Finding Love Ch. 04

Thanks to my editor sleeplessgurl.

Thank you everyone for the comments and emails on chapter 3. As always, they are deeply appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys chapter 4 even though I'm afraid this may be a bit shorter than normal. The Mississippi River-if you live in the States then you probably know about this mess-is flooding and things have been tense at work.

I do have plans for two series to arc off this with 'Finding' in their titles. It will be about two certain half-brothers and their lives.

This is a copyrighted work of fiction by the author durablue. All rights reserved.

*

Chapter 4

Ivy smiled, and held her arms out. Daylon picked her up and carried her into the water. The look of bliss, of happiness, told Daylon how much Ivy loved the water. She hugged him hard, then swam out to explore the falls, her movements carefree. This was their time; there would be time enough to worry about Dolmas, her step-brothers, Mary and Sam... right now he wanted to hold his mate and forget, just for a while. Daylon knew that Dolmas wouldn't forget the humiliation handed to him by Ivy, and he worried about how to protect his mate and the ones she cared for.

He had good reason to be worried.

* * * *

Dolmas watched Surlak walk away.

"How dare he show up here and lay his judgment down on me about how things are going to be," Dolmas snarled to himself.

And to find out there would be no restitution for Mary being... He growled and for a brief moment control wavered and Dolmas' wolf strained at the leash, yearning to break free. For one wolf to turn his back on another was the ultimate insult as far as Dolmas was concerned. How dare Surlak turn his back on him? Control slipped farther, his eyes lightened, and his wolf snarled in anger. Who did Surlak think he was dealing with?

"By god, we need a new leader, one who is strong and fearless, someone who will take our pack and turn them into a name to be feared... someone like... me."

The more Dolmas thought about it, the more convinced he became. Clenching his fists, Dolmas wrestled his wolf back under control. He'd deal with Surlak later; right now he needed to focus his attention on what mattered most... her. The bastard child he raised, the one who caused him such humiliation, that freak who was responsible for him.... he couldn't think about it.

His mind refused to accept what he felt, down toward his crotch, when he woke up. Dolmas walked back in the house and started cleaning up the tattered remains of furniture. His anger rose again. Mary should be there to clean up this mess. That thought led to where she was, what she doing, and with whom. More dark thoughts entered his mind, and he began to plot. Hours later headlights flashed across the yard, and Dolmas watched the pickup truck park in the drive.

Kern and Caleb stepped from the truck, both the worse for wear. They approached the house, moving with the exaggerated carefulness of someone looking for danger. Dolmas opened the door, backlit by the room's light. Kern and Caleb stood frozen, eyes glued on Dolmas. Both scanned his body language, trying to read him.

"Where have you boys been?"

"We, ah, we went to the local watering hole and, ah..."

"What Caleb is trying to say is we went out and had a few drinks," Kern said. "We figured you wanted to be alone for a while."

All three men stood silently, eyeing each other. Dolmas scanned their appearance, noting that while they were battered and bruised, neither seemed drunk. Thankfully they had their wits about them. Dolmas motioned for them to come inside, then turned and walked out into the room. Caleb looked at Kern and shrugged. Both followed their father inside the house.

"Help me clear away the debris, then we need to decide what to do about this situation," Dolmas said.

"Ah, Dad, we ran into Surlak in town. He said you agreed to drop this whole deal." Kern was holding what was left of the coffee table.

"I never agreed to that," Dolmas said. "The simple minded old fool actually believes I'm going to take this kind of insult. Well, I'm not. So get busy cleaning, then we got plans to make."

Several hours later the house was cleaned, the broken furniture removed, and Kern lay in bed. His door opened, and Caleb slipped inside.

"You awake?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Kern asked as Caleb shut the door.

"I'm worried. I've never seen Dad like this. What he was talking about..."

"I know. Trouble with a capital T. But I don't know what to do. If we don't stand with him... Caleb, things are going to get bad." Kern rubbed his hands over his face.

"Do you really think he means to do what he said?"

"God help us both, but yeah," Kern said.

"This could cost us our lives'." Caleb stared at the floor. "I don't want to die, Kern, especially over things that we know nothing about."

"Look, try to stay away from the old man as much as possible. I'll... think of something."

"What?"

"I have no idea," Kern said, and sighed. "Go on to bed. We have to go to Lowe's tomorrow for some sheetrock. Maybe a new day will bring some new options... and all that shit."

"Yeah, maybe. Night."

Kern watched his younger brother leave. Sleep was a long time in coming. As far as he could see, there were no easy answers here.

