around. �It�s not bad.�
�As long as the
bathroom and the sheets are clean, I don�t care what the rest looks like.�
�They seem to be,�
he acknowledged, walking across the room to intercept her as she stood looking
at the bed. For a moment he simply stood
behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her
shoulder. �What time are supposed to be
back there tomorrow? I don�t recall
having heard.�
�Lunch is at 1:00 pm sharp.
Guests to start arriving at 12:30. I thought we�d get there at 12:00.�
�Why then?�
�So that we don�t
arrive in the middle of all the milieu and mayhem. I thought you might appreciate that. You know, ease into things as people arrive.�
�Oh. I appreciate that, spitfire,� he said softly. He would have appreciated not having to meet
them at all even more, but he would take what small courtesies he was given.
�Wanna take that
bath?� she asked, twisting her head so she could look up at him.
He nodded. �Ever since you first suggested it.� He didn�t move in the direction of the
bathroom yet though.
�Well . . . baths
usually require a tub, Sands.� It was
nice standing here in his arms though, leaning against him and just being with
him.
�Usually,� he
agreed. �And we�ll make use of ours in a
few minutes. For now I just want to hold
you.�
�I�m okay with
that. I�m more than okay with that.�
Sands smiled a
little at her response and held her tightly for a long minute before loosening
his grip a little but not letting go. �Come
on. I can hold you just as well in the bathtub, and there we would be sitting. And warm. And naked in each others arms.�
�And cramped,� Aida
added a few minutes later when they were both finally in the tub. Unlike their hotel suite in Hawaii,
this tub wasn�t really made for two. It
was barely made for one. But they were
working with what they had.
�A little, he
agreed as they settled against one another in the water. �The water�s nice and hot at least,� he said
with a soft sigh, disappointed with the tub but not with the fact that he was
here with his wife.
�I�ll give you that
massage once we�re done here. I�ll have
more room to work on the bed.�
�Alright,� he
agreed, moving so that he sat against the curve of the tub and pulling her into
his arms so that her head was pressed against his shoulder and she was sitting
in between his legs. It wasn�t very
conducive to getting clean, but it was nice just sitting here with her. It helped him relax a little.
�So, do you have
anything you want to get off your chest?
Not that I think that you should, but I want you at your most relaxed
and sharing anything that might be on your mind might help.�
He shook his head
gently. �I�m fine, but thanks,� he said
absently, rubbing at her bare shoulder a little as he did so in an unconscious
gesture.
�You sure? No anxieties?
No wry observations? Nothing that
might be considered pessimistic?�
Sands fell silent
but answered her question with a slight shrug.
�A shrug is not an
answer,� she prodded him gently, turning so that she could look up into his
face. �I�m listening.�
His brow furrowed a
little in thought as he search for an answer that she would be satisfied with. �Your parents seemed nice but I know I can�t
trust them. I�m dreading meeting the
rest of your family tomorrow so much that it makes me nauseous just thinking
about it. Which is just stupid. I�m frustrated with my psychological self and
tired of feeling that way but know that there�s nothing I can change. I have no idea where to go to next and that
thought makes me nervous.� He trailed
off, either not wanting to or unable to say any more.
�My parents are very
nice, most of the time, but there�s certain things even I don�t trust them with. The
rest of my family will only be around for the day, and we�ll beg off for a few
hours on account of my health. If you
know there�s certain things about yourself make you frustrated, change how you
go at them.� She stroked his arm under
the shelter of the warm water. �And when
you need to, confide in me.�
He sighed closed
his eyes in silent frustration at himself. �I�ll try.�
�I�ll help,� she
promised softly. �As much as I can.�
�I don�t know if
you can help me, Aida,� he murmured back to her, his eyes still closed.
�Don�t say
that. I�m your wife.�
�You asked for
pessimistic,� he muttered.
�So I could help
make them go away. I won�t let you
harbor thoughts like that.�
�Sorry,� he mumbled
under his breath.
�Why are you sorry?� How often were they going to play out this
scene over the duration of their lives together? How often was she going to have to slowly
chip away at the damage his parents had done him? �You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing.�
�I�m sorry that I
feel that way. I�m sorry that I don�t
trust you to be able to help me,� he said with a sigh.
�It�s not your
fault.�
�Then whose fault
is it if not mine?�
�We learn how to
look at ourselves by how others view us.
Our parents help shape our thinking and self-esteem. You
were taught that you were hopeless and beyond redemption. I
don�t think you are.�
Sands shifted a
little against her as she spoke about his parents, growing uncomfortable with
the subject. �Fine. It�s not my fault. It�s there. That doesn�t change anything, Aida.�
�You�re doing it
again.� Frustration and humor warred in
her voice.
�Doing what?� he
asked with a puzzled frown.
�Trying to make me
think you�re accepting what I�m saying without having actually thought about
it.�
�Who says I haven�t
thought about it?� he muttered.
�I know you,
Sands. I�m your wife. The moment you become uncomfortable with a
subject, it�s like part of your brain shuts down and shunts the information
elsewhere.�
�Maybe that�s true,�
he agreed grudgingly. �And maybe I just
don�t want to think about it anymore.�
�Well, at least do
me the courtesy of acknowledging that I know that.�
�Fine. You do.�
Aida reached up and
patted his cheek. �I haven�t given up on
you yet, husband mine, so don�t you give up on yourself. You�re stronger than you think you are.�
�If you say so,� he
said with a sigh, clearly not wanting to talk about this anymore.
�Am I your wise
wife or not?�
He hesitated for a
brief second. �Yes, you are.�
�Then promise me
you won�t take my words lightly.�
�I�ll try.� He wasn�t going to promise anything more than
to that, for he knew he would be bound to that promise, and he didn�t want to
be. Not because he doubted her
necessarily, but because sometimes he couldn�t help but doubt her insights.
�Thank you.� She tilted her head up for a kiss to seal the
deal.
He gave her the
best smile he could conjure up and kissed her softly on the lips.
�That was nice,�
she sighed.
�What was?� he
asked warily, unsure if she had meant this kiss or their little . . . chat.
�That was a very
nice kiss. Very sweet.�
�Oh. I�m glad to have served,� he said with a faint
smile.
�Ooo . . . I like
the sound of that. Having you serve me.�
�If you like,� he
said with that same faint smile. �I like
making you happy.�
�Are you relaxing
yet? Because that�d make me happy.�
Well, he had been before she had asked him to
come clean, as it were. �A little.�
�Well, if I can�t
have you relaxed hmm . . . I want you to make an ode about your undying love
for me.� There was a grin on her
face. �It doesn�t have to be a big one,
but I think I�d enjoy that.�
�I�m neither a
writer nor a poet, Aida.�
�Is your love for
me undying?�
�Yes. I will love you come heaven or hell.�
�Then you shouldn�t
have too much trouble, should you?� The
grin on Aida�s face was distinctly evil.
�I�ll make it worth your trouble.�
Sands grew still in
thought. He hadn�t been lying. He was no writer. He only wrote when he was forced to, even then
� despite the high marks he had been given � he never thought any of it was any
good. So he went with what he was good
at; memorization.
�Let me not to the
marriage of true minds
Admit
impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends
with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks
on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth�s
unknown, although his height be taken.
Love�s not Time�s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his
bending sickle�s compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears
it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never
writ, nor no man ever loved.�
�Not mine, but it�s
apt all the same,� he said when he was finished reciting.
�Not the same,� she
sighed. �Don�t get me wrong, that was
very nice, but it wasn�t about us.
However, should you ever decide to compose something of a poetical bent,
I promise you I will make you a very happy man.� She smiled.
�Tonight you�ll just be happy.�
He sighed. �Fine.�
�My love for you is
undying. Come heaven or hell, it will
not end. Through the darkest of nights
and the blackest of sins, my love for you will be pure and our love will be
strong. For we are one, through vow,
through act, through circumstance. Should
fate separate us, I will always find you. You are my anchor to this world, and without
you I am lost. Your strength keeps me
yours and your presence keeps me safe. I
love you, Aida.�
He frowned as he
finished, feeling like an utter fool. Why
had he ever agreed to that? It was
meaningless and sappy and sickening. He
wished he could take every word back, but it was far too late for that now.
�Mmm . . . have I
ever mentioned that poets turn me on?� Aida asked turning in his arms and
coming up to face him. �I�d say that definitely
deserves a reward. You�ll have to tell
me what you want though. And not for
tonight. Tonight you�re guaranteed to
get lucky. No, tell me your deepest,
most secret, most forbidden fantasy.
