But Michael had gotten all the information he needed. For now.
Chapter Thirteen – Ruth
“Your sister’s in town?” Michael asked. “Did she come for an intervention?”
“No,” Ruth replied. “I haven’t told my family about you.”
“Because you’re ashamed?” Michael asked.
“If you are trying to goad me into saying nice things about you, then you are delusional.” Ruth followed Michael around his workshop. He was finishing the spindles for the staircase, and was about to start the last one, when Ruth drove up. “I came to ask you to dinner.”
“You could have called.” Michael took off his thick work gloves and placed them down on the lathe.
“I could. But I wanted to see you alone.” Ruth smoothed her hair down, she wore a simple dress and short cardigan, but to Michael, she looked sexy as hell. He’d been thinking of her all day. She was his new favorite daydream as he sat turning the wood on the lathe.
“And why do you want to see me alone?” Michael dropped his voice, attempting to sound smooth and sophisticated.
“Because…” Ruth shrugged.
“You want to kiss me?” He sidled up beside her in his dirty coveralls.
Ruth patted his cheek. “Why don’t you go and get cleaned up? I’ll put some coffee on.”
“Deal.” He kissed her lips and then scooted past her. “I’ll be quick.”
Ruth watched Michael jog across the yard to his cabin. He took the steps two at time. She had to admire his eagerness. Following behind, Ruth stopped outside the cabin and let the tranquility of the surrounding forest relax her. After a busy day at the school, coming home to a place like this would be heaven.
Folding her arms across her chest, she closed her eyes, letting go of all the tension that had built up throughout the day. Live in the now, she reminded herself. She was out of practice, and thoughts of Frankie and Michael, jumbled up with images of Jason and Jenny and their smiling faces, filled her head.
Jason hadn’t looked so happy today when Ruth saw him walking down the corridor to Mrs. Carlisle’s office. Dean and Elizabeth would have been waiting for him. Ruth hated not knowing the outcome of the meeting.
“Coffee.” Ruth opened her eyes, let her vision adjust to the bright sunlight, and then turned to walk to the house. She could imagine Jason and Jenny playing here after school, happy and content. Not that she thought Dean and Elizabeth weren’t doing an outstanding job, but Jason obviously didn’t feel settled. Fostered was a transient word, adopted meant permanently fixed in one place, one family.
“Was that the fastest shower ever?” Ruth asked Michael when he joined her in the kitchen five minutes later.
“I could smell the coffee.” He kissed her, a fleeting touch that made her lips tingle. “And I could smell you.”
“Are you insinuating I need a shower?” Ruth asked.
“No. I love the scent of you.” He picked up his mug of coffee. “What’s your sister like?”
“Are you worried she won’t approve?” Ruth asked.
“I think you are a woman who is more than capable of making her mind up about what she wants, without her family’s blessing. However, in the interest of good family relationships, I’d like to make sure I don’t dive into any subjects best avoided.” He sipped his coffee and closed his eyes. “Bliss.”
“Okay, what does Frankie like…” Ruth thought for a moment. “She’s well-traveled, open-minded, don’t go anywhere near politics, and best not mention lion shifters, since she had an episode with a couple while traveling through Africa.”
“An episode, what does that mean?” Michael asked with interest. “Damn, that’s now become the number one topic of conversation for dinner tonight. Oh, I was going to ask you, shall I buy you both dinner? We could go to a restaurant I know. I want her to like me.”
Ruth shook her head. “No, Frankie wants to cook. It’s not often she has the use of a kitchen. She’s commandeered mine. I am under strict instructions not to come home until six.”
Michael laughed. “Hang on a moment, I’ve been duped. What happened to I want some alone time? You’re here because you have nowhere else to go.”
Ruth’s eyes opened wide and she nearly choked on her coffee. “Is that a problem?”
“It might be.” Michael drained his coffee, and walked around the table to stand in front of Ruth. “Or it might be a sign.”
“Do you want me to spray coffee across your kitchen?” Ruth asked, gulping down her coffee so hard it made her cough.
