Language: Mild

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Part IV

Rayne was astounded by the beauty of the woman before her and stood staring at Lark, unable to say anything. 'She's absolutely gorgeous!' Rayne admiringly thought, trying to calm her racing heart.

The silence worried Lark as she tentatively asked, "Rayne?" She insecurely wondered if Rayne didn't like what she saw before her.

"Oh, aah I'm sorry. Please come in." Rayne chuckled embarrassed by her display and motioned for Lark to enter her home, intently watching her as she elegantly sauntered past her. She was speechless and stared at the shorter woman, catching a subtle whiff of Lark's alluring sweet scent when she passed by. Her graceful and seductive demeanor hypnotized her as she walked further into the villa. 'Oh, man. I'm in trouble with this one.' She thought and closed the door. She stood upright when Lark turned to face her, as she didn't want Lark to catch her checking her out.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Sorry, aah you look fabulous. Wow!" Rayne nervously laughed and checked Lark over once more. "I apologize, I'm nervous." Rayne sheepishly admitted, averting her eyes from the sensuous woman before her, then returned her gaze upon the lovely beauty.

"Whew, well that makes two of us then. I'm just as nervous and thank you for the comment." Lark smiled appreciatively.

"Maybe a drink will calm us both down? What can I get for you?" Rayne suggested and offered, pointing towards the bar across the living room.

"How about wine?" Lark asked with a smile and walked towards the bar Rayne pointed to.

"Sure, red or white?" Rayne asked, picking up her pace to walk beside Lark who had passed by her.

"White would be perfect." Lark answered smiling.

"Then white it shall be." Rayne grinned with her anxiety slightly subsiding. She put a glass on the bar and attempted to poor the wine, but her hands shook too much to pour it. She looked up at Lark hoping the woman didn't see her display. She blushed slightly and calmed when Lark covered her hand with her own; the contact had an instantaneous soothing affect upon her.

"Let me help you." She softly offered with a smile and took the bottle from Rayne. She was just as nervous and hoped she could pour the wine without doing the same thing. Rayne stared at her as she moved closer to pour the wine. The electricity she felt from Lark's closeness was undeniable and she loved the feeling of being next to this woman. "There." Lark smiled and placed the bottle on the counter.

"Sorry." Rayne sheepishly grinned and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. She put her glass on the counter and looked up as Lark began to move around the room. She looked down and placed a few cubes of ice in the glass, then poured her drink.

"You have a lovely home Rayne." Lark observed and moved towards the entertainment center looking at the various pictures before her. She sipped her wine and looked back to Rayne who had approached. "I assume these are your brothers?" She asked, pointing to what appeared to be a family photo.

"Yeah, the one on the left is my older brother Shayan and the other one is my younger brother Jayce." She explained and pointed to the picture.

"Wow, they are very handsome and you all look so much alike. If you hadn't of told me they were your older and younger brothers I would have thought you were triplets. Good looks certainly run in your family." Lark observed and smiled flirtatiously, before looking back to the pictures.

Rayne blushed and chuckled. "I guess so." She answered evasively with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You had really long hair Rayne." Lark noted looking at another picture. "How long ago was that picture?" Lark asked and looked at Rayne for the answer.

"Oh, about seven months ago." Rayne answered, feeling uncomfortable talking about the picture before her. 'Shit, I forgot to take that picture of Karen and I down.' She thought angry with herself for leaving it up. 'That must be very uncomfortable for her. Maybe she'll just think she's a friend.' She hoped and felt uneasy. She wasn't sure why, but it seemed important to her how that picture might affect Lark.

"You look fabulous with long hair." Lark complimented and looked at Rayne. "Oh, I'm not implying that you don't look great now with the shorter hair I was just pointing outÉaahÉ" Lark attempted to explain, but was interrupted by Rayne.

"Don't worry I understand what you are talking about." Rayne grinned to put Lark at ease.

