"Can I interest either of you in dessert tonight?" the waiter interrupted, looking between Braedan and Galen.
Galen smiled warmly at the young man but shook her head. "I couldn't eat another bite."
"I have to agree. The rest of the food was just too delicious, we couldn't help but over indulge. We will take our check though, if you don't mind."
"Of course, I'll be right back with that."
Braedan turned back to his date and smiled, "You were saying?"
"Well, when Ada and I went shopping she got me thinking about the future. If things keep going well, and I can stay awake for longer periods of time, I'd like to go back to school. I don't care where, my credits should transfer. I have all my prerequisites done to get into a teaching program, it's just a matter of getting signed up." The waiter returned and set down their check along with two complimentary mints. "Thank you," Galen unwrapped her mint while Braedan took out his wallet.
"So you'll teach kids while I heal them," he said, putting their payment along with a generous tip on the table.
"We'll catch them coming and going."
"Won't it be your job to teach them to be safe and careful?" he asked with laugh.
"Among other things," she shot back but sobered quickly, "but accidents do happen." Warm hands enveloped hers and she looked up into Braedan's incredible eyes.
"So we'll be the ones to help pick up the pieces." His tone had gentled at her obvious distress. He wanted to kick himself for leading the conversation in such a direction, he hated seeing her in pain, especially when he was the one to cause it. His moment of self loathing must have been stronger than he suspected because the sadness in Galen's eyes shifted to anger quickly.
"Don't do that to yourself! There is nothing you can do to change the past, Braedan and you can't protect me from it either. I won't have you blaming yourself for anything," the challenge in her eyes was obvious. It dared him to contradict her edict. Braedan could only shake his head.
"You really are the most incredible woman I've ever met. Here you are spouting at me about not protecting you from your pain, when you help protect everyone from theirs. All I can promise is that I'll try my best, I hate seeing you hurting sweetheart, especially if there is something I can do to prevent it."
"I suppose that's the best I'm going to get, huh?" she asked with a half smile, her anger having already simmered out. She was answered by being pulled to her feet and enfolded in two strong arms.
"You've got that right, sweetheart. Let's get out of here." Taking her hand he led her from the restaurant. As they walked he realized he had yet to tell her about his discovery the night before. He looked down at her walking beside him and smiled, pulling her arm through his before speaking. "I forgot to mention something about last night."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Somehow I managed to stay at the lake after you woke up." Galen's head snapped up at the news. "It wasn't for long," he continued. "Just long enough to notice a few things."
"What kind of things?"
"Well, with our very satisfying finish," Galen blushed scarlet while Braedan smiled proudly, "it seems the water level dropped...dramatically."
"What do you mean by 'dramatically'?" Her eyes were wide in surprise, how could this be?
"Three feet maybe? A lot more than when you sing." Galen's feet slowed unconsciously, bringing them both to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. She looked up at Braedan speechless. Three feet? Feet? In the three years she had been trapped never once had she been able to perform such a deed. It had only been by happenstance she had figured out that her singing helped lift some of the sorrow; but it lowered the water in barely visible amounts. What Braedan revealed was incredible. Together they had diminished a great amount of pain. But how?
"Braedan, how is this possible? What we did, it wasn't for anyone else, it was for ourselves, how could that affect the island?" Braedan could clearly feel her confusion and her reluctance to believe. He was glad he'd had a chance to think all of this through before their date.
"The first time you sang, the first time that you noticed a change on the island, why did you sing?" The question threw Galen off guard, not sure where he was going with this.
"I was lonely," she said, "I was trapped and alone and sad and singing has always helped make me feel better so I sang."
"So you didn't sing for anyone else but yourself? You sang so that you would feel better? How is that any different than what we did last night?"
"Well it's just, it's..." she had to stop and think, her thoughts were coming and going so quickly it was hard to grasp one and hold on. "Selfish?" She knew it wasn't the right word but it was the closest she could come. Braedan's eyes darkened a bit at this comment.
"Selfish? Perhaps a little. But we didn't make love for selfish reasons, we made love for each other, to experience a few moments of real, undiluted joy. In that final moment last night, what did you feel?" Galen's mouth lifted in a half smile, her eyes beginning to beam with understanding and love.
