Halo Two - Five Ch. 02

My chest came away from her body as her hand went to join the other one resting close to my hip. It was that one final nod that set us both off. As I pounded into her she would grunt when our bodies connected. It was a hard fuck, but not violent: we had both seen enough violence in our lives. When her head touched the board I would stop and pull her down the bed again. Brooke would laugh all the way back to the middle of the bed before we simply started again.

Something inside her sensed that I was close. Her arms came up and held onto me tightly, pulling me down with her onto the bed as my release poured into her, sharing her own climax as our juices mixed within her tunnel while they waited for me to wilt and take the opportunity to escape.

*******

I was resting on a lounger by the pool talking to my father-in-law when Tessa climbed on my lap, soaking wet. I wrapped her in a towel, and even went to hug her before she put her hands out to stop me. Even my father-in-law stopped talking when she did that. His brow creased, as did mine. Neither of us had seen my daughter refuse a hug before.

"We want you to talk to her, daddy."

I got a shrug of the shoulders from the man sitting next to me. Even my mother-in-law, watching everything, said nothing.

"Who, baby?"

Tessa rolled her eyes the way her mother used to when she thought I was being stupid. This time she climbed off me and dropped the towel as we all watched her walk to the other side of the pool and stop in front of Brooke, who was, up until that moment, reading from her e-book. She noticed Tessa standing in front of her and dropped her e-book. Tessa picked it up and handed it back to Brooke, and then sat on the lounger talking to her.

After what must have been a good ten minutes she got up and stood to one side. Brooke eventually got up and picked up her things while my daughter slid her hand into Brooke's like it was a natural thing to do. Both girls walked back around the pool to us. I was even trying to suppress a smile when my own six-year-old tried the hand on hips gesture.

"This is the lady in the big car and the pretty dress, daddy. The one you talked to outside McDonald's when I had my party and you said she was lost."

All Brooke did was shrug her shoulders. There seemed to be a lot of that going around. My father-in-law moved his stuff to the vacant lounger on the other side of his wife, and Brooke put hers on the lounger next to mine. Tessa simply went back to playing with her sister.

After I watched my daughter for a moment longer I turned to everyone and said, "Well I didn't see that one coming."

Brooke was still watching the children splashing and playing in the children's pool, her initial confusion overcome by our smiles.

"Are you sure she's only six?"

All three of us nodded and laughed, and that universal shrug thing happened again. I made the introductions and gave a very brief history of how I knew Brooke. My father-in-law and his wife knew my work to some extent, and that was because my late wife told them. When she died my father-in-law took me for a walk and told me he and his wife knew, and had supported my choice.

When I looked closely at him he gave me an army number, smiled, and then told me he was one of those who did National Service. It was only with their consent that I went back to the same work after my wife's death. The law got involved as well, and I made sure that, if anything happened to me, my two girls would be taken care of. This man standing in front of me, along with his wife, were ready to deal with that if need be.

He looked at Brooke and it took him all of ten seconds to realize who she really was. The knowing smile came next. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Kitten."

His wife did a double take between Brooke and her husband, and joined in the smile he had. Brooke went beet red and stammered while trying for something to say. My mother-in-law cut right through her hesitancy and leaned over and kissed her cheek. I thought for a moment that Max would follow his wife's gesture, but it was handshakes that went around and then we settled down to watching the children and trying to figure out just how the heck Tessa figured it out.

Towards the end of the day, and after the second plea for a few more minutes in the pool, both the girls got out and Tessa asked Brooke to join them in the pool. That got them a smile from Brooke, and I saw what I guessed was a third plea for yet another few minutes in the pool. I was now figuring out how smart these two were. We finally headed into the hotel, and got as far as the elevators before Tessa did that thing again.

"Daddy! Can Brooke join us for dinner?"

Max and Beth just took a collective step back and left me to it. I of course mentally thanked them, and took a moment to try to figure this out. It seemed that moment was too long, because Tessa turned to Brooke and asked her herself. Brooke hesitated just briefly, and you could see the plea in both the little girls' eyes before she melted and agreed to meet them for dinner. Ever seen two little girls do a happy dance? It's the damndest, cutest thing you will ever see!

