Surprise Of A Lifetime

And, the reason for the scar was another issue. Endometriosis had claimed her right ovary and uterus. The problem wasn't children' she'd never wanted any. The problem was sex. All her previous relationships had ended primarily because she couldn't enjoy the sex. She wasn't frigid, not at all, but penetration simply hurt too much to enjoy it.

Lucy reflected on her past relationship's end. Joshua complained that the sex was down to nothing, yet never once thought that they might try something other than penetration, missionary style, in the dark. Resentment began to grow along with the insecurity over Alex's reaction to this news, but she sternly shook her head.

"Don't anticipate rejection, fool!" she told herself severely. "You don't even know if this is the man you want, right?" Besides, she hadn't been with a man since the surgery, so it might be different now. She hoped fervently that would, indeed, be the case.

As she watched the scenery from the car window, and slowly caressed the gentle man lying in her lap, Lucy concluded that she didn't need to worry about Alex's reactions. "Anyone who searches for me for three years must want to be with me for more than sex," she determined. At least she hoped so, but somewhere deep inside she knew that sexual fulfillment would only come with a deep, abiding love. Could she dare hope for that, as well?

With that hope came a fervent yearning to be the object of Alex's affection. Lucy didn't seem to notice that her fear of kidnapping had evaporated. She sat quietly, feeling the warmth of his slow, steady breath in her lap, and began to daydream about how it might be between them.

Alex would lift her in his arms, she fantasized, carrying her across a threshold into a beautiful home by a lake. They would lie holding each other in the stillness of morning, watching the sunrise. She felt dampness form between her legs as she dreamt of kissing him endlessly, her cheeks scraped and reddened by his whiskers. His rough, calloused hands would glide over the silky skin of her back, causing goose bumps to rise as he brushed that ultra-sensitive spot on the back of her neck. Her hand crept up to caress that very spot, and she groaned subconsciously at the feeling.

Alex awoke to the sound of Lucy's groan, the scent of her perfume filling his nostrils. Lucy quickly pulled her hands away from him, embarrassed that he might learn what she'd been thinking. He rubbed his hands through his hair to wake up, and grinned when he saw Lucy's blush.

"Penny for your thought," he teased.

"None of your business," she said haughtily

"We'll be there soon," thought Alex. "Now for the next explanation, and I hope she can accept it or everything I've planned will fail.

"Here we are," he said. Where was 'here' was her first comment. Alex laughed and told her to look out the window. The limo had pulled up the drive with the passenger side facing the lake. He watched her eyes grow at the beauty of the scene. He grasped her hand and pointed out the other window to the house, and laughed again as her jaw fell open. "Come on, sweetie. Welcome to your new home, 'Westmarch'.

He led her through the dark green round front door and into the house he designed with her in mind. "I remembered your favorite author was Tolkien, so I did my best to create the perfect hobbit hole, at least one that could fit big people. Do you like it?"

Lucy's eyes were flitting around the room, and she gasped as she recognized things that were described in Tolkien's books. Her smile and the glow in her face showed her true feelings. "I knew you'd love it!" Alex crowed.

Her expression darkened suddenly. "But how...? Why...? Bloody hell, you're RICH!" she shouted accusingly. Clearly he had more explaining to do. Lucy tried to calm her mounting anxiety, but became more distressed when Alex burst out laughing.

"What's so funny now?" she demanded. "I'm not asking an idle question, and you can't deny it in the face of the evidence, now, can you? Spill it, Cardwell! Explain! Now!!! And, just what do you mean, 'my new home'?"

"Lucy, honey, it's ok. I'm not really rich, just a successful engineer. I make enough to live very comfortably, but I still have to work. My ex-wife remarried so I don't have support to pay anymore, and without Janice, there is no one else to spend my money on except myself, and now you. I built this for you and I to live in together. The limo goes back tomorrow, and there's a housekeeper two days a week. If you want a cook we can hire one, but I'll leave that up to you. I do all the yard work except mowing. The neighbor kid does that. Any other questions?" He watched her absorb this new information, waiting for the inevitable objections to arise. He didn't have to wait for long.

