Lost and Found Ch. 02

We lay there in silence for a while, just holding hands, until I rolled over to kiss the woman I had every intention of spending the rest of my life with. In fact I'd decided that I would propose to her, but not until I'd moved to Cornwall full time and we'd been living with each other again for a while.

Jo squinted up into my face against the sunshine and giggled.

'I know that look Vicki!'

Of course I tried to feign innocence, but she knew me far to well.

'We're on a beach, it's a public place!'

'Yeah but it's not very public right now is it? We're the only people here and I'm sure that Buster will let us know if anyone comes to disturb us.'

'Yeah, but even so.' Her argument was weak and I knew I had her attention because her body language gave her away. Her voice may have been saying 'no' but her eyes shone with lust and she had unconsciously wrapped one of her long legs over mine, holding me tightly against her body.

'So you'd object if I was to touch you like this?' and I palmed one of her boobs, trapping her nipple between 2 fingers and squeezing gently. She wasn't wearing a bra and I could feel the nipple harden instantly as I manipulated it through the flimsy material of her top.

She closed her eyes as she pushed her chest against my hand, inviting me to carry on.

'Or maybe if I was to kiss you like this?' and I nibbled her neck from behind her ear, down underneath her jaw line and across the little bit of soft shoulder skin that was exposed by the loose neck of her t-shirt; all the while manipulating her tit with my hand as the nipple betrayed her excitement even further.

'Oh stop it, stop it.' She moaned playfully whilst holding my head against her neck to make sure I carried on.

'and what if I was to do this -- would that be too awful?' as I slid my free hand up her bare thigh and under the hem of her shorts, grazing her slit with my finger tips and applying just enough pressure to her clit to leave her wanting more.

'You are so brazen woman!' and she grabbed my face and mashed her lips against mine in a bruising kiss, her hips arching up against my hand, the damp material of her panties telling me just how much she wanted me to continue.

I broke the kiss long enough to make sure we really were alone, pulling Jo up into a sitting position and stripping her top over her head before she had a chance to change her mind. She lay back down on the blanket as I removed my own top and bra before laying my body on top of hers, both moaning as our sun-warmed skin melded together as we resumed kissing, our tongues and lips performing a perfectly harmonious duet that fuelled the rapidly building fire.

I slipped my hands between us and popped the button on her shorts but I had to sit up to pull them off her, gazing into her lovely face just to make sure that she really was ok with this. 3 years ago Jo would never have allowed herself to be naked in a public place but now? -- she just smiled at me and lifted her hips to make life easier for me, so I stripped off her shorts and panties, quickly followed by my own, once again glancing around to make sure our solitude was complete.

She wound those long legs around my thighs as I lay back down on top of her, our pussies and breasts connecting in a sublime way that sent little sparks coursing through my body as we moved together as one, our juices mingling as we pushed against each other and our kisses turning sloppy as our breathing became more ragged.

I had to taste her. She whimpered slightly at the loss of contact as I moved but they soon turned to moans as I took one of her nipples into my mouth on my journey south, slipping 2 fingers into her sopping snatch to keep her on edge.

I lavished attention on both of her small, hard, tight nipples but not for too long; there were other places I was neglecting and I rapidly kissed my way down her torso until I was settled comfortably between her thighs.

I removed my fingers and took long licks with my broad, flat tongue; up and down her full lips, sucking them into my mouth and delighting in the taste of Jo's essence, before stiffening the hot, wet muscle and inserting it as far as it would go into Jo's gloriously wet pussy.

Her hips arched as my tongue invaded her and the unintelligible mutterings that were issuing forth from her mouth were music to my ears, so I slipped my fingers back into her and fastened my lips around her swollen clit, sucking on it gently while lashing it with my tongue.

I thought Jo was going to kill me when I stopped and stood up, stepping over to the bag I had discarded earlier on the sand and she gave me a 'look' that her Mother would've been proud of!

Her own hand strayed to her clit as she glared at me, although the look on her face changed immediately when she saw the double ended dildo that I retrieved from the bag. She watched me intently as I inserted my portion into my aching pussy and she could barely contain her laughter as I walked toward her with the bright blue phallus jutting proudly from my groin.