As for me, I was once again trying to figure out just how smart this six-year-old really was. By the time we had got to their floor we had a time and location for meeting my daughters and their grandparents. The elevator door had not quite closed when we both heard my girls giggling. Brooke looked at me, went red-faced, and then burst out laughing. She was still trying to hold it together when we got to our room. The phone was already ringing as we entered.

"You two best get down here! I'm NOT answering the question Tessa's just asked us."

Before I could answer I heard a rustle and then my little girl on the phone.

"Daddy. Are you and Brooke sharing a room like we are with nanny and granddad?"

It was a question I wasn't ready for. From my in-laws? Maybe. But from a six-year-old? Brooke must have heard the conversation because she took the phone from my grasp and shooed me away. Like hell was I going anywhere, but Brooke placed her hand over the phone and glared at me. I was thankful she wasn't within reach of any knives at that point. Brooke turned and held the phone back up to her ear while I got out of my clothes. She was still talking when I came out of the shower.

She had a smile on her face, so the dread I was feeling lessened slightly: but only just.

"I'm taking Beth and the two girls shopping tomorrow. We're doing the girlie bonding thing." She noticed my worry increase and said, "You and Max can do a round of golf or sit by the pool and openly drool at all the women."

With that she stood and walked towards the shower. She was naked before she even got to the door. I swear there is nothing as erotic as watching a woman bend over to pick up something when she's naked. She even caught me watching, and smiled as she did. I heard the shower running seconds later.

*******

I watched from the safety of the bed as Brooke looked at every dress she had bought, trying to decide what to wear for dinner. She had met both my girls and the in-laws in a swimming costume, yet now she was worrying about what to wear for dinner?

We met the folks just outside the restaurant. My girls cut through any hesitancy Brooke was feeling when they took a hand each and lead the way in. All I did was look at Max and Beth, smiling along with them as we followed all three girls in. Between sitting, ordering our meals and eating, my two girls gave Brooke an almost blow by blow look into their lives, starting with school and the teachers they liked. Some of their friends got a mention, as did some of the places they had visited, both here and at home. Then Tessa decided it was time for a return on their investment.

"Daddy works a lot, and he's gone for a long time sometimes. Do you work, Brooke?"

I'm almost sure she was expecting this. "I'm a medic in the army."

Tessa's eyes went wide. "You're a doctor?"

Brooke put her fork down and placed her hand on Tessa's arm, trying to slow down the imagination of a six-year-old.

"No, honey. I'm a bit like a mix between a nurse and a doctor."

I'm sure Tessa grasped her meaning because the conversation went all over the place from then on, starting with where she went to school and all the way to if she ever had a pet. It seems we all learned about Brooke that evening, and her interrogator was a six-year-old. Of course my youngest chipped in too, from the wonders of what ice-cream she liked to asking if she had ever seen a rainbow.

We took coffees and juices out by reception and, when Brooke sat, her two little bodyguards followed, leaving the rest of us to find our own seating arrangements. Brooke seemed to be taking all this in her stride, and answered any and all questions far better than I probably could have. It was about half an hour later when I also found myself redundant, and a little nonplussed about it, when Tessa asked Brooke to come to their room and read to them.

She noticed my discomfort and tried so hard to back out of the invitation; right up until my mother-in-law stood and took her hand, telling everyone that was a great idea. The girls shrieked with excitement, causing all those around us to look over. Tessa went to lead the way, before she suddenly remembered we were still here and rushed over, sat on my lap, and kissed me goodnight.

"She's our friend now, daddy." The little minx even stuck me with one of my own sayings when both sisters argued over something. "You've got to learn to share."

Tessa jumped off, leaving me a clear view of her sister smiling and nodding her head at the same time before she too jumped on my lap and kissed me goodnight, adding her ten cents' worth as well.

"Share, daddy."

