A Healing Love Sequel

A HEALING LOVE SEQUAL

Since their engagement on New Year's Eve, Tessa and Mark had been walking on cloud nine. Their first time back to the grief support group was tonight. They were both nervous and excited about telling the group members about their engagement. They had met when they were still reeling from the deaths of their spouses.

The group provided a haven for them to talk about their broken hearts and lives. Mark almost didn't come back after the first night. He didn't see the merit in revealing his pain to strangers. It wasn't until he and Tessa had become friends, that he managed to talk about some of the most heart wrenching topics of grief.

They knew that their grief would be a lifelong condition, but also knew that their love was lifelong. And the latter would help them deal with the former. With their children grown and out of their respective houses, each found new meaning in life through the other.

They were working on cut-out cookies in the shapes of hearts for refreshments for the meeting. Some of the members had wondered whether or not they were involved, but neither Tessa or Mark had seen a reason to bring it up in group. Tessa was piping decoration onto the cookies and Mark was sprinkling pink baker's sugar on top. Then he was placing them into individual boxes for the members.

As Tessa held a cookie in her left hand to decorate it with her right, the engagement ring that Mark had given her sparkled in the light. Sometimes she became mesmerized by its brilliance. She was equally mesmerized by Mark. He was loving, intelligent, funny, creative and handsome. The love she had with Jason, her late husband, was different than what she shared with Mark.

She was a visual artist and Mark was a musician. They shared an artistic temperament that they each understood in the other. Late nights that Tessa spent working in the art studio were similar to the late nights Mark spent arranging music or playing music with his band. There was a common understanding about the artistic muse.

Life wasn't black and white. Through their artistic pursuits they experienced all the colors of the rainbow and all the different tints, shades and tones. There was no right answer. There was only the pursuit of harmony and unity, the pursuit of honing one's artistry and skill, and the pursuit of the feeling of accomplishment when art or music transcended ordinary life.

They were both artists, but the language was not the same. The vehicle of their individual pursuits gave each something to educate and share with the other. It was actually something that neither of them knew was missing from their lives. But, now that they knew, they relished this beautiful facet of their relationship.

"Ta da! My part is done and I'm going to take a shower before group."

Mark was finishing sprinkling sugar and boxing cookies when he decided that showers were meant to be shared. He crept into the bedroom, undressed and silently opened the shower door. He stood behind this goddess of a woman that he loved.

She was beautiful inside and out, but at this moment he was appreciating the outside. She was curvaceous in all the right places. Her skin was flawless despite the forty eight years she had lived. Her buttocks was alluring. He often chose to amble behind her to watch it in action. And her breasts were full and round with beautiful aureolas that showcased long bulbous nipples. He paid homage to them every chance he got.

He kissed her back and encircled her with his arms. His hands held and weighed her salacious tits. They had discovered that using vulgar language brought out the animal in each of them. His fingers plucked her nipples and ached to feed them to his mouth.

"Ahhh, Mark. I wondered if you were going to join me."

He turned her around and soaped his hands. And then he used that slipperiness to skate over and enjoy every inch of her feminine beauties. He nuzzled her neck and grabbed her ass pulling her into him.

She had planned and strategized the cookie decorating so they would have plenty of time to play before group. She lowered herself before him. She soaped her hands and slickly aroused his cock with the frictionless priming of his pump. When it had expanded to its impressive erectile size, she rinsed it off and slowly sucked it into her mouth. She loved to feel it in her mouth and to know that to him it was just an appetizer to the main course. She would enjoy this now, knowing that it would lead to a cataclysmic coupling on the bed.

Mark pulled her up and out of the shower. He led her sopping body into the bedroom and onto the bed. Without drying off, they hungrily feasted on each other. This part of their relationship would never get old. It was thrilling and exhilarating each and every time.

Afterward, they hurriedly finished their shower for real. An hour later, they were dressed and groomed. The world would never know the hidden mysteries of their shower and bed. They might suspect though, since both Tessa and Mark were beaming.

The group hadn't seen them since before Christmas. Tessa had gotten very ill on Christmas evening and had been recuperating since. Hugs and New Years wishes were exchanged in lieu of hellos. Mark and Tessa passed out the boxes of cookies. They asked the group members not to open them yet.

