"Don’t you mean play better?" she teased. "I do like it. I usually pick up sports really easily. But golf doesn’t come naturally for me. I’m going to really have to work at it to get better, but I don’t want to be a golf widow, and if you’re going to try to play for Cal, you’re going to have to really work on your game. So if you don’t mind me slowing you down, I’d really like to play with you."
"Let’s figure out our schedules sometime this weekend so we can play together once or twice a week. Would you mind playing with my father on Sundays?"
"No, I think that would be a good opportunity for him to get to know me a little bit. I do like to have dinner with my family on Sunday, though."
"So do I, Ryan. I’ll never ask you to give that up."
Ryan gave her partner a toothpaste enhanced kiss, silently thanking her for understanding and sharing in the pleasure of her family dinners.
"Speaking of kissing," Jamie murmured, "let’s get into bed and give our lips a little workout. You didn’t kiss me nearly enough today."
"You know, you’re right," Ryan said as she helped Jamie pull the covers back and climb into bed. "We had sex today with hardly a kiss."
"That is pretty rare, isn’t it? You just got me so hot, so fast, I couldn’t waste any time with the preliminaries. I had to have your mouth on me right then."
"Today was fun," Ryan agreed, "but I enjoyed last night just as much. It doesn’t really matter what we do, or how we do it, Babe. What matters is how much we love each other, and how clearly we express that love."
"You are such a romantic, Ryan O’Flaherty. I love your little Irish heart," she said as she dipped her head to kiss over her left breast.
They spent a few minutes kissing, not increasing the pace or the intensity. They just enjoyed the closeness and the intimacy for a while. Ryan was lying on her back with Jamie resting against her side. As the smaller woman placed a few more soft kisses on Ryan’s lips, she felt her body begin to lose its muscular tension. She snuggled up tighter and laid her head on the broad shoulder. "Goodnight, sweet baby," she whispered to her sleeping lover. "I love you."
Ryan woke relatively early on the final day of their honeymoon and decided that she needed a nice, big breakfast. Eschewing her normal morning run, she prepared a six-egg ham and cheese omelet, two bagels with cream cheese, a big bowl of green grapes, a sectioned orange, a pot of coffee and two big glasses of juice. She carried her loaded tray up the stairs, setting it down on the floor as she slowly opened the door. Tiptoeing into the room, she could hear her lover begin to stir. It was just 6:45, but the sunlight was streaming through the big windows, creating lovely patterns all across Jamie’s body.
The smaller woman had kicked the sheet off in her absence, and Ryan stood and stared at her for a long minute. The unguarded beauty of her lover caused her to reflect on how blessed she was to be able to spend her life with a woman who attracted her so strongly. She knew that she would love Jamie no matter what kind of a package she came in, but she was not unaware of how the strong, firm body called to her in some elemental way that she was powerless over.
Jamie’s eyes slowly blinked open and locked upon Ryan’s for a few moments. She caught the desire reflected in those deep blue eyes, and she responded with a slow, sensual smile, silently welcoming her lover to proceed in any way she wished.
Ryan beamed at her as she placed the tray on the window seat and crossed over to sit next to her on the bed. "Sometimes I’m so struck by how beautiful you are that I really have to struggle to keep my wits about me," she admitted as she ran her hands lightly across Jamie’s smiling face.
"If I tried for a year, I couldn’t think if a better way to wake up," Jamie said sweetly. "Your loving face, that gorgeous body, a wonderful compliment and a big breakfast waiting for me." She shook her head slowly. "Heaven’s gonna have to pull out all the stops to top this."
"This is just one woman’s opinion," Ryan mused as she fetched the tray, "but I think
this
is heaven." A small smile accompanied her words, but Jamie could see the grain of truth reflected in the vivid blue eyes. Ryan took a big bite of the omelet and closed her eyes in pleasure. "Boy, I sure can cook," she said happily. "You’ve done pretty darn well for yourself, Ms. Evans. I get up early and make a fabulous breakfast, and you don’t have to lift a finger."
"I know how well I’ve done, Ms. O’Flaherty," she agreed with a big grin. "I thank my lucky stars every morning that you are my partner."
"I don’t know if the stars have anything to do with it, but I give thanks for you every day too."
"Ryan?" The tone in her voice let Ryan know that a serious question was headed her way, and the dark woman paused to give her partner her full attention. "Do you think we knew each other in a past life?"
"Pardon me?" Ryan shot her partner a skeptical smirk, but when she saw that Jamie’s question was sincere, she tried to control her reaction.
"You heard me, silly. Do you think it’s possible? I just feel so close to you that it’s hard to believe we’ve only known each other since September."