* * * *

Mary and Sam walked hand-in-hand to his house.

"Any particular movie you want to see?" Sam asked. "You used to have a thing for action movies, if I remember correctly."

"Oh Sam, I haven't watched a movie in ages, so it doesn't matter to me. But..."

Sam grinned. "Yeah?"

"Has that new movie, with the fast cars, come out on DVD yet? You know, it has that actor with the bald head and sexy voice."

"I know the one, and I do have it. Is that what you want to watch? Not a nice romance?"

"Yes, that one. Frankly the romance movies... well, real life never works like that," Mary said quietly.

"Mary..." Sam rubbed a head over his head. "True love does exist. Sometimes, well, sometimes things get in the way, but—"

"That's one way of putting it. Let's not talk about the past, Sam. I don't want to ruin this by going over old, horrible memories."

"Neither do I, but Mary, I want to see you."

"We can't just pick up where we left off, Sam. It doesn't work that way. You don't know what my life was like all those years. I've changed."

"As have I. We're both older now, but Mary... can you tell me that spark is no longer there? If it isn't I'll back off and leave you alone." Sam stopped on the sidewalk, and looked at their joined hands, and raised an eyebrow.

"I-I-I..." Mary blushed. "I still have feelings for you, Sam. I always have, but I need time, time to find myself again. I don't know who I am anymore."

"That's all I wanted to hear. I'll give you as much time as you need, just don't shut me out. And this time... trust in me Mary. We haven't heard the last from Dolmas. I need to know you won't let him bully you back to him in an attempt to keep me or Ivy safe. Can you promise me you'll let us handle this situation?"

"Yes. I was young and foolish before. I will never go back to him. Never. I will miss my sons, but they hate me now. Do you have any idea what it's like for your own flesh-and-blood to despise... Oh, Sam, I'm sorry, I forgot," Mary said, turning pale.

Sam tugged gently on her hand, and they resumed walking. "Yes, I know what it's like for your family to turn its collective back on you. We do have that in common. But Mary, you have me, and Ivy. And over time you'll have more. Our pack is very loving, and they will accept you if given the chance."

Mary walked next to Sam, but didn't reply.

"You have to give them the chance, though," Sam said, and shook Mary's hand gently.

"I'll try, Sam. It's hard for me to trust."

Several more minutes passed as they walked along, enjoying the warmth of the night. Sam stopped in front of a small, but well kept house. Solar lights marked the walk-way to the house. The bushes were lush and green, the yard nicely mowed, and flowering plants circled the mature trees in the front. Hanging baskets of plants swung gently on the front porch, a riotous of color exploding from the baskets. Two white Adirondack wood chairs sat on the porch with a wooden table between them.

"My goodness, this is your house?"

Sam grinned. "Yes, I live here, and yes, I did all this. Daylon and Holland like to poke fun at me for having a green thumb, but, well... I like digging around in the dirt. I seem to have a way with growing things, of persuading them to open and bloom for me."

Mary blushed again. She hadn't blushed this much in... she didn't know when. Was that last remarked aimed at her? She resisted the urge to fan herself. Sam was still the gentleman she remembered, but now there lurked a... sensuality that hadn't been there before. And Mary was slightly ashamed at the brief flash of jealousy she felt when she saw the front yard. At first glance, it screamed of a woman's touch to Mary.

"It's beautiful, Sam. I can't wait to see the inside."

"Then follow me."

The inside of the house was as well kept as the outside. It was comfortable, and homey. Sam put the movie in and popped a bag of popcorn.

"What would you like to drink? I've got Coke, Dr. Pepper, and Sprite. Any of that sound good?"

Mary breathed a sigh of relief... no alcohol. "A Coke sounds good."

Sam returned with a bowl full of popcorn, and put it on the table. He went back to the kitchen and got the drinks. Sitting down on the couch, he started the movie. Occasionally their hands bumped as they ate. The credits rolled for the movie and Sam scooted closer to Mary. After a little time passed he casually put his hand on the back of the couch, and Mary grinned.

"That wasn't your most subtle move."

"Yeah, I'm out of practice, I'm afraid," Sam said. "Is this okay?"

"Perfectly okay," Mary said and leaned her head over onto Sam's shoulder.

The rest of the movie was spent in that position. Sam was careful to respect the boundaries Mary set, and Mary was able to relax. No one was yelling, cussing or drinking. She noticed Sam hadn't offered anything alcoholic to drink, nor had he drank anything. Sam played with a strand of her hair as he watched the movie, a simple gesture that spoke of caring.

