Chapter Nine

Richie was clearing off the table, the guys having moved the party inside. "Hey." The bowls he was holding clattered to the table. Leana was standing there in sleep shorts and a tank top, her hair pulled back in a low loose ponytail. "Jesus Leana, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" "Sorry." "What are you doing here?" She stepped out of the shadows. "Honestly, I'm not sure." She had tossed and turned, all the while thinking about him and the way things used to be. After a while she found herself walking back down the beach.

Richie took a step toward her and held out his hand, "come here." She moved closer to him, taking his hand. He pulled her into his arms and held her close. He could feel her trembling. "What's wrong?" "Nothing... Everything... Shit, I don't know." He could hear the emotion in her voice as she spoke and he rubbed his hand up and down her back. It wasn't supposed to still feel so good, so right she thought.

Letting his lips slide over the top of her head he urged her toward a chair. "Come on, let's sit down." Richie settled himself back on one of the lounge chairs and pulled her down to him. She sat curled up against him, between his one leg that was stretched out along the chair and the other bent, his foot resting on the floor. They sat there, quiet for a few minutes. Leana finally spoke, "you asked me last night if I had gotten over you. Until then I thought I had. I had moved on. I had dated, gotten married, divorced. Now, here I am back at square one. So I guess the real answer to that question is no, I never really got over you."

"Leana" Richie started, "I was such a bastard all those years ago. I'm sorry. Can you ever forgive me?" The words she had waited 20 years to hear broke something in her. The tears spilled down her cheeks before she even realized it. With his fingers Richie tilted her head up so he could look at her. "Don't cry darlin'." "Richie, you don't understand. I never thought I would see you again, let alone hear those words from you. I always wondered, but I never let myself believe ti would happen. You just don't know...". As he brushed at her tears with his fingertips, Leana found his eyes with hers, "Richie, kiss me like you wanted to in the kitchen earlier."

Without a word Richie lowered his head, finding her lips with his, grazing over them ever solightly. With that light, hesitant touch Leana felt some of the hurt she had carried for so long start to slip away. She parted her lips slightly and Richie brought his mouth back to hers, letting his tongue slide in to taste her fully. It was a kiss that spoke of apology, of wanting, of longing for what was and of hope for what might possibly be.

Leana felt Richie's hand slide down, caressing her shoulder, the curve of her breast and finally settling on her waist. As her own hand slid up his chest, caressing his neck and twining in his hair, she could feel that oh so very male part of him harden at her hip. She wasn't ready for this. Leana eased herself back from the kiss. "Richie, wait." He opened his eyes and looked down at her. "What?" "I'm not ready for this. I just can't." She laid her head against his chest again. "I'm sorry."

Richie ran his fingers along her arm and up to her shoulder. "Don't be sorry darlin'. I know we have a lot to work through. I shouldn't have gotten so carried away." She looked up at him, I don't want to leave though, this feels too nice, too right." He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "Why don't you come inside with me?" She looked at him like he had just grown a second head. "I just told you I wasn't ready for that." "I know, but it's late and I don't want you walking back to your place alone. So just stay here. I promise to behave."