I knelt down between her thighs again and teasingly ran the head of the dildo up and down her slit, removing her hand from her clit and replacing it with my own, massaging gently as I teased her.

'Oh Fuck Vicki please!'

'You want this huh?'

The growl that was her answer, coupled with the fire in her eyes was enough for me and I drove the dildo into her in one movement until the whole thing had disappeared and I had a delicious pressure against my own clit.

I lay over Jo, supporting my weight on my arms as I started to thrust gently but deeply, her hips rising to meet my thrusts as she moaned and panted beneath me.

Jo croaked 'Harder' and I upped the tempo, slamming my hips against hers and driving the toy deeper and deeper, rotating my hips slightly to change the angle and loving the screams it provoked as I hit Jo's sweet spot, over and over again.

The stimulation of my own pussy and clit was driving me to fever pitch and watching the woman I adored thrashing around beneath me almost made it too hard to contain my own imminent orgasm.

I kissed her fiercely as her nails dug into my arse cheeks and her legs locked around my thighs and with just a few more thrusts we were there. I felt her stiffen beneath me and she screamed into my mouth as it hit her. I let go too and we pushed against each other, wringing the last scrap of joy from each other as we were swept away on a tidal wave of carnal bliss.

We lay wrapped up in each other's arms and legs; a sweaty, heaving mass of sated woman, our heart beats gradually descending to a safe level as we caught our breath.

I Gradually eased out of Jo and removed the toy, tossing it onto the sand where it was instantly covered in fine, golden sand as it adhered to our combined wonderful stickiness.

I looked down at Jo, her hair tousled and sweaty, her face a mask of serene pleasure, her body limp and replete and I swear that in that moment I loved her more than I ever loved her before, more than I thought it was possible to love another.

As she opened her eyes and smiled at me sleepily I leaned down and kissed her gently, lovingly, tenderly.

'Hey You'

'Hey You'

'I suppose we should get dressed but hold me once more first.' So I wrapped my arms around her and crushed her against my chest, holding her as tightly as I could, safe in the knowledge that there was nowhere either of us would rather be and no one we would rather be with.

We did get dressed and eat our picnic eventually and as the afternoon waned we walked back up the rocky steps to the car, turning back at the top to look over the beach, watching the sun dancing on the waves as the tide rolled in.

Jo turned to me and took me in her arms, sighing contentedly as she laid her head on my shoulder.

'We're going to be ok this time aren't we?'

'Yes my love, I really think we are.'

---------------------------------------------------------

Epilogue:

Over the next couple of months, as Spring turned to Summer, life for Jo and I was busy but almost idyllic. Thanks to Jo's dedication, skill and some very clever marketing, the café / restaurant took off in a big way and proved to be even more successful than even Jo had envisaged, with her being asked to cater for several external events, including 2 wedding receptions, a christening and several birthday parties.

Other than a couple of very acerbic emails, we didn't hear from Jo's mother at all, but she had frequent texts and emails from her dad, all of which were supportive and full of love and allowed Jo to cope with the vitriol from her mother.

My flat sale completed amazingly smoothly and the woman even bought some of the furniture I needed to get rid of, so after a very tearful farewell party, I said bon voyage to my job, friends and life in London and settled into Cornwall.

I didn't have a job but I was financially secure due to the profit I'd made on my flat and besides, Jo was keeping me very busy with all the extra work generated by the café being so successful; I even found that I enjoyed it as long as she didn't try to get me involved in the cooking! We had also decided to buy the cottage Jo was currently renting once her lease was up and in celebration of this decision we set about 'christening' every room in the house where we hadn't already made love. Yep -- life was good!

The date that Dan went on the day after what has become colloquially known as 'Parentgate' was apparently a huge success and after just a couple of short months he and Libby were seriously thinking about moving in together as they spent all of there time in each other's company anyway. Jo and I were secretly hoping for wedding bells in the near future; we both loved Libby to bits and were extremely pleased to see Dan happy and settled; especially after the way he had accepted me so magnanimously and supported us so whole heartedly.

