Sweeter Than Wine (16 page)

The bed rocked, and suddenly, he pulled her
hips to his mouth and kissed her while she kissed him. She moaned
against him as he kissed her. She pulled her t-shirt off and turned
around, her face flushed and hot.

"I'm yours. Do whatever you want to me." she
said softly.

"My God, you are more than I can handle. Just
looking at you, come here, sweetheart." He murmured.

The kiss was long, hot, and full of promises.
Without another word he entered her and his hands played against
her breasts like a child playing with a toy, feeling them, tasting
them, and looking at them. His eyes burned into her as she began to
move exotically against him. He watched as she pulled her hair up
and gently let it down, her breast prominently postured upward. His
hands kneaded her hips.

When she arched her back, he took her all the
way, pushing himself into her so deep she groaned with
pleasure.

"Oh Sam," she collapsed upon his chest and as
his hands gently kneaded her breast, his lips found hers and they
kissed until they reached the utopia that only lovers find.

Her lips were raw, from his kisses. Her body
was wet with sweat, but they lay solidly together all through the
night. Every now and then, one of them would wake up and they began
loving on the other until they were both awake and ready.

By morning they were exhausted and filled
with each other.

Happiness spread through Lacey like a rainbow
reaching for the pot of gold. Her love for this man knew no bounds.
Their love making so complete that nothing could mar the euphoria
they shared now.

His touch was soft and tender, his kisses
hot, and it was impossible to turn away from him. She wanted to
feel his arms around her, wanted to feel his hands on her, wanted
to feel him inside her once more. She wished she could deny him,
but it wasn't in her. Sam had literally swept her away and she knew
it.

Her heart was going to break into a million
pieces when they said goodbye, she knew that, but for now, when he
needed her so, she was going to be there for him.

She'd never forget these moments or this
vacation.

"Thank you for coming with me…here." He said
in a strained voice. "I'm not sure I would have ever done it,
without you."

"Sure you would, your curiosity would have
gotten the best of you, sooner or later." She smiled against him.
"I'm so glad we came. Now you have a real family and you will soon
figure out where you belong."

"I've never known a woman so giving as you,"
he whispered as he took her mouth in a kiss that stole her breath
and heart. "You've never asked for anything. You give me your
all."

He relaxed and as his fingers dipped into her
gently, he held her, kissed her, and spoke soft love words to her
as morning peaked over the horizon.

When they went downstairs, Kasie was fixing a
huge breakfast. Chayton was close by. The aroma of fried bacon
filled the house. The baby was drinking a bottle and crawling about
the floor.

"Smells terrific, but I hope you didn't go to
this trouble just for us?" Sam said as he came into the kitchen and
looked at his sister.

"Of course I did. I'm celebrating, I have a
brother now, and I couldn't be happier." Kasie smiled at them. "Did
ya'll sleep well?"

Lacey blushed, "Yes, thanks."

"Good. I want to throw a big party, so you
can meet all our friends and neighbors. And I want to know more
about you. You've hardly spoke about yourself Sam." Kasie
insisted.

"That's because I'm rather boring." Sam
laughed. Chayton smiled up at him.

"I don't even know where you live." Kasie
insisted.

"Actually, not that far, I live just on the
other side of the border, in California. I'm a forest ranger
there." He admitted as they both sat at the table with Chayton.

"Oh well, that's wonderful. Chayton works
pretty close with the forest rangers here, I can tell you. Even
does a little fire jumping too." Kasie admitted.

"Really, that's pretty dangerous work," Sam
frowned, "How long you been doing that?"

"Quite some time now, Sam. I'm used to it. I
figure as a logger I should pay back a little of what I take from
Mother Nature. However, with my family enlarging all the time, I am
thinking of quitting. I'm getting too old to be jumping out of
airplanes, any way."

Sam smiled, "I have a few friends into that.
I worry every time they go out."

Kasie whirled about, "Just like me…you are a
lot like me Sam."

Sam couldn't stop smiling. His sister was
such a delightful woman.

