"I just mean that I don't expect you to help water before we have s.e.x. That is too much, it's almost like having you pay me for s.e.x."

"Shut up, d.a.m.n it! Good G.o.d, woman, do you have a death wish or something?" Sean relaxed the hold on her arms, slowly releasing them completely.

Rayne could see he was breathing rapidly. She was lucky, realizing belatedly, that he had not struck out at her. She guessed he had every right to be angry. Basically she'd accused him of treating her like a prost.i.tute, except instead of money the payment for s.e.x was work. Not that she'd ever think he would have to do that. He was too d.a.m.ned good looking for that.

"I guess I should apologize," she spoke quickly, rushing the words. "I didn't think about it from your point of view. I didn't mean to insult you. Gosh, Sean, anyone looking at you would know that you didn't have to pay for s.e.x, or bribe a woman either. I mean...well, you are probably the best looking man I've ever seen. And, well, to be honest, I just wasn't sure what would happen after last night. Nothing was said about seeing each other again. All day long I kept thinking...anyway, that's what I came up with...that perhaps if you came back, it would only be to have s.e.x."

Sean's hands grabbed her shoulders. "Shut up, Rayne," he muttered a second before his mouth covered hers.

While his mouth and tongue mastered hers, his hands began roving her body. When his hands discovered her unbound b.r.e.a.s.t.s beneath the thin cotton T-shirt, she felt his groan rumble in his chest. She moved her hands down his chest and did something she'd wanted to do since the first night she saw him. One of her still-wet hands cupped his manhood, pressed demandingly against the zipper of his jeans. His groan was even louder that time, but when she began to stroke and squeeze his hard c.o.c.k, he suddenly moved away from her.

"What's wrong?" Rayne asked quickly. "What did I do wrong?"

Sean shook his head at her, and ran one slightly shaking hand through his hair. "You did nothing wrong, Rayne. But if you'd continued for much longer, I'd have taken you right here in the mud."

Rayne felt the warm feeling inside her start to grow and brighten, like a small candle. She couldn't stop the grin that curved her lips. For the first time she felt power as a woman, a s.e.xual being. She was very fit and strong, as a human being, but she'd never had any confidence in her appearance or her womanly wiles.

"Okay," she forced the words out, her stomach in a jumble. "I'll start over. h.e.l.lo. Nice evening, isn't it?"

Sean grinned at her words. "Yeah. There is still some warmth from the day, but cooling off enough to be comfortable sleeping weather." He moved over to the water pump and began filling another bucket. Without looking at her, he went on. "I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Me either," Rayne told him softly, preparing another bucket to be filled. "I've never shared a bed before." Immediately as the words were said she realized how naive that made her sound. It was true, but that didn't mean she wanted to shout it from the rooftops. Hurriedly she added, "Except for my sisters. We shared a bed growing up, at different times."

The last bucket was done and Sean picked up two of them. He started walking down the row, leaving one every other row. Rayne grabbed two herself, the water sloshing slightly as she hurried to reach the next two rows. Sean met her and told her to start the watering and he'd take the buckets down the line. Nodding her head, she started with the first row. Near the end of the second row, Sean was starting on the third. It took even less time tonight.

Nearing the last row, Rayne quickly moved to it, skipping two in between. "I'll do this last one, if you don't mind. If you get done before me, I'll meet you at the house." Turning quickly, she saw the odd look Sean gave her before he followed her directions.

Behind the protective netting, Rayne used the small flashlight she kept in a plastic box to check her precious plants for damage, insects or anything else. They all looked very healthy, though, and she was soon walking back up the lane. She could see that Sean was seated on the porch swing, looking quite relaxed and at home. For a moment she let her thoughts wander about the two of them living here, in her small house. But logic soon took over. With the huge white house on his property he'd have no reason to ever consider her place as anything but a shed at best, or an outhouse at worst.

As she took the first step, Sean patted the empty seat beside him. "Join me?"

