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"I love you, Moses," she said in disbelief. "I love you."

Kissing her forehead, Moses replied. "Maybe you do. And maybe you're looking for something beautiful to counterbalance the pain. Either way, Simone, you are loved. You are worthy of love. I guarantee it."

The tears she cried turned from tortured to awed, like when she used to cry in church, never knowing why. Running her hands across the prickly hair of his head, Simone pulled Moses in to take comfort in the warmth of his mouth. His tongue still tasted of black liquorice and of her. She kissed him hungrily, desperately, like she could consume his spiritual knowledge this way.

Simone expected him to push her away, ask her to stop, thinking she was too emotional. He didn't. No, Moses kissed her back, wrapping her body in his tremendous arms, leaning her down until her hair touched the pine needles. Hungry for love in any form, in all its forms, Simone pulled off her clinging top. No more weeping. Her awe was silent now, and she wiped the traces of tears from her cheeks. Firelight kissed Moses' skin, making him look like an angel in hell, while it warmed her naked breasts.

"I'm sure," she whispered in anticipation of the question he seemed about to ask.

Her eager nipples piqued in expectation, pointing up to the greener-than-green treetops. An errant raindrop found its way through the cover overhead, bursting against her chest. The bristle of Moses' hair excited Simone's skin as he followed the rain down her breasts. There he worshipped, taking the luscious orbs in his hands as he pressed his beautiful face into them. Softly, he kissed the malleable flesh on either side of her cleavage, leaving wet lipmarks in his wake. Slowly, he ran his hot tongue along the cleave, from the base of her round breasts up.

His soft mouth against her nipples sent a message, like an electrical current through her body. The feel of his wet tongue on her breasts ignited her pussy, and that raindrop sensation came back to her abdomen. With every nerve-ending Moses touched, new feelings of beauty awakened in her. He wrapped her in his protective arms, sucking at her breasts. The dew of his mouth on her skin made her body bloom like a patch of white trillium flowers. In her mind, she could see pure white petals bursting through every precious green bud in the forest. The sun and rain together inspired new birth. As Moses planted loving kisses across her chest, a drop of crystal rain kissed her forehead. It flowed like holy water through her hair, cleansing her guilty conscience. Simone's eyes opened wide. She was awakened.

A surge of love-infused adrenaline ran through her core. Wrapping her feet around Moses' calves, Simone rubbed her impatient clit against the hard cock still concealed beneath bathing trunks. God, if Moses wasn't the man of steel, her name wasn't Simone Valcourt! The silky texture of her skirt delighted her pussy lips as she pressed her body against the man suckling like a child at her breast. At last, she was truly ready for everything this beautiful, sexy, tattooed man had to give her.

"Grab the boat safety kit?" Simone requested.

Moses threw her an odd glance as he reached out for it. When he saw what she'd packed, he chuckled and clicked his teeth like she was a naughty puppy. "You planned this," he accused, pulling a condom from the container.

Still awed at the experience, Simone replied, "I only planned to have sex with you, not to feel this miraculous. Do you know how I feel with you, Moses? Like my body has roots in the earth beneath me and I'm reaching up to the sky with both hands. My heart is expanding."

The embracing expression on Moses' face was too much to bear. "I can't believe I just said all that." She shook her head, running her hands along his expansive shoulders. "It sounds so silly."

Moses said nothing, gazing beyond her eyes and deep inside her spirit. With a breathless laugh, Simone reminded him, "Anyway, you can't be too surprised I want to make love. I did tell you I was feeling Canadian today."

"Oh, so it's 'make love' now, is it?" Moses teased. "Maybe we should wait till we're back in the canoe, then."

More grounded than she'd felt in years, Simone began pulling his bathing suit down with her toes. Deep in her throat, she giggled. "Get these off!"