Lost and Found (4 page)

The sun beat down on the top of my head, warming my scalp. As I felt his hand move
slowly over my hip and tug on the string of my bikini bottoms, I narrowed my eyes
at him. "What are you doing?" I gasped as he answered by pulling the material free,
tossing it onto the empty float drifting a few feet from us.

"It was in my way."

I lost myself in the sugary-lemon taste of his tongue as he crushed his mouth to mine
while his hands expertly roamed around my body. Breaking free just long enough to
take a deep breath, Connor pulled me through the water toward the raft and lifted
it above our heads, depositing the plastic inflatable behind us, between our bodies
and the shore.

"That won't stop anyone from seeing much if they look hard enough." I giggled as his
mouth sucked and nibbled my earlobe, slowly working its way down my neck.

"I don't care who sees us. I want you.
Now
."

His eyes lit up with lust as he pulled me close. Somehow, I missed the moment when
he slipped out of his shorts and was pleasantly shocked when our hips met…skin to
skin.

"You have a very naughty streak, Kevan O'Connor." I purred into his ear while kicking
my feet steadily in an attempt to keep my head above water.

Connor bristled against me and instantly released my waist, using both his hands to
cup my face. I ignored the wind that rolled along the top of the lake and let my arms
fall from his shoulders as I floated in front of him…mesmerized by his gaze. Drops
of water fell from his long, dark lashes as his watery-blue eyes bore into mine.

"Say that again." The need in his voice was husky -
sexy
.

I tried to cock my head to the side but he held my face firmly in place. Our feet
and legs bumped into each other as we were jounced around like human buoys in the
middle of the lake.

"You're very naughty," I said with a smile.

"No…" he shook his head slowly and as he did the look of playful lust dissolved and
turned into more of a desperate plea. He took a deep breath and searched my face with
his gaze before he whispered,
"My name - say it again. Please."

With one hand, I reached up to gently stroke his lower lip with my index finger and
whispered back,
"Kevan O'Connor."

Our mouths met again, as well as our hips, and we pushed and rubbed against one another,
hungrily drinking in the taste and feel of each other until the need to become one
was unbearable. Forgetting everything, including where we were, I lifted one leg,
hooked it around Connor’s waist, and used my arms to steady myself in the water as
he gripped my left hip with one hand and slowly eased into me. Instinctually, I tightened
around him, moaning at the fullness of him inside me. We rocked against each other,
riding the gentle waves of the lake, using our arms to float as best as we could,
slowly building up to the overwhelming sensation our bodies were craving.

"God, Riley…"
Connor moaned, quickening the pace of each thrust, reaching deeper.

"Yes, oh yes…"
I murmured against his cheek before crushing my lips to his.

When I tilted my head back, my hair floated in the water as spasm after spasm tore
through the muscles in my groin and vibrated erratically through my thighs. Connor
pushed harder into me before convulsing and biting down on his lower lip to keep from
crying out. I pulled his face to mine as his body shook and tugged gently on his lower
lip with my teeth.

"Oh my God, woman," he panted against my open mouth.

I wiggled my hips against his, refusing to release him. He was still hard inside me
and I wanted to enjoy the sensation as long as he would let me.

"You have to stop grinding like that, Riley," his voice cracked slightly,
"…or I swear to God I'll come again."

I flexed my pelvis rhythmically against him. "Promise?"

The swim back to the dock was grueling. My arms and legs were spent; my muscles jerked
uncontrollably from our lovemaking session in the middle of the lake. We had treaded
the water for nearly an hour while having sex and after spent a considerable amount
of time trying to locate Connor's shorts, which we eventually spotted floating a good
hundred feet from the middle of the lake.

Several times my head would dip below the water line and I would panic, thinking I
might drown only thirty feet from dry land. My only solace was that Connor struggled
to swim just as much as I did. When we reached the end of the dock both of us gripped
the wooden pillars with relief, ignoring the slimy feel of the wet wood beneath our
hands.

"Damn. That was harder than I thought it would be." I leaned my forehead on my arm
while Connor rolled over onto his back and floated beside me.

"No joke. You wore me out, woman," he laughed into the warm afternoon breeze.

I smiled against my arm for a moment before taking the opportunity to sneak up on
Connor and push him under the water. He came back up sputtering and cursing with a
boyish grin on his face. I had already swum a good ten feet from him by the time he
surfaced, in an attempt to stay clear of his wandering hands. Only a few more seconds
of swimming and my feet would be able to touch the ground. I didn't make it in time.

One of Connor's hands reached out and grabbed the back of my bikini top, pulling the
ties out in one deft movement. I had to scramble out of the lake topless, stumbling
over smooth stones the size of lemons and broken twigs while Connor laughed behind
me, dangling my wet bikini top from his hand.

