The Warmth of the Day

Charlie moved closer to Clare, she was holding her own whilst still watching him. He then stood in front of her and obscured my view. Although I watched him place Clare's hands in his own, it still took her a moment to move her head to look directly at him. My father-in-laws voice softened and held within it a tenderness I had only ever heard him use when he talked to Lisa.

"He's only over there; that's six paces by my reckoning. Take a chance on him or not, that's your choice, but he is a good man and even that sweet daughter of yours can see that. Why do you think she always wants to visit the horses?"

Isabel came into my view and my attention centered on her, more so when her soft hands held my own ever so tightly.

"You're shy around women, we get that. My daughter loved you with every fiber of her being, but even she knew that it was going to take a few miracles to get you to notice her. We know you see her here when the sun goes down, but ask yourself this, are you holding Lisa back from a better place or is it my daughter that can't move on because she's making sure you can go on without her."

Her face blurred, I managed to blurt out, "That's not fair," before I tried desperately hard to pull my hands away, and yet this woman held me in place.

"No, what's not fair is that when my daughter died you lost the ability to love again. That's not fair." Her head nodded towards Clare. "That woman is capable of love; you see it everyday in her child's eyes that she could as well. My own daughter saw something in you that brought out the best in her, as well."

Her hands held me tighter. "Alex. My dear sweet man, that woman can help you find your way if you would only let her. It's time to say good-bye to my daughter."

I don't think either of us could see each other, such was the emotions that tore through us both that evening. Charlie led his wife into the house leaving two human wrecks to deal with each others fallout.

*******

Isabel found us both asleep on the couch the next morning, the two empty bottles of wine a rather large giveaway as to how we both dealt with the emotions of the last evening. The smell of breakfast sent Clare to the bathroom, and it still took her a good fifteen minutes by my reckoning before she came and joined us at the breakfast table. Well, if you call dry toast breakfast, that is.

I walked her to her car later that morning after she had drank navy coffee by the gallon. Her hand sat snuggly in mine for the whole journey to her car, only releasing it so she could find her keys. Clare threw her arms around my neck and our lips met in the middle, I worried about bruised lips, well, for all of a second I did, before this woman stuck her tongue in my mouth and went hunting for mine. She only released me when she felt the bulge in my pants push against her; her smile spelt mischief.

With another kiss she got into her car and left to collect Maddie from the sitter.

Isabel watched me come out onto the back porch. "Two bottles?"

I nodded, faintly regretting it when I did since I was still tender.

"Alcohol loosens lips. I thought my life was a freak show, but that bastard of a husband sure put her through a ringer."

When Isabel nodded it reaffirmed my suspicions that the power of gossip small towns are able to muster: they shared with Charlie who then, of course, shared with his wife.

"They're both coming for the weekend, so we need the spare rooms in good order."

Isabel raised an eyebrow and I raised my hands in surrender.

"Baby steps, Isabel. That husband of yours was right and the wine helped, but for now, it's baby steps and that includes separate rooms."

I heard her sigh and then she nodded her head in understanding. "That's a fine looking woman you have there, and she has the spirit needed to keep you grounded."

Even I was willing to concede on that point. "She's a babe, Isabel, and I'm almost sure that in my drunken stupor I called her that at least once. But it's still going to be baby steps."

Not a lot got done that day, even though I tried. The warmth of the day was coming to a close; Lisa would be there soon. Grabbing a cold soda from the fridge and then pushing open the back door to step out onto the porch and look out at the view, I felt her. I just couldn't turn around since she would have seen my tears. My fingers tightened around the soda bottle and twice I choked back on what I wanted to say.

"I've found someone, Lisa, she's not you, of course, but somehow I think that was your intention all along. She won't ever replace you, my love, but I know in this broken heart of mine she can heal me. She's as damaged as I am, but that little girl of hers kept her sane."

I took a drink from my bottle, the cool breeze seemed to let me know that Lisa was still there.

"Your mom was right all along, I'm holding you back, Lisa, and I'm sorry for being so selfish. I believe I've found the one and we both need to move on. I'm sorry for keeping you here all this time baby, truly I am."

