Love & Peace Ch. 01

My mood changed at once from joy at having him here to one of embarassment. Had I thrown myself at him too soon?

"Look Daniel, you don't have to stay here you know. I'm OK to get myself something to eat and then I'll be fine..." I looked at him and he came over to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Kate, honey. Don't take it the wrong way. I'm not in the habit of doing this to every employee I can get my hands on. You know that don't you?"

I nodded. "I'm sorry. I can be a bit impetuous at times."

"Don't be sorry. You're fine as you are. It's just that you remind me so much of someone. It's unsettling to see you look so similar to her."

"Can you tell me about her?"

"I will, Kate. But let's eat first, OK? Where's your bread?"

Later, after I had made coffee and we had eaten a stack of sandwiches, Daniel sprawled out on the sofa and closed his eyes. He looked tired and I speculated on how much stress and hassle he received on a daily basis.

I waited for him to begin and the silence in my cottage was heavy with unspoken words. I brought my legs up under me and curled into the armchair, leaning back and watching him as he relaxed.

"Such a long time ago, Kate," he murmured, his eyes still closed. "We were only 16, I guess. Not much more than that."

I waited as he opened his eyes and looked at me. "You could be her double. I saw it the minute I helped you out that night."

"Who was she?" I whispered, a part of me not wanting to hear his words of love for her, yet curious at the same time

"Her name was Louise. She was my first girlfriend, and I thought she would be my last. She was so beautiful. So full of life and with a great future ahead of her. We'd known each other for ages, since we were in nappies." He sent me a wry smile, lost in thought as memories filled his mind.

"We were young, full of plans for the future. We'd got it all sorted - university, careers, marriage and then babies..."

"What happened?"

"She went to get some groceries and a car wiped her out." He stopped and looked at me and I could see the pain in his eyes. "They told us that she died instantly which was some comfort, but, oh Kate, the pain. It'll never go away."

"Oh Daniel, I'm so sorry." I paused, my words sounding trite and hollow in the face of his misery. "When - when did this happen?"

"It would have been 1976," he replied, staring into the fire. "Such a long time ago I know. When were you born?"

"1979 - I'm 26."

"Looking at you, I can see a little of how she would have looked at that age."

"Am I really so like her?"

"Yes, Kate, you are. I'll try and find a picture for you. I know I have one somewhere. The similarity is unbelievable."

I shuddered as he continued to look at me, his gaze unreadable. How would his life have differed if Louise had survived?

"It took me so long to get over her death. I went to University, studied the subjects we had chosen and kept her memory alive somehow. Then one day I just decided to get on with my life. I met my wife six months later."

He stood up and looked at his watch and I felt a stab of dismay. "Kate, I must go. It's late."

"Is your wife at home?"

"No, she's still in San Francisco. She gets home next week."

"Daniel?" I stood up and moved closer to him. "Please stay a little longer. You seem so sad. I can't let you go like this."

"Can't you see what you're doing to me, Kate? The effect you have on me is amazing. It's like looking at her. Oh God!" he ran his fingers through his hair and turned away from me. "This was a mistake. It's not fair on you."

I reached out and touched his arm, taking him by the elbow and turning him to face me. "I need you Daniel. Please stay. Just tonight."

He looked at me and swore under his breath as he bent to kiss me hard on the lips. His warmth and scent played havoc with my senses as we kissed and hugged tightly, his broad shoulders hard beneath my caresses. His hands crept around to my bottom to squeeze me in tighter and I could feel the return of his erection pushing through the material of his trousers. I moaned and pulled away slightly to look up at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Shall we go upstairs?" I murmured, kissing his neck.

He nodded and I led him up the narrow stairs to my bedroom and drew the curtains against the night. Turning to face him, my hands shook as I anticipated the pleasure that was to come. He drew me towards him, his eyes never leaving my face and I trembled at the tenderness and affection I read in his expression. I pushed the thought of Louise from my mind and kissed him back, our tongues entwining and making me twist with desire inside. I could feel myself grow damp and I pulled my jumper over my head revealing a white lacy bra. He looked down at me, his eyes dark and bent to kiss the soft swell of my breasts. I gasped and my nipples hardened underneath the lace which was swiftly removed by his expert fingers.

