A Fool in Love

"Finally, it go so bad, I couldn't stand to go out to restaurant with her, because she always accused me of flirting with the waitress. So, I'd have to keep my head down, because if I looked up into anyone's eyes, even just to order our dinner, she'd nag me for the rest of the night, accusing me of trying to catch her eye to flirt."

"Well, I noticed she didn't seem too happy at the wedding when we were dancing together."

He chuckled. "No, I could tell she was pissed, even though we've been divorced for over ten years -- which is why I brought that client with me, who'd offered to be my date for the night.

"But as soon as Marcus went off to MIT, Donna said she'd done her duty as a mother and wanted out of the marriage, because she didn't feel she could trust me. And by that point, I was glad to give her what she wanted, because at least I had my son."

I reached for hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry, Rafe, I had no idea."

"I know, sometimes I wonder how I stayed for almost twenty years. But here's the kicker. No sooner had we sold the house, once our divorce came through, than she moved in with her boss. I realized then that she was the one who'd been cheating, while she kept accusing me. Eventually they moved to Florida, when he retired from his law practice, and I was just glad it was over and I didn't have to deal with her anymore."

I ran a hand over his cheek, feeling so badly for him. I had heard rumors that his marriage ended because one of them was unfaithful, and I just hoped it wasn't him. But I couldn't believe what he'd gone through with his wife.

He shrugged and managed a smile. "But it's over now. And from what our two are saying, could be in nine months or so, we'll be welcoming a new little one into our family, too."

I nodded as I thought about it... the two us being grandparents.

Looking over at him, I said, "How would you feel about changing diapers again?"

"Actually, I never minded getting up with my son in the night." He winked. "But let's hope the parents take care of things like that, so we just get to enjoy them."

After we'd finished, and put everything back in the bag, I just felt so warm with the sun beating down on us, that I unzipped my jacket, lifted my sweater, and started fanning myself with my T-shirt.

Eyeing me, with a naughty grin playing at his lips, Rafe shook his head. Then he leaned over and pressed a kiss to my bare belly, looked up at me and murmured, "You ever made love in the great outdoors?"

I shook my head, feeling that little tingle starting to flare between my legs again. "No," I whispered, as he made his way up to claim my mouth.

As he sank his tongue between my lips and kissed me, I fell onto my back, sinking my hands into his hair, shocked at how much I was enjoying exploring this side of myself with him.

I'd kept my desires contained for so long, that I was thrilled to finally be letting loose and giving in to temptation. And god he was tempting. I never would have dreamed of making love on a beach in broad daylight, but right now, all I could think of was getting out of our clothes.

He had my top pushed up, suckling at my breasts through my bra, making my nipples ache and my pussy throb. And I could feel he was hard as a brick, right through his clothes. My heart was pounding like mad, as the wind swept over us, with the heat of the sun making me feel like I was burning up. But then again, the way he was teasing my girls, probably was making me feel even hotter.

As he kissed his way down over my rib cage to my navel, sliding his tongue across the top of my pants, I started to shudder as he began to tug down the bottom half of my clothes, dropping hot little kisses even lower, till I could his lips brushing over the top of my mound.

I was fisting his hair in my hands, thrusting my hips up, aching to feel his mouth on me, when we both turned our heads and froze, shocked to hear the rumble of another snowmobile driving along the trail, coming towards us.

Rafe quickly pulled my top back down. And we both sat up, as an older couple stopped and cut the engine on their machine, noticed us and waved.

As we waved back, we looked at each other and started laughing, as we imagined what they would have thought if they happened upon us in another minute or two.

I could imagine what they would have thought of Rafe's bare ass in the air, with him buried between my legs. Now that would be a story they'd love to tell their friends at bingo, about the couple they discovered getting busy on the beach.

Since the moment had passed, we both got to our feet, and picked everything up. Rafe dropped a kiss on my lips, took me by the hand, smiled and said, "I guess we should go."

I think I hugged him a little tighter on the ride back, sure that I'd never felt this close to anyone before.