Does it involve me dressed up in a sexy little cop�s uniform? Because I think I�d enjoy that.�
�It�s a good thing
you�re not an actual cop chasing me, spitfire,� he said, swallowing around a
suddenly dry throat. �Because I�d
definitely let you catch me.�
�Is that what you
want? Because I�d be willing to do that
without it being your deepest most forbidden fantasy.� She started to nibble on his neck.
�My deepest most
forbidden fantasy?� he asked slowly, becoming mildly aroused just at the thought.
He took a breath and outlined a night of
a variety of things � handcuffs, whips, black leather gloves and blindfolds
among them � that probably would have shocked even the most extreme
sadomasochist. He was twisted and he
knew it. What was more; he didn�t care.
�Mmm. . . so that�s
the one you�ve never dared to even hint at.�
He simply shrugged.
He did his best not to acknowledge
certain aspects of his personality where she was concerned.
�Tell me more,� she
insisted, licking at the tendons of his neck.
�Tell you what,
spitfire?� he sighed as she moved against him. �That I want you to do all those things to me
and more? I like being in charge, but
strong women definitely turn me on.�
�I just like
hearing you talk,� she murmured, smiling against his skin. �Right now I�ll give you a choice; massage or
a fuck?�
�And I like hearing
you talk dirty,� he responded in turn. �Definitely
fuck.�
�Bed then. We�ll have to clean up any mess we make in
here.�
He nodded, rising
carefully in the tub after she had gotten off of him. They quickly dried each other off before
heading to the bedroom.
�You lead or I
lead?� she asked, pressing up against him and latching onto his collarbone.
�You seem to be
doing a pretty good job of leading at the moment,� he murmured. �I�ll be sure and let you know if I change my
mind.�
�Touch me,� she
demanded softly as her hands got to work roaming over his body.
�Where?� he asked,
moving his hands to his favorite places � the areas guaranteed to induce a
response � even as he asked. Her hands
felt burning hot against his cooling skin, making him acutely aware of their
movements over his body.
She pulled him over
to the bed, and pushed him onto the bed.
�Why don�t you tell me where you want to touch me and I�ll decide if
that�s what I want.�
He grunted softly
upon impact with the mattress and nodded. �I want to run my hands over your breasts,
teasing your nipples into hard peaks as you moan. I want to stick my fingers deep inside of you
and move them inside of you until my fingers are drenched with the proof of
your arousal.�
�Just your fingers?�
she asked in a husky voice, coming to lie down beside him.
�For now. When you�re so ready to explode that a breath
of air on your clit will have you coming, then
I�ll thrust into that tight wet heat and take pleasure in the sensation of you
losing yourself around me.�
�That wasn�t quite
the appendage I was talking about,� she replied breathily.
He smiled wickedly,
getting the picture. �Oh? You want me to use my tongue instead? Delving deep inside of you to take ambrosia? I thought that was a given.�
�Trust me. I�ve noticed how much you like my �snatch.�� Aida rolled onto her back, pulling Sands over
her as she did so; he was treated to the full force of her mischievous grin.
�Wherever did you
learn such words, my naughty little spitfire?� he asked, nipping at the place
where her shoulder met her neck. �I
still owe you a spanking, you know. I
haven�t forgotten. Keep this up, and I
might have to make it two.�
�Perhaps you should
give it to me now before my dirty mouth gets me in trouble.�
He grinned. �You bet your about-to-be-spanked ass I will,�
he said playfully before growing thoughtful. �But I wonder if it will do any good. My thought is that you�re a naughty, naughty
girl and it�s far too late to change that. Not that I would, of course.� Before she could have time to conjure up a
predictably wicked response to that, he had grabbed her by the hips and rolled
her over on to her stomach before pulling her across his lap. While his wrist still hurt from earlier, he
didn�t let it hinder him as he playfully spanked his wife�s naked ass. He wasn�t gentle, but he wasn�t overly harsh
either. He wasn�t trying to hurt her, he
was trying to have fun. And thus far, he
was succeeding on the latter count at least.
Aida squirmed and
made the obligatory protests, but she really didn�t mind. Sands wasn�t exactly being rough with her,
and she could certainly feel how much he was enjoying himself. The way she saw it, she was just adding to
the game by doing what was expected of her.
Sands simply smiled
to hear her protests, even though he figured she was humoring him somewhat; not
that he minded. He was thoroughly
enjoying himself. God, this had been
just what he needed. Earlier in her
childhood bedroom had been fun, but it hadn�t been enough to really take the
edge off. This however, was proving
quite capable of doing just that in time. And he was more than willing to take that
time. He raised his hand up as if to
spank her again, but began caressing the delicate places in between her legs
instead, aiming for an equal balance of pain and pleasure. He was also trying not to be too selfish in having all the fun he
wanted and not letting her have any in return.
Aida let out a
surprised squeak, and jumped, but Sands� arm around her hips held her firmly.
He flinched a
little as she landed roughly on his hardened arousal, but made no comment. He merely kept up what he was doing; moving a
single finger in and out of her as he leaned down to kiss the curve of her ass
softly.
�Ohh . . . oohhh .
. .� Her squirming resumed as Sands�
teasing finger started to do to her what her punishment had done to him.
�You have such a
wonderful way with words, spitfire. Have
I ever told you that?� he asked with a smirk, his other hand releasing its
tight grip on her waist to reach around to cup one of her breasts as it was
crushed up against the bed. He abruptly
decided that he very much liked this; holding her in his lap like this as she
helplessly moved against him. While the
position didn�t quite bring him the physical pleasure he sought, it definitely
had its own appeal. He liked having her
at his mercy. He liked it quite a lot.
�Hush you,� she
hissed, spreading her right leg out since her left was trapped by the nearness
of his body. �I believe I � ooohhhh � asked
you touch, not talk.�
�As you wish,� he
said softly, increasing his attention on bringing her to the heights of passion
and beyond tenfold. He hadn�t been lying
to her before � he liked making her happy. And selfishly he knew that when she was happy,
then she would no doubt attempt to make him happy as well. It was a win-win situation. He smiled at this and leaned back down to kiss
her as best he could with her leg pushed as far as it would move against his
stomach. He ignored everything but the
exquisite woman he held � quite literally � in his hands.
Aida ground her
teeth and fisted her hands in the blankets before she decided she�d had
enough. Fighting him for it, she eventually
turned over in his lap and looked up at him with eyes made smoky with passion.
He just grinned at
her smoldering look. �Was there
something you wanted from me, my beautiful incredibly erotic spitfire?� he
asked causally.
�Want to watch,� she
whispered, shifting impatiently in his lap.
�Watch what?� he
asked, the picture of na�ve ignorance.
�Watch you as you
tease me with those devilish fingers of yours.
Or at least that will do for the moment.�
�Oh. Well why didn�t you just say that in the first
place?� he asked, his eyes twinkling with teasing mischief as he moved his hand
slowly to her stomach, halting it there so that she would tilt her head up to
watch, before moving it down slowly over the warm and wet proof of her lust for
him. He kept the motions of his fingers
languid and deliberate for the benefit of her watching. �Like this?� he asked, moving his free hand
back to one of her nipples and caressing a quickly hardening nipple in time
with the movements of his other hand.
�Yes,� she
murmured, her lashes fanning down as her eyelids fell to half mast. After that she was silent but for the
occasional murmur, and still but for the occasional arch and stretch of
pleasure.
�Are you enjoying
this, wife?� he asked calmly, his fingers moving to stroke the inner walls of
that deep all-encompassing heat, his breath now quickening a little each time
he coaxed an arch and a moan out of her, for she arched against him and the now
quite prominent ridge of flesh she could no doubt feel pressed against her
lower back.
�You tell me how I�m
feeling.� Her dark eyes focused on his
face and a impertinent smile came to her face.
He let out a snort
of air through his noise at her insolence, but mentally shrugged and decided
what the hell. �As you wish,� he said
wryly. �Given the fact that you still
have enough presence of mind to play � and the willingness to do so � I know
that you�re enjoying what I�m doing to you and yet you probably find yourself
becoming rather frustrated on my now increasingly teasing touches.� He matched the movements of his hands with his
words, moving his fingers slowly still, but now only barely touching her rather
than sliding his hands and fingers over her sensually. �On the other hand, the now tantalizing
touches might be just want you need to drive you over the edge. I for one, can�t wait to find out and see.�
�I�m the one that
likes taking her time,� she reminded him, her soft voice husky. �Whether you tease or demand makes no
difference to me. The end result will be
the same.�
He pursed his lips
in thought. �That�s true . . .� he murmured. �And I�m the one who appreciates instant
gratification. Oh well. My hand was beginning to hurt from moving so
slowly anyway.� He very much wanted to do
what she had earlier asked for, but the feeling of her in his arms like this
was not something he wanted to give up yet.
