Midnight In Her Garden

Lady Takersangel's Domain | home

*story used with permission from Lady Serria*

The warm evening air blew across her face and ruffled the long skirt of her dress as Bethany looked up at her huge peach trees. The trees were healthy, fragrant, and she guessed that they would soon be ripe for picking. She was lucky that she found property that was set on the outskirts of town. The organization that was selling the property was very urgent to sell the land. When she first expressed her interest in the land, she had an unbelievable amount of trouble trying to get a retailer to take her to the plot. When she did find someone to take her, the man seemed eager to close the deal and leave the property. She ended up closing the deal and building a small house on it. As the construction of her house was underway, she noticed something strange... very strange. The sides of some of the trees were burned away. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered how in the world had the trees caught on fire. Another thing that she found was the grove of peach trees hidden in a far corner of the property that the retailers must of forgotten to tell her about. A breeze again blew across her, rustling the leaves above her head and causing a few wavy wisps of her long red hair to blow across her face and breaking her thoughts. Brushing her hair out of her face, she peacefully looked at the glowing sunset, wishing life could always be this easy and peaceful.

She stood there for a moment with her eyes closed and a hint of a smile on her face as she enjoyed the sunset's rays for one minute longer before heading back to spend her first night in her new home. She opened her eyes just in time to see an unbelievable phenomenon. The sun had sunk below the horizon at an unearthly speed casting darkness on the earth. Bethany swallowed nervously as she wondered what in the world had happened, then remembered that the man who had shown the plot had told her that occasionally the sunrises and sunsets are unusual. but nothing to be afraid of. Bethany had blindly overlooked the man's shaking voice and didn't realize that it could mean something. Bethany shivered as the night turned the once warm air into a cold chill. She turned and looked down at the ground, hoping that in the moonlight she would be able to find her way to her house. She took a step and stopped when she saw something next to her foot move. She froze, thinking it was a snake or spider and hoped it would leave, but in the darkness it was hard to see anything. As her fear grew, she couldn't stand still any longer and suddenly bolted forward, hoping that she would have enough energy to make it back to her house. She took only three steps before she ran into something that knocked her back.

Stumbling slightly, she squinted into the darkness, trying to see what she had run into. Her eyes widened as a large dark object suddenly drew closer to her. A hand suddenly bolted out of the darkness and wrapped around her arm. Bethany screamed and backed away from the silhouette of darkness.

"Who are you?" A deep male voice whispered harshly.

Bethany screamed again and hopelessly tried to pull out of his grasp.

"Who are you?" The man asked again, his voice a dangerous tone.

Bethany, looked up into where she guessed his face was and answered him.

"B... Bethany. Who are..."

"What are you doing here?" The man said, interrupting her.

She could feel the man's hand tighten its grip on her arm and a flash of pain ran through her in response to her answer to his question. She tried again to pull away from him and to her supurise, he released her. She stumbled away from him while rubbing her sore arm. As she wondered if she should try running or stay and try to find out who this man was so she would know who to press charges against, he moved into a ray of moonlight that the trees above their heads didn't block out. Her eyes widened even further then before as she saw just how tall he was. She saw him raise his hand toward her and to her horror, her clothes and underthings suddenly left her body.

Screaming uncontrollably, Bethany crossed her arms in front of her, trying to cover her nudity. Her dress was nowhere to be seen. The man, who was unmoved by her screaming, walked to her. Before she could even think about backing away, the man's hands grabbed hers and pulled them away from her body. Screaming again, but this time it was mixed with tears, she tried to yank her hands out of his.

"Please..." Bethany begged. "Please go away. I... I promise I won't press charges or..."

The man didn't allow her to answer. One moment she was standing on the ground with her hands caught in his, and the next she was pulled into his arms and lifted high off the ground. Before she knew it, her legs fell open to his waist and her hands rested on his shoulders. His large hands held her under her rear and his lips pressed against hers. She twisted in his arms, fighting to break away before her hands made a discovery. As she tried to ignore the reality that this complete stranger was touching her, her fingers timidly touched the strange soft fabric that seemed to cover the man from head to foot. It was soft, like velvet, and the fact that touched her skin caused a tiny moan of wonder to excape from her lips. His surprisingly tender lips left hers and she was snapped back to reality. He felt the muscles in her buttocks shift as she tried to move away from him. He growled softly which caused her to stop her struggling. She couldn't stop trembling as she stared into the darkness that held her in his arms. She felt lips against her ear and her cheek brushed against the same soft material in which she guessed the man was wearing a hood. She gulped nervously as he pressed his lips against the racing pulse in her neck. She whimpered as she felt his embrace loosen slightly, but still held her in a strong hold. She felt a hand move across her naked rear in a surprisingly gentle caress, but it did not prepare her for the sudden delight of a thick finger that entered her from behind. She cried out sharply, though she wasn't sure if it was in pleasure, pain, or both and arched her back as the finger probed into her body. The man, who seemed pleased with her response, licked at her lips that were parted in her shock. She supurised herself when she sought out his lips and kissed him with a intensity she didn't know she possessed. She moaned into the kiss as the man withdrew his finger from her, then slowly slid it all the way back in. She broke the kiss and her head rolled onto the man's shoulder as the finger continued its slow strokes. Her breathing suddenly became harder and it didn't matter that this man had trespassed on her property or if he was a complete stranger to her. All she knew was if he stopped what he was doing, she would surely die.