Once, everyone was sitting in their circle of trust, Mark said, "You can open your boxes now."

The group members exclaimed how beautiful and how yummy the cookies were. But it was the wise group leader, Connie, who said, "You two are engaged."

Tessa laughed and modeled the ring for the group. Everyone jumped out of their seats. Hugs and congratulations were exchanged. Once the group settled back down, Connie said, "So you weren't sick like we were told?"

"I really was sick. I spent a day and a half in the hospital. I had severe symptoms of the flu."

"I was so afraid of losing her, that I realized it was time to seal the deal and ask her to marry me."

"You know, in all my years of facilitating this group, you are only the second couple who have gotten together during group," Connie declared.

She went on to talk about how new doors and lives are opened after a death. "Sometimes the saddest of times lead to the happiest of times. We never know what God has in store for us. However, that is hard to imagine when we are in the depths of our grief."

The discussion of the group that night centered around how each person had made the transition from being married to being a widow or widower and how each person saw that part of their life evolving. Some had tried to go out on dates. Others had decided that they would be single for the rest of their lives.

The group ran late that night as they were all excited about the news. In the car, Tessa leaned over and kissed Mark. "Mark Brennan, thank you for coming into my life." He stopped and looked at her. He was speechless. But he grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

Over the weekend, Mark's late wife's sister had called Janet, his adult daughter. Janet told her about Mark and Tessa's engagement.

"Don't you think it's a little soon for your father to be getting engaged?"

"Aunt Joyce, I had similar feelings until I saw them together. She's been really good for Dad."

"Danielle is dead just under a year and he has moved on. It's not right."

"You didn't see him afterward. Dad was completely lost."

"Well, I would think so. Your mother was a wonderful woman."

"I know that. And so does Dad. But he has a reason to go on living now. They are good together."

"We'll see," Joyce said rather bitterly.

Janet didn't like the sound of that. She thought she had better warn her father. Joyce had been known to stir the pot before. Her mother had made excuses for her, but she and her father both knew what an unhappy person Aunt Joyce was.

A week later, Tessa and Mark had had a particularly amorous morning. Mark had threatened to take her back to bed and keep her naked for the rest of the day. Tessa was escaping him when the doorbell rang. Tessa evaded his arms and ran to the door to open it. She was in sweat pants and one of Marks shirts when she opened the door. Her hair was tousled and she looked radiant.

"Hello. Can I help you?" Tessa asked.

"Hello. I'm Joyce Thompson. Is Mark Brennan here?"

"Yes, just a second. Mark, put some clothes on and come out here. You have a visitor. Just a minute. He'll be right here."

Joyce looked her up and down and decided that she was some sort of sex kitten who had led her brother-in-law astray.

Mark came to the door in jeans and a t-shirt. "Joyce, what a surprise."

"Hello Mark. I was in town with Phillip for business and thought I would say hello."

"Wow. Um. Come on in. Joyce, this is my fiancé Tessa. Tessa, this is Danielle's sister Joyce."

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you. Come on in. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get dressed."

Mark took her coat and invited her to sit down. "If you had let us known you were coming, we would have picked up for you."

"Oh, it's fine," Joyce said as she scrutinized the house.

Tessa reappeared in jeans and a turtleneck. "Can I get you some coffee or some lemon water?"

"Coffee would be fine. Thank you."

Tessa got the impression she would become a servant to this woman if she let it happen.

"Did you say that Phillip is in town with you? You should have brought him."

"He's attending to some business. You know Phillip. All work and no play."

"Oh, what a shame. Will you be in town for long?" Tessa inquired.

"Just tonight actually. We were wondering if you would like to go out to dinner with us tonight."

"Oh..." Mark started to decline.

"That would be lovely. Would you like to meet at The Mill restaurant on 5^th Street?" Tessa offered.

"Well, since it's the only adequate restaurant in town, that will do. Should we say 8:00?"

Mark interceded. "They don't stay open late during the week. We had better say 7:00."

"Oh, how provincial. Seven it is." She gave her cup and saucer back to Tessa.

"We'll see you later," she said as she left.

"Tessa, I wish you had let me make an excuse. Joyce is a difficult person. And now that Danielle is gone, I really don't care to spend time with her anymore."