The grin that came
to his wife�s face held a trace of superiority in it, but she said
nothing. She simply rolled her head on
the mattress before once again lowering her eyes so that she could watch what
she could.
He frowned at what
he saw in her grin and decided, Enough is
enough. Fuck patience. Keeping his movements gentle but ultimately
filled with impatience, he pushed her off of his lap with a quick intake of
breath as she slid against him. Shaking
the response off, he grabbed a hold of her and turned her slightly on the bed
so that she was lying across it diagonally rather than horizontally. He would need the extra room for what he was
about to do to her.
Making sure he had
her eyes. He lowered his mouth to her
quivering core and ran his tongue slowly up her wet folds, keeping his eyes on
her as he did so. When he was sure she
wasn�t looking away, he placed his hands on her hips to keep them pressed down
on the bed and did it again; his gaze still locked with hers.
Aida�s breath
caught in her throat. Oh god, his tongue
was hot. And quick! Almost before she
could register one sensation, he was creating another, and another, and
another.
Flailing with one
arm, she dragged a pillow over to prop up her head. Once she started something, she liked to
finish it, and she was going to watch her husband for as long as she could.
�I like it when you
watch me,� he said with a grin against her before he continued his torment,
alternately moving to suckle her clit before delving his tongue deep inside of
her, not giving her the chance to adjust to any one sensation. He fully intended to have her buzzing � inside
and out � to the point that she would come with only the slightest of movements
against her. He playfully nipped at her
hard before kissing the offended spot gently. He wasn�t yet aware if he had drawn blood or
not, he was far too caught up in the moment to pay attention to such things any
longer.
Aida was also
preoccupied, although it was her own rising lust that was distracting her. It was becoming harder and harder to keep her
eyes open as her pulse started to jackhammer and her breath come heavily. This was very nearly heaven, having her
husband dote on her in this way. But
just nearly. Heaven would be when he was
finally inside her, pressed against her from top to toe.
Sands growled
against her to find that she wasn�t watching him anymore, and reached a hand up
across her stomach to grope at one or her breasts, pinching on one of her
nipples harshly.
�Stop it,� she
growled back, slapping his hand lightly.
She was going to say more, but realized that her eyes had closed. Groaning, she opened them once again to watch
her husband at work.
�You weren�t
watching,� he said with another growl, gasping as moved away from her, having
forgotten to breathe as he teased her.
�Well excuse me if
you actually know what you�re doing down there.
I believe most women would have their eyes shut by this point.�
�You�re not most women. You�re my woman,� he murmured,
still in a growling voice.
�Which means you
know me better than anyone, so it really
shouldn�t be a great surprised that you�ve aroused me to the point of closing
my eyes. Or at least, that you had.
Why are you still talking?�
She was definitely
getting nipped for that. He did so, and
continued. �Because I want you to watch,�
he muttered defiantly.
�There�s not much
going on at the moment for me to
watch, now is there?�
�You�re just asking
for me to nip you again, spitfire,� he warned with a slight narrowing of his
eyes. That said, he did continue his
tongue�s wicked movements inside of her � after
he had nipped her again of course.
Aida sighed and
returned her head to the pillow. If he
nipped her again, she�d have to do something about it, and she was very much
enjoying being able to just relax and let her husband stimulate her.
Sands�
characteristic impatience was presenting itself in the way he moved his hands. For example, his hands couldn�t seem to stay
still. They moved over whatever parts of
her that he could reach, but never stopped. It was as if he were frantically fighting the
clock to touch as much of her as possible in as little time as possible. And all the while he continued alternately
licking and sucking on her delicate � but somewhat frustratingly slippery � parts.
His short, fleeting
touches were driving her crazy, so Aida eventually reached down and took his
hands in her at the same time she slipped her legs over his shoulders. Her core was suddenly brought into intense
contact with his mouth and she moaned loudly as her eyes slipped shut.
He did indeed nip
her again for looking away, but he didn�t stop to goad her about it now though.
No, he kept up with his teasing � as if
he had had any other choice with her legs effectively pinning his head between
them and her hands pulling at his keeping him there � giving her what she
wanted. And admittedly, what he wanted
to. He drank her up greedily, delighting
in the wonderful taste that was purely her. There might have been a minute amount of blood
mixed in � he still wasn�t quite sure � but even if there was, that would only
add to his pleasure.
�Stop biting,� she groaned, her head tossing
on the mattress.
He would have asked
�Or what?� but his mouth and tongue
were otherwise engaged. As it was, he did nip at her again � ever so gently � out
of pure mischievous spite.
Aida almost protested
out of principle, but he�d softened his bites and the desire he was stirring
was finally started to overwhelm her defenses against it. Within minutes she�d turned from a
commanding, dominating lover to a gasping, incoherent conquest.
Sands sensed this,
and couldn�t help but feel a swell of accomplishment � among other things � go
through him at the change in her. While
yes, he did like to be in control when it came to sex � alternately liking to
be pushed around and hurt on the other side of the spectrum as well � there was
something that responded in him; something purely male, that delighted in the
conquest of being able to pleasure his wife. Therefore, he pressed his advantage, wanting
nothing more than to feel her spasm and shake around his tongue.
�Oh baby,� she
whispered, clutching his hands tightly and arching her back as she could. �I love you.�
He grinned against
her, moving his thumb over the back of her hand as she clasped his fingers
tightly in a response to her comment as he didn�t want to stop now to give her
one. She knew how he felt anyway. And still he kept moving his tongue in and out
of her. In and out . . .
Aida�s eyes screwed
shut. Too much, too much, too much!
He was tormenting her, and her only thought was to make the fire end
somehow. To that end, her feet came up
to rest on her shoulders and she weakly tried to push him away from her,
wanting more than anything the opportunity to catch her breath.
He felt her feet
pushing at him, but he wasn�t going to be thwarted that easily. He had gone much too far to consider stopping
now. He wanted to tease and torment her. He liked it. He enjoyed the sound of moans and whimpers his
actions wrenched out of her mouth. Each
one made his head spin in pure lust and he only wanted to hear more.
�Stop, stop, stop,�
she pleaded. �Too much.�
He frowned, but the
desperate edge her voice had taken made him pull away. He might like to hear her plead and beg for
things from him, but not like that. Never
like that.
Her brows drawn, it
took several moments of hard panting for Aida to open her eyes. Her gaze was unfocused with unconsummated
lust, but she eventually found him. �Please,
take me already, baby,� she pled in her arousal-lowered voice. �I need you.
All of you.�
�How much? How much do you need me?� he asked, reaching
up to wipe at his mouth with the back of his hand now that she had let it go.
�You know.�
�Do I now? And just how do I know that, spitfire?�
�You did it.�
His grin was
devious. �That I did.� He pushed her legs off of his shoulder so that
she was straddling him, and pressed his almost achingly hard length against
her, but didn�t thrust into her yet. �Is
this what you want?� he asked with quick movements of his hips against her before
stilling himself again. The action had
cost him, but he wasn�t through teasing her yet.
Aida reached up and
grabbed the headboard while she spread her legs even farther for him. �Is this what you want?�
He couldn�t stop a
lazy lust filled grin from making its way to his face as she put herself on
display for him. �You know I do.�
�Come to me, baby.�
Her husky
lust-deepened drawl had its desired effect on him. He moved against her and within her without a
second thought, his hands immediately moving to her hips to pull their joined
bodies into even closer contact, moaning as he bucked into her fast and hard.
Aida shuddered and
whimpered, kissing him back greedily as he grabbed her face in one strong
hand. This is what she wanted, this
soul-deep connection and need. This
total and utter dependence on one another.
She craved it almost as much as she craved release.
His tongue all out
warring for dominance of the kiss they shared, Sands poured all of his passion
and lust and impatience into her as they kissed, needing to feel it all given
back in return. His likes had changed
faces on him again. He no longer wanted
a conquest. He wanted an equal.
She moaned, but
gave him what he wanted, fighting furiously through the kiss, through the slow
undulations of her body, and through the grip of her inner muscles around his
desperate arousal.
