Chapter 52

As Ed drove home from work he couldn't get over how freaking cold it was when just two days before he'd boarded a plane in sunny, hot Barbados! It wasn't fair!

He'd spent all of the Sunday recuperating in bed and hiding from the cold to be honest. He'd been spoiled by his little vacation. Having Grace in his bed made up for it though. He'd missed her so much he'd kissed her all over and spent a considerable amount of time bringing her to a state of bliss, multiple times, with his mouth. When he finally eased his cock into her hot, wet depths she'd been very vocal about her pleasure. His cheeks still burned when he thought about the things she'd said.

All that relaxing did have the benefit of making him extra sharp at work though. He'd been excited to get back to work and Mr. Drakos was delighted to keep him very busy. He did promise not to keep him too late every night.

Ed parked his truck and passed Grace's soon to be replaced clunker and Rachel's sleek silver sports car on the way into the house. The smell of home cooking caused him to immediately salivate. It smelled like chili! Perfect for a cold winter's night. Grace popped to her feet and rushed over to give him a hug. He sighed as her lips pressed against his. He would never get tired of kissing her amazing mouth. Or anything else of hers. She pulled him over to the kitchen table but he made a quick stop to kiss Rachel who was standing by the stove. He gave into the temptation to kiss her exposed neck.

"Edward! I'm cooking! You almost made me drop my spoon!" she squealed as tingles rushed up and down her body.

Ed sat where Grace indicated but pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled her neck too and she gasped as she struggled to free herself.

"Ed! It's dinner time!" Grace moaned as his lips did things to her neck that made her want to take him right there on the table. She finally extracted herself and looked at him with a grin. "What's gotten into you tonight?"

"Nothing. I'm just home with two women I love and… I'm happy," he answered.

Rachel carried over two plates of chili and rice and went back for her own. "I heard from Dale and Tristan. They're coming over for dinner to meet the gang next Saturday." The phone rang on her way by so she picked it up and carried it back to the table before she answered.

"Hello? Oh, hi Carolyn! Thank you! Barbados was amazing! I'd definitely go back. Edward? Hang on." She handed Ed the handset and turned to her dinner.

"Hi Carolyn. Tonight?" Ed looked to Grace and Rachel. Both nodded to him as neither had plans that required his presence. "Sure. I'm just sitting down to dinner but in an hour? Great! See you then." He hung up and dug into the delicious meal.

"What's up?" Grace asked.

"I don't know. She just asked to see me after dinner," he replied around a spoonful of chili.

"Edward, don't talk with your mouth full." Rachel scolded him gently.

He dipped his head in apology and Grace shared a grin with Rachel. She loved this woman. She was so good to them.

Ed tried his best not to eat too quickly as the food was so good! Too soon it was gone. He withstood the urge to ask for more. During his morning workout he felt absolutely doughy from the soft living he'd done in Barbados.

He tidied up the kitchen and packed the extra chili away for lunches. That done he brushed his teeth and changed into his comfy home clothes and put his old winter jacket on.

The drive to Carolyn's only took a minute but he was frozen when she let him into her house.

She took his coat and immediately led him into the den at the back of the house. The gas fireplace was 'roaring' and the room immediately warmed him. He noticed she'd redecorated the room extensively.

Carolyn had the overhead lights off and the only illumination came from the fireplace and several large candles placed strategically to present a warm and inviting atmosphere. Several artifacts she'd collected during her years in the field were highlighted by the lighting. Ed felt the room's calm seeping into his body and soul. His eyes were drawn to the art and ceremonial objects and once again he was awestruck by Carolyn's sense of style and taste. With such items the room might have felt like a museum… like the Rutledge's mansion at the top of the hill had been. But it didn't. It felt welcoming.

"The room… it's really lovely!" he said in wonder as his eyes moved from item to item.

Carolyn's smile softened and she took in the room as well. "The pieces in this room bring back some really wonderful memories for me. I decided to bring them out of storage and showcase them properly."

"Thank you for sharing this!" Ed said softly. His eyes completed their journey to find the print above the fireplace. It was a shot of the mandala tattooed on her back. The language of the lost tribe. He felt a little pang of sadness and heard a gentle gasp from Carolyn. He looked and saw she was watching his face.

