The Passion Season

by Libby Doyle

  Where does he get these? The enormous cock specialty store?

  As soon as she finished he grabbed her hips and placed her on top of him. She was astonished. He tipped his face to her and gazed into her eyes while he entered her with consummate slowness. Zan inhaled sharply. She swiveled her hips as her body adjusted to his girth. As he pushed, she swayed, making light noises, seized with a delectable feeling of fullness. When he’d entered her completely he closed his eyes and groaned. The look on his face was so beatific that Zan raised her hands to caress his cheek while she relished the feel of him throbbing inside her.

  Rainer rolled his hips as Zan bent to kiss him. She lightly bit his lower lip, which caused a silky purr. He flipped her onto the side of the couch and held her in one arm, bracing himself with the other, and started to rhythmically thrust. Zan held onto his neck, wrapped her legs around his hips and moved to meet him.

  Holy mother of god, so this is what sex is supposed to be? I never knew I had these nerve endings.

  He filled her everywhere. Her body reached out, hungry to grip him, to pull him deeper and deeper. To feel him. She could feel him in every part of her, thick and humming. He moved his hips around and forward and back and held her pinned to him as he started to make a sound, low at first, but building to a rumble.

  Zan’s back and arms strained. She cried out. Rainer was driving into her so powerfully she could not hang on, but he held her flush against his body as his fabulous cock stroked her, coaxing her to come to him, setting her off on a chain of orgasms so strong she lost all senses except for that inward rippling, each wave delivering a dose of sweetness. Rainer pumped within her, holding her tight against him while she uttered high trills of pleasure. When she was nearly finished he came with a mighty spasm that removed them both from the couch and onto the rug on the floor. She had never felt anything so satisfying.

  Oh, I’m his. I can never be anyone else’s.

  The two of them lay panting for a few seconds. Zan fought to regain control of her wild thoughts. She told herself she was just caught up in the moment.

  “Mmmmmm, so good,” Rainer murmured, nuzzling her neck. He moved her so that she lay half on top of him. He idly traced his fingers along her back.

  “So good, I don’t even understand it,” Zan said. He laughed, and she laughed too, caught up in the music of it.

  “We move well together,” he said. “Your body is so perfect, so strong.”

  Zan made a little chirp and hid her face against his arm. She didn’t want him to see her emotion. He kissed her tenderly and rolled on top of her, moving so their skin had a slight friction. He became hard.

  “Rainer, how in god’s name are you hard again?

  “I’m afraid I may prove insatiable when it comes to you. Pay me no mind.”

  “No. Do it. Do it to me again.”

  This time, Rainer moved with a river’s slow power. Zan fell in with his rhythm and closed her eyes, savoring his lips on her, his hands on her, his cock filling up space she didn’t know had been empty. When she came, she shuddered and trembled, with no control over the noises she made as she let go. Rainer raised her off the ground as he finished. They collapsed to the floor again.

  “Lord, what you do to me,” she said. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. They lay there quietly for a while, looking at the fire, which had burned low.

  “Know what, Rainer?” Zan said after a few minutes. “I’m starving. You have used up all my fuel.”

  Rainer leaped to his feet. He helped her up.

  “Let’s eat. I have food.”

  “Hey, you didn’t even pretend to make dinner, did you?”

  “No.”

  “You must have been pretty confident you would have me the split second I walked in the door.”

  “Yes.”

  Zan couldn’t help but laugh. No way was she going to hesitate. “Where is your bathroom?” she asked. Rainer pointed to a door just past the kitchen.

  “There are robes in the closet if you care to wear one.”

  By the time Zan emerged from the bathroom, Rainer had put his pants back on. A steamer sat on the stove. He took white containers out of the fridge.

  “That room is more spa than bathroom,” she said.

  “That’s the idea. Look, I have retrieved your pastries.” He held up the box tied with string.

  “Those are from Isgro’s. No lie, they are the best pastries ever.”