Sands grinned
through the kiss, enjoying the passionate battle they were dueling. When she purposefully tightened her body�s
embrace around the proof of his passion inside of her, he let out a lustful
groan and arched against her before he could stop to measure his reaction. She had simply pulled it out of him just as
she was pulling on the more delicate bits of his anatomy within her. And he knew he wanted her to do it again.
�Mine?� she asked
in a breathless imitation of innocence as she squeezed down on him again.
He gasped at the
action and very nearly gave her the answer she was seeking but stubbornly kept
his mouth shut through sheer force of will. Not that he wasn�t hers, it was just that he
wasn�t going to give into her so easily. No matter what she did to him.
�I-I asked . . . a
question, Sands.� Releasing the
headboard, Aida grabbed her husband�s head and made him look at her. At what he was doing to her.
�What was it again?�
he asked breathlessly, trapped in her gaze.
�Mine,� she moaned,
repeating both word and action.
�Fuck yes, I�m
yours,� he groaned as he arched against her again.
�Mine.� The happiness in her voice made it through
the arousal. Then done, she let him go
and focused on reaching her climax.
�That�s supposed to
be my line,� he growled at her as he savagely kissed and nipped her bare neck
and shoulders. Her actions had pushed
his own arousal to a fever pitch, and now he was searching for an outlet in
which to vent his raging lust. She was
all he would ever want or need.
�Have me,� she
offered in trade, not able to elaborate past that point because of the moans,
groans, and whimpers that started to fill her throat.
�What makes you
think that you have a choice in that matter?� he asked wryly, kissing and
biting at her again as his thrusts became quicker and rougher. He wanted his own release, and like her he was
doing everything he could to ensure that.
Aida just
whimpered, and hitched her legs up around his hips.
Sands let out a
sigh of lustful pleasure to hear her whimper and to feel her moving her legs
around him, and did the only thing he could; he increased his pace and the
power behind it until he was grunting in a mixture of pain and pleasure as he
did so.
His wife gasped and
her eyes flew open at his violence, but it did what it needed; she came, and
came hard.
�Oh fuck,� Sands
moaned as which each convulsion of her inner muscles around him he very nearly
gained the release he had been seeking and yet somehow didn�t. But dear god he was close. So he did the only thing he could under the
circumstances; he kept thrusting into her straight through her orgasm and beyond,
not even letting up for a second.
Aida stiffened in
shock as her orgasm stopped, only to start climbing for her second. It was amazing the reactions this man could
coax from her body. �Oh, don�t stop,
baby,� she whispered roughly. �Don�t
stop.�
As if I
fucking could. Her second orgasm had
very nearly unmanned him, but he held on by the skin of his teeth, pushing her
backwards roughly so that she was propped up against the headboard. He used this new leverage to his advantage and
still he kept pounding into her roughly, still seeking the release that eluded
him. One thing he did know however, was that once he did come, it was going to be
fucking intense. He could feel the
pressure building between his legs and knew that he couldn�t take much more.
In an effort to
keep herself from being slammed against the headboard, she wrapped her arms
around Sands neck and started placing gentle kisses on his neck since it was
right there in front of her. She could
already tell that this orgasm wasn�t going to be as strong as her first two of
the night, but she figured this wasn�t really about her now. It was about helping her husband find some
measure of peace.
Oh god, oh god, oh god I can�t take this
anymore. I�m going to fucking . . . oh lose it . . . fuck . . . Sands� thoughts
circled around those lines as he closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to get
control over himself. He soon saw that
it was a lost cause and gave up, opening his eyes again into lust-glazed slits,
the opposites of their rough coupling warring with the feeling of the gentle
kisses Aida was placing on his neck. He
could take one or the other, but not both. Definitely � He was suddenly coming, and coming hard before he could finish the thought.
Aida grunted at the wildness of his release, but
still felt her own travel along her nerve-endings like sparklers on the fourth
of July. Thus sated, she sank down into
the warmth of completion as she continued to hold on to her still-spasming
husband.
Sands� hands sought
purchase on whatever was within reach � her hips at he later found out � and
simply held on as tightly as he possibly could as his body was no longer under
his control. His eyes had rolled up into
his head awhile ago and he couldn�t really hear anything over the pounding of
his blood in his ears so without these vital senses, he was forced to feel. And feel he did. He felt something like molten lava coursing
through his veins in wave after wave, but then soothing ice trailing in its
wake. Most of all he simply felt pure,
undiluted bliss in every part of his being. He felt as if he could simply float away to
wherever the wind took him without a care in the world. It was that fucking intense. If he were to die right now, it wouldn�t
matter if he went to heaven or to hell because heaven could never match this.
As his climax died
down to a few random but intense last spasms that left him moaning as each one
passed, he pressed his sweat slicked forehead against Aida�s shoulder, not up
to doing anything else at the moment.
Aida simply held
him, more than happy to do so. In her
arms he was hot, limp, and content. No
trace of strain marked his face or tensed his muscles. No worries wrinkled his brow. No pessimistic thoughts turned his face into
a stony mask. He was just here, with
her. As she was just here with him. Any traffic that might have broken in on
their solitude had long since passed, this being something of a one horse town
except for a few antique shops at the other end of main street. It was just them and the silence, and that
suited Aida just fine.
�That,� he
whispered, his voice dry and a little hoarse from heavy breathing, �Was better
than a massage any day of the week.�
�You just say that
because you forget how effective my massages can be. Maybe not quite this effective, but close.�
�Maybe,� he
allowed. �Feel free to remind me. Later. I don�t think I need one right now,� he
said with a content sigh, still leaning against her because he truly didn�t
feel like moving yet.
�I might in the
morning,� she sighed, thinking about his reckless passion. Not that she hadn�t enjoyed it. She had.
A lot. But her joints were
another matter and they were sure to be complaining in the morning.
�Did I hurt you?�
he asked softly, finally pulling back to look at her.
�No. Not really.�
She smiled up at him. �And if I
hadn�t liked every moment of that, I�m sure I would have told you.�
�Promise?�
�Absolutely. I�m not exactly shy in that department.� Her grin grew.
�So I�ve noticed,�
he murmured wryly. After a few more long
minutes within each others arms, he extracted himself gently from her embrace,
grimacing as he did so. �I need another
bath,� he muttered, frowning in distaste at how sticky and sweaty he felt. He couldn�t sleep like this.
She groaned at the
thought of moving. A bath sounded good
before finally slipping under the covers, but it�d probably wake her up enough
that it�d take awhile for her to fall back asleep. Or not,
she thought as she yawned. �I�ll join
you,� she finally sighed, pushing herself up off the bed.

****************************** ***
******************************

�Does this shirt look alright?� Sands asked for what must
have been the tenth time. He knew he was being obsessive, but he couldn�t help
it. Tensions were running higher and higher as the time to go back to meet the
rest of Aida�s family was drawing closer. He was pacing about like a
hummingbird on speed and he could see that Aida was just trying to keep out of
his way for the most part. She had initially attempted to calm him, and that
had worked for awhile, but then he was reminded of today�s events somehow, and
was set into a panic all over again.
�I prefer you
naked,� she said slowly, trying to catch his attention.
�Can�t go naked, I�d
get arrested,� he murmured, answering her question as he heard it; not stopping
to think about what she had said.
�Maybe you should
shave your head. I think they�d like
that,� Aida sighed.
�I don�t like Army
cuts, remember-� he frowned, as part of that got through. �What?� he asked,
finally stopping to look at her.
�Oh? Are you paying attention to me again? Because I was beginning to think that �I like
that shirt,� meant the exact opposite in one of you foreign languages or
something.� It was true. Every time she�d said it, he�d changed into a
new shirt.
�I�m sorry,� he
said, reaching a hand in his pants pocket and removing his lighter, absently
flipping the lip open and shut in what had become a nervous gesture throughout
the last couple of days. The thing was, he wasn�t even aware that he was doing
it until someone pleaded with him to stop it. �Well which shirt did you like
the best then?� he asked, still clicking his lighter open and shut, open and
shut.
�I don�t care.
You look ravishable in all of them.�
Aida played with the wide straps of her tank top. �But this one is just as good as any. It�s not black, and the material is
light. Both will guarantee you don�t get
heat stroke this afternoon.�
Sands looked
unsure, especially since it wasn�t black but white. �But it�s white. I don�t
wear white Aida. Why did I even get this shirt?�
�Do you want to get heatstroke and pass out?�
she asked, before reading the look on his face.
