by Lia Davis
Jeb turned his head to see Kori fill a glass with water. She put her hand behind his head and helped him take a couple sips. He managed to swallow the precious liquid. It felt wonderful, soothing his dry throat. Kori gently brought his head down to the pillow.
One of the twins had delivered a bucket of ice. Kori placed a wet washcloth in with the ice then started to swab his burning brow. It felt so damned good. He wasn’t sure if it was the cool cloth or having Kori beside him, but it was the first time in memory his mortal being felt pure joy. She had such a look of love on her face.
“He dove in front of a bullet,” Kori said in wonder.
“I never associated an ultimate act of love with a sacrifice,” Constance admitted.
Once again, he closed his eyes. He was helpless to save himself. His life was in the hands of his doctor niece and his soul mate. Jeb needed to hold on emotionally. He willed his heart to beat and his lungs to take in air. There was so much for him to live for. Fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to bring them together only to have him die.
Kori looked at Jeb’s gray, dying face. He looked like a character in an El Greco painting. Had Jenny cast her spell too late? She fought falling apart while Connie concentrated on saving his life. Kori felt helpless just standing there, following what few orders she was given.
For two days and nights, his temperature lowered, just to soar again. Half the time he was delirious, not recognizing the people around him. She was relieved when he called out her name, only to shout out Jenny’s name a breath later.
Connie regularly checked his vitals, but her facial expressions didn’t give anything away. There was no way of knowing if he was improving or slipping closer to death. Kori never asked how he was. She didn’t want false hope or to hear bad news.
Kori didn’t leave Jeb’s side except when nature called. The twins brought her meals, but she had no appetite. Her lunch sat untouched beside her.
She had managed to get some warm broth down his throat. He was getting most of his nutrients from the IV bag hanging next to the bed. Kori memorized his face as she looked for any sign of improvement.
Over the two days, she drifted in and out of sleep. Never getting any rest. It terrified her that she’d be unconscious when Jeb needed her. Kori had told her friends she met a man and was spending time with him. Connie’s daughters had gone to the hotel to collect her things. There was no sense in paying for a room she wasn’t using.
She had nodded off and when she jerked awake, Connie was over Jeb’s body. A smile was on her face. Kori held her breath, daring to hope.
“His fever has finally broken,” Connie said in relief. “He’s going to be all right. It will be a long recovery. Jeb’s muscles have atrophied while he was in stasis. A physical therapist will have to work with him and he’ll have to build up his stamina.”
Tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She was afraid to pray for such an outcome. Kori barely knew the man who laid in the bed, but he had become her world.
“Go home, Kori, and settle things up north,” Connie said. “Then return to us. Jeb is out of danger. He wouldn’t want you seeing him weak. The image he projected is the man he wants you to see.”
“Doesn’t the marriage ceremony say in sickness and in health?” Kori challenged her.
“Yes,” Connie admitted. “But that is after a courtship, falling in love, and deciding to spend the rest of your lives together. Not when one starts at death’s door.”
She did need to quit her job and ship her belongings to Savannah. But she wasn’t going to make any decisions until Jeb regained consciousness and they talked. Kori would no longer be making decisions without Jeb’s opinion factored in.
Kori never dreamt she’d marry a former Confederate captain or live so close to the plantation her ancestors lived as slaves. What better place to fight for civil rights than for the descendants of the men and women who toiled the fields beside her people.
She stared at the still man in the bed. Her soul mate. He had displayed the ultimate act of love in order to come back to life. But now that the romantic fairy tale was behind them, would their love grow? Life had a nasty way of getting in the way of true happiness.
Jeb opened his eyes and stared into Kori’s light brown irises. He had come in and out of consciousness, but Kori had been there each time. She gave him a reason to live.
“Hi,” he said. His lips were chapped and painful. His voice rough from his dry throat. He sounded like the frog the girls watched on television when they were younger.
Kori immediately reached for a glass of water. She placed her warm hands behind his neck and slightly lifted his head. Jeb drank the cool refreshing water through a straw. It was simpler taking in the liquid that way.
“How long?” Jeb asked. It was easier to talk now.
“Three days since you dove in front of the bullet,” Kori answered. “You disappeared on the street, so I immediately came here. It appears as soon as you vanished, the enchantment ended and brought you back to life.”
It was easier to converse with her when he was his good-looking projected image. Now, he was a shadow of what he once was. What could he possibly say to interest the vibrant, beautiful woman next to him?
Women in the twenty-first century were so different than they were in the nineteenth-century. Over time, he watched his caretakers change and the people attending the ghost tours. Television gave him a front row view into what was occurring in the world. He was a relic from the past that still created unease.
In his day, women went from their father’s home to their husband’s. Often, girls from wealthy families had little to say in who they married. Only spinsters were allowed to work. Married women had but two purposes: maintain the home and bear children.
Kori was an independent woman who supported herself in the same career he had chosen. A highly educated, intelligent woman. What did he have to offer her?
But she never left his side during his illness. He had to suggest a future together or he would lose her. Jeb was strong enough to conquer death, he would have to live with the consequences if she rejected him.