"Ed, you're fascinating to observe when you're absorbing new experiences. Your emotions are right there on the surface. I can see the depth of your emotive connection with what you are concentrating on." Carolyn said with a smile.

Ed loved Carolyn's smile as she had a wide mouth and beautiful white teeth. He was almost dazzled when she aimed those smiles at him. She also had an unnerving focus to her eyes. When you spoke to her she concentrated fully on you and you knew there was nothing else in the world taking her attention. You were the center of her world at that moment. And she saw everything!

He was getting a little embarrassed by her attention so he cleared his throat and looked at her. "You asked me to come over because you needed to speak to me. What can I do for you?"

Carolyn looked away, looking a little embarrassed herself. Ed admired the way the blond highlights in her light brown hair gleamed in the candle light. He barely resisted the urge to run his fingers through her hair to see what the light would do then.

"When you came over last time dressed in the Santa suit you really caught me by surprise and I felt so bad that we didn't respond as you'd expected."

Ed looked around and listened. "Where are the kids?"

"At Stephanie's, having a sleep over," she said.

"The kids do that a lot!" Ed exclaimed with a smile. "It's great they get along so well!"

Carolyn smiled at his innocent joy. She pulled herself back on track.

"Anyway, I hope we didn't spoil your holiday season by being so… non-festive?" she winced.

"No, it's ok. It just surprised me that's all. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. For me it's always been about wonder and excitement and sharing that with family. Especially as a kid! How you and Rick chose to raise your kids is entirely your choice and I'm not going to judge you." Ed snorted at the outrageous thought. "Like I'd have any right to second guess someone as smart as you!"

Carolyn's eyes twinkled a little as she heard the compliment. Still, she didn't like hearing Ed put himself down. "You shouldn't judge yourself so harshly either Ed. I've seen the work you do and that takes a significant amount of intelligence."

"Yeah, but I'm not people smart. I can figure out things but people… that's hard! There are just… too many hidden pieces," he said with a frown.

Carolyn hadn't heard him express it that way before. Ed was fascinating! She would love to write a book on how he perceived the world! She grinned at him and gave him a nod. She saw him bloom under her approving look.

"In the spirit of the season and to show you my appreciation for everything you've done for me this year I'd like you to have this. It's just a little something I saw you needed." She tugged a little wrapped box out from behind a pillow on the couch. Ed's jaw dropped and he looked a little worried.

"I haven't had a chance to do any Christmas shopping!" he moaned.

"Ed! It's ok! I'm not expecting a gift in return! Don't think of it as a Christmas gift! You know we don't do that anyway. This is just a thank you!" She held his hand and handed him the box.

"Should- should I open it now?" he asked.

"Yes!" she grinned.

Ed tore into the paper and soon had the small box open. He folded back the tissue paper and gasped. Inside was a beautiful leather wallet. But the most amazing thing about the wallet was the glass bead mandala sown onto its surface. He looked again and saw it had some elements from the tattoo on her back.

"Oh my god! It's beautiful!" he said picking it up reverently.

"Ed, it's just a wallet!" Carolyn said in embarrassment. His appreciation was making her a little overwhelmed with emotion.

"No, it's not! It's art! I've never owned art before!" he said examining the beads closely, watching how the light passed through them. It was mesmerizing! "Thank you so much!" He pulled her into a bear hug and she lost it. Tears were falling and she was laughing with joy and she didn't know what to do with herself.

"Hey! Where are these tears from!" he said brushing them away with his thumbs as he held her face tenderly between his hands.

"Oh my god Ed! You're such a beautiful man!" she cried.

Ed snorted in laughter at her words. "I'm not ugly but I don't know if I'd go so far as to say I'm beautiful."

Carolyn laughed and leapt up on his lap to kiss his beautiful face.

Surprised at first Ed returned her kiss and soon her tongue was tasting his. That got Ed going and he slid his hands down her back slowly as he sucked her lower lip between his. She tugged at his shirt and pulled it up to his armpits. She giggled as she couldn't get it further up his body. She grabbed his arms and struggled to push them upwards. When she began to growl he gave in and lifted his arms. Up went the shirt, over his head. She ran her hands over the muscles of his chest and grinned with delight.

He tugged up on her blouse. "Buttons, Ed! Undo the buttons!" she squeaked.