He looked like he honesty wouldn�t mind that. It�d get him off the hook. She just sighed again and flopped back on the
bed. �I know,� she said dully, looking
up at the equally dull ceiling. �I�ll go
by myself and tell everyone that you had to leave to tend to important business.�
He sighed, shaking
his head and fully buttoning the white linen short sleeved shirt up despite his
reservations. �It�s fine. It�s just a shirt,� he murmured. �I�m still going.�
�You don�t have to,�
she said softly. �You�re a nervous wreck
and we�re not even there yet.�
�I am not a nervous
wreck,� he argued stubbornly. �I�ll be fine.�
�You�ve changed
your shirt seven times - when you�ve only got four shirts - and you�re playing
with your lighter again. On top of that,
you�re not listening to me, you�ve been pacing on-again-off-again, and your
mind�s drifting onto topics like why you bought a particular shirt.�
He looked down to
his hand and frowned as if it had somehow betrayed him by pulling the lighter
out. He stuffed it back into his pocket and took a seat on the bed next to her.
�So I�m a little apprehensive about the big to do. I like to get lost in
crowds, not found in them,� he murmured. �And that was a valid topic change. We
were talking about shirts,� he argued.
�You were talking about shirts. I was trying to get your attention.�
�Oh. Well you have
it now.�
�Are you really
going to be okay?� she asked softly, taking his hand now that it was
lighter-free. �We really don�t have to
go. You don�t have to go.�
�I�ll be alright,
Aida. Besides, what would I do all day if you�re not here?�
She had to laugh at
that. The motel only got four stations,
the so-called pool had things growing on the surface, and they hadn�t brought
anything constructive. Like books. �I�ll admit that I don�t know.�
�That�s that, then.
Among other things, at least today spent with your family has the potential to
be interesting.�
�Yeah...that�s what
I�m afraid of.� Aida tugged on his arm
until he was half-reclining on the bed and she could snuggle against him.
�You don�t need to
be afraid of anything, Aida. At least, not from me. I�ll be good,� he murmured
as he tried to relax on the bed next to her.
�I know you will,�
she assured him softly. �I wasn�t afraid
of that. I know how much you try for me.�
He tried not to
think back to their first conversation in the car as they fled the city, but he
couldn�t help it. He remembered every words as if he had heard it only moments
ago rather than days. He settled for a nod and a small smile as he realized
that she was waiting for some kind of response.
�I just worry about
you sometimes, you know?�
He couldn�t help
sighing. �Yes, I know.�
�And it�s not
because I think I need too, just because I do. I love you, so I worry.�
�I don�t want you
to have to worry about me, Aida,� he said with a sigh. �But that�s not
something that will ever happen, will it?�
�Will you ever stop
worrying about me?�
�Fine. Touch�,� he
murmured.
�It�s usually just
one of those naggy little worries, the kind that can be confined to the back of
my head. But yesterday seemed to really
stress you out, and then last night you were talking in your sleep...�
�No, I wasn�t,�
Sands immediately countered before taking in the look of seriousness on her
face. �What was I talking about?�
�I don�t know. You started muttering in your sleep sometime
around three and kept it up for an hour or so.
I think. I dozed off a couple
times.�
�Oh,� he said with
a frown. �I don�t remember that at all.� He shrugged it off a moment later. �I�m
fine. So maybe I talked in my sleep. Big deal. A lot of people do it. That
doesn�t mean I can�t handle today, Aida.�
�You don�t usually
talk in your sleep,� she pointed out.
�Look, it doesn�t
matter if I talk in my sleep, sleepwalk, or bake pies while I�m dreaming, what
matters is now. I�m fine, Aida. Stop
worrying.�
�Sorry,� she
muttered.
�Don�t be sorry,�
he said with a frustrated sigh. �Just accept that I can handle this, and stop
suggesting that I not come with you, alright? I�ll be alright, Aida. I�m not
saying I�ll love every minute and want to come back next year, but I�ll stay. I�ll
meet, I�ll greet, I won�t go on any rampages, everything will be ok. You�ll
see.�
�I didn�t think you�d
go on any rampages,� she mumbled into his shirt.
�Well good, because
I won�t.�
�I know.�
�One less thing to
worry about then,� he murmured under his breath. �What time is it?�
�Eleven thirty.�
�Oh. Ok.� I will not freak out, and I will not ask for
the time again. Pull it together, Sands. It�s not like you�re going to the
fucking guillotine or something. It�s just meeting a few of Aida�s family. It�s
no big deal. You�ll charm them as you�ve charmed everyone else. They won�t
suspect a thing. And if they do, you can just kill them. No, wait. Bad idea.
Aida wouldn�t like that. They better just not suspect anything.
�I thought we�d
leave in twenty minutes or so.� Her arms
went around him in an effort to calm the tension that was shooting through his
lean frame.
�That�s fine,� he
murmured, trying not to flinch as he felt a little claustrophobic in her arms
all of the sudden. The feeling passed quickly enough, but it worried him that
he had felt it at all. I am so fucking
not alright. This is bullshit. I can�t do this. But I have to. I won�t give up.
I won�t let this fucking beat me. If I stay here, then they win. Those fuckers
I called parents win. I won�t let that happen. I�m fucking going.
Aida pulled on him
until he was lying fully on the bed, then settled her head on his
shoulder. �Should we pick anything up?�
�What kind of
picnic is it going to be?�
�Pretty
informal. We�ll be outside for the most
part - can�t have all those kids inside.�
�It would be polite
to bring something, but I honestly couldn�t say I know what that something
would be. I�ve never been to a picnic like this before,� he murmured, staring
up at the ceiling in thought.
�We don�t have
to. No one will mind. There�ll be more than enough food there.�
�I guess we�ll just
bring ourselves then,� he murmured with a slight frown. He had been taught that
it was extremely impolite to be invited to a social engagement and to not bring
a gift of some kind, but he honestly couldn�t think of what to bring. Family
picnics in parks had not been covered in his etiquette classes.
�Something tells me
that�ll be enough. Or that my showing up with you will be. No one cares about
the long-lost sister, just her millionaire husband.� There was a teasing note
in Aida�s voice.
He frowned a little
at that, growing uncomfortable as he thought of the notice such a fact would
inevitably bring. �We�ll see,� he said at last.
�Not that I think
the fact that you have money will be amazing as the simple fact that I�m
actually married. I�m not sure it was really expected of me.�
�Why not?� he asked
with a confused tilt of his head as he glanced down to look at her. �You�re
beautiful, vibrant, intelligent, and a definite spitfire in bed. Why wouldn�t
anyone want to marry you? I certainly did.�
�It�s not that they
didn�t think anyone would propose, just that I was the wild child. The one too
unruly to accept a proposal.�
He snorted at that. �You
accepted mine. And in the middle of a fucking hospital in front of the doctor
too,� he mused in remembrance.
�Ah, but I�ve
calmed down considerably from my high school days.� Aida just smiled and let
him ponder that for a moment.
�What do you mean?
What were you like in high school, spitfire?� he asked curiously.
�More a hellfire
than a spitfire.�
�Really?� he asked
in a clearly amused voice. �How so?�
�Oh...let�s see... I
had the big hair, too much makeup - against the express wishes of my parents...
When I wasn�t acting, I hung out with the wrong crowd. Was usually in detention
not only for never turning in homework but for talking back to the teachers. Did
my rounds of t.p.-ing, and cowtipping -�
�Cow tipping?� he asked with
an incredulous laugh. �You actually went out to farms and tipped cows? And got
some kind of enjoyment out it?�
�Oh, we were too
mature for that. We did it because there
was nothing else to do around town. If I
remember properly, it was our form of rebellion against boredom.�
�Oh. Well, I
suppose I can see that,� he said, still sounding like he was on the verge of
quiet laughter at hearing about her past antics, but holding it in.
�Go ahead. Laugh. You
will once I tell you that my boyfriend at the time used to blare �Born to be
Wild� out of the windows as we were driving to the nearest farm to wreak havoc
on the farm animals.�
He couldn�t help it.
The image did bring him to easy laughter. �At least you had some fun while in
high school,� he said once he was through with laughing. �I hated high school.�
�I did too. I only
had fun while not on campus. Except for the plays of course.�
�I started high
school when I was twelve years old. Do you believe that?� he murmured, sounding
disbelieving at his own remembrance.
�No,� she breathed.