He cleared his throat, gathering the courage to speak to her from the heart. “Kori, I will recover,” Jeb started. “I just need to find a means to support myself and my family. A lot has changed since 1864. What I’m trying to ask you, though badly, is if you will marry me?”
Tears welled in her beautiful eyes. Kori was so emotional; all she could do was nod. He took that as an acceptance to his offer of marriage. They were starting with nothing, other than a promise of what soul mates could have together.
“Where do you want to live?” he asked his future bride.
For some reason, his questions surprised her. She had a puzzled look on her face. Her eyes squinted and her nose wrinkled. Kori was adorable in her confusion.
“I assumed you’d want to live in this house,” Kori said. “You have so much history here and Savannah is a beautiful city. Jenny would have wanted you to live out the rest of your life with your family.”
“Then we can build our life in Savannah,” Jeb said. “But you need to close your life in Chicago. Your family and work need to be considered. There is also a wedding to plan. I need time to recover, build up my strength, and be worthy of a woman like you.”
“Jeb, you conquered death for me,” Kori countered. “I think that automatically qualifies you as worthy. It will take me a couple of weeks to transfer clients to other lawyers at the firm and pack up my apartment.”
“And your mother?” Jeb asked.
He didn’t recall Kori ever mentioning her. Although, they had not had extensive conversations in the mere hours they spent together. There was so much they had to learn about each other.
Kori let out a loud sigh. “Things are a little frosty when it comes to my mom. I have no idea what I’m going to tell her about you.”
“Check with Constance,” Jeb suggested. “She has contacted her brothers in Atlanta. They are attorneys with their
own successful practice. The two are creating a false trail of documentation for my new life.”
“That was fast,” Kori commented.
“Constance is an overachiever,” Jeb stated. “As soon as she took over my care, she had faith she would be my last guardian. My whole life has been orchestrated on paper. Constance was just waiting for you to come along. During one of my more lucid moments, she told me the plan has been activated. Jenny even set up bank accounts and an investment portfolio. My guardians managed my investments through the various crashes, and peaks and valleys in the market. I am a rich man, it turns out.”
He knew wealth wasn’t what drew Kori to him. The enchantment brought them together. Jenny had made it all possible. But it was now up to him to build upon the foundation his beloved sister laid.
Chapter 9
Tying up lose ends in her life took longer than she had anticipated. She didn’t want to leave her clients in the cold, so she spent additional time helping their new attorneys build their cases. Over the years, she had established a reputation as being a diligent, winning attorney. As soon as law firms in Savannah discovered she was relocating, offers started to pile in.
Her mother gave her one guilt trip after another, planning a larger wedding than she wanted. Thelma Daniels wanted a social standing her parents and her fireman husband were never able to provide. As soon as her mother discovered Jeb was from an old Savannah family, she was like a shark sensing blood.
Every night, Kori talked to Jeb and packed her meager belongings. She had collected more over the years than she had remembered. Each article held a treasured memory, especially those she associated with her father. Kori packed more than she threw away.
It may have been her imagination, but it sounded like Jeb’s voice was getting stronger with each call. He had completed his physical therapy, worked out daily at a local gym, and was studying for the Georgia Bar Exam. Since Georgia offered reciprocity to lawyers from other states, all she would have to do was pay two fees totaling thirteen hundred dollars and she’d be licensed to practice in the state.
The movers were coming to pick up her belongings tomorrow. Everything else she would donate to the Salvation Army. In two days, she’d be flying to Savannah and Jeb.
Her mother would be joining her in a week. That would give her six days to prepare her fiancé and his family for Hurricane Thelma. Jeb was good natured enough to accept all the changes made to their wedding at her mother’s insistence. They hadn’t even set a date.
I Want Your Sex ring tone sounded. One of her girlfriends had changed Jeb’s incoming call announcement before she left Savannah. Rather than being embarrassed, she loved it. Truer words had never been uttered by George Michael.
“Hi, baby,” Kori said. She started to call him by that endearment. Jeb hadn’t settled on one, but generally called her darling.
“The new bed for our room arrived today,” Jeb said. “I told Constance I can’t wait to live in sin with you. I figure it’s very modern of me.”
Kori laughed. She was excited to not only learn more about Jeb, but rediscover the twenty-first century through his eyes. Their nightly conversations ranged from discussions about politics, to raising children, and a myriad of other topics.
“Connie doesn’t mind giving up her room at the back of the house?” Kori asked. After everything that woman had done, she felt awful about taking her bedroom.
“No, she’s good,” Jeb replied. “She realizes we need our privacy. Besides, being next to the twins, she can hear if they sneak boys into their room. There was an incident yesterday. You’d think she came from my time, based on her reaction.”
One day, she and Jeb would have to face the same problem. She couldn’t wait. They both wanted children, but hadn’t discussed how soon. As far as she was concerned, she wasn’t going to use birth control. It would happen when it was meant to be.
“My flight arrives tomorrow at three,” Kori said. “I should be at the house around four.”