Her legs trembled as they wrapped around his waist and she tried to push her rear up to meet his hand, but the second she did, he pulled out of her. She cried into his shoulder at the loss and his hand reassuringly caressed the smooth bare skin of her back. He felt her legs tighten around his waist as he moved his hand up to pet her hair. He wondered if she knew that she had stopped fighting him. He had never been a cruel man, and now that he had her here with him, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her, no matter what happened earlier. She didn't fight him as he lowered her to the thick grassy floor. She relaxed a bit, and reached out in the darkness, searching for him. She felt lips against her forehead and she reached up and tried to bring his lips down to hers, but stopped as the familiar soft material that had once covered his head was gone. Her fingers slid over thick, flowing hair that ran down a bare back. Her body went rigid when she realized that he had removed all of his clothing and planned to....

The man sensed her nervousness. His lips slid across her face and captured hers. Bethany felt a warm hand slide up her arm and across her shoulder then down to cup her bare breast. Her back arched and the cry of pleasure was lost in the kiss as she tried to push herself closer. His thumb drifted across her nipple in slow circles. Bethany tore her lips away from his, crying out in her pleasure. His lips caressed her cheek and neck as her breathing became heavier. She felt his lips slide across her collarbone and felt his hand push up on her breast as his lips lowered to claim the waiting tip. She cried out as her sensitive nipple suddenly made contact with his hot mouth. She arched against him, moaning as sparks flew through her body. His wet tongue flicked across her nipple and she swallowed in excitement, not sure what to do. He groaned in his own pleasure. It had been too long since he had last tasted a woman. He moved to taste her other breast, feeling her begin to tremble in his arms. His lips slid down the slope of her breast and ribcage. He nuzzled her quivering stomach before he dipped his head lower.

Bethany was caught off guard when she felt a finger brush across her curls. Her body stiffened and she tried to back away, but two large hands quickly gripped her hips in a painful grasp. Her legs were parted by a large knee and he quickly moved between her thighs. She felt blunt fingers suddenly thread into her curls and part her lips. She jerked at being exposed to the night, not sure if she wanted him to continue or not. Her gasp caught in her throat when she felt his breath on the heated skin of her thigh. She cried when his mouth slid up her inner thigh, but nothing could of prepared her for the unexpected ecstasy of a warm tongue touching her heated inner flesh. Bethany raised up onto her elbows, crying out to the darkness and let her head fall back as she felt his lips slide over her lips. His tongue darted out to her pink flesh, causing her breath to leave her lungs in a loud sigh. She expected him to be rough considering his size, but his lips were gentle as they explored her secrets. The tip of his tongue slowly made tiny circles around the part of her that begged for him. She felt like she had suddenly been thrown into a fire. Unbelievable heat soared through her, starting at her toes and running up to her head, then forming into a ball of fire between her legs. She cried in wordless sounds that excited him, yet pleased him knowing that he pleasured her. She could only lay on the soft grass with her legs over his shoulders and try to get air into her lungs as he thoroughly enjoyed her body. Although her limbs felt like they had been tied down with weights, she lowered a hand down, searching for his head. Finding it, she threaded her fingers in his soft hair and pulled, telling him that she soon wouldn't be able to take anymore. He clearly received her warning, and gave her a message of his own. His tongue wrapped itself around her throbbing bud and she suddenly went wild beneath him. Her hips raised up off the earth's floor, screaming in pleasure. He too groaned and slid his hands under her rear, helping her to come up to meet him. She twisted and convulsed under him when he caught her in between his teeth and gently tugged. Nothing she did doused the sudden rage the fire in her belly. She cried out one last time, then she was suddenly flung over the her heavenly edge. Her body suddenly went limp and he raised his head up to see her panting, eyes halfway closed, and a slight smile on her lips. He slid up her body to claim her lips with his. She tasted her own juices in his mouth as she responded to the kiss. Warm hands slid across her belly then lower to grasp her hips. She felt his arousal pressed against her thigh and hoped it wasn't quite as big as it felt. He aligned his hips with hers and her eyes widened as the tip of him slipped into her, followed by the rest of him.

Bethany had only laid with a man once before, but it was nothing like the fullness she felt now. He was as big as she thought, if not bigger. He went slowly, allowing her time to adjust to him, although he found it difficult. She was hot and tight, holding him within her. He suddenly found himself lost in her softness and his back suddenly arched and eyes closed. He dared not to move and ended up biting his lower lip in his struggle to let the urge to release himself washed over him. Her moans opened his eyes and the feeling of her hands caressing his arms brought him back to earth. He looked down at the tiny girl beneath him. Her back also was arched, her eyes were squeezed shut, and her lips were parted in a silent moan. He braced himself on his hands and began his slow thrusts, but as their needs increased, he slammed into her with quick movements. Bethany struggled to keep up with him, but as the friction in her belly reached new heights she could only let him guide her movements with his own. She heard his growls rumble in his chest and her fingertips slid across the expanse of skin. Her hands slid up to his shoulders and pulled him down to kiss him with a newfound urgency. Her legs wrapped around his waist, trying to draw him deeper into her. He was pleased with her response to him, but all rational thought left his mind. They both approached their peak with a suddenness that shocked them both. She cried out to him one last time before her climax claimed her. He growled in response and plunged into her warmth one last time before releasing his seed within her.

