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Part 9/?
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Tonight we don't dive in from the pier. My heart is beating fast as I wonder if she feels the same undercurrent to every movement made as I do. My senses feel heightened, keying in on the whisper of her clothes as she removes them and the little gasp she makes when she first enters the water.
We wade in, side by side. We're deep enough that Lois has started to swim and I'm about to when her hand reaches out to touch my arm. "Clark?" Her fingers close over my wrist and I pull my arm in so that she glides nearer to me.
"Yes?"
"Do you think you'll kiss me tonight?"
"I'd say your chances are pretty good, why?" I move us a few steps closer to shore so that she can touch the bottom.
"Because…" She draws even closer, putting her arms around my neck. "I really want you to."
"You could kiss me, I wouldn't be offended."
"It's not that." I can hear the smile in her voice. "I just don't want you to think I'm being forward."
"You? Forward? You're the shyest person I know."
She slaps my shoulder. "Watch it, Kent."
"Ow!" I decide to tease her. "Be careful with me. Don't forget you ran me over with a truck this afternoon."
Her hand slides away from my shoulder, down my chest and comes to rest on my left hip - right where the truck struck me. "You're okay though, right?"
I feel a little guilty at the concern in her voice. I'm also more than a little excited by where her hand is.
I should tell her. Right here, right now. Just say those three little words she's always wanted to hear: 'Lois, I'm Superman.' It would be so easy. It would be so final.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Prove it," she whispers, pulling my mouth to hers. Her arms go around my neck and she fits her body flush against mine. I walk us backwards until the water is only as deep as our waists. Even though she let me touch her last night, I'm still not certain whether I should try anything. I hesitate and she tips her head back, breaking our kiss.
"What's wrong?" she asks.
"Nothing. I just… I'm not sure…"
She smiles and takes my left hand, placing it high on her waist. "That? Is that what you were wondering about?"
I stroke my fingers over her soft flesh. "Yeah, that was it."
"I'm sorry about last night." Her words end with a soft moan.
"I'm not." I kiss the join of her neck and shoulders where her pulse beats frantically against my lips.
"I thought about that when I was helping you back to the house today."
"Uh huh." I nuzzle just beneath her ear.
"I thought about how close, oh…" This when my teeth gently scrape her shoulder.
"Yeah." Is she going to talk the entire time?
"And I thought… I thought what if I lost him? I've thought I lost you before, Clark. I was even going to tell you how I felt about you but you fell asleep."
"Really?" I kiss the delicate shell of her ear and inhale the familiar intoxicating scent of her hair.
"We're more than friends, right, Clark? I mean this is more than friendly, isn't it? And I thought about this last night…"
"Mmhmm."
"Clark, have you written anything yet?"
"What?"
"The story about Lucas Peregrine and Superman. Have you started writing it yet?"
"What? Do you think I'm trying to seduce the story out from under you?" I move my hand to her shoulder.
"No, of course not! I just… Obviously you'll be here in the morning. The truck's still out of commission."
I laugh with her. "Lois, if you're worried that I'm going to leave you…"
"I'm not! I know you better than that. I… you don't really want to talk about the story right now, do you?"
Duh. "Lois, we can talk about anything you want."
"I don't want to talk." She kisses the underside of my chin. "I don't want say another word. No more talking. Don't let me distract you from what you were doing. That was nice."
"I'm a nice guy. You said so."
"Did I? Oh, yeah." She giggles. "Very nice. No more talking."
I think about betting her that she'll be the first one to talk but that would be counterproductive. Instead I kiss the creamy flesh at the edge of her bra. Her hands smooth over my back and shoulders, her fingers curling each time I find a sensitive spot. I slide both hands behind her, working at the hooks of her bra. I take it off her, tossing it behind me. It lands on the shore with a wet "thwap".
In the moonlight her skin looks like alabaster. She smiles up at me and I realize I've never seen anything as beautiful. It's not just that she's topless, although that is amazing to see. It's her. It's Lois at her most basic and primal and she's smiling at me with absolute trust and, dare I hope it, love in her eyes.
