Southern Spirits

by Shelley Stringer

  “Do you think either Mimi is going to give them up? Forget it, Chandler. Claudia and I are waiting our turns! You might not get to feed them again until they’re ten,” she quipped as Banton bounded back down the staircase and into the room. He looked gorgeous in a soft pink knit polo shirt and faded jeans.

  “I was just going to ask if maybe the grandmothers would take the first shift from bedtime till three, and give me a chance to get little mama to rest?” Banton asked, pulling me back into his arms.

  Ty chuckled as he rose to greet Banton. “Yeah, that’s it. You want alone time to get Chandler to sleep,” he repeated. Banton laughed at him.

  “Yeah, good luck, brother…with that sleep thing,” John teased from across the room.

  I felt so warmed by all the friendship in the room. I hadn’t heard the guys tease each other like that in months, and it felt so good. I missed Brie, and looked around. I spotted her in the dining room, sitting by herself, silently watching Aunt Sue and Mrs. Elaine as they fed the babies. I crossed the foyer and sat down in a chair beside her as she looked at me.

  “Brie, are you all right? I know it’s hard for you to be around so many humans…” I trailed off.

  “No, not at all. It doesn’t bother me anymore. I’m good,” she assured me as she smiled at me. As I watched her it occurred to me, she had become more beautiful since the transformation. Her skin seemed so silky, almost airbrushed, and her hair was an even more beautiful russet. The green in her eyes was so deep and reflective, and even though she controlled the intensity, they seemed to sparkle.

  “Then what is it?” I asked as she gazed back at me.

  “The babies. Chandler, do you think maybe one day soon, you might let me hold them? I have control, I promise. You can trust me. I can’t even smell a human blood scent on them,” she whispered as I nodded.

  “They’re Aldon, Brie. You don’t have to worry. Of course you can hold them! Right now, if you could pry them lose from their grandmothers,” I sighed as she laughed.

  “That might be the greatest battle I’ve fought yet as a vamp,” she commented wryly as I giggled.

  “Beef’s ready. Come and get it,” Dan called out from the kitchen.

  “Can you stomach it, or do you need to pass?” I asked Brie. She nodded.

  “Some rare brisket is the one thing I think I can stand,” she assured me as I wound my arm in hers. We made our way back to the kitchen and filled our plates as everyone piled out onto the patio. Everett had worked some magic with the help of Mr. Philippe, stringing up lights across the patio and setting up patio tables and chairs.

  “Crank up some music!” Ty suggested as he bounded down the back steps. The tables filled up quickly, and the SEALs and Cade and Drew lounged on the ground with their heaping plates of food. I cleaned my brisket up quickly, and then watched as everyone celebrated. Julia sat quietly in a chair by the greenhouse, wistfully watching the SEALs as they joked about and teased one another. I knew she was thinking about Ben.

  Banton came up behind me and placed his hand around my ribcage, brushing my breast with his thumb. The familiar warm rush washed over me as I felt the deep ache in my stomach…the ache that told me it had been too long. He whispered, “Can I yell ‘fire,’ and clear everyone out yet?”

  I turned to him and smiled. “I wish you would, but first, you might go and talk with Julia. She seems really lonely tonight,” I whispered as he looked over my head at her. He looked back down at me, placing a kiss on my forehead before crossing the yard to her.

  “Diva-Doll, you up for a little pool basketball?” John asked as Constance flopped down on the ground beside him.

  “Thought you’d never ask, Cowboy! I feel the need to kick your ass at something tonight!” she shot back with a grin as she rose.

  “For the love of good manners, please, Constance…Watch your language! There are children present!” Aunt Sue scolded her, holding her hands over Ava’s little ears.

  “Kick ‘is ass! Kick ‘is ass!” Ava squealed as she kicked her leg in the air. Aunt Sue looked at Constance with a horrified glare.

  “Oh, no…Princess Ava, Princesses never say that word. She meant, ‘kickin’ class…we will learn to kick and fight!” Uncle Everett came to the rescue, diverting Ava’s attention.

