by Donna Raider
Mika stuck her head out and promised Samson she would stay in her room. “There is a guest room at the head of the stairs,” she told her best man. “Why don’t you sleep there? You will be glad you did in the morning.
“I am having trouble going to sleep right now. Would you like to join me for a cup of hot chocolate?”
Samson nodded and followed the priest downstairs.
“What made you fall for Leah?” Samson asked Mika as the priest placed the cup of cocoa in front of him.
“Seriously,” Mika grinned, “have you looked at her? She’s perfect.”
“You don’t seem like one who falls in love with just a pretty face.” Samson sipped his cocoa. “You have known many beautiful women—Amber Stone, for instance. My daughter, Emily, is very beautiful, but you didn’t give her a second look.”
“Leah’s soul is beautiful,” Mika said softly. “Did you know her before she married the king?”
“Yes.” Samson looked away, embarrassed that he had done nothing to stop the travesty perpetrated on the beautiful young woman by her mother and the king.
“What was she like?” Mika asked.
“She was very much like she is now since you came to town.” Samson wrinkled his brow in thought. “She was loving and good. She was innocent. I’m certain she didn’t know what was happening until after their wedding night.”
A muffled sound akin to a growl came from the priest’s throat.
“She tried so hard to please everyone,” Samson continued, as if lost in the past. “She was gracious and caring. She was kind to Delilah, a good stepmother. I remember watching time after time when the king would ignore Leah in favor of Delilah.
“Everyone was taken with Delilah; they ignored Leah. She withdrew and became colder. She had no one. I should have helped her.”
“Fortunately, that is all in the past now.” Mika smiled. “I promise you she will always know she is the center of my world.”
“If I am to get you to the church on time, we’d better get some sleep. I have a feeling you are going to need all the rest you can get before the honeymoon.”
Mika’s sleep was a restless one, filled with visions of a young Leah being handed off to an old king. Legion kept floating in and out of every scenario.
##
Mika stood in front of Gloria. The wedding march started, and all eyes turned to the back of the church.
Leah wore a strapless, off-white wedding gown that hugged her perfect figure then flared out just above her knees, with a long train trailing behind. She was gorgeous. Mika was glad she had opted not to wear a veil. She wanted to watch her lovely face as Leah walked toward her.
The music stopped, and Gloria cleared her throat. “Who gives this woman in marriage?” she began the ceremony.
“I do.” Richie beamed as he placed his mother’s hand in Mika’s hand.
Priest Gloria Thomas began to speak. “We are gathered here to witness the joining of this woman and this woman in marriage.”
Mika went deaf. As she looked at the only woman she had ever loved, she was aware of only her.
Leah squeezed Mika’s hand, and she said, “I do.”
Gloria continued, “Leah Anthal, will you have this woman to be your wife, to live together in the sacred estate of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, and be faithful to her, as long as you both shall live?”
“I will,” Leah said clearly. She turned to Mika, looked into her eyes, and added, "Whither thou go, I will go, and where thou lodge, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.” She slipped an ancient wedding band on Mika’s finger. It was like hers, but without the diamonds.
Mika realized she was repeating the words Ruth had spoken to Naomi, letting her know she was not only making a commitment to her, but to her God, also.
Gloria finally said, “I pronounce you wife and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Mika leaned down to kiss the soft, full lips of her wife. Finally, Leah was hers, and she was Leah’s “until death do us part.”
##
After the wedding photographer had completed the various scenarios Leah had requested, Mika pulled Leah into her office. Locking the door, she held Leah tightly against her and kissed her as if her sanity depended on it. In a way it did. Adrenaline pumped through Mika in waves, flooding her with pent-up energy.
“I just want to jump up and fist-pump the air.” She laughed, showing Leah what she meant. “I want to run up and down the streets of this town, screaming, ‘Leah Anthal is my wife. I love her and she loves me.’ I get to spend the rest of my life with the most beautiful, wonderful woman in any universe.” Mika was jumping around as if she couldn’t contain her feelings.
Leah took her hands, trying to calm her. Mika was almost hyperventilating.
