The Return Ch. 05

"Okay, last time Bobby! I don't care what your old man did for us, after this we're done. And...Bobby, make sure you don't lose these guys or I'll be seein you personally. Got it? You understand? Good."

Provinzano snatched a sheet of paper from his desk and glanced at a list of names. He turned to the suit sitting by the door. "Dino...get me Pauli, Raf and... Carmine? Yeah, why not...get me Carmine." A slow predatory smile appeared as he thought of Carmine. He would need special instructions.

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Sarah peered out the window after hearing the sound of a cars arrival and saw the gleaming Lexus convertible pull up. Sarah was nervous. Geoff was so different from what he was seven years ago. He seemed much more confident but without the swagger he use to have. She wondered what happened to him during those years he was gone.

Reaching down, she grabbed her travel bag and purse and opened the door to find him standing just on the other side.

"Need any help," he asked smiling.

God, how she loved that smile, she thought. "No, just close and lock the door for me, please."

Once he threw her bag in the back, they were speeding out of town onto the highway toward Oregon. "You have any trouble getting the time off," asked Geoff. She stared at him watching the wind ruffle his dark hair. It's been so long, she reflected but he still has a stirring effect on me.

"I had to call in a few favors so you better appreciate it."

Geoff laughed and said, "You have no idea."

She gazed at the freeway and asked, "So, where we going?"

"Coos Bay."

"Where?"

"Coos Bay! Coos Bay, Oregon." Geoff grinned that lopsided grin she loved.

"There's actually a place called Coos Bay?"

"Yep, my dad's best friend Jack Davenport and his wife, Terry live there. That was where dad was sailing to when the boat went down."

She saw the grin vanish when he mentioned his father and the sinking. She understood what he was going through, having lost both her parents sixteen months apart. At least she was able to say goodbye to her mother.

"Anyway, I thought I'd pay a visit to Jack and Terry and thought you might like to go with me. Should be a pretty drive up the coast."

She reached over and rubbed his arm, "Already is."

She smiled and his grin returned.

It was noon when he made the coast highway, just above Bodega Bay. Sarah caught her breath when she saw the brilliant blue of the Pacific Ocean suddenly appear.

"It's so beautiful," she cried staring at the explosion of spray and mist as the surf broke against the rocks. Geoff nodded as he pulled off the road and turned onto a short road that took them to the cliffs. They sat against a tree overlooking the cliffs down onto the rocky shoreline. Geoff hung his right arm over Sarah's shoulders and pulled her against him, Sarah resting her head on his shoulder.

"Geoff, I am so sorry I didn't listen to you. I didn't feel that you trusted me and were just jealous of Robert as a friend. I never thought he would..."

Geoff placed his finger against her lips. "Sarah, we were both so young. You were to trusting and naïve and, I admittedly, was jealous and over-reacted to you. Him...I should have hurt much more. We have nothing to be sorry about. I am thankful I decided to come up for the weekend and stopped him. I only wish I had been there sooner." Sarah gazed at the breakers crashing against the rocks. "I'm just glad you did show up. It was hard enough living with what he was able to do, I don't know what I would have done if he had finished what he started. Perhaps you only now realize how you saved me."

"Geoff, all those years? I know you told me you were in the Navy and, what did you say? Served with a special team? You're not the same man I knew seven years ago. I can see from your eyes, the lines and scars on your face that...well, they tell me it hasn't been easy for you."

Silent, he watched a lone seagull hanging in mid air, the up drafts from the cliff allowing it to remain aloft.

"Sarah, after I left that night, I was at the lowest point of my life. I believed you wanted Armestead and I stopped you. I felt good about beating the hell out of Robert that night but losing you was more than I could bear. So, I left. I just wanted to get lost in the shuffle.

"I never meant to stay away so long but the years kept passing before I realized it. Then Dean was standing on the dock waiting for me in Jamaica.

"When I left and joined the Navy, it was a relief to get away. Eventually, I was accepted into the Navy S.E.A.L.'s, an elite team kind of like the Army's Green Beret or the Marines Recon force. I'm sure they all say the same, but we considered ourselves the best of the baddest."

"I threw myself into the program heart and soul. The SEAL's became my family. Sarah, I did things many would believe barbarous. It would make you sick. A lot of it is still classified but what I did, I did for my team and my country."