"Great!" She sighed with a giggle. "Who is the woman in the photograph?" She asked, feeling a wave of jealousy consume her from another woman being with Rayne. She knew she shouldn't feel that way as she had no right too, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to be that woman. She felt her heart flutter when Rayne put her hand on the small of her back and her jealousy swept away as quickly as it came.

"Oh, no one in particular. Aah, do we have reservations? Because we should be going if we do?" Rayne asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, I forgot!" Lark admitted and laughed, checking her watch. "We should be going." She smiled and handed her glass to Rayne.

"I'll be right back." Rayne stated smiling, and took the glasses to the kitchen. She downed her drink before placing the glasses in the sink and inhaled deeply, then exhaled in an attempt to control her beating heart that raced faster in the presence of Lark. She grabbed her keys and a flower from the counter before rushing over to Lark who stood by the door. "This is for you." Rayne offered with a smile.

"Oh, how beautiful. I love Roses and this peach colored one is gorgeous. How did you know?" She asked surprised and felt a tickle in her stomach from the feeling of happiness.

"I'm a Secret Service Agent, that's my job ma'am." Rayne grinned mischievously and held the door open for Lark.

Lark laughed and exited the door waiting for Rayne to lock up the house. "Well, thank you, I love it!" Lark smiled as Rayne moved next to her and placed her hand on the small of her back again. She was quickly becoming accustomed to the feeling of Rayne touching her. She smiled happily as they walked towards the car and smelled the scent of the flower within her hands. Her heart skipped a beat when she thought of how romantic the gesture was to her.

"Well, I'm glad. So, where are you taking me in this fancy limo?" Rayne inquired with a chuckle and held up her hand, thwarting the driver from coming around to open the door. She opened the door for Lark and smiled when she climbed in before her. She took her seat and closed the door.

"We are going to the Melting Pot, I hope you like fondue?" Lark answered and inquired tentatively hoping she would like the choice. She smiled when Rayne glanced her way.

"I've never had it, but I'll try anything once." Rayne admitted with a laugh shared by Lark who sighed relieved.

"I promise that you'll love it. The food is delicious and the best part is the dessert." Lark added with a giggle.

"Sounds great." Rayne answered and smiled. She looked out the window and wondered if she should tell her about the woman in the picture. 'I should tell her about her, but not everything. She's probably wondering why I changed the subject really quick and didn't explain who she was in the picture. She probably thinks I'm an ass." Rayne worriedly thought and turned to Lark. "Aah, the person in the picture was my partner, but we are no longer together." She admitted and looked at Lark.

"Okay, thanks for telling me that. Do you want to talk about it?" Lark asked and cringed inwardly. 'What in the hell are you doing? Damn, I wish I could take that back!'

"No, not tonight on our first date. Some other time." Rayne answered and smiled warmly.

"Okay, sure." Lark smiled and was happy that she didn't want to talk about her former lover. In a way she wanted to know about her, but in another way she didn't, it made her jealous thinking of Rayne being with another woman. It certainly wasn't a subject you discussed on a first date. 'I'm glad that topic was quickly put to a halt. Mental note, don't ask anything stupid like that again!' She inwardly fought with her subconscious.

"Oh, I watched the fairy tale movie you were in where you played a princess." Rayne mentioned and pointed at Lark, when she remembered watching the movie. She was happy for the opportunity to change the subject and jumped all over it quickly. She was kicking herself for bringing it up in the first place, but felt she needed to explain her evasiveness about the picture for some strange reason.

Lark was stunned and embarrassed that Rayne had seen her movie. "Oh, my gosh. You saw that movie?" She asked, surprised that she had seen it.

"Well, it seems that my nephew Brandon is a big fan of yours and he had me watch the movie a few weekends back." Rayne admitted with a grin.

"I'm embarrassed." Lark blushed, lowering her head and laughing.

"Why? I thought it was a pretty good movie and I thought you looked very beautiful in it." Rayne complimented and smiled warmly.

"Well, thank you. It's just that I get this weird feeling when people I know see my movies. I guess I have this insecurity about them liking my performance or something. It's strange." Lark sheepishly grinned as she stared at Rayne.