Michael put his hand on her back and rubbed in a circular motion. “I know I’m supposed to leave you breathless…”
Ruth put her hand to her mouth as she coughed hard, one last time. “You are bad for my health.”
“We both know that’s not true. I’m very good for your health.” He took the mug of coffee from her hand and set it down on the counter.
“How do you figure that out?” Her voice croaked.
“I was thinking of mouth to mouth.”
“I’m still breathing.”
“Then I’ll have to take your breath away.” He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close, holding her tightly against his body.
“And how do you plan to do that?” Ruth asked seductively. There were many ways to kill a couple of hours until dinner, but there was only one way that sprang to mind right now.
Michael captured her eyes with his. “Are you a consenting adult, Miss Bishop?”
Ruth smiled coyly. “That depends on what I’m consenting to.”
“A kiss?” Michael’s breath was warm on her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
“Yes.” Their lips met, igniting a fire in her belly that raged out of control. Ruth hadn’t found a man this attractive since…forever.
Michael’s lips moved against hers, his tongue sliding along her lower lip, and she opened her mouth, deepening their kiss. He was right, he did take her breath away, he robbed her of other senses, too. At the same time, he heightened the sensations flooding her body. She wanted him. He was like a drug in her veins, one kiss would never be enough.
Ruth’s hands roamed his body, his muscles tensed under her touch. He was aroused, as was she. The proof pressed against her hip as he held her close. A moment of panic passed through her. What underwear did she put on this morning? Serviceable or sexy? She couldn’t remember, but as his hand cupped her breast, and his thumb brushed against her clit, she didn’t care. If she had a choice, she wouldn’t be in her underwear, or any clothes, for much longer.
A giggle bubbled up inside her and she pulled back from him as it erupted. “Sorry.” She put her hand to her mouth to stifle the sound.
“What’s so funny?” Michael asked, bemused.
“Nothing.” She wiped her eyes and tried to regain control. “I’m so nervous, and it…” She breathed in, leaning on the countertop. “I’m worried I might not have shaved my legs. Or that my underwear might be too plain.” She put her face in her hands. “I need to stop talking.”
“Hey, Ruth. It’s okay. I feel the same.” He took hold of both her hands and pulled them away from her face. “Look at me.”
Ruth composed herself and looked up at Michael. The love she saw in his eyes stopped her mid-giggle. “I’m sorry, I ruined the moment.”
“No, you didn’t.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “Do you know how incredibly sexy you are when you laugh?”
She shook her head. “I’ve never let anyone in. Not close. Sex was just sex. This is more, so much more, and it scares me.”
Michael brushed her hair away from her face. “It’s supposed to be scary, and fun, and exciting. That’s how you know you are alive.”
“Can we start over?” Ruth asked soberly.
Michael shook his head. “There’s no need.”
Her mouth curled up into a smile. “You know, lucky bear, I could be falling for you in a big way.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.” He rubbed
his nose against hers, and then kissed her softly, gently, and a million bubbles popped in her stomach.
Ruth’s heart skipped along to a beat of its own. Her breathing ragged, she clung to Michael as if he were the only thing keeping her earthbound. But she didn’t want to be earthbound, she wanted to soar above the clouds, race across the mountain, and swim in the love her mate offered.
“Take me to bed,” Ruth whispered in his ear.
Michael didn’t ask if she was sure, he’d already determined she was a woman who knew her own mind. He took her hand and led her from the kitchen. Somehow she managed to get her legs to function and they carried her up the stairs, where Michael pushed open his bedroom door, and took her inside.
The room was airy and light, with a large window that looked out across the forest. It was beautiful, as if they were part of the forest, in their very own treehouse. Michael slipped his arm around her shoulders and they stood together, looking out the window as the trees swayed in the breeze and birds flew back and forth, finding food and returning to their nests to feed their young.
“Do you like it?” Michael asked.
“I do.”
“Will you move in with me, Ruth?” His question totally blindsided her.
