She has always been drawn to the rain, to the thunder and the lightening. Maybe it is because she has a storm that stirs in her soul that  is never quiet. Maybe she can feel even more when the raindrops splash on her skin, as if the droplets open up the windows to the deepest thoughts and most vivid imagination.

Ever since she can remember, she has watched for rain clouds. She has never seen the storms as a threat, or the rain as something sad. She sees these as opportunities to grow, as a portal into a place that can only be found in the rain.

Only on a rare occasion, has she been able to open herself up to the storm enough to share it with another. His touch, like the raindrops on her skin, took her to a place that she had only imagined.

They spent the day together, simply enjoying each other. She felt comfortable, relaxed with him. Two things that were rare for her to know. An energy glowed from deep inside her…she knew something was stirring

As the hours passed, his mind often wandered to her silky skin that was hidden beneath the long pink dress she wore. Although the material flowed around her body, it hugged the curves he longed to touch, exposed her sun-kissed skin just enough to distract him. The pale pink cotton and lace seemed to glow against her tan skin.

They lay in the mid-summer afternoon, shaded by an old hickory tree, listening to the creek below and the gentle breeze rustling the grasses around them. Watching clouds drifting above them and quietly conversing about nothing at all, they seemed to be lost in one another. Her head lay on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart. His body was warm, inviting, and felt like home next to hers. She could hear a quiet rumble in the distance, but she didn’t stir. She had been here before, and hadn’t ever found the realization of the source of the thunder. So many times, the thunder was silenced before she could see the lightening, before she could feel the rain. She refused to allow expectations to invade her mind. By doing so, she knew she wouldn’t be disappointed.

His hands trailed down her bare shoulder and over her arm. He stroked her gently, listening to her hushed breathing, simply taking her in. She smelled of summertime and sweet sunshine, he couldn’t describe it in words…just that it was only one of the million things that he was drawn to. He found her to be a mystery, that was yearning to be solved. Although she never appeared to be lost, or even broken…no, she was far from either one. Her intensity was soft and still, but powerful all the more. He closed his eyes, memorizing her with his touch. Etching these moments into his mind. He wanted her, in ways beyond description. Not only her body, but all of her. He ached to climb the walls, look into the windows, and crash through the door. He absorbed her, taking her in with each breath. Her presence was like that of a sleeping lion and a tender butterfly, all at once. How could one person possess such a spectrum of intensity.

She could feel him watching her, trying to read the lines in her book, that was rarely open.

As she felt the caress of his fingertips trailing over her bare shoulders, down her arms, and into her hands, her body responded in the unexpectedly expected way she knew was always there… but had only experienced a few times before this moment.

It felt as if his fingertips were on the door handle to those places where secrets and passion played…and he was turning the handle.

The air cooled around them, and the scent of rain filled her senses. She wasn’t sure if an actual storm was approaching, or if the storm brewing within her was taking over.

He reached to her face, needing to see her eyes.  He knew that she would try to remain hidden, but he also knew she need to be found… just as much as he need to be lost in her. As he held her faced, cupped in his hands, he kissed her forehead.  Simply pressing his lips to her skin, he felt her becoming warm against him.  He could sense the hope of the beginning of her release…no matter how small.

This was the beginning of a terrifying journey that he couldn’t resist taking.

He pulled away slowly, leaning his forehead against hers. As he looking at her, she kept her gaze down, so not to look into his eyes. He held her there for only a moment, then quietly told her to look at him, to let him see her.

Although she resisted, she looked up into his eyes as he continued to gently hold her face.  These windows were heavily shaded, she wasn’t going to give him a glimpse into this storm, not just yet.  Maybe if he allowed her to see further into who he was, she might just allow him the same pleasure. It was a necessary risk.

She saw a unique landscape as she looked into his eyes. A flicker of hot passion, shadowed with a gentle compassion, hiding an intense curiosity that had always felt like a curse.  As she found the combination of all these, she craved even more, knowing he had more to compliment her own chaos.

She was cautious but wanted to dive into this beautiful mess head first. His resistance met hers equally. They both have demons that keep them from ever becoming submerged in another.

He quietly asked for her permission before kissing her perfect lips. As he tasted her sweet mouth on his, all sense of control seemed to spiral. Images of all the things he wanted to do to her, with her, and for her raced through his mind.  His gentle kiss became more urgent. He felt the tip of her tongue tracing his lips. He wondered if she could feel the power she had over him, or if she realized the strength it took for him to remain calm…to continue to be a gentleman next to her.

There was this beast-like need beginning to boil within him, as if her kiss was feeding this starved animal.