He caught himself before he fell into her. He slowly withdrew from her and moved to her side, suddenly concerned. He knew that he was big and wanted to make sure she was all right. After he caught his breath, he propped himself on an elbow and looked down at her. She was absolutely beautiful. Her face was flushed even in the moonlight, her body was shaking slightly as aftershocks ran through her, and her face reflected her pleasure. He gathered her in his arms and drew her to the heat of his body. She didn't fight him and snuggled closer to him. No words were spoken. Even if she wanted to talk to him, she lacked the strength to ask and her voicebox felt sore from her screaming. He held her gently in his arms until her breathing slowed and her tiredness claimed her. He let her sleep in his arms for a minute before laying her on the grass and moving away from her. He raised himself from the ground, supurising himself when he had to quickly grab onto a tree branch to steady his shaky legs. He watched her a moment, debating whether or not to erase her memory. The girl who called herself Bethany had just given him more pleasure then he had ever experienced before. He quickly turned away from the sleeping girl, knowing that if he didn't, he would stand there and watch her sleep all night. He let her keep her memory. She would need it for tomorrow night...

'It's so cold…' Bethany thought in her sleepy state of mind. She reached out to find her blanket to pull it over her shivering form, but instead of touching her bed, long dew covered blades of grass threaded through her fingers.

She slowly opened one eye then the other. Thick green grass and a tree root met her unfocused gaze. Her eyes widened and she quickly sat up and immediately regretted that she did. A huge gust of cold morning air blew across her naked body and her being covered with dew didn't help. The memory of last night suddenly slammed into her mind. She immediately felt tears rush to her eyes and she fought to hold them back until she could get herself to her house. She wrapped her arms around herself and slowly looked around to see if the man was near her. To her relief, he was nowhere to be seen. Even if she did see him, she wouldn't recognize him. She spotted her dress hanging from a low tree branch and she quickly stood up, but fell back to the ground when her legs told her that they were way too sore from sleeping on the ground and last night's activities. She had to crawl to her dress, and without worrying where her underwear was, slipped the icy dress over her head. That done, she started the slow, painful walk back to her home. Her hand shook so bad that she had trouble turning the doorknob of her front door. She stepped inside her house, closed the door, and promptly collapsed onto the floor. She curled herself into a ball and cried until her voicebox ached. After a few minutes, she sat up and collected her scattered thoughts. She decided that perhaps a bath would help her calm down enough to figure out what she should do.

Bethany slipped into the hot water and sighed as its heat warmed her cold skin. She reached over the tub edge for the bottle of strawberry bubble bath. She put in way more than a single capful and ended up pouring a fourth of the bottle under the running water. She leaned back against the rim of the tub, letting the hot water relax her muscles and the heavenly scent of strawberries clear her mind.

The man, whoever he was, was very… skilled… last night, although she didn't have much of a basis to go upon. He clearly wasn't the type of guy that she had first been with. Her first had been fairly tall with a slight build, but still very lanky. The man who came to her last night was a giant compared to her first. She tried to visualize what he looked like.

She remembered his height, almost seven feet tall, yet despite his huge size, he blended in perfectly with the night. Even when he was in the moonlight it had been difficult to see him. His hair had been long, past his shoulders but not by much. She remembered how soft it had been when the thick strands slid through her fingers and when it caught the moonlight, it shown a slight shade of red. Piecing his looks together was an easy task compared to guessing what his face looked like. For all she knew he could be wanted by the FBI as a murderer or rapist, but she knew that that wasn't true. The man had frightened her to say the least, but at the same time he had awakened feelings in her that she had never felt before. Wonderful feelings… of passion, pleasure, ecstasy and fulfillment…

She shook her head quickly to clear the thought from her head. He had trespassed on her land and that was an illegal offence, but how could she prosecute an unknown person? She suddenly wanted to know his name. She didn't remember him telling her anything about himself and she wondered what the name would be of someone so dark.

The sudden chiming of a clock bell snapped her out of her thoughts. She would be late for her first day of work. Bethany was in no condition to work. She would call in for some excuse for being absent for she was too emotionally confused to concentrate on a new job and besides, she didn't exactly have much time to unpack yet.

Bethany felt fresh tears spring to her eyes as she gazed out her kitchen window to see the sun set at its unusual pace once again. She had spent half the day crying and was sure that she couldn't cry anymore, but she found that she was wrong. As darkness blanketed the land, it found Bethany sitting on her tile kitchen floor with her arms wrapped around herself, slowly rocking back and forth, and for the hundredth time that day, crying until her eyes hurt. The sound of a loud high pitched bell brought her back to herself as her oven told her that her lasagna was done. She took a deep breath before pulling herself up off the kitchen floor. Grabbing a nearby dish towel, she opened the oven door and was hit with the aroma of the dish. She reached in and pulled out the food, but not before her fingertips touched the hot side of the pan. Quickly closing the door, she placed the pan on the stovetop and ran to the sink. She quickly turned the water on and stuck her hand under it. She didn't know if that was the proper way to treat a burn, but it would have to do. She pulled her hand out of the water and looked at her fingertips that were turning a light shade of red. She put the towel under the water, letting it soak before squeezing the extra mater out of it. She wrapped it around her stinging fingertips as she turned toward the nearby dark hallway that led to her bathroom, hoping that she had unpacked her first aid kit, but as she looked up to see where she was going, she suddenly found herself trapped.

He was standing in her doorway, a bit hard to see because of the black background. Just about every bit of him was covered in black, save for his hands and arms that were crossed in front of him. He wore a long black robe with a hood that hid his face from her sight.

Bethany immediately started to tremble with fear. Never had she seen a man so large!

"Who are you" Bethany asked in a voice just above a whisper.

She asked again. "Who are you?"

Acting like he had ignored her question, he slowly took a step toward her.

"Don't come near me!" she screamed as she backed away.

"And why not… Bethany?" A low voice asked.

Her eyes widened and mouth opened slightly as she heard her name on his lips. He took another step towards her.

"Stay away from me!" She backed away until her rear bumped against the counter edge.