"Nah, don't feel that way. I really enjoyed the movie and I thought you did a wonderful job." Rayne smiled and settled her uneasiness.

There was awkwardness in the silence between them when intent blues captured green one's. 'Oh, kiss me please.' Lark thought wishfully and moved towards her. Rayne looked away when she felt the car slow down and turned to look out the window as the limo stopped. 'Damn it!' Lark cursed inwardly, frustrated that she wouldn't receive the kiss she desired.

"Well, we're here." Rayne announced looking at Lark. She opened the door and stepped out. She held her hand out to Lark to help her out of the car.

"Thank you." Lark grinned and stood beside Rayne as she smoothed out her dress. She moved away from the door and Rayne closed it.

"You okay?" Rayne asked smiling and watching Lark fidget with her dress.

"Yes, let's eat." Lark grinned as Rayne offered her hand to help her ascend the curb. 'Oh, my chivalry is not dead with this one. Be still my beating heart!' Lark thought, flustered and impressed by Rayne's manners. She was pleasantly surprised when Rayne held her hand all the way into the restaurant.

The restaurant exuded a romantic ambiance with the light sounds of music and dark lighting. The women were quickly ushered to a table in the back. "It's a pleasure having you at our establishment again Miss. Morgan. We'll see to it that your privacy is respected." The cordial host informed her with a smile and handed them their menus after they took their seats.

Rayne checked out the menu and lowered it to look at Lark. "So, what's good here other than the desserts?" She asked with a smirk.

"Everything is good here." She countered with a laugh.

"Okay, let's try this one. What do you recommend?" Rayne asked laughing.

"How about if we get the special for two. It comes with the cheese fondue appetizer, salads, Filet Mignon, Teriyaki steak, which I highly recommend, Lobster, Shrimp, Chicken and vegetables and then the best part, dessert!" Lark explained with a laugh when Rayne answered dessert along with her.

"I can deal with that, but won't it be too much? That sounds like a lot of food." Rayne asked, reciting the choices over in her head.

"No, I've been known to have a voracious appetite." Lark sheepishly grinned and sipped her water.

"I'll keep that in mind." Rayne chuckled and closed the menu, placing it on the table. They placed their order and waited for the cheese appetizer. "So, Lark did you go to school for acting?" Rayne inquisitively asked and leaned back against the seat.

"Well, I attended Juilliard for a year majoring in Drama. When I was on summer break I got a part on a TV medical drama and didn't go back to school." Lark explained and sipped her cocktail.

"Wow, Juilliard huh? That's very impressive. Do you plan to finish school?" Rayne inquired and intently waited for the answer.

"No, I'm just not into the school thing. I'm pretty happy with the way my career is going now and I can't see where going back to school would make a huge difference in my life." Lark explained and ate the morsels before her. She wiped her mouth and looked up at Rayne. "How about you? What school did you go to?"

"Well, I was in the military for a year and when I injured my knee I went to Harvard." Rayne answered unassumingly.

"Very nice school. My dad wanted me to go there when he finally realized I wasn't going to follow in his footsteps of attending West Point." Lark smiled and chuckled.

"My father attended Harvard as well as my brother Shayan. So, he was very pleased that I decided to go there." She explained between bites of food.

"What did you major in there?" She queried as she ate.

"Law, just like my dad and brother." Rayne sheepishly admitted with a smirk.

"You're a lawyer?" Lark asked with a laugh surprised by her law degree.

"Yeah, why is that so surprising?" Rayne teasingly asked with a sly grin.

"I just don't see you as being a lawyer for some reason. You look like a woman of action and I just can't see you in a courtroom defending someone." Lark giggled.

"You're right. I realized in my last year that the courtroom wasn't for me and decided to sign on with the Service. It's a perfect match for me." She explained with a chuckle.

"What did you do in the military?"

"I started out in Special Ops and my commander recommended that I attend Navy SEAL training. I was hoping to become the first female Navy SEAL, but I hurt my knee. The injury required surgery and that ended my dreams. The Service accepts my knee, but the SEALS wouldn't." She informed her.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lark answered sadly.