“We’ve…”
“I know, but this is right. This is real.”
Ruth nodded. “It is real.” She turned in his arms and faced him, stroking his cheek, before leaning forward to press her lips to his. “Yes.”
As if that one word brought him to life, Michael began undoing the buttons of her dress, and then slid it off her shoulders to let it fall to the floor. Ruth glanced down, relieved. “Sexy, not serviceable.” She looked up at Michael, who chuckled. “First impressions.”
He ran his finger across the swell of her breasts. “My first impression of you was at the Renaissance Faire. You came into view and the whole world fell away. There was only you. There would only ever be you.”
“I want to be everything to you, Michael, but at the same time it scares me so much, I want to run away, to end this, before it begins.” He pressed a finger to her lips.
“Shhh, we are not our parents. We are us, unique. And I’m a lucky bear, everyone knows that.”
Pain crossed her face. “I watched my parents. My mom and my stepdad, I mean. I was there, I was a witness to how hard they fell for each other. I was ten years old and it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. My mom blossomed, and my dad loved her, worshiped her. I knew then that was the kind of love I wanted.” A tear trickled down her cheek. “But when she was gone, I knew that it was the kind of love that ripped you apart.”
“Let it go,” Michael whispered. “Live in the moment. With me.”
Ruth nodded. “I want to.”
“And you can do anything you want. Isn’t that what you tell your students?” Michael asked.
“It is.” She kissed his lips. “I’m ready to take my own advice.”
“I knew you were a wise woman.” Michael led her to the bed and held her hand while she sat down. Then he stripped his clothes off and slid onto the bed beside her. “And a beautiful woman.”
“With wrinkles.”
Michael turned onto his side and looked at her face. “I love every one of them. Each line, each imperfection, is a moment in your life that I want to learn about, until I know everything about you, Ruth.”
Ruth sat up, and unclasped her bra, taking hold of his hand and placing it on her soft flesh. “Later. Right now, I want you, lucky bear.”
Michael lowered his head and kissed her breasts, his tongue rolling over her nipple. The heat in her body grew, as did the intensity of her arousal. When Michael hooked his fingers around the elastic of her panties and pulled them down, he would know how much she wanted him. Not allowing embarrassment to creep in, she owned her body, wanting him to know how much he aroused her.
His fingers slid along her thigh, and she opened her legs for him, anticipating his touch. Ruth kissed his neck, stroking his skin, exploring his wonderful body, until her fingers coiled around his hardened length. She stroked him, eliciting a groan from deep in his chest as her hand moved up and down. Michael mimicked the rhythm as he slipped two fingers into her.
The ache in her core increased, she needed him. She wanted him. Urging him to slide between her thighs, she guided him into her. Michael kissed her breasts, hungry for her flesh, while he thrust deep inside her. He was big, filling her, stretching her, as he moved. Inch by inch he took her, moving in and out in a steady rhythm.
Ruth released her pent-up breath, this wasn’t fumbling sex, this was making love, with the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with.
As her orgasm raced toward her, she finally let go of the past and embraced the future. It was time to let go, and she did, as her climax sent her spiraling into an ocean of pleasure, with her lucky bear right there beside her.
Chapter Fourteen – Michael
“Who taught you to cook?” Michael asked, taking a mouthful of the colorful Caribbean food Frankie served for dinner. They were seated around the small kitchen table at Ruth’s house, enjoying a colorful dish full of flavor.
“Ruth taught me the fundamentals. And then I picked up recipes from wherever I traveled.” Frankie looked from Michael to Ruth and cocked her head to one side, smiling at her sister in approval. Michael pretended not to notice.
“Where in the Caribbean did you stay?” Michael asked, forking the beef and rice into his mouth. The flavor was wonderful.
“I’ve never been there,” Frankie admitted. “This recipe was taught to me by a friend in Spain. We shared an apartment for a couple of months.”
“Boyfriend?” Ruth asked.