He continued his slow journey to her, noticing that she was trembling. He didn't stop walking until he had her trapped between his body and the counter, yet he was careful not to touch her. Her eyes were drawn into the darkness where his face should be, so she didn't see the large hand come up to stroke her cheek. She quickly turned away from the touch only to find another palm on the other side of her face. He caught her head in his hands and turned her to face him. He saw tears form in her eyes then roll down her cheeks in hot, fat beads. He felt one touch the skin of his hand and he cursed himself again for scaring her. He brushed her tears away with his thumbs, only to have them replaced with new ones. One hand moved to the back of her head and stroked the softness of her hair, trying to calm her, and watched as her eyes widened.

She knew that touch…

He bent down and brushed his lips against the skin of her face, effectively getting rid of her tears. He worked at one cheek, than the other, then moved along the bridge of her nose, nipping at its tip, then bent lower to capture her trembling lips with his.

Why were those lips so familiar…

Her lips parted and his tongue slid in to gently explore. A tiny whimper slipped from her throat as she felt a familiar fire begin to flicker in her belly. Bethany ripped her lips away from his, although her head was still caught in his hands and looked up at him with wide eyes.

`She recognizes me.' He thought

Bethany felt his hands leave her head and watched as they grasped the edge of his hood and pushed it back until it pooled on his shoulders.

Bethany swore on that moment that she had yet to see a more beautiful man then the one standing before her. Long auburn hair framed the slender face that sported strong features that reflected his strong spirit. A pair of full lips that were pressed into a frown rested below a slightly upturned nose that hinted at an aggressive side, but both handsome features were put to shame by the beauty of his eyes. Twin green eyes that held hers in a glare of intensity. He stood there, waiting for judgement to be passed.

Before she could stop herself, she reached up with her injured hand (the dishtowel fell off long ago) and lightly touched his face, as if she was trying to prove that he was real. Her fingertips burned more than they already did as they slid over his cheek, nose, then down to touch his lips. He reached up and caught her hand in his. He brought it down so he could look at it.

`So small compared to mine…' he thought as he turned her hand over in his to inspect her burnt fingertips. He ran a finger over the red skin and in the next second, the burnt skin was healed.

Bethany saw what he had done to her and she should have been scared, for some reason she wasn't. She looked at her healed fingers as his finger continued to run over them. That one small and innocent touch somehow left her hungry for more. His hand suddenly slid up her arm and cupped the back of her head and drew her closer to him. As he bent his head to kiss her, her knees suddenly buckled and she would of fell if an arm hadn't snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. She didn't resist and pressed closer to his massive frame. She felt the heat from his body through her white ribbed turtleneck sweater and long black skirt and the velvet-like robe that he wore. She remembered how soft it was when she touched him last night and when she shyly wrapped her arms around him, she found that it was still soft and pleasing to touch.

His heart felt like it would beat right out of his chest. His lips met hers with a kiss full of possessive passion. He felt her hands drift lightly over his body and he did the same to her.

Her body stiffened as she felt his hands move against her rear, unzipping her skirt and letting it fall to the floor. She jerked slightly when his hands then slipped under the sides of her briefs and slowly drew those down as well, letting them join her skirt on the floor. His hands then grabbed the hem of her sweater and in one quick movement, swept it and her bra up and off of her. She could of fought him. She could of snatched her clothes back up to cover her nudity, but she didn't. She stood in his embrace, naked, with his lips always growing gentler by every movement. Soft whimpers excaped from her lips as his lips left hers and drifted over her face, only to return to hers. The kisses were soft, but as their hunger for each other grew, they kissed with a painful urgency.

Before he could stop himself, he picked her up off the ground and sat her on the counter. She didn't seem to notice her new position and wrapped her arms around his thick neck. His hands slid over the flawless skin of her back, arms, and neck, then lower to her legs that rested on either side of his waist. His hands slid over every inch of her being, except that one place reserved for other things. His hands were light, treating her like she would break, and the pure tenderness of him brought tears to her closed eyes. He bent down over her to kiss her, but was taken by surprise when she jumped into his arms, arms lacing around his neck and legs wrapping around his waist, and kissing him with all the passion in her being. He groaned as he put his arms around her and began making his way through the dark house and to her bedroom. She knew where he was taking her and wished he would walk faster. She knew she might regret this in the morning. She knew that she would be confused and hurt again, but morning wasn't here yet and she wanted to savor the moments that he shared with her.

He reached her room that was lit by the moonlight that flooded through her window and quickly set her down upon her bed before straightening and removing his robe. Bethany gazed upon his body for the first time. Handsome was too weak of a word to describe him. His hair hung past his shoulders and reached just to his chest which was large and well developed. His arms and legs were equally built with strength to spare. His stomach was lean and narrowed down to firm hips, but what was lower than that is what caught her attention. His manhood was long, curved, and stood ready for her. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him, fear beginning to cloud her mind. He quickly joined her on her bed and pulled her to him, and let their lips meet. His kiss promised the same pleasure and fulfillment as he had shown her last night and her body shook in anticipation. He urged her under him and she opened her legs, arching her back slightly, telling him that she was ready. His hands grasped her hips as he lowered himself into her. He tried to go slow, but she instantly held onto him, holding him within her. Her body was still a bit sore from the previous night, but it could easily be overlooked. Before he began his strokes within her, she called upon all the strength in her body and pushed heavily on one side of his large body until he rested on his back and she came up with him.

She smiled as she saw his eyes glaze over with this new position. He allowed her to concur him and enjoyed this new experience. She let her hands rest flat on his stomach as she slowly raised herself upwards then come back down. She repeated the motion a bit faster than before, causing his hands to fly to her hips and hold them in a painful grasp.

