From Heel to Heart

by Amy DeMeritt

  With their mouths entwined, Lana pulls Elli up to a sitting position and takes her bra off. She lays her back down and breaks away from the kiss to move down her body. With a bursting heart and adrenaline pumping through her veins, Lana tenderly adores Elli’s entire torso, from collarbones to hipbones, tasting and caressing every inch of pale smooth skin.

  Each breathy gasp and tremble Elli rewards her with only fuel her desire to show Elli just how much she loves and cherishes her. She moves down between her thighs, gently easing them apart, and with the tenderest kiss possible, she plants her lips at the heart of her sex, directly over the throbbing nub of tightly bundled nerves. Elli moans deeply as her body shudders and a small whimper hums from her parted lips as Lana presses her tongue out to bathe the ache of her need in lavishing adoration.

  Lana spreads her hands over Elli’s thighs and begins to massage the twitching muscles. Her mouth continues to worship with a soft reverence that is slowly turning Elli’s bones to pudding and her mind to a firework display of every nerve shooting off in response to Lana’s touch.

  Lana is in no rush to deliver the final climax. She wants Elli to feel loved and in rapture for as long as possible. But Elli’s body doesn’t cooperate with her plan, and after several minutes, Elli’s moans and gasps increase and her body begins trembling.

  “Oh, darling, come up here.”

  She kisses the insides of Elli’s thighs, then climbs up to lay down on top of her. She scrapes her nails through Elli’s short hair and kisses her closed eyes and smiling lips.

  “I love you, Elli.”

  “Oh, Lana, I love you too.” She opens her eyes with tears pooling in the corners. “So very much.” She caresses Lana’s cheek. “You make me feel whole again and I never thought I would know this feeling again.”

  “With you, I finally understand what love really is. I’ve never experienced that sense of wholeness before, not till I fell in love with you. I can’t imagine living a single day without you.” She scrapes her nails through Elli’s short hair again and lightly kisses her lips and the tip of her short, rounded nose. “Elli, I am so very sorry you lost Isabell. We have only been dating for a few months, and already the thought of not being with you for the rest of my life is so painful. And I know the pain for you had to be at least a hundred times worse. Elli, I love you and I want to love you with every breath I have left in me. I want to be as many of your missing pieces as I possibly can be. I want to continue to build a beautiful life and family with you.”

  Elli swallows a sob as she rolls them, getting Lana on her back. She kisses her deeply for a moment, then rolls off of her towards the side of the bed.

  “Where are you going? Did I say something wrong?”

  “No, my darling.”

  She opens the drawer of her nightstand and pulls out a small black velvet box. Lana’s heart rate increases as she sits up with her hand over her agape mouth and tears filling her soft light brown eyes. Elli sits down in front of her and caresses her cheek, then pulls her hand away from her mouth and gently kisses her lips.

  “Is it too soon?”

  Lana quickly shakes her head and wipes her eyes with trembling hands. “No. There’s no doubt in my mind or heart that I want to be your wife.”

  Elli smiles as she inhales deeply through her nose and caresses Lana’s cheek, wiping a fresh tear away. “This ring has been in my family for almost two-hundred-years. My great-grandmother still wore this ring when my dad proposed and married my mum. After my great-grandmother’s passing, the ring was passed to me, the next in the line of a marrying age who was not yet already wed.” Her voice cracks, and she clears it as she takes a few calming breaths. “Isabell wore this ring, though she was not wearing it when she passed. She feared losing it on the boat.” Her bottom lip trembles and she shakes her head as she clears her throat again. “If you do not want to wear it because Isabell did, I would understand. But…”

  “Elli, I would be honored to wear the ring. I completely respect what you had with Isabell.”

  Lana leans in and gives her a brief kiss on the lips. Elli takes a few deep breaths, then opens the box. She raises it higher between them so Lana can see, and Lana’s eyes widen and her lips curl with a happy smile.

  “Lana Scott, will you marry me?”

  “Yes, god, yes. Elli, I love you. This ring is gorgeous. Elli, I love you so much.”

  She throws her arms around Elli and pulls her into a passionate kiss. After a couple of minutes, they pull apart and Elli pulls the ring from the box. As she takes Lana’s slightly shaking left hand and slips the ring onto her finger, Elli’s eyes tear up. It’s a perfect fit.

  “This ring is so beautiful.”

  The yellow-gold ring has a feminine band with a dome style top with beautiful intricate scroll filigree with dozens of round diamond inlays in the design and a bright square sapphire in the center with beautiful clarity.

  “How many women in your family wore this ring?”

  “Aside from Isabell, four. My great-grandmother, her oldest sister, their mother, and her aunt. Back then, not many people could afford such extravagant rings, and engagement rings actually weren’t very common at all. This ring came into the family in the early 1800’s as a form of payment from a wealthy duke in exchange for a pair of fine leather shoes and a velvet jacket with detailed embroidery.”

  With a giggle, Lana says, “Sounds like a very stylish duke.”

