The Seahorse Inn

"Holy shit," he gasped.

Daniel stared in near disbelief as Naomi held up a dirt-encrusted knife. It had a wooden handle and a rusted blade that was about eight inches long.

"I'd bet the farm that this is what Agnes used to kill Beverley," she said as she began to wipe the knife off on her jeans.

"I think that's a safe bet." Daniel felt a chill as he looked at what was in all likelihood a murder weapon. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.

Naomi thought for several seconds while she examined the knife in her hand. "Maybe we can get the police or the coroner to re-open the case and prove that Beverly was murdered," she said. "That may bring some closure to this whole saga."

"I doubt they would," he said. "After all this time, how would they prove it? They couldn't do an autopsy. Besides, we don't even know where she's buried."

"Yes, we do," Naomi said, sounding pleased. "It turns out that Beverley had family in Cleveland who paid for her funeral. She's buried in St. Paul's Cemetery."

"But then what?" he countered. "How could we prove it's murder?"

Naomi twirled the knife around in her hand, watching the slight gleam of the blade under the bare lightbulb. "When someone is stabbed to death, it almost always leaves cut marks on the bones, usually the ribs or other places. If they find those, then they can write her death off as murder."

Daniel gave his head a shake as he chuckled. "Well, thank-you, Miss CSI."

Naomi smiled as she took a step closer. "And who said TV rots your mind?"

There was a somewhat awkward silence in the wine cellar as Daniel and Naomi stared at one another, both smiling. As he glanced back down to the knife in her left hand he noticed the absence of her wedding ring. His heart soared and his smile widened.

"Can I go back to my earlier question, please?" he said.

"Oh, which one was that?" she asked, feigning confusion.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought that you might like some company," she said. "Plus, I've got some good news."

"What's that?" Daniel asked.

Naomi exchanged the knife to her right hand, then held up her left one for him to see her bare ring finger. "I'm traveling lighter tonight," she said with a grin.

"About two hundred pounds lighter, I'd guess," he joked.

"Good guess," Naomi said. "I moved in to Mom's this afternoon. I told Keith it was over, and that I want a divorce."

"Good for you," Daniel said

Naomi placed the knife atop a wine rack to her left. She gave him a timid smile as she took a step closer. She rested her hands on his waist as her eyes met his. "To be perfectly honest, I've sort of been hoping that it would be good forus," she said.

Daniel's eyes lit up and he gave her a wide smile as he pulled her closer. He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "You can't imagine how happy I am to hear that," he told her.

"You can't imagine how relieved I am to hear you say that," she shot back with a nervous laugh, then returned his kiss.

Daniel pulled at the cord to turn the light out in the wine cellar, then took Naomi by the band. He lead her upstairs into the lobby where they embraced and kissed by the fern.

"Which rooms are empty tonight?" she asked, then grinned. "Don't say it," she added.

"Say what?" he asked

"You're not taking me up to room number 11," she said, laughing.

Daniel's laughter mingled with hers, then he caught his breath. "Number 5 is empty," he said. "Let me go get the key."

Daniel quickly retrieved a pass key from a drawer, then he and Naomi climbed the stairs, hand in hand.

The moonlight shone through the lace curtains as Daniel stood beside Naomi, unbuttoning her blouse. He pulled it off and tossed it to the floor of the bed. he paused to admire her standing there in jeans and a white bra. "You're so beautiful," he said, running his fingertips along her sides.

"You're not so bad yourself."

Naomi began quickly unbuttoning his shirt. Moments later it lay atop her blouse and she unhooked her bra. It slid down her arms and fell to the floor. Her heavy breasts quivered and swayed a bit as she moved, and the cool air on them had stiffened her nipples even more.

Daniel could feel his erection pushing out at his slacks as he cupped her full breasts. He bent down and ran his tongue around her nipple. She gave a soft moan and he began sucking on it as she ran her hand through his hair. She pulled him to her so their bodies met and his shaft rubbed against her.

"I want this in me," she said, dragging her fingertips over his hard cock through his slacks.

Daniel kicked his shoes off and fumbled to get undressed the rest of the way, watching as she did the same. After a little struggle he was standing before her, his throbbing erection pointing towards her. He let out a soft moan when she ran her fingers along the underside, then cupped his heavy balls in her hand. The head grazed her stomach, and it sent a shiver through both of them.

Naomi took him by the hand as she backed up towards the bed. She sat down on the edge of it and pulled him closer by his hips. Then she opened her mouth and slid her lips over his hard, thick shaft, sucking hard and moaning. She gave the base of it a hard squeeze and began working her head up and down faster, taking him deeper in her mouth. After close to two minutes she leaned back, smiling up at him.

"That was just the appetizer," she grinned. "Now I want the main course."

Naomi slid towards the middle of the bed and laid down. She watched as Daniel knelt between her bent legs, then reached out to him and took hold of his waist. She pulling him atop her as she parted her smooth thighs even wider.