"At least you live close enough we can have
Christmas and New Years and all the holidays together. I love that.
And Lacey you'll just have to fly up on holidays and we won't take
no for an answer."

Sam glanced at Lacey. She had been quietly
watching their interplay. She smiled, but didn't comment. Sam hung
his head. He'd barely known Lacey a little over a week and already
he was contemplating a much deeper relationship with her. Reality
told him he needed to slow down, think about it, but his heart
wrestled with his mind on that one.

Looking at her now he wondered where the shy
woman he'd first met went. Since he gotten to know Lacey, he'd
noticed the changes in her and wondered if he had created them.

Her ability to love amazed him. He needed
her, he knew that, but would she stay? Was he ready to offer her
more? Had they merely known each other a little over a week?

His mind cluttered with proceeding with
finding out more about his real family, and getting serious with
Lacey.

Still he wanted to unravel all the mysteries
here first.

All her questions came to mind. Would it
solve anything to know what really happened? Was it that important
to him? Must he dig up all the old ghosts and perhaps cause misery
while he was at it?

Later, Kasie pulled Sam aside.

Kasie and Sam walked about the place together
for a while and Sam asked her questions and told her a little more
about himself.

Lacey had wanted to stay at the house and let
them be alone.

Chayton watched her closely. "You're in love
with him, aren't you?"

"Yes…I guess I am…am I that obvious?" she
blushed.

"Well, believe me; I was in the same boat a
few years back. I was so crazy about that sister of his, you
wouldn't believe. How long have you known him?" Chayton asked her
as he got the meat ready for the grill.

"Only a little over a week. And I know that
isn't long. He was on a quest to find his real family; I was on a
dare to see how much I could do on a vacation…alone. We were both
kind of miserable, and then we found each other. I didn't intend to
let things get serious between us, but you know how that goes I'm
sure."

"Oh yeah, I know. Well, does he return your
affections?"

"Yes, very much so. However, we've only known
each other a short while and we live far away from each other. I'm
afraid it's kind of doomed."

"I don't know. I took one look at Kasie years
ago, when she was still just a kid, and I knew I wanted her, right
then. I just didn't know how to let her know it. We'd have been
married much longer if I had…." Chayton smiled.

"I'm just afraid this is just a fling for him
though. I don't know. And I've changed around him."

"For the better, I hope," Chayton
laughed.

"I don't know…I'm afraid after we leave here,
that I'll have to go home and forget him. I certainly don't expect
him to propose marriage or anything, and I live in Texas, he lives
in California. It wouldn’t be easy to date him any longer." Lacey
reasoned aloud.

Chayton glanced at her and sat down to stare
into her eyes, "Love changes a lot of things. But don't give up so
soon. He's preoccupied with his new family and the mystery behind
it, but that will die down in time. Then he'll begin to miss you
and that's when you will know."

"Know what?" Lacey asked.

"Whether it's real or not." Chayton smiled
softly into her face. "I don't know if the man knows it or not, but
he needs you. I saw how you kept him calm when he talked with
Kasie. I saw how just reaching for your hand made a difference. I'd
say the man is smitten."

Lacey laughed softly, "I guess time will
tell, huh?"

"I'm pulling for you, Lacey." Chayton
admitted.

"Sam doesn't know how lucky he is to have
such nice relatives."

***

"So what's still bothering you Sam about all
of this?" Kasie asked him as they got out of earshot of the
others.

"It's uncanny how you can spot my troubles,
and you barely know me…" Sam smiled at her.

Kasie stared into his eyes, "I know, we
barely know each other, but somehow I feel as though I've known you
all along. It's the weirdest thing."

"It's Lacey." Sam sighed.

"I thought you two got along great." Kasie
stopped walking and turned to look at him.

"We do…almost too well. I've only known her a
little over a week. However, it seems much longer. And I think
we've both changed some in that time too. It's the time span more
than anything. In a few days, I'll go back to work, she'll go back
to Texas, and I'm not sure how I feel about it."

Kasie eyed him closely now, "You're not sure
if you love her?"

