Soul Mates Kiss

by Sandra Ross

  He was his own force of nature.

  Now he was sending many foster kids to school—about more than a million at the last count. This was one of his undertakings that brought peace to his restless heart. He secretly managed charities that helped the poor. Since beginning his humanitarian activities, he also started feeling nearly whole.

  He liked being single and alone. He had never been trusting of other people because of his past experiences. In fact, he absolutely loved being alone.

  He sighed a deep sigh.

  How come that did not sound sincere now? Like, these past few days, he's been trying to convince himself of it. Was he? Being alone was safe. Being alone was lonely, but safe.

  Until a beautiful, mysterious woman started appearing in his dreams every night...

  And he started wanting her, and not for the same things he'd wanted women in the past. How could that happen when he could not wholly remember her face when he would wake up? He could only remember that she was beautiful, and he could sometimes smell a whiff of her perfume...

  He could remember some things more.

  Eyes that held, hands that touched skin that felt so achingly familiar. How could he explain what that meant, that feeling that only something so intangible could complete him?

  Or was he just being horny, because he has not been with a woman for a very long time?

  Who wanted that, he asked himself in disgust.

  Who wanted something so... so desired, and not be able to hold it? To claim it, even in memory when he opened his eyes. All because of a dream that seemed so real... so real that he had stopped asking himself if he believed it.

  He knew he did.

  He was still observing the storm an hour later when a car pulled up in his circular driveway. By this time, it was completely dark.

  Who in the hell could be coming here this time of night, he thought.

  Someone who's gotten lost, probably.

  He watched as the driver got out, camouflaged by an umbrella, and hurried to his front door. The doorbell pealed loudly through the house for several seconds.

  Then he remembered that Amie had left and he was the only one who could answer the door.

  “Dammit,” he muttered as he hurried down the long hallway to the double front doors. Flinging the doors open, he still could not tell much about his impromptu visitor.

  “May I help you?” he demanded in a very unfriendly voice. The storm was coming in. He did not want to give this stranger the impression that he could stay longer. He did not want his solitude interrupted in this manner. He hoped he would find his way to wherever he's going fast in the coming storm.

  Then the stranger turned to face him, lowering the umbrella just as another lightning lit everything up in the sky, he saw her face.

  It was a woman.

  When he got a good look at her face, he stumbled back a couple of steps, his eyes widening in shock.

  There, facing him, was the woman in his dreams.

  “Hi,” she said, smiling a little nervously. She looked pale, cold, and very uncomfortable in her long coat that looked better worn on a runway than in the pouring rain. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but I was told that I could find Marcus Swan here. Does he happen to be at home?”

  He blinked. “Who are you?” Marcus demanded.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry, I neglected to introduce myself. My name is Lola Ravensworth.” She seemed to be trying to find something inside her designer cloak and took her hand out of one pocket holding an ID. She showed it to him. “I’m here from New York to speak to Mr. Swan. It’s quite important that I find him.”

  Marcus stared at the picture and accompanying name on the ID but he did not take it. He was still a little shocked.

  Did she have to come here when he was alone in the house?

  It was embarrassing that as he stood there looking at this beauty, his cock was twitching, reminding him of his dreams and those cold showers at night. His brain was trying to assimilate the onslaught of information. It was her, a part of him insisted as he continued to stare at her face. Another part, the one that had protected him many times, told him he was just being horny.

  Unfortunately, that was true, too.

  The woman gave him s weak smile. "Are you alright?"

  And he knew, whatever happens, he would meet this woman.

  Horny, the voice said.

  I think you're in love with her, the other voice said in such a logical manner, as Marcus tried to stop looking at those luscious-looking lips.

  So why did I hate my life again?

  * * *

  LOLA WATCHED the stranger standing in front of her. She felt very strange and was in a bit of a quandary. She wasn't expecting anything when she knocked on the brass knuckle on the door, or even when she found that even with the brass knuckle, there was an electric doorbell on the wall in the right. It made her smile.

  Old and modern. It was a mansion that withstood a century, but obviously was surviving very well in the twenty-first century. If not for the rain, she wanted to see all of its beauty.

  But when the doors opened and she turned to address the one who opened them, she found the most handsome man she had ever met in her entire life. Giddiness and pure lust slammed into her, and that shocked her that she had to control a shiver.

  As if I even know anything about that! I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’m a virgin.

  But when she turned to him, she felt pure, undiluted lust.

  It was all she could do to stay calm. She tried to imagine what her mother would be like in this situation and that calmed her.

  Her mother would handle this beautifully. She also focused on the storm that was raging down from the heavens right now. Storms were nasty things. Thinking of getting drenched in the rain always made her feel awfully… should make her feel awfully un-lustful. Right?

  “I’m Marcus Swan,” the man said in a sexy baritone.

  She almost groaned.

  He was Marcus Swan?

  Which meant she couldn't run away. She was on a mission—he was her mission. She could not escape being in his presence.

