Not a Home

"Please," I beg.

She takes pity on me and her mouth hovers over my left nipple. As her mouth descends to engulf my nipple, her hand leaves my stomach and pinches my right nipple. My back arches and I let out a long moan. She licks and sucks the nipple before moving to the one on the right while her soft hand continues to play with my left. For the first time in my life I experience a small orgasm just from having all this attention given to my breasts. For someone who hasn't done this before, she knows what she is doing.

I don't have much time to think about this or anything else for that matter, her tongue is trailing a path to my navel and has all my attention. She pauses to play with my navel and all I want to do is to hurry her on her way. My whimpers must have let her know how I was feeling because her tongue resumes its southbound journey traveling above the small curve of my stomach. By the time I feel her breath on my pussy, I feel like I'm going to explode from my need, but she is in no hurry. Instead she kisses one thigh and then travels to the other without touching my clit. Her tongue finally slides between my lips making its journey inside my body. At that moment my body comes off the bed and the pressure of her nose on my clit sends me into an all consuming orgasm. Her tongue doesn't stop until a second orgasm rocks my body. I don't make it back to earth before her mouth wraps around my clit and she sucks it hard. The third orgasm is so strong that I keep my eyes tightly shut, lost in the sensations for several minutes. When I open my eyes, she is lying next to me, holding me tight. I want to love her the same way but my body refuses to cooperate. She senses my struggle.

"There will be plenty of other times, Love. Go to sleep." I feel my body succumbing slowly, as she hugs me, kissing me softly. I hear one last thing on the way to sleep.

"You're mine now."

The next morning, I wake up a little disoriented until my senses kick in and I feel Vicky's warm breath on my neck and her arm draped over my body. I smile remembering last night. As I feel her perfect body against mine, my smile grows into a grin because it's my turn now. I gently roll her onto her back, not wanting to wake her just yet. I study her face committing to memory her long black eyelashes, her high cheekbones, the slight upturn of her nose, and her lips a little apart. I lean over her and place a single feather kiss on her lips. She mumbles something that I can't make out. I kiss her once more on her lips just as softly before moving to her cheek and nibbling down her neck. I spend some time alternating between nibbling and kissing her smooth shoulder closest to me. I listen to her faint murmurs while I slowly pull the covers off of us. Her full breasts are the first to be exposed and her nipples harden instantly . I see her eyes fluttering open as I tenderly stroke her breast and kiss my way over to her other nipple. I wait for her eyes to focus on me before tugging her left nipple with my mouth. I hear her intake of breath and then a low moan as I gently suck her nipple.

"Watch me," I say switching to her right breast.

While worshiping her breasts, she begins panting and undulating her hips. Her hand tries to sneak its way down to her pussy, I grab it and move it aside.

"Not yet, Love."

"Please," she moans.

I move my hand to her pussy, gently stroke her black curls and lightly graze her protruding clit. Her back arches off the bed, her body frozen in air with only the back of her head and legs touching the bed. She was closer than I knew. Her body flops back down and I kiss her tenderly while my hand resumes caressing her pussy. When she calms, I return to adoring her breasts waiting for the beautiful chorus of moans to begin. I could suckle her like this forever but her natural fragrance further down, beckons me. I kiss my way down the curve of her stomach, lightly tracing her pale stretch marks with my tongue until I reach the top of her mound. I inhale the sweet musky aroma that is her and wait. She looks to see what is happening and, at that moment, I take my first taste of her looking into her eyes. She tastes as sweet as she smells and I can't get enough. I lick at her lips pulling each one in my mouth and slide two fingers inside her. Her gasps, pants and moans are music to my ears and heighten my own excitement. My fingers move at a steady pace while I continue to suck and nibble her lips. As she nears her climax, I push my fingers in as deep as I can and curl them toward her sensitive spot that takes her over the edge once more.

Once she calms down a little, I resume the movement of my fingers and give her clit the attention it craves. I alternate between sucking and licking it and before long a third orgasm overtakes her. She is covered in sweat and exhausted but she looks thoroughly loved. I crawl back up to her, wrap my arms around her and nibble on her neck.