“I ordered a car service to pick you up,” Jeb advised. “Constance is teaching me to drive. She said I wasn’t ready for a trip to the airport.”
“That doesn’t sound too promising,” Kori said between robust laughter.
She discovered Jeb had a wonderful dry sense of humor. Kori never had a boyfriend before who made her laugh. Every interaction with him was an adventure.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, love,” Jeb said.
Now, that was an endearment she liked.
Jeb paced in the living room of the suite he reserved for his reunion with Kori. The car service was supposed to drop her off in front of the lobby and the bellman was to lead her up to their room. Her luggage would be delivered to the house by the driver.
He had everything she would need for the next two nights. There was a plush robe in the closet and Constance had provided a change of clothing for her when they were ready to leave. The rest of the time she would be in his arms, naked.
If her plane landed on time, she should already be here. Would she have argued with the driver, demanding to be taken to the house? His pacing intensified.
The sound of the lock releasing brought his attention to the door. Kori, a vision in blue, walked through the door’s threshold. One day, he would be carrying her across one.
She ran into his arms as the door closed behind her. The bellman had a large smile on his face and was twenty dollars richer.
“You got us Champaign and strawberries?” Kori said after her lips left his and she surveyed her surroundings.
He wanted to make a romantic gesture, but also have her a little tipsy. The first time they made love, he had projected a perfect body and performance. Although he had been working out, he was far from perfection. Some of Jenny’s magic must have remained since he recovered incredibly quickly once he was free of the virus.
Jeb opened the bottle, producing the satisfying sound of the cork releasing kinetic energy. He poured two glasses, a particularly generous one for Kori. She laughed as she accepted the glass.
“Are you trying to get me drunk?” Kori asked before taking a sip.
“Something like that,” Jeb admitted.
He put down his glass, not wanting anything to adversely impact his performance. As it was, he was harder than a rock.
Kori downed the contents of her drink. “It’s warm in here,” she said as she unbuttoned her cardigan.
What was underneath her sweater caused a different type of heat to travel through him. Her white blouse crisscrossed over her breasts, allowing ample bosom to be displayed. His finger itched to touch the plump half globes.
“I can help you with that,” Jeb said as he released her breasts from the silk material. Kori wasn’t wearing a bra.
His lips entrapped one of her hardened nipples. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he feasted. Kori’s arms reached behind her and unzipped her skirt. The flimsy material fell to the carpet, leaving only a thong covering her sex. Jeb had to admit, he liked modern fashion.
He released her breast and moved his hands to her exposed ass. “I hope you have more of those in the luggage heading to the house.”
“Tons,” Kori replied. “How about helping me slip out of them and then we can start on your clothing.”
Jeb went down on his knees and took a hold of the thin material riding her hips. Her skin was like satin. He barely moved the material and it fell to her feet. Once the task was complete, he stood before his soul mate.
Kori stepped forward, leaving her panties behind. Her eyes were almost level with his. She leaned forward and kissed him. As her lips brushed against his, her fingers unbuttoned his shirt.
The moment of truth was upon him. He had tried to develop as much muscle mass as he could the last several weeks. His body was nowhere near where it was during his prime and a far cry from what he projected to Kori their one night together. He had barely been able to walk when he started working out at the gym.
Her hands spread open the shirt and bru
shed the material over his shoulder. Kori’s fingers explored his naked chest. She broke the kiss to examine him with her eyes.
He swallowed hard, waiting for the verdict. Her eyes sparkled and a slight smile graced her face. His lungs expanded with air after he stopped holding his breath.
“You look incredible, baby,” Kori said. She continued to run her fingers over the muscles of his abdomen to prove her point.
“I am barely what I was,” Jeb claimed.
Kori leaned forward and kissed him again. She moved her lips to his ear and started to suck on his lobe. “Remember, I bathed you during your fever,” she whispered in his ear. “I am flattered you wanted to impress me, but it’s not a body I fell in love with. It’s the man who waited for me and who rushed out of a sick bed in a misguided quest to please me physically.”
“You deserve a whole man, Kori,” Jeb stated
“And you are,” Kori said. “And each day, you will get stronger. In the meantime, let’s get rid of those pants.”
Jeb was only too pleased to comply with her request. As soon as he stood and reached for his belt, Kori slapped away his hands. It was her turn to kneel. She undid his belt, unzipped his pants, and let them fall to his feet. His briefs were the next article of clothing to land on the floor.
Kori took his engorged member and brought it to her lips. She lathed the tip with her tongue before taking him into her mouth. He groaned with satisfaction, but he didn’t want to come in her mouth.
He released himself and gathered Kori into his arms and carried her to the bed. Jeb prayed he could bear her weight. All the work he had done in the gym had paid off. Bouquets of flowers surrounded them, but her eyes never left his. Jeb watched as Kori took in the floral scent, a small smile crossing her face in response to the fragrant air.
He laid her on the bed and covered her with his mass. His erection rubbed against her inner thigh. Understanding both their needs, he entered her with two fingers. He stretched her with each movement his digits made.