When Libby's birthday was coming up, Dan decided he wanted to throw a surprise party for her, so Jo and I immediately offered to help with the food and drinks. It was going to be a fairly intimate affair with a group of about 25 close family and friends and Dan wanted to make it as romantic as possible, so it was decided that we'd hold it on the little beach that Jo and I had come to think of as our 'special' place.

We arranged to meet Dan there late one afternoon so that we could decide where to place the gazebos, bar, bbqs, and seating, so Jo and I went down there a bit early to take Buster for a walk and play Frisbee.

We arrived in bright sunshine but almost as soon as we descended the steps to the beach the weather started to turn. The wind started to gust and we could see big, black clouds rolling in across the sea at an alarming rate, making the sea wild in it's path.

Jo threw the Frisbee for Buster and the wind took it. It flew off into the distance and over some rocks, heedlessly followed by the young dog who disappeared over the outcrop of rocks in chase. We waited for a few moments, expecting to see him bounding back with the Frisbee proudly held in his mouth but after a couple of minutes Jo turned to me, the worry obvious on her face.

'I'm going to go and get him' and she trotted off in search of the errant hound.

I followed along at a leisurely pace until I heard a shout from Jo, at which point I sprinted across the sand and scrambled up the rocks. Jo was standing on a small outcrop frantically gesturing toward Buster who was desperately trying to climb out of the sea, the bloody Frisbee in his mouth not helping his efforts as the waves repeatedly crashed him against the rocks before carrying him away again.

I was closest and I managed to climb down so that I was up to my thighs in the churning waves, clinging onto a rock for dear life to stop me joining the dog in the roiling water. It took a few attempts but eventually I judged it right and as Buster was thrown toward me I managed to grasp his collar and haul the exhausted dog to safety, scrambling up the rocks behind him.

I turned back to make sure Jo had seen that Buster was ok just as an enormous wave swept her off the rocks and into the angry sea below.

I stood stock still for a moment, seemingly unable to process what I had just seen. One minute she was there and the next she was just gone! I wanted to be sick but somehow without conscious thought I was once again scrambling over the slippery, jagged rocks to where she had been standing.

I stared into the waves, their crests getting whiter as the storm got closer, the water now dappled with big fat rain drops which made it almost impossible to see through the surface. I knew she had to be there but I couldn't see her. I also knew that Jo was a decent swimmer so why wasn't she surfacing, where the hell was she? Fuck! And then I saw something. A barely discernable white shape that seemed to be rolling under the waves.

I tried to dial 999 but my phone had got soaked when I rescued Buster and wasn't working, so I stripped off my now wet and heavy clothes and jumped into the sea, not daring to dive as I couldn't be sure if there were rocks below.

I swam the few feet to where I thought I'd seen Jo and dived under the waves, the salt stinging my eyes as I wheeled around under the water trying to catch a glimpse of her. The current was fierce and it was almost impossible to maintain any deliberate direction. Again and again I surfaced for huge gulps of air before descending again. I was tiring fast as I fought the current that was tossing me around like a washing machine, crashing me against the rocks; it was only the raw power of adrenaline and fear that kept me going.

I was almost at my limit and decided to try once more before trying to get help when I saw her, just under the surface a few feet away; she didn't seem to be conscious and she was sinking. I forced my arms and legs to work until I reached her, managing to get my arms under her shoulders and kicking hard for the surface, my lungs burning and stars bursting in front of my eyes as my need to breathe forced me into one last furious burst of effort.

We broke into the air and I filled my lungs with air and water as the rain and spray hit my upturned face. Coughing hard I rolled Jo onto her back, desperately looking for signs of life but I was fairly sure she wasn't breathing. I tried to remember my lifesaving training from when I was a child but it eluded me so I bobbed on my back in the water, holding Jo on her back against my chest to keep her face out of the water, trying to squeeze her chest with my arms to force air into her lungs but it wasn't working.

I had lost her.

