by Zoey Derrick
The applause continues as I gently wipe away the tears that have spilled from my eyes. Mikah hands me his handkerchief, and I take it. He wraps his arm around my back and pulls me close.
I look up at him, and he is looking at me, his eyes full of emotion.
"Yes," I say.
He cocks his head to one side.
"Yes, I'll work for you. I'll go to school. Whatever it is you want me to do, I'll do it."
He smiles, wide and bright, and pulls me in tighter to kiss my forehead. Once again, I'm left with a strong desire to kiss him.
The applause finally dies down. Gary has taken back the microphone.
"Does Sydney know about me?" I ask Mikah as he helps me to sit once again. I expect him to say yes, but he doesn't; he shakes his head.
Once Sydney has returned to the table, Mikah sits back down. I'm in awe of her speech and her openness about having been a victim of domestic violence.
Mikah leans in and whispers in my ear, "I thought it would be more appropriate if it came from you. That is a part of your life, and it is your story to tell, not mine."
I reach for his hand and squeeze, my silent reassurance that I've heard him. My heart swells at the overwhelming amount of respect I now have for him.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Gary begins announcing the winners of the silent auction. I'm thankful that the dollar amounts are not being announced. Mikah and I have been holding hands between each announcement and the clapping that follows. My palms are starting to turn red.
Gary seems to be going in random order, so I'm completely surprised when it has been some time since it began and neither Mikah's donated lot nor the one he so graciously bid on have been announced yet. But given that Mikah's was by far the highest valued item, it would make sense if Gary saved until last.
"And now, for our second-to-last item of the evening, we have our Escaping with Technology package. Donated and designed by CTM Capital out of Phoenix, Arizona, this item contains an iPod, an iPad, and a MacBook Pro laptop, all inlaid with various gems and fully loaded with business-grade software. The package also includes more than one thousand dollars in gift cards, a set of matching bags and cases, and ten hours of tutoring time, and it is valued at more than seventy-five thousand dollars."
I'm not sure I can breathe right now. I look at Mikah, who is looking at me with the biggest cat-ate-the-canary expression on his face.
"And the winner of this impressive package is..." Dramatic pause. Does he not know that I can't breathe right now? "Ms. Vivienne Callahan."
The entire room erupts in applause. Mikah is clapping and staring at me. My mouth drops open and I feel like a fish out of water, fighting to suck in air in order to breathe.
When the applause finally dies down, Mikah’s still looking self-satisfied, but there is a warmth about it, too. "Way to go," he says.
Seriously? Did he seriously just say that? "I'm kind of angry with you right now," I say through gritted teeth.
He leans back dramatically, pretending to be appalled, and I cannot help but laugh at his expression. He smiles back, leans over, and places his arm along the back of my chair. His hand begins to play with a strand of my hair. "Please don't be angry. I would not have made a bid of that size if it wasn't alright. Okay?"
Gah! Why does he do this? "I feel guilty for using your money."
"Don't. It's alright. And besides, it will help you with school." He smirks at me, but the reminder that I’ve agreed to go to school and help him with the charity work makes me feel excited again.
Bubbles flit in my belly as the baby moves around once more, and I tense, just a little.
Mikah notices. "What's wrong?"
I smile wide at him and he knows.
"Again?"
I nod.
He smiles as Gary announces the winner of Mikah's donated lot and the room applauds.
Mikah pulls his hand back and we both join in.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you again for coming and for your generous support of Hearts and Hands. Please be sure to see the table in the auction room to claim your winnings, and enjoy the band." The room applauds once more, and the band that I hadn't notice set up behind us starts to play.
"Dance with me?" Mikah says.
Oh, no. My worst fear of tonight, aside from the auction, is being realized. He wants to dance.
I look at him, no doubt with overwhelming fear in my eyes, but his expression is warm and soft.
"It's easy, come on."
He stands, pulls my chair back from the table, and offers me his hand. Instinct sets in and I take it.
I look at the dance floor. There are already several couples dancing, which instantly makes me feel better; at least I won't be on display. Well, not the center of it, anyway.
"I don't know how to dance," I say as he takes me in his arms.
"It's easy, just follow my lead."
I position my hands like his and he starts off slowly, left to right, and then he's off.
The gentle pressure against my back and squeezes of my hand tell me what direction he is going to go, and all in all, it's not that bad. I'm not going to win any trophies for dancing, but it is fun just the same.
THIRTY-NINE
About halfway through our second song, my back comes alive with a zinging fire. Mikah, too, stiffens, and we stop dancing. He's looking around rather frantically, searching for something.
That's when I see it. Over at the door, near where we came in, a man is trying to come inside, but he is quickly headed off by Andrew and Red. They are pushing him back and away from door toward the elevators.
"Mikah," I say and nod my head in the direction of the door.
He turns to see. "Shit," he growls.
"What's going on? Who is that?"
"Come on. Come with me."
He takes my hand and we head toward the hall opposite the emcee's stage. There are several other people standing there, so we don't look out of place, but that doorway is our only way out.
We're out of the intruder’s line of sight and well-hidden behind a rather large planter. I'm pressed up against Mikah, and I feel a vibration in his pocket.