"Don't be. I was for a while, but then I realized things happen for a reason and normally it's for the best. Besides, I really love being a Secret Service Agent."

"This is very true. If you would have become a Navy SEAL then we probably would have never met." She reasoned with a smile.

"So true." Rayne added with a wry grin.

"What about your younger brother? What school does he attend?" Lark answered and watched as the waiter cleared the dishes and placed the main dish on the table.

"He is a Harvard man too." Rayne laughed and picked up the skewers to cook the food.

"Too funny. I guess it's best to keep it in the family huh? My dad will be very pleased to find out you are a Harvard grad." She chuckled and prepared her food to cook.

"Which batter did the waiter say to dip the chicken in? I wasn't paying attention to him." She asked with a chuckle.

"Dip it in this one here." Lark answered and pointed to the said batter. "So, what does your father do for a living?" She asked, looking up to Rayne.

"He's the Ambassador to Greece." Rayne answered and looked up at Lark before placing her skewer into the pot to cook the steak.

"So, both of our fathers are in politics huh?" She asked with a chuckle.

"It seems so." Rayne concurred with a laugh.

"Do you have any aspirations towards politics?"

"Yes, my aspiration towards politics is to steer clear of it and protect the one's who love it!" Rayne sarcastically commented and laughed as did Lark from the comment.

"Me too. I would rather steer clear of it, but somehow my father seems to draw me into the mix by having me make appearances with him. I can't wait for the damn election to over. I'm sick of going to those boring parties with all of those old farts pawing all over the women." Lark replied with a grimace at the thought of the way they acted.

"Well, if you have any problems at the next one, find me and I'll take care of them." Rayne offered, smiling and winking.

"Great!" She added enthusiastically.

"I guess your father knows my father because he mentioned something to me about my dad not long ago." Rayne commented, changing the subject.

"Was your father in the military?" Lark wondered and asked.

"Of course, or my grandfather would have disowned him!" She laughed heartily.

"Really?" Lark asked surprised and giggled.

"Nah, but it was hard for him to not follow in his footsteps as he was a military man too. It kind of rubs off on the children." Rayne grinned looking at Lark.

"Well, maybe. I think I'm the exception to the rule because there was no way I was going into the military." Lark answered with a laugh shared by Rayne.

"Somehow I can't see you in the military." Rayne added with a chuckle.

"Hey, should I be offended by that comment?" Lark teasingly asked, giggling.

"No, don't be. The military just doesn't seem like a place of occupation for someone as feminine and beautiful such as yourself." Rayne complimented with a warm smile.

"Well, thank you." Lark blushed and smiled appreciative of the compliment. They stared at one another lost within each other's gaze and smiled when the waiter broke their revere. Lark wished she were in Rayne's arms as her brain screamed 'want me the way that I want you!'

"Is everything okay?" The waiter cordially asked.

"Yes, perfect. Thank you." Lark answered and smiled. She looked back at Rayne when the waiter left. "So, are you Greek?" She asked and placed a piece of lobster in her mouth.

"Yes, I am." Rayne admitted.

"Your last name doesn't sound Greek." Lark commented.

"Yeah, well that happens when the last name is shortened down through the years. Trust me, it's a good thing the name was shortened. I'd hate to have to spell it all the time, I have a hard time pronouncing it!" Rayne informed her and laughed as did Lark. "What about you? What is your nationality?" Rayne asked placing food in her mouth and looked up at Lark waiting for her answer.

"Well, I'm a mixture of Irish and Swedish. My dad is Irish and my mom is Swedish. Sorry, I'm not a pure bred." Lark answered with a chuckle.

"Not a bad mix at all and I certainly won't hold you breed against you, but it does explain your beautiful features." Rayne answered smiling and wondered if she really said the latter out loud.

"Thanks. You are really making me blush." Lark bemused smile played upon her lips and she shyly looked away from Rayne, and then looked back. "Your features are absolutely beautiful as well Rayne." 'Oh, did I just say that?' She wondered slightly flushed from spitting out what she was thinking.