“I just want to grab you and leave,” Mika cried. “I feel like I could leap tall buildings in a single bound.” She grinned at her reference to Richie’s comic book character.
Leah smiled. “You’re not leaping anything but me,” she teased. “But right now, you have to calm down. We have a reception to share with our friends. You have church dignitaries here, and we have friends and family who want to wish us well.” Mika was worse than Richie on a sugar high.
Leah could feel the pure brio coursing through Mika. The priest’s body was tingling with anticipation. Leah wondered how Mika had been able to control her emotions for so long. It was going to be a hell of a night, and she couldn’t wait, but for right now, they needed to be the prim and proper Priest Mika Cross and her wife, Leah.
Leah kissed Mika again, long and slow, transferring some of Mika’s anxiety to herself. Mika calmed under her kiss and moaned as she crushed Leah against her. “I want you so badly,” she whispered.
Being married to Leah had set Mika free. In a few short hours, she could open the floodgates of her emotions and let them wash over her and her wife. Her wife!
Mika took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She smiled and took Leah’s hand. “Stay close to me, please,” she whispered.
CHAPTER 17 - The Honeymoon
They slipped away from the reception as quickly as possible without seeming rude.
Mika unlocked the door of the mansion and swept Leah up in her arms. She carried her over the threshold, kicking the door closed with her heel. Leah flicked her wrist, locking the door behind them.
Mika kissed her slowly, softly, all the while going up the stairs to their bedroom. She gently laid her on their bed and stood back to look at her. Leah was so breathtakingly beautiful, it hurt Mika’s heart.
“My wife,” she breathed the words as if she couldn’t believe them. “My wife.” Mika’s smile lit up their room as she knelt on the floor beside their bed. She leaned down and kissed Leah again, marveling at the wondrous feeling of her lips moving smoothly against her own.
Leah ran her tongue along Mika’s full lower lip then gently pressed for entrance into her mouth. Mika allowed her everything she requested.
Placing her hands against Mika’s chest, Leah gently pushed her away. “Help me get out of this dress.” She smiled shyly. Mika took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Her eyes never left Leah’s gorgeous face.
Leah turned her back to Mika, and Mika kissed the nape of her neck as she slowly pulled down the zipper of her dress. She kissed each shoulder and between her shoulder blades. Mika slid the dress off Leah’s shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Leah turned to face her. She wrapped her arms around Mika’s neck, pressing the full length of her body against her.
Kissing Mika passionately, Leah slid off her dress. They both gasped as their breasts pressed against each other.
Mika slowly slid her hands down Leah’s body. Kneeling before her, Mika slid down Leah’s pantyhose, trailing kisses down her legs as the silk peeled away from them. She stepped out of the pantyhose, and Mika slid her hands slowly back up Leah’s perfect body.
For
the first time, Mika realized nothing would stop them from making love. She had waited an eternity for this moment. She was nervous and awkward.
Leah unzipped Mika’s dress and pushed it downward. She ran her soft hands over Mika’s flat abdomen and up to her breasts, breathing faster as she thrilled to the touch of her. She had been madly in love with this woman for two long, happy—but agonizing—years. Maybe she was going to have a chance at real, prolonged happiness, after all.
Leah ached for Mika. She had wanted her for so long. All the passion, the suppressed desire for the blonde flooded over her in a surge of lust. She lay on the bed, pulling Mika down on top of her.
Mika rose above her, surveying Leah’s lovely face, her beautiful neck. Mika’s eyes rested briefly on Leah’s perfect breasts. She was even more beautiful than Mika had imagined.
Leah began pushing down her panties when she caught her hands, stopping her. Mika was on her knees between her legs, poised above her. “I have to tell you something,” she whispered, dismay spread over her beautiful face.
Her heart leaped into her throat. Here it comes, she thought. Afraid of the answer, she rasped, “What?”
“I… I, um… I’ve never been with a woman.” Mika watched Leah’s eyes as she made the admission. “You’ll have to teach me what you like, what you want me to do. I have no experience.”