"No…" she managed to whisper as she stopped moving in order to draw his hands away from her body and pin them to the mattress. She kept his hands down as she once again slid down his length.

Although he could of easily of broken her hold on him, he allowed her to rule over him this night. The experience was exciting yet pleasurable for he himself had never been the receiver. His eyes rolled back into his head as his throbbing member was surrounded by her tightening muscles that only seemed to grow tighter. She heard his groans and answered them with cries of her own. Her sighs combined with his growls excited them both as they rediscovered what the other had to offer. The fire in her only seemed to grow as she rode him, trying to seek fulfillment. He sought for the same goal and as their breathtaking climax came, he broke her hold and grabbed her waist, plunging her down upon him one last time before releasing his seed within her trembling body. Her back arched and she cried out in her release while tears of joy ran down her flushed face.

He reached up and brought her down beside him. Both were breathless and tired, but that didn't stop her from wrapping her arms around him as best she could and pressing her body to him, as if she were afraid he would disappear again. He gathered her in his arms and pressed a kiss against her lips. Bethany was about to speak when she found that her lips were pressed against his. Sleep's demands were tugging at her mind, but she wanted to stay awake, to find out what kind of man he was, or at least know his name. After only a few short but pleasant seconds, she fell asleep once again in his arms.

He felt her body relax against his and heard her breathing slow. He had to blink several times to hold the tears that threatened to fall back. He nuzzled the crown of her head and breathed in the familiar scent of her. He couldn't leave her tonight. Never had he ever encountered a woman like Bethany, and never had he cried over the pure innocence of the pleasure that a woman had brought to him. She was more than special to him. Words couldn't describe what he felt toward her. Such love and passion… but their was still one problem. She still didn't know who he was. On that second, he swore that he would tell her who he was. He didn't know how she would take it, but she deserved to know the truth.

He pulled the bed blanket over the both of them. He gathered her in his embrace and remained in her bed until the sun forced him to leave, but he wanted to make sure that she would not forget him in the morning or think that he had abandoned her. He remembered that he once heard that human girls liked presents and gifts…

The man saw that sunrise was near and moved away from Bethany. She whimpered at his absence and he reached down and gently stoked her hair and cheek. She sighted in content and settled back down. The sun was just about to peek through the gray clouds so he hurriedly dressed himself and turned back toward her. He raised his hand toward the nightstand beside her bed and her gifts appeared in the next second. He hoped she would like them. He took one last look at her then disappeared just as the sun greeted the land.

Bethany stretched and smiled as she awoke from her content sleep, the memory of last night still in her mind. She couldn't stop smiling as she rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed. She flung the covers back and swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, but then sat back down when something caught her attention. A single red, white, and black rose tied together with a length of white lace stood in a crystal vase, and a small tree branch with two ripe peaches sat next to that. She felt her heart beat quicken as she looked at her gifts. She knew who they were from, no doubt about that, and she knew their meaning. The peaches came from her garden, the place where they first met. The black rose symbolized him, the white was her, and the red was the passion they shared. She didn't touch them for fear that they would vanish. She only sat there as her smile grew and she remembered last night.

A clock chiming the hour reminded her that she would miss work again. She groaned and quickly showered and dressed in a light white dress. She looked for something that could hold her hair back since she still hadn't unpacked much, and an idea came to her. She went to her nightstand and carefully untied the lace from her roses and used it to pull her hair back in a ponytail. She grabbed her keys and headed out her door, the man never leaving her mind.

Bethany's new job was as a secretary for a banker's son. She was set on the top floor of the building as a private secretary. She hadn't expected to be given a job of such responsibility, but she figured that it would be away from the noise of people talking and telephones and the pay would be better, so she agreed to the job. Her new employer was named Stephen Daley, but he told her that he thought that calling people by their last names was so.... unfriendly, so he gave her permission to call him by his first name. She nodded, but wasn't really listening to what he was saying as he told her what was expected of her. She just couldn't get over last night! She shook her head slightly to try to clear her mind and got her first good look at her new boss.

He was tall, around 6'8", with blond hair that was slicked back and blue eyes that had a sparkle that made her uneasy. He was well built, that was easily shown even under the handsome white business suit. Something about him scared her. Mabey it was the way his eyes looked at her or the glint of his white teeth whenever she looked at him or the fact that he had put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it one too many times. She had shuddered at the touch once he released her and as the day progressed he kept doing that. Once when she had been at the copy machine, he had snuck up behind her and reached around her to tickle her. She had whirled around and had come close to slapping him, but apparently the look on her face had told him enough and he had backed away holding his hands up in the air and giving her a playful grin.

Stephen smirked at his new secretary. She was small, but it only gave him an advantage over her. She also had spirit. She had come close to hitting him when he had made his first move toward her. He also could watch her through his office window as she worked at her desk.

`If only she knew how many secretaries I've had on that desk...' he thought as a smile of pure lust crossed his face. `Poor little thing. She doesn't even know what pleasant surprises await for her as soon as everyone leaves.' He watched as she finished going through a folder, then placed it on a growing pile of folders, then picked up the next folder in a stack that was quickly disappearing. `Don't you worry Bethany, I have plenty for you to do.'

Bethany already felt worn out as the sun began to set over the horizon. She had been going through folders all day, and Stephen kept bring more out to her. She knew that she was tired and decided to call it a day since all of her new co-workers had already left. She closed her computer down and began straightening up her desk as Stephen walked out of his office with a large stack of folders.

