L.O.V.E. Therapy

"Miss it?" Dennis was losing his breath, "I used to devour that mouth when we were..."

When we were fucking.

Was that the only time he kissed his wife?

Regret gripped Dennis around the throat and he shot forward, capturing his wife's mouth with a growl. She sobbed against his lips. Dennis realized he hadn't kissed his wife just to be close to her in a long, long time. What the hell was wrong with him?

Dennis bent her backward over his forearm and plowed his tongue into her mouth, his eyes flying open when Linda's joined his, brushing tentatively at first, then with more and more confidence.

He missed seeing the fire in her eyes when she was determined to prove him wrong. He missed the passion in her body when she was trying to show him what it was like to be loved by her. Dennis would give anything to feel that with her again, even if it was just for one fleeting, solitary moment. Just one quick taste of his woman again and he'd be complete.

"Rules, rules," she whimpered against his mouth.

"Linda," he said thickly, sampling her mouth with slow bites. "I want to kiss you for another ten hours straight, but I can't. A little more of that mouth and I'm going to come in my pants."

"Do it," she whispered in his ear, trying to wrap her legs around his hips. "I want you to."

Not for the first time in his life, Dennis wished he wasn't stubborn to the fucking bone. "No. Inside my wife or nowhere at all."

She took a deep breath. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes. Yes," he panted.

Linda splayed her hands on his chest and pushed. He allowed himself to stumble back a step, bringing the backs of his legs up against the edge of a dining room chair.

"Sit down, my love."

He was always the one to dominate, but that power had been taken out of his hands. All he could do was sit back, hips shifting, wincing over the discomfort trapped in his briefs. "Linda."

She pressed a finger to her lips. "Shhh. Trust me."

Linda started to strip, right there in their kitchen, like a fucking goddess, backlit only by the kitchen bulb. She cupped her bronze-tipped tits making slow and sensual movements. Then, she turned around and slowly peeled the yoga pants down her thighs. Dennis gripped himself through his sweatpants, massaging the stiffness, making it worse, with no way to stop.

Linda kicked aside her pants, coming toward him in nothing but a red triangle of fabric between her legs.

She stepped between Dennis's outstretched legs and gave him a slow, hypnotic kiss. His hands climbed over her hips and kneaded her tits, mouth swallowing her gasps.

"You own everything you're touching," she said, flickering her tongue against his.

"But I want to own you right now." Dennis's groan was full of pain, his right hand returning to squeeze the bulge between his thighs.

Keeping their mouths locked together, Linda straddled Dennis's legs and sat. His stance was so wide, however, it left her core spread open for him to see, the red thong stretching over her pussy, unable to cover all of it. Dennis had no choice but to yank down the waistband of his sweats and furiously jack himself off, the end already approaching.

There was no other outcome with his sexy-as-hell wife almost naked on his lap and purring at him like a cat.

"Are we breaking the rules?" he managed through clenched teeth, his chest heaving. "Say yes, baby."

Linda shook her head, a secret smile curving her lips. And then her fingers slipped down between her spread thighs to massage the soaked flesh beneath her panties. "I'm already so close, just from kissing you," she said unevenly. "Tell me when you're close."

Dennis threw back his head and roared at the ceiling. "Goddammit, I told you..."

"Yes, I heard you. Inside me or nowhere at all."

Her body started to tremble, her nipples turning to tight peaks. She scooted closer on his lap, the points of her nipples sliding through the sweat on his chest. "Remember the sophomore year of high school?" Linda murmured brokenly at his lips. "All those times in your bedroom when we were supposed to be studying."

"I haven't forgotten a single second I spent with you."

Tenderness flashed in her eyes before it was once again overrun with lust. "We'd only make it about fifteen minutes before you had my skirt off and you were rocking, grinding against me..."

He was losing it. Losing it. Hearing her reminisce about those sweaty afternoons was going to push him over the edge and there was nothing he could do about it. Fuck!

"We took it as far as we could without going all the way." Her eyelashes fluttered. "And we finally decided just the tip didn't count, didn't we?"

Dennis lunged forward off the chair, dropping to his knees, carrying Linda with him. No sooner had her back landed on the floor of their kitchen, Dennis nudged his wife's panties to one side and sank the head of his erection inside her pussy. Not driving it the entire damn way made him crazy, but the tight pressure of her entrance around his tip was incredible.