Ryan grew pensive, giving the question the thought that it deserved. "I agree that we have a bond that seems to predate our meeting, but I think that past lives stuff is a lot of hooey. I believe you get one bite at the apple, Jamie. That’s why I try so hard to jam my days with lots of activity. I don’t believe you get a second chance at life. It’s a precious gift that leaves us all too soon, and I believe we need to savor each moment," she said sincerely.
"I suppose you’re right, Ryan. I guess it just scares me to think that our time together is limited to this one lifetime."
"Sweetie, we don’t know what comes after this life. But I’ll tell you one thing: if it is possible to be reunited after death, we will be together. Nothing could keep me from you if there is any way at all that is possible." Her pledge was whispered softly into pale fragrant hair as she wrapped her arms around her partner and nuzzled her head into her neck. "Even though I don’t believe in past lives, I do think that some force brought us together. I like to imagine that my mother had something to do with it," she said with a shy smile. "That might be a lot of hooey too, but it’s a way I keep her involved in my life." She traversed Jamie’s neck in sweet little butterfly kisses from her ear to her collarbone. "And I know she would love you, Jamie." she said solemnly. "She would see all of the beauty you possess, both inside and outside. She would be so happy for us, Honey, I am certain of that."
Jamie wiped a tear from her eye with the corner of the sheet and gazed up at Ryan with a look of pure love. Making a quick decision, she decided to share a very precious moment with her partner. "When we were at the beach the other day, I was suddenly struck by this really powerful feeling," she said as she shook her head a little, still trying to make sense of the incident. "I had this visceral reaction to watching you run and play in the surf. You acted like such a little girl, and I suddenly felt how your mother must have felt, knowing that she wouldn’t see you grow up." She struggled with her emotions and eventually gave up the fight when she felt Ryan’s tears rolling down her shoulder. "It’s odd, Ryan, but I felt like she could hear me, so I thanked her for the marvelous job she did in raising you. I swear that as soon as I did that I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. I think she sees us, Ryan. And I think it does make her happy," she said as the tears rolled down both of their faces with abandon.
Ryan lifted her head and began to kiss the tears from Jamie’s cheeks. Jamie's searching lips captured her own tears, and as the minutes passed, their kisses became more heated and more insistent. Within moments they were moving against each other sensually as they sealed their love with a sweet, tender communion. Their intimacy reached a new height, though it did not progress to intimate physical contact. Instead of touching each other sexually, they shared their raw emotions, holding nothing back, revealing all of their most fragile hopes and fears in the deep merging of their souls.
They were both shaken by the overpowering feelings that their connection had brought to the surface, and they held each other for a very long while, letting the feelings seep into their bones. It was almost eight o’clock when Jamie mumbled, "I should get up soon. I’ve gotta look like an adult today."
"Is that such a hard task?" Ryan asked softly, her voice a little rough from disuse.
Jamie chuckled lazily and began to stretch out her muscles. "Not usually, but I’ve gotten used to being naked for almost a week. It’s gonna take some time to get into nylons and a dress."
"Let me help you," Ryan offered. "We can make the time in the shower count."
"Okay," Jamie said brightly. "If we’re gonna do that though, I’ve got a good idea."
"You have yet to have a bad idea," Ryan decided, tweaking her partner’s nose.
Handing Ryan a robe, Jamie led her into her mother’s bedroom.
"Um, are you sure this is okay?" Ryan asked hesitantly.
"Absolutely," Jamie replied. "Mother loves it when people enjoy her bathroom. It’s her favorite part of the house and she is always offering it to guests."
Ryan was rather stunned when they passed through the bedroom and into a massive walk-in closet. Neatly organized clothes covered three walls, with the fourth containing built-in cabinetry that functioned as chests of drawers and a generous dressing table with professional lighting for applying make-up. A large oak door led to a bath, the likes of which Ryan had never seen.
The first thing she noticed upon entering the room was that the floor was a beautiful, highly polished tan marble. The floor dropped off into a sunken tub, located beside a massive leaded-glass window that provided a stunning view of the wild, roiling ocean. Across from the door, two graceful pedestal sinks flanked a large oak armoire. Open shelving on the top half of the piece held decorative soaps, fluffy towels and other little knick-knacks.
To her right, Ryan noted a short wall with a wide marble top with a TV/VCR combination rested on an articulating arm so that the picture could be seen from any part of the room. Behind the wall, a commode with a very strange looking seat was visible. Jamie crooked a finger, and Ryan followed her over to the far wall. Turning to her right, Jamie led her partner into a large tiled shower with a curved seat that extended all along the back of the enclosure. A large skylight provided a clear view of the gray, foggy morning sky. Ryan rocked back on her heels and let out a low whistle through her teeth. "I...I...I’ve never seen anything like this," she said as she shook her head. "I can see why your mother likes to share this place."