"Leaving already?" he asked her as he walked to her desk and set the folders down upon it.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I was." she answered, trying to be polite to this man that already made her sick.

"Well I'm sorry, but I really need someone to go through these files." he said, looking her dead in the eye.

"Would it be all right if I took them home?" she asked, suddenly wanting to get out of the building as fast as she could.

"I'm afraid that it can't." he said flatly.

She sighed and turned her computer back on and reached for the first file. Stephen moved behind her, letting her think that he was returning to his office. His eyes roamed over her back, lingering on her rear. He quietly snuck up behind her and reached out to her hair. Bethany's eyes widened and she raised herself from her chair as her hair was suddenly released from it's bindings. She turned and glared at Stephen who was holding the lace in-between his thumb and fore finger as if it was something repulsive.

"When you work for me, you'll be able to afford NICE things for your hair." he said as he threw the lace to the ground and stepped on it. Bethany gasped and looked at him, disbelieving what she just saw. When he removed his foot, she quickly snatched the lace up off the floor and held it to her bosom.

"How dare you disrespect my property! I demand an apology!" Bethany screamed as she glared at the repulsive man.

"I'm sorry Bethany." he said as he moved closer and picked up a strand of her long red hair. "It's just that hair like this deserves something better than a piece of ribbon."

"It's lace, and maybe I liked how my hair looked with it in!" She answered.

Stephen didn't even blink at her response, only smiled and began walking toward her. "You have spirit. I like that in a woman." he said, his voice lowering to a tone that he used to seduce so many women before her.

Bethany heard his tone change and her eyes widened as he approached her like he was a hawk and she the mouse. She backed away from him until she hit the wall. She had got herself caught between a desk and a file cabinet with him approaching quickly. Her grip on her lace tightened as Stephen closed the gap between them and pressed her up against the wall. Tears of fear welled up in her eyes as he dwarfed her with his frame.

"Poor little Bethany," he said with a voice of half sarcasm and half of pleasure that he had this affect on her. "You don't have to be scared. I will make you feel good, better than you've ever felt before."

His arms encircled her body and pressed her against him. She screamed and tried to fight as best she could, but he was just too strong. Tears streamed down her face as he pressed his lips against hers in a sloppy kiss that made her feel sick. He blocked her view of the window, so she didn't see the sun set at it's unusual pace.

The man searched her house, running through her hallways, looking for her. He had heard her scream and wanted to make sure that his tiny girl was all right. He made himself calm down and stop running through her halls like a mad man. He closed his eyes and quickly searched the town. He found her in one of the new office buildings and his heart almost stopped as he saw a man bent over his woman, forcing himself on her. He wasted no time and transported himself to the room as quickly as his powers allowed him.

Bethany was shaking uncontrollably from horror and fear as Stephen bit her tightly closed lips. He was so wrapped up in his activities that he didn't hear someone approach him from behind. Stephen suddenly felt a large hand wrap around his throat and pull him away from Bethany and lift him into the air. His eyes widened and tried to scream as he reached for whatever was choking him. Bethany sank to the ground as Stephen suddenly left her and she looked up just in time to see the black robe of her midnight lover. He grabbed Stephen from behind and lifted him off of her. She closed her eyes as she moved up against the desk, holding her lace so tightly that her knuckles turned white and cried. She could hear Stephen screaming and things breaking, then a horrible moan filled the room, then all was quiet, save for her crying. She didn't open her eyes for fear of what she might see. She felt herself being lifted from the ground and pressed against a warm chest covered in soft velvet. She buried her face in his chest and cried as he stroked her hair and back, whispering to her in his soothing voice. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. His hood was pushed back and his eyes shown with hatred and anger from the fight. She dared not look anywhere else, for she did not hear Stephen and feared what this man had done. The man caressed her face and bent down to capture her lips with his. Bethany wanted to cry at the gentleness of the kiss. This man had just saved her from whatever Stephen wanted to do to her. He could feel her shaking in his arms and knew that he needed to get her away from this place. He raised his hands to her shoulders and pulled her away from his body so he could look into her eyes.

"Bethany, do you trust me?" he asked an a soft voice.

She didn't even think twice. "Yes I do."

He smiled at her response. "Then close your eyes so I can get you to safety."

She moved back into his embrace and closed her eyes as his arms wrapped around her. It was time she found out who he was.

Although Bethany's eyes were closed, she could feel the warmth of a fire upon the front half of her body. On her back half was the heat of a body. She opened her eyes and saw that she was sitting on his lap facing a fire in her fireplace. His arms were wrapped around her waist in a protective manner. She pressed herself against his chest and sighed in content, thankful that he had saved her. With a smile on her face she raised her eyes to look up at him. Even through the firelight was the only light in the dark house, she could clearly see his mysterious green eyes gazing into hers. Her smile grew wider and she placed one of her small hands on his chest.

"Thank you for saving me." Bethany said and a voice just above a whisper.

He raised a hand and cupped the side of her cheek, his thumb sliding over her cheek.

"You are welcome Bethany." he replied in his deep voice.

She smiled at him again and closed her eyes again, wanting to fall asleep in his arms and was just about to do that until the sound of his voice broke the silence.

"Bethany, please do not fall asleep. I wish to talk to you."

Bethany slowly opened her eyes and again looked up at him.

"Bethany, I promised myself that I would tell you about myself. You deserve to know the truth."

She heard his voice become strained as he spoke and moved away from him slightly so she could see him better. She heard him sigh and watched his eyes close and a sudden chill ran up her spine as if it was a warning that she would not like what he was about to say, so before he cloud say anything, she quickly jumped in.