"Just one minute, buster," Lucy said, wagging her finger at Alex. "You're making a lot of assumptions here and I don't remember even being asked my opinion, let alone giving my permission to be manipulated this way. You have got to be kidding me! Are you seriously thinking I'll stay in this house with you? We're just becoming reacquainted after a gap of five years, for crying out loud!"

She looked up into Alex's beautiful amber eyes and saw his patient amusement at her ranting. You're behaving like a lunatic, she accused herself furiously. Her eyes filled with tears. "Alex," she cried, "please explain this to me."

"It's simple, darling. I love you," Alex gently declared. "You see, I really did listen to you that night five years ago. You spoke about how much your independence meant to you, how your career goals seemed to always interfere with your relationships. Yet, I could sense the need in you to be nurtured and cherished, taken care of in a way only love could provide. I made it my goal to do anything to fulfill those needs, even if it went against your voiced objections."

"Now before you get all worked up, listen to me a little longer. Here's my promise to you, if you agree to marry me and live with me forever. I will support your career wherever it takes you, even if we have to move to Europe. I will provide you with financial support to achieve any current or future goal, desire or need. I promise to be faithful to you for the rest of my life, even if you never want to have a sexual relationship with me. And finally, I promise to always show you respect and courtesy, be honest in every way, and embrace our differences as well as our similarities. I'll never raise a hand to you, never belittle you or take you for granted. All I ask in return is that you treat me with respect and love, if it is in your heart to do so, and to stay with me from this moment, forever."

Alex directed her toward the living room, and helped her to sit, as she struggled to regain some composure. The love he felt for her tripled, as he witnessed how she listened to his promise. Never had anyone followed every word of his with such concern, gleaning the intent beyond the words. He left her to think about her response, saying he'd get her a beverage from the kitchen.

"He's crazy, that's it," she told herself. "He's a few bricks shy of a load, a few sandwiches short of a picnic. How can he love me like that after only one date? It's simply not possible. It can't be true."

Alex returned with her drink and sat beside her on the couch. He reached for her hand, but she pulled away.

"I don't get it," she said. "Are you some sort of stalker out to put me in the sound proof room you have upstairs? How can you possibly want someone like me?"

She was working herself into a lather, but Alex knew he had to let it happen. She began to shout. "What kind of sick, perverted game is this? You can't love me after only one date. You don't know anything about me!"

"Then tell me," he said gently. "Tell me what's so horrible about you that I couldn't love you as I have just admitted I do. Prove me wrong."

At his words, Lucy's face fell and her tears began in earnest. "I can't tell him," she thought desperately. "Nothing can erase the filth and ugliness." Her sobs tore at his heart, but he waited until she reached for him before he moved to hold her. She cried, inconsolable, for long minutes.

Eventually Alex grasped her sternly by the shoulders. "Quiet, now, little one," he said. "Breathe and tell me what's wrong."

She haltingly began to speak. "Alex, there are so many things that make me unworthy of this love you profess. If I tell you everything on my mind, you'll never want to see me again."

She looked at him to confirm her worst fears, but he just gazed into her eyes and whispered, "Go on."

Lucy's face became a mask and her voice, a monotone. "Ok, you asked for it," she said. "I'm incapable of having a successful relationship because I won't allow anyone to see my real self. I hide behind this fat and cynicism to protect everyone else. Despite years of therapy, I can't see myself as anything but soiled goods."

Alex looked up sharply at her words, the dawning of understanding growing in his mind. "Tell me, Lucy. Why are you 'soiled goods'? Who abused you, sweetheart?"

"You know?" she sobbed.

"I guessed," he said softly.

"It was my great uncle. I was thirteen. I never told anyone, until the third time I tried to kill myself. The doctors forced me to remember, damn them." She spoke without feeling, without any emotion at all. What was the point, she thought. Now that he knows he'll never want me.