  Oh dear, just grit your teeth and bear it. And smile. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Swan.”

  Suddenly, he seemed to realize that he was still standing in the doorway and keeping her out in the rain. “Forgive me. How remiss of me. Please come in.”

  He stepped back so that she could enter his home. Smiling her thanks, she stepped into a grand old-fashioned foyer, and she tried to remember that she liked the mansion as she was driving over. He took her dripping umbrella and put it to the side of the door, and then helped her out of her coat.

  “You must have been miserable out there in that storm. Come with me and sit before the fire. You’ll warm up quickly.”

  Following Marcus down a long wide hallway from which many rooms led off, Lola was so happy at the thought of a fire to dry her out that she became thankful that she was finally here. She was still astounded that she had managed to track down this man tucked away so deeply in Mystical Grove, in the outskirts of New Orleans, so far back she wondered if the place was even still a part of it.

  Or the effect that her first look of him gave her.

  It was extraordinary.

  Must be my magick, really. He's a compelling character, and my gift made it more so. Felt like a hundred times more with the first meeting. Potent personality.

  But she's calming now, and was grateful she finally found him before the storm, or before things become difficult. Marcus Swan covered his tracks well. She knew he was in the area, but upon seeing the mansion she knew she would find him there instead of the cottage the people in a village inn said he would be. They were hiding him. Obviously, they were in his pay. He might even own the inn, she thought. And she just knew this was true.

  Even she knew how hard it would be if someone other than her had been sent on this mission.

  Now that she was here, she admitted to herself that she still was not sure
what she was going to say to him.

  Marcus had not lied to her. There was a warm cozy fire blazing in a nearby room. After settling her onto a couch in front of the fireplace, he handed her an afghan to wrap around herself.

  Then he excused himself and left the room, with Lola’s gaze following the broad back of the mysterious, clueless warlock.

  Chapter Six

  AS MARCUS LOOKED for some tea and quickly heated some water, he wondered about his unexpected visitor.

  Unexpected. Really. Now that she was in another room and there's a wide space between them, he was suddenly unsure that she was the woman in his dream.

  But she was, indeed, beautiful. For a moment out there in the front doors, it felt like he was this teenager crushing on a beautiful star then finally seeing that person in real life—which was absurd. He had never crushed on anyone when he was a teenager. But he knew without a doubt that if he had met her then she would have been the first. She appeared to be wealthy, too. Her jaw didn’t hit the floor when she entered his mansion. That could only mean she was used to grand places like this.

  He hurried along heating the water by using the microwave so he could come back to her right away. Wealthy or not, she looked small in his large den, shivering a little with the cold outside, looking so helpless. He frowned at the protectiveness he was feeling for her. Ahh, this was all getting strange. And God, did I know about strange, he thought as his eyes rolled in its sockets.

  When Marcus returned to the den, Lola was sitting just as he had left her, on his couch with the afghan wrapped around her.

  “I made us some tea,” he said as he sat a tray containing cups and a teapot on the coffee table. “It might warm you up a bit.”

  She smiled at him and picked up one of the steaming mugs. “Thank you, Mr. Swan,” she said. “This is very kind of you.”

  He laughed. She was so delightfully polite. “Actually, you may want to save that compliment until after you’ve tasted it. I sent my housekeeper home just before you arrived. Oh, and please, call me Marcus.”

  He warmed up to Lola quickly. Well, why not? She was, after all, a very beautiful woman. He wasn’t exactly dead. Just because he did not encourage women meant he did not enjoy the occasional dalliance. But he was already frowning before he even finished the thought.

  It was because dalliance did not fit here. Moreover, when had he ever suffered a one-night stand?

  He was getting confused, which was hard to explain. Now that he was with her again, he was again sure she was the woman in his dream. Make up your mind, he thought as he watched her sip her tea and smiled. Oh yeah, it was her. That smile...

  Sipping his own tea, Marcus decided he would find out why the woman in his dreams had turned up at his home in the dead of night, in an impending storm, and all alone.

  “No, Marcus, this is delicious. Thank you again,” Lola said as she looked at him with her beautiful lips still smiling.

  Now.

  “I’m glad you like it. Now, Ms. Ravensworth,” he put his cup down on the table, “what do you need to speak with me about?” he asked, trying to smile as she flashed him dimples on both cheeks.

  “First of all, if I’m going to call you Marcus, you must call me Lola,” she said laughing.

  “Deal…” Oh damn, I’m being charmed. In normal circumstances, his guard would be up. But not this time. He was thoroughly enjoying her dimples. “So Lola, what can I do for you?”

  “Ok, Marcus. You see,” suddenly serious, “I’m the senior editor for the Hawthorne Publishing Company in New York City. It has come to our attention that you’re… a very interesting man. People would love to read an autobiography about you and your life. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, you’ve been approached by other companies in the past, yet you have always turned them down. I’m here to see if I can persuade you to change your mind. I would love to work with you personally as your editor. We, of course, would adhere to any special instructions you have and do it completely the way you want.”

