Still Beautiful

They had been lazing together on the chaise lounge. The Hawaiian sun poured over the balcony of their honeymoon suite. JC, clad only in trunks, didn’t mind the sweet weight of James against him. His bride. His wife. He was half-asleep with contentment when he felt her slip away.

“Baby?” he mumbled at her loss.

“Be right back.” She brushed a kiss on his lips.

“Hurry,” he urged as she went into the suite. “I want my sexy baby girl with me.”

James’ mouth twisted in distaste. He insisted she was still beautiful, still sexy. She didn’t see it. She was a scarred mess.

Through half-closed eyes, JC watched James and caught her moue of disbelief. Things had changed for them since the shooting. James had lost some of her boldness and had become shy about her body. In the past, they would have shared the big tub in the bathroom. Now when she bathed, she closed the door. She didn’t dress in front of him and only wanted to make love in the dark. He had been hoping it was a temporary condition, but it didn’t seem to be lessening. He had tried to assure her that she was the same woman he’d loved, she wasn’t buying it.

James stopped in front of the mirror. Mirrors were the enemy now. She cast a quick glance at the man on the balcony; he appeared to be sleeping. She raised the heavy white tee shirt she wore to protect her scars from the sun. She was hideous. The largest scar ran from just below her breasts to nearly her navel. The rib spreaders had been needed to patch her stomach in three places, remove the shattered ovary as well as part of her small intestine, and check her lungs. Another scar from the drainage tube. She traced the path of the scars then turned to check the exit wound on her middle back. It seemed in leaving her body the bullet ripped a sizeable hole. Dropping the shirt, she lifted her sleeve to check the two holes from the first of the stalker’s bullets – her upper arm.

“Bride of Frankenstein,” she muttered to herself.

JC watched and ached for his wife. Didn’t she realize that none of those scars mattered? Or if they did, they were reminders of bullets she had taken for him? She was as beautiful, sexy and desirable as she was the first night they’d met. He’d learn to curb his appetite in deference to her healing process – not because he had lost interest! Was that it maybe? Did she think he’d lost his insatiable desire for her due to the scars, not because the doctors had warned him to go easy for a month or so? Damn!

Whipping himself out of the chaise, he went into the suite.

James dropped her sleeve guiltily and turned to face him. “I—I thought you fell asleep.”

“Nope.” JC went to the radio and snapped it on. He needed a good song to grind to...A grin spread across his face when he caught ‘Blowin Me Up’ – Perfect!

“Joshua?”

Going to her, he turned her back to the mirror and stepped closely behind her. For the first few moments, he ran his hands down her body, moving sensually against her.

“J-Josh...” She felt him growing hard against her bottom.

His breath was warm in her ear, he purred, “Get naughty with me, baby.”

“Now?”

“Mmm...yeah, but first...” He pulled her shirt up and over her head.

“No!” she protested. Now she only had her bikini pants on!

“I am tired of you hiding from me, James.”

A second later, her bottoms were at her feet.

“Not fair. I’m naked; you aren’t.”

His hand left her body long enough to drop his trunks. His erection rubbed against her silky buttocks. “Better?”

Was it? She wasn’t so sure.

Skimming his hands down her sides, he treated her like he had on their first encounter. With one hand, he cupped her womanhood and pushed her hard against him. His second hand lingered to trace delicate patterns on the sensitive scar running nearly the length of her body.

“This’ll fade in time, James, but my love won’t, my desire for you won’t,” he assured her in a soft whisper.

“But you...”

“I gotta go easy on you now – until the doctors give the go ahead.”

“Wha?...” She tried to face him; he held her fast against his body.

“You aren’t completely healed inside. I don’t wanna hurt you. Believe me, restraint isn’t easy with you around me.”

“I never...”

“They asked that I postpone the wedding and honeymoon. I so didn’t want to do that, baby. I wanted you to be mine.” He moved to cup her breasts, his hips never losing the rhythm of the music. “They never told you?...”

“No...”

“Damn,” he muttered. Then he sent his lips along her neck to her shoulders. “We’ll give you a little while longer, Mrs. Chasez. Then we’ll be like fucking rabbits again.”

James gave a watery giggle.

“That’s my baby...my sweet, beautiful, sexy wife.”

“Are—are you sure? That it is just the doctors’ warnings?”

“200 percent sure.”

“That sounds very sure.”

“Because I am.”

“Joshua?” She reached back and stroked his thighs.