Rayne nodded and sat down while he stopped swinging for a moment. Once she was seated, he began the gentle motion again. It was easy to close her eyes and let her body relax. All around were the gentle sounds of the night and the soft wind barely moving the leaves of the bushes and trees. Behind her she felt the warmth of his arm, which he had lifted back up after patting the seat. It was so easy to let her head ease back and rest against his arm. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this relaxed and peaceful...actually it was not since she'd left her grandmother.

"Do you sit out here often, Rayne?"

She nodded her head without thinking that he might not be able to see in the darkness. Then she remembered she was leaning back on his arm. She lifted her head. "I'm sorry to lean back like that. I just...I don't know. It felt right."

Sean smiled and she could see the flash of his white teeth for a moment. She turned her face forward again, looking out at the dark sky. "To be honest, Rayne, I was getting ready to gently nudge you into moving over and resting your head here."

Rayne watched as he patted an area on his upper chest, near his shoulder. "I would, but I think I stink, from working all day and then again tonight."

"Here I was thinking I would be the one. We could go back and use that shower of yours."

"Are you thinking about using my shower and leaving? Or did you have something else in mind?"

Sean stood and pulled her up beside him. "I'll be willing to do anything else you have in mind, pretty lady."

They walked around the house to the shower. Rayne paused, not completely sure how to continue...gracefully. She kicked her sneakers off, leaning over to tug the muddy socks off. When she looked back up she gasped in surprise. So much for going slowly...Sean was already stripped to his shorts and watching her.

Her words slipped out without thinking.

"Oh my!"

And her eyes seemed to be fixated on his aroused c.o.c.k.

Sean came closer. "You know, that is the first time anyone has ever said that when they've seen me nearly naked."

"Have there been a lot of 'anyones' in your life, Sean?"

Sean was unsnapping her jeans and beginning to push them down over her hips. His fingers caught under the elastic of her panties and dragged them along as well. Her T-shirt, which had been tucked in, was long and fell to the top of her thighs. She slid her hands to the bottom edge, starting to pull the shirt up. Sean's hands stopped her.

"Not yet," he whispered to her softly. "I have a little fantasy, if you don't mind."

Rayne shook her head, aroused and a little scared. Then she realized that she trusted him not to hurt her, no matter what might happen. He would never lose control and harm her in any way. She couldn't explain how she knew this, but it seemed instinctual, this trust in him. When Sean shifted her toward the shower, she went with him. He reached out and turned on the water.

"Eek!" Rayne cried out as the cold water rained down over them. As she became wetter, she lifted her hands and slicked her hair back, off her face.

"G.o.d! You are so beautiful, Rayne!"

She heard Sean's voice a second before his hands cupped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her nipples were hard points jabbing into his palms, covered only by the thin white cotton. His hands ma.s.saged and rubbed her full b.r.e.a.s.t.s. His voice was hoa.r.s.e as he spoke.

"This is my fantasy. Seeing you that first night...and now! That night I hardly slept for the erotic dreams I kept having-all of them starring you." Sean lifted his hands to her face. His thumbs gently rubbed across her cheeks. He moved them up and slicked her hair back once again. "Tell me, Rayne, did you dream of me? Or was that first time all my emotion?"

His honesty in revealing his emotions surprised her. She couldn't hold her own words back. "I dreamed of you, Sean. You took me outside, up against the house. We were both soaking wet."

"Like this?"

"Yes, except that...you didn't wear a condom." She stumbled over the words, surprised that she had allowed that detail to creep out.

Sean groaned at her revelation. "Rayne! I wanted to feel your flesh against mine, but the risks these days are too great. Please believe me when I say that I've always been very careful. I would never do anything that might put you at risk."

Rayne nodded her head. She could tell him how she felt, about her inexperience. Instead of speaking her emotions, she moved her hands down his back, slipping under the elastic band of his shorts. She curled her fingers into the tight muscles of his a.s.s for a moment before continuing their downward movement, dragging his shorts with them. Freeing his c.o.c.k, she let the shorts fall on their own accord. Her hands curled around his hard rod, exploring his flesh while the water still rained down over them.