�How awful.� She looked up at him. �It�s bad enough when you�re just like
everyone else.�
�I guess,� he
murmured. �I was the too-smart little kid that kept to himself. People thought
I was weird,� he said with a slight shrug. �I was weird.�
�Everyone�s weird. Some
just hide it better than others. And then people like me make a living off it.�
He smiled briefly at
that. �I suppose that�s true,� he said in reference to her last comment.
�I don�t even know
how my parents managed me. I remembered thinking as I was packing my bags to
leave that they would be glad to be rid of me. My teenaged angst alone probably
caused them more headaches than all my
siblings combined.�
�I wish I could
have known you then,� he said with a soft sigh.
�Why?� she asked,
once again turning her face up so that she could read his face. �I�m not so
sure that I even like who I was then.�
�Oh, I don�t know.
I just wonder if anything would have been different in either of our lives if I
had known you then. It�s just a passing fancy. It doesn�t matter. I�m glad to
have you now. That�s more than enough.�
�You mean if I was
eighteen and newly graduated and you were sixteen? Handsome or not, my love, I
was a snob then. Snobbish, arrogant, and full of myself.�
�I think every
teenager feels that way after graduating, spitfire.�
She shrugged, not
admitting and not denying his point. �I
still wasn�t very nice.�
�I guess I�ll have
to take your word for it, because I�m honestly not seeing it. I can�t imagine
you being that way at all.�
She shrugged again. �Leaving
home knocked sense into me real quick, let me assure you.�
�Yeah, I suppose it
would. Alright, I believe you in theory. That�s probably as good as you�re
going to get.�
�I�ll take it.� She
kissed the underside of his chin.
He closed his eyes
in contentment at the gesture, the stress of the upcoming events of the day
seeming to vanish for the time being.
�You�re wearing
that aftershave I like,� she murmured, kissing him again.
�I know,� he said
with a smile that was a little on the lazy side. �That�s why I�m wearing it.�
�Evil man,� she
murmured, kissing his neck now.
�I don�t disagree,
but why am I evil this time?� he asked slowly, tilting his head away from her
mouth to give her better access to his neck. �I wore it for you.�
�Yes, but we don�t
have the time for me to do anything about it.�
His eyes snapped
open at the mention of time, and nervous tension quickly filled him once more. �Is
it�is it time to go? Already?�
�Soon. Just relax. We�re
begging off halfway through so I can take a �nap,� remember? And then we�ll go back for the fireworks, and
then the day will be over.�
He nodded and tried
to relax. He really did.
�It�s going to be
alright,� she whispered into his neck. �I�ll be with you the entire time. Right next to you.�
�Do you promise?�
�Absolutely. Never
out of touching range.�
�Good,� he said
with a short sigh of relief. He knew that today wouldn�t be easy, but having
her at his side throughout just might make it bearable.
�I�ll even go so
far as to act the typical newlywed in front of everyone. Always touching my
husband, and kissing my husband, and holding his hand...�
�Please do,� he
said softly, wanting to smile at that, but not quite able to yet.
�It�ll be my
pleasure, I�m sure.� She wondered if he could feel her smile against his skin.
He could indeed. He
took a deep breath after a few minutes of silence had passed and took stock of
things. �I think I�m as ready for this as I�m going to get, Aida. We might as
well go.�
�You sure that�s
the shirt you want to wear?� she teased as she reluctantly let him go.
�No, but it�s
already buttoned so I�m sticking with it,� he said as he just as reluctantly
got out of bed to straighten said shirt and brush his hair into some semblance
of order. He then grabbed his sunglasses and stood for a minute at the desk
with all of his �accessories� on it, including his weapons. He looked over the
knives and .45 for a minute with a bit of longing, but reached for his keys
instead with a sigh. �Alright, I guess I�m ready.�
�Then lets go.� She
came over, kissed his cheek, collected his hand, and led him out to the car.

****************************** ***
******************************

�Would either of you care for anything to drink while we
wait for company to arrive? We have ice tea, lemonade, soda, plain old water,
and mint juleps if either of you are interested,� Susan offered cheerfully as
they all took seats in the Grants� family room.
�I�ve never had a
mint julep before,� Sands mused.
�Well then, there�s
no question as to what you�re having then, Sands. Anything for you, Aida?�
�Lemonade please.� Once
her mother was on her way - Jack was outside seeing to his grill - Aida leaned
over and teased her husband, �Making me the designated driver, eh?�
�Not necessarily.
And your mother offered,� he answered with a slight shrug.
�Oh don�t worry,
Aida. I won�t put too much bourbon in it. It�s still a little too early in the
day for that. After the picnic
however, well, we�ll see,� Susan said with a teasing smile. �I�ll be right back
with your drinks.�
�Thank you,� Sands
said automatically.
�Not a problem,
hon,� Susan answered with a nod.
�Perhaps the
alcohol will help you mellow out some,� Aida sighed, gently rubbing her
husbands shoulders before slipping her arm around his waist.
�I doubt it,� he
murmured. �I tend towards maudlin rather than mellow when I drink.�
�Well then, please
save us from that and try not to drink to many juleps.� She smiled to let him
know she was joking.
�I�ll do my best,� he murmured wryly,
attempting to stand when Susan entered the room with their drinks in hand but
thwarted both by a gesture from her and Aida�s arm still around his waist. He
settled for sitting up straight, but it felt wrong to be doing so. Then he
remembered that he hadn�t stood when Susan had left the room either so it made
it all rather moot. �Thank you,� he murmured when Susan had handed him his
drink, complete with a mint leaf floating in it.
�You�re very
welcome, Sands,� Susan acknowledged after she had given Aida her drink as well.
She didn�t reclaim her seat though. �I should probably go out and check on
Jack. You two are more than welcome to come outside with me. It�s hot, but it
is a nice day out and company shouldn�t start arriving for at least another
fifteen minutes or so.�
Aida glanced at
Sands and when she saw he wasn�t against it, she moved her hand to hold his and
got up off the couch, pulling him after her.
The sun outside was
bright, and Aida pulled down her sunglasses to cover her eyes before accepting
the kiss on the cheek from her father.
�So, what�s for
lunch?� she asked, sipping her lemonade. �I�m starving.� Instead of hunting for
breakfast in this town, she and Sands had made love again in her last attempt
to keep him calm. She wasn�t sure if she�d done any good or not.
�Hamburgers,
hotdogs, and BBQ ribs.�
Aida moaned. �That
sounds wonderful.�
Sands mused that he
shouldn�t have been surprised at the
menu. It was typical picnic food, or so he thought. Placed on paper plates and
eaten with plastic silverware while sitting at picnic benches or in the grass.
He couldn�t keep a small smile from his face as the image charmed him. This was
what families were supposed to do, right? Typical American families. Not like
his.
�Aida? Did you
remember to bring any suntan lotion? With your fair skin, you�re sure to get
burned today,� Susan said with a mildly concerned glance at Aida�s fair skin
before turning her gaze to Sands as well. �You too, Sands.�
Aida winced. �No, I didn�t. Didn�t know we�d
be picnicking, and I didn�t bring any.�
�Well, that�s too
bad, firefly. You�re going to be red as a tomato by the end of the afternoon,�
Jack said mildly, causing his daughter to grin. The cadence of the teasing was
oh-so familiar.
�Thanks for your
concern, Poppa.�
Susan just smiled
to see the easy camaraderie between her husband and daughter seeming to pick up
right where it had left off those many years ago. �Don�t worry, Aida. I�ve got
some. I wouldn�t let either of you turn into tomatoes while there was anything
I could do about it.�
�I don�t know...I
think strawberry red would be a good look for me, don�t you, my love?�
Sands shook his
head. �I don�t like red, remember? That�s Jeff�� he cut himself off with a look
as if he couldn�t believe what he just been about to say. �It�s not my color,�
he tried to cover.
�I know it�s just
not your color. But I�m talking about on me.
I seem to remember you saying it might be cute.�
A corner of his mouth
turned up. �I vaguely remember saying something like that, yes.�
�Are you taking it
back?� Aida asked teasingly as her mother returned with the suntan lotion. �Because
this is your last chance.�
He considered, but
shook his head. �I don�t want you uncomfortable for the rest of the trip just
for my own amusement.�
�Not to mention you
wouldn�t be able to touch me,� she smirked, filling her palms with lotion and
then unexpectedly attacking her husband with it. �Hold still.�
�Oh come on, Aida. That
stuff�s cold and it smells weird,� Sands complained as Aida moved lotion
covered hands over every bit of exposed skin she could find. �And who says that
I didn�t want to turn into a tomato?�
Susan just stood
off to the side next to her husband, smiling at Aida and Sands� actions.