We were both wearing silly smirks as we took our things off in the laundry room. I had decided I'd strip all the way down to my bra and panties. And seeing the way Rafe's eyes began to darken and flare, I was glad I did.

But he decided to strip everything off, until he was standing in front of me naked. Then I was the one shocked at how hard he was. I think my mouth actually fell open as I looked down at sight of him fully erect.

Then I turned and ran, and we laughed our heads off as he chased me all the way upstairs. When he caught me around the waist and we tumbled onto the bed together, I turned and wrapped my arms around him and kissed him.

As I ran my fingers through his tussled hair, I couldn't deny it anymore; I was crazy in love with him.

RAFE

Gazing into her beautiful, big green eyes, I wanted to tell her what I was feeling. Let her know that I loved her. But part of me wondered if it might be too soon, and she'd think I was crazy.

I couldn't believe how badly I wanted her again. I don't think I'd been this hard this many times in a row since I was in my teens.

"Up on your knees," I told her, desperate to get inside her again.

Though she looked a little uncertain, and I could see her trembling as she rolled over and got down on all fours, I had to fight not to groan.

I'd never seen anything as sexy. As I ran my hands over her soft, little silk covered backside and began to tug her panties down over her legs, I could feel my cock lurching, just itching to get inside her.

I loved the way she giggled as I dropped kisses over both her firm little butt cheeks. But she stopped laughing and started to moan when I slipped a finger inside her, and realized she was drenched.

I unclipped her bra, and let it slide down her arms, as I reached around and cupped her breasts and got on my knees in behind her. Tugging at a nipple with one hand, and fisting myself in the other, as I started to push my way inside her, I rolled my eyes as both us let out some pretty deep groans. If possible, she felt even tighter coming at her from behind.

Flexing my hips, as I began thrust, I'd never seen anything as erotic as the sight of my cock sliding in and out of her, slick with her juices. Her desperate little gasps seemed to be egging me on, making me want to take her even harder.

Clutching her hips, I clenched my jaw, and eased my way inside her, rolling my eyes. I'd never felt anything as tight or as good as sinking into the warmth of her body, especially feeling her inner walls tightening around me, sucking me in even deeper. I kissed her back, and began to push in a little harder with each thrust.

My heart pounding hard enough I could feel it in my ears, along with the sound of Sophia softly mewling, I was so lost in the feel of her, I wished I never had to pull out.

Reaching around her, I teased her clit with a finger, whispering, "Sophia, come for me, let me hear you fall apart."

The way she groaned, thrusting back against me, I knew she could take even more. Gritting my teeth, tunneling in and out of her fast and hard, as she tossed back her head and screamed my name, I slammed into her hard and froze.

I could feel each pulse of my cock as I felt my release shooting off inside her. With her face pressed against the mattress, struggling to catch her breath, I anxiously held mine, as watched her turn her head. But the impish smile she gave me over her shoulder had me laughing out loud. I thought I might have been a little too rough with her, but the look on her face told me she was one satisfied woman.

Feeling happier than I'd felt in years, after I pulled out, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her as hard as I could. Brushing the hair back from her eyes, I said, "You okay?"

She smirked. "Well, let's just say that ride out to the beach was the second best ride I had today." Throwing back my head, I laughed even harder at that.

Now all I wanted to do was hold her, and feel her heart beating against mine. But I knew we had to get up eventually, since I knew the dog had to be fed and walked.

Patting her thigh, I gave her a quick kiss and said, "Be right back."

Downstairs, I called Riley to go outside, and opened the back door for him. I put his food in his bowl, but thought I'd let him run around in the yard for a while, to blow some steam off, while I went and got my phone, to see if I had any messages.

Walking back into the bedroom with my phone in hand, I noticed the date on the screen. "Hey, I just noticed it's April 1^st, April Fool's Day. We should call and wish them a happy anniversary."

Rolling her eyes, Sophia said, "I still don't know why they picked April Fool's Day, of all daysto get married."

"I think they thought it would be unique, a date they'd never forget. Marcus said they didn't want to get married on Valentine's Day, like two of his two buddies had done. But since most couples wouldn't pick April Fool's for their wedding day, they both thought it would be something special just for them."