“Just friends. He was working to save money so that he could marry his sweetheart back home.” Frankie sipped her water, which she’d chosen over a glass of chilled wine. Michael liked her, she was mature for her age, with an air of sadness that was different than Ruth’s.
“What do you do?” Michael asked.
“I blog about my life.” Frankie shrugged. “I make enough to get by.”
“You don’t have to get defensive,” Ruth told Frankie.
“You used to always tell me to study harder so I could make something of myself,” Frankie said.
“I did, didn’t I? Now I believe we all know what makes us happy and we should go after it.” Ruth took a long drink of her wine, her cheeks flushed pink as she caught Michael looking at her.
“I agree,” Michael replied.
“What about you, Michael? Ruth told me you won the lottery.”
“I did. I bought a large parcel of woodland and built a cabin.” He rested his fork on his plate. “I don’t exactly have a job.”
“Oh, Ruth, how do you handle that?” Frankie teased.
“Michael doesn’t need to work for money. What he does is look after a large area of forest that needs protecting.” Ruth and Frankie were sparring.
“Ruth raised us to work hard and make a difference in the world. I always thought I’d failed her,” Frankie explained.
“You do make a contribution,” Ruth conceded. “You sprinkle fairy dust and rainbows wherever you go.”
Frankie laughed out loud. “Ruth was horrified when, at age eight, I told her my career choice was to be a fairy.”
“I told you it was stupid. For which I apologize,” Ruth told her sister fondly.
“Only because I got a job one Christmas at Santa’s grotto, as a fairy,” Frankie looked smugly at Ruth.
“You always did like to prove me wrong,” Ruth remarked fondly.
“I never told you often enough how much I appreciated your guidance.” Frankie put her fork down. “When I was a teenager, I resented you. I used to ask why you got to tell me what to do. I didn’t realize the sacrifice you made.”
“And would make all over again,” Ruth told Frankie, but didn’t look at her. The emotion in her voice said it all.
Frankie reached out for Ruth’s hand. “Family,
right?”
“Family.” Ruth’s eyes shone bright with tears as she lifted her eyes to Frankie’s.
Frankie sniffed loudly. “A family that is going to grow bigger.”
Michael’s eyes swept across to Ruth. “I hope so.”
“I told Frankie about Jason and Jenny,” Ruth admitted. “Of course, we don’t know if it’s going to happen.”
“I spoke to Fiona today.” Michael rested his fork down on his plate. The food was good, really good, but this was important. Ruth’s reaction would tell him everything.
“You did?” Ruth straightened her back and then leaned forward. “What did she say?”
“I ambushed her this morning when she was getting coffee. When I explained about us, she was very eager to meet us.”
Ruth blew the air out of her cheeks and took a long gulp of wine. “Did you make an appointment?”
Michael smiled. “I wanted to talk to you first. I didn’t want to railroad you into something you weren’t sure of.”
“Wow. Let’s make an appointment as soon as we can. Although I’d like to talk to Dean and Elizabeth first. Before we meet Fiona.” Ruth looked at Frankie. “Do you think I’m crazy?”
“I think you’re both crazy!” Frankie raised her glass. “Here’s to crazy!”
“Here’s to crazy.” Michael lifted his glass, and Ruth did the same, a broad smile on her face. He wanted to lean across the table and kiss her. But if he did, it might not end there. Frankie was right, they were crazy. Crazy in love.
“Your face will split in two if you keep grinning like that.” Ruth sipped her wine, her eyes dancing over the rim of the glass.
Michael shrugged. “I’m happy. This is my happy face.”
Frankie rested her elbow on the table, her glass of water in her hand. “You are my kind of guy, Michael. I believe you are just what Ruth needs.”
“What does that mean?” Ruth’s voice was unsure. Was Frankie insulting her?
“Ruth, my wonderful sister. You have been through so much. Given up so much. And now you have this amazing man who loves you.”
Ruth blushed and looked down at her plate. With a chuckle, Michael reached out and took hold of her hand, his thumb rubbing over the back of it. “Your sister is very perceptive. You are wonderful. And I do love you.”
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