Alex reached out to her, pulling her into his embrace unresistingly. "Tell me the rest," he prompted.

"As I grew up, I felt so dirty that I gained the weight to hide from men. Only, it didn't work out that way. Men still wanted me. I thought if slept around, they would realize I was trash, but there was always one who didn't care, as long as I put out. The rape caused some damage, but because I didn't tell anyone, it was never treated. Every time I had sex, the pain I endured was my punishment for not fighting off my great uncle."

"The surgery I had four months ago finally repaired the damage, but I haven't had sex since then. I don't know if it will still hurt, and I'm afraid to find out. It doesn't matter, though, because no man could want me after he sees the scar. It's 20 inches long, red and twisted, thick as twine in some places. I look like a gutted fish, and feel like one, too."

Lucy put her head down against Alex's sturdy shoulder and cried until she was hoarse.

"Come on, Lucy, look at yourself," said Alex. "You just told me that I couldn't bear to be near you, yet you reached for me for comfort. Doesn't that show that your subconscious knows we should be together? I think you wouldn't even be worried about these things if you didn't care for me, too. I love you, and that is all that matters to me. The question is, do you love me? Well, do you?"

She looked at him like he had two heads, incredulous at his dismissal of her deepest feelings. But no, he didn't dismiss them. He calmly told her he didn't care about her scars, neither the physical nor the emotional. He cared about her. He loved her. Alex leaned down to kiss her.

Lucy's heart suddenly lurched in her chest. She had to run, to escape from this onslaught of love and pent up desire emanating from Alex. She lunged for the door and, as Alex called out to her, she ran down the drive toward the lake. Fearing he'd followed her, she dove down the hillside recklessly. Her feet became tangled in the underbrush as she tried to slow her pace. She tripped, beginning a slide down the hill that could only end one way - in the lake. She felt her head hit the water.

"Lucy!" Alex screamed her name as she plunged head first into the lake. He ran to the dock and grabbed the life buoy, then dialed 911 on the cell. He let the automatic call go through and dropped the phone as he dove into the lake.

Swimming was never his best sport, but Alex knew that Lucy would drown if he didn't get her out of the water immediately. He dove at the spot where she went in, and found her floating just under the surface. She jerked when he touched her, making his heart leap with hope. Carefully he placed the buoy under her as he gently towed her to shore.

The ambulance arrived at that moment; he shouted for them to come to the dock. Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, became his mantra as the paramedics began CPR. Lucy coughed and gagged at the lake water coming out of her lungs. "Alex, Alex, where are you?" she cried, "I can't see you."

"That's because your eyes are closed, honey," he whispered gently. "Open them. I'm right here."

Lucy opened her eyes to see Alex bending over her. The paramedics asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital, but she refused. She'd seen enough hospitals in the past four months to last a lifetime. They told Alex that she was fine, but to take her to her doctor in the morning. No head injury, no lasting damage.

As the paramedics packed their gear, Lucy pulled Alex's head toward hers. "Thank you for my life." She kissed him fiercely, wanting to keep him close to her forever. "Now I know why you came back into my life. You're my guardian angel."

"Let's go home and get you into some dry clothes, honey," said Alex. He hid his troubled expression from her as they slowly walked up the hill. He didn't want her gratitude; he wanted her love. He appreciated her change of heart, but he was worried that it replaced the passion he'd hoped they could build their life around. At the front door, he picked her up like a little doll and carried her across the threshold. He thought it might be his only chance to do it ever again.

"It's my dream from the car," she whispered softly.

"What dream?" he whispered back.

"I dreamt that you carried me into a house, to a bed overlooking a lake, and we watched a sunrise. Then we made love. Is that what is going to happen now?" she asked him shyly.

"Not yet, sweetheart, not yet." He smiled at her disappointed pout, but he knew she was in no condition to deal with such a deeply emotional experience. Alex carried Lucy to the bedroom on the first floor, where he'd put all the clothes and toiletries Sandy had packed for her. She was astonished, again, at his attention to details. He left her to shower on her own, after starting the water and making sure it was the right temperature.