Solemnly, she watched him as he talked. She could see some memories bothered him. "Geoff, I'm no longer the naïve young woman I once was. I know we've both changed and likely...hopefully, for the better. I believe I still love the man I used to know and the man here now. I certainly know there is a little girl that adores you. We just need some time to get to know one another again....without the guilt. Okay?"

He gently grazed her cheek with his fingers, nodded and said, "Okay." Leaning in, he softly placed his lips on hers and held her close. She returned his gentle kiss and could feel the tension ease from his body. As they kissed, she fingered his dark wavy locks and was very much aware of his masculine scent. For all those lost years, this is what she hoped for...had prayed for.

He pulled back and smiled, lifting a strand of hair from her face. "We better leave. We can find a room near Mendocino."

Mid afternoon, Geoff entered the sleepy town of Little River Cove. "What do you think? Want to stay here for the evening?"

"As long as it's one bed," she coyly stated.

Geoff grinned and nodded. "Sounds promising!"

Soon Highway One became Shoreline Highway and a quaint set of cottages appeared.

"Cottages at Little River Cove," he read as he drove up onto the drive. "Okay with you?"

She smiled and said, "It's perfect!"

After checking in, Geoff carried the luggage into a large two story cottage called The Jenner. Sarah stepped in and remarked at how homey and comfortable the rooms were and walked to the outside deck. The deck overlooked the cliffs and the ocean as Sarah listened to the pounding surf. She felt Geoff's strong arms enfold her as she stood against the railing, his warm breath close to her ear. She purred feeling so safe with him.

"Beautiful," he whispered.

"Yes, it is," she answered.

"I meant you."

She turned around throwing her arms around his neck, pulling him down until their lips joined as one. She felt his passion and returned the kiss with an equal intensity.

"Ahem?"

Startled, they broke apart and turned toward the sliding glass door. Standing just inside the cottage was an attractive middle aged woman, her face blushing.

"I'm so sorry for disturbing you but I just wanted to make sure everything was to your liking and if there was anything you needed."

Immediately, Geoff moved forward and shook the woman's hand.

"Uh...no, we're fine and this is perfect, thank you. I am Geoff McKenzie and this is my..."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me, you have such a beautiful wife. You must be newlyweds. So very nice to meet you Mrs. McKenzie, if you need anything just ask for Ruth."

Laughing, Sarah said, "Thank you so much, I will...Ruth."

Ruth turned and made for the door saying, "Well, I'll just leave you two love birds alone. Good day."

"Newlyweds?"

Sarah was giggling and said, "I guess she was just being polite but I am wearing my ring, husband."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," he laughed as she, again, moved into his embrace. A rumbling abruptly rose, causing Sarah to titter.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Uh...I could eat," he grimaced, his eyes straying upward.

They found a little cafe in Mendocino village and spent the next hour talking about Becky. Geoff was amazed how mature the seven year old was and Sarah nodded.

"She's always been so serious about anything she found interesting, her studies, people and, of course, you. She first saw your picture on the shelf when she was only three. When she grabbed the frame, I ran to her fearing she would drop it but she was very careful as she stared at the photo. She looked at me and pointed at you and said, 'Daddy?' I avoided her question by asking her to be careful of the picture. She looked at me and seemed to sense my anxiety but never asked me again. I had never said anything about you yet somehow she knew you were special.

"Rebecca understood she was different from most of the other children, as she didn't have a daddy. As she grew older, she would always look at your picture. She had turned five and just started school, when I passed the bookshelf and noticed your photo was gone. I found it on her nightstand and left it there."

"You never told her about me?"

Looking into her coffee cup, Sarah grew quiet. "No."

"The following year, she asked me if there were any other pictures of you so I pulled out all the photo albums. We spent hours going over all the old pictures, Becky always asking questions about each person she would see...except you. She never knew Mom and Dad but called James and Annabella her grandfather and grandmother and your sister as Aunt Julie. I never told her they were her real grandparents...that Julie was her aunt. I was afraid you would never return."

"By the time she turned seven, I think she knew you were her father. Well, now I know she knew, she just never asked me. She had more faith in you than I did, I guess."

Sarah noticed Geoff staring at something behind her and turned. A young family sat in a far booth, a five year old boy next to his father, an infant draped in a pink swaddling cloth and blanket quietly nestled within a carrier next to her mother.