Max and I watched them right up until when the doors closed and the numbers above the elevator started to rise. He then waved a waiter over, and ordered us a stiff drink each.

"They're not stupid, Rick. We've told you time and time again, and now you got to see it first-hand. Abigail is dead, and they both mourned her passing, but they are ready to move on. The timing of that decision just seemed right now that Brooke is on the scene."

Sitting with my father-in-law and being forced to face my own feelings was uncomfortable at best.

"She looks on herself as damaged goods, Max. I thought I was just helping her out." The pause as I re-evaluated those very thoughts caused him to look at me more closely before he spoke.

"When Abby died we all felt her loss, but you felt it in a different way. You withdrew into yourself, and then we heard what you did to that man who killed her. It didn't bring her back, did it, Rick?"

I watched as he took another sip of his drink before placing the now empty glass on the table. The waiter approached, but my father-in-law waved him away.

"You had those two little girls feeling so much pain and loss, yet your way of dealing with it was to rejoin the unit and deal out your own pain."

We had talked many times, my father-in-law and I, and yet this conversation seemed to have an urgency about it.

"You've stopped listening, Rick. Abigail talked to me rather than her mother about you, because of your work with the unit."

It isn't all that often that the people I work for get their code name spoken about out loud. I don't think I had even given that name to Abigail. Perhaps it was best I took it one step at a time, since neither of us had delved this deep into this conversation since the death of my wife.

"He knew he was lucky just getting a slap. The police got involved because his girlfriend saw me do it. When he knew I wasn't going to let this go, he pleaded guilty to stop me killing him. The unit reprimanded me and made my charge disappear, not that I could have given a shit by then, of course."

All he did was stare at me. I had owned up to something that only my heart knew, and kept its secret. Max's next words halted my mind from slipping into darker thoughts.

"I was in the Suez crisis, Rick, and I've seen men like you and where they go from here. Let that girl heal you as much as you heal her. Your own two girls are ready for another mother now. Not one to replace Abigail, but one to help them in the next part of their life. That would be your settling down and creating the family they both crave. They need YOU for that - not their grandparents."

He smiled, but his eyes told me he meant every word of it.

"That's a long way off yet."

This time we both stood and headed for the elevator.

"Those two children can wait if need be, Rick. They have already shown you that they approve of Brooke."

*******

It was an hour before I got Brooke back from the girls. She came into our room with a smile that made her whole face glow. That so-called spring in your step seemed to apply to her as well, as she moved around the room taking her clothes off and sitting to remove her make-up. All the time she just talked about bedtime stories and the girls; thank goodness my in-laws got included.

"I stole your daughters! I'm sorry, but they asked, and I couldn't say no to those two munchkins."

The worry passed quickly from her face when I smiled. "You only borrowed them; they're still mine."

Brooke went ever so slightly red just then.

"Well, you won't have them tomorrow night! Apparently I tell stories better than daddy, so I have an appointment same time tomorrow."

A naked Brooke walked towards me and my body reacted the same way as it always did around her just lately. She nodded down at my erection with a sly smile.

"I see a part of you has forgiven me! I will work on the rest of you tonight."

She was already in the process of running at the bed; her jump would have made a parachutist proud. She seemed to bounce once before she straddled my stomach, held my hands in hers, and looked down at me.

"Rick. I'm in love with you. I love your two girls, and your in-laws have welcomed me with open arms. Please tell me if I'm going too fast and I will back off: I promise I will." She had that pained expression I had seen a couple of times on her, and was clearly thinking about something. "I can't lie to you - it will hurt if you do want me to back off, but you're important to me and I'm not going to fuck this up."

I flipped her over, and she was now on her back with her legs wrapped around me.

"Oh, goody! Talking of fucking has got you worked up, has it?"

*******

She thought I was asleep. She had indeed fucked me to the point of exhaustion so that I dozed off as soon as she switched out the lights. In that half sleep I felt her move and thought she was just turning over, but her movement continued to ease backwards and the covers over both of us changed shape. The clock said 04:20; when I opened an eye and looked at her, thinking she was going to the bathroom, she was standing by the window, the stars still a beauty to behold in the night sky.

It was the sob that made me open the other eye. Brooke's shoulders moved and she stifled a cry as she looked up at the stars. "Please, God, let them like me. I love him, and I want so much to love them if they will only let me."

She pulled the curtains closed and sighed before heading to the bathroom. I stayed awake, listening as she relieved herself and did her bathroom rituals before returning to bed, her now cool body once again connecting with mine. It still took a few moments before her breathing became calmer and sleep overtook her.

*******

It was the frantic banging on the door that instantly woke me. My first thought was that there was a fire. Brooke was a few seconds behind me, and by that time I was in a robe and opening the door. I was eye level with Beth as two little people rushed into the room.

"See, she IS here, and she's sleeping with daddy - just like mummy used to."

The patter of little feet rushed across the room as Brooke grabbed a handful of bed sheet to protect her modesty.

The smirk from my mother-in-law said it all, but she just had to push it a little harder. "This is your early morning wake-up call."

With that she turned and headed down the hall, telling me that they would see us at breakfast.

"Daddy! Why doesn't Brooke have pajamas on?"

I closed the door and said, "That's because she was getting changed when you two knocked on the door, honey."

"Oh."

With a sheet around her body and holding on tightly in one hand, she made a swerve motion with the other hand as she grabbed some clothes and dashed into the bathroom while I kept the girls amused with the view from our side of the hotel. With Brooke ready I grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom.

We met the in-laws downstairs. They were still smiling when we entered the restaurant. I walked in beside Max while his wife joined the girls.

"You do know that was a low blow."

"Well, they had us up at the crack of dawn asking if it was time to see Brooke yet, so my wife thought it would be a good idea to do just that."

All I did was grunt. The words I really wanted to use may have upset him.

"Rick, both the girls look on Brooke as daddy's new girlfriend. At least give them this shopping trip and decide from then on."

"So the fact that we will be by the pool and watching bikinis for hours on end, waiting for them to return, has nothing to do with it?"

He laughed so loudly that all the girls stopped and turned to see what the joke was. He waved them on to our table and used those few seconds to calm himself down.

"Young man," he said, faking a shocked expression, "I don't know what you mean!"

"Of course not," I replied with a grin as we joined the others.

*******

I looked at my watch, hearing Max sigh as I did.

"Please take it off and stuff it in your pocket."

Max was pissed off. "It's three o'clock! They've been gone for four hours. A bunch of women shopping for four hours is nothing new, and you looking at that damned watch every fifteen minutes isn't going to bring them back any earlier."

"It might."

I knew it was a weak answer but I simply couldn't stop, a part of me also wanting right now to be a fly on the wall next to them so that I knew what they were up to.

Max was just about to counter my pathetic excuse for an answer when something caught his eye. The rest of the people around the pool must have noticed about then as well because the general noise close to us decreased considerably.

"Good Lord, PLEASE don't let my wife catch me staring at HER for the rest of the afternoon."

She walked with the confidence of her years, and I was right about her tits as well, even in the modest swimsuit she was wearing. A hotel towel over her arm, and a book in her hand, although I could have bet my mortgage on her not even getting the chance to open that book any time this afternoon. Max sat up a little straighter when she stopped in front of me and smiled.

"Good afternoon, Rick! May I sit down?"

I had to bury my first instinct and sit her next to Max. Hell, I don't even think he could feel the drool leaving his mouth. As I stood, she held out her towel for me, and I placed it on the lounger next to mine while Max did his best to regroup. The waiter was there before her feet had left the poolside and rested on the lounger.

"The usual please, Benito, and the same again for these two gentlemen."

The man blushed slightly and nodded before walking away with his head held high and his chest out, proud as anything that this woman knew his name.

"Stop drooling or I'm telling your wife."

Max humphed and got flustered.

"I'll have you know I was doing no such thing."

She smiled and continued to hide behind her sunglasses. Max stopped talking when one slender leg graciously slid over the other as she crossed her legs. Boy, did he have it bad.