Mary had tensed when he first lifted a stand of her hair, as if she almost expected him to yank it. She had to remind herself that Sam wasn't Dolmas, and an easy gesture such as that wasn't the prelude to something darker. Once she relaxed she enjoyed the movie, enough that she fell asleep against his shoulder.

Sam smiled. If she was comfortable enough to let her guard down and fall asleep, then a numb shoulder was well worth the cost. He noticed she stiffened when he stroked her hair. He purposely kept the touch light, and non-threatening. Every little step was worth the wait as far as he was concerned.

* * * *

Ivy splashed water at Daylon, giggled and swam away.

"Imp."

"You're just mad I got you in the face," Ivy called over her shoulder. She swam to the other side of the pool. "Besides... Daylon? Daylon, where are you?"

Ivy scanned the water, but didn't see him. She stood up, looking across the smooth surface of the water. Where did he go? Something brushed against her knee and Ivy screamed. Daylon exploded out of the water behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hold your breath!" He yelled as he pulled them both over.

"You..." Ivy inhaled deeply. Once under the water he let her go. Ivy surfaced, flicked her long, wet hair out of the way, and glared at Daylon. "...maniac."

"You started it," Daylon grinned.

"You will pay..." Ivy cackled like a witch making Daylon snort. "And when you least expect it... bam! I'll pounce and revenge will be mine!"

"Is this where, in a high sotto voice, I say, 'The horror, the horror!'" Daylon snickered. "Honey, I ain't no bubble headed blond with big breasts that walks into the cellar in the dark in a B movie."

"I hate those movies. No one is that stupid." Ivy laughed. "And they always pick on the blonds!"

Daylon eyed Ivy. "But you know, with your hair all wet and stringy, and the moonlight shinning on your pale skin..."

"Careful there, bubby."

"You are the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. Like a woodland nymph."

"Good save," Ivy spluttered. "Otherwise you'd been sleeping on the couch."

"First off, you are beautiful to me, more than words can describe. And secondly, my momma didn't raise no fool."

"Really? You sure?"

"Oh yeah, let me show you..."

Spinning Ivy around, Daylon backed her up against the edge of the pool. Grinning, he wrapped his arms around Ivy and slowly leaned down to kiss her. Just a simple touch was usually enough to chase everything but him right out of Ivy's head. Her eyelids fluttered closed as his lips touched hers, coaxing her to open for him.

"Mmm, nice," Daylon said.

Both of his hand rested on Ivy's waist, kneading the cool, wet skin. Ivy leaned into him, crushing her breasts against his chest. Daylon's arms came around her, imprisoning her in his embrace. His tongue explored Ivy's mouth. One of his hands tangled in her wet, silky hair. She moaned quietly as her body ignited. Her nipples tingled, hard little points that stabbed into his chest. Daylon leaned into Ivy, grinding his erection into her stomach. He released her mouth, and rested his forehead against hers.

"Oh damn, Ivy, I want you."

Moaning, Ivy opened her eyes and rubbed her leg up and down his hard thigh. One of Daylon's hands drifted down to cup her ass, and squeezed. Her head fell back as he nibbled on her throat, then sucked at the fluttering pulse in her neck.

"Yes, I want you, too. Now! I want it hard and fast, wet and wild. Take me," Ivy whispered.

"You sore?"

"No... oh no. I'm so not sore."

Ivy moaned in disappointment when Daylon's hand left her ass. Grinning at her reaction he kissed the tip of Ivy's nose. Slowly he stepped back. Taking a finger he teased Ivy's lips until she opened and sucked it into her mouth. She sucked on it, rolling her tongue around it, wetting it. Breathing hard, Ivy watched his face as he withdrew it from her mouth and eased down to a nipple, then rubbed. They peaked as he blew against her wet skin. Chest heaving, fists clenched at her side Ivy groaned as his hand drifted down and fingered her wet clit.

"Mmm, just how I want you... swollen."

Daylon eased a finger inside warm, moist heat. He curled his finger, and rubbed her clit. Ivy gasped and pressed closer. He bent his head, and sucked a nipple into his mouth, pulling on the hard peak. Ivy stood before him in the ghostly moonlight, shivering with need as another finger eased into her pussy. His dick was tight against his stomach. Even the cool water couldn't put that fire out.

"Harder... finger me harder," Ivy whispered. "I want to feel you."

Daylon pushed another finger in and started to pump. Ivy was wet deep inside, but Daylon knew water would dry her out. He needed to make sure she was ready and loose. His thumb toyed with her clit as he fingered her. He removed his fingers, and Ivy grabbed his hand.