"I missed so much," he sighed wistfully watching the family interact.

Sarah reached across the table and took his hand in hers. "There is so much more to come, Geoff," she softly said.

He looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I guess there is."

After dinner, they strolled through the town as Sarah investigated every antique and thrift shop she could find. Geoff shook his head as she searched for new discoveries and gifts for Becky.

The setting sun found them standing on the cliff, witnesses to its slip into nightly slumber. Sarah cuddled within his arms as they watched the final glimpse of the sun disappear behind the horizon. Rapidly, the cloudless sky blazed with the brilliance of countless stars.

"Geoff?"

He looked down and saw the serious look on her face.

"Yes?"

"Please be honest with me. Do you still love me? Are you still in love with me?"

He pulled her tightly against him and said, "Sarah, I can honestly say I love you more now than before. You've become a beautiful woman who is loving and kind. And, who, for the life of me, still seems to love this fool. Yes, I am very much in love with you. Let's face it, woman...you're stuck with me."

She pressed her face into his shoulder and softly wept.

They stood there for some time, gazing at the stars while listening to the breaking surf, before he gently pulled her toward the cottage.

Sarah coyly asked Geoff to pour them some wine while she went upstairs to start a bath. As she laid out her negligee she heard the creak of the stairway as he made his way up to the bedroom.

"Here you are," he mused as he handed her a goblet of pinot grigio. Taking the delicate wine glass, she held it toward Geoff. He, in turn, held his glass to Sarah. Together they sipped from the others goblet. "After all," he said, "its bad luck to first drink from your own glass."

Geoff watched as she sipped the scarlet liquid leaving a slightly red stain to her lips. Taking her glass, he placed the two goblets on the nightstand and turned toward her, her eyes never leaving his. As he approached, she placed her right hand on his cheek, her left in his hair. Geoff leaned down and, kissing her, tasted the wine on her mouth. He swept his tongue softly over her lips before slipping into her and embracing her own.

Both of them were so desperate for the other, it was nearly unbearable. Geoff needed this woman, to take her into his arms and make love to her. He had so much to make up for.

Sarah couldn't believe how much she wanted him. She had never given up hope he would come back to her but, at the same time, was so angry he would leave her when she needed him the most. But, now...all she could feel was the growing lust she had for her man.

Sarah moaned as he slid into her mouth and joining with her tongue. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck fearful if she were to let go he would vanish. Geoff's left hand slid down her spine resting over the soft cheeks of her shapely derriere, his right hand gently sliding over the top of her dress to cup her left breast. His mouth fell away from hers kissing his way from her ear to her neck. His fingers glided up both side of her arms, pulling the slender straps of her sundress over her shoulders. While he pulled the straps down past her elbows, gravity became his partner as the garment fell to the floor.

She stood there smiling in her delicate intimates, a delightful white satin matching lace panties and bra. Her beauty took his breath.

His voice husky, he managed to say, "My god Sarah, you're even more beautiful than I last remembered."

Sarah smiled and came to him, his arms taking her within his grasp. Tip toeing, she kissed him deeply before she began to remove his shirt. Geoff liked to wear the more subtle but comfortable Hawaiian style shirts which soon lay in a heap at his feet. Her fingers traced a delicate path over the strong muscles of his abdomen until reaching his beige slacks. With deliberation, she unbuckled his belt and opened his pants. Looking into his eyes, she lowered his zipper and slid her hand within moving past his briefs. As her fingers coiled around his erection, a deep moan escaped from his lips. Sarah kissed his bare chest, trailing her lips downward. Soon she was kneeling in front of him, her eyes level with his hips. She hooked her fingers into the band of his pants and, along with his briefs, lowered each down over his thighs. As the garments eased down, they caught on his throbbing manhood, then once free of the material, bobbed upward.

Sarah murmured an unintelligible but lustful sound as her eyes were spellbound by his pulsating member, a tiny bead of pre-cum hanging like a tear drop from its single eye. She returned her gaze to Geoff, an almost mischievous smile on her face as she tenderly licked the tiny drop with her tongue.