When I made it to soft dirt, I spun around to face him with my arms crossed protectively
around my chest. With a wicked smile on his face, he spun the fabric around on his
finger. I set my mouth into a fake pout as I struggled to hold the laughter in.

"I suppose I'll have to walk back to the cabin half-naked." I lifted an eyebrow at
him as he clumsily made his own way out of the lake, still twirling my yellow bikini
in the air above his head. He stopped ankle-deep in the water after the implication
of my words sank in. The bikini top slid off his stilled finger and settled into the
crook of his elbow.

His smile faltered slightly as he said, "You wouldn't dare."

"Is that a challenge?" I lowered my arms from my chest to prop my hands on my hips.
Feeling the fading sunshine on my nipples, I tossed my hair back over my shoulders
and widened my stance. A smile played at the corner of my mouth as Connor's face fell.
He glanced up and down the lake and stared hard at the cabins before rushing toward
me.

"Jesus,
here
. Put it back on before someone sees you." He tossed the top at me but I let it fall
to the rocky sand at my feet.

Instead of bending down to pick it up, I turned from him and ran to the trail that
connected the main part of the lodge to the cabins as fast as my wobbly legs would
allow, aware that my breasts swayed with each stride. Connor yelled and cursed behind
me, closing the gap between us in just a few seconds.

"Riley!
Damn it!
"

I squealed when his strong arms wrapped around me from behind and lifted me off the
ground. He turned around so that his back was to the cabins and set me down carefully,
splaying his fingers over my naked breasts.

"I want to be the only one to see these beauties. Put your top on!" he said playfully
before tossing the bikini at me again and quickly leaning down to bite my shoulder.

I positioned the small triangles around my front and turned so that he could tie the
strings together, laughing the whole time his fingers trembled against my skin. Zoey
ran up beside us, barking and wagging her tail vigorously, interested in joining whatever
game we were playing.

"What happened to the naughty Connor?" I asked breathlessly as he snuggly tied my
top together and snapped the wet bikini string against my back.

"You want naughty? Just wait till I get you inside…behind
closed
doors."

Zoey barked excitedly at our feet as Connor bent down and threw me over his shoulder,
ignoring my protest. "We'll need a babysitter for the dog because the cabin is all
ours
for the rest of the night. By the time I'm through with you, you'll know my naughty
side," he said over my loud squeals and giggles.

***

I arched my back up to meet his fingers, enjoying the feel of his rough skin on my
body as his touch brought out moans of pleasure from some unknown place deep inside
of me. He sat straddled over my hips, his throbbing erection resting just below my
navel. I ached to touch him but my hands were pinned securely above me.

In the full moon of the night, I was able to make out each angle of his defined chest
and the washboard effect of his muscular abs. The feel of his whiskered chin dragging
over my collarbone and the roughness of him across my nipples made me gasp in anticipation.
The coarse stubble tickled my skin and even though I felt the sensation everywhere,
the heat of my groin reached near-nuclear temperatures.

With one of his hands still holding mine together tightly, he shifted so that he could
rest on his side. With his free fingers, he continued to explore my trembling body.
He drew lazy circles along the edge of my ribcage, leaning forward to flick his tongue
over my erect nipples. Every time his mouth touched me, my breath hitched. I squirmed
beneath him as his hand trailed further down, over my stomach and hipbones. He gently
pushed my legs apart so that he could run his fingers up and down my inner thighs,
teasing me until I moaned.

"Please…I want you, now," I pleaded.

"Soon…soon."

He released my hands and immediately I dug my fingers into his hair while his mouth
trailed feathery kisses down the curve of my waist, over my abdomen and along the
inside of my thigh. I lifted my hips in submission as his tongue explored the heat
between my legs, softly flicking and probing.

In the moonlight, the gold in his hair shimmered as his head moved beneath my navel
and I gripped his wide shoulders with my hands, digging into his flesh with my nails.

"Oh my God, don't stop…" I moaned, "...please don’t stop."

I gasped when his lips vibrated against my clitoris as he said, "Don't worry, I'm
just getting started, baby."

Moments later my body lurched with wave after wave of intense pleasure as he brought
me up and over the peak of a glorious orgasm with only his mouth. I was still basking
in the glow of my climax when he moved his body over mine, nudging my legs further
apart as he lowered his hips.

"Fin…" I groaned into his mouth as our lips and groins crashed together at the same
time.

***

Covered in sweat, I bolted upright in bed. Connor's arm was draped heavily across
my midsection and slid into my lap after I moved.
That did not just happen,
I thought to myself.
I did not just have a sex dream about Fin! What the hell?
But I had, my body remembered it in every way. My heart rate was racing for the Olympic
Gold and sweat glistened every inch of my skin.