�Because if you
did, then I wouldn�t be able to touch
you. And something tells me you
wouldn�t like that. Besides, I�ll let you do this to me.�
�I�d still let you
touch me,� he muttered, but no longer tried to squirm out from under her hands.
�Fine, but I wouldn�t
out of pity. What are you smiling at?� she asked her parents in an aside.
�Oh nothing. Don�t
mind us,� Susan said with a smile.
�Are you done yet?�
Sands asked impatiently.
�No. Gimme your
face. Do you want your nose to burn?�
�Yes, it would give
me the utmost pleasure if it did,� he murmured wryly.
�Liar,� she
accused, slathering lotion all over his face. �Alright, I�m done.�
�Really? You�re
sure you haven�t missed any?� he asked wryly, feeling completely covered in the
stuff.
�Well, there is that part where your hair is thinning��
Aida teased before seeing the look on her husband�s face. When she did, she
squealed, and took off running.
He paused just long
enough to glance over at Aida�s parents-he had never truly forgotten that they
were there-before taking after his wife, the bottle of suntan lotion in hand.
As the young couple
cavorted around the backyard, Jack slipped his arm around his own bride. �So,
what are you thinking, Suzie?�
�That it�s been a
long time since we were that young,� she said, leaning into her husband�s
embrace.
�I think that they�re
going to be very happy despite that little row last night.� Jack took a sip of
his beer.
�I hope so,� Susan
said with a nod. �Despite everything,� he murmured, thinking about what Aida
had told her about Sands and his parents and what she had shared with her
husband last night in private.
�Aida�s good for
him. She won�t let him be anything less than whole.�
Susan nodded. �I
hope you�re right. For both their sakes.�
In the meantime,
Sands had caught his wife - literally scooping her up - before depositing them
both in a hammock so he could apply her quota of sunscreen. Aida was grinning
despite the way she was breathing heavily from their little game.
�I brought a hat if
you want it,� Sands said a few minutes later after he had thoroughly covered
her in sunscreen and set them gently rocking in the hammock. �It�s in the car
if you want me to go and get it for you.�
�That�s alright,�
she said lazily. �I�m fine. I might stick to the shade, but I�ll be alright.�
�Well, if that
changes the hat will be in the car,� he reminded her before frowning a little
in thought. �I miss our backyard.�
�You do? I never spent much time in it.�
�I spent more time
on the back porch, actually. Jeffrey seemed to like it though too, so maybe
that�s what I�m picking up on.�
�Did he call Salida
yesterday ever?�
�You know what? I
don�t know. I hope he did. Because if not they�ll both be pissed at me.�
�Well, I just tell
them to shut it. Or Jeffrey can pretend
to be you and put up with this.� There
was an evil grin on her face.
�As tempting as
might sound, it would never work. He wouldn�t willingly stay here. He�d just
leave.�
�That was my
point. He wouldn�t complain for long if
faced with this. And then I�d have you
back.� She grinned as he moaned.
�Don�t bother
asking him. I�m sure he called her. It�s not the kind of thing he�d be likely
to forget,� Sands murmured as he stared up into the still almost unnaturally
vivid clear blue sky even through his dark sunglasses. No sky should be that
blue. It wasn�t right. He stared at it for a minute longer, becoming lost in
the color, when he noticed that Aida had been trying to talk to him. �Sorry,
what did you say?� he asked as he blinked and turned away from the entrancing
vision of the sky to look at her.
�I heard a car door
slam. Someone�s here.�
�Oh. Alright,�
Sands said slowly, casting his eyes in the direction he thought the new
arrivals would come from as he sat up in the hammock.
Carol Grant, Aida�s
older sister by 5 years although she�d only admit to three, walked through the
back gate into the yard where she knew her mother and father were likely to be.
With her mother�s pale blonde hair and blue eyes, she was a striking woman, but
not for just those reasons. It was clear from the way she held herself; her
confident, determined grace as she walked, that she was a strong woman. As one
of the chief commodities brokers at a modest but successful firm and the single
mother of two adopted Vietnamese children, she had to be.
�Now before you two
run off, you�re going to at least say hi to grandma and grandpa, understand?�
she addressed her two young boys, Josh and Steve, calmly but determinedly. When
both boys answered, �Yes, mama,� she nodded, appeased and continued walking
through the yard with both boys trailing close behind her as she did so. In
fact, they were both so intent on obeying their mother so that they could go
and play that they both nearly ran into her as she stopped suddenly with a soft
gasp. �Aida? Is it really you? I mean mom and pop said that you were going to
be here, but I wasn�t�� She trailed off, unable to say anything further.
�Hi, Carrie.� Aida tried to get out of the hammock
gracefully, but only managed to dump she and her husband out of it and on to
the ground.
Sands grunted upon
impact sat on the ground for a minute, disbelieving what had just happened. He
then looked up at Aida�s sister with slightly widened eyes and quickly rose to
his feet, helping Aida up in the process.
Carol couldn�t help
but laugh at the sheer unexpectedness of the whole thing, and her two boys were
both laughing uproariously behind her. �I�m sorry, little sis, I didn�t mean to
startle you. Give me a hug,� she said with a bright smile, stepping towards
Aida with open arms.
Aida turned her
nose up into the air as she gave her sister the requested hug. �Who said anything about me being startled. That was a well-crafted act to break the ice.�
�Sure it was. And
the fact that you seemed to have dumped this handsome man standing very quietly
at your side was part of the plan too? Somehow I don�t think so, sis,� Carol
said as she pulled away with a laugh before turning to include Sands as well. �I�m
Carol Grant and these are my two sons Josh and Steve.� She gestured at each boy
in turn before holding out a hand for Sands so shake. �I don�t think you�ve met
them, Aida. Josh, Steve, say hello to your Aunt Aida.� Both boy murmured
something sounding like �hi.� Carol shook her head slowly and sighed. �You�ll
get to talk to them later, I�m sure. Alright you two, you can go and play now.�
Both boys took off running without looking back. Carol smiled before turning to
look at Sands curiously; her smile dropping into an inquisitive line. �You must
be the new man in Aida�s life that mama�s told us nothing about.�
�I�m Sands,� Sands
said as he shook her outstretched hand.
�So I hear. And you�re
Aida�s new husband? How did you two meet?� Carol asked once Sands had released
her hand.
Aida reclaimed his
hand and answered the question herself. �Well,
if you have any doubts at all about my coordination, let me just lay to rest by
saying that Sands and I met when he barreled into me on the street. Literally knocked me off my feet, he
did. I then demanded dinner in
repayment. And that is the end of a
short story.� Aida grinned. �Love at first sight for both of us.�
�A short story,
huh? Somehow I doubt that,� she said with a grin. �So Sands, now that you�re my
brother-in-law, tell me a little about yourself. Mama didn�t tell any of us
anything on the phone. My brothers are all very curious to meet you too.�
Sands quavered a
little at that, but answered anyway as Aida squeezed his hand. �Um, I�m 27,
originally from D.C., and independently wealthy.�
�Ok, maybe a little
more than that,� Carol said with a laugh. �Is Sands your first name or your
last. It sounds like it�s your last to me, but I didn�t want to assume.�
�It�s my last name,
but it�s what I prefer to be called by,� Sands said carefully.
�Oh. Do you not
like your name like our brother Chester?
I don�t really mind Carol myself, but I�ve never been able to find out if mama
named be after Cary Grant or not. She won�t tell me,� she said with another
laugh. �Sands it is then. At least you have a good last name to use. And what
did you mean by independently wealthy? Aida, you haven�t married yourself a
millionaire have you?� she teased.
�Nope. I�d never stoop to that. You know that.� It wasn�t exactly a lie, but from the way
that Sands� was squeezing her hand, he was amused.
�While I do have
money, it�s true, I know that�s not the reason Aida married me, Ms. Grant.�
�You can call me
Carol. I�m on vacation and you�re family now. It�s the least I can do now that
I know I will be coming to you to borrow money,� she said with a teasing glint
in her eye.
Sands bowed to her.
�Any time, Carol,� he said as smoothly as he could.
�Oh, I like him,
Aida,� Carol said with a grin.