"I'm sorry, Mark. I didn't know. Maybe we should invite the kids as a buffer," Tessa offered.

"Seven o'clock is a little late for Bobby. I guess we will just have to suffer through it."

"Well, is her husband alright?"

"Phillip is a cheater. But I can't say that I blame him. She is horrible. She has probably threatened to take him to the cleaners if he ever leaves."

"Oh my. Well, we can always make it an early evening and make some excuse to be out by 8:30."

"Yes, let's do that. She has ruined what promised to be a perfectly lovely day in bed."

Tessa kissed him to try to soothe him.

"Don't try to make up to me now. If you had just stayed naked and in bed, we wouldn't be facing the dragon."

"I'm sorry, baby. What can I do to make it up to you?"

"Come, my dear. I'll show you." He led her into the bedroom and pulled the turtleneck over her head. Before she knew what was happening, he had unsnapped her bra and pushed her down on the bed. He lay half on and half off of her. He cupped her breast and started to kiss his way around her aureola.

"Mmm. You're right. I should have stayed in bed."

"Damn right," he said as he nipped her nipple.

"Ow."

He kissed it to make it feel better. And then he made it feel a whole lot better. Mark knew how to suckle on her breasts which Tessa loved. The feelings it invoked in her were orgasmic. It was the best foreplay that she could ask for. It was actually as good as sex in some ways. They both loved it.

Mark pulled on her nipple with his lips and let it pop out of his mouth. The sensation always drove Tessa wild. If she were lactating, the action would have squirted milk on himself. But since she was dry, it just caused intense erotic pleasure. "Oh Mark," she moaned as she enjoyed the sensations.

He loved when she called out his name. He was so in love with her that she could have called him five kinds of bastard, but as long as she moaned his name, he would be happy.

Tessa had induced lactation for her late husband to try to boost his immune system when he was fighting cancer. They had talked about doing it for erotic purposes, but hadn't decided to yet. She was certainly built for it. With her 36DDD breasts and their magnificent nipples, she was mother milk incarnate. He would suckle on her all day if he could.

As he suckled her nipple, she became extremely aroused. She spread her legs for him and invited him in. He pulled her jeans off and then he undressed himself. She loved it when he suckled her and penetrated her at the same time. So, he latched onto her firmly and thrust into her deeply.

She cried out. "Oh Mark! God. Yes!" That was all the encouragement he needed to fuck her long and hard. He held himself back from coming, although she had come several times. He pulled her onto her knees and fucked her from behind. She loved this too, particularly when he pulled on her nipples as though he were milking her. It really excited her and he loved it. She backed into his every thrust. The force with which they came together was stupendous. He sometimes worried that he was hurting her. But she thrust back at him as hard as he thrust forward. "God, Mark....Fuck me, baby. Milk my tits!" He loved it when she talked dirty. It reduced them both to rutting animals. "Yes! Yes, yes!" They came together.

She sank to the bed and he pulled her back against him. He caressed her nipples from behind. She turned to show him how extended and long they looked. It drove them both crazy. He sucked and played with them as they both let their breathing return to normal. They fell asleep from their exertions.

At a quarter to six Tessa woke and looked at the clock. "Mark, we have to get up and get ready. It's a quarter to six."

"Can't we just cancel? You don't know the kind of bullshit Joyce can spew."

"For the sake of your children, let's just try to get along with their aunt."

They showered quickly. Mark laid out a bra that he liked to see her in. He knew it would project her breast forward without flattening the nipples. He perversely wanted Joyce to be jealous of Tessa's beautiful body. He really disliked her.

"What's this? Are you dressing me now?"

"Oh come on. You know I don't want to go tonight. At least give me something to look at."

Tessa laughed. She laughed and then she pulled out a form fitting top that showed off her cleavage. She paired it with a respectable skirt. She wore her hair down and looked to be in her thirties. If he wanted something to look at, so be it.

When she saw herself in the mirror, she wanted to change clothes. He had aroused and pulled on her nipples for an extended time and they were still long and stiff. She started to find a looser top when Mark pulled her out the door.

"Come on, dear. We don't want to be late."