I kiss her mouth softly, trying to tell her with my lips and tongue the things I can't put into words. She kisses me back with perfect understanding, I'm certain of it. When the kiss breaks I give the same attention to her cheeks, then her neck.
"Ah," I gasp, torn between never wanting this moment to end and the realization that I have to tell her. She'll never forgive me if I don't tell her before we make this leap. "Lois, I need to talk to you."
"Now?" she's as breathless as I am. "Now you want to talk?"
"Uh, I…" Then again, is this really the best time to tell her? Is there ever going to be a good time to tell her? Maybe it can wait.
She shifts, her hips moving away from mine, and I can breathe again. I'm formulating the best way to blurt it out as her hands slide down my chest.
"Mmm," she hums. "Is this okay?"
"Yes!" I pant. It's freakin' fantastic. But I still ought to tell her. I have this dim sense of foreboding that her anger will increase exponentially if I tell her after the fact. "Lois… we need to talk… about Superman."
"Superman?" She repeats in disbelief.
"Ahhh, yessss…" She has to stop touching me like that or I won't be able to say anything.
"You want to talk about Superman right now?" She lets out a small giggle.
Do I?
"Oh… I think… ah… I think we should."
"You're ruining this, you know that?" she asks with another giggle. She has no idea how ruined it's going to be.
"I know. I… ah, oh my god… don't…"
"Don't?" she whispers. "Don't what?" Her hand keeps sliding south.
"Don't… stop. God, Lois, please don't stop."
"You still want to talk about Superman?"
Who?
On second thought, Superman can wait. I'm way past the point where I could plead my case with any eloquence. Maybe this will be so good that she'll forgive me anything afterwards.
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"You can put me down now," she says as her fingers draw a lazy pattern on my back.
"No, I don't think I can."
She giggles, nuzzling into my neck. "All right. Maybe we should just stay here."
"Absolutely."
She shivers and I realize that I can't keep her here all night. "Are you getting cold?"
"Maybe a little."
As we wade back to shore I feel more than a little dazed. Did that really just happen? Lois picks up her bra and then turns to look back at the water. "I think I lost my panties."
Should I tell her what I just lost?
Lois shrugs and pulls her clothes on without bothering about her bra. Her teeth have started chattering. I put on my jeans and glasses and then hand her my t-shirt. "Thanks," she says softly and pulls it over her head. I take her hand and we start up the trail. After a few steps she stumbles.
I turn back and scoop her up. "Oh, no, Clark. Put me down."
"Nuh uh."
"You'll drop me."
"Lois, I've never dropped you yet."
She doesn't seem to examine that statement too closely. Her head drops to rest on my shoulder and she puts her arms loosely around my neck. "Would it do any good to argue with you?"
"Nope."
"Mmmm, Clark…" she murmurs, "I'm so glad I didn't kill you today."
"Me too."
"No, really. If I ever get angry with you again, just say 'Lucas Lake' and I'll find it in my heart to forgive you."
What if I told her now? Just said, "I'm Superman - Lucas Lake!" Would she forgive me?
She yawns. "Wake me up when we get to the house."
She probably only said that in jest, but she's asleep by the time we reach the back porch. Doc is seated on one of the rocking chairs and gets up to open the door for me. I'm blushing furiously, but Doc only whispers, "Good night" as I go past him.
Her bedroom door isn't shut tight and I'm able to toe it open. I set her gently on the bed and take her shoes off. She doesn't stir. I work the blanket out from under her and cover her up. I stand there for a few minutes, drinking in the sight of the woman I just made love to. The woman I love. Then I bend over her, kissing her lips softly, before straightening up and heading for my own room.
I lie on my bed, lost in the remembrance of what just happened. Something that Lucas said pops into my head.
<"… my true mate…">
I think I know exactly how he felt.
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I was starting to hope that no one was reading this on this board because I didn't have a clue how to edit this section down to a PG rating. I was so flattered when you all left FDK for me, but I was terrified because I knew it was going to come to a crashing halt at part 9. If it weren't for Vicki I would have quit posting over here in despair. She offered to help out and, golly boy howdy, did she ever help out. You wouldn't be reading this if it weren't for her suggestions.
THANKS VICKI!
Part 10 will be delayed over the long weekend.