  Elli laughs and nods. “Aye, the attire back then was quite something else. When we go to London, you’ll get to see some of it. The family shops there have some pieces from over the years in display cases. There are also some lovely museums that I would love to take you to.”

  “I’m so excited to explore England and meet the rest of your family.” She nervously bites her bottom lip as she looks down at the ring. “Do you think any of them will be upset that I’m wearing this ring so soon into our relationship?”

  “None should care or say much about the length of time. But there are some who will be a bit prickly about you having it at all. Some in the family don’t agree with same sex marriage. And some are envious of the ring and want it for themselves. Mum and Dad are going to be tickled to see the ring on your finger.”

  Lana’s face spreads into a wide smile as her cheeks blush and her eyes tear up. “I wish it wasn’t so late. I think I’m more anxious to tell them than I am to tell my own family.” She cranes her neck to see the alarm clock on the nightstand. It’s after one in the morning. “I guess it’s too late to text Asia too.” She squeals as she leaps forward, tackling Elli to the bed and climbs on top of her. “I’m so excited. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too, darling.” She caresses Lana’s cheeks and kisses her lips. “You brought light and hope back into my heart. I too am very excited to call you wife and start having children with you.”

  “I am so damn happy that I had such a horrible morning and broke a heel outside of your shop. I don’t think we would have met otherwise.”

  “Aye, your broken heel healed my broken heart.” Elli giggles with a wink as Lana grins and bites her bottom lip. “A bit ironic, aye?”

  “After I left that day, I told Asia about my morning and she teased that I fell in a pile of angel dust or something. Do you think that’s possible? That something supernatural brought us together, like we’re a couple of fated lovers or something?”

  “No. If I believed that, I would have to believe it was meant for Isabell to die and I don’t believe that. It was just something that happened, as awful as it was. There are so many different scenarios that can play out at any given moment of the day. You didn’t have to lose your temper and decide to get out of that cab when he was driving too slowly for your liking. You could have been more aware of where you were stepping and not land your heel in the sewer. And after you picked up your shoes, you didn’t have to hang back and accept my offer for coffee. You could have left and never come back. You could have decided never to come pick up the
shoes at all. You chose to show up and stay. Circumstances just happen to us. It’s what we do with them that determines the consequences, whether they be good or bad.”

  “I’m sorry, Elli. I didn’t mean to indirectly imply that Isabell was meant to…”

  “Shh, my darling, I know you didn’t.”

  Lana gives her a soft kiss and caresses her cheek, then looks down at the ring on her finger and smiles with fresh tears of joy filling her eyelids. After a few moments, she looks up to meet Elli’s glistening blue eyes, then gives Elli a brief passionate kiss.

  “Elli, I love you more than I can ever find words to express. Thank you for asking me to marry you. I felt the question burning in my chest, but I was worried you would think it was too soon.”

  “Aye, your lovely words were very much marriage proposal material. I just happened to have a ring waiting and ready.” She winks with a loving smile. “I think this proposal was a bit of a joint effort, don’t you agree?”

  A huge smile spreads across Lana’s lips. “I will accept that interpretation of the situation. I have a request.”

  “Anything, my darling.”

  “I would like to take your name. I don’t want to hyphenate and I want us to carry on the Voss name.”

  “I humbly and gratefully accept your request, my love.”

  “Thank you. I’m very thirsty and kind of hungry. Do you want to have a snack before bed?”

  “Aye, that would be nice.”

  “And when we wake up, I want to go see your parents and tell them the news.”

  “Aye, I would love that.”

  Thank you for reading!

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  Yours truly,

  ~ Amy DeMeritt

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  Other works by Amy DeMeritt

  Keeper of My Heart

  Four years ago, Riley was only an intern at the zoo she is a keeper at now. She fell in love with her mentor, and after a three-year relationship, her heart was left broken. She vowed never to allow love into her heart again and she coped in ways that would only send her spiraling down the self-loathing whirlpool. A year later, the tables have turned. Riley is now the mentor and has to take on an intern. With one smile from a sweet innocent face, Riley’s resolve to never love again starts to crumble. While learning how to love again, and forgive herself for her indiscretions, Riley has to find closure with her past so she can move on and finally be happy.

  The Perfect Right Hook

  When she was a kid, Jordan’s parents enrolled her in boxing to learn how to defend herself against the bullies that picked on her because of her petite size. As a working adult, Jordan’s no longer facing bullies in the schoolyard, but still hangs onto boxing out of habit. When an enemy from her past shows up in a terrifying way and is the only person that knows why she can’t remember the day before, Jordan has to do some deep soul searching to remember on her own or face her enemy in the ring to be given the answers. Trying to learn the truth about her missing time, sends Jordan on a journey of self-discovery, learning she is more than just a boxer and a girl that works in IT. With the help of the beautiful and fascinating Alex, Jordan learns the many beauties and wonders in life she has been missing out on and starts to uncover clues to her missing day in her own memory. When she finally learns the truth about what happened to her, will she be able to survive it, or will it destroy her and the beautiful bond that forms between her and Alex?