  “I’m sure they are. We can eat them after the dumplings. I got these fresh from Chinatown only shortly before you arrived.” He held up the white containers. “Three kinds. All delicious. Do you like dumplings?”

  “I love dumplings. I have a standing goal to eat my weight in dumplings every year.” Rainer beamed and gingerly arranged the fragile bundles in the steamer.

  “Hey, this robe actually fits me. Ex-girlfriend?”

  “Ha! No, my business manager. He stays at times.”

  “It’s so luxurious,” Zan said as she pulled the blue cloth tighter around her. “What’s this material?”

  “Triple-woven Japanese silk.” Rainer came over to her from behind the counter and stroked her face. “I’m glad you like it. Only the finest things should touch you.”

  “Such as yourself.” She smiled up at him. He kissed her and she reveled in how soft and gentle his mouth felt on hers. How it felt at times like he was passing some secret to her through his kisses. She didn’t want to stop, but if they were going to screw all night, she needed food.

  “You say the most beautiful things, and I’m under your spell, but I really am starving.” Rainer laughed, his expression filled with silly happiness.

  CHAPTER 10

  WHEN ZAN WOKE UP in Rainer’s enormous four-poster bed the next morning he was still sleeping. She gazed at his beautiful face, trying to digest what had happened to her. She felt happy, almost giddy, but her insides were churning. She couldn’t tell if it was excitement or fear.

  She had the impulse to clear away a piece of golden hair that had fallen across his face. To run her hand along his muscular arm. She wanted to touch him again, press against him in the gray morning light. She wondered if her body could take any more sex. They had done it on the couch, the floor, the kitchen table, and of course, in the bed. Never in her life had she had that much sex at one time, and certainly never with someone so large.

  The night had been filled with pleasure and laughter, but she also felt embarrassed about how open she’d been with him. She hadn’t intended to let her guard down. He did that to her.

  Rainer moved a little. She wanted him to wake up now. She wanted to know how he would react to her. She gave in to her desire to touch him by tracing her finger along his forearm. He opened his incredible eyes.

  “Mmmmmm, Zan.” He reached for her. “Just what I wanted, to wake beside you.”

  “It feels good.” She pressed against him.

  “Yes. It feels as though we have shared something, rather than taken something from each other.”

  To think I was worried about how he would react to me.

  “The things you say.” She kissed him tenderly. He sank his hands in her hair and they lay there dozing for a bit. Rainer ran his hand lightly over Zan’s legs, which were curled against him. He paused to feel the contours of two scars, one on her outer thigh and one on her calf.

  “I noticed these last night. You were wounded?”

  “Yes. I got shot a couple times during my service,” Zan said. “Think how lucky I am. Better to be shot in the leg than have a bullet rip through your lung.”

  “All the same, it must have been terrifying. How did you come to be shot?”

  “Let’s not mar our perfect morning with that kind of talk, okay, Rainer?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” He kissed her in a way that made her realize nothing could mar their perfect morning. Then he asked if she wanted coffee.

  “Coffee would be great.”

  After turns in the bathroom, they went downstairs
. Rainer took a grinder and beans out of a cabinet.

  “This is Bolivian coffee. It’s excellent,” he said. When he ground the beans their aroma filled the air. “I love that smell.”

  “I love how these little things seem to give you so much pleasure,” Zan said. “The coffee, the dumplings. Sometimes I think I don’t pay enough attention to little things. I’m always in too much of a hurry.”

  “I’m part of the wealthy leisure class, remember? We have the luxury to acquire and appreciate our fancy coffee, unlike someone who must face difficulties every day.”

  “Maybe our difficulties are the reason we should breathe in that aroma. All coffee smells good, not just the fancy stuff.”

  “I’d have to say you’re right. Besides, these little details, they’re something we can control, which is important, given there’s so much we cannot control.” She saw that hint of sadness in his eyes again, like she had seen on the boat, and again it was gone.