"Oh!" He blushed and began undoing the eight little buttons that closed her blouse. Once it was open he slid both hands inside and caressed her stomach. He moved his hands upwards and she sighed at the feel of his strength. When his fingers reached the underside of her tits she gasped lightly. He felt the silky smooth fabric encasing her tits so he slid his hands around her back and popped the catch on the strap. He moved his hands over the bra strap and pushed her blouse off her shoulders and down her arm to fall to the couch. When he slid his hands back he pulled the straps of her bra and slipped that off as well. They were facing each other topless and Carolyn bit her lip sexily as she looked into the heat of his gaze.

"You have such beautiful breasts!" Ed said huskily. He was really beginning to tent his pants and the pressure of her sitting on him wasn't making that easier. First things first though. He cupped her tits in his palms and squeezed them gently. He gently rolled her stiff nipples between his fingers and thumbs as she sighed and cooed.

"Oh Ed, I love your hands on me!" she whimpered as shocks fired between her nipples and her pussy. She reached down and unbuttoned his pants and undid her own as well. She moved back to get off of his lap and he swooped down to suck one of her nipples between his lips. He sucked more of her tit into his mouth as his tongue stroked aggressively across her areola.

"FUCK! OH ED! SHIT YES!" she yelled as she grabbed his head and pulled his mouth tighter against her breast. His tongue began to flick across her nipple.

"OH! FU- NNG! AHH SHI- SHI- SHI- FUUUCK!" she screamed as her abused nipple sent bolts of lightning through her.

He released her tit and blew on the wet, reddened flesh and she gasped and pulled at his hair. He ignored her efforts and moved to her other nipple to lash it with his tongue as well.

"UH! AH- AH- AAUUNNGG! SHIT! FUCKING! GEEZU- FUCK!" She was getting desperate as the pleasure he was giving her was destroying her self-control. She wanted to take him wildly on the floor before the fire but the sensations he was sending through her body was eroding her will to follow through with her plan. She wanted him now! She shook her head wildly to clear it. NO!

"WAIT! Wait! Fuck! Waitwaitwait!" she gasped as she pushed him back. He blinked up at her clearly unable to think straight.

She pushed herself to her feet and wobbled a little. He reached out and caught her, bracing her until she steadied. She gently pulled away and walked over to a trunk. She lifted the lid and pulled out a large fur rug. Ed looked at her in surprise.

"It's faux fur. Amelia won't let me have the real thing in the house. It's as close to a bearskin as I can get," she said with a shrug.

She shook it open and laid it down on the floor before the fireplace. She held out her hand and Ed stood up in front of her. She knelt and pulled his pants down. He stepped from them. She yanked down his underwear and his thick cock bobbed impatiently before her face. She turned his back towards the fireplace and had him sit then lie down with his head pointing towards the flames. She stood quickly and pulled down her pants and panties, tossing them on the couch.

Smiling at the amazing naked man lying on the fake bearskin rug she felt a rush of primal need course through her. She knelt over Ed's face and he immediately began kissing his way up her inner thighs. She threw her head back at the teasing kisses then leaned forward and took as much of his cock as she could into her mouth. Ed gasped and she felt the breath tickle her pussy. She bounced her head up and down on his cock, taking as much as she could into her mouth and throat. Ed moaned and suddenly moved his mouth to her wet pussy lips. It was her turn to gasp but she couldn't with his thickness filling her mouth.

He stroked her pussy with his tongue and flicked her stiff clit causing her to grind her pussy against his mouth until she was beginning to shake uncontrollably.

The orgasm caught her by surprise but luckily it was a small one so it didn't sap her strength too much. She lifted her head from his cock and pulled her pussy from his mouth. She moved down his body and lined her pussy up with his cock. She wanted to ride him reverse cowgirl as she'd never done that before.

Ed watched in a daze as Carolyn prepared to take him inside her. The firelight painted her back with a lovely orange glow and he saw her large tattoo glow and shimmer in the beautiful light. When she dropped herself slowly over his cock he had to close his eyes as it felt so incredible.

"Oh Carolyn! You feel so wonderful! This is too much!" he moaned.

She smiled over her shoulder at the man. The intensity of what she was feeling was so great she couldn't speak. She couldn't tell him how much she loved the feeling of him filling her so completely. How she wanted to feel this way as long as she could. She pushed herself up and his cock slowly pulled from her body. As she reached the head she sank back down and gasped as he filled her once again.