"I'll come back in 15 minutes with a hot toddy." Alex walked to the kitchen, silently musing at this unbelievable day. He had wanted to do everything that he'd done, but he never expected the day to include an emergency rescue! God, he needed a toddy, too.

The shower was delightfully warm after the cold of the lake. Her head hurt a bit, but it was only the shock of the water that stunned her. She had been lucky, more than lucky. Now she had another chance to do it right, to accept the gift of Alex's love. "Do I love him?" The thought drifted around her brain, searching for false emotion. The realization hit her almost as hard as the water had done. "Yes, I do love him," she answered herself out loud. "But, why do I love him, and why now? Am I deluding myself? Am I letting his money and over-the-top romantic nature lead me?"

Alex heard every word, but knew she didn't know she's said anything out loud. He waited just inside the bathroom door to hear more of her contemplations. The water slowly stopped running, and he heard her call his name.

"Yes, I'm here, honey," he responded, holding out a towel with eyes averted.

"Open your eyes, my darling," came her soft voice in his ear. He opened them slowly and looked into the eyes of love he'd prayed he would see one day.

"I love you, Alex. Come, lie with me on the bed." As if in a trance, he let her pull him into the bedroom and onto the huge king-sized bed. They lay side by side, he in his bathrobe and she in her towel.

"I can't make the first move," he told himself. "I don't want her to get spooked."

As if she had heard his thoughts, she said, "I don't want to spook you, but I need to have you now. I need to know that this part of it will work before I can say yes to the rest. Do you understand?" Understanding, and with it, tremendous tenderness, grew in him as he watched her unwrap herself from the towel. He kissed her closed eyes, and reached out to move her hands away.

"Please, let me. I've been waiting for this moment for five years."

Lucy yielded to the pressure of his hand and rolled onto her back. He opened the towel, looking first at her face, then slowly gazing down her body. His thought vaporized into nothing as he devoured her breasts with his eyes, then his hands, and his mouth. Never stopping, he continued to caress and kiss her body. The scar was unavoidable, but he treated it with the tenderness he also showed to her nipples and clit. He glanced at her face, and seeing the strain of worry, he stopped his caresses to lean down to kiss her mouth. "Look at me, my love. See how I desire you? Do you feel me? Touch me, please."

"I can't believe this," she thought wildly. "I'm almost ready to come and he's only kissed my nipples and my scar, for God's sake. There must be some mistake." She lifted her eyes to his smoldering amber gaze, and reached out to take his throbbing penis in her hand. It leapt in her grasp, as if it had a mind of its own. He growled his approval and dry humped her leg as she massaged his cock. He returned to kissing her breasts, but gently massaged her scar, lower and lower, until he reached the base of it buried in her bush. Her legs jerked in reflexive response. It was more than he could resist.

He took hold of her chin and said, "do you trust me?" She barely nodded before he whipped his legs over her until his penis was in line with her mouth, and his mouth in line with her beautiful pussy. "Suck me, please Lucy, please?" he pleaded.

Even as her mouth opened to accept his rock-solid cock, she felt her legs being moved apart and his head dive in between them. Wild lights flashed behind her eyelids as she felt the rhythmic motion of his tongue against her clit. She copied his pace and suckled his cock in earnest. With one hand holding his beautiful sack and the other against the back of his head, her leverage was weak, so Alex began thrusting gently into her mouth to increase the friction. Her hips began to wiggle in time to his thrusts, increasing the stimulation to her clit.

Alex reached between their bodies to fondle those gorgeous nipples, and that's all it took. Lucy screamed her release, and the vibrations sent Alex over the edge. They rocked against each other as the orgasmic spasms took control.

Slowly Alex turned to spoon Lucy, and soon fell asleep. At dawn, she woke him to share the beautiful sunrise that streamed through the window of their bedroom.