�Is this how
everyone is going to react?� Aida asked plaintively as the trio wandered back
towards the porch. �I swear, we�re just
a normal couple. The happy newlyweds and
all that.�
�Aida, you�ve been
gone without a word for nearly ten years and suddenly you return out of the
blue with a new husband. How do you expect everyone to act?� The question was
harsh, but not the intent behind it. Carol had truly missed her sister, and she
understood why Aida had left.
�Well that, react
all you want to that. But the
independently wealthy thing...that�s not really a big deal.� She glanced at her husband. �It�s nice, but it�s not at all important.�
Sands nodded in
appreciation of the comment, but didn�t fully understand it. It wasn�t that he
didn�t hear what she was saying, it was that he had been taught that money and
material goods were important; that value was placed upon things rather than
people. It wasn�t a mindset he would be breaking out of so easily.
�You are happy
though, Aida, right?� Carol asked intently as they rejoined Jack and Susan.
�What kind of
question is that to ask in front of
my husband?� Aida asked, a grin on her face.
�Although, now that you mention it, I�m not. Only one way to solve that.� And with that said, she spun around and
planted her lips on her husband�s.
�Alright, I get the
picture. I�ll stop being the nosy older sister, I promise. Cut it out you two,�
Carol said with a laugh as Aida and Sands kissed.
Sands pulled away
with a surprised look at his face, a hint of gratefulness making it through the
curtain of anxiousness and worry that filled his dark eyes.
�Older sisters,
always bossing people around,� Aida sighed, taking another sniff of her husband�s
aftershave. She did manage to pull
herself away though. �You�re a
party-pooper,� she informed her sister.
�Younger sisters,
always needing the guidance of those older and wiser than them because they�re
constantly getting themselves into trouble,� Carol teased back without missing
a beat.
�I like trouble,�
Aida mumbled, throwing a sly glance at Sands over her shoulder.
�And it likes you
back I�m sure,� Carol said wryly as she caught the glance Aida had sent her
husband.
�What about you?�
Aida asked, turning the tables on her sister.
�What�s this I hear about some �near fianc�?� And he�s not here? I�m scandalized.�
�Oh hush. Jacob
sends his regards but he was called away on business for the weekend.
Hopefully, he�ll be here for Thanksgiving this year and you�ll get to meet him
if not before then. If you come, that is.�
�We�re not
sure. We�re actually on our way to Washington.�
�Really? To visit
Sands� parents?� She directed the question to Aida since Sands had seemingly
gone silent on the subject.
�No. Sands parents passed away some time ago. But Sands needs to move closer to the family
business, thus our change of zip code.�
�Oh, I�m sorry to
hear that, Sands. Wait, you�re moving out of Louisiana?
But this is your home. I thought you loved it here, Aida.�
�I do. I do.
But my life isn�t just my own anymore.
I�m married.� Aida squeezed Sands�
hand.
Carol made a face
in thought but nodded. �Will you at least keep in touch this time?�
The question made
Aida want to turn and run. From who -
her family or her husband - she wasn�t sure.
While she�d be able to �keep in touch,� most of what she could relate
would be a lie, and they wouldn�t be able to write back. Although she could always call now and
again. That would be nice. Perhaps Sands would buy her a cell phone.
All this mental
angst kept her from noticing that she�d never answered Carol�s question.
�I�ll take that as
a no,� Carol said softly, her shoulders slumping a little with sadness before
she forcefully perked herself up. �That�s alright. I�m sure you and your new
husband will have lots on your mind. Neither of you would want to be bothered
by any of us. And Sands� family business, you say? What kind of business is
that?�
�Investment banking,�
Sands murmured, not knowing what to say to Aida about being able to keep in
touch with her family. He hoped that she would get that chance for her sake,
but he honestly didn�t know. �I don�t really know all that much about it, I�m
just the primary stockholder.�
�You own your own
investment firm? In DC? Independently wealthy, huh? I can believe it,� Carol
murmured with a soft smile and a shake of her head.
�My family owns it.
I�m just in charge of it,� Sands muttered with a shrug.
�In charge of it
and completely unaware of how things are going.� Aida made a visible effort to pull herself
together. She was going to keep in touch
and that was that. She and Sands were
just going to have to find a way for her to do it safely. �That�s another reason we need to go. People get nervous when the biggest
stockholder has no idea what�s going on.�
�I can imagine.
Josh, don�t hit your brother!� Carol called out to her dueling children across
the lawn. �How long have you two been married? Any thoughts on kids yet?�
Sands paled a
little at that before he could get a hold of himself. He seemed to react badly
to certain words having to do with family: children and parents especially. The
fact that he knew this and was yet still unable to control his reactions, only
served to frustrate and irritate him.
�Two months come
the 16th,� Aida replied. �And it�s much to early for us to be thinking
about children. We�re still getting to
know each other in a lot of ways. We had
a bit of a whirlwind courtship.�
�Really? How so?�
Before Aida could answer however, another member of the Grant family had shown
up for the picnic.
Actually, it was
several members. Aida�s oldest brother
had showed up with his brood - three kids and a mildly pregnant wife.
�Aida Nicole!�
Robert bellowed.
�Prepare to be
boarded,� Aida whispered to Sands, then stepped forward as she was nearly swept
off her feet in an overly enthusiastic hug.
�Robert, can�t breathe...�
�Good, then you�re
not going anywhere.� Despite this
declaration, Robert set her down, his hands resting on her shoulders. �How are you?�
�She was just
preparing to tell us about her whirlwind courtship,� Carol said wryly.
Aida glared at her
sister, and tried to switch topics. �Robbie,
this is my husband, Sands.� And with a
gentle tug, she pulled her man forward.
�Pleased to meet
you, Mr. Grant, Mrs. Grant,� he acknowledged both Aida�s brother and his wife
formally, offering a hand to Robert only because his wife hadn�t quite
approached them yet. She was busy wrangling wayward children.
�You didn�t corrupt
her too much, did you?� Robert asked, tilting his head towards his sister.
Aida answered
before Sands had a chance, her temper heating a little. �He never had time. We knew each other for a week before we got
married.� She squeezed Sands� hand for strength.
�No, I didn�t,�
Sands answered slowly, keeping a frown from his face at the lie. In truth, he had corrupted her. He had forced her to
ignore her own set of values and moral code for her love for the sociopathic
schizophrenic murderer she called her husband.
�Okay, maybe a
little,� Aida said quickly before Robert could say what she thought he was
going to. �He�s turned me into a lazy
lump like you�d never believe -�
�One week?� her
brother interrupted. �You knew each
other for one week?� His voice was mild
but Aida gritted her teeth. He was about
to go all protective.
�Yes. Is there anything wrong with that?� she
challenged.
�Sands, can I steal
you from my sister for a moment?�
�No, you can�t,�
Aida answered.
She was
ignored. Robert wanted to talk to this
guy his sister had brought home.
Sands, already on
the defensive in coming here, felt a prickle move down his spine at Robert�s
words. �Listen. I don�t know you, but I know your sister and I love her very
much. Now normally I wouldn�t bother explaining my actions to anyone, but since
you�re her brother I will just this once. I knew I loved her. I knew I wanted
to spend the rest of my life with her. I asked her to marry me, no strings
attached, and she said yes.�
Aida grinned. �I think your intimidating older brother act
could use some polish, bro.� She stepped
closer to Sands side in an effort to reassure and calm him. �Besides, since when have I been unable to
defend myself, not to mention unable to see through a phony?�
Robert shrugged
guiltily. �If he couldn�t stand up for
you both, he wasn�t the man for you, firefly.
But he can. And since when have
you been able to see through phonies?
You were the most naive girl -�
�No, I just acted
like the most naive girl. It let me get
away all sorts of stuff you�d�ve done something about if you�d thought I was
purposely doing them.�
Robert just
laughed.
�He doesn�t respect
me,� Aida pretended to whisper to her husband.
�He doesn�t think I�m capable of hatching such devious plans.�
�Then either you�ve
changed considerably in the last ten years, you were good at hiding it, or he
simply didn�t notice because you�re nearly as devious as I am sometimes,
spitfire,� he murmured to her.
�Just nearly?� she
asked, brushing his cheek with a finger.
Sands gave her a
small smile in return that might have been devious itself under different
circumstances.
�Well if you�re
done with the big bad older brother act, Robbie, I think I�m going to see if
papa�s finished with the food. I�m starving,� Carol announced at large before
heading over to the picnic table.
Aida kissed the
cheek she was stroking, before demanding to be introduced to Robert�s wife, and
things went on from there.
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More Than Darkness