My breasts spilled out of their confines and he took the time to suck and lick at my aroused peaks as I moaned his name. It had been so long since this happened and the feeling was so welcome. I felt like a woman again as Daniel explored every inch of my breasts, his breathing rapid while his hard penis pushed repeatedly against my lower stomach.

Daniel stopped his kissing and looked at me as I unzipped my skirt and let it fall to the floor. I felt a little anxious because of my thick tights, but he grinned and pushed me onto the bed before gently pulling them down and kissing my thighs as they slid over my legs.

"You are beautiful Kate," he murmured as his lips worked slowly upwards. I shuddered at the pleasure he was giving me and leant down to stroke his dark hair. He planted tiny kisses on my inner thighs and then gently removed my panties which were soaked with juices from the sensations swirling around in my pussy. I ached for his touch and I moaned as his lips found their way to my clitoris, his breath feeling delicious on my damp mound. Sliding two fingers in, he started to suck on my swollen bud as my hips lifted off the bed and I pushed his head in deeper.

I could feel the pleasure building within me and closed my eyes as he repeatedly glided his fingers in and out of my soaked opening his tongue still sucking on my engorged clitoris. The feeling increased and I tensed up as wave after wave of pure sensation washed over me, my fingers joining his as I cried out his name. He gently stroked me as I regained my breath, my heartbeat slowing slightly and then removed his clothes, standing over me naked, his erection standing full and proud. I gazed at him, at his beautiful body and he leant over, his cock teasing my pussy lips which were glistening with moisture.

"I want to be inside you, Kate," he groaned as he pushed the head of his cock against my wet slit. "I want you to hold me tight."

I moaned and he entered me fully as I wrapped my legs around his waist, drawing him in deeper. I groaned at the feeling he gave me as he filled me up, his thick hard cock fitting me perfectly. We hesitated a while, savouring the feeling and then he started to thrust inside me while I rose to meet him, maintaining a perfect rhythm, our eyes locked on each other until I felt I couldn't bear the intensity of feeling any longer.

Daniel's movements quickened and his thrusts became deeper as I felt him approach his own orgasm. I reached down and stroked the base of his penis as he groaned and then exploded within me, his face screwed up with the pleasure he was experiencing.

"Louise!" he moaned and in that instant I stiffened and my eyes flew open. Daniel's eyes were still closed and an incredible feeling of hurt and misery washed over me. In that instant I knew that Daniel had been thinking of Louise as we made love and not me. The ghost of his former lover was present and the realisation that it was her he was thinking of and not me, made me pull away from him as he relaxed into me.

I pushed him off and curled up into a ball as he looked at me in dismay. "God, I'm sorry, Kate. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, his face a picture of misery. "What the hell did I say that for?"

"Because you're still in love with her?"

I got up and went into my tiny ensuite bathroom to wrap a robe around me, feeling self-conscious now under his gaze. "I want you to go, Daniel. I've served my purpose so please go and leave me alone."

Slowly he gathered his clothes and dressed. I watched as he sat down heavily on the bed, his head in his hands. "Look, Kate, can't we talk about this? I never meant to cry out her name. You've got to believe me"

I stood with my arms folded but I knew that whatever he said, he could never take away what had happened, that in the middle of what I thought was an intense experience with me he was with someone else. And how could I compete with her?

"Just go. Please. Maybe we can talk another time but now I just need to be alone. Do you understand?"

He nodded and I followed him out of the room and down my narrow stairs. He looked so dejected, so miserable and sad that I wanted to put my arms around him and forgive him, but I couldn't. The pain was still too raw and the longing to be alone was overwhelming. I couldn't let him see me cry.

At the door, he stood and looked at me but I turned away. With a bang the door closed and then he was gone, the powerful revs of his engine the only sound in the quiet street.

Chapter 2 - Daniel's story, to follow...