Sean reached his hand toward her, managing only a few light strokes across her lips before she stepped away.

"Turn the water off, Sean," Rayne asked him quietly. She didn't wait for him, but walked away, over to the small patch of gra.s.s. Dropping onto the gra.s.s, she duplicated his earlier motion. Except instead of wood, she patted the soft green carpet.

He shut the shower off, walking the short distance. Looking up at him, Rayne appreciated his masculine differences. Obviously he had left his shorts behind before crossing over to her. She could see his doubt before he spoke.

"Maybe we should go inside, sweetheart. It might not be a safe time of the month for you."

Rayne shook her head negatively while she pulled him down beside her. Once he was down, she pushed him until he lay supine, on his back. His surprise was evident on his face as she straddled his thighs. Her hands explored his chest, pausing to tease and toy with his hard nipples. Slowly she worked her way down, past his waist. Scooting farther down, she took his hard manhood into her grasp. One hand didn't circle his shaft as she stroked upwards. Her other hand lightly stroked his smooth, shaven groin area.

She looked up as she spoke. "Why did you shave?"

Sean grinned up at her. "I used to shave all over, when I swam all the time. But feeling how wonderful it was last night...well, I couldn't help but think about what it might be like if we were both smooth."

Rayne smiled, not knowing what to say. "Thank you" seemed trite. Instead she shifted off his legs for a moment, rearranging her body. He moved his legs to give her better access. Rayne started to stroke and caress his c.o.c.k with her hands. It was obvious that she was eager, but inexperienced. Sean sat up suddenly and lifted Rayne's face. Kissing her lips, he smiled gently.

"I'll show you what to do, but I don't expect this."

"I know. Somehow I knew that you would not, but I want to please you as you did for me last night. I would like to share what I felt when you touched me. I'm sorry I don't know more and have more experience."

Chapter Seven.

Sometimes in life you know a life-altering event is about to take place. Or you know what just happened has changed you forever. Sean knew it right then, as Rayne confessed her lack of experience and her desire to please him. He was in love. Head over heels, crazy in love with this woman he hardly knew. It was too late to pull back, even if he wanted to do that. He didn't want to pull away from Rayne. From this point on he wanted to live his life with Rayne.

Unable to speak for the knot in his throat, Sean directed Rayne's movements with his hands at first. But soon he didn't need to do anything but lie back and accept the onslaught her inexperienced hands were wreaking upon his senses. One minute her hands were caressing his c.o.c.k, hand over hand. Then she shifted her attention to his b.a.l.l.s, pulling, lightly squeezing. When she lowered her head and he felt her wet hair sweep across his thighs, he groaned loudly.

Her breath whispered across his flesh a moment before he felt her soft lips against his c.o.c.k. As her mouth opened, Sean forced his head upward so he could watch. He saw Rayne lick her tongue around the ridge of soft flesh, pausing to flick at the joining of skin on the underside. As her mouth opened farther, Sean watched as she took the head of his c.o.c.k in her hands. A few seconds pa.s.sed, or maybe it was longer, before the wet heat of her mouth enclosed him. He fell back to the gra.s.s, the vision of her giving him pleasure burned in his head.

After that Sean lost track of every little thing she did, but she was constantly busy and moving from one area to another. Kissing, touching, squeezing, stroking until he thought he would go crazy. He was so hard he thought he was going to explode any moment when he felt her move even lower and begin to play with his sac and b.a.l.l.s. When she began to use her mouth, he shouted into the quiet night.

"No more, love! I can't take anymore."

Rayne nodded and moved her body quickly to straddle his hips. He realized that she was going to take him inside her. His hands grabbed her waist, stopping her movement.

"We can't, darling. It's too risky, isn't it?"