He reaches his hand in and pulls out his phone. "Yeah." His tone is clipped. "Make sure he is gone off of the property, and we will wrap things up here. Send Andrew back up to escort us down." He pauses. "Are we sure he was alone?" He listens. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Red."
He pulls the phone away from his ear. "It's time to go."
"Mikah, what's going on? Who was that?" There was something about that man that was familiar, but I couldn’t place him. He was dressed up in a tux and looked like he belonged here with the others.
"We're going to square away your auction winnings, say good-bye to Sydney and take off. I don't know about you, but I'm tired."
I grip his arm tightly and pull him back toward me. He leans down slightly so that we are eye to eye and I don't have to talk loudly. "Don't you dare shelter me, Mikah. Who in the hell was that man?"
I see resolve in his features. He doesn't want to tell me. But then something changes and he leans in a little closer to me.
"That was Elton Bennett."
FORTY
“Riley's father?" is all I can manage to whisper.
"Yes. He is an ex-business partner of mine. Our ties were severed the minute I discovered who was after you. My staff has done a pretty damn good job of damaging his reputation. He's pissed and wants revenge on me."
"Does he know about me, who I am?" I'm trying to wrap my brain around all of this.
Mikah takes a deep breath. "He knows of Vivienne Callahan, but I don't know that he is aware that you are her. He may or may not make the connection. I'm guessing by your reaction you didn't know him, either?"
I shake my head. "No. Riley never introduced me to his father." I don't go into the reasons why that is with Mikah, but I think Riley’s words were that I wasn’t good enough for the upper class and that I was “a good-for-nothing whore.” I shi
ver at the memory but move past it quickly.
Mikah turns as someone approaches. "Hi, Sydney."
"Hello, you two. Vivienne, I would like to thank you so much for your generous bid and to congratulate you on winning," she says. She is very friendly, awkwardly so.
I smile. "It was really Mikah's doing."
She smiles, bright and warm, giving me the distraction I need from what has just happened. "I know. I saw the handwriting."
She and I both laugh. Mikah has a look of mock disgust on his face, and we laugh a little harder.
"Either way, thank you. And thanks for coming." She takes me by the shoulders and kisses each of my cheeks. "I look forward to seeing you again." She steps back and turns toward Mikah. "Will you be in on Monday?"
He looks down at me and shrugs. "Let's see how the weekend goes."
She smiles. "Sounds good to me. Enjoy your evening." She waves and heads back toward Gary.
Mikah leads me toward the table that now separates the two rooms.
"Good evening, Mr. Blake," the elderly woman behind the table says.
"Hello. This-" His long fingers casually gesture in my direction. "-is Vivienne Callahan. She-"
"Oh, of course. Thank you so much, Ms. Callahan, for your bid and your donation." She stands and turns to a gentleman behind her, and he goes toward the tables where the last few remaining prizes are sitting. There is a beautiful deep purple case on the table with the same rose pattern on it as the laptop.
"How would you like to make your donation tonight, Ms. Callahan?" the elderly woman asks.
I look to Mikah briefly, trying desperately not to look completely freaked out.
Mikah smiles and turns to the woman. "Credit card."
"Perfect," she says and reaches for something on a table behind her.
I reach into my purse, glad that I didn’t take the credit card out of my wallet when I switched bags this afternoon. I pull it out and hand it to her. She does a couple of things and hands me a receipt and a pen. Having just done this for the first time yesterday with Celeste, I'm suddenly thankful for the shopping spree. I sign my name with a shaky hand and give her back the receipt and pen.
"Wonderful, you're all set," she says as the gentlemen hands me the case. Mikah grabs it before I can and slings it over his shoulder.
"Thanks so much for all your help this evening," he says to both of them, and off we go toward the door.
Andrew is waiting with my coat in hand. Mikah takes it from him and offers it to me. I turn, slip my arms inside and quickly button it as Andrew hits the call button on the elevator.
The doors open immediately and we step inside.
FORTY-ONE
We make it to the limo in what feels like record time, helped by the fact that the reporters and photographers who were here when we arrived are gone now. I also note that, though the windows are up, every light in the back half of the limo is on.
"Thank you for a fabulous evening," I say once we are settled and in motion.
He looks at me, tenderness in his eyes. "You're most welcome, Vivienne. I had a wonderful time."
I slide a little closer to him and he wraps his arm around me, holding me close.
Sitting here next to him, after seeing Elton in the ballroom, I realize how safe I feel. I know that, no matter what, he will protect me from anything and everything that can be thrown at me. Even though Riley is still out there and the possibility of his finding me sends a chill through me, what Zirah said about Riley's fate has me feeling more and more certain that Riley will likely never be coming after me again. I'm finally starting to see that over the last couple of weeks my mind, too, has been healing, and Mikah is responsible for that.
I'm also hyperaware of the fact that the feelings I have for Mikah in the dream are becoming reality.
"I'm sorry that I ever accused you of bad intentions when you offered to help me," I say quietly. He pulls back a little and I look up at him. He's puzzled. "In the hospital. Well, the first time we were there. Every time I've jumped to conclusions, I've been wrong, and I apologize."