  “Good save, Unca Ebret,” Brie joked as she sat down in John’s lap. John leaned over and kissed her on her shoulder, and then ran his thumb across her creamy white skin. She leaned her head back into his chest as he pressed his lips into her hair. Watching them filled me with such joy…they were so in love, and I could feel it radiating across the courtyard to me. I gazed across the tables and found Banton holding Julia quietly as she sobbed into his shoulder. My heart ached for her; I knew how she was grieving for Ben. She was experiencing such joy at Banton’s homecoming, and it was bittersweet for her.

  The music changed abruptly, from oldies rock to some forties Sinatra. After checking the babies for the hundredth time and finding them napping peacefully in a playpen we’d placed just inside the greenhouse, Banton grabbed my arm and pulled me down the stone path to the back of the structure. The streetlight in the alley cast an orange glow across the small patio, and as he turned me around in it he whispered, “May I have this dance?”

  His eyes sparkled in the darkness. I nodded, melting into his arms as he crooned into my ear. His deep beautiful voice sent shivers down my spine. He whirled me around the patio, holding me so close to his body I could feel his passion through my thin sundress. I blushed in the moonlight…I couldn’t believe I did. He’s your husband, for gripe’s sake. But it had been so long, everything was new again.

  “I’m so sorry. I should have been stealing moments like this with you these past few weeks. I promise never to let stress, work, or kids come in between us again.”

  His voice, so deep and dreamy…almost raspy…was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. I shivered as I nuzzled his neck.

  “I’m sorry that I’m so insecure I need constant reassurance,” I murmured as I gazed up into his eyes. He lowered his mouth to mine, moving his lips slowly, breathing in and out rhythmically. His breath tasted sweet like the wine we’d been drinking. He slid his hand down inside the back of my dress and caressed my bare skin between my shoulder blades.

  “I have found the one whom my heart loves,” Banton whispered into my ear as the song ended.

  “Mmmm. Song of Solomon,” I replied as he nodded. “I love those passages.”

  “All beautiful you are, my darling, there is no flaw in you,” he murmured, sliding his thumb along my cheekbone. “…the beauty of the love given by God between a man and a woman. It expresses exactly how I feel,” he continued as he pulled me back into his kiss.

  “Chandler? Banton? We thought we’d get in the hot tub, if that’s all right with you,” Constance called out as she came around the corner of the greenhouse. “Oh, my. Holy crap, Chandler! Get a room,” she announced as Ty came around behind her.

  I pulled away and gazed up at Banton as I replied, “My house, my rules.” Banton chuckled as he offered, “Y’all go ahead. That’s what it’s there for. I thought John challenged you to a basketball game in the pool.”

  “Well, we had second thoughts, thinking about the girls in their swimsuits and all, and the water might be chilly in the pool,” Ty grinned as he kissed Constance on the neck.

  “We’ll be along,” I called after them as they disappeared down the stone path back to the courtyard. I sighed, and then gazed back up into Banton’s eyes.

  “Why don’t I help you carry the babies in, and get them down for the night. We can leave our guests to wrap things up out here,” he suggested, running the back of his hand down my cheek.

  I nodded and grabbed his hand, following Constance and Ty. We gathered the babies up from their playpen and carried them into the house. After I settled down into the rocker in the nursery, Banton handed me Elly, and then sat down beside me in the other rocker with Matty. We both rocked as we fed our babies
, Banton singing along to the music we could hear wafting up from the backyard. I watched Banton silently. His hands were so tanned and strong against Matty’s fair skin. He held Matty with one hand cupped under his head, stroking his cheek with his thumb as Matty sucked the bottle.

  I laid my head back on the rocker and smiled at him. “This is just like in my dream. So perfect.”

  He looked up at me and smiled, flashing his dimple. His eyes twinkled, and I couldn’t wait to go to our room. My heart pounded as it did the night he made love to me for the first time.

  Rising from the rocker, he murmured, “He’s asleep. I’m going to put him down, do you need anything?”

  “No, I’m good. She’s almost finished, and I need to change her before I put her down,” I replied as he turned back to me.

  “I have something to do, I won’t be long,” he whispered over his shoulder as he shut the door to the nursery.