Rayne shook her head from. "I'm sure it's safe. Please, come inside me this time. Let me feel your flesh in mine. I want to know your essence remains inside me, even after you have left."

Sean shook his head negatively but his hands were already a.s.sisting her. Slowly he eased her body down. The sensations were incredible as he felt his c.o.c.k spreading, separating and finally pushing past her puffy p.u.s.s.y lips. She was already quite wet, and her flesh enclosed him quickly, completely. Once she was completely astride him, Sean lifted his hands to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The shirt was already drying.

"Take your shirt off for me, Rayne, please. I want to watch your pretty b.r.e.a.s.t.s bounce. Will you do that for me?"

Rayne nodded and pulled the shirt off, tossing it aside. She slid her hands forward to brace on his chest while she moved her hips. A groan escaped her lips.

Rayne followed his directions and he watched her body move and react. He flexed his hips and saw the surprise on her face. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s bounced and jiggled as she moved faster. He slid one finger between her wet lips until he found her c.l.i.t. Using what he'd learned about her body and responses from the night before, he stimulated her quickly. Her o.r.g.a.s.m came slowly, building from deep inside. Sean could feel her tensing, squeezing him tightly. But when she finally came, it caught him by surprise.

The air around them seemed to spark with electricity. As her flesh began its spasmodic contractions, Sean could hold back no more. He let his climax wash through him. Except this time, the electricity seemed to be going through him, not just in the air around him. Above them in the skies, he was sure he heard the clap of thunder several times. The air felt heavy with moisture, like it wanted desperately to rain.

Sean realized he was experiencing his climax on more levels than ever before. This was much more than just the physical release. It was as if his body was a part of the earth for a moment. As he dropped his last barrier, he seemed to flow into Rayne's body and they were one person and yet still part of the earth. Over and over, his body jerked in response to the onslaught of physical, emotional and-could it be-psychic reactions?

He was finally aware of Rayne collapsing upon his chest, lying on him like a limp noodle. She mirrored his own feelings right then as he closed his eyes. If he didn't move, he could still feel the fine tremors deep inside her body. At that moment, Sean knew nothing had ever felt that good in his whole life. Breathing deeply, he listened to the rhythmic flow of Rayne's inhalations and exhalations. A second later he was sound asleep.

Rayne awoke alone in her bed the following morning. She could tell it was late by the amount of sun streaming through her windows. d.a.m.n! She'd missed her morning watering. Rushing around, she pulled on a cotton dress and ran outside without any shoes.

Outside, she crossed the open lawn area to the pump. Grabbing the first bucket, she was surprised to see it was still wet inside. It didn't seem possible that it had rained last night and she had not heard it. She always knew when it rained, even if she was sound asleep. Stepping carefully because of her bare feet, she walked to the first row. She didn't need to bend down to see that they had already been watered that morning. Turning suddenly, she stumbled down the lane to the last row. Moving the protective windbreaks, she looked in and saw that even her special plants had been watered.

Her legs gave way beneath her and Rayne collapsed onto the ground. She knew in that moment that she was in love with Sean. He had never told her how he felt, and it didn't matter. Without words he had shown how much he cared for her. By watering for her, he had demonstrated that he was willing to care for what she cared about. Did she need to know anything else about him? Through one act he had shown her that he was a good man. He had undoubtedly been as tired as she, if not more. Two more times last night, after stumbling into her bed, Sean had proven how much stamina he had by making love to her. Thinking about it now, she grinned. What a stud m.u.f.fin!

Taking a deep breath, she rubbed her fingers over her cheeks to wipe away the tears. Suddenly there was a deep need inside her to see him. She wouldn't have to speak to him, but she had to see him, even if from a distance. Jumping to her feet, she walked briskly back to the house. If she cleaned up quickly, she could take the rear pasture path and be over there in an hour. Once she was at his house, then she'd worry about a good excuse for why she was showing up without an invitation.

"Good morning, Miss Waters. I'm glad to have caught you."