"Wait. Can I please ask you a question?"

He opened his eyes, looked at her, then reclosed them. "You may ask me any question you like Bethany."

"Well... I'd really like to know your name."

He had no idea how to respond to that. He had two different names! He quickly decided to respond with the name that she would be most familiar with.

"Mark..." She said his name and he opened his eyes when she said his name and swore that it had never sounded better.

"Well... uh... Mark, who... exactly are you?"

He bit his lip and looked away from her and she saw him look away from her. He felt her move out of his lap and he allowed her to go.

Bethany saw his reaction to her question and didn't like it one bit. She felt a small twinge of fear begin to form in her belly as she stared at the large man. He looked back at her and easily read the fear in her eyes. He knew that she was not going to like what she was going to hear, but he had made a promise. He spoke slow and steady, not wanting to frighten her more than she already was.

"Bethany... I lived here my entire life. Right here on this land where you know live is the place where I was born and raised... and died."

Her eyes grew as big as dinner plates and she backed away from him.

"What did you say?!"

"Bethany, I have been dead for eight years."

She quickly grabbed onto the back of a nearby chair for support.

"Well... how... how can you be here?"

"Bethany, I died on this land because of a curse held by my family. The curse caused the dead individuals who carried it to remain on and near the spot where he or she died. I died on this land, so I have no choice but to remain here. The curse allows those who carry it to interact with people who wander onto the land where they died. Even though I am cursed, I also seemed to be blessed, for I have someone living on my land. Please understand that that was the reason why I came to you the first night."

She was close to fainting and she knew it. She had lain with a dead man! She turned her head away from him as the tears of embarrassment and confusion began to flow from her eyes. Mark saw her turn away from him and raised himself from the chair. She heard him stand and backed away from him.

"Don't come near me!" she screamed through a voice choked with tears. He held his hand out toward her.

"Bethany I cannot leave this land, and I will always be near you while you live here."

He took a step forward. She took a step back.

"Bethany, I do not mean you any harm. If I did, don't you think that I would of done something harmful to you by now? Do you not think that if I did not care for you I would have let that man in the city have his way with you? For so long I have longed for companionship from someone, and now that you came to me, I felt happier than I had felt in a long time."

He took another step towards her, but this time she didn't move.

"Please believe me Bethany. As long as you live on my land I will come to you every night, but only if you wish it. During the day I remain in my death sleep, but during the night I am allowed to awake. If you truly do not wish me to awaken again, then I will leave you until you leave the land. Only then will I awake and look for a new companion."

Bethany heard everything that he said... and didn't believe him.

"You... you... awful man! How dare you say such things to me! Do you honestly think that I would believe such a ridiculous story!? For all I know you're a man that takes advantage of women!" she was quickly becoming hysterical and he knew that he had told her too much too fast.

"Bethany please calm down. Everything I have told you is true."

"No it isn't! Now get the hell out of my house!"

He looked at her for a moment. She was visibly shaking and holding the back of the chair in a death grip. Then he felt a tear slide down his cheek as he realized how much he had scared her. What had he been thinking? Did he really expect her to believe his story when he himself found it hard to believe? His eyes swept over her again, taking in the sight of her form one last time before he spoke to her for the last time.

"Bethany, I apologize for any pain I have caused you. I never meant to hurt you and I do hope you believe that. I will never bother you know more."

His hands went to his hood and lifted it until it covered his head and face. He turned into the shadows quickly and left her house.

How long she stood there trying to break the chair, she wasn't sure. She stared into the air as if she was in a trance from what happened and would of stayed there if something on the floor had not of caught her attention.

There in the firelight, a long piece of crinkled lace lay on her wooden floor...

Bethany didn't remember walking to the front of the fireplace, picking up the dirty lace, and sitting down in the chair, but there she was, looking at the lace as if it could give her the answers she wanted. She would of cried if she could, but she didn't have any tears left. She sat there for hours, her mind completely blank, not sure of what to make of what Mark just told her.

He was dead! But how could that be? Weren't dead people supposed to have cold and clammy skin and dragging chains around? He must of been a man who was playing a cruel trick on her. For all she knew, he could be in the next state by now, looking for a new girl to take advantage of. She should call the police... no, she can't do that. What was she supposed to tell them? A `dead man' laid with her? They would think that she had lost her mind!

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard something break in her bedroom. She quickly jumped out of the chair and ran to her bedroom. She quickly turned on the night and gasped at what she saw. Three wilted and browning roses, two rotten peaches, and a cracked vase sat on her nightstand. She stared at them in disbelief. How could the roses wilt and the peaches become rotten so fast, and how could the vase crack if nothing had touched it? It was impossible, unless...

The answer slammed into her so fast that she momentarily lost her breath. Had he told the truth? Was it possible that he really was dead, yet he came to her? Yes! Of course it was! He had returned every night, which meant that it was possible that the curse that he explained to her really could be true. She looked down at the lace that still remained in her hand and knew what she wanted. He told her that he would return to her, but only if she wished it, but he failed to fell her how she could talk to him. She suddenly got an idea and ran to her front door, pausing only to grab her coat, then left her house, slamming the door behind her.

The grove of peach trees were beautiful in the early moonlight's rays, but she didn't come outside to admire her trees. She wasn't exactly sure what to say, she had never tried to convince a dead men to come back to her before, so she talked out loud to the surrounding night.

"Mark... it's me... Bethany." she began in a slightly shaky voice. "I want to apologize for the way I acted to you earlier this evening. You told me the truth and I refused to believe you, or even listen to your side of the story. It's just that... well... I didn't exactly know how to respond to what you told me." She held her hands out in front of her to demonstrate her confusion. "I don't know anything about the dead, but I would really like it if you came back."