When they got to the restaurant, Phillip and Joyce were already at the table. And it looked like Phillip had a few drinks already. Introductions were made and Phillip pulled Tessa in for a tight hug. She felt uncomfortable with it. When she pulled back, she grabbed Mark's hand.

Joyce stared at her chest in disgust. Tessa felt completely naked. Mark kissed her cheek and whispered, "Sorry," in her ear.

They ordered wine and dinner and tried to make small talk while Phillip made a complete ass of himself staring at Tessa's nipples. Tessa claimed to be cold and put her jacket on around her shoulders. But, her cleavage was still visible.

The time waiting on their meals was unbearable. Joyce was waspish and barely tried to veil her disdain for Tessa. Mark tried to intercede, but Tessa would squeeze his leg when she thought he was being rude. Phillip kept drinking and didn't try to hide his fascination with Tessa's breasts.

When it was time to order dessert, Tessa claimed to have a headache. Mark and she left shortly after. Tessa was silent on the way home.

At home she put on her most unsexy night shirt and ignored Mark. When he tried to apologize, she finally broke down. "How could you put me on display with such a lush. He was totally over the line. And Joyce is just a bitch!"

"I agree. I didn't think Phillip would act like that. I wanted Joyce to be jealous because she is such a bitch. But, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to make her jealous with you.

She cried into his chest. "I felt like I was naked and Phillip was going to jump across the table and start sucking on my tits!"

"Oh, God, Tessa. I'm such an ass. I'm sorry." He held her to him and rocked her. I will never do anything like that again. I promise. I'm so sorry."

When she settled down, he held her as they watched meaningless tv. They both needed a break from thinking about the horrible evening.

The next day, Tessa was still a little touchy. Mark was contrite and afraid to charm her out of her mood. He was searching on his laptop for inspiration for the wedding. Tessa went to the studio to throw some pottery. She had gone back to working in clay. But she thought she might combine metal with some of the pieces. At 1:00, Mark brought lunch out to the studio.

"Hi, sweetheart. How is it going? I brought some soup and a sandwich for you."

"Thanks, but..."

"Hi, hi! Hello lovebirds. How are we doing today? Oh, look. Mark just brought you lunch. Isn't that sweet?"

Tessa tried to ignore them both.

"Somebody is in a bad mood," Hannah said.

"It's my fault. We went to dinner with Danielle's sister and her husband."

"What? It didn't go well?"

"No, I requested Tessa to wear something special to make her jealous because she has been such a shrew to me in the past. It totally backfired on me. Her husband was drunk and the whole thing made Tessa feel cheap and used. And she's right."

"So, let me get this straight. Your former sister-in-law is a bitch and her husband is a letch and a drunk. And somehow, you two are mad at each other because of it."

"Okay, I will leave you two to it. I just came over for a scone," Hannah said as she picked a scone up to take home.

Tessa walked over to the sink to wash the clay from her hands. She took off her apron and went over to Mark to give him a hug. He wrapped her in his arms. "Mark, I don't care if she is your children's aunt. I don't ever want to see them again."

"I'm in total agreement."

With that, Tessa started to tear up. "Hey, hey. They aren't worth your tears. Please, don't cry. I'm so sorry."

With his agreement and sympathy, she started to cry into his chest.

"Oh God. I'm so, so sorry. I don't want you to ever feel this way again."

Tessa wiped her tears.

"This is a fine example why I have never liked interactions with them. I just always walked away feeling slimed."

"Well, I definitely feel slimed. And somehow, I feel like I deserve this feeling. If I wasn't putting my nipples on display, then I wouldn't have been treated that way."

"It's not you. Danielle dressed like a librarian and she still managed to feel slimed. Please don't blame yourself. You're a beautiful woman who is nothing but classy. I'm so sorry."

"I own that bra and have worn it out in public many times. Perhaps I have poor judgment."

"Tessa, you are a knock out. You have these amazing breasts which happen to have beautiful large nipples. Unless you were to wear padded bras or thick sweaters, your nipples are going to show sometimes. And please don't start wearing padded bras and thick sweaters. I love your body. You shouldn't have to hide it to feel safe."

"So are we done fighting?"

"We were never fighting. I was an ass and I fully admit it. Honey, sometimes we are just going to walk into manure. But if we can talk about it, we can find our way out."