Leah’s joy was uncontrollable. She rolled Mika over and straddled her, kissing her as if she had never felt her lips before. “I am going to make love to you, Priest. I am going to tear down and rebuild your world brick by brick.” Her voice was low and sultry. “You just do whatever feels good to you.” She kept her promise.
Leah touched Mika in ways she had never imagined. She whispered things in her ear that made her blood boil. She took Mika’s breath away, kissing her lips as she moaned in ecstasy. When she finally allowed both of them the release they so desperately needed, their chorus of screams ripped the night repeatedly.
The sun was smiling to meet another day as they fell asleep in each other’s arms. “By the way,” Mika kissed her softly, “you, too, scream like a teenage girl on a roller coaster.” She pulled Leah closer and murmured, “I love you so much, my wife.”
The sun was slipping from the heavens when Leah awoke. Mika was lying on her back. Leah was halfway on top of her, her head cradled on Mika’s shoulder, her arm across her abdomen and her leg thrown over Mika’s. What a night, she thought. Mika was by no means her first sexual partner, but she was certainly her most wonderful lover and wife. Wife! Mrs. Mika Cross! Mika and Leah Cross. She went over her new title in her mind, loving the sound of it. She loved Mika so much more than she had ever imagined loving anyone.
Tentative at first, Mika had quickly transitioned from a shy lover to an eager one, aggressively seeking ways to please her wife. Oh, how Mika pleased her. She left Leah breathless, panting, moaning, and wanting to make love with her forever. She had been afraid that her demands would be too much for Mika, but Mika was tireless. Leah knew that if she touched Mika right now, she would wake and do whatever Leah wanted.
Mika was a gentle, caring lover. Always watching Leah’s eyes to make certain she pleased her. Mika had awakened something in Leah; something so deep, so all-consuming, that she had felt she would surely die. There were no flashbacks to her husband or other lovers. Her world, her mind, and her bed were filled with only Mika Cross. Mika had been a virgin. Hers to teach; to train to do the things Leah found most erotic. Mika was an exciting lover. Her strength made anything Leah desired possible. So much for the missionary position.
Mika stirred beneath her, shifting slightly on the bed and pulling Leah on top of her. “Good morning, wife.” She grinned. “May I just go on record as saying that you are amazing? Just amazing.”
“Um, the pleasure was all mine,” Leah purred.
“I don’t think so.” Mika moved her slightly, positioning Leah where she wanted her. Mika stroked her hair, running soft hands down her back to her hips. “Is it still dark outside?”
“Dark, yes,” she whispered as she began a kiss that she knew would result in more lovemaking, “but a different day.”
“Seriously?” Mika’s eyes opened wide then closed as Leah pulled at her lower lip.
When Leah finished with Mika, it always took the priest several minutes to breathe. Gasping for breath, she tried to steady her heartbeat. Mika was sure the offending muscle would leap from her chest any second. She was pleased to see Leah had the same difficulty breathing.
Leah snuggled into her and fell asleep, mumbling how much she loved her. Mika made a mental note to revisit her sex talk with Richie. She realized she’d had little knowledge of the subject herself when she had talked to the boy.
Making certain Leah was sleeping soundly, Mika slipped from their bed, retrieved a pair of jeans, underwear, and a soft Henley from their closet. Using Richie’s shower so she wouldn’t wake Leah, she let the hot water run over her as scenarios of Leah in her arms splashed wondrous visions over her mind.
Mika checked to see if Leah was still resting, and her soft slumber told her she was. She went downstairs and into the space Leah had allotted her as an office and study. The suite was large and lavishly furnished. Mika ran her hand over the beautiful antique desk Leah had placed in the office. Like Leah, everything in the room was exquisite. Mika began unpacking the boxes of personal information and items she had brought from her office at the rectory. She smiled to see that Leah had already plugged in her laptop and placed it on the center of her desk. Mika opened the only password-protected file on her computer and perused her checking and savings accounts. She worried about how she was going to tell Leah about her financial condition. She had marveled at how little Leah knew about her; how she had unconditionally accepted the image Mika had portrayed. Mika hoped their marriage would withstand the information she knew she must share with Leah eventually, but for right now, they were on their honeymoon.
