Chapter 33: The Cave

Barbara Brown's POV

When I woke up the next day, Brandon was looking at me as he was caressing his fingers lightly on my skin as I was smiling at him sleepily.

"Good morning," I said as he smiled at me.

"Good morning," he mumbled before he was having his wicked ways with me. I don't know what to do but to succumb to him as he thrust inside me and I was wet and hot and moist to accommodate him.

It was bliss.

Then, we were in the shower as Brad was showering my hair and massaging my scalp as I was leaning against him in the tub. We were spending so much more time with each other and it was a paradise.

Then, we went to the tourist attraction of the island. Brad booked us a tour of a cave that we will be sitting on the boat and we were looking at the cave with wonders before I saw something out of ordinary.

"Honey?" I asked Brad as I was pointing at the sill and dike that was the same as the one that we saw on the site. We stared at each other before we headed back and afterword, Brad was asking for a private boat but I know what he was thinking.

We were tight like that.

We went out on our journey before we came back to the cave and we were coming close to the cave walls before we were inspecting the sill and dike.

"Do you think it's possible?" I asked him as he was looking at it and he stared at me.

"I don't know. If it was possible, this will change everything," he said as he was rubbing his mouth. I was biting my lips before we headed back to the jetty and we were on our way to the hotel.

"This changes everything. You can prove to the world that the sill and dike was the main composition for the new mineral to form. Not just anywhere but if we can connect it from the site and here, we can surely get some funding to prove the theory that you might have in the notes back in the States," I said as Brad was sitting on the chair as he was drowning in the whiskey. He was so quiet after we got back.

"Brandon? Honey? My love," I said as I was sitting on the floor where I was putting my hands on his thighs. He looked at me before I was smiling at him. He sighed.

"I think I will forego this scientific research," he said quietly before sipping on his liquor. I blinked at him before I was trying to control my disappointment.

"But why?"

"I thought I can fill my time with rocks and stuff that was not breathing and I don't have a care in the world. But now, that priority has changed," he said before he was looking at me and I was trying to get an answer out of him.

"What do you mean?" I asked him before he put the glass down and he was pulling me onto his laps. I straddled him as he was rubbing my arms which were bare because I was wearing a sundress. The dress rode up my thighs and it was bare for Brad to see it.

"Let me ask you this, do you wish to continue this pursuit of yours?" He asked before I was blinking at him. He sighed.

"Do you want to continue your study, your Ph.D. in this course where you have to be out in the field, without the comfort of the civilized world?" he asked before I thought about it. Do I want to do it?

Was it for me? Or was it for my parents so that I can be a proud daughter for them? My brothers have earned their Ph.D. in their interest and I think they were happy to do it.

But for me? Was this the right choice for me? Will I need to endure the pain and the treacherous thing again?

I looked at Brad who was staring at me, knowing that I was battling with myself again. I took a deep breath before I spoke my mind.

"But, this is your research. This is your glory. We have to make a stand since you're the one that proves to the others that you have something to share with the world," I said as I was caressing his cheeks. I smiled before he sighed.

"I don't know if I can do this, to be honest," he said quietly before I kissed him. I smiled and I was cradling his face in my hands.

"I believe in you and I will be on every step of the way to ensure that you got what you came for," I said before Brad was caressing my bare thighs. Now I remembered our position was quite wicked.

"Since you said that, don't mind if I do," he said as he hauled me up and we were tumbling on the bed and the only sound we make was my laughter before we got busy.

After some persuasion to NSF, peer reviews, and presentation to the scientific community…

Brandon Cornwall's POV

I was nervous. I don't know why but I was nervous. I never felt like this before as Barbara was correcting my appearance for this moment. I don't know what will I do without her in my life. I can say that I will die of embarrassment if I don't have her here.

"Be confident. You never this nervous when you gave that presentation in San Francisco," my wife said as she was putting her hands on my chest. I took her hands before I kissed her knuckles.

"That's before I knew that I can conquer them. But now, I fear that we will taint our reputation together. And I still have my investors to satisfy," I said before Barbara was laughing at me. I kissed her as I wanted to savor her laughter.

"You'll be fine. I know you are. Because you're now Professor Brandon Cornwall from the Geology department of NYU who discovered the Cornwall's Core or the scientific name for it was Calcium Silicon Dioxide (CaSiO2). You can do it. I know you will," Barbara said as I was taking in my deep breaths.

"Okay, okay. I can do it. You're right," I said as I was waiting for her to take her seat in the audience. I can see that she was smiling at me before the MC was presenting me to the people of the scientific community tonight.

"Good evening, as you might as well say in French Bonsoir. Now, I know a lot of my audience were from all over the world, especially from the Geological Scientific society as I was looking around here," I said before some laughter erupted. I smiled as I saw my wife was smiling at me when she was putting her hands on her small curved stomach.

I will do this for her. I will do this for our unborn child.

"So, as you might now. I have discovered the new mineral called Cornwall's Core and I can assure you, it was not the name that I would go but to claim it, well, I have to put my name for my effort to dig it," I said before people started to laugh again. I smiled.

"But tonight was not about my glory. Tonight was about the mineral and what it can provide us from our past and you will be on that journey with me tonight," I said before I started the presentation that I have been preparing for months for this moment alone, of course with Barbara's help.

"That was amazing, professor,"

"Are you sure you will not write another series of the book?"

"Will you recommend me for another book of your scientific research?"

The questions were coming in hot like they were fireworks. I don't know how Barbara handled it. So, my wife decided that she will not pursuing her Ph.D. in mineralogy as I was the new faculty member of the Geology department of NYU.

I can't let people know that I landed one of their Ph.D. candidates now, can I?

However, Barbara was contented to be working from home as she was writing numerous and numerous of her journey in the field. She wrote a lot of the guidance for the new geologists that will endeavor in that course and what to expect.

I can never be more proud that I was with her.

I was smiling at my fans when they were talking non-stop with the book and wanted to know if I will be making some sequel. I don't know but I will try to do it, I promised them. Giving a vague answer will calm them down and I think I was contented to be that way as well.

After some light refreshment and I was making my way to my wife, I saw some familiar redhead who I thought was Cameron Hayes, the editor of WWF magazine but when I turned to look more closely at him, it was not him. I must be delusional before someone was touching my arms.

"Hey, are you okay?" Barbara asked me as I was turning to look at her. She was still gorgeous as I still remembered the first time I saw her. She was now wearing a conservative black dress since I don't want my wife to be condemned of the scientific community with her tomboy style. But I let her wore those when we were home.

"Yeah, I thought I saw someone I knew but I was mistaken," I said before we were walking out of the building.

"Are you happy that you were the most sought out professor to give a talk around the world?" Barbara asked before I sighed.

"Before teaching my first class in the Fall, oh yeah," I said as we were laughing and went to the car before we went back to our hotel. It was nice to travel with my wife and share my knowledge with the world. But nothing felt better and right with Barbara on my side.

~THE END~