  She Became My Water

  Piper is a barista at a popular coffee shop, where a new weekly patron has captivated her. Even more so than the anonymous blogger, the “Controversial Lesbian”, who she’s been following and has been in love with for the past three years.

  With the lure of a shy closed lip smile, Piper is drawn to the beautiful woman, determined to get to know her.

  When the anonymous blogger decides to strip her digital mask, revealing her true identity, the surprise unveiling is shocking and life changing. Piper learns that even a lesbian can learn a few things about gender identity and sexuality.

  Love Triumphs Pain

  As if the stress of trying to decide what to major in when she starts college next year isn’t enough, Jess is surprised and embarrassed to suddenly find herself unable to stop thinking about kissing and being with her flirty science lab partner, Jaime – another girl!

  After a brief bout of depression from trying to understand her feelings, and with the help of her lifelong best friend Hayley, Jess accepts she is gay and stops judging herself. Accepting who she is makes her feel hopeful and more confident. Her new-found awareness of “self” allows Jess to humor the idea that she might actually be able to have what she wants – Jaime.

  The journey to discovering who they are is full of pain, but also deep passion. The ending may not be what they imagined, but in the end, they both discover their true selves and learn true love can heal all pains.

  The Dancing Wolf Series

  Book 1 - Building the Family

  A dangerously seductive and addictive lesbian romance with a fresh twist. Can one wild weekend really be more than just a fun time? Can it lead to a loving and lasting relationship? When Kayla starts college in love with one girl she’s never been able to have a relationship with and nursing her broken heart after being dumped by her girlfriend, she lands in the lap of a beautiful girl – a girl who could either fill the void in her heart or open her heart for a life she only briefly dreamt of as a possibility. Some say it’s only possible to be in love with one person at a time, but Kayla learns the “one love” rule doesn’t apply to her.

  Book 2 - Building the Home

  In this second installment of The Dancing Wolf, Kayla and her girls get a heavy dose of the trials of the real world, homophobia, and love.

  Transitioning from a monogamous relationship to a family of four is only the beginning for Kayla and her girls. In order to abandon their college dorms to move in together, the foursome must now face the world and their families.

  Can Madison’s homophobic parents accept their relationship?

  Will Kayla’s hidden love for Awenasa cause her family to crumble?

  Creating a home together may destroy them or open up the doors of immeasurable beauty and joy.

  Book 3 - Building the Life

  Going home for the summer family gathering, to see and collect her wife after a year apart, will mark the start of a real family life for Kayla and her girls.

  Even with as much love and support she has from her family, Kayla’s life is never short in supply of complications, tensions, and sometimes, disasters.

  After deciding to follow her love of dance and join her sister’s dance squad, Kayla finds herself in the spotlight with new doors opening for a career in dance. But to walk through those doors, Kayla will have to befriend an enemy, and put her personal comforts aside.

  Deciding to jump into the entertainment industry will either be a golden ticket to a wonderful life for her family or will push the girls too far.

  Kayla and her girls are about to embark on a great journey, but their love and trust will truly be put to the test.

  Note: A prominent character from Love Triumphs Pain, by Amy DeMeritt, will join the cast of characters in this installment of The Dancing Wolf series.

  Book 4 - Building the Empire

  After being handpicked by an opportunistic dance tycoon for a TV ballroom dance competition, Kayla and her dance partner, Jaime, will have to quickly learn how to cope with the fas
t-paced entertainment business.

  Entering the world of fame and fortune will put Kayla at odds with the image she wants to have, and the image the world wants to give her. Being a celebrity dancer will push Kayla into questionable circumstances, further complicating delicate friendships and testing Kayla’s girls trust in her more than ever.

  Her schedule for the year is tight, and mostly dictated by her big dance career, however, some major surprises, both good and bad, will find their way into her schedule.

  Book 5 - Building the Nursery

  By being able to stay true to herself and her values, no matter the number of temptations and calamities that seem to befall her, Kayla quickly rises to iconic status, further opening career paths in the entertainment industry.

  While trying to enjoy the riches of their labors and planning to start having children, Kayla and her wives have to balance a hectic schedule and complicated relationships.

  Suspicions of disloyalty will mount, tensions will flare, and very shocking truths will be learned.

  Note: Kayla co-stars in the movie, THE SHARPS UNLEASHED. Scenes from the movie will be rehearsed, so if you want to avoid spoilers, and you’d like to read the full story, you should read THE SHARPS UNLEASHED by Amy DeMeritt before reading Building the Nursery.

  Book 6 - Family Growing Pains

  Although Kayla and her wives have experienced some strong negativity within their families for their lifestyle, they have mostly been blessed with a strong support system. Falling in love with and deciding to add Jaime and Symone to the family will cause Kayla and her wives to suffer the loss of family and friends, and Kayla’s career will be compromised.