"Don't stop, please."

"Not gonna stop. Wrap your legs around my waist, Babe."

Ivy slowly wound her legs around Daylon's waist, and his hands went under her bottom, supporting her. Daylon worked his way inside, the sudden stretching hitting Ivy hard for a moment.

"You okay?" He asked, his voice strained.

"Yes!" Ivy gasped.

He started moving slowly. Ivy strained as she met his gentle thrusts. He slipped in-and-out easily, but she needed more, needed him to go faster. He grabbed her bottom, and started to move faster, but it still wasn't enough. She needed it deeper, too. Ivy whimpered and tried to push back against his cock, but in this position she was helpless and dependent on Daylon for her pleasure. He worked her up and down his shaft, and Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck as he moved in and out of her pussy.

"More, Daylon!" Ivy gasped. "Faster!"

Daylon thrust hard, sweat dripping into his face, teeth clenched. Pleasure twisted inside Ivy. Daylon shifter her slightly and she screamed; he was hitting her sweet spot.

"My... mate," Ivy whispered.

"Yeah, Babe," he replied.

Faster he moved, striking her sweet spot every time, keeping her near the edge. When her moans picked up, he'd slow down, using short gentle strokes until Ivy regained control of her trembling body. On this went as he made love to Ivy, their bodies moving like one. Holding her tightly he suddenly slammed in, moving fast... pounding hard, driving her relentlessly to the edge.

Ivy cried out and buried her head into his shoulder. Desire swirled through her. She wanted, no needed, release. She threw her head back and screamed as pleasure exploded in her mind and body. Daylon growled harshly and came too, a fountain of come unloading deep inside her. Again Ivy cried out weakly as he continued to pound her. Her mind was only filled with him now, her body in tune to his.

"Yes!" Daylon yelled as her pussy clenched his cock. "Ivy... god!"

He leaned against the side of the pool, and Ivy slowly let her legs down. His seed seeped out, and Daylon gently cleaned her.

"Wasn't too rough?" Daylon gasped.

"No, it was exactly how I wanted it," Ivy said panting.

They held each other until they caught their breath, and their heart beats slowed.

Daylon hugged Ivy. "Are you ready to go home, sweetheart? I'm turning into a prune."

"Hmm," Ivy said, her eyes focused at the water that lapped around his waist. "Don't want anything important to wrinkle up."

Daylon let out a loud bark of laughter. "Imp."

"Yes, I guess we better go. Mom and I need to go buy some clothes tomorrow, and other personal things."

"Come on, then. I brought towels."

They both dried off, and dressed. Ivy helped pack everything up, and stood by the four-wheeler.

"Can I drive it?"

"Have you ever driven one of these before?"

"Well, no. Is it hard?"

"Not really, but I'd prefer to teach you in the daylight. It would be safer. Maybe tomorrow after things calm down. How's that?"

"Sounds good to me," Ivy said and climbed on the back. They rode the four-wheeler home, going slow so Daylon could explain how the machine worked. Just as they pulled into the separate garage Sam and Mary came around the corner, walking hand-in-hand. Daylon grinned at Sam.

"Hey. So how was the movie?" Daylon winked at Sam, and Mary blushed.

"About as good as the pool was, I imagine," Sam said with a raised eyebrow, and Ivy blushed.

"Okay you two, enough. It's late and some of us have to get up tomorrow." Ivy rolled her eyes as Sam and Daylon both continued to pick at one another. "Come on Daylon."

"Oh my goodness, my adult daughter just shooed her mate inside so we could say good night. How in the world did the roles get changed up on me like this?" Mary asked.

"Well, if I'm going to kiss you good night I had best do it before Daylon starts flashing the porch light at us," Sam laughed. "Are you okay with that, Mary? Seriously."

"Yes, I would like you to kiss me," Mary blushed as Sam leaned closer. "It's been so long, Sam."

Still holding her hand, he leaned in, and gently brushed his lips over her closed mouth. Mary stood frozen. Sam released her hand, and rested his arm around her back, holding her loosely. He wanted to her to see there was no force here, just sweet pleasure. Sam raised his head, and stared at her lips, and then looked into her eyes.

"Okay?" He asked.

"Oh yes."

"Again?" Sam whispered.

"Oh my, yes," Mary said.

Sam pulled her closer to his body, still holding her loosely, but this time he wanted her to know, to feel what she did to him. He was just as attracted to the young Mary as he was to the now older one. His ranging erection was trapped in his jeans, and he knew she could feel it brush against her.