"Freedom," she whispered "So much happiness that I can't describe it."
"Exactly. Many people say that joy is contagious; I think we may have proved that last night." Galen wrapped her arms around the man before her, burying her head against his strong chest.
"Thank you," she whispered, afraid that if she spoke any louder that the emotion in her voice would overwhelm her.
"I haven't even finished telling you everything." Yet again Galen's eyes met his in surprise.
"More? What else could there be?"
"With the drop in water level I noticed a few other things. A marble statue of girl appeared. It was toppled over but still in amazing shape for being underwater for so long. She had tears running down her face. And then there was a blue glow out in the middle of the water. I think there's something down there."
"What is that place?" Galen asked, squeezing Braedan tightly.
"I keep asking myself that same question."
******
Gina smiled at the handsome man at her counter. Usually the only nice faces she had to look at were of men on the cover of magazines. The man in front of her was delicious. Shoulder length black hair hung around his face and fierce hazel eyes took in everything around him, a strong and compact body finished up the package nicely. When he set down his purchases on the belt she wanted to lick her lips, she loved a man who worked with his hands. She saw the edge of his mouth lift in a wicked smile and a heated look enter his eyes as he took in her low cut shirt and the generous amount of cleavage it left visible.
"Good evening, I hope you found everything alright," she said batting her eye lashes playfully. "Wow, duck tape, rope, hooks, chains, hammer," she rattled off as she scanned the items, "You must have quite the project you're working on, sugar."
"You could say that," the man answered, a hard edge to his voice. "just getting ready for a guest. I want to make sure she'll find her stay..." he glanced at the items being placed in bags with an evil glint in his eye that sent a shiver of unease through Gina, "comfortable." Gina quickly finished ringing him up and handed him his receipt. She liked her men hot, but she had an unnerving suspicion that this one would leave her charred beyond recognition once he got through with her. She did not envy his guest one bit.
******
The air wooshed from her lungs as Peter threw her down on the bed. There was barely anytime to regain her breath before his hard body climbed over hers and recaptured her mouth in a bruising kiss.
"You taste so good," he crooned, pulling away from her mouth to run his lips from her neck down to her collarbone. Goosebumps followed his touch and Ada gasped, trying to regain at least a semblance of control. His hands were everywhere at once and it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on anything but the burning that was spreading through her body. Her shirt was quickly pulled over her head and thrown across the room but the activity stopped suddenly after that. She forced her eyes open and looked up into the burning face of her best friend. He stared down at her with a hunger that caused her to swallow hard. His eyes were glued to the delicate swell of her breasts encased in black lace and silk. His hands hovered near her sides, shaking slightly.
"Peter?" she was growing concerned. Had he changed his mind? The desperation and doubt in her voice cause his eyes to meet hers and he smiled wickedly.
"I'm am far from being down with you, love. I just had to take a moment to really look at you. You are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen." The conviction in his tone sent pleasant shivers down her spine. His hands ran down her sides and gripped her hips tightly before moving to unbutton her jeans and pull them down her long legs. "Absolutely stunning. I can't believe I've waited so long for this." He descended on her again, this time capturing a taught nipple through a layer of lace. The moan that issued from Ada's mouth was ripped straight from her soul; there was nothing she could remember that had ever felt even half as divine as Peter's mouth. Her back arched as he began to pull away, trying desperately to follow the warmth of his lips and tongue. She was rewarded when he pushed the cup of her bra to the side and engulfed her nipple once more without the fabric in the way. A sharp nip of his teeth caused her to yelp before he laved the pain away with long sweeps of his wicked tongue.
Her hands fed through his short hair and she held on as best as she could. The world was spinning and she still couldn't seem to catch her breath. She didn't even realize that she was grinding her pelvis against the hardness lying against her until Peter growled and glared down at her, pinning her hips to the bed. She whimpered in need and any frustration Peter had been feeling at being pushed too fast evaporated against the heated look in Ada's eyes. He groaned.
"I'm trying to take my time and be gentle, Ada. I want this to be good for you. I don't want to hurt you."
"Be gentle next time," she panted, trying desperately to move against him. "I need you now, I need to feel you now!"