Smiling into her eyes, I knew I'd never forget this April Fool's Day, since it was the day that Sophia and I first made love.

SOPHIA

Rafe used his phone to call the kids, and we both leaned in to wish them a happy first anniversary. But we noticed that they sounded a little breathless, like we'd interrupted something. When they explained it away by saying they were going on a tour of the island, and they were late and had to run out to catch the bus, we told them to have fun and let them go.

"Sounds like they're having a good time," Rafe said, chuckling, since we both knew what we'd interrupted.

I grinned at him batting my eyelashes, and we laughed, because obviously they weren't the only ones who were enjoying themselves.

He leaned in to plant a kiss on my lips, but then his phone rang. With an exasperated roll of his eyes, he looked at the call display, shook his head, answered and said, "Hey, Jimmy, what's up?" As I watched him get out bed and wander out into the hallway to take the call, I don't know why, but I got a feeling from the look on his face, that it would be bad news for us.

He looked a little hesitant when he walked back in. And I noticed he didn't seem to want to get back in bed.

He blew out a breath, and looked down at me. "That was Jimmy, the one whose wife is expecting. Sounds like she's having a few contractions, and they don't know if she's going into labor or not. So, it looks like I'll have to head to California to cover the auction."

I nodded, resolved. So, this was it. And it was over.

I guess he could see I was disappointed, so he sat down on the edge of the bed and cradled my face in his hands. Looking into my eyes, he said, "You know I hate that I have to leave you like this. But I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. And the weather's cleared up, so hopefully you won't have to deal with the snow. Before I go, I'll get dressed and take Riley for a run. And until they get back, I think you can get away with just putting him out in the yard and throwing him a tennis ball, to give him some exercise. He likes that, and he'll even catch it with his mouth. But he's a big dog to handle on your own, so I wouldn't try and walk him."

I heaved a sigh. "It's okay. We'll be fine." It wasn't the dog I was worried about. I knew how to handle him, I'd done it before. What worried me was that Rafe might leave and never come back. And I didn't think my poor heart could take losing him, not after we'd grown this close.

I got dressed while he was packing. And I went down to let Riley in for his dinner. But I was surprised when I kept calling him and he didn't come, because he usually came galloping into the house when he knew it was time to eat.

I got my shoes on, threw on a jacket and opened the laundry room door and took a look up and saw how gray the sky looked and noticed that the wind had really picked up, and it felt like rain.

Then I looked back at the gate, and gasped when I saw it had swung open, probably with a gust of wind. It was getting so blustery with the rain coming, and I knew that Riley must have run out. Panicked, I kept screaming his name as I ran around to the front of the house.

My heart in my throat, I looked up and down the street, but I couldn't see him. I just prayed nothing had happened to him or Carrie and Marcus would never forgive us. Actually, I'd never forgive myself, if he ran off.

Then my eyes flared and my heart stalled as I watched a big red pickup truck come barrelling up the street. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a flash of red, and I let out a scream when I saw Riley running out in front of the truck. Yelling my head off for him to stop, I waved my arms and without even thinking, I ran out onto the road. The driver slammed his brakes on and just missed me by a hair as he managed to come to screeching stop. Out of nowhere, Rafe came running up behind me and lifted me off my feet into his arms. "Sophia, what the hell are doing? You almost got hit."

I started sobbing, because I couldn't see Riley anymore, and I didn't know if he'd got hit by the truck or not. And I was terrified that he might be hurt on the other side of the road. "Riley got out. The gate was open," I told him, choking back tears.

Looking furious, the truck driver threw open his door and came rushing at us, pointing a finger at me. "Are you crazy, lady? Jumping out in front of me like that, you could have been killed."

Rafe held up his hand, and said, "The dog got out, and she was just trying to get him back."

The driver nodded his head at the other side of the road that we couldn't see because of the truck. "I almost hit him, too. He's sitting there on the grass shaking like a leaf." He shook his head. "Jesus, you guys almost scared the shit out of me. I think you just took ten years off my life. And I think you should consider tying up your damn dog."