  I watched Ellyson silently as she finished sucking the last of the formula from the bottle. She was tired, having been passed around so much during the evening. After I worked to get her to burp, I rocked her a little longer, making sure she was fast asleep. She cooed in her sleep, making her little baby noises as she dreamed her little girl dreams. I placed a gentle kiss on her lips, tasting her sweet baby breath only newborns have. The time was passing so fast, I wanted to savor every moment. I could sit here like this for hours, I thought as I rocked her on my shoulder. Then I thought about Banton waiting for me in our room.

  I rose and crossed over to her bassinette, and placed her on her back. She sighed and stretched, and then slipped back into the deep dream state that she’d been in on my shoulder. Matty lay on his side, sucking his fist in his sleep. “Always hungry,” I murmured as I placed a kiss on his forehead. I slipped from the room, and then walked down the landing to our bedroom door. I opened it and gasped.

  Banton stood beside the window in the candlelight, his white silk pajama bottoms hung provocatively low on his hips. He smiled at me as I took in the room. Candles spilled from the windowsill and the nightstands, and rose petals covered the bed and across the floor to the doorway. Crossing the space between us, Banton offered me a glass of wine.

  “This is so romantic,” I commented as I gazed around the room again.

  “As I meant for it to be,” he replied, handing me the glass and leaning to kiss me. I took a big sip, and then he took my glass from me and placed it on the dresser. His tone and manner were so serious. As he shifted back to me, he murmured, “Turn around.” He placed his hands on my shoulders, turning me as he unzipped my dress slowly, placing his lips at the base of my neck. I laid my head back on his bare chest as he untied the silk tie at my neck. My dress dropped to the floor at my ankles. Moaning, I raised my arms over my head and around his neck as he slid his hands around my ribcage and cupped my breasts in his hands.

  “Banton, make love to me,” I whispered as I tried to turn.

  “Not yet, I have more for you,” he answered as he slid his hands down my abdomen, trailing his thumb across the scar where my incision had been. He continued to kiss my neck as his hands slid lazily down the top of my thighs and around my hips. Swinging me up into his arms, he carried me toward the bathroom. Kicking the door to the room open with his foot, he whispered softly in my ear, “I’m not finished touching you yet,” as he slid me down into the scented water in the tub. Rose petals floated on the water and tickled my legs as he ran his hands beside them in the water.

  “Banton, I still have my panties on,” I protested as he slid his hands back up to my thighs.

  “Not for long,” he whispered. He hooked his thumbs down inside the lace at my hips and slid my panties down my legs, leaving them floating in the water.

  “We don’t have room enough for two in this tub,” I pouted, wondering why he’d set this up.

  “Don’t need it. Tonight, this is all about you,” he replied as he took a bottle of scented massage oil off the side of the tub and flipped the top open. He poured it in his hand, and then sat down in the floor beside the tub. Lifting my foot out of the water, he began to caress my calf, sliding his hands to spread the oil into my skin. I shut my eyes as he kneaded the muscles in my leg. As he slid his hands higher, I opened my eyes and gazed at him. His eyes burned fiery amber and brown as he worked his hands slowly up my thighs, sliding his fingers across my skin and then bringing his thumbs together between my legs, moving in circles higher and higher. My breathing became shallow.

  “Mr. Gastaneau, do you know what you are doing to me?” I asked breathlessly. He smiled slowly, flashing his famous dimple as his gaze met mine.

  “I hope so, Mrs. Gastaneau. I hope I have your full attention,” he whispered as he continued to grin. He continued his slow, tantalizing circles between my thighs, and then moved his upper body to gaze closely into my eyes as he moved his thumbs higher and across a very intimate spot.

  I drew my breath in as he slid his hand lower and moved his fingers under the water. I instinctively closed my eyes as I moved rhythmically against his hand, silently giving my approval.

  “Oh, Banton…please,” I whispered.

  “Shhh. Let me love you slowly,” he replied as he moved over me and brushed his lips across my breastbone. He continued to explore with his fingers under the water. I lay my head back and moaned as I parted my thighs. His mouth made a trail back up my throat, tasting my skin and nipping with his teeth as he moved back toward my lips. His kiss was slow and sensual, his tongue matching the strokes that his fingers made inside me. Pulling away, he oiled my entire body, massaging my shoulders, my neck, and my arms. It was so sensual as I watched his eyes as he worked. The translucent brown seemed to come alive with the candlelight, sparkling as the flecks of gold reflected the light.