Rayne froze in her tracks. A man was standing on her lawn. Parked a short distance away was a modern skimmer, sleek and bright red, which always seemed a better fit for the old world, rather than the destroyed world that now remained following the rebellion. Many people still used vehicles from long ago, in spite of the dependence on fossil fuels.

Her gaze traveled over the tall, slender man. He had blond hair and was quite tanned, but she couldn't see his eyes because of the reflective style sungla.s.ses he was wearing. His clothing screamed money and affluence. Rayne realized she hadn't seen someone dressed this finely since...she'd never seen anyone with clothes, or a skimmer, so expensive. All of her senses went into overdrive right then. She didn't know his name, or why he was here, but she knew that he was trouble. Closing her eyes for a moment, she gathered all of her thoughts and emotions into one place in her mind. Sean's name screamed through her consciousness. G.o.d, she wished he were here right now.

"Yes, I'm Rayne Waters. Are you lost?"

The blond man chuckled softly but took a couple of steps in her direction. He stopped when she backed up. "No, I'm not lost. I was hoping we could talk, if you have the time. Actually, I'm feeling pretty parched." The man stopped for a moment, rubbing his throat. "Could I get something cold to drink?"

Rayne had been raised to be polite to everyone, even though she was feeling uneasy. She nodded her head. "Sure. You can sit on the porch swing while I get it ready."

In her small kitchen, Rayne began preparing a tray of iced tea. Hearing her grandmother's voice in her head, she even set out a few of the cookies she had made yesterday. She had planned on offering them to Sean, if he had come to call last evening. As she stirred the tea, she couldn't stop the smile that curled her lips upward. He certainly had come to call! Yes, sirree! Even though it wouldn't have met her grandmother's strict standards for a gentleman caller, Rayne had no complaints.

Still, she wished she'd had more time this morning to have taken a shower and put more clothes on. No one, or at least hardly anyone, ever came to visit in the middle of the morning. Most people around here were hard at work, trying to get their morning ch.o.r.es done. This was the kind of life that never really changed, no matter what might be going on in the world. Sure, there had at one time been lots of experimental hydroponics studies being conducted on modern farm sites. But since the rebellion, so many things had returned to the simpler way of doing things. Life was more elemental, on many levels.

Rayne finally picked the tray up and started toward the living room and the front porch. Just inside the living room, though, she stopped abruptly. "Ooh!" she gasped and lost her grip on the tray. Everything teetered for a moment and then came crashing back on her. Gla.s.ses fell, cookies dropped, china broke in the abrupt accident. Rayne was suddenly wet with tea. Taking a step was the wrong thing to do, though. Her shoeless foot came down on wet, slippery wood and then found a piece of broken gla.s.s. In less than a minute, she was on the floor.

The blond-haired man was still standing by her sofa, where he had been looking at the few photos she had on the wall and end tables. He had not heard her entrance, but took a step forward now.

Outside her open front door Rayne heard tires squealing, quickly followed by the slamming of a door. "Rayne! d.a.m.n it all! Rayne! Where are you?"

Rayne looked up from her b.l.o.o.d.y foot and saw Sean leaping up the front steps of her porch. A second later the screen door banged open and he raced through it. She saw his eyes go from her, to the area around her and then to the man in the room. As his attention returned to her, Rayne tried to smile.

"I'm fine. I just had an accident and I fell."

It had been only a few hours since he'd left Rayne. He had been working the first two hours or so, but then upon his return to the house, Bob had been seated on the wide verandah, listening to the man who had come to sell him...d.a.m.n! What had the guy been selling again? He'd been listening to the guy for twenty minutes and he hadn't remembered a thing the man had said.

Hopefully, Bob, who looked like he was paying attention, had gotten the gist of what he'd need to know for an informed decision. Right then he realized once again just how lucky he was to have Bob working with him here!

"I'm sure you can see how this would benefit a place this size, Mr. MacDougal."

Bob nodded his head. "I think this could definitely make a difference. What do you think, Sean?"