"Christ! I can't stand it," he cried out and pulled her up to him. He picked her up into his arms and carried her to the bed where he smoothly laid her down. Standing above her, he kicked off his sandals and moved onto the bed, between her long slender legs, his head above her pantied waist. He lowered his head and kissed the thin satin material protecting her sex. His lips found the gusset damp from her sexual juices. He heard Sarah sigh as he pushed his tongue hard against the moist bit of cloth.

His hands pulled on the elastic band and slipped her under garment smoothly over her hips and thighs. Once he worked them over her knees and down to her ankles, he lovingly lifted each foot to remove the lacy fabric from her. He was about to accomplish the eviction of her bra but was pleased to discover Sarah had already disposed of the flimsy garment.

Leaving tender kisses on her knees, Geoff worked his way upward over her smooth thighs. As he traveled along her soft inner thighs, he could sense her building heat. A sensual moan erupted from Sarah as he found the source of that heat, his tongue languishing over her labia. When his lips found her sexual button, she cried out and arched her back. Both hands held the back of his head, her fingers entwined in his hair.

After several minutes of oral worship, he slid upwards, his legs between hers. His mouth sought its next target, the lips closing in on her left breast. This time, he groaned as he tasted the hard bud gently suckling at the firm nipple. With one arm wrapped around his shoulder and the other behind his head, Sarah held him as she would a newborn feeding at her teat. Geoff would alternate between her breasts, licking her nipples until she whimpered.

Sarah pulled him up, her lips finding his. She could taste herself on his mouth as her tongue explored within. She gasped when she felt his rigid member push against her entrance.

"Yessss...," she hissed as he slid past her labia and into her canal. Soon, they were animalistic in their movements, Sarah raking her nails across his shoulders as he began slamming into her. She could feel it coming with a vengeance, she needed this so badly. Geoff was also on the verge, he could feel his orgasm building to an unbelievable crescendo. With one final thrust, he roared and felt himself explode within her. When Geoff rammed into her and came, she wailed and held him tight as her own climax smashed against her senses. Again and again, she felt the pounding waves of her orgasm flow through her body as Geoff forcefully held himself in her.

The following morning, Geoff slowly awoke and felt Sarah's arm lying over his chest. He cracked open his eyes and turned to stare into her face. Wisps of strawberry blond hair hung loosely over her face, a few strands caught in her mouth as she slept. He smiled and slipped a finger beneath the loose strands and gently pulled them from her lips. The movement caused Sarah to shiver and open her eyes. A coy smile appeared as she said, "Mmmm...morning lover. What did you do to me last night?"

Geoff grinned and answered, "Nothing but love the most beautiful woman I know."

"Good answer," she playfully replied and he reached over kissing her on the mouth.

"Yuck! Dragon breath...no more kisses until you take care of that," she laughed and pushed herself up. "What time is it?"

"Oh, around eleven I think."

"What?"

"I didn't want to disturb your beauty sleep. I know how important that must be for you." The look in response to his jibe was a sultry pout.

Geoff watched as she moved off the bed, her trim nude form walking over to the travel bag. Shuffling through the bag, she removed a few pieces of clothing and strolled into the bathroom shutting the door. Seconds later, he heard the shower come on.

"Shit, I can't pass this up," he breathed and jumped off the bed. By the time he slid into the shower behind her, Sarah's face was turned up into the streaming water and never heard him enter. She squealed when she felt his arms engulf her.

"Geoff McKenzie! You scared me half to death!"

His arms moved over her body caressing her stomach and breasts before she could spin around to chastise him. Now, she found herself molded to him, his erection pushing against her lower belly. His hands traveled along her back to caress her cheeks before his probing fingers slid between the cleavage and onto her anus.

"Geoff, we..."

He shushed her with a kiss as his finger continued its trespass into uncharted territory.

"My god Geoff, I've never...we've never done this."

Gently nibbling on her ear, he whispered, "Always a first time for everything."

His finger pushed through her anal ring and inserted the invading digit up to its second knuckle.

"Oooh," she moaned as he gently thrust his finger into her backside. She lifted her left leg swinging around his waist as he continued to manipulate her. Finally, he pulled his finger away and, with both hands, cupped her ass cheeks lifting her up. She held herself tightly against him as she was lowered. She could feel the head of his cock against her and with one hand, helped it find its target. Within seconds, he had her against the shower wall as they rhythmically thrust against the other, her lips locked against his. Together, they cried out into each others mouths as they climaxed together.