  “You are driving me insane,” I murmured. I caught the back of his neck and pulled him back down to my lips. He covered my lips with his, and drew me up out of the water and into his lap. As I slid my arms up around his neck, the oil from my bath rubbed off on his muscular chest. I rubbed the oil in his skin with the palms of my hand as he watched my expression intently. Slowly he lowered his mouth back to mine. Twining his fingers in my hair at the temples, he gulped in my kiss as if he were drinking water, pulling my tongue in slowly as he explored my mouth with his.

  “The massage felt good,” I murmured as he drew back to look at me. He smiled, and wrapped a towel around me. Rising up off the floor, he picked me up in his arms in one swift motion, and then carried me back into the bedroom.

  “No fair, you have on pants,” I whispered against his lips as he pulled the towel from under my arms.

  “Here, drink your wine.” He pulled away from the kiss, handed me my glass, and retrieved his own. I sank down into the covers on the bed and pulled them up over me, taking in the scent of the rose petals that slid down the sheets.

  I watched silently as he stood in the flickering candle light. The silk pants he had on were wet from my body, and they molded to his muscular thighs and groin. My face grew hot as I gazed at him, his body was so tanned and hard, his passion straining against the wet fabric. He slowly slid out of his pants, and I caught my breath. He was even more toned than I remembered…his six-pack abs had hardened, tapering off down between his hipbones in a ‘v’, drawing my eyes downward.

  As I looked back up into his eyes, he strode across the room as he downed his wine. Taking mine from me, he placed both glasses on the nightstand as he slowly pulled the sheet down my body.

  “You won’t need that,” he murmured as he pulled me in under his hard body. I ran my hands up across his chest and over his shoulders, feeling his muscles ripple as he moved. The fire blazing in his eyes was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.

  “I’ve missed you so much. I’ve missed us. I’ve missed your touch, missed you inside me,” I whispered as he positioned himself over me, cupping my hips in his hands.

  “I’m so sorry. I’ve kept my distance, only because I was afraid of the venom. I
was full of so much hate when I returned. I was afraid I would hurt you. I love you, Chandler,” he whispered, sliding his hand down my leg and grasping my knee, drawing it up as he began to move against me. Fisting my hands in his hair, I gasped as he pushed to enter me. It had been so long since I’d felt him. After a few moments, I relaxed enough to pull him in fully. His eyes burned as he made love to me. We savored every moment. I wrapped my legs around his hips, and as he filled the deep, hollow ache that had been with me for these long four months, I felt complete again. He watched me intently as I gasped, drawing him in completely as waves of fulfillment washed over both of us.

  He withdrew slowly, and then pulled me into his chest and held me as our breathing calmed. He pressed his lips to my forehead and murmured, “Do you feel good?” I could hear the chuckle in his voice.

  “Mmmm. Better than good. Amazing.”

  “Chandler,” he whispered in the candlelight as he played with my hair. I lay with my face on his chest, my leg hitched intimately across his thighs.

  “Mmm?”

  “Would you marry me all over again?” he asked as I felt him move his arm toward the nightstand.

  “Hmm. I’d have to think about that one,” I teased as I turned to look up at him. He cocked an eyebrow at my response as he played with my hair, so I continued, “Of course. Every time you ask,” I replied, sliding my hand across his chest.

  “This is for you, sweetheart. I’ve wanted to give it to you since the babies’ birth, but I haven’t had the time to make it a special occasion until now.” He pulled me up higher on his chest as he placed a tiffany-blue box on my shoulder.

  I caught it before it toppled off and pushed up to remove the lid. Inside I found a diamond bracelet with three loosely braided rows of diamonds, and two large diamonds in the center.

  “Oh, Banton,” I breathed out in awe as he slid it across my wrist. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful,” I finished as I gazed down at him.

  “Neither have I,” he murmured, pulling me down to kiss me. “This is for changing my life in ways I never thought possible. You are my life,” he finished as he slid his hand across my abdomen. “You went through so much for me, and I love you.”