Daniel looked down, admiring the beauty who lay beneath him. His eyes left her face and ran down over her firm breasts to the thin strip of hair between her thighs. She opened them wider and he saw hew dewy petals unfold. He ran his hand up her thighs as he positioned himself above her as she reached up to hold on to his shoulders.

When his shaft sank into her tight, wet walls, Daniel cried out in pleasure, followed by Naomi. Then their eyes met and they giggled, both knowing they should be quiet so they didn't disturb the guests down the hall.

"Fuck me hard," she breathed into his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down tighter atop her.

Daniel kissed her softly on the lips as he began pumping. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," she said in a breathy voice.

The soft moans of the entwined lovers filled the room as Daniel began pumping his cock harder. He was holding her shoulders and could feel her nails digging into his back. She had a sense of urgency that excited him and spurred him on. He raised up and grasped her hips, watching his cock move in and out of her.

"Oh God, Daniel... yes... that's so good," Naomi moaned, writing beneath him. Her heavy breasts quivered with each thrust, and she held him tight inside her, refusing to let go until they were both spent.

Daniel reached down and began squeezing her left breast. He gave the nipple a pinch, then a tug. That was when he felt her walls tighten and she arched her back, crying out. "Oh shit... do that again... make me cum, Sweetie," she said through clenched teeth.

He began tugging at her nipple and thrusting his hips harder. He could feel himself getting close but wanted to make it last as long as possible. When he reached down and began rubbing her clit she came for the second time in a serious of throaty moans and gasps.

Daniel pulled his slick cock from her and gave it a few quick strokes, watching as his cum splashed over her. Streams of it sprayed over her breasts, down to her stomach. She began rubbing it over her, coating her soft skin with it.

After watching Naomi for a while, Daniel collapsed on the bed beside her, panting. He rolled over and draped his arm over her. "You're amazing," he said and gave her a kiss.

"That's beside I have a good partner." She rolled over and nestled beside him, resting her head on his chest.

"Hopefully I'll be better next time," he said with a nervous smile. "I was pretty nervous, to tell you the truth."

"Me too. I've been wanting this for months, but I was so worried that you'd be disappointed," she told him.

Daniel laughed. "Don't you ever think that, Naomi. You could never disappoint me," he assured her.

Naomi laid in Daniel's arms and they rested, until their passion grew again. After making love once more they reluctantly got dressed and went back down to the lobby. But both knew that that night was just the first of many that they would spend together.

###

Epilogue

Daniel sat cross-legged on the bed, typing on his laptop. When he saw Naomi enter the bedroom holding a cordless phone he gave her a quizzical stare. "Who was that?" he asked.

"The sheriff," Naomi said. She sat down beside him and glided a hand over his back. "He told me that they got the coroner's report back, and Beverley was definitely murdered. They're changing the cause of death officially tomorrow."

"Good," he said. "Hopefully this will be the end of this whole mess."

Naomi peered over his shoulder at the computer screen, resting her hand on his back. "How's the story coming along?" she asked.

"Great," he said. "And now that the coroner has made his report, I can finish it and sell it to the paper."

Naomi beamed him a loving smile. "You're going to be the best journalist in the whole state," she said.

"I doubt that," he scoffed. "But at least I'm getting some work." Daniel stared into Naomi's lustrous eyes, then when her expression suddenly changed, he grew anxious. "What's wrong?" he exclaimed.

"Nothing," she said, reaching for his hand. "Want to feel the baby kick?"

Daniel ran his hand over his fiancé's round belly, then chuckled when he felt it gently quake. "You're going to be such a wonderful mother," he said.

"Don't sell yourself short, Sweetie," she said as she gave his cheek a kiss. "I know you're going to be a great dad."

Daniel rested his hand on his lap again as he thought. "Have you talked with Cassie or Gordon yet?" he asked.

"Oh -- yeah. With everything else going on I almost forgot to mention," she said. "I got an email from her this morning. You'll never guess what they're going to do with the bed and breakfast."

"Okay, I'll bite. What?"

"Well, with all of the publicity about Beverley's murder, and all that, they're going to start advertising the place as a haunted inn. It's all the rage these days, Cassie said, with those ghost hunter shows being so popular."

Daniel rolled his eyes and gave his head a shake. "Did you tell her now that the mystery surrounding Beverley's death has been solved, the hauntings are likely to end," he said.

"No," she said. "I think she already realizes that, but just in case, I didn't want to burst her bubble. But the ironic thing is that all those years that the haunting was happening, she didn't want us to breathe a word about it; she said it was bad for business."

"Something tells me that their business is going to pick up in the near future," he said.

"Ain't it funny how things turn out," she said with a dreamy look in her eyes. "Maybe we should send Beverley a wedding invitation."

"That won't be necessary," Daniel said. "I think she'll be there in spirit."