  Marcus was watching her intently as she spoke. Even though she spoke passionately and looked him directly in the eyes, there was something about what she was saying that he didn’t quite believe.

  She was here for something more than just a book. He was sure of it. Didn’t he have that gift, after all?

  “I see. Well, Lola, I’ve never allowed my life to be published, nor have I had any desire to write about it myself. I’m sorry that you’ve come all this way for nothing,” he told her.

  “You haven’t even heard my proposition yet, Marcus,” Lola said as she smiled engagingly at him.

  “I’m afraid that it doesn’t matter what you say, Lola. You see, I don’t need the money this book will bring, and I certainly don’t want the celebrity status this will entail. You’ve wasted a trip,” Marcus said firmly.

  “I see.” And she did look like she did see. He could also see that her brain was already working to churn out a Plan B. “Well… I can’t say that I’m not disappointed, Marcus,” Lola said. “Are you quite sure that you won’t at least think about it?”

  “I’m quite sure,” he said, smiling, deliciously thinking about what Plan B would be. Maybe she’d think of outright seduction? That would be wonderful. And maybe he would let her. He couldn’t want her efforts to go to waste, could he?

  Lola nodded and finished her tea. She removed the afghan from her shoulders and stood up.

  She turned to a suddenly unsmiling Marcus.

  “Well then, thank you very much for meeting with me, Marcus,” she said. “It’s much later than I realized and I’ll get out of your way so you can get on with your night.”

  Marcus stood quickly, realizing that he had been blindsided. He didn’t want her to leave. “Honestly, Lola, you weren’t interrupting anything at all. You’re more than welcome to stay. Actually, I would love the company unless you need to be somewhere else. And maybe we can talk about this proposition a little more?”

  Lola seemed surprised at his sudden change of heart. “Um, no, I was just going to drive back to my hotel in New Orleans. It’s starting to rain a lot harder now,” she said as she glanced out of the large windows, looking suddenly worried. That was when they both became aware that rain was pouring like a dam had broken in the heavens and all of the contents had come down. They had been so engrossed with each other that they did not notice.

  Marcus retrieved a remote from a table and turned on the flat screen television that was located on the wall above the fireplace. Flipping to The Weather Channel, they watched a report that spoke of some flooding in Louisiana.

  Actually, he knew exactly what the news channel would show when he turned the TV on. He just knew. His gift.

  After a few minutes of Marcus listening to the report intently, he turned down the volume and turned back to Lola.

  Chapter Seven

  LOLA WAS LOOKING appalled. “That can’t be,” she said.

  “Well, it is,” he said with sympathy in his voice. “I’m afraid that you’re not going to make it back to New Orleans tonight. That road you came in on is now flooded and they’re not going to let traffic through there tonight.”

  “But where can I stay?” she asked him wildly.

  Marcus blinked. “As you can see, though, I’ve got plenty of space here. I’d be pleased to have you as my guest.”

  Lola frowned. “I really don’t want to impose myself on you much longer, Marcus.”

  What? No Plan B? Marcus was surprised to find himself really disappointed. “Okay. But I do think the choice was taken from you by the storm. I also cannot in any possible circumstance let you leave in this weather.”

  He saw Lola grit her teeth. No woman has ever showed aversion to staying with him under one roof for a night. Oh, well, separate rooms, yes, but he was making a point here.

  He frowned as he wondered if he smelled.

  * * *

  LOLA HAD no doubt by now that The Council was behind the sudden change in the weather. This way, she wo
uld not be able to get out of here so quickly. Of course, if the man didn’t want to come, she could always tell them upon arriving in New York. Like they could do something to me because of that. Choices, remember? I did my job but it didn’t pan out.

  But this storm… Lola did not like being tricked or manipulated by the Council. However, she really did not have any choice but to accept Marcus’ hospitality.

  Her heart was beating a little faster and her stomach seemed to have gotten pregnant with butterflies as she thought she would be staying with this sexy man in this house—just the two of them. Other parts of her body were responding to his presence, too. It was like she was finally waking up from a long hibernation. Then she realized what it was.

  Finally, sexual attraction! So this was it?

  Maybe it’s just that I’m turning 25 in two days, she mused, but with mixed feelings.

  “Are you quite sure that I won’t be intruding, Marcus?” she asked as she slanted her eyes up at him.

  Marcus felt a surge of relief that was so powerful, his knees almost buckled under him. But he managed to stay standing. “Oh, you definitely are not intruding! Actually, you don’t even have to see me if you don’t want to. That’s how much room this place has in it.”

  Lola smiled at the absurd comment. “I can’t imagine why I wouldn’t want to see you, Marcus,” she said softly. “I appreciate your offer. Thank you so much. I just need to get my suitcase from the car.”

  “No, you don’t need to do that. I’m going to run out right now and get it. You’ve already had quite enough wet weather for tonight. Now, stay here, and I’ll be right back.”