For a moment all I felt was the churning of my stomach, and then the breeze stopped, so suddenly that even the horses looked up from grazing. The touch may have been imagined but the sane part of my mind wanted it to be real, I felt a kiss to my cheek, the lips so familiar.

It was Lisa's turn to finally say goodbye.

*******

After a month it felt like Clare and Maddie lived at the ranch. Sure they had their own rooms over the weekends, but for the moment, Clare kept her house so Maddie was closer to school. Even that came to a stop when Charlie asked her if that was the only reason. Clare thought about it while she stared at her daughter and asked Maddie if she wanted to stay at the ranch and live there. I still swear that the greatest thing a person can ever watch is a child do a happy dance. Hell, she even rushed out back to tell her horse the good news.

Clare moved onto the ranch a month later. Between Clare and Isabel it took them all afternoon and some of the evening to fit all her clothes into the walk-in wardrobe. I played it safe and left them to it, taking Maddie with me for a ride into town. We hit the tack store first. Old Bob had to do a double take just to make sure it was me and not Charlie. His features softened even more when he spotted the munchkin firmly attached to my hand wearing one big smile.

"About time you got your head out of your ass, young man. That reporter woman has been after you for a while." The pause was him wondering if he should add his next thought. "You look after that lady, young man, she may be an outsider, but she has real friends here that want her to stay."

I lifted Maddie onto the counter; Bob looked at her and then smiled.

"Good afternoon Mr. Bob, me and mommy live on a ranch now and have loads of horses."

The years seemed to fall off old Bob as he leaned onto the counter, "Is that so? Well I guess your looking to feed all them horses then, huh?"

She nodded a big yes to that question. It was fascinating to watch: the town misery and my munchkin talking like they had known each other all her short little life. Maddie had that effect on people. After all, between her and Clare they seemed to have done the same to me. Yes, it was an odd setting, and no wonder the townsfolk looked twice as we passed them or sat at one of the two sets of lights we had in town.

The town recluse sat in his big old truck that was used to carry hay and supplies to and from this very town, Maddie in her child seat safely strapped into the passenger side, would stick her hand out the window and wave at someone she knew. I'm sure the town gossips had it figured out long before Clare managed to make it public.

We got back just as the smell of dinner flowed out of the open windows of the house. Clare came for Maddie while Charlie and I took everything into the barn and put it all away. The munchkin lasted a couple of hours after dinner before she started doing the nodding dog thing. Isabel scooped her into her arms and took her to bed. Charlie did the rounds outside, closing up as he went through the barn, leaving Clare curled up beside me on the couch.

"Thank you."

Now that confused me, so I looked at her.

"For waiting. It's been a while," Her head tilted towards the lower part of her body and a smile came to her lips before saying, "And I may have healed over."

Her cheeks took on that cute pink that wouldn't take much to tilt towards crimson, I hugged her and feeling oh so bold, I kissed the side of her forehead.

"That makes two of us then. Just remember, no pressure."

Clare giggled. "Oh yes there is." She paused for a moment longer and then twisted to look at me. "Dibbs the lights off for the first attempt."

That made me laugh and hug her tightly to me for a second.

"Not a chance, I have a hot babe camped out in my bedroom and I don't get the chance to check her out, maybe drool a little? Most definitely stare."

It's amazing how sharp a woman's elbow really is when it's embedded into your ribs. Just to prove that chivalry wasn't dead, I stood and held out my hand to her. I'm sure her smile stopped my heart for a brief time.

*******

I was pulling back the covers listening to Clare hum some tune while she was somewhere deep in the walk-in closet.

I did hear her step out before she said, "Honey, I can't decide which one so I need your input."

When I turned around my brain took all of a nanosecond to scream 'WOW' before pumping blood to other parts of my body. She was absolutely perfect, I mean naked, I mean perfectly naked. She held onto a set of see through nightwear in each hand, one pink, the other color escapes me considering I was still staring at the woman in the middle holding something in either hand.