Ed opened his eyes and watched her back in the flickering light. The tattoo rippled as her muscles shifted under her skin. It was truly beautiful! He was feeling a little mesmerized by the overlapping designs. His odd perception of patterns was tugging his mind in strange directions. His hands reached up automatically and he stroked his fingertips over the mandala, feeling how the tattooing process had scarred her otherwise smooth skin. She cooed at the feel of his hands. The raised bumps and ridges tickled his fingertips and he moved his hands around her sides to cup her tits.

"Ahh! Ed, yes! Squeeze my tits in your big hands!" Carolyn gasped. She was getting closer and she loved the feeling of his hands on her body.

He could feel her pussy clamping down on his cock as he filled his hands with her soft flesh. He tugged gently on her nipples and she arched her back as she cried out. The firelight flashed across her back. He squeezed harder and Carolyn gasped and began to drive herself down on his cock, taking him to the base.

"FUCK! AH! CAROLYN! FUCK!" Ed gasped. He was right there! He moved his hands to her hips and began to lift and pull her down on his cock.

"YES! YES! YES! YES! FFFFFFUUUUUUUUCCCCKKKK!" Carolyn cried out as his rough handling pushed her over the top into a powerful orgasm. She gasped as Ed pulled her back over his chest. He wrapped one arm over her tits and moved the other to rub her clit as he drove his cock into her from below.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" she wailed as her pleasure spiked again, rushing over her senses.

Ed's release caught him suddenly and he held Carolyn tightly as he jetted stream after stream of cum deep into her body.

They lay on the rug panting, Carolyn's body twitching through minor aftershocks as his breathing caused a slow pumping of his softening cock in her tingling pussy. Finally she rolled off him to lie on her stomach on the faux fur.

When he'd caught his breath Ed rolled onto his side and watched Carolyn resting. She looked so lovely and peaceful. He suddenly saw her as the most beautiful art in the room, painted by the light of the leaping flames. His heart ached for her beauty. She wasn't perfectly symmetrical or classically proportioned but her beauty came from a lovely harmony of asymmetry and unique proportions.

He reached over and brushed her hair to the side so he could see the full tattoo. He ran a finger over it once again his mind 'listening' to the pattern the bumps made. He began to chuckle.

Carolyn was enjoying the afterglow and the feeling of his finger drawing lines on her back. When he started chuckling she cracked an eyelid to squint up at him. "What's so funny and you better not say my butt," she growled playfully.

Ed pushed himself to his knees and kissed her ass cheeks causing her to purr. "No silly. I was just thinking of something funny. Your butt is adorable!" He moved back up and kissed her lips tenderly.

He ran his fingers around the rings of scars on her back. "I can't get over how strong you are. What it must have been like to endure the pain of getting the tattoo and the scarring. It must have been brutally painful! Yet you came out the other side of that experience with love and compassion for the people who took you through it… I'm sorry, I'm not smart enough to… I don't have words." Ed said with awe in his voice.

Carolyn's eyes welled up with tears. Rick never understood. He was a fellow anthropologist and he never caught the true significance of the trial she'd gone through. Yet here was this young, beautiful man who had no formal education in anthropology and he understood. He took her breath away. She pushed him over onto his back and kissed him, her heart pounding in her chest as her emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She was surprised by the strength of his response. His need for her. Tears of joy ran down her cheeks.

When the kiss ended she tucked her head against his chest and listened to his heart beating strong and fast as hers was. It felt like they were in total sync. She relaxed and his hands went back to stroking her back. She began to doze.

The people loved to sing. Chanting mostly but lovely and rhythmic. They would sing all day accompanying everything they did with their music. It was how she learned to speak their language. In Carolyn's experience this total integration of music was special to them. Other indigenous people had music but incorporating it into daily communication was something she hadn't experienced before.

"Daaaah dut dut daaaah dut! Daaaah dut dut daaaah dut!"

Carolyn surfaced from the light sleep with the song of the people in her ears. The words were missing but the notes were there. Her eyes snapped open and she went still.

Ed chuckled quietly to himself again. His finger continued to run along the ridges of her tattoo "Daaaah dut dut daaaah dut daaaah! Daaaah dut dut daaaah dut dut daaaaah!"