“Mmm...”

“Horizontal?”

“Works for me.” He swept her up and bore her to the bed. When he came down beside her, she reached for him, offering her lips. He didn’t hesitate.

It went quickly from a kiss of healing, to an incendiary mating of mouths and tongue. Trying to consume the other, they shared breath, their bodies straining to get even closer. Her hands were buried in his hair when he finally tore his lips away from hers.

JC pressed damp, open-mouthed kisses along her left shoulder, traveling lower until he reached the scar on her arm. He traced it with his tongue and nibbled at it lightly.

James shuddered at the utter sensuality of his touch. “Joshua...”

“You cared enough to stay after this. You loved me even then, James.”

“Oh, yes!”

“You tried to hide it, but I knew. That first night you cried for me in your sleep. You wouldn’t settle until I held you. I knew.”

“You had me in a sexual haze for three days. No one had ever had that power over me. By day four, I admitted to myself I cared too much.”

He lifted his head to grin at her.

“What?” she demanded.

“Baby, you weren’t that good an actress. I knew it had gone from being all about fantastic sex to real, honest caring.

James swatted at him.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“Arrogance.”

“It isn’t arrogance. I was there too. I was head over heels in love. You just didn’t let me say the words. He leaned in to kiss her hungrily. “I wanted to say them so bad, Lady J.”

“It was scary to be in love again. I—I didn’t want to screw up and get you killed...”

JC shook his head. “I was never worried about that. I was more scared for you. With good reason.”

He dipped his head to her body. As he had with her scarred arm, he made love to the line running down her torso, worshipping the healing flesh with his mouth.

“Oh, Josh!…” The tender flesh was super sensitive to the touch. Before he had made it half way down the trail, she as squirming helplessly.

Reaching the bottom, JC shifted so his shoulders were between her legs. Her feminine petals were dewy and begging for his mouth. He spent time licking the length of them before his tongue slipped into her heated core. Teasing her, he danced around that most anxious pleasure jewel.

“Joshua!” she protested, her hands in his hair once again to urge him on.

The tip of his tongue stroked the bud several times, elongating it into a proud point. His lips tugged gently.

“Ahh!”

He alternated between strong licks, delicate swirls, and gentle tugs. When he felt she was nearly there, his lips closed around the precious flesh to suck softly.

“Josh-oooh-ahh!” she cried out as she was swept away by his magical mouth.

JC kissed and nibbled his way back up her scar to reach her breasts. He licked and suckled hungrily at the rosy peaks.

“Please, baby, now!” she begged, pulling him over her.

Teasingly, rubbing his manhood at her opening, he asked. “Want this, Lady J?”

“Oh, yes, please!”

“You sure?”

“Damn you!”

JC chuckled and lowered himself into her inch by hot, hard inch. Her purr of satisfaction when he was fully buried was his reward.

“Mmm... so big and thick and wonderful...”

“Glad you like it.”

“Like?” She snorted.

He moved slowly, rocking instead of hard thrusts. He wanted more. He knew she wanted more. But for now this was good. This was sooo good.

James wrapped her legs around his, drawing him deeper, closer. Her hands stroked his back and buttocks, letting him know how much she enjoyed his body on hers, a part of her.

“Oh, yeah, baby...” He felt her body tighten. “Feel it for me.”

“I do.” Her fingers dug into his butt as she arched into him. “Oh, Josh...this is so...”

“C’mon, Lady J! Take us there!”

“Josh!...Oh, God!...Josh!” James let the bright tide of rapture and love swamp her – only to find JC joining her on the journey.

“James!”

James snuggled happily in her husband’s arms, tracing aimless patters on his sweaty chest with her finger.

“If you’re that good holding back....Wow! When we go full tilt again!…” she teased.

He grinned, saying nothing.

“Josh?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Umm...we could have waited to get married.”

“No, we couldn’t”

“Oh...”

“Believe it or not, I am wildly in love with the whole package, not just your vagina.”

James laughed. “I fell in love with your penis and your tongue first.”

He wiggled a finger in front of her face. “He got to you first.”

She wrapped her lips around the finger and sucked.

“Damn!” JC pulled his finger away, feeling himself grow hard.

“I was just letting your finger know I appreciate it,” she said innocently.

“But you are in no condition to handle the consequences of your actions.”

“Who says? My tongue works just fine!”

JC was about to protest when her hand wrapped firmly around his offering. Ah, hell, he didn’t want to fight anyway....