My goodness, she was just so beautiful: her eyes shone and those cheeks of hers still held that pink color, but the smile captivated me and I just knew that she gave that smile to Maddie. It was just charming with a hint of humor. Her eyes seemed to capture the essence of her soul and warmth seeped from her; my heart beat just accelerated the blood flowing to certain parts of my body.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare?"

"Yes please," was the only response my mind could make.

Her giggle woke me from my need to mentally absorb everything there was about Clare: her neck that held a small cross on a sturdy chain, shoulders that still held the slight indent of bra straps and the wonders that the bra itself held. My goodness, her breasts were just so exquisite. She was over a handful, but no way was any of her wasted, and those nipples, damn I was so jealous of Maddie for a moment because she got to suck on them before I could.

Clare's waist tapered just fine into her hips, the very faint lines of motherhood still clung to her. She shaved. Clare shaved. The landing strip actually complimented her frame and added to those fine hips of hers, hell, I had no complaints.

One bare foot was placed in front of the other, dropping both sets of see through nightwear on the ground, and seven paces later her arms were around my neck. Her lips touched mine, and for the first time since I had known this woman I felt content in another woman's arms.

"Did you like your present?"

She felt me nod my head. "I would have worn one for you if you had wanted me to, but something tells me you're having trouble remembering the colors, let alone what they look like."

She was oh so right on that topic.

"Well, Mr. Alex Bennett, I've shown you mine, would you be so kind as to show me yours?"

A thought struck me and just wouldn't let go, the thing was that Clare noticed and honed in on it straight away. Watching her face as she waited, I gave her one of those mischievous smiles.

She was gearing up to make me confess, so I just had to get it out. "Dibbs the lights off for the first attempt."

Her face was absolutely priceless, and boy was she quick with her hands. My belt was undone and my pants around my ankles before I knew what day it was, her head disappeared and she took my underwear on a trip to join my pants.

"Erm, honey, trust me. You haven't got anything to be shy about, and I'm keeping the lights on when I'm playing with this."

This time it was my turn to blush. Clare smiled and glanced over at the bed before nodding her head towards the hand wrapped around my penis.

"It seems the compass in my hand is already pointing towards the bed, you think we should do as we're told and head on over there?"

Clare left the rest of her question hanging in the air as she turned, and with her hand still firmly holding onto Junior, she sauntered over to the bed. The view of her ass as she led this two person parade amused and turned me on further. She looked over her shoulder at me once more, the motion of her head made her hair fall to one side of her head, covering part of her lovely face.

She turned to face me and as her legs came into contact with the edge of the bed, she sat, and in one fluid motion sank her mouth over the bulbous head of my dick before lowering herself down it. Fear slammed into panic and both held each other like best friends, more so when the moistness of her mouth simply magnified her actions and it was then that panic overtook fear as my cock erupted in her mouth.

Her eyes locked on mine for just a moment, and I knew she figured this was going to happen. Clare's eyes closed as she sucked and the motion of her hand around me worked in unison, I clearly had nowhere to go and simply held onto her shoulders as I fought the urge to flop to the floor. My pride held me in place, the sensations this woman were giving off made my body want more, and as unprepared for all this as I was, there was no way my body was going to let me down.

This was one passionate woman, and the strength I drew from her at that very moment made me realize that I would do everything in my power to spend many happy years in her arms from now on, well, once she let go, but something told me she had no intention of doing that until she got what she wanted and the feelings I was getting from Junior, he was sure in a hurry to impress her.

I held onto her shoulders when I erupted into her mouth, I wasn't too proud to say she was actually holding me up when jet after jet left me and entered her mouth. How she kept on swallowing so many months of stored up semen is both beyond me and a wonder at her talents, talents that I had every intention of enjoying for the rest of my life if I had my way.

With a quick kiss on the tip of my cock Clare looked up at me, pure lust stared at me right then. She let go, pushed herself back onto the bed and settled somewhere in the middle, her legs slowly opened and that completely bold treasure was shown to me for just a second before her own hand worked its way up and down it. Clare's middle finger would disappear into her pussy only to re-appear, soaked in her own juices as her hand crested her pubic bone.