"It is pretty neat, isn’t it?" Jamie asked, just a little embarrassed at the opulent display. She removed her robe and asked for Ryan’s, placing them on the marble counter.
"I’ll say," Ryan remarked. "Do we really shower in here?" She indicated the tiled enclosure. "Where’s the door?"
"There isn’t one. It’s sloped just enough so that the water doesn’t flow out. This took a lot of time to get right, but Mother loves the open feeling you get in here."
Ryan’s face was covered by a wide smile. "Are you going to join me in this den of pleasure? We’ve never showered together, you know," she stated with an eyebrow wiggle.
"I’m all yours, Precious," she smiled.
"Let the games begin!" Ryan decreed with a laugh as she turned on the overhead rainfall shower, unexpectedly drenching her partner.
Sputtering the water out of her face, Jamie cried, "You are such a brat, Ryan O’Flaherty! I’ve got half a mind to leave you here all alone."
"I’ll be good," she replied with her most innocent expression firmly pasted to her face. "I’ll make it up to you, Baby," she cooed, running her hands all over Jamie’s wet torso.
"Hey!" Jamie said sharply. "Where are those hands?"
"But I’m just helping to dry you off," she replied with a hurt look on her face.
"Yeah, right!" Jamie replied, already too familiar with her lover’s tricks. "You wait right here while I get a few things, you naughty girl." Moments later she was back, and after adjusting the water temperature, the twosome got under the water. No sooner were they wet than Jamie turned off the flow, instructing, "Don’t go away," as she scampered out of the enclosure.
Ryan heard the water running in the tub, and she sat on the wide seat in the shower and patiently waited for her lover to return. Jamie peeked in a few minutes later and beckoned her partner to join her. "Come here, Sweetie," she instructed. "Climb into the tub. You can grab the railing in the back so you don’t slip."
Ryan did as she was told, letting out a huge sigh as the warm water came up to her knees. Jamie sat on the edge of the tub and motioned Ryan to come closer. She did so, rising from the water to sit on a ledge that surrounded the tub. Facing the wall, Ryan closed her eyes in pleasure as Jamie started to brush her hair with a round wooden hairbrush. She brushed it thoroughly, pulling all of her hair away from her face, and when she was satisfied with the look, she began to braid it into a thick rope. She put a covered band around the bottom to hold it together, and then clipped the braid up against the back of Ryan’s head to keep it out of the water. She slid into the water right next to her partner and sat on her lap for a moment. "You look too tasty to pass up," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around Ryan and spent several minutes kissing her tenderly.
She slid off Ryan’s lap and gently splashed some water on her face. Then she slowly spread a dark, gritty substance on Ryan’s face and neck. It looked a lot like mud and had a rich, deep earthy smell. When she was finished, she handed the jar to Ryan and splashed some water on her own face. Ryan mirrored the application for her, and a few minutes later they each sat back in the tub and just soaked in the fragrant water.
Ryan was feeling deliciously relaxed after 15 minutes in the tub. Just when she was about to nod off, Jamie stood up and pulled the stopper, allowing the tub to drain. They climbed out together, then Jamie led her back to the shower where she unclipped her hair and pulled the braid apart, letting her hair hang loose down her back. "Sit," she commanded as she pointed to the bench and turned on the handheld shower that the lower set of fixtures controlled. She let the warm water run over Ryan’s legs for a moment, then she squirted out a generous amount of shaving cream onto her hands and started to lather it onto one long leg. She rinsed her hands and sat beside and slightly behind her partner, then took a disposable razor and started to stroke smoothly up those strong legs, stopping just above the knee as was Ryan’s habit. The very fine blonde hair that grew on her thighs was one of Jamie’s favorite things, and she was loath to remove the downy covering. She worked all around the leg, getting up to pull the foot up into the air so she could reach the back of her lover’s leg properly, then she followed the same procedure for the other leg, caressing each silky leg to test for perfection.
"Nobody has ever shaved my legs before," Ryan dreamily murmured as she leaned against her partner. "I guess it’s your turn, huh?" She grasped the razor and the cream and, catching the bemused grin on her partner’s face, gave her a puzzled look. Following Jamie’s gaze, Ryan slid her hands up the smooth legs and muttered, "You have hit puberty, haven’t you?"
"Yes, Ryan," she smirked, slapping her on the shoulder. "I just don’t have much hair on my legs."
"Hmm,,," the playful brunette mused. "Maybe you’d like to get rid of this little bit up here," and then playfully tried to remove the blond curls as Jamie slapped her hand and backed away.