He takes a deep, thinking-style breath. "You had every right to think and even express those things. I realize now that I came at you pretty strongly without knowing your circumstances." He smiles slightly. "So for that, I apologize."
"You're forgiven," I whisper as I snake my arms around him and hug him tight.
He lets out a breathy chuckle. "Thank you for your forgiveness and..." He pauses long enough for me to pull back and look up at him expectantly. His eyes are soft, filled with something I'm not sure I recognize. "I don't know how to express to you what it meant to me tonight, when she was moving around. I've never felt anything like that before. It was..." He doesn't add anything more to that statement, but I know what he's trying to say.
I lean back into him, and a sudden vision fills my mind: Mikah with a beautiful baby girl with curly red hair. Though this baby is not his biologically, he feels some deeper connection to her than I ever could have expected from anyone.
The idea of Mikah stepping into her life as someone she can look up to brings new tears to my eyes. I succeed in blinking them back so that they don't drip onto his shirt. I don't want him to know what I'm thinking about right now.
We pull into the underground garage and are met by Connor at the elevators. He opens Mikah's door, and Mikah slips out. I follow right behind him when he offers his hand again.
We ride up with Connor and Red in the elevator. Their presence makes me a little nervous because they don't usually ride with us. But after tonight’s events with Elton and this morning's events with the shifter, their caution is understandable.
Jeez, could today have been any more of a mess?
FORTY-TWO
After I've washed my face and changed into one of Mikah's t-shirts, I stand in the doorway watching him work on his laptop. I notice that my iPod is playing quietly in the background and the TV is off.
He’s rid himself of his jacket, vest and tie. I can't see if he's changed his pants, but he is still wearing his dress shirt, so I think not.
"You don't have to stand back there and watch me,” he says, surprising me. “Come here."
I smirk, totally busted. I push away from the doorway and walk around the couch. He puts down whatever it is that he's been looking at and opens up his arms.
I go stand between his legs, and he puts his hands on the backs of my thighs. When he gently rests his head against the upper curve of my bump, that surge of desire returns. Once again the urge to kiss him comes over me, this time stronger than before, nearly overpowering.
Though he hasn't actually made any moves toward advancing our relationship, he's shown me no reason to fear rejection. On the contrary, everything he's done tells me that he needs me, too.
I run my hand through his hair and he holds me tighter, closer to him. When he does this I'm instantly reminded of the dream - our dream - and how he took so much care in preparing my outfit for tonight. He, too, must feel and see the same things as I do in that dream.
"Are you ready for bed?"
I yawn. "Yes."
I step back, and it's there in his eyes - that look I saw earlier - and in this context it strikes me as desire.
I take his head in my hands and lean down. He doesn't flinch or say anything. But as I move my lips closer to his face, fear washes over me, and I end by kissing him on his forehead.
"Good night, Mikah. Thank you for a wonderful evening."
"Good night, beautiful. You're most welcome, and I'm very glad you were there with me." He smiles. "See you in the morning."
I nod and head off toward bed.
FORTY-THREE
I'm back in the white room. Mikah is down on his knees with his eyes closed, wings fully extended. It's right where we left off the last time I had this dream, and here I have no inhibitions about doing anything to him.
I reach up and place my palm against his face. He leans into my touch. "Give me your hand," I say, an
d he does. I bring it up past my face and place it on the top of my wing. Pleasure surges through me, hot and rapid, pooling between my thighs.
I take his head in both my hands, and he mirrors the gesture on my own cheeks.
He rises, bringing me with him, tilting my head upwards. I feel my belly bump into him, pressing gently into his stomach. His eyes open, and they are the purest blue I could ever imagine.
Steadily, he brings his face closer to mine. The motion is impossibly slow and I ache with anticipation. I stretch upward a little in an attempt to meet him faster, and he smiles.
Just like that, his lips are on mine. All my angst and anguish dissolve in an instant, and I'm lost to the soft, warm touch of his lips.
His tongue lightly traces the outline of my lips, teasing me, tempting me to open them. Desperate to feel his tongue on mine, I open my mouth. The touch is electric. It surges, hard and hot, straight to my innermost desires of love and lust.
Desire. He's awakened a need stronger than anything I've ever felt before.
His kiss grows more urgent, and his hands move slowly and lightly down my neck to my shoulders and then along my arms. I shiver at the contact from wanton need.
My nipples, which are already tight and tender, harden and ache. An ache that can only be soothed by something warm and wet.
His fingers trail back up my arms as my hands slowly slide down his neck, along his chest, then follow the line of his ribs. I bring my arms around him, desperate to be closer to him, to be touching him.
His ragged breathing matches mine. We’re both practically gasping for air as our kiss deepens. Nothing else matters; there is nothing in the world but him and me. Us.
A loud grunt. It comes from behind me and is followed by a moan, but it is not from me or Mikah. It's something else...
"Ahh."
This is real, different. It's not my dream. I'm awake, and someone is moaning, but not in pain.
"Mmmm."
My eyes fly open. There is light in the room, but from where? I sit up and look behind me, thinking it's the bathroom, but no, it's coming from the corner, near the closet door.