"Well mister, I've shown you mine. Show me yours."

In that one second, we shared that lust of hers. I leapt onto the bed, shoved my hands under her legs and lifted; her pussy moved with the action and beckoned me. Poor Clare was almost folded in two as I held her there and sank my tongue into her absolutely soaked pussy. Her taste just drove me on as she squirmed as she moaned, Clare held the back of my head and tried so hard to force my face into her pussy and she screamed out an orgasm that soaked us both.

I didn't stop, I wasn't even sure I wanted to ever stop eating her; her own orgasm couldn't subside with that much stimulation, seeking a release her mouth opened and moaned again.

"That's it, eat it. Eat it like you own it. You do, you know."

Her legs opened even further and I once again run my tongue the full length of her slit, pressing down a little harder on her clit. Her body tried to buck, my hands held hard to her hips and forced them hard to the bed. Her own hands released me and practically tore the sheets off the bed, I rose from between her legs and one of her hands automatically replaced my tongue as her finger rubbed her pleasure button. Her hand speeded up and a small glint of reality peaked above the parapet when I thought 'that's going to hurt later'.

"That felt so good. I would like another one please. As you can see I'm keeping it warm for you."

I smiled. Warm? She was practically rubbing her poor nub into nothing. Then she did something that just dropped my jaw on the mattress, her soaked and glistening fingers came away from her pussy and she jammed them into her mouth, her cheeks bowed in, telling me she was sucking greedily on all four of them. Her legs wrapped around me and I felt her ankles lock against the small of my back.

When my eyes met hers, she smiled, let her fingers leave her mouth and said. "Am I giving you any ideas yet?"

The door in my mind open and lust ushered the gentleman inside before slamming it shut. My eyes bored into hers and the smile that returned let me know that she understood. I pulled her legs apart, took a step back and turned her onto her front. Clare knew before I even got around to telling her, her own legs disappeared beneath her and in one movement she was now on all fours with her face buried into the pillow.

My hand grabbed her hips and Junior got soaked on his journey into Clare's welcoming pussy. She moaned into the pillow and only stopped when groin met ass. The face that looked back at me from the pillow made me pause, her eyes glowed with pure lust.

"I'm a woman, that means if you ever try to put me on a pedestal I will kill you. Fuck me, and I mean fuck me. You get to claim this body before I make yours mine. This isn't going to be love; this is a fuck. We get to the loving part when we are sure that we have kicked the cobwebs off, only then will there be time for that. I've said enough, do your job."

With one hand holding her hip, I guided my cock up to the furnace building the other side of her pussy lips. Clare felt me close to her and pushed her body back the same time that I pushed forward, and by the time we each realized, I was already half way into her.

The sigh that escaped her lips simply gave me the impetus to push in further. A none to ladylike. "Fuck yeah," sure made me smile.

I started slow, and after the first four thrusts I could hear a growling noise coming from the pillow. Self-preservation took over then and with both hands now holding tight to her hips I proceeded to end the drought between us. I pushed her through two orgasms before my cock coated her insides, Clare's body moved forward and I slipped out.

When she looked up at me, my heart missed a beat, I sure hope that the love I saw in her eyes was matched by the love I truly felt for her. We kissed, we hugged and our hands had permission to go anywhere. When I was hard again, we made love, slow gentle love, neither of us sought dominance. When Clare wanted to go on top I helped her, when I wanted to once again eat her out, her legs parted so fast that the blur caused us both to giggle.

In the end, and even with our youth, there came a time that even we had to yield to our body's demand for rest. As we both lay gasping for breath, Clare finally found her core energy and moved so that those fantastic tits came to rest on my chest. She was quiet for a moment before her hand came to my lips and let her forefinger rest on them to silence me.

"Know this and keep it in your heart. I love you, I love you deeply and because of that I'm giving you a gift that only has one condition." Her eyes scanned the bedroom before she once again looked at me. "I'm your woman, your whore and slut all rolled into one. The sex and the love given from my heart is all yours, inside this very room. BUT don't ever treat me with anything but respect outside this room."