"I really am sorry," I said, as I went around the truck to look for the dog. Overwhelmed with relief; I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around Riley who looked like he wasn't hurt but just scared, the way he was trembling and kept licking at my face.

After the truck drove off, Rafe helped me to my feet, took my hand and took hold of Riley by his collar and walked us back to the house.

Still feeling a little shaky, I dropped into a chair facing the yard and could see that it was really starting to rain.

"I'm just going to secure the gate with a bungie cord," Rafe said, as he slid a glass of what looked like brandy in front of me as he helped me out of my jacket.

Trying to get my breathing under control, after almost losing the dog, I just nodded, took a sip and stared out at the rain coming down.

Typical dog, his adventure forgotten, I looked over at Riley and smiled at the way he was happily gobbling up his dinner, like nothing had happened.

Still feeling a little shaky, I slowly let out a few breaths and I took a few more sips of the brandy.

Rafe came back in and sat down beside me, and I could feel him staring at the side of my head. Then he lifted me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me, and whispered into my hair, "God, when I saw you run out in front of that truck, I think my heart actually stopped beating. I was so terrified that I was going to lose you."

Then he pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered, "I love you."

Surprised, I didn't know whether pull back and look at him or not. Could be something he just blurted out because he was upset. I'm sure he would have felt awful having to phone to Carrie to tell her that her mother got hit by a truck. I looked over at the dog, curled up the window and I smiled, because at least Riley was okay.

Rafe pulled back and took hold of me by the chin. "Now I really hate the thought of leaving you two on your own."

"Rafe, the gate blew open because of the wind. And I'm sure it'll be okay now that you've secured it."

He eyed me for a minute and finally said, "I wish I could take you with me."

I laughed. "Well, you'd have to take Riley and Lucy, too. So, I think it would better if I stayed here, and took care of them."

He touched his lips to mine, and he let out a groan, as he tugged me against him and deepened the kiss. As I wrapped my arms around his neck time seemed to stand still, as we got lost in the feeling of exploring each other's mouths.

After a few more pecks at my lips, he pulled back, shaking his head. "I have to go, but I don't want to."

I got out of his lap to make it easier on him, ran my hand over his cheek, and told him, "I promise I'll be fine. You go and take care of what you have to."

Standing at the garage door, as I watched him carry his bags out to his car, I had a lump in my throat the size of a bolder. I wished he could have stayed, even a few more days. But, at least we enjoyed the time we had -- especially if it turned out to be all we'd ever have.

He came back, hugged me, and whispered, "I'll miss you." Then with one last kiss, he got in his car and drove off.

As soon as I got back inside, the house just felt so empty without him. But at least I had the pets to keep me company.

I wandered over and sat on the couch by the fireplace with Riley. As I stroked a hand over his head, I tried not to think about Rafe naked on his back, teasing me that sexy smile of his, as I rode him for the first time on the floor in front of the fire.

But everywhere I looked reminded me of him; the kitchen, where we cooked together and shared those amazing kisses, the dining area, where sat together and ate, and where he pulled me into his lap and hugged me, before he left. Even the couch where we laughed ourselves silly watching a movie, had me feeling a little nostalgic, thinking how boring it was to watch stuff on my own, when I was always on my own before him. He had such a presence, now that he was gone, it really left a void.

For the next few days, I kept myself busy puttering around the house, with laundry and doing a little cleaning; mundane stuff that helped me focus on something other than the fact that he was gone.

I even decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies, which I realized in hindsight was a little dumb. Because the first thing I thought when I tried one, was how Rafe would have loved them, and probably would have flashed me that sexy grin as I offered him a bite. I could almost see the mischievous sparkle in his eye as he nibbled around my fingers, and probably licked them, too.

I tore off the apron, and tossed it on the counter. God, I had to stop this. I had to get him out of my head. So, after I'd put the cookies away, I snapped the leash on Riley, grabbed my coat and gloves and took him for a long walk around the neighborhood. To kill some time, I even stopped to make small talk with a few of the neighbors, just to delay going back to the empty house.

And that became my daily routine, Riley and I getting out and about, walking for miles, while I tried my best to push Rafe out of my head -- and my heart.