Sam pulled at a low branch of a pine and
pulled a cone from it. "Can you really fall in love that
quickly?"

Kasie watched him a moment, "You ask a woman
that?"

"I love her, Kasie, I'm sure of that much. I
just don't know if I should push it."

"How does she feel?"

"I think the same…"

"Then what in the world is the problem? I
mean if you love each other, isn't that enough? Does time have
anything at all to do with the heart?" Kasie asked.

"It's just so soon, and she's a practical
kind of woman…I'm not sure she'd believe me if I told her how nuts
I am about her." Sam said looking over the horizon.

"Not telling her would be the real mistake,
Sam." Kasie said putting her hand over his.

"I almost lost Chayton once, and every time I
think about it, I cringe. We've been so happy together. I can't
imagine my life without him. When we aren't together, life is a
mess."

Kasie laughed.

Sam watched her for a long moment, "I'm so
glad for you. I already think a lot of him. I see how he dotes on
you."

"Life is short Sam, don't waste it with
regrets." Kasie advised. "But what I want to know is…what exactly
are you planning to do about everything?'

"I'm not sure. I've been wrestling with it
for some time, and on one hand I think I should find out about my
grandparents and if they were behind all this mystery. Then again,
they are dead and gone and would I hurt or involve others if I dug
up the truth? Maybe I should just count my blessings and let it
go…"

"But you want to know, don't you?" Kasie
watched his face.

"Yeah…I want to know…" he sighed.

"Is there any way you can find out without
dragging up a lot of other stuff. I mean, maybe just talking to the
doctor would help."

"What if he's involved?"

"I guess that part is up to you. Do you want
justice served, or do you just want to know?"

Sam eyed her for a moment. "My mother died,
thinking I was dead. Her life was wasted because of me. How can I
possibly right that wrong?"

"Not because of you, but because of the
mistakes made by others. You can't right any wrongs, Sam. However,
you can satisfy yourself by finding out. I think if I were you…I'd
contact the doctor and see if he knows anything. Perhaps he could
tell you everything and put you at ease."

"I really don't want to hurt anyone with
this. It's in the past and like you said, you can't right the
wrongs of it. All I want is the truth."

"Then go for it Sam, because she died
worrying over you, I don't want you to suffer as she did, over
her." Kasie smiled up at him.

He stared at her. "You hit the head on the
nail, Kasie. I'll talk to Rosie and see if I can arrange a private
meeting with this doctor."

"Good, and let me know too, will ya. I feel
so incredibly bad about your mother, and wish there was something
that could have been done. But at least her son won't suffer over
it much longer."

As they strolled back towards the backyard,
Sam watched Lacey with the kids and saw another side of her he
liked. She was such a sweet woman, and so giving. Yet, did she
really feel as strongly as he did about them being together, they
had never really gone there. In fact, they avoided talking about
the future and he knew it.

"Now," Kasie turned to him. "I want to throw
a party tomorrow, if you'll stay a while longer and let you meet
Tanka, Chayton's brother and so many of our neighbors. Will you
stay?"

"I'd love to…that is if Lacey doesn’t' mind…"
Sam said loud enough for Lacey to hear.

"Mind what?" she smiled as she handed him a
hot dog and plate of chips.

"Kasie wants to throw us a party tomorrow,
can we stay?" Sam asked his eyes searching hers.

"Sounds wonderful to me…I like parties
myself." Lacey agreed, going to get herself a hotdog now and
sitting beside Sam as they ate at the big long table outside.

Chayton tended to the hotdogs as Kasie came
and wrapped her arms around him. "We had a nice long walk…"

"Glad you are getting your exercise…and why
don't you let me handle the party tomorrow. I know you are
overdoing just a bit." Chayton advised.

"Oh…all right, if you insist. I won't argue.
You spoil me too much, Chayton, that's why I love you so much."
Kasie laughed, kissing him on the cheek.

"And I never tire of hearing that." Chayton
laughed.

"When is your baby due?" Lacey asked as she
passed the mustard to Sam.