Carolyn's mind was pulled back to the jungles of New Guinea. The people were singing!

"ED! WHAT? HOW ARE YOU-" she cried as she pushed herself up to her knees and stared at him incredulously.

He looked back at her in surprise. "What?"

"How are you singing that song? Where did you hear it?" she pressed.

"What song?"

"THE ONE YOU WERE JUST SINGING!" she cried.

"Oh, uh, I was just pretending the scars on your back were like the grooves in an old record since they're in rings and my finger was the needle picking up the sounds. I didn't mean it as an insult or to make the tattoo less significant. I'm sorry."

She shook her head violently. "What do you mean the scars are done in rings?"

He blinked at her. "I could see it in the firelight. The scars reflect the light more. The pattern jumped out at me. Rings. Rings inside rings. My brain is a little weird about patterns. I see them a lot."

Carolyn's mouth was moving but she wasn't saying anything. The people's songs were etched into her back all this time and she hadn't seen them!?! The language was there! She jumped to her feet and ran to her office. She pulled out her good SLR camera and snapped on the wide angle lens. She raced back to Ed who was sitting up looking worried. She handed him the camera.

"Do you think you can take a picture of the rings you saw in the firelight?" she asked.

"I've never used this kind of camera before," he said looking a little nervous about it.

"Just look through here and press this button gently. When the lights inside turn green press the button all the way. Look for the rings and when you see them take the picture," she instructed breathlessly.

"Ok."

Carolyn knelt with her back to the flames and Ed peered through the camera at her tattoo. He found if he moved himself a little to the left the scars appeared to lighten up. He pressed the button, saw the green light and click! Got the picture.

Carolyn spun around and pulled the camera from Ed's grasp. She viewed the image he captured and there it was. Rings. Rings of notes. She sang quietly to herself recalling the words and some of the symbols on her tattoo leapt out at her as words. She shrieked and almost dropped the camera.

Ed was seriously worried now. He hadn't seen Carolyn this worked up about anything. She was always the calmest one in their group.

"Is everything ok?" he asked cautiously.

She whipped her head around to look at him. "OK? It's more than OK! Oh my god Ed! You are a gift from heaven! You found it! I can translate the tattoo!"

"What?!?"

"The key to the tattoo! It's the music! I know the music but I didn't see it in the tattoo! You don't know what this means to me!"

"Merry Christmas?" Ed said with a small smile, thinking of the beautiful gift she had gotten for him.

Carolyn looked at him in shock then leapt onto him to kiss all over his face while he laughed. She finished kissing him and looked down at his smiling face with joy in her eyes.

"Seriously Ed, this is the most significant and special gift anyone has ever given me. I can't express how much I love you for this."

"I love you too." Ed said quietly.

She froze. "What? What did you say?"

Ed nervously looked away. He'd blurted out his confession in a moment of weakness. Carolyn was so incredibly smart and scholarly, he was so much in awe of her and he was so simple headed by comparison, his audacity at telling her his true feelings for her made him blush fiercely.

"Ed, did you say you loved me?" she said carefully.

Ed couldn't speak. He nodded then glanced at her. He looked again as he couldn't read her expression. Was she happy? Was she angry? Maybe she was embarrassed for him. That one felt more realistic to him.

"It's ok. You don't have to say anything. I know I'm not in your leagu- Mmmph!" Ed began then Carolyn was kissing him, hard. She had his face in her hands and her tongue was doing amazing things with his. When she finally pulled back she had a huge grin on her face and happy tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Ed I love you too! You beautiful, silly man! How could you ever get the idea in your head that I wouldn't feel the same way about you?"

"You're the beautiful one here! You're also so much smarter than I'll ever be!" he gasped.

"Since when is love an intellectual trait!" she smiled at him. Her heart was soaring! He loved her! He thought she was beautiful and smart! She'd received compliments for her intellect by friends and colleagues but she secretly craved compliments for her looks. Her friends were all so beautiful. She felt like the ugly duckling amongst the swans.

But Ed thought she was beautiful!

"Do- do you think you could stay tonight?" she asked.

"Like a sleep over?" he asked with an innocent look.

She looked at him, surprised then caught the impish smile on his lips.

"You tease!" she gasped and he pulled her tight in a hug that warmed her more than any 'roaring' gas fireplace ever could. He loved her!