He groaned, knowing the end was coming fast.

"Keep playing with your clit. Do it. Get off with me."

"Yes," she whimpered two fingers busy rubbing her sensitive spot.

His tongue wanted to play with it so bad, he was salivating, but that would break the rules, wouldn't it? He didn't have a clue anymore. Just knew he was going to die if he didn't get relief.

"I'm coming, Dennis. Please. Yes."

Dennis gripped himself hard, feeling the release in his balls. He pushed his mouth up against his wife's ear and spoke through gritted teeth. "If I could play 'just the tip' with your virgin pussy for a fucking year, I can play the long game to get you back. And I'm getting you back. Don't you think for a second that I won't kill to make us right again?"

He swallowed the rising emotion in his throat and let the orgasm break over him. "I love you."

He kissed her neck while his body emptied of pressure. Linda did the same, shaking beneath him. Something was different this time. Something had changed. He looked into her eyes, holding contact, and for that moment, there wasn't a single mystery between them.

Dennis pressed a kiss to Linda's forehead and helped her sit up.

"Tell me you don't regret that." He cleared his throat. "Please?"

Linda shook her head. "I don't regret it..."

The timer on the stove went off.

"I owe you a date," he said, not wanting to hear the awkwardness in her tone. Wanting that conspiratorial tone back she'd had earlier when they were dancing. "I want to take you out on a date, Linda."

She was putting her T-shirt back. "When?"

"Tomorrow night." Dennis stood and pulled up his sweats, never taking his attention off of her. "I'll pick you up at six."

"I can do that." Her hands met at her waist, fingers tangling. Finally, she dropped them and crossed to the door.

"Thank you for all of this. The truck, the dinner, and the *cough* kissing..."

"You're welcome." She gave him a genuine smile. "It felt like going back in time." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she lifted onto her toes and laid a soft kiss on his mouth. "I missed you. I missed how we were. Just stay with me, okay?"

He cradled the back of her head and kissed her hard. "I'm not going anywhere."

Since the day Linda left him, Dennis had been asking her to come home. She had been hesitant, and while he knew they had problems, he'd thought she was being stubborn, unreasonable. But now, he finally admitted to himself that this weird therapy was exactly what they needed it.

CHAPTER 12

Linda was nervous. For a date with her own husband.

It had taken all her willpower to leave Dennis last night. Not because of his touch, although that alone was powerful enough. No, it was the effort. He was trying really hard.

It would have been so easy to stay the night. Move back in. Trust that everything would get better. But she knew there was so much more to work through.

She was fighting for the future they'd envisioned. She would stay true, she would wage a war for their survival as a couple.

A knock on her room door had Linda turning around, "Come in."

A smile shone on Laura's face. "You look hot in that dress."

"Why, thank you," Linda twisted her hips side to side. "I'm excited. It feels like a first date and I haven't had one of those since middle school."

The doorbell rang and she descended toward the front door. Amazing that she could get this nervous and excited about seeing her husband, but there it was. Dennis, dressed like he was playing to win, stared back.

"You look gorgeous, Linda, but no surprise there. You always look incredibly beautiful to me."

"You look handsome, too."

"Do you want to come in?"

"Sure."

Laura was staring at them like the cat who'd caught the canary. "Look at you two. You look like a couple of teenagers in love."

Linda looked so familiar and beautiful, he wanted to get on his knees and ask her forgiveness for being a selfish bastard. I'm sorry, my love.

"When is her curfew?" Dennis said, winking at Laura.

Laura just laughed.

"Ready to go?"

She nodded slowly and crossed to the passenger side. Dennis followed, opening the door for Linda and boosting her onto the seat.

"I have news about the Daycare. Grace McAllister called me. She found a place that is exactly what I'm looking for."

His wife's words caused Dennis a pang of guilt.

He had always known she wanted to open her business. From the time they were in high school, her dream had been front and center in conversations with him.

Instead of helping her to make her dream come true. He had spent his savings on a house. If he had talked to her more, or listened, he wouldn't have buried the importance of Linda fulfilling her dream.