"Now you are making me blush!" Rayne added with a chuckle and shifted in her seat uneasy with the admiration especially when it was directed towards her.

Lark saw that Rayne was uncomfortable with the conversation and changed the subject. "So, do you look like your mother or your father?"

"I guess I look like a cross between both of them. I've never really thought about it that much." Rayne admitted with a chuckle. "I think you look a lot like your mother, but I think you got your father's green eyes." She informed Lark with a warm smile, enjoying the fact that she was staring into those beautiful green eyes.

"Maybe that explains why I'm daddy's little girl." Lark added with a sardonic grin.

"Hey, imagine that. So am I!" Rayne added with a hearty laugh. "I love to make my dad blush by calling him daddy! It's pretty funny." Rayne told her and snickered thinking back on how her father reacts in that situation.

"I know my dad does the same thing!" Lark added with a laugh. "What does your mother do for a living?" She asked, biting into the steak on her fork.

"Her job is to make sure that my father is able to function in life." Rayne laughed as did Lark. "Nah, she is a financial consultant and handles the family's finances. She's quite busy with all of our portfolios." She laughed hardily. " How about your mom? What does she do?" Rayne quizzically asked when she stopped laughing.

"She's the quintessential politicians wife. I don't think I can explain her any better than that. She totally digs all the stupid parties and stuff like that. She thrives on the attention and loves being a politicians wife." Lark informed her and rolled her eyes with a chuckle.

"Hmmm, well somebody has to do it!" Rayne added with a laugh.

"So, what are your hobbies Lark other than pursuing unsuspecting Secret Service Agents?" Rayne grinned wickedly and watched Lark shift in her seat from the playful barb.

"Well, that is my favorite hobby especially when the Agent is you." Lark admitted flirtatiously and continued, "I love shopping, shopping and more shopping." Lark informed her laughing and wondered why she was being so bold with her compliments. She felt so at ease with Rayne that the comments just flowed off her tongue freely and without hesitation. 'It's a good thing that everything I'm thinking isn't coming out or would I be embarrassed.' She inwardly thought and felt flush from her erotic thoughts of Rayne.

"Shopping huh?" Rayne asked with a sigh. 'I hate shopping, but I think I could get used to shopping with a beautiful woman like her.' She inwardly thought.

"I enjoy traveling, reading, writing and I love children." Lark added with a wondrous smile with the mention of children.

"Great, I love traveling and kids as well." Rayne smiled, her interest peaked more so than the shopping hobby. "I really love being around my nephew. He's such a cool little guy." Rayne added with a proud smile.

"I love them too! I wish I had a sibling who would grant me a nephew or a niece until I can have some children." Lark answered with a smile as a touch of regret that she had no siblings tugged at her heart.

Rayne was pleasantly surprised to find out that Lark was interested in having children. She had always wanted to settle down and have children with the woman she loved. 'Could she be that person?' She inwardly asked and wondered if the feelings she was having for Lark were real or just her imagination. She knew this, that she wanted to get to know her much better and enjoyed her company. The talk of children with Lark didn't spook her like the same conversation did with other woman she had dated. Her other lover's had always brought up the subject, but she never had an interest in having children with them. It scared her to discuss the topic with them and she always felt trapped, except now. She didn't feel that way with Lark. She was surprised by her reaction to the discussion that she didn't change the subject or haul ass out of the restaurant.

"Well, what are your hobbies other than traveling, children and being a daring Secret Service Agent?" Lark asked, grinning mischievously. She loved the intrigue of Rayne being a Secret Service Agent. That and Rayne's mysterious persona fascinated her.

"I love sports and anything that is daring, scary and exhilarating. I love to ride my motorcycle as fast as it will go through heavy traffic and jump out of airplanes, hang glide, bungee jumping. All of those activities that put your life on the line and give you such a rush when you do them." Rayne answered and smiled, loving the thrill of it.

"Do you have a death wish Rayne?" Lark asked, in a serious tone and wondered why someone would want to lay their life on the line as she does with work and in her personal life.