I stared disconsolately at the outcrop of rocks, knowing that even if I wasn't tired out, in shock, and numb from the cold water -- there wasn't a chance in hell I could drag Jo's limp frame up the steep and slippery surface. I also knew I didn't have the strength to fight the waves and current to swim out around the rocks and then back into the beach -- it was all I could do just to keep us both afloat and stop us being dashed against the rocks.

I cried, I screamed, I railed against the world for being so unfair. I sobbed as I apologised to Jo over and over again for not being able to save her and at that point, the lowest moment in my life so far, I vowed to uphold my promise never to leave her.

I became quite calm, almost peaceful, as I resigned myself to dying here with my beloved. At least we would be together, at least it had all ended when we were happy.

I don't know how long we floated there being tossed around by the surf but I could feel my eyes closing and with Jo's weight above my chest I was struggling to hold my head above the water, regularly swallowing mouthfuls of salt water as the waves crashed over us. My arms and legs were heavy and unresponsive but I clung to Jo with everything I had left. I thought I heard Buster barking. I also imagined that I heard Dan's voice. I remember vaguely thinking that at least Dan would look after the dog. Then it went black.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I knew I was alive because I hurt. Everywhere. All at once.

I managed to open my eyes and then shut them again immediately, the harsh glare too painful to bear. My other senses started to kick in and I could smell disinfectant and hear a low murmur of voices and the rhythmic beep of a machine.

I opened my eyes again, squinting against the light and immediately there was a flurry of activity around me as I was surrounded by people, some in uniform.

'She's conscious, call the doctor now!'

I looked up to find Jo's dad staring down at me with such concern in his eyes that it broke my heart. How could he afford me this emotion when I had failed his daughter so badly? When I had lived and she had not.

I tried to speak but nothing came out. He moved to the side slightly and I could see Jo's mum stood just behind him, tears and grief contorting her usually staid expression.

'I'm so sorry' I finally managed to croak 'I tried to save her, I really did' and then the world went blurry as my eyes filled with tears that I was too weak to wipe away.

Jo's dad wiped them away for me and I was momentarily bewildered by his expression -- he was smiling!

'Vicki honey, you did save her. You nearly died in the process but you saved my baby's life, you're a bloody hero girl!'

'Huh?' was all I could manage. I couldn't even begin to process this information. My heart was broken; I was grieving for my love. She was alive?

A doctor came along and ushered everyone else out of the room. She examined me and allowed me to drink some water, explaining that my sore throat was probably due to the tube that had been inserted into my throat to keep me breathing.

She explained that I had a fractured arm, a couple of busted ribs and had sustained some pretty bad cuts and bruising from connecting with the rocks but I was going to be ok; I just needed time to rest and heal.

I wasn't really listening. I didn't really care.

'Jo?' I croaked

'Your friend is going to be fine thanks to you, in fact ironically she sustained less damage than you did.'

I tried to sit up, I had to find her; I had to see her with my own eyes before I could allow myself to believe she was alive let alone ok.

The doctor easily pushed me back down into the bed and I felt a sharp sting in my arm. Within seconds I was woozy and then the drugs took effect and I was gone.

The next time I came around it was dark outside and I thought I was on my own until I moved my head and saw Jo's mum sat reading in a chair across the room. She seemed to sense me looking at her and lifted her head, jumping up out of her seat and crossing the room to the bed as soon as she realised I was awake.

She brought a beaker of water to my lips and helped me drink a little, admonishing me not to gulp too greedily, before setting it down again and sitting on the edge of the bed.

I didn't know what to say or how to react; my last encounter with this woman hadn't exactly gone too well. I was groggy but the morphine was doing its job and I was relatively pain free, if a little high. I glanced down at the cast on my arm and groaned.

'Guess it had to be my right arm huh?' I was useless with my left arm.

'Don't worry Vicki; they'll be plenty of people around to lend a hand. In fact the local press have been hanging around trying to get a glimpse of the fearless woman who jumped into the sea in a storm to save the woman she loves. You've become quite a celebrity in the last few days.'

'Few days?' I asked incredulously

'You were out cold for nearly 3 days; it was touch and go there for a while.'

It suddenly hit me that she had acknowledged my love for Jo and wasn't taking a swing at me; she didn't even sound pissed off.