"Dennis, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he rasped, avoiding her eyes. "Ready to go?"

He'd finally admitted to himself he'd let her dreams hang in limbo for so long. She'd been pining for something in secret while he'd worked toward an entirely different goal. All of which could have been avoided if he'd talked to his wife. Kept her close instead of at arm's length where she could never suspect he wasn't invincible.

"Dennis, what's wrong? I tried to show you my appreciation by cleaning your truck and making you dinner. And I thought we were getting somewhere... I tried to change."

"You weren't part of the problem in this marriage. Stop saying that."

"I was."

His jaw bunched and he shook his head.

"I let the years pass without trying to achieve my dream. I could have pursued it harder. This isn't your fault."

They reached the restaurant and grabbed their seats. She had been here before with Dennis. A long time ago. They gave their orders to the waiter.

"Do you want to show these kids how to dance?"

"I'd love to," she said breathlessly, finding it hard to speak. He took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor.

"Can you hold me tighter?" she whispered.

"I'll do anything you ask me to do," he said in a gravelly voice. "Except walk away."

He looked into her eyes, that contact holding, and for that moment, he was sure they were going to make it. Then, he remembered the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head and he wasn't certain anymore.

He needed to tell her about the house he'd bought and hidden from her.

CHAPTER 13

In the end, Dennis didn't tell her. Linda was having such a great time on their date that he didn't want to ruin her mood.

No, that was a lie. He had chickened out. He didn't want to lose his wife again so he kept his mouth closed.

He had to find a way to make it right. Then, an idea started forming in his mind. Dennis punched the number of the realtor he had used to buy the house.

"Hello, Grace? Dennis Harris... I'm fine thank you. Look, I want to put the house I bought back on the market? Priced to sell. And please, remember that Linda doesn't know about it."

"Why are you selling it, Dennis?"

"I know this afternoon you are going to show Linda a property that is perfect for her Daycare Center. I'm selling the house to help her achieve her dream. I'd like to make it a sell and buy operation."

"Dennis," Grace McAllister said cautiously. "You know I'll help you do whatever you think is right. But I'm going to be the voice of reason here. Just talk to Linda. Make the decision together."

Dennis shook his head. "You don't understand. I screwed up. I kept the house a secret for too long. If Linda knows about it we are not going to make it. I need to make things right. The Daycare Center was always her dream. I'm going to do anything in my power to make it happen."

* * * * *

Grace fumbled for the light switch, finally flipping it on and illuminating the large room. Linda looked around in amazement. The place was just perfect. She swallowed hard, rapidly blinking back the moisture that sprung to her eyes.

"I love it! Have you shown this property to anyone else?"

"Someone showed interested, although I have no current offers."

"How much are they asking?"

Grace scribbled a number on one of her cards that made Linda inwardly blanch.

"I see," Linda croaked. "I'm afraid that's out of my..."

"She'll take it," came a gruff voice at the front door.

Linda turned around to find her husband leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"When did you get here?" Linda smiled at Dennis. "What do you mean by 'take it'? It's too much even if I use all our savings."

Dennis came closer.

"You want it?"

"Yes," she whispered, turning her back so they could have something that resembled a private conversation. "The place is perfect... but it's too expensive. Grace can find me another place within our budget. Or maybe the owner will come down on the price if it doesn't sell."

Dennis tipped her chin up. "Linda, look at me."

She searched his face, her heart racing faster at the amused tilt of his lips.

"I've got this. Okay? Go ahead with the operation."

Linda frowned. "You got this... exactly how, Dennis?"

Her husband was a careful planner to the extreme, if he told her they could afford the building, then she believed him.

"Do you have a secret stash of money or...?"

Linda looked into Dennis's face and saw guilt written all over his face. She realized with horror that her words had hit home. He DID have a secret account.

"Oh my God! Dennis, what's going on? Have you been hiding money from me?"

"What? No, nothing like that."

"What is it then? I need an explanation," she demanded, hands on her waist.

Grace looked at Dennis and said, "If you don't tell her, I will."

His conscience urged him to be honest. Lay everything out there. He heaved a long sigh and said, "I bought you a house."