Rayne sat silently and stared into Lark's eyes that were filled with love and warmth. She never really thought about how her work and leisure activities were so dangerous. Or did she? 'Have I subconsciously been hoping for a death wish? Maybe. I never did any of those things when Karen and I were together. I didn't have a motorcycle then either.' She wondered and blinked when the realization hit her, that she indeed had subconsciously placed a death wish upon herself. She had been trying to fulfill that wish with her daredevil lifestyle. She looked down at the table with the realization and peered up at Lark, knowing in her heart that she no longer wanted that for herself. "Not anymore." Rayne wholeheartedly answered and stared deep into the depths of Lark's soul.

Lark smiled happily and saw the moment of awakening in Rayne's deep blue eyes. "I'm glad." She said softly, sincerely. They stared at one another without a word being said, their eyes spoke for them.

Rayne swallowed hard, knowing there was no turning back with this woman and smiled, "Me too," answering in a whisper. She looked around the room and shifted in her seat feeling uncomfortable with her feelings. She wanted to gain her composure and not be so emotional. She hated losing control, but Lark had a way of doing that to her with the way she was able to touch the inner parts of her soul, making her face and bare her inner demons.

Lark picked up on the uneasiness Rayne felt and changed the subject, much to Rayne's delight. "Oh, I aah am going to a pediatric AIDS benefit carnival tomorrow. Would you and Brandon like to join me? I know he'd have a blast with all of the other kids." Lark offered, hoping she would accept the offer.

"Wow, that's very sweet to offer. I'm sure he would love it. Now, the question is whether Shay and Holly have anything else planned for him tomorrow." Rayne answered and thought back trying to remember if they mentioned anything to her about what they had planned for the next day.

"I take it Shay and Holly are his parents?" Lark inquired.

"Yes, oh I'm sorry. I guess I just assumed that you knew who they were. Sorry." Rayne sheepishly grinned and apologized. The casual, easy feeling she had with Lark made it seem like they had known each other forever.

"It's not a problem. I hope you both can go. I'm sure he will have a great time there." Lark added with a hopeful smile.

"I'll give them a call when I get home and see whether he can make it."

"Great!" Lark excitedly answered.

The pair took their time with the meal and enjoyed getting to know one another better. Rayne found herself mesmerized by Lark as she told one story after another. She found herself hanging on every word that Lark spoke as she had Rayne's complete and undivided attention. She was more intrigued by the woman than ever before and felt stupid for feeling so nervous about the date with Lark. She hated to admit it, but her brother was right. The date with Lark was exactly what she needed and wanted. She also wanted to get to know her better, much better. They polished off the dessert before them and Rayne sat back in the seat. "You were right, that was delicious! Who knew that marshmallows taste so good dipped in hot, white chocolate?" Rayne admitted with a grin, happy for the new experience of eating fondue and for the opportunity to share it with Lark.

"I know I love this place, but the marshmallows are better in the milk chocolate." Lark chuckled and wiped her mouth.

"Yeah and you promised not to mix your milk chocolate in my white chocolate, but somehow all yours ended up in mine!" Rayne teased and laughed.

Lark sheepishly grinned and offered, "I know I'm sorry. I just couldn't help myself, but I promise the next time we will get all white chocolate instead of the Ying Yang."

"That's sounds like an offer I can't refuse." Rayne chuckled and looked at the waiter who placed the bill on the table.

'Ooh, she wants another date this is good news for me or is she just being polite?' She thought hopeful. "Oh, no. I'm paying for the bill." Lark interjected and grabbed the bill away from Rayne who had picked it up.

"Come on, let me pay." Rayne coaxed feeling odd that she wasn't paying.

"No, I invited you out so I get to pay." Lark smiled and placed her credit card on the tray with the bill.

"Okay, I'll concede this time, but next time I'm paying." Rayne adamantly stated with a smile.

"You got it." Lark grinned happily. 'Yes, she wants another date. I wasn't looking into things.' She signed the receipt and slid out of the seat. Rayne waited next to the table and held her hand out to help her up. "Thank you, that's very sweet." Lark graciously smiled and gladly accepted the hand offered.

"You're welcome. Lark, I am stuffed. You made me eat too much." Rayne jokingly laughed as the pair exited the restaurant.

"Yes, that arm of yours must hurt a lot from me twisting it to make you eat more." Lark countered with a laugh shared by Rayne. "I'm actually feeling very satisfied. I could have eaten more." Lark admitted as she climbed into the limo.

"You have got to be kidding me. Where would you put it? In your big toe?" Rayne teasingly asked and took her seat in the limo.

"Very funny." Lark laughed, looking at Rayne. "So, where would you like to go now?" Lark asked, hoping the evening wouldn't end so soon.

"How about if we go for a walk on the beach? It would settle the food that is stuffed in my tummy." Rayne suggested and laughed as she rubbed her stomach.

"Sounds wonderful." Lark smiled, happy that she would have the opportunity to spend more time with her. The limo pulled into the driveway of her villa and she exited the limo followed by Lark. "You are very lucky to live near the ocean Rayne."

"I couldn't resist the villa when I was house hunting. It's really peaceful to sleep with the windows open and listen to the ocean." Rayne replied and smiled as she led Lark to her private beach walkway.

"I can only imagine how peaceful that must be." Lark smiled and closed her eyes when the brisk ocean breeze hit her face as they descended the stairs, stopping on the beach. She inhaled deeply and shivered as the cooler air met her skin. 'I hope she invites me to stay so I can find out just how peaceful it is to sleep listening to the ocean, not to mention lying within her arms. Oh, you are so cheap Lark wanting to sleep with her on the first date. How can I resist that sultry being?' She inwardly reasoned and questioned.

"Are you cold?" Rayne asked when she saw Lark shiver.

"A little." Lark admitted with a small smile.

"Here, take my jacket." Rayne offered and took her coat off.

"Thank you so much, but I don't want you to be cold." Lark answered and felt bad taking her jacket.

"No, I'm fine." Rayne commented and held the jacket for Lark to slip her arms into. "Well, it's pretty big on you, but I think it will keep you warm." Rayne laughed, seeing how big the jacket looked on her. She rubbed her hands up and down Lark's arms to warm her as she stood behind her. Lark closed her eyes and reveled in the feeling she had from Rayne touching her and let out a soft, satiated sigh. She hoped Rayne would engulf her in a warm embrace. "Shall we go for a walk?" Rayne suggested softly into Lark's ear.

Rayne's husky voice resonated through her ear, sending tingling down her spine. She nodded and answered, "yes," as she attempted to grasp her senses. Rayne took her hand and led her down the beach.

The pair returned from their moonlit stroll on the beach, both women enjoying each other's company immensely. Rayne escorted Lark to the limo and stood before her. "Rayne, I had a wonderful evening. The dinner, the walk on the beach and your company was marvelous. Thank you." Lark stated sincerely and smiled as her heart raced with anticipation that Rayne would invite her to stay. She hoped.

"No, thank you. I had a great time too Lark. I'm glad you were so persistent of a date." Rayne admitted with a sly grin. "I'll call you to let you know what I find out when I speak to Shay and Holly about tomorrow."

"Great, I look forward to your call." Lark answered disappointed that she wasn't inviting her to stay longer. She stared into Rayne's deep blue eyes and wondered what she was thinking. She wished she were thinking the same as her that she wanted to passionately kiss her and never let her go.

Rayne took Lark's hand within hers and stared into her sparkling green eyes and wondered what she should do. 'Should I ask her to stay? No, that's too presumptuous of me to insinuate that we should have sex on the first date. Maybe I should kiss her?' She nervously questioned as her heart beat faster. Lark moved closer to her, hoping she would get the kiss she wanted and blinked when Rayne spoke in a low, sensuous tone, "Have a good evening. I'll call you tomorrow." Lark's butterflies took flight when Rayne stared into her wanton green eyes as she raised Lark's hand to her mouth and tenderly kissed it.

Continued in Part V.

Comments accepted at Cruise1313@aol.com

December 2001