Nothing happened. Nothing changed. She tried again.

"Mark, I don't know if this was the way to talk to you, but I hope you can hear me. Please come back."

Again there was nothing. She began to panic, fearing that she would never see him again.

"Mark! Please come back! I'm sorry! I do believe you!"

Nothing. It was a hopeless attempt. She stood there a minute, waiting for something to happen, but the only thing that happened was an owl flew over her head. She turned and started walking back to her house. She didn't start crying until she had turned off all the lights in her house, slipped out of her clothes, and climbing nude into her bed. She didn't bother trying to find her nightgown, since it was buried in a box somewhere in her house. She pulled the covers up to her chin and looked out her bedroom window that was illuminated by the moon. It was hard to see because of her tears. It was funny though. She swore that she didn't have any tears left, but she quickly found that she was wrong. She cried so much that she ended up throwing her pillows off her bed because they were too wet to be of any use. Little did she know that although her plea to him in her garden had failed, her tears now were being heard.

Mark lay in his death slumber as his mind wandered his land. He had never felt more guilty about anything before. He had disrupted her life, and the only thing that he could possibly do was erase her memories of him, but he knew that he couldn't do that because the police will soon come to her house and question her about the death of the man who tried to take advantage of her. His mind was snapped out of his thoughts when he suddenly heard Bethany cry. The sound came from her bedroom, so he peeked into her bedroom window to see her sitting up in her bed with her back resting against her headboard. Her hands were holding up her blanket, telling him that she didn't have anything on underneath. She was indeed crying, but she was crying his name mixed with sadness. She was calling out to him, hoping that he would hear her.

`I am coming Bethany.' he whispered as he broke out of his death sleep and quickly joined her in her bedroom.

She was crying so hard that the bed shook slightly. Tears streamed down her face, wetting the blanket she was holding. She had never cried so hard in her life. She continued to cry, but suddenly stopped when she felt something slide in between her thighs and part them. The moonlight didn't shine on her bed so she didn't know what had parted her legs, but she had a very good idea who it could be. She sat very still, afraid that he might leave if she did anything. Her grip on her blanket tightened as she felt lips softly kiss the inside of her thigh, dangerously close to her most private place. His lips left her skin only for a second before Bethany felt the heavenly sensation of his lips against her womanhood.

"Mark!" was the only thing she could get out of her throat as her back arched against the wooden headboard. Her hands threw the blanket off of her bed then reached down to his head, burying her fingers in his soft hair. Her lungs strained for air as familiar waves of pleasure washed over her. His tongue, dipped into her curls, playing with them for a moment before dipping into her sensitive tissues. Her legs would of jumped up off the bed if he had not been holding them apart and she yelped in surprise. She squeezed her eyes shut and her hands clenched into fists in his hair. She had forgotten how good this felt. His lips were light, but intense. He seemed to be taking his time, wiggling the tip of his tongue over her swollen lips, then lower, then back up to brush over her bud, then repeated the process all over again as his hands slid up her thighs, hips, and quivering belly to cup her aching breasts. Bethany again screamed and arched into his gentle palms as his thumbs repeatedly brushed over her hardened nipples. At the same time, his lips covered her bud and slowly tasted her sweetness, coaxing her pleasure to its peak. She could do nothing except scream his name over and over as he led her to her climax. It came fast and hard, demanding her to give all that she had, and she did. He continued to lick at her bud as she came down from her high. She slumped against her headboard, a smile of satisfaction on her face. He moved his hands up to her shoulders and pulled her down under him. She raised up onto her elbows for a kiss, but it was just too dark to see anything. She was about to reach up for him, but was stopped as a warm mouth enveloped a nipple as a hand caressed the other. She fell back down to the bed and again cupped his head in her hands. He rolled her hardened tip with his tongue, causing a quick gasp to excape from her throat. He moved to the other, performing the same to it, then went back to the first, as if he couldn't decide which tasted better.

"Mark... please hurry... I can't take much more of this..." Bethany said in a breathless voice. He left her breasts to finally capture her lips with his. Her arms flew around his neck as she kissed his with almost a violent passion. Her body arched against his, telling him that she wouldn't last much longer. He slid his hands down to her hips, lifting her up as he came down, sliding easily into her. Her cry of relief was lost in their kiss. He lowered her back to her bed and braced him above her as he started his slow strokes. She quickly wrapped her legs around his waist and eagerly absorbed every thrust, begging for more. Her nerves were crying out for more of the wonderful sensation that he was creating in her. His lips left hers only to drift over the features of her face. His hips moved steadily and continuing to increase in speed and force as they both felt the delicious tingles run thought them She felt something startling soar through her body as her climax came quickly. She cried his name out in sheer joy and love as her climax claimed her and he answered with growls of his own as he spilled his seed within her trembling body. They were slick with sweat, exhausted, and out of breath, but that didn't stop her from pulling his head down for a kiss. He came down, but instead of kissing her, he gently rubbed his cheek against hers. Out of all the intimate and passionate things that he did to her, that small action was the most beautiful thing he had ever done.

Mark did not leave Bethany that night. He stayed with her, allowing her to sleep a bit before waking her up with his kisses and making love to her all over again. In the morning he was forced to leave, but returned to her again at night, not leaving her side until the sun forced him to leave. The town's police never questioned her about the death of Stephen Daley, for the autopsy showed that he might of committed suicide. Bethany continued to work at her job and had no desire to leave. Her life seemed to get better every day, as long as her midnight lover came to her every night.