"I never knew it could be like that," she says wonderingly.

"Hmm. So you wouldn't mind doing it again?" I ask still nibbing her neck.

She grabs my head and answers with an all consuming kiss.

*****

Sitting in her living room, Vicky obviously has something on her mind. I look at her questioningly.

"Beth, why don't we ever go to your home?"

"I thought the children would prefer to be in their familiar surroundings, not a stranger's house. Besides it's not a home, it's just a house. It's half empty. Not even fully furnished."

"Beth, you are not a stranger. I can't believe you just said that. Don't ever say that again. I mean it," she says sternly.

"You know what I mean. The kids have their room, books and toys. And they know where everything is," I explain.

"It won't take long for the kids to find their way around the house. We can bring their books and toys. You are a part of our lives. We want to be part of your life too. Won't you let us?"

I had never realized what I was doing, and I felt ashamed that she thought I didn't want them in my world.

"You are a part of my life," I exclaim trying to fix this. "A big part, I swear. Next weekend, okay? We'll spend next weekend at my house."

She nods her head and we go on to talk about other things, but my mind keeps coming back to this conversation as I suspect hers does too.

"Let's go now," I say.

"What? Where?"

"To my place. We'll stop at the grocery store on the way and pick up what we need for dinner."

It didn't take us long to round the kids up, as they were excited about seeing where I lived. At the grocery store, we pick up ingredients for burgers and hot dogs which we barbecue on the grill in the backyard. The kids love to play in the yard and watch cartoons on the television. They have no problem adjusting to the new environment. In fact, they are reluctant to leave and I feel the same. The house seems empty and I catch myself wandering around the house thinking what it would be like if they were always here. I stop at the entrances of the two unfurnished bedrooms and wonder what they would look like if I decorated them for Nick and Katie.

*****

We visit the zoo one more time before winter sets in. The penguins are always the kids' favorite to see and we spend a lot of time in that area of the aquarium. We mostly get a view of the penguins' backs because their eyes are sensitive to camera flashes and turn away from the viewing window. Undoubtedly there is always someone trying to take pictures.

"You are very quiet today. What are you thinking?" Vicky asks.

"The chances of you agreeing to something," I say without even looking at her. She puts her hand on my cheek and turns my face toward her so that she can look into my eyes.

"Agreeing to what?"

"You and the kids moving in with me," I say with my eyes averted. Her hand drops from my face.

"You're serious?"

I look her in the eyes with longing in mine.

"More than I've ever been my whole life."

"When?"

She catches me off guard. I expected to have to convince her and I had all my arguments ready.

"Whenever you want," I quickly say hoping that I would not have to wait long. At that moment the kids join us and Vicky tells them about moving in with me. I am still stunned that it happened so easily and I just stand there. Katie and Nick don't respond to their mother. They just turn to me and hug me and soon after Vicky joins in and I hug them back. I laugh and cry on Vicky's shoulder. Vicky just holds me tighter.

*****

The move was three weeks before Christmas and I wanted to make sure that the kids would like it here. They were each going to have their own room, something they haven't had before. I painted Nick's room blue and bought him a bed in the shape of a car. I painted Katie's room purple, her favorite color, and bought her what the store clerk called a "princess" bed. I also got small white desks, white bookshelves with some children's books, and small chests for their clothes. I turned a corner of each room into a little play area. Nick's play area had containers filled with different styles of Lego blocks and Katie's had a fairly large doll house with all its accessories. I completed the rooms just in time for the move.

Unpacking the truck of their belongings, I tell the kids to take their things to their rooms. I am anxious about their reactions but I try not to show it and I let them go ahead without me. While Vicky and I carry boxes to the garage, Katie runs out saying that Nick is crying in his room. My heart stops and I race into the house. I reach Nick's room and he is standing in the middle, tears running down his face. I go to him and get down on my knees in front of him.

"Nick, sweetheart, if you don't like the room, it's okay. We can change it. We can do whatever you want. Nick?" I am desperate to make this better but I don't know how and I sense my tears trying to escape.