CHAPTER 14

Linda looked at the house. Dennis was standing a few steps behind her. Afraid of saying anything else. They have driven there in complete silence. Dennis could see the wheels turning in his wife's head.

Wasn't it the ultimate kicker that she looked perfect surrounded by the old ivy-covered brick and wraparound porch? He'd pictured her in front of the house so many times, but his imagination hadn't done it justice.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Linda. I put it back in the market to pay for the Daycare. That's what you wanted."

"No!" She stood, fists balled at her sides. "No, don't act like I had anything to do with this decision-making process. I didn't even know we owned a house or the money to buy one in the first place."

She looked at the house with tears in her eyes.

"It's beautiful! Damn you, Dennis!" She screamed in desperation.

He took a step forward, eagerly ready to comfort her, but she held up a trembling hand stopping him. "How long have we owned it?"

He hardened his jaw and didn't answer.

"Tell me."

"A year," he croaked, unable to look at her.

A sound of disbelief from Linda had him glancing back to find full-fledged betrayal on her beautiful face. She might as well have rammed a knife into his chest.

"I'm sorry I fucked up," he said raggedly, the apology like a last-ditch life preserver. "Once we started counseling I was afraid to tell you. I didn't want to remind you why you left."

She took several breaths with her eyes closed. "I need some time..."

Panic clobbered him. He extended his hand towards her. "No."

"I have to process this, you stupid silent idiot!" Linda burst out. "Goddammit, Dennis I'm so mad at you!"

"I know. Let's just sit down and talk about this."

"It feels like the last few weeks are tainted now. All this time, we were supposedly making progress, but we weren't. Not really."

Dennis dropped his head into his hands, his thumbs biting into his eye sockets. "I keep screwing things up." He banged a fist against the side of his head. "What's wrong with me? Please, Linda. I love you. I'm sorry."

"I love you, too," she whispered. "But the fact remains that you kept something so huge from me." She opened her mouth and then closed it, "I... I just don't know if I can get right with this.

"Why Dennis? I need to understand why you can't talk to me. Why you left your work in the mines and came back to me as a silent statue that barely acknowledged my presence."

He gulped, shivering, it was now or never.

"You have no idea what is like to be a mining engineer. Miners work 8- to 12-hour shifts, and engineers like me are usually underground for about half of that. And you have to be prepared. You can be just below surface and so cold that you have to wear a thick winter jacket. Or you can be 7,000 feet underground and so hot that you need an air conditioning system to cool the area off."

Dennis had a hard enough time admitting these things to himself. But there he stood with the woman of his dreams and their future hanging in the balance, so if a second chance meant opening wounds, so be it. He'd open every one of them.

"Do you know what is like trying to comfort a guy who had fractured the base of the skull knowing that standard procedure in this case was to call a priest and an ambulance, in that order? He was bleeding a green fluid from both ears and from his mouth. One day I was playing cards with that man, and the next I was holding his hand while he died.

"Once I had to crawl into a 1,200T rockfall to pass in food and other supplies to two guys that have been trapped for a week, hoping that will settle them down enough to stop screaming. Hoping that they don't ask about their workmate, whose body had been recovered 5 days before. I spent one hour inside the rockfall, thinking I was going to be crushed to death at any minute.

"However, the worst part is the way the stress starts messing with your mind. At some point, I couldn't take it anymore. So I quit. I had made enough money for the house anyway. That's was the only reason why I took the job. I wanted to surprise you. But when I came back I realized something was wrong with me... inside here, "Dennis tapped his temple. "So I did what I learned to do from my dad. Head down, work hard, and don't reveal a single chink in the armor. I had been taught to equate showing emotions with weakness. You knew my dad. He was like that too."

Linda was crying.

"Dennis, I never knew any of this. And I didn't because you never told me! Am I your wife, your equal partner, or what? There shouldn't be secrets between us. How long have you felt this way?"

"I was protecting you, Baby."

"Building a wall between us doesn't protect me! It isolates me! Don't you think I'd have wanted to help you to deal with what was happening to you? Look for help together? Fight your mental issues as a team?" Linda shook her head, "You have been making one-sided decisions and pushing me out of your life."

"My mind was messed up, Love, I pushed you away, and kept my defenses up so you couldn't see the price I had paid. I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry."