A Weekend Away

Disclaimer: Don’t own em…blah blah blah

Rating: R…some naughty language, smut of course…borders NC17, but I toned it down…lol

1.

"Everything all set?" Shane asked, heading down the hall toward the elevator. Shelly followed behind him, flipping through her day-planner.

"Yeah, all systems are go. Hopefully things will run a lot smoother than they did last year," she said, laughing a little.

"Oh, that was a mess, huh?" Shane laughed, hitting the button for the lobby. "Too much alcohol and a hotel ballroom. At least this year we’ll be out of the public eye."

Shelly nodded. Every year, the WWF had a combination reunion/company picnic thing. Last year’s had been a fiasco. A lot of the younger guys had gotten wasted, and the ballroom had ended up getting trashed. This year, Shelly had managed to find the company an old ranch in Texas. The main house was huge, with 10 bedrooms inside, and the living room alone took up most of the first floor. It was perfect for their gathering as it was big enough to accommodate all of their people.

Most of the weekend would be spent outside, riding horses, playing volleyball, doing whatever else Shelly had come up with to occupy the guys. The ranch even had bunk houses, about a quarter mile from the main house, where people who didn’t want to stay at a hotel…or were too drunk to drive to one…could crash for the night. It had been Shelly’s idea to stretch the one day event to a long 4 day weekend off for everyone on the roster and backstage.

Shelly was proud of herself. This was her first real project as event coordinator, and she knew Shane was testing her to see if she was ready for handling the job. If all went well, she’d be handling arena scheduling, promotional sessions, and just about everything else for the guys.

"Oh, and Shelly," Shane paused, holding the elevator open and looking back at her. "Call Patsy and invite her down. The guys would love to see her."

"I don’t think she’ll show," Shelly said doubtfully. Patsy had been a writer for a few years, and most of the guys knew who she was.

"We’d love to have her. And um…Taker’s not gonna show. He said he’s going to go home for the weekend," Shane shrugged. "I think he overheard a few of the others talking about how they wished she would come visit. Will you at least give it a shot?"

"Sure, no problem," Shelly smiled weakly, and Shane let go of the door and headed off. Sighing, she pressed the button for the basement level garage. There was a problem, and Shane knew it. Ever since Patsy and Mark’s divorce became final 3 months ago, she’d wanted absolutely nothing to do with anything that he was in contact with. Shelly was surprised that her friend still talked to her half the time.

She stepped off the elevator and made her way through the dim garage to her car. Lost in thought, she didn’t see the man step out from behind a van parked next to her. She gave a little scream when she felt someone grab her arm.

"Switch to decaf, Shell," Glen smiled down at her, and Shelly could have sworn her knees buckled. Every time he came near her, it was all she could do to keep from melting at his feet.

"How is it such a huge guy can be so damn sneaky?" she grouched, trying to cover her inability to catch her breath. Glen shrugged and leaned against the van, crossing his arms over his chest. Shelly swallowed hard.

"I’m just built for stealth, that’s all," he said, half-smiling. Personally, Shelly thought he was built for sex, but that was just her opinion. The man was damn near perfect. And he didn’t have any idea that she thought so. She’d been very careful to keep her emotions uninvolved from her work. It was easier that way.

"Right. Was there anything in particular you wanted…" ‘like me’ she added in her head. "Or was this a random scare?"

"Oh, well. Here," he dug in his pocket, drawing her eyes to the front of his tight jeans. She curled her hands into fists and dug her nails in, forcing herself to look away. Glen held out a key. "Key to the main house at the ranch. Everybody that’s staying at the ranch got one, so the master key is yours to keep up with. Aren’t you the lucky one?" He chuckled and pushed away from the van. "I’m going to go up and see who else I can annoy. I’ll see you this weekend."

"Yeah, see ya," Shelly muttered, holding the key tightly in her palm. Glen had gotten copies of the key made while he was out doing errands, a little favor he’d performed when he’d seen how busy Shelly was. She turned and watched his retreating back, admiring his butt in the tight jeans. That man was hot.

Snapping out of her Glen-induced daze, she climbed into her car and pulled out of the garage. She had a lot to do before she left for Texas in two days, and she wanted to call Patsy and get it over with now, while she was still floating on a Glen high.

2.

"I said you’re going, and I mean it," Matt said, laughing at the look on Claire’s face.

"But it’s for you guys. I would feel so left out of the whole thing," she picked her book up and went back to reading. Matt pulled the paperback from her hands.

"I want you to go. Besides, you’re a fan…you can find plenty to keep you occupied. And you’ll be with me for the entire weekend. Come on, this will be the first time we’ve spent more than a day together. And I don’t have this much time off again for 3 months. I want you to be there."

"Don’t you have a match tonight?" She asked, making a grab for her book and totally ignoring what he was saying.

"Yeah, but I’m not leaving til you tell me what I want to hear," he laughed, holding the book out to her then pulling it away.

Claire rolled her eyes. "Fine, I’ll go. But I won’t have a good time, which means you won’t have a good time. I’ll find a corner to sit in all weekend and I’ll vegitate there for four days."

"Great! I already got you a plane ticket," Matt handed her the book. He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. "And you will have a great time. You’ll see. I should take off. I don’t want to be late or else Jeff might have a fit."

Claire stood up and hugged him. "Drive carefully. And call me when you get there."

Matt kissed her again then headed for the door. Claire stood at the window and watched him pull away from the house, a slight frown on her face. She’d been seeing Mat for close to six months, and the only other wrestler she’d been in contact with was Jeff, his brother. Even though she wanted to spend time with Matt, she didn’t want to go to some company function where most likely she’d be left to fend for herself all the time.

She shook her head and turned away from the window. Matt wouldn’t do that, she was just looking for an excuse not to go. Although she was falling in love with him, she wasn’t sure she was ready to take the next step in their relationship. She was over-thinking it. Matt hadn’t even brought up the whole sex thing. Claire didn’t know if she should be relieved or worried about it.

Sighing, she headed toward her bedroom. She’d told him she would go, and she didn’t want to back out on him. Might as well pack and get ready for it.

3.

"Absolutely no way in hell," Patsy held the phone with her shoulder, trying to gather up the cluttered papers on her desk.

"Aw, come on," Shelly pleaded. She’d dialed Patsy’s number as soon as she walked in the house, and hadn’t even gotten the entire question out before her friend was saying no. "You said yourself you needed a break. This is a free weekend with some guys you haven’t seen in a long time. They’d love to have you around."

"Spending a weekend with some rowdy wrestlers is not my idea of time off. Besides, you know why I don’t want to go," Patsy gave up on the mess of papers and turned back to her computer.

"I know. If I told you he wasn’t going to be there, would that make a difference?"

Patsy sighed. "Not really. This just isn’t a good weekend for me to take off. I have a deadline to hit, a million things to do." She leaned forward and saved what she’d been working on, then shut off the computer. Truth was, she’d love to be able to go and see a bunch of her old friends again. But she didn’t want to run into Mark. Every time they got within hearing range of each other, it was disaster. Better to just keep her distance from all of it.

"I wish I could change your mind. I haven’t seen you in two months. I have nobody to talk to on the road anymore," Shelly said.

"Give me a break. You travel with hot guys five days out of the week and you’d rather hang out with me. That’s just wrong."

Shelly laughed. "I never said I didn’t like traveling with the guys. Come on. Will you at least give it some thought? I already bought you a ticket, company expense account of course. You can stay right at the ranch if you want to. It’ll be a blast."

"I’ll try to think about it, how’s that?"

"I’ll take that as a ‘I can’t wait to be there, see you on Thursday morning’ statement. Bye," Shelly hung up before Patsy could even begin to argue with her.

She set the phone on its cradle and leaned back in her chair. She couldn’t believe she was actually considering going. Patsy had loved her job with the WWF and had gotten along well with most of the guys. Except for her own husband. After the first year or so of their marriage, they hadn’t been able to be around each other without fighting over something. When they’d finally thrown in the towel, Patsy had quit her job writing for the fed. She supposed that if she’d wanted to make Mark’s life hell she could have stuck with it, but all she had wanted was to get try to pull herself back together.

Patsy was pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on her door. "Hey, you look like you’re a million miles away," Maggie, her part time secretary, came in smiling.

"I wish. I guess you’re going to get a long weekend. I’m going out of town for a few days."

"You’re taking time off?" Maggie acted shocked, grabbing her chest and collapsing into a chair. "What happened, mobster’s going to come break your kneecaps?"

"Something like that," Patsy said, shooting a scowl in her friend’s direction. It was close to true. If Shelly let word out that she was going and she didn’t show up, she’d have a few disappointed wrestlers to deal with. "I’m going to Texas for a few days. So you can go ahead and take off. I’ll clean up before I leave."

"Texas?" Maggie cocked her eyebrow.

"Not what you think, Mags. Texas is a big state."

"Yeah, that’s why you moved back to Kentucky," Maggie laughed, then moved to the door. "I’m leaving before you kill me. Give me a call, let me know you got there Ok."

The door closed and Patsy rubbed her temples. It was going to be a long weekend.

4.

Shelly stepped of the plane Wednesday afternoon and sighed with relief. No matter how many times she flew, she hated it. Hopefully when she went home Sunday night she could hitch a ride with one of the guys that brought their car.

Just as Shane had promised, a rental car was waiting for her at the airport. She signed the paperwork and got the key, then went outside to find the car. It was hot out, a big change from the mild weather they’d been having in Connecticut. She finally spotted her rental, a silver Grand Am with a sunroof. She had to smile. Shane had remembered her favorite car.

It was about an hour from the airport to the ranch. Shelly drove, flipping through endless country music stations on the radio. The first thing she needed to do was buy some new CDs to listen to. She’d been down here a few weeks ago to make sure that everything was ready for this weekend. Shelly had decided to come down a day early to double check.

She pulled into the long winding dirt driveway and drove to the back of the huge house. Parking, she climbed out and looked around. The ranch was sprawled over several acres of land, and the house was right in the middle. Across a large field she could barely make out the outline of the bunkhouses. Shelly climbed up the steps of the wraparound porch and used her key to open the kitchen door.

The place was spotless. Last week she’d hired some people to clean it up, and they’d done a great job. As she wandered through the downstairs rooms, she went through a mental checklist, making sure nothing had been forgotten.

Shelly climbed the stairs, running her hand along the polished oak banister as she went. She loved this house, and wished she could have one just like it. Maybe on a smaller scale. She didn’t really have a use for 10 bedrooms. She opened the door to the master bedroom and stepped inside.

"You’re early," A deep voice said from her right. Shelly jumped and then frowned at Glen.

"If you don’t stop scaring me I’m going to run knock you upside your head," she said. "What are you doing here?"

Glen grinned at her, then stepped to the window to look out on the backyard. "I live about 20 minutes that way, remember? Shane asked me to make sure the place was ready to go. And what are you doing here?"

Shelly sat on the edge of the king-sized bed. This would be Vince and Linda’s room for the weekend. She smoothed out a wrinkle in the blanket. "Same thing, basically. Only I was doing it more for myself. Being a good girl scout."

Glen laughed and moved across the room, settling on the bed next to her. "Admit it, you just wanted to spend the day here while it’s quiet."

"Guilty," she said with a smile. Shelly cleared her throat as Glen shifted on the bed, leaning back to rest on his elbows.

"Can I ask you a question?" Shelly turned to look at him.

"Sure, go ahead."

Glen studied her for a minute. "Why is it that whenever I come around you, you develop this whole shyness complex?"

Shelly’s eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Now he smiled again and sat up. "Come on, you know what I’m talking about. Does being around me make you nervous?" He leaned a little closer.

"Um…well…considering you could probably step on me, yes," She managed to say. Glen tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. Shelly managed to look into his eyes, and smiled slightly.

"I wouldn’t step on you," he said, half-smiling. He lifted his hand and stroked his thumb down her cheek. "That would be about the last thing on my mind."

"What would be the first thing?" Shelly managed to say, closing her eyes as his fingers moved down to her chin. Glen leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers, kissing her gently. "What was that for?" she whispered when he pulled back.

Glen shrugged and gave her another lazy smile. "Just felt like it," he stood up and took another look around. "I guess I’ll head back to my place. See you tomorrow, Shell."

Shelly sat still for several minutes, even after she was sure he was gone. She brought her fingers to her lips, and wondered what the hell had just happened. Not that she was going to complain, but…she sighed and stood up finally. Better to just pretend it never happened and get back to whatever it was she was supposed to be doing.

5.

Claire couldn’t help but feel relieved when she and Matt pulled into the parking area and the first person she spotted was Shelly. At least there was one person other than Matt and Jeff that she could talk to. She’d met Shelly at about the same time she and Matt had started dating, and they’d hit it off pretty well.

Shelly grinned at them as she made her way over to the car. "Hey guys. We’re letting people stay in the bunkhouses on a first come first serve basis, so if you want a room…better go stake one out."

"What do you think?" Matt asked her. "Wanna stay here, or find a motel in town?" Claire glanced over at him, then smiled.

"Here is fine if there’s room. We won’t have to drive back and forth."

Matt grinned, then put the car in gear. "Come back up when you get settled in," Shelly called to Claire as Matt pulled away. Claire waved to show that she heard, then looked out the window at the scenery. Matt drove along a dirt track that led around the house and across an open field.

He pulled up outside one of the bunkhouse and cut the engine. "Well, let ‘s go see what kind of mess this place is in."

Claire laughed and waited while Matt came around and opened her door for her. He grabbed their bags from the back seat, then led the way inside the first building. It didn’t look like much on the outside, but the inside was set up like a motel. There were ten rooms on each side, and a long carpeted hallway running down the middle. Most of the doors were open, signifying that no one had claimed those rooms yet.

Matt walked all the way to the end and pointed in the last door on the right. "You want this one? It looks like it’s the granddaddy."

Claire laughed and stepped in, looking around. This room was almost twice the size of the other ones in the building. It had a large double bed in one corner, and a dark blue patterned rug covering the hardwood floor. "I like it," she smiled, sitting on the bed and running her hand over the deep blue sheet that was covering it. Matt set her bag on the dresser near the door, then turned to leave. "Where are you going?"

"To get a room," Matt smiled at her. Claire cleared her throat, then looked away from him.

"I thought we would be sharing a room this weekend…" she trailed off. Matt looked at her for a moment, then set his bag on the floor and settled next to her on the bed. He took her chin in his hand and made her look at him.

"If you want me to I will. I told you I wasn’t going to rush you into anything and I meant it."

Claire nodded and gave him a weak smile. "I want you to stay with me," she said quietly. Matt studied her eyes for a minute before smiling softly.

"Ok. I promise to behave like the perfect gentleman that I am," he said, making her giggle and breaking her tense mood up a little. "Now, let’s unpack and go see what everybody else is getting into."

6.

Shelly was sitting on the front porch, soaking up some sun when Shane came out the front door. "Everybody here?" he asked, sitting next to her. She nodded and shrugged.

"For the most part. A few are staying in town, so they went to check in and get settled. It’s just stragglers now."

"Patsy show up?"

"Not yet. But I called the airline and they said she picked up her ticket, so she should be here soon."

"Good, good," Shane smiled and stretched out his legs. Shelly eyed him suspiciously.

"What did you do?"

"What do you mean?" Shane’s face was all innocence as he looked back at her.

"Don’t give me that. You have that cat that ate the canary look. You’re plotting something."

"I’m not plotting a damn thing, Miss Paranoid. If you’ll excuse me, I see a guest that I need to welcome." With that, Shane got up and walked across the front yard to meet a truck that was coming up the drive. Shelly barely glanced at it, then did a double take.

"Shit," she said under her breath. She hoped for all of three seconds that her eyesight had decided to fail her, but she recognized the truck. It was Mark’s.

She watched from the porch as he and Shane talked with Mark for a few minutes next to the black pickup. If Patsy saw him here, she would really be pissed. Shelly wondered briefly if she should fear for her life. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and hit the buttons to dial Patsy’s cell number. It rang a few times, then voice mail kicked in. Shelly didn’t leave a message. She didn’t know what the hell she would have said if Patsy had answered. Turn around now while you have a chance?

Mark and Shane finished their conversation, and Mark got back in his truck. Shelly watched he drove past the house, lifting a hand in answer to his wave. She had nothing against him. She thought he was a great guy. But Patsy…hate didn’t seem to be a strong enough word. She stood up as Shane rejoined her on the porch.

"What the hell was that all about?" she asked, keeping her voice low. "Damn it, you said he wasn’t going to be here. You got me to lie to my best friend."

Shane raised his hands. "Hey, hey…he said he might not make it. Is it my fault he changed his mind? And don’t worry about Patsy. There’s gonna be over a hundred people in and out of here this weekend. She’ll keep her head and ignore him. And I’ll make sure to smooth things over a little and keep you in the clear."

Shelly poked him in the chest. "You’d better. And don’t pull that you didn’t know crap with me. I know better. This is going to blow up in your face Shane." She turned and stomped into the house, slamming the door behind her.

"I guess we’ll see in a little while," Shane muttered, then smiled and went around the house to see what he was missing.

7.

Patsy slowed her rental car and turned into the driveway of the ranch. She’d only changed her mind a few dozen times before going and claiming her plane ticket.

"How’s my hair look?"

Patsy snorted and glanced sideways at Levi. He was one of the wrestlers for OVW, the fed that she was working for. Impulsively, she’d asked him to come along with her to keep her company on the long flight and drive. It would help him get to know some of the WWF wrestlers he’d be working with too.

"If you had hair, I’m sure it would look beautiful," she said wryly. Levi…better known as Leviathan, had spent most of the trip trying to make her laugh. It was working. He might look big and mean, but he was a genuine nice guy.

"Are we there yet? You shoulda let me drive. I hate being the passenger."

"Yeah, yeah. You’ve made that abundantly clear," Patsy said, sighing with relief when the house came into sight. Shane was standing on the front porch, talking to a group of guys. He spied her getting out of the car and came to meet her.

"Patsy! Glad you could make it," he said, hugging her. Patsy returned it then turned to introduce him to Levi. Shane stood with a dumbstruck look on his face as Levi stepped out of the passenger side and grinned at him over the roof of the car.

"Hope you don’t mind…Shane, this is Levi. He works in OVW with me," Patsy said, watching as Shane seemed to take it in. She glanced at Levi and rolled her eyes. She’d gotten to a point where she could tell when he was going to say something idiotic.

"Hi. Patsy was a little worried about bringing a date along. But I won the coin toss so here I am," he said, moving around the car and extending his hand to Shane, who shook it quickly. Patsy elbowed Levi in the side, then smiled at Shane.

"We decided to get motel rooms for the weekend instead of staying here. I kinda figured all the rooms here would be taken. We look like the last of the group to get here."

"Pretty much. Um, listen…I need to talk to you for a few minutes…"

"Hey, Pats…come on, I want to look around while there’s still daylight left. You two can gossip later," Levi laughed and pulled Patsy along with him.

"I’ll talk to you later, Shane," Patsy said, laughing, then turned and followed Levi. Shane watched them go, then slowly shook his head.

He turned to go find Shelly and warn her that he didn’t have a chance to talk to Patsy. And since she was walking around with a guy that was as big as Mark or Glen, she’d be kind of hard to miss. He was also going to have to find a way to distract Mark. Three months after the divorce he was still more than a little hung up on his ex.

Shane spotted Shelly sitting on a lawn chair next to Matt’s girlfriend Claire, watching a bunch of guys hit a volleyball back and forth. "Hey...um…Shelly…Can I have a minute?"

"Sure. Have a seat," Shelly moved her legs, making room for him. He looked at Claire for a second, then sat down. He wasn’t sure he wanted to bring this up in front of Shelly’s friend.

"Patsy’s here," he said, rubbing his hands together. Shelly sat up and looked around.

"Where? Leave it to her to manage to sneak by me," she said, making Claire laugh.

"She’s taking in the scenery. With her date," Shane added.

"Date? Patsy brought a date? You’re kidding me right?" Shelly thought he was joking. Patsy never mentioned going out with anybody.

"I kid you not. Big tall bald guy named Levi. If Mark sees them together the shit’s gonna hit the fan."

Shelly leaned her head back against the chair. "Christ. I told you. Damn it, he’s gonna go ballistic."

"Why? Aren’t they divorced?" Claire asked, leaning forward.

"Yeah…but it wasn’t a very friendly split," Shelly said, then stood up. I better track her down and warn her that he showed up. I’m sure you didn’t tell her Mark was here, did ya Shane?"

He shook his head sheepishly. "I didn’t have a chance. I’m gonna see if I can find Mark, try to give him a heads up so he won’t completely flip out."

Shane stood up and wandered off. Shelly sighed and looked at Claire. "So much for a peaceful weekend."

8.

Shelly wandered around for a while, then spotted Patsy down by the stables. Although this wasn’t a working ranch, the people that owned the next spread over housed a few of their horses here in exchange for keeping up the place. Shelly sighed. She hated horses, so of course that was where Patsy was.

"Hey," she said, coming up behind Patsy, who was leaning on the fence. Patsy turned and smiled at her.

"Long time no see," She said, nodding at the horses. "Wanna saddle one up?"

Shelly rolled her eyes. "You know better than to even ask." She looked around. It appeared Patsy had the place to herself. "I have to tell you something."

Patsy turned around and leaned back against the fence, her eyebrow raised. "Ok, shoot."

Biting her lip, Shelly leaned her arms against the fence. "Mark is here," she said quietly. She saw Patsy getting ready to speak. "I swear I was told he wasn’t going to be here. If I had known I would never have asked you to come." Shelly waited, but Patsy just stood there quietly staring at her.

Finally she crossed her arms over her chest. "What kind of shit are you trying to pull? You know how I feel about seeing him," She kept her voice low, which made Shelly nervous. She was definitely pissed off.

"I know it…but Pats…" Shelly saw Patsy look past her and narrowed her eyes. Shelly turned around and groaned. Mark was headed this way.

"I think you’d better get away from me," Patsy said, still not looking at her. "Track down Levi and tell him I’ll catch up with him later." Shelly hesitated, then nodded and walked away. Mark and Patsy were probably going to have a screaming match, and Patsy was already pissed off at her. It was better to let her cool down for a while before trying to talk to her.

Mark stopped a few feet in front of her and looked Patsy over. "What do you want?" She said, sounding like she couldn’t care less.

"Maybe to have a conversation with my wife," he said, leaning against the fence.

"Ex. We’re divorced now." Patsy turned and started to walk away. Mark grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him.

"That doesn’t mean you can’t talk to me. Don’t I even have a right to know why you’re acting like I have the plague?"

"You lost all you’re rights when the papers got signed," she laughed harshly.

"Maybe I shouldn’t have signed them then," Mark said quietly. "Come on. Let’s go somewhere so we can talk…"

"No," Patsy jerked her arm from his grip. "My days of following you around and doing whatever you say are over. Why don’t you go find a willing ring rat…you never had a shortage of them running around."

"Patsy…"Mark took a step forward and she backed away. "I just want to know what happened."

She laughed again, then spotted Levi coming down the hill toward the stables. "Gee…nothing happened. Finding out that your husband is screwing around on you really is kind of a weak ass reason to call it quits."

Mark frowned. "I never…"

"Spare me," Patsy said, moving past him. She stopped and looked back at him. "It wasn’t some rumor. I’d like to think I’m a little less shallow than that. How about this? Imagine getting called to a city a few hours away from home to help rewrite part of a script. Then, instead of driving home at that late hour, you decide to go to the hotel where your husband is staying and spend the night with him. Are you seeing where I’m going with this?"

Mark just shook his head, although she could see his face was turning red. Whether he was embarrassed or pissed off, Patsy didn’t know. "I don’t know why I came here. Do me a favor. Stay the hell away from me." With that, Patsy turned and stormed off, meeting Levi halfway up the hill.

Mark watched through narrowed eyes as they talked for a few seconds, both of them glancing in his direction. The guy put an arm over Patsy’s shoulders and led her back up the hill toward the house. Mark balled his hands into fists, and made himself count slowly to ten. He finally relaxed, leaning against the fence for support. That had definitely not gone the way he’d intended.

9.

It was a little past midnight when Shelly climbed up the stairs in the house and went to her room. She’d spent a while trying to find Patsy, to get her to talk, but was told that she’d left after only spending about an hour at the ranch. Mark had sat at one of the picnic tables, drinking way too much beer. He’d barely said three words to anybody all night long. The only people she wasn’t worried about right now were Matt and Claire, who seemed to be getting along better than ever.

Without bothering to turn on the light, she stepped into her room and shut the door. Shelly stripped out of her clothes, tossing them onto a chair in the corner, and slid into her bed.

"You know, that’s the first time I was ever hit in the head with a flying bra," came a voice from the corner. Shelly choked back a startled scream and glared across the room to the corner where the chair was.

"Glen? What the hell are you doing in here?"

There was a deep chuckle, and Shelly could barely make out his outline as he stood up and moved toward the bed. "You looked like you were having a rough day," He said, sitting down next to her. Shelly pulled the sheet up to her chin and slid over to make room for him.

"You could say that," she said, half-smiling. "So, why exactly are you sitting in my room in the dark?"

Glen turned around and leaned back against the headboard. "I got to thinking earlier. Do you remember the Christmas party Vince threw this past year?"

Shelly laughed. "Barely. I was a little on the drunk side."

"So you don’t remember dragging me back to your hotel room and…um…"

Shelly sat up straight and pretended to throw a punch at him. "I did not!"

"Ok, so maybe you didn’t," Glen said laughing. "That doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about it."

"Thinking about what?" Shelly asked, suddenly not able to catch her breath. She felt him shift on the bed next to her, and he took her hand in his.

"You. Me. Us. We’re friends right? I don’t wanna screw that up. But I can’t help it. For a while now all I can think about…" he shifted again, moving closer to her. "Is being with you…" Glen tilted his head a little, and Shelly felt his lips brushing hers.

Shelly made a soft noise in her throat then kissed him back, pressing her lips against his. Glen’s hands came up to cup her face as he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue across her lips and into her mouth. She relaxed against him, running her hands over his chest. Glen slowly tugged the sheet that was covering her off, and Shelly shivered as cool air hit her skin.

Glen pushed her gently so she was lying back on the bed, then tugged his shirt off. He stretched out next to her, pulling her against him, his bare skin warming hers. He kissed her again, running his tongue along hers. Shelly stroked his back with her fingertips, feeling his muscles twitch under her touch. His mouth left her and slid down her neck, planting hot little kisses on her skin.

His tongue traced her collarbone, then he gently scraped his teeth along her skin, giving her goose bumps. He settled his hand on her hip, then slowly moved it up, stopping to toy with the hoop she wore through her belly button. Glen sat up a little and Shelly sensed, more that saw, him smiling down at her.

"I always wondered what you were hiding under those clothes you wore," he drawled out, his fingers lightly tugging on the hoop.

"I’m full of surprises," she said, her voice hoarse.

"Are you?" Instead of answering him, Shelly sat up and pushed him onto his back. She leaned down and flicked her tongue down the center of his chest, drawing a line from his stomach to his neck. She ran her hands over his smooth skin, feeling his stomach jump under her palms. Her fingers worked the button-fly of his jeans and she tugged them down his legs, throwing them to the floor.

Shelly moved so she was between his legs, her fingers making patterns on his thighs. Very slowly, she brought her hand to rest on his hard cock, smiling a little when it twitched in her hand and he sucked in a harsh breath. She gently worked him with her fingers, sliding her palms up and down his shaft.

After a few minutes, Glen reached down and grabbed her hand, then pulled her so she was lying on top of him. She wiggled a little, making him moan as he tangled his fingers into her hair and pulled her lips to his for another deep kiss. Shelly moved so that she was straddling his hips, feeling the head of his cock brush against her clit as he lifted his hips off the bed. Glen released her head and broke the kiss, then made her yelp as he suddenly sat up, wrapping his arms around her waist.

His lips moved down her neck again, his tongue sliding across her skin. Glen’s hands slid under her, and he maneuvered her legs so they were wrapped around him. His stroked her thighs and hips, his mouth still moving over the skin of her shoulders. His hands slid under her again, cupping her ass and lifting her up so he could slide inside her. Shelly cried out as she took him in, and he gave her a minute to adjust to his size.

Instead of moving his hips, Glen released his grip on her and slid his hands over her waist and back to her stomach. He cupped her breasts, his fingers teasing her nipples and making them hard. Shelly dug her fingernails into his shoulders as he leaned farther down to take one into his hot mouth, sucking on it and flicking his tongue across it.

Shelly moved her hips in slow circles, timing her movements to his rhythmic sucking. Glen slid one hand between their bodies and began stroking her clit, making her moan out his name and move faster. She could feel him throbbing inside her, and his fingers and mouth were driving her insane. She began moving harder against him, using her legs for leverage to drive him deeper inside her.

Glen stopped sucking on her nipple and sat straight up, gripping her hips in both of his hands. Shelly cried out, feeling her climax move through her body as his fingers dug into her skin. Her legs tightened almost painfully around him as she felt him come inside her, his body straining against hers. Breathing heavily, she collapsed against him, resting her head on his shoulder. Glen wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him.

After a few minutes, he gently eased her away from him, settling her on the bed. Glen reached down and pulled the sheet up over them, then lay next to her. Shelly rolled over and laid her head on his shoulder, smiling a little when his arms went around her. She fell asleep listening to his slow steady heartbeat.

10.

Claire came out of the shower and went to the room she was sharing with Matt. He was already in bed, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. When he heard the door close, he looked over at her and smiled. Claire’s knees almost buckled under her. It still amazed her that something so simple as a smile from him could melt her.

She slid into the bed next to him, and stiffened up a little when he turned to face her. "Relax," his voice was low and soothing. Claire offered him a weak smile.

"I’m sorry. I don’t know why I get so nervous…"

Matt chuckled. "It’s Ok. You think I’m not nervous?"

"No, I think you’re Mister Smooth," Claire said wryly, making him laugh.

"Are you having fun yet?" he asked her, taking her hand in his. Claire watched as he threaded his fingers with hers.

"Surprisingly, yes. I’ve met some interesting people," she assented, smiling a little. One of whom had been Patsy, who had seemed rather distracted while they chatted.

"I’m glad. I was worried you’d feel left out," Matt said, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss it.

"No chance of that happening. I think I might have been alone for all of 5 minutes total today, and that includes the shower I just took," Claire laughed.

"Maybe tomorrow you can talk to Shane about writing for us. I know, I know…" He held up his free hand and laughed. "You don’t wanna abuse our relationship. But you’re good, and he’ll see it."

"Maybe…" Claire said, turning on her side to face him. "I guess we’ll see how things are looking tomorrow before I make a sales pitch to your boss." They both grew quiet, lost in their own thoughts. After a few minutes, Matt shook himself out of it and smiled.

"Gonna turn off the light, if you’re ready?" Claire nodded and Matt got up and flipped the switch. She felt the bed shift as he settled back in next to her. She let him cuddle close to her, inhaling the warm scent of his cologne as she snuggled against him.

Claire felt his fingers moving up and down her back slowly, easing her tension out of her. She lifted her head a little, and Matt gently kissed her lips. She sighed as his tongue dipped into her mouth. They kissed passionately for several minutes, and finally pulled back to catch their breath.

Matt smiled and cupped her chin in his hand, running his thumb over her parted lips. He slowly drew his hand down her neck, his fingers lightly brushing across her skin. He stopped when he encountered the neck of her nightshirt. He kissed her again, his lips soft against hers as his hand slid down to cup her breast. Claire moaned and felt herself arch into him, wanting him to touch her. Matt smiled against her lips as he felt her nipple harden under his palm. He slid his fingers over it, drawing a gasp from her as it tightened even more.

Matt slid his lips from hers and kissed along the line of her jaw, nibbling her soft skin. His hand left her breast and slid down her side til he was touching the bare skin of her thigh. He slowly moved it up, sliding it under her shirt. Claire felt herself stiffen as his fingers brushed across her hip.

"Matt…" she managed to whisper out. She cleared her throat, then put her hands on his shoulders and pushed at him. "Matt…stop…"

Matt pulled back, trying to calm himself down. "I’m sorry…I got carried away…" he removed his hand from under her shirt, then smoothed it down over her thigh.

"No…I just…I…" Claire bit her lip. She’d been dating him for over 6 months, and still hadn’t found a way to tell him.

Matt pulled her close and hugged her. "Its Ok, Claire. You aren’t ready, and I don’t want to rush you. Just tell me one thing…Do you want me?"

"Yes," she said without hesitating. Matt smiled and kissed her on the forehead.

"Then I can wait. I want you Claire, but I’m not going to make you do anything you don’t want to do."

"That’s not fair for you to…"

"Shh…" Matt settled her into his arms, kissing her again. "If I have to wait, I have to wait. You’re the one I want, and until you’re ready, I’m waiting. Now…let’s get some sleep. Gonna be a big day tomorrow."

Claire nodded against his chest, but lay awake long after his breathing became even. He was being so patient with her…she felt so guilty over freezing up every time things got too hot between them. She was just going to have to come out and tell him, flat out, why she found it so hard to sleep with him.

11.

Patsy had just settled into bed to watch TV for a while when there was a loud banging on her door. She picked her watch up and glanced at it, wondering why Levi would feel compelled to visit her so late. She smiled as she opened the door, and felt if freeze on her face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, finally letting some anger come through in her voice. Mark took in the oversized T-shirt she was wearing, then looked past her into the motel room.

"We’re going to talk this out," he finally said, meeting her eyes. Patsy shook her head, then started to close the door. He reached out and stopped it from slamming then pushed back on it. Patsy staggered backward to keep the door from hitting her.

"I think you need to go dry out," she said heatedly, smelling the alcohol he’d had. "What did you do, fall into a keg?" She took another step back as he entered her room. He stood in the open doorway and gave the room another once-over.

"Fuck do you care?" He slurred out. Mark slowly moved around the room, looking inside the bathroom before returning to his spot by the door.

"Done making sure I’m all alone?" Patsy sneered at him. "You can leave. I have nothing to say to you."

"Then maybe you just want to listen," Mark moved fast, and was standing in front of her before she could move. He gripped her arms in his hands and stared down at her. Patsy struggled against him, wincing when he dug his fingers in to hold her still.

"Hey, Pats…you want…" Levi stopped in the doorway, taking in the scene. "What’s going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you," Mark said, not bothering to look at him.

"Is he bothering you Pats?" Levi asked, ignoring Mark. Patsy took the lapse in Mark’s concentration to wrench her arms from him and back away. Mark watched her eyes glance past him, then he turned to look at the guy she was with. He was almost as tall as Mark, and had a muscular build. He took a slow step towards Levi, his lip curled up at the sight of this guy in his wife’s room.

"I said it’s none of your business," Mark growled out, taking another menacing step forward. Levi didn’t back down, just raised an eyebrow.

"You lay your hands on my friend, and I make it my business," he said.

"Levi, he didn’t…" Patsy never got a chance to finish. Mark rushed at Levi, grabbing him around the waist and pushing him out into the hallway. Patsy rushed to the door, yelling, "No!" The men traded punches, and Levi grabbed Mark’s shirt and practically threw him up against the wall. Patsy saw a door down the hall open, and knew they were in trouble.

The men were pushing at each other now, sizing each other up. Patsy cussed under her breath, then tried to shove her way between them. It was no good. Levi was pissed off and Mark was drunk. She might as well have stayed in the room and waited to see who would win.

Something must have gotten through, because Mark looked down at her and seemed to realize it was her pushing at him. He backed up a step, not wanting her to get hurt, and Levi took advantage of his lapse. He swung a hard right to Mark’s jaw, making his head snap backward. Patsy cried out and shoved Levi back with all her strength.

"Stop it!" She was almost screaming now. Patsy wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but seeing Mark take the punch had hurt her. Mark was sitting on the hallway floor, wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth with the palm of his hand. He rose unsteadily to his feet, then gave Levi a cold smile.

"Not bad, boy. That might have knocked out a 12 year old girl," he said, his voice sending a chill down Patsy’s spine. He only talked with that specific tone of voice when he was seriously pissed. She’d only seen it happen once, and it had been during a match. Mark had ended up breaking his opponent’s arm that night.

Patsy stepped between them before either one of them could throw another punch. "Cut it the fuck out! Have you both lost your minds?" She almost cried in relief when she saw the door to the parking lot open and a couple of police officers step into the hallway.

"Anyone care to tell us what’s going on here?" The older one asked, eyeing the two men who looked like they’d been in a war. Levi’s left eye was swelling shut and his nose was bleeding. The whole left side of Mark’s face was a bruised and angry looking red. "No? You two look like you could use some time to cool down," the cop slipped his handcuffs off his belt. "I don’t want to use these, but I will if you two won’t come along quietly. We can’t have you fighting in here and keeping everybody up all night."

Still staring hatefully at each other, Mark and Levi let themselves be led away. Patsy’s relief wasn’t long lived. They both held grudges. Going with the cops now was just a small interruption. They weren’t finished, not by a long shot. She went into her room and shut and locked the door, then leaned against it. She felt tears prick her eyes, but fought them back, determined not to break down.

She slowly climbed into bed, and pulled the blankets up around her shoulders. It was a long time before she fell into an exhausted sleep.

12.

Patsy was sitting on the edge of her bed, rubbing her neck and trying to wake herself up. It was early, not quite seven yet, and she’d given up on getting any kind of decent sleep. She’d tossed and turned all night, not able to stay in one position long enough for deep sleep to kick in.

She sighed and stood up, stretching. She’d thought about going down to the police station, or at least calling, to find out what was going on with Mark and Levi, then decided not to bother. After the way they’d both been acting last night, a little time in a cell would do them some good.

Patsy took a quick shower then wrapped a towel around her and stepped out of the bathroom. She stopped short when she entered the room…Mark was sitting on the bed, waiting for her.

"You don’t give up do you?" She asked, irritated. She held on to the top of the towel and moved past him to the closet where her clothes were hanging. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"Maid was in the hall. She’s a fan," at least he had the decency to sound guilty.

"What part of ‘I don’t want to talk to you’ don’t you understand?" Patsy said, grabbing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Mark held up his hands. "Look. I just wanted to apologize for last night, Ok? I was drunk…which isn’t an excuse, but I really wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry."

"I’m not the one you should be apologizing to," Patsy said sharply, then heaved a sigh. She stepped toward him and cupped his chin, then tilted his face so she could look at the bruise that had formed on his jaw. It wasn’t as bad as it had looked last night, but his lip was split open and was sore looking. "You should get some ice on that."

Patsy noticed the look he was giving her and dropped her hand, then stepped away from him. "I’ll ice it down when I get back to my room." He stood up took a few steps toward the door. "Patsy…" he turned around to look at her, his voice sending a shiver down her back.

"Don’t, Ok? Just go. I’m through," Patsy managed to say. She felt like crying, and the hell of it was she didn’t even know why. She’d cried all she was going to over her failed marriage. Mark surprised her by nodding then turning and walking out the door, closing it softly behind him.

Patsy sat on the bed for a little while, then got up and pulled her clothes on. If Mark was on the loose, that meant Levi was too. She’d better go check on him before he pouted himself into oblivion. She opened the door and walked right into Levi’s chest.

"Thought I’d save you the trip to my room," He said, going in the door when Patsy stepped out of the way. He looked at her for a minute. "You look like hell. Didn’t you get any sleep last night?"

Patsy laughed, taking in Levi’s discolored features. "You’re one to talk. At least I don’t look like I went through a meat grinder."

"I think it gives me character," Levi said, leaning against the door. "I’d do it again you know."

Patsy sighed. "I know. But you did it for nothing…"

"Nothing? Come on, he was hurting you!"

"Levi, Mark would never hurt m…" She cut herself off. "He wasn’t hurting me. I’m sorry you felt the need to defend me, but I could have handled it myself."

Levi studied her for a few minutes, then nodded. "Yeah, I know you’re the bad ass," He smiled when she rolled her eyes. "Look…I’m gonna take a shower, then change. Wanna go grab some breakfast?"

"Sure…if you promise not to beat up our waiter," Patsy forced another smile for him, but Levi could see she was still upset. He stepped forward and gave her a hug.

"It’s all gonna work out, Pats," he said, giving her a squeeze. She nodded against his chest. She didn’t believe it, not for a second.

"I should have stayed home," she mumbled, making Levi laugh.

"No, you should be here. Air this shit out, get some closure. Hell…you deserve to be set free. Maybe that’s why you’re here."

"Sage-like wisdom this morning. You should stay in jail more often," Patsy said, letting go of him. He laughed and opened the door.

"I tell you what. If you try to relax for the rest of the weekend, I’ll spend one night a month in jail and then share with you all the knowledge I pick up from the hard timers."

Patsy laughed and watched him walk off. "You can keep whatever you pick up from those guys in jail. And if anything’s hard, I don’t want to hear about it." Levi waved over his shoulder then ducked into his room. Patsy shook her head and shut her door. Now she remembered why she’d asked Levi to come along. It didn’t matter what kind of mood she was in, he always managed to make her laugh.

13.

Shelly sighed and turned off her cell phone, then tapped it against her hand. It was almost noon, and the day was in full swing. Most of the guys were getting a game of softball going, and the ones who didn’t want to play had found other ways to occupy themselves. Mark had shown up earlier, and had disappeared from sight. Nobody had seen or heard from Patsy at all.

That was the tenth time she’d tried calling Patsy’s motel room with no answer. Shelly was starting to think that Patsy had packed up and gone home.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Glen asked, sitting next to her on the porch swing. He took her cell phone away from her, then held her hand.

"Just a penny?" Shelly laughed. "They probably aren’t worth that much."

"Worrying about Patsy won’t get her here any faster," Glen said, kissing the back of her hand. "Have you ever known her to just take off just because somebody pissed her off?"

"No…" Shelly frowned. "Well, there is that whole divorce thing, but other than that…"

Glen rolled his eyes. "She’ll work it out. I’m friends with both of them, and the whole thing is a royal cluster fuck. Things probably would be different if Mark had contested the divorce."

Shelly stared at him. She hadn’t heard this before. Patsy had been skimpy on the details. "So what? He just signed the papers and that was it, the end?"

"Pretty much. He thought it was what she wanted…so he did it to make her happy. I’d say it backfired on them both."

"She never told me about it," Shelly said. She leaned her head on Glen’s shoulder.

"Well…Mark was kinda close-mouthed about it too for a while. But I finally bullied it out of him."

"I’ll bet," Shelly said, smiling. She was quiet for a minute, then cleared her throat. "He ever say why exactly Patsy took off?"

Glen looked down at her, surprised. "You don’t know?"

"I’m in the dark," She sighed. "Must have been pretty bad though."

"I don’t know if it’s really my place to talk about it," Glen said, and Shelly nodded.

"I guess I’ll find out if Patsy ever decides to spill it."

"Spill what? I didn’t do it, I just got here," Patsy stepped out the back door and onto the porch.

"Hey," Shelly grinned at her. "I thought you left."

Patsy shrugged and propped herself up on the porch rail. "Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind several times." She scanned the crowd of wrestlers milling around in the yard. "Levi found somebody to play with. Probably comparing brands of razors or something." Shelly looked over and laughed. Levi was in deep conversation with Steve Austin. She looked from Levi to Patsy. "Don’t even think it. We’re just friends. And no, he’s not my date."

"Stop reading my mind," Shelly laughed.

"Am I just going to sit here unnoticed and unloved now?" Glen asked. "I don’t even get a hug."

Patsy laughed and came over to the swing, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "From what I see, looks like you’ve been getting a little more than your fair share of ‘hugs’ Glen-Glen."

Shelly blushed bright red, while Glen tried to look innocent. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

"Right," Patsy drawled, patting his cheek. "And Shelly’s neck isn’t covered with whisker burns."

Shelly guiltily pulled her T-shirt up a little while Glen cracked up. "I’m gonna go…leave you kids alone. I’ll catch ya later." She was off the porch and walking across the yard before Glen or Shelly could answer her.

Glen looked at Shelly. "What do you think?"

"I don’t know. She’s always been good at hiding what she’s feeling." She bit her lip, wondering if the worst was past.

14.

Patsy made her way down to the stables. So far, this was the only place on the ranch that wasn’t overflowing with wrestlers. Most of the guys chose to stay close to the house…and the beer and food. She stepped into the door and gave her eyes a few minutes to adjust. The interior was at least 15 degrees cooler than the outside, and the horses were in their stalls eating. She could make out a person standing near the last stall, and it took her a minute to place her.

"Hey," Patsy walked up beside Claire, and gave her a smile. Claire smiled back and gestured at the horse she was watching.

"I’m starting to think I prefer the company of horses. I’ve never been around so many rowdy people all at once."

Patsy laughed and went to the gate. The horse came forward and bent his head down so she could rub him on the forehead. "You get used to it after a while. It’s harder when they’re all together all at once."

Claire smiled and reached out to stroke the horse’s neck. "I know it’s not my place…but you don’t seem to be having a very good time."

Patsy sighed and shrugged. They were quiet for a few minutes, then Patsy cleared her throat. "So…how are you and Matt? Before I took off for parts unknown, he used to talk about you all the time. Unfortunately I’ve been out of touch for the last couple of months."

"We’re Ok…" Now it was Claire’s turn to sigh.

"Well…that sounded convincing," Patsy said, smiling a little. Claire looked at her for a minute, wondering if she should finally break down and tell somebody what she was thinking. At least she didn’t have to worry about Patsy spreading it around. She didn’t seem to want contact with any of the wrestlers at the moment.

"To tell the truth…I think he’s getting sick of me," Claire finally said, avoiding the look Patsy gave her.

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a feeling I get. I don’t know…" Claire shook her head. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"How personal?" Patsy laughed. "Go for it."

"I don’t want to make you mad…but…how long did you date Mark before…well…you know…" Claire blushed and stuttered. Patsy looked at her with her eyebrow up. That was definitely not what she’d been expecting.

"Complete honesty here?" she asked. Claire nodded. "Our second date…which wasn’t actually a date, but a meeting over his story line."

"And you knew you wanted to…just like that?"

"Well…um…yeah. Heat of the moment. Of course," Patsy smirked. "I’m sure you’ve seen how it worked out."

"You still care a lot for him," it wasn’t a question. It was Patsy’s turn to avoid Claire’s look.

"I do," she finally admitted. "But things were said and done…like some huge wheel started turning and there’s no way to stop it. You want some advice?"

"I’d love some," Claire said.

"I’m not going to say Matt loves you and you love him, because the only people who know that are you guys. But don’t let an opportunity pass you by. If it feels right, go with it and don’t second-guess yourself. Go with your gut. Kinda unromantic, but think about this. Every regret you have now comes from stopping yourself from living in the moment. Am I right in assuming that?"

Claire nodded slowly. It was true. Instead of just getting swept away, she over thought everything she and Matt did together.

Patsy laughed. "I should just shut up now. I’m the last person on the planet to be dishing out relationship advice." She rubbed the horse’s head one last time.

"No, actually, you made some sense," Claire said. She smiled a little. "And if you don’t mind me saying so…I’ve heard a lot about you and Mark from Matt and some of the others. I hope things work out for you guys."

Patsy half-smiled. "I think we’re past any kind of ‘working it out’ stage. But thanks anyway." The door to the stable creaked, and Patsy glanced back at it, then smiled at Claire. "And now, I’m gonna make my escape. Looks like you’re going to have better company than me."

Claire laughed as Patsy walked off toward the door. She stopped for a second and talked quietly to Matt, who had come in looking for Claire. Claire bit her lip and waited for him to come to her, still idly running her hand over the horse’s neck.

15.

Matt came up to her and kissed her cheek. "So this is where you were hiding."

"I wasn’t hiding, I was communing with the horses," Claire laughed.

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to make a run for the bunkhouse. It started raining."

Claire tilted her head and listened. "I don’t hear anything."

Matt laughed. "Its just sprinkling now. But our resident Texas weather experts predict a pop up thunderstorm."

"Ok…I guess I’m done here then," She took his hand in hers and walked with him to the door. As he pushed it opened, thunder rumbled overhead. "Guess they were right. Wanna go for it?"

A streak of lightening flashed overhead. Matt laughed. "I think not. It should pass fairly quickly. We can just hole up in here and keep the horses company."

Claire nodded, then pulled on his hand. "Come on. I want to go up in the loft and watch the storm. There’s a big window we can throw open."

"Won’t the hay get wet?" Matt asked, but he didn’t protest as he climbed the ladder behind her. The loft went around the stable, and was where the owners stored hay for the horses. Claire pointed out the doors on the front wall.

"The overhang out there will keep the rain out," she said, throwing open the doors. Claire leaned against the frame and took a deep breath. She loved how it smelled when it rained. Matt came to stand beside her, putting an arm around her waist. Claire turned and put her arms around his shoulders, then pulled him down for a kiss.

"What was that for?" Matt asked when she finally let go. "Not that I’m complaining at all."

"No real reason. Just felt like it," Claire smiled at him. She slid her hands off his shoulders and down his arms, then grabbed his hands and pulled him away from the window. Matt smiled, looking confused.

"Where are we going now?"

Claire didn’t answer, but led him to a back corner of the loft. No time like the present to take that advice. She wanted Matt…and she knew she was ready. She stopped and moved forward into his arms again, then pulled him down for another kiss. Matt rested his hands on her waist, angling his head to kiss her deeply.

He finally pulled away to catch his breath. He was looking at her, his eyes even darker than usual. Claire bit her lip, then slid her hands down his chest and pulled his T-shirt up and off. "Claire…" his voice was hoarse, and she heard him suck in a breath when she nuzzled his bare chest, then kissed her way across it. "You don’t have to do this."

"I want to," She quieted him. She looked in his eyes, smiling a little. "I want you. If you don’t mind rolling around in the hay, literally."

Matt laughed, which turned into a low moan when Claire flicked her tongue over one of his nipples. He tangled his hands in her hair, and bent his head to kiss her, sliding his tongue into her mouth. Claire relaxed against him, keeping her hands flat against the smooth warm skin of his chest.

Matt broke the kiss long enough to pull her shirt over her head, then kissed her again, his hands sliding down her back. His fingers found the clasp of her bra, and he unhooked it. Claire shrugged it off her shoulders and tossed it to the side. Matt wrapped his arms around her, moaning at the feeling of her bare skin touching his. He slowly knelt with her in the pile of loose hay on the floor, then gently laid her back in it.

"Not the ideal place for this kind of thing," Matt said, smiling. His eyes moved over her, making her skin feel heated. "Probably gonna get scratched up."

Claire grabbed his hands and settled them on her stomach. Now that she wanted him to touch her and make love, he was having the second thoughts.

"Getting scratched up by hay is about the last thing on my mind right now," she murmured, smiling a little as his hands moved over her stomach. He slid them up to cup her breasts, watching as her nipples hardened as his fingers brushed them. Matt slowly ducked his head, flicking his tongue over one, making Claire arch her back. She made a low sound in her throat as he enclosed it with his mouth, sending heat flashing through her body.

She tangled her hands in his hand, moaning as he moved from one breast to the other. His fingers slipped down and worked at the buttons on her jeans, then he was pushing them off her hips. Claire helped him, kicking them to the side. He quickly shed his own jeans, then went back to caressing her with his mouth. Matt trailed kisses down her stomach, stopping to nibble the skin around her belly button. He hooked his thumbs under the sides of her panties and slowly drew them down her legs.

Claire closed her eyes as he gently pushed her legs apart and lowered his head. Her hips bucked as his tongue found her clit, and she pulled his hair almost painfully. Matt continued his slow teasing, moving down to kiss her inner thigh, then back up to stroke her clit again. After several long minutes, he kissed his way back up her body, til his lips were pressed against hers again. Matt kissed along her jaw line and positioned himself to enter her.

"Wait…" Claire’s voice was breathless. Matt almost growled in frustration, but he froze and tried to clear his passion clouded mind a little.

"You don’t want…" Matt stopped when Claire giggled a little.

"I do want. But…" she shifted under him, then worked her hand under her. She brought it back out and showed him a rock that had been under her. "It was kind of poking me."

Matt laughed, and shook his head. "How did that get up here?"

Claire tossed it over to the side, then wrapped her legs around his waist. "Who cares?" She pulled him down for another kiss, playing her tongue along his as his body tightened up. Matt slowly guided himself inside her waiting body, forcing himself to go slow. Claire whimpered under him, wiggling her hips as she took him in.

Matt started moving in long slow strokes, feeling her tighten around him every time he fully sheathed himself. He ducked his head, sucking on one of her nipples and making her cry out as she ground her hips up into him. He could feel her body tensing up, and feeling her squeeze his cock with her inner muscles as she climaxed put him over the edge. He pushed into her one last time, groaning her name as he came.

Claire smiled a little as he lay on top of her, careful to keep his weight on his arms. Her body shook occasionally with aftershocks, and she could feel him inside her, twitching whenever she shuddered. After a few minutes, Matt carefully rolled to his side, pulling her into his arms and holding her tight.

They lay in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the feel of each other’s bodies. Claire finally smiled and kissed his chest. "I have a confession to make."

"Do you?" Matt’s voice was sleepy. His hand slid up and down her back, giving her chills.

"Um hm. I’ve never…done this before," Claire finally told him. She could feel his chest move as he chuckled.

"I know. Did you think I would find that shocking?"

Claire propped herself up on her elbow. "You knew? What, was I putting out the virgin vibe or something?"

Matt laughed and pulled her down for a kiss. "You could have told me, and it wouldn’t have changed how I feel about you," He said, when he finally released her.

"Oh? And how’s that?" She asked playfully, pretending to punch him in the stomach. Matt caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her palm.

"I love you Claire," he said. Claire felt like her heart had just jumped into her throat.

"You…I…I love you too," she finally said, laughing a little at herself. Matt grinned, and pulled her back down to lie on his chest.

16.

Patsy and Levi were in Shelly’s room, playing a hand of Phase 10 with Shelly and Glen while the storm passed. Patsy got bored after beating them twice, and was standing at the window, watching as the rain tapered off and the thunder died down to a low rumble from the east. She saw Matt and Claire come out of the stable, and smiled a little. From the looks of it, they would be picking hay out of their hair for the rest of the weekend.

She turned back to her friends. Levi and Glen were engrossed in the cards, but Shelly had given up, accusing both of them of cheating. She joined Patsy at the window. "Guess the party rages on," she said, laughing. Patsy made a noncommittal noise. "As soon as the guys figure out the storm’s gone, it’ll look like a madhouse down there. And now it’s muddy, they are gonna want to play football. Can I predict em or what?"

Patsy laughed. "Yeah, tackle football. Then one of em will get hurt, and they’ll spend the rest of the night washing mud out of their ears. I think I’ll pass." She stopped talking when Glen and Levi burst out laughing at something, then lowered her voice. "Since you have Glen to do your bidding, would you mind if I take your rental tomorrow? I’ve got some things to take care of, and I want Levi to have my rental so he can come play."

Shelly eyed her for a minute, dying to ask what she was going to do, but knowing that Patsy wouldn’t tell her. Not yet anyway. "Yeah, it’s cool." She laughed. "I haven’t even been in it since I got here. And I have no plans of leaving until Sunday afternoon."

"Thanks. I promise not to ram it into a tree or anything like that," Patsy smiled. "Guess I’ll drag Levi outside to play. He’s got hyper energy to work off. I swear, he needs Ritalin." Shelly laughed and watched as Patsy practically dragged Levi out the door, leaving her and Glen alone.

Glen smiled sweetly at her, then patted the bed next to him. Grinning, she went over, accepting his kiss as she settled next to him. "Finally got you all to myself," he whispered in her ear, making her shiver. She’d been worried about sleeping with him messing with their friendship, but she felt closer to him now than she ever did. She was almost convinced she was in love with him.

"You say that like it’s a good thing," she laughed.

"Mmm, it’s good. Very good," his lips moved down her neck. Glen cupped her breasts through her T-shirt, then sucked in his breath as she slid her hand down the front of his jeans, rubbing his cock through the thick material.

"Hey Glen!" Somebody was outside her door yelling. Shelly groaned at the interruption. "Come on…we’re getting a football team together. Don’t make me come in there and drag you out!"

Glen chuckled and looked down at Shelly. "Al Snow is one dead man when I get him on a football field. To be continued?"

Shelly laughed. "Count on it." She gave his cock one last squeeze, then let him go. She watched as he moved toward the door. "You gonna be able to play football in your condition?" She asked him, laughing. He had an obvious bulge. Glen looked down, then grinned at her wickedly.

"Sure. I can wrestle like this, why not football?" He went out the door on her laughter, shutting it softly behind him.

17.

"It’s something I need to do," Patsy said, opening the door to the Grand Am Shelly had let her drive to the motel last night. Saturday had dawned clear and bright after a long night of intermittent rain. Levi had followed her outside, a frown of concern on his face.

"You don’t need to do this. You’re only gonna make yourself feel worse," he warned, leaning on the open door. Patsy slid into the car.

"You said yourself I need closure. Well, maybe this is it. I have to go, Levi," Patsy smiled sadly up at him. "At least I know where Mark will be. I’ll be fine. You go, eat barbecue, play volleyball, talk Nascar. Have a good time. I’ll be back before you even miss me."

Levi closed her door then knelt so he was looking in the window. "I should go with you."

"It’s something I have to do on my own. Now…go get some more sleep. It’s not even 8 yet. I’ll track you down when I get back." Patsy started the engine, sighing in relief when Levi stood up and backed away. She gave him a last wave then pulled away from the motel and onto the highway.

She had a two-hour drive ahead of her. Yesterday, watching it rain, she’d felt a wave of homesickness so strong it had almost knocked her backward. But not homesick for Louisville. She wanted to go to the house she and Mark had lived in while they were married. It was where all her memories of their best times together were. When she’d walked out she’d left everything behind. It had hurt too much…she hadn’t been able to go back ever since. Mark still lived there, when he wasn’t on the road, which wasn’t often. And with him at the ranch with the other wrestlers, she would have free reign. She still had her house key on her key ring. Her penchant for not getting rid of anything was working in her favor for once.

It was an uneventful and quiet trip. When she finally reached the long driveway that ran to the front of the house she’d shared with Mark, she had to pull the car over. Her eyes were watering, and she was on the verge of tears yet again. Patsy forced herself to calm down, grabbing a tissue from her purse and dabbing at her eyes. When she felt a little better, she put the car in gear and continued on.

After a hundred yards, the trees on either side of the driveway opened up and the whole place was visible. Straight ahead was the house…two stories, a wrap around porch, and lots of windows. Patsy felt her heart twist a little. She’d loved this place, had not minded at all the move from her own home in Kentucky. To the left was the barn, where Mark stored his motorcycles. Behind it was a small stable he’d had built right after they were married. That was where Patsy wanted to stop first.

She pulled up in front of it, and cut the engine. Patsy climbed out of the car and was walking toward the stable door when an engine roared behind her. She spun around and watched as a beat up old truck made its way toward her. It ground to a halt, and a young boy jumped out. Patsy felt herself relax at the sight of Corey, one of Mark’s neighbors. He and his father took care of the place while Mark was out of town.

"Mrs. C!" He sounded shocked and excited at the same time. Although it had only been a few months, Corey looked so different from the way she remembered him. At 17, he was a handsome kid, finally growing into his looks. "I didn’t know you were back."

She smiled sadly. "I’m just back for today, Corey." She saw the bright expression on his face fall a little. "I wanted to see Thunder if that’s Ok."

Corey grinned. "’Course it’s Ok. She’s your horse, after all." He went to the stable and pulled open the door. "I was just stopping in to feed her and set her out in the paddock. I’ll come back later and put her back in her stall."

"If it’s all right with you…" Patsy smiled at him, touching his arm. "I’ll take care of her today. I’ll make sure she’s back in before I go. Take a day off."

Corey seemed to sense that she wanted to be by herself. "That should be fine. Just don’t tell my Dad," he added, making her laugh. Patsy had often helped Corey out with his chores, and his Dad was forever giving him hell about it.

"Our little secret," she promised, then watched as he went back to his truck. He waved and drove out, leaving her alone again. She heard a soft sound from the stable, and walked inside. Thunder was in her stall, her head over the gate. Patsy walked up to her, and held out her hand, wondering if her horse would remember her. After sniffing, Thunder nuzzled her fingers, making Patsy laugh. She slowly ran her hands over the sides of Thunder’s neck, then scratched her between her ears.

"How ya doing, girl?" Patsy asked her. She was surprised Mark still kept the horse. He didn’t ride, and had never really had an interest in learning. Patsy talked to Thunder as she moved around the stable, cleaning her stall and watering her. She finally went and opened the outer gate, then led Thunder into the fenced in paddock where she could run around and get some exercise. She left the stall door open, knowing that when Thunder got tired or hungry she’d go back in and help herself.

Patsy finished mucking out Thunder’s stall, then tossed the gloves she’d been wearing back into the box where she’d found them. Sighing, she turned to go outside and sit on the paddock fence and watch Thunder run around.

She froze in place as she caught sight of the familiar figure standing in the doorway. She hadn’t even heard him pull up. Patsy stared at Mark for several long minutes, wondering how he’d managed to track her down yet again.

18.

It was around 10 when Mark got to the ranch. Most of his friends were still eating breakfast, and a few of them still hadn’t managed to get out of bed. He settled into a lawn chair where he could keep an eye on everything that was going on around him. He had never felt less sociable in his whole life.

He’d only been sitting for fifteen minutes or so when Patsy’s friend Levi came out of the house. He saw Mark and hesitated at the top of the porch steps before descending them and making his way toward the other man. Mark watched him warily as he came to a stop a few feet away.

"Patsy’s gone home," Levi said quietly. Mark raised his eyebrow but said nothing. "Not home as in Lewi. Home where she used to live with you. Just thought you might want to know."

"Why are you telling me?" Mark asked. He still didn’t entirely trust this guy.

"Two reasons. One…I hate seeing her like this. She’s been a wreck. And two…hell, you guys are retarded for each other. I wouldn’t want you to miss the opportunity to fix it up. Way I figure, being there kinda gives you the home advantage," Levi took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on. "She left a couple of hours ago. You better go if you want to catch her." Mark watched Levi walk away, filled with confusion. He’d thought that Levi had been Patsy’s date for the weekend, and here he was telling Mark to go get her?

He didn’t waste time thinking it over. Maybe being at the house…their house…was what they both needed. Mark went quickly to his truck, not bothering to tell anyone where he was headed.

He made good time, and got there just before noon. He saw an unfamiliar car parked near the stable and pulled in behind it, cutting the engine. Mark made his way to the door and stood, watching Patsy move around the stall. Seeing her there was like a punch in the stomach. He had missed her, but having her here, doing something so ordinary as taking care of her horse, brought it home.

He watched her for a while, glad she was so engrossed with what she was doing that she didn’t notice him. Patsy finally finished up and turned to leave when she caught sight of him and froze.

They looked at each other for a few minutes, neither one knowing how to break the silence. Mark finally cleared his throat and stepped all the way into the stable. "She missed you," he said, nodding toward the open gate. Thunder was standing just outside, seeming to watch every move Patsy made. Mark saw the ghost of a smile flicker on her features as she looked at her horse.

"I missed her," Patsy finally said. "Can’t say I missed the work that goes along with her though."

Mark smiled. "I used to come down here and watch you take care of her, listened to you talk to her while you worked. I never liked horses, but you had a way with Thunder. Still do, apparently." Thunder was nosing her way back into the stable to be closer to Patsy. Shaking her head, she shooed the horse back outside.

Patsy was quiet again, watching as Thunder gave up on getting back inside and started trotting around the paddock. "You know what I realized this morning?" She asked, not looking in Mark’s direction. "For the last few months, all I could think about when I thought of you were bad things. But coming here today…I don’t know. All the good stuff just kind of hit me all at once. Having Thunder and taking care of her. Laughing at you when you couldn’t fix one of your bikes. All those nights we’d fly in and both fall asleep on the couch cuz we were too damn tired to go upstairs. All kinds of good memories."

She grew quiet again. Mark was afraid to talk, worried he might say the wrong thing. Patsy sighed. "It was like, I left and all the good just stopped existing for me. I’m babbling like an idiot…" she turned away from watching the horse and went to sit on a bench that was against the far wall. Mark went to the gate to Thunder’s stall and leaned against it, watching Patsy think things through. Maybe she was finally ready to listen.

"Patsy," his voice was low, and he pushed away from the wall and moved slowly toward her. "I think about all of that. All the time. I think about last Christmas, when we were supposed to fly up to Kentucky to spend it with your parents and decided not to because we felt like getting up on Christmas morning and making love under the tree in a pile of wrapping paper." He knelt in front of her and took her hand, surprised when she didn’t pull away. "I used to stand in the door of your office and watch you write, and wonder where you got the imagination for it. Or I’d come home from being on the road, and you’d meet me at the airport and insist on driving, in case I got any smart ideas about breaking speed limits to get home to you."

She half-smiled at that. "I used to watch you work out and then make you cut it short so we could mess around on your weight bench," she said, closing her eyes. "All good memories, but they hurt worse than the bad." She seemed to come out of her thoughts, and pulled her hand away from his. "I should go. Shelly probably wants her car back."

"No," Mark said, standing in front of her. "You came here for a reason. Don’t leave til you get what you need." He backed off. "I’m gonna stay out of your way. I just want to be around in case…" Mark didn’t finish. Instead, he turned and made his way out of the stable.

Patsy sat where she was for a few minutes, staring off into space. She didn’t even know what she was doing there. Looking for something, but what it was she didn’t know. But she wasn’t quite ready to leave yet. Sighing, she stood and went toward the paddock, hoping some time outside would help clear her mind.

19.

Patsy wandered outside for a while, stopping to give Thunder a little more attention. She avoided the house and the garage/barn. She didn’t feel up to another run-in with Mark. She finally couldn’t put it off anymore. It was getting late and she should head back to the ranch soon.

She walked near the barn, and heard the soft sound of a radio playing, accompanied by the occasional metallic noise of Mark working on one of his bikes. Patsy hesitated, then decided not to go in there. The house seemed…safer to her.

Mark had already unlocked the door, probably assuming she’d want to go in. Patsy stepped slowly inside, closing the front door behind her. She hadn’t been here in what seemed like such a long time, yet everything seemed as familiar to her as if she’d just left it yesterday.

Patsy walked around the first floor, just taking it in. She slowly climbed the stairs to the second floor, stopping on the landing and looking down. She sighed and continued up, trying not to think too much about what she was doing.

She opened the door the room she’d shared with Mark, took a deep breath and stepped inside. It was exactly like she remembered it. She didn’t know why she had expected it to change. Without knowing why she was doing it, she went to the closet and opened the door. All of her clothes she’d left behind were still hanging there. She’d never bothered coming back to get her stuff. It just hadn’t seemed worth it.

Sighing she walked across the room to the bathroom. She had wasted enough time in the house…the whole day was turning out to be some trip from hell down memory lane. Patsy eyed the shower, then checked her watch. She could take a quick shower, grab some clean clothes, and be on her way back to the motel in half an hour. She rationalized it by reminding herself she’d spent the morning cleaning out a horse’s stall.

She spent a long time in the shower. She didn’t want to admit it to herself that she really wasn’t ready to go just yet. She had the strangest feeling that she was forgetting something. Patsy toweled off, then grabbed a robe that was hanging from a hook on the back of the door. She left the bedroom and stood in the hallway, listening. She could hear the other shower running from the guestroom up the hall. She hesitated then slowly walked to the door, tightening the belt of her robe around her. The shower cut off, and she could hear Mark moving around in the room.

She waited a second, then knocked on the door. "Come on in," Mark called out. Patsy bit her lip and pushed the door open, then looked around. While the other room had seemed empty somehow, this one was lived in. Mark stood by the bed, a towel over his shoulders, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans.

He watched as she stepped inside. Patsy walked over to the window and looked down at the pool in the back yard. "You sleep in here?" She asked, although it was pretty obvious to her that he did.

Mark nodded, absently rubbing his wet hair with the towel. He took it off his shoulder and tossed it into the hamper near the bathroom door. She looked over at him, confused.

"You moved out of your bedroom?" She turned to face him, watching as he looked around.

"This is my bedroom," he said. Mark caught the frown forming on her face. "Come with me for a second," he nodded at the door. Patsy slowly followed him back down the hall to the other room. "I haven’t slept in this room since you left," Mark said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Patsy stood near the doorway watching him. "This was our room. Not just mine. I can’t come in here without thinking about you. So I sleep in the other room."

Patsy slowly moved to the foot of the bed and ran her fingers over the carved wood of the bed frame. She stopped when she reached the corner of the bed where he was sitting. "Mark…" Patsy began quietly. He looked up at her, and she felt her stomach take a dip. "I really am so sorry. About everything."

"Not nearly as sorry as I am. You don’t…" he cleared his throat. "I should have done some things different."

"What would you have done that would be so different?" Patsy asked, leaning on the bed frame. Mark thought it over.

"For starters? I never should have just signed those divorce papers without a fight. All I could think was if it was what would make you happy, then I wanted to give it to you." He took a deep breath. "I never cheated on you. I never wanted to. That night that you walked in…some ring rat conned a maid into letting her into the room. I was sleeping and the next thing I know I’m being mauled by a rabid fan. Nothing happened, except me calling security and throwing her out."

Patsy said nothing, just continued to study him in the darkening light of the bedroom. She was trying to take in what he was saying, trying to analyze it and figure out if she wanted to believe it or not. She’d spent so long hating him over this. He seemed so upset…so lost. It was like a reflection of what she’d been feeling since this whole mess started. Patsy hesitated, then put her hand on his bare shoulder. Mark looked up at her again, surprised. Without thinking about it, she ducked her head and kissed his lips gently.

20.

Patsy slowly moved until she was standing between his legs in front of him. She cupped his face in her hands, running her thumbs over his cheeks. She melted when his tongue probed her mouth, sliding between her lips.

They finally broke the kiss, both of them a little breathless. "What are you doing?" The hoarseness in his voice sent a shiver down Patsy’s back. She ran her fingertips over his jaw, feeling his soft beard against her hand.

"I don’t know," she answered honestly. Her eyes met his green ones. "Maybe I need closure." Her voice caught on the last word. She started to back away, but he grasped her waist in his hands, holding her still.

"Is that all this is? Closure?" Mark asked. Patsy closed her eyes.

"I don’t know! I don’t know what I’m doing…I’m just going with what I’m feeling right now. I don’t know what this is going to change, if it changes anything. I just know I never got to say goodbye."

Mark slowly pulled her forward, resting his head on her chest. "I don’t want it to be over Patsy. I never did."

Patsy gently ran her hands through his still damp hair. She could feel his breath through the material of her robe, and the heat of his hands at her waist. He slowly tilted his head to look up at her, and Patsy stopped thinking. She lowered her lips to his again, letting go of all of it. All she wanted…at least for a little while…was to get completely lost in Mark.

His thoughts paralleled hers. He pushed all of the hurt and anger of the last few months to the side, and concentrated on her. Patsy was here now, in his arms, and he was going to make the most of having her there. If this was the last night he’d ever have with her, he wanted to make it count.

Mark slowly pulled the tie that held her robe closed then broke the kiss to push the robe open. He looked over her body, taking in every inch of her. His hands slid to her waist again, feeling the smooth skin under his palms. He gently pulled her forward, even closer than she was already standing. Mark kissed along her collarbone, nipping at her skin with his teeth. He trailed his tongue down her skin, kissing his way around one breast, then the other. He finally ran his tongue over one of her nipples, feeling it harden against his lips.

Patsy gasped and tangled her hands into his hair as his tongue worked over first one nipple, then the other. Mark’s hands were sliding across her skin, rubbing her legs and stomach, reaching around to cup her butt. With one hand, he gently parted her legs a little then stroked his finger against her clit while his mouth continued rhythmically sucking on her nipple. Patsy felt her knees buckle, and had to brace herself with her hands on his shoulders.

Mark could feel her body shaking as he slowly worked over her, touching her the way he knew she loved. Her moans were getting louder, and she whispered his name as she felt an orgasm build in her. Mark stopped stroking her and pulled back. She was looking down at him with cloudy eyes, her lips slightly parted. He locked gazes with her and slid her robe off her shoulders. He guided her away from him, then stood up in front of her, turning her around and easing her back onto the bed.

Patsy lay back and watched as he eased his jeans down off his hips. The bed sank a little as climbed up on it and straddled her legs. Mark bent forward and ran his tongue up her thigh, smiling a little when she tried to squirm away. He held her hips down with his hands and nudged her legs open with his knee. He nibbled his way up her inner thigh, feeling the muscles in her leg jump against his mouth. He looked up at her, locking his eyes with hers as he slid his tongue against her clit. Patsy whimpered, then moaned as she watched him, trying to move her hips but not able to because he was pinning her down with his hands.

She tried to relax back against the bed as his tongue continued caressing her, and one of his hands slid from her hip up her stomach. His fingers stroked her nipple, making it harden again. Patsy grabbed handfuls of the blankets on either side of her, pulling hard on it as hot sensations flared through her body. She was on the verge of orgasm again, and Mark sensed it, pulling back and making her groan in frustration.

He smiled up at her, then kissed his way up her body until her was positioned over her. Patsy wrapped her legs around his waist, her hands resting on his shoulders. She met his eyes as he eased his cock into her. He slowly moved back and forth, in a short smooth rocking motion. Patsy tightened her legs around him, moving her hips in time to his stroking. She pulled on his shoulders, making his lower his head enough so she could kiss him, tracing the outline of his lips with her tongue. Her hands slid down his back, her nails lightly scratching his smooth skin.

Mark moaned, and quickened his pace, making her dig her nails in as his hips met hers. He propped himself up on his hands, wanting to look down at her as she moved against him. At the end of every deep thrust, Mark added a grinding motion with his hips, pushing a little harder and faster every time she moaned. He could feel her start to tighten around him, her body straining against him. She cried out his name, her nails digging painfully into his shoulders as she came. Mark couldn’t hold back anymore, he stroked into her, moaning loudly as his orgasm overtook his body.

He lay on top of her for a while, relishing in the feel of the after shocks that went through her occasionally. When he finally felt like he could trust his body to move, Mark rolled over, pulling her with him. He settled her in his arms, and it hit him, just then, how much he’d missed her. It wasn’t sex…it was this, just holding onto her at night, feeling so protective toward her.

Patsy lay awake long after Mark’s breathing evened out and he fell asleep. She listened to his heart beating, and finally let tears she’d been holding in all day slip from her eyes. She still loved Mark, she couldn’t kid herself about it. As much as she wanted to hate him, to let him go, she knew that it wasn’t going to get any easier.

After a few hours, Patsy carefully slipped from the bed. She got dressed quickly, then went to the bed and looked down at Mark. He’d rolled onto his side, the dim night light from the bathroom casting a pale glow on him. She kissed the tip of her fingers then put them gently on his lips. Still crying a little, she quietly made her way out of the house, not looking back.

21.

Shelly was sitting in the living room, watching as some of the guys roamed around, acting like they were never going to see each other again. All in all, the weekend had been a blast, and the house and outbuildings were still standing, which was a small miracle in itself.

Matt and Claire were still in their room. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what they were up to. Shelly smiled a little. She and Glen had been doing the exact same thing until Al had banged on the door, demanding Glen go outside for one last game.

She stepped outside, leaning on the rail of the porch. She was off until Tuesday morning, so this was almost a vacation. That would give her another day to recover from this weekend. She was going to spend tonight at Glen’s house, then fly with him to the Raw taping. She thought she might be better able to handle the plane ride if Glen were along to distract her.

She watched as a familiar truck came into view. She hadn’t seen Mark at all since yesterday morning, and had thought he’d given up and gone home. He climbed out, hesitated a few minutes, then made his way over to her.

"Hey," she said, smiling at him. He gave her a look that was more a grimace than a smile.

"Everybody leaving?" He asked, looking around. Shelly nodded.

"Pretty much," she eyed him curiously. "Something wrong? Besides the usual?"

Mark shook his head, then nodded. "Have you seen Patsy this morning?"

"Nope. She dropped off my rental at some point, but I wasn’t around when she did it. She’s not here. Probably at her motel getting ready to white-knuckle her way back home."

"Thanks," Mark nodded at her and walked back to his truck. Shelly watched him go, wondering why he seemed more subdued than usual. Maybe he was finally accepting his divorce.

Sighing, Shelly turned and went back in the house. She would have to go down to the bunkhouses and make sure everybody had cleared out, and that included rousing the lovebirds Claire and Matt. Smiling a little, she grabbed her key and went to start locking up.

22.

Claire and Matt piled their bags into his rental car, then decided to take one last walk down to the stables. The weekend had passed by in a blur for Claire, who felt like she’d just arrived and now had to leave. Matt was on the quiet side as they walked, holding her hand in his.

They stopped at the fence, watching the horses crop grass. Matt suddenly turned to face her. "Even if Vince doesn’t give you the job, I want you to come with me," he said, holding her gaze with his. Claire smiled a little.

"What, give up my job, my independence, to follow you from arena to arena?"

"Basically," Matt finally laughed a little.

"It’s a good thing Vince offered me a job this morning. Because I might have had to take you up on that offer," Claire said, grinning brightly. Matt laughed, grabbing her in a hug.

"You’re probably going to get sick of me," Matt warned, kissing her deeply. Claire pulled back for air, and shook her head.

"Never. Well…not for at least 50 years or so. We’ll see how it goes from there," she said, straining to keep a straight face.

"I’m glad to hear you say that. Cuz now I won’t feel like a complete ass saying something sappy…like I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Claire eyed him. "Do my ears deceive, or did I just get a proposal?"

"That would depend entirely on what your answer would be," Matt laughed.

"If I said yes?" Claire’s eyes were dancing. Matt kissed her.

"Then I can start calling you Mrs. Hardy," he said, kissing her on the nose. Claire laughed happily and hugged him tight.

23.

Mark pulled up at the motel, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Patsy’s rental car parked in the lot. He got out and went into the building, coming to a halt at her open door.

The maid was cleaning, changing the bed linens. He cleared his throat, making her turn to look at him. "Where’s the woman who was here?" Mark asked, ignoring the light of recognition in the maid’s eyes.

"Oh, um…she checked out this morning. Is there anything I can do for you?" she smiled brightly. Mark shook his head, and turned to leave. He saw a familiar figure at the other end of the hall, and went in that direction.

Levi turned to watch him approach, keeping his expression neutral. "Where is she?" Mark asked.

Levi shrugged his shoulders. "Left this morning. Gave me her car keys and asked me to turn it in. Called a cab. Most likely, she went to the airport."

"Shit," Mark muttered under his breath. He’d thought last night had turned things around for them…brought them back in line.

Levi looked at him, then sighed. "Her flight doesn’t leave for another hour or so. I doubt she could have switched to an earlier one. You might be able to catch her."

"What if she doesn’t want to be caught?" Mark asked, not expecting a reply. Levi smiled.

"Guess there’s only one way to find out." With that, he picked his bag up from the floor and headed toward the exit. Mark hesitated then made his way back to his truck. He’d come this far. Might as well make a complete fool out of himself.

Mark made it to the airport in record time, then spent 15 minutes trying to find the airline that flew to Louisville. He made it just in time…to see a large jet pulling away from the terminal. He watched out the window as it took off, cursing under his breath. It was over. Last night really had been her final goodbye.

Patsy sat in her seat on the plane, head back and eyes closed. Take off would be in less than ten minutes. She heard the engines cycle up and opened her eyes as the plane started moving. Glancing out the window, she spotted a familiar figure standing at the window in the terminal.

Mark was too late. She couldn’t see going back to him, even if she did love him. There would always be an underlying distrust, a wariness. Neither of them would be happy living like that.

Patsy pressed her hand against the smooth cool glass of her window, sending Mark a silent goodbye. It was over…she was finally ready to move on. Tears threatening once again, she leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes as the plane gathered speed, leaving Mark and her past behind her.