"My. Room?" Nick asks looking at me.

"Yes it's your room," I reply.

He puts his arms around my neck and whispers "Thank you" and then cries in earnest. I hold him and I realize that these are good tears not bad. I look up in relief to see Vicky standing at the door with tears streaming down her face and she smiles at me reassuringly. Katie's reaction was less emotional but it did take a long time to convince her to leave her room and that it would still be there when she returned.

A week after the move, we finally get around to putting up the Christmas tree and decorations. The kids are on the floor by the tree mesmerized by the colorful blinking lights. A nice fire is roaring in the fireplace where four stockings are hung. Vicky and I drink our coffee admiring the transformation the living room has undergone.

"Don't you think we went a little overboard?" Vicky asks with an indulgent smile.

I look around the room. In a corner is an eight foot tree with many lights and ornaments. The kids decorated the bottom half of the tree which ended up with a lot more tinsel than the top. Underneath the tree is a full nativity set made of wood. The window has lights on its borders, is covered in artificial spray snow and has a picture of a snowman. Gold and red garlands decorate the top of the door and widow frames and also the fireplace mantle where the red stockings hang. Bells and mistletoe hang right above the door. Pictures of Santa, reindeer and snowflakes are on every wall. Christmas scented candles are on the end tables which have bathed the room in a cinnamon smell. Christmas figurines of snowmen, angels, Santa, reindeer, Christmas trees, children playing, and even penguins in Santa suits, can be found on all the tables and the fireplace mantle. I turn back to Vicky.

"Nope."

She giggles at me.

"This is our first Christmas together," I continued, "I want it to be special. I want you and the kids to be happy here."

"Oh Beth," she says putting her cup on the coffee table.

"We are happy here. Not because of what you buy. Because of you and the things you do. The way you treat the kids. The way you listen to them as if what they are saying is the most important thing in the world. The way you read to them every night no matter how tired you are. I love you Beth. I have ever since that first day in the park when you spent so much time teaching Nick how to play ball. I knew then that I wanted you in our lives. And now that we have you, we are not letting you go."

"I love you."

*****

Katie and Nick wake us up on Christmas morning saying that Santa has been in the house. Vicky and I exchange knowing glances after having spent the previous night getting the presents under the tree and finishing the milk and cookies left by the fireplace. We made sure to stuff all the stockings too. We go into the living room in our pajamas and I get a fire going in the fireplace. There is a winter chill and even though we did not get much snow, there is just enough to make this a white Christmas. Vicky hands a present to each of the kids. They seem timid while opening their gifts, trying had not to rip the shinny Christmas paper. Vicky notices, hands me a present and winks.

"Why don't you show them how it's done?"

I grin at her and go crazy.

The kids stare in astonishment as I rip everything off in a frenzy, paper, bows and ribbons flying everywhere. They laugh at the spectacle and copy my actions. Soon the floor is littered with paper from the gifts that took us hours to wrap, yet minutes to unwrap . Vicky agreed to get the kids one toy each but she insisted that we buy them clothes. To my surprise, the kids were just as thrilled with their new clothes as they were their toys. In fact they quickly removed their pajamas, Nick with a little help, and donned their new clothes. Vicky and I both received similar sweaters from the kids and we both chuckled when we saw them. I gave Vicky a cell phone while she got me a day planner, items we both needed. We show our gifts to the kids and Vicky winks at me knowing that tonight we'll exchange the gifts that aren't appropriate for under the tree. I reach over and kiss her quickly while the kids are busy. Nick and Katie approach me holding a large gift that was behind the tree that I had not seen. I look at Vicky questioningly and she just nods her head. I look at the card and it says "From your family, Katie, Nick and Vicky." Family. Yes that's what they are. I open the gift slowly to find a picture frame containing a picture of the four of us taken at the zoo.

"Put it on the wall," says Katie pointing to a nail.

I stand and walk to the wall where I hang the frame. It's the first picture I've hung in this house. I trail my fingers around the edges lost in thought. My family. Vicky puts her arms around me and with conviction says, "Now it's a home."