  Rainer suggested they have their coffee on the back balcony. It was a rainy morning and he thought the river would look lovely. When the coffee had brewed, he poured it into a thermos. They took a tray with mugs and cream and went back upstairs. Rainer got dressed and gave Zan some clothes to wear on the chilly balcony. They laughed at the way she looked in the giant sweats.

  The river did indeed look lovely. They sat in Adirondack chairs sipping their coffee.

  “It’s so peaceful here now, isn’t it?” Rainer said.

  “Hmmm, yes.” Zan was surprised at how much she enjoyed sitting with him, not saying much of anything. A few minutes later a cat appeared and perched next to Rainer, its tail curled around its paws. He leaned down to scratch its head.

  “I didn’t realize you have a cat.”

  “I don’t. Well, uh, perhaps I do, in a way. A colony of feral cats lives in that line of trees by the river. I try to care for them. I built them a shelter. I trap them and have them fixed when I can. I pay a neighborhood boy to keep an eye on them, to tell me if any of them seem sick, to make sure they have food and water.”

  “What a great thing to do.”

  “Thank you. See over there?” He pointed to a ledge. “I made it so they can climb up here. They keep me company sometimes.”

  There is that melancholy again. He really is a sensitive soul.

  More cats sat beside him. “I’m surprised you can touch them,” she said. “Feral cats usually don’t let anyone touch them.”

  “I’m afraid they may hiss at you. They hiss at the boy who gives them food, the little ingrates. They seem to like me, though.”

  “Evidently. Look at them, gathered around you like your familiars.” Rainer smiled as he poured more coffee.

  “So, what would you like to do today?” he asked. “I think we should go to Wissahickon Creek. We can walk down Forbidden Drive and have brunch at Valley Green Inn.”

  “But it’s raining.”

  “All the better. There will be no one around.”

  “Huh, maybe you’re right. Might be nice. We’d better stop by my place so I can get some clothes.”

  Forbidden Drive looked pretty in the light rain, and they did have the place almost all to themselves. They walked along, both quiet. Zan could hear the rushing creek and water dripping off the trees. The fresh green of spring leaves and the tea-colored creek appeared to her so vividly, she wondered if great sex could actually enhance your senses. The air smelled fabulous as well, like healthy soil and decayed leaves.

  “This is nice,” she said.

  “Yes. I love it here. To think it’s within city limits.”

  By the time they got to Valley Green, Zan was ravenously hungry. They took a table on the porch. She ordered a filet mignon with poached eggs and hollandaise and scarfed down three of the complimentary pastries before her order got to the table.

  “I don’t think you ate those quite quickly enough,” Rainer said.

  “Be quiet, wise ass. I believe our recent activities may have something to do with my appetite, so I’m blaming you.” He squeezed her knee under the table.

  As they ate, then ate some more, Zan told Rainer the good news about the spleen case, how Hernan Gutierrez was able to identify their victim. He congratulated her but seemed reluctant to talk about it further.

  He must still feel bad that he couldn’t help me.

  Rainer changed the subject by asking her questions about growing up in Idaho. She had him laughing with stories about her drunken relatives, like the time they got all liquored up on Jack Daniels and tried to shoot a bunch of feral cats but wound up shooting the refrigerator instead.

  “Serves them right, trying to kill cats.”

  “Yeah. Then it became a favorite story. The fridge still worked. They would show people the bullet hole. How about you? Any good childhood stories for me?”

  “I certainly have stories. I doubt you’d call them good. My father—” Rainer gazed out at the creek. “He died when I was small. My mother was tortured by grief. When she had somewhat recovered, she tried hard to keep me sheltered.”

  “I’m sorry. That must have been so hard.”

  “Hard on her.” He grimaced, then looked up into the trees. “Every day I watched her fight to give me some semblance of a happy childhood. That struggle. I knew how much she loved me.”

  “You lost her, too?”

  “Yes.”

  Zan caressed his hand, but she didn’t know what to say. The gesture made him smile, but he didn’t look at her.

  “My mother played games with me,” he said. “They were fun. When I got a little older she taught me how to fight.” He glanced at Zan. “Uh, she was skilled in the fighting arts. A tournament champion. She imparted that skill to me. She taught me many things. She taught me about the stars.”