I swiped at my upper lip and forehead in frustration; irritated and embarrassed by
the warm moisture between my legs that proved my body enjoyed the dream just as much
as my mind had. Connor lay on his stomach in his favorite position next to me, his
arm still resting limply in my lap. My cheeks flush as I recalled some of the things
I did with Fin in the dream…or more importantly, some of things he did to
me
. Part of me wanted to shake Connor awake and let the dream spew from my mouth - an
instant admission to absolve me of any further guilt. But that would do neither of
us any good. Instead, I slithered slowly out from under Connor's arm and crawled silently
out of bed. No man wanted to hear about his lover dreaming about someone else.

After pulling on the first few articles of clothing I could find in the pale moonlight,
I quietly left the room, stealing a glance over my shoulder at the dark-haired, divine
being that was asleep on the sheets. I wasn't sure if the guilt I felt was rational
or not, but it hurt regardless.

***

The dirt felt cool under my bare feet as I walked up the shadowy trail. Shoes weren't
necessary. I knew the path well, even in the dead of night. I stopped in front of
the first cabin and the sounds and smells that emanated from Fin's place not that
long ago flooded through me. It wasn't fair that he died, not after surviving the
virus. I hated Matt for taking him from us, from
me
. The glass windows were unlit of course, and with the curtains closed, it looked
as if the building was frozen in sleep.

With an angry sigh, I turned away from the cabin and continued up the path, passing
the entrance to the lake dock until the dirt merged with the weed-filled grass. Even
without the full moon to guide me along the way, I knew exactly where I was going.
It was a place I visited almost every day. I slowed my pace to avoid stepping on anything
sharp as I weaved in and out of a handful of tall pine trees, keeping the lake on
my left and the dense forest to my right as I slowly ascended. By the time I reached
the small outlook that faced the lake, I was slightly out of breath, more from nerves
than the exercise.

I sat down next to the mound of dirt surrounded by stones with a soft grunt. Since
I was wearing only my cut off jean shorts and Connor's t-shirt, the late night summer
air felt refreshing and cool. The moon reflected off the watery surface of the lake
below in such a way that it reminded me of a ginormous diamond. After shifting in
the dirt, I rested my right hand on the grave next to me.

"Fin…I have to let you go," I said softly.

A bird squawked somewhere in the distance and I listened to the soft creaking of the
pine tree limbs above me as they groaned from the breeze. It was a beautiful night
a perfect night.

"I'm seeing you and dreaming about you now…can't you just let me be?"
I whispered to the night. After burying my face into my hands, I leaned forward onto
my bent knees and let the tears come freely. I cried until my body shook with sadness,
until I had cried myself dry.

"I have to say goodbye, Fin. I have to leave for a while…
I have to let you go
." I sniffled into my arm before wiping my face on Connor's thin shirt.

"Don't go…stay…"
A husky voice drifted on the breeze and I peered up nervously from my knees.

"Connor?" I asked the empty night.

"Stay with me…please stay…"

The voice was closer and coming from the trees behind me. A twig snapped nearby and
I scrambled to my feet, facing the darkness of the woods. The moon couldn't touch
the forest floor, not with the tree canopy as full as it was but I peered into the
trees anyway, hoping to see something - anything. Eventually I did.

The leaves rustled at the base of a pine and as I watched, a dark mist formed into
the shape of a body. I gaped at the shadow as it continued quickly to change until
it had morphed into that of a man. I had barely registered what my eyes had seen when
it flew across the forest floor and slammed into me. It passed right
through
me, filling my body momentarily with added energy. My flesh broke out in goose bumps
and the force knocked me ungraciously backwards, onto my ass.

I sat on the ground struggling to catch my breath in the cool air, clamping onto my
lower lip with my teeth to keep myself from screaming out loud. Fin. I had felt him,
tasted him even. I sensed every part of him as he passed through me. With my hands
splayed out in the weeds on either side of my hips, my body shook with fear and something
else, something worse - longing.

***

I didn't walk, I
ran
back to the cabin. Once inside I bolted the door and washed my face and hands in
the kitchen sink. I had to get the dirt off, as if that would wash Fin from me. I
could still taste him in my mouth - still feel his hands on my skin. It wasn't the
shock of having Fin's ghost pass through my body and soul that had me rattled, it
was the fact that I finally knew up on the hill how much I missed him. How much he
missed me.

With my hands gripping the edge of the sink, I stared out at the calm lake through
the kitchen window until the shakes were gone. Until my breath no longer hitched and
my heart rate returned to its normal beat. Only then could I make the short journey
up the stairs to the man that was sleeping in my bed. The living and breathing man
that loved me.

***

She sat with one leg tucked under her while the other dangled over the edge of the
pier, her perfect toes hovering just inches above the water. Connor stood on the dirt
trail and listened to her laugh. It was a loud, carefree and honest sound. He only
heard this laugh from her when she thought they were alone…her and Fin.