Mika looked at the calendar and clock in the lower-right corner of her laptop. It was almost noon of the third day of their marriage. Three days! She was astounded. Time truly does fly when you’re having fun. She smiled at the age-old axiom.
“Hey.” Leah grinned, leaning against the doorjamb. “Would you like some breakfast?”
Mika’s heart leaped at the sight of her. Leah had showered and was wearing one of Mika’s Henleys. God, she is awesome. Mika nonchalantly pushed down the screen of her laptop and rolled back her chair. “I would love that.” She nodded, moving toward her. “I am starving.”
“Three days without sustenance will do that to you.” Leah laughed as Mika pulled her into her arms, drinking in the fresh, glorious scent of her.
“Oh, I believe I have had plenty of sustenance,” she murmured against Leah’s lips. “But now I need food.”
“Then don’t kiss me like that,” Leah said playfully, gently pushing her away.
As Mika had done so many times over the past two years, she sat on a stool in the mayor’s kitchen, sipping coffee and watching her wife. Her wife—she loved the sound of it.
Mika scrutinized her wedding ring. She knew it came from the same time as the one she had given Leah. “How did you find this?”
“Amber gave it to me. She said it was meant for you. It matches mine.” Leah frowned slightly. “I hope that someday she finds someone to love her as I love you.”
“I’m certain she will.” Mika nodded. “She deserves someone like you to love her.”
Her wife was phenomenal. “Everything about you is perfect,” Mika mused. “I thank my God several times a day for you.”
Leah blushed as she always did under Mika’s scrutiny and praise. “Careful, Priest, you know where flattery will get you.”
“Just where I want to be,” she said as she smiled, “but first, pancakes, please.”
Leaning against Mika, Leah placed her plate of pancakes in front of her and reached across her to get the syrup, letting her ample breast drag lightly across her. Mik
a ran her hand up Leah’s perfectly shaped leg. Her eyes opened wide as she realized the Henley was all Leah had on. She moaned, “Forget the pancakes.”
“No! No!” Leah backed away from her. “Eat first.”
“You’re a terrible tease,” Mika cried. “Are you going to do this to me for the rest of my life?”
“You can count on it.” Leah smiled her best evil smile.
##
As soon as they finished breakfast, Mika reached for Leah again. Picking Leah up, so she had her legs locked around Mika’s waist, she made quick work of the stairs. Mika stopped in the doorway as she realized Leah had put fresh linens on the bed and straightened up their room. “Nice,” she whispered in Leah’s ear, “the room and my wife.”
Mika sat on the bed, still holding Leah on her lap. “I have something to ask you.” She bowed her head slightly. “Our lovemaking is extraordinary, but do I please you?”
“Oh, incredibly so,” Leah sighed. “Why would you ask that question?”
“It always feels like you are holding something back,” Mika said softly. “Like you can’t let go and give yourself to me completely.”
“Yes,” Leah spoke hesitantly, “it is my magic. No one has ever awakened it in this sense before. It is an integral part of me, and I have to fight constantly to hold it back when I’m in your arms.”
Mika looked at her unflinching. “Then let it go. I want all of you.”
“You don’t understand,” Leah cried. “I could easily kill you. You have no idea how strong my magic is.”
“You won’t.” Mika smiled. “I promise I won’t let you kill me. Just give in to whatever you feel. Do whatever you want to do to me.”
“I am not sure I can,” Leah whispered. “With you, I have fought it for so long.”
Mika kissed her lips. That long, slow way she had of drawing Leah’s very soul into her. Fire shot through them both. Not a slow-moving burn, but a blast, like one of her fireballs. It consumed them both. Mika fell back on the bed, pulling Leah on top of her, still kissing her. Mika whispered her name repeatedly as she moved her hands slowly all over Leah’s body. Mika gently moved her so Leah was beneath her, then began kissing her way down the brunette’s body, admiring every inch of her.