  A thousand questions sprouted in Zan’s mind about his mother and the martial arts, but she felt bad for bringing up his childhood. He seemed to have receded from her and she wanted him back. She decided to leave her questions for another time.

  “I’m sorry, Rainer. I don’t want to make you sad.”

  “It’s all right. I do get sad, but that’s normal. My mother died when I was an adolescent and I miss her still. It’s good for me to remember the wonderful things she gave me.”

  “You’ve been on your own for so long.”

  “Yes.” Rainer stared into his food. “I do have Pellus. He was my mother’s friend, and he’s always been a good friend to me. When I was young he looked after me. He’s like family.” He looked up. “Perhaps you can meet him.”

  “I would like that.” She gazed at him fondly, still regretting that she’d made him speak about his sad memories. He looked troubled.

  After they finished their giant meal they walked along Forbidden Drive the way they’d come. They crossed a bridge to climb up the side of the valley. They stood looking out over the creek for a few minutes before moving along the trail to reach a covered walkway. The surrounding woods were misty and quiet. Zan stopped and put her hand on Rainer’s neck. She pulled him toward her and they softly kissed. They rubbed lips and noses and pressed against each other’s cheeks. They breathed into each other with murmurs of pleasure. After a while, Zan hugged him and leaned against him.

  “Zan,” he said, “Will you stay with me again tonight? Will you come home with me?”

  In his arms, Zan felt like to go home with him was the most natural thing in the world, even though when this began, she’d had no intention of staying with him past one night.

  “Of course I will,” she whispered.

  After their hike, they picked up some fresh pasta for dinner before heading back to Rainer’s place. Zan wanted to check out the cats and they went poking around in his garden. When they went inside, Zan said she wanted to take a shower.

  “I’ll take one with you,” Rainer said.

  “You know, I don’t want to be a killjoy, but I think my body needs a rest.”

  “We don’t have to have sex. I want to wash you, run my
hands all over you.”

  Hmmmm, Rainer naked and wet, rubbing soap on me.

  “That sounds pretty sexy.”

  “I will restrain myself.”

  “The question is, will I?”

  Rainer smiled, picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.

  I guess that decides that question.

  Pale-blue tile covered the bathroom walls and floor. A large shower with dual jets stood to the right, with a water closet, sink and shuttered window off to the left. The room was dominated by a large Jacuzzi in the center, in front of a wall hung with ferns.

  “I love this bathroom,” Zan said. Rainer took off his clothes. She watched him.

  “Aren’t you going to undress?” he asked.

  “You distracted me.”

  Billows of steam rose in the shower as Rainer adjusted the temperature of the water. When Zan finished undressing, he took her hand and led her under the spray. He leaned back and let the water flow over his face and his luscious hair. Water traveled down his sculpted body in rivulets.

  He was right. Why would I want to miss this?

  The hot water felt good on Zan’s tired muscles. Rainer pumped some gel into his hands and lathered, which surrounded them with a scent like fresh-cut grass and lavender. He rubbed her neck and back muscles, her arms and legs. Zan closed her eyes, savoring his touch. When he stroked her breasts she peeked at him. He was watching his own hands intently. He smoothed soap over her stomach. Her legs nearly turned to jelly.

  “I feel lightheaded.”

  “I have you.” He put his arm around her as he passed his hand softly between her legs. He pressed his face to her hair and placed the bottle of fragrant gel in her hand.

  “Now, you wash me,” he said. She lathered some gel and placed her hands on his hard chest. She spread her hands out and then behind. Rainer leaned his head back.

  “Mmmmmm, I love to feel your hands on me.”

  Zan had never done anything like this. She became absorbed in the task of applying the creamy lather to Rainer’s smooth skin. He had an erection, but he seemed content to stand there while she touched every part of him. Zan enjoyed feeling the contours of his body, the groove of his triceps, and the way the V of his abdominal muscles led down to his fabulous cock.