Soul Mates Kiss

by Sandra Ross

  Lola watched as Marcus went out of the room again, this time to fetch her bags from her rented car. It was then that she realized she really was here, with the chance to get Marcus to trust her enough so she could tell him the truth about himself. For some reason, she knew that telling him the truth was the only way to convince him to come with her before the Council.

  A wide smile started to spread across her face.

  The Council might have tricked her, but they certainly did not count that Lola would use the truth on Marcus and warn him about the Council. For her, honesty had always been the best policy and she had practiced it enough to know when someone was ready to know the truth.

  By the looks of him, he was intelligent, and would not easily be made to dance on strings.

  Let the Council see how they would be able to control someone as powerful in character as well as in magical powers as Marcus Swan.

  * * *

  MARCUS ENTERED the sitting room with Lola’s suitcase. He smiled at her as he crossed the room to add another log to the fire.

  “Please forgive me for being inhospitable, but are you hungry? My housekeeper makes the best shrimp gumbo in the world and she always leaves some extra for me. Would you like some?” he asked.

  “You know, normally I would say no, but right now, I’m just starving and that sounds delicious,” Lola said as she smiled at him.

  “Very good,” Marcus beamed. “I’ll just go warm some up for you.”

  After he left the room, she continued to watch the weather on the television and realized that she would most likely end up being trapped here for at least the next two days. She couldn’t believe that she would be spending her birthday trapped in a strange old house with a man she didn’t even know! But it seemed she really has no choice. What would the man in question say about it, she wondered.

  Well, she supposed as her eyes wandered around, taking in the high beamed ceilings, half-brick walls and the wood paneling on the wall where the detailed fireplace was situated. The floor was tiled and rags helped in insulating the heat from the fire. The furniture was as rustic as the interior. It was a solid room and she knew that it showed something about the owner of the house.

  She had gathered by now that this was where Marcus truly lived. She could feel his signature here. He was comfortable here, safe and most at peace here. This mansion was his home.

  She sighed. It could be a lot worse. The house is beautiful and the man… was definitely not just beautiful but sizzling hot.

  Lola felt her cheeks getting just as hot. But she frowned.

  For some reason, she kept getting the feeling that she knew Marcus from somewhere. But she couldn’t tell where, or how… just that he was drawing on feelings of familiarity from her. There was no way she could have accepted his invitation to stay had she not felt this, that she was safe and she could trust him like a… like an old friend. Strange, really. If she was adamant, there was no way that she would stay here, Council mission or not. But… she was here, and she felt safe in this house with him.

  Could the Council have had something to do with that, too?

  As soon as she thought of it, she shook her head.

  No. The Council, their magick, could not be that powerful to affect even her own gut feelings.

  No, it was something else.

  But what was it?

  Chapter Eight

  WHILE LOLA PONDERED this, Marcus returned with a tray holding two bowls of gumbo, a bottle of wine and two glasses.

  “I decided to join you,” he said as he set things up on the coffee table. “I somehow managed to miss dinner, and I find that I’m now hungry.”

  “Oh, this looks wonderful!” And then she looked at him and smiled. “And I’m happy that you’re joining me because I would have felt odd eating alone. Thank you.”

  She felt her breath catching when he smiled back. “The pleasure is all mine.”

  While eating, they talked and got better acquainted. The more they talked the more Lola felt that she knew Marcus even though she was quite sure they had never crossed paths before. There was just something so familiar and comfortable about him. Something…

  Like what soul mates would feel when they finally meet each other again.

  She paused at the absurd thought. How would she know, really? How would one know when they have met a soul mate? And when did you become romantic, Lola?

  Her mental self shook her head. Romance, to Lola, was as absurd as all the sappy things one would read about it. She did not know why she could not place all her trust in it.

  Maybe because her mother and father had been in love and, she suspected, still were. Maybe it was because of those wistful looks that would come to their faces every time they asked her about each other, and yet they were not together? What kind of love was that? It did not make them happy. But it made them happy thinking about each other.

  That was what romance did to people in love. It made people crazy.

  So could someone really blame her that she could not trust it too much?

  * * *

  AS MARCUS and Lola talked easily, he also felt that he had met Lola at some point in his life but he couldn’t remember it.

  He was quite sure he would have remembered meeting a woman like Lola… beautiful in the kind of way that spoke to him, and sexy without even trying to be. He could feel the physical attraction, but there was something more than that.

  He somehow felt very close to her as if he had known her forever. It wasn't just because of the dream. Somehow, this meeting had made the dream more like a foreshadowing, something lesser in importance than the being. The being that this meeting was more than what it appeared to be.

  He knew that she also felt the feeling of not wanting the evening to end, even though they had not initially planned to spend it together. He knew that she knew how both of them found an excuse to keep from turning in for the night. She was clearly fighting sleep. Marcus looked at his watch and almost leaped to his feet. It was approaching four in the morning.

  Ridiculous! How had the hours flown by so fast? But he knew how. He was looking at her now. The rain kept pouring down outside and it was clearly having an effect on her. The sound was starting to make her sleepy. Marcus could not help but grin when she yawned rather widely. But he managed to stop the chuckle before she could hear it.

  “I must apologize for keeping you up so late,” he said finally.

  “Oh no, it’s okay,” Lola said, looking at her wristwatch. Her eyes widened. “Good Lord! It’s almost four in the morning!”

  He could not help his chuckle this time. “You’re about to fall on your ass." Yes, they had been talking like they knew each other a long time before now, that he felt he could talk to her familiarly without being slapped on the face. "Let me show you to your suite, Lola. Come on.”

  Lola laughed and reached out to take the hand he offered to help her get up from the coach. But as soon as their hands touched, there was an almost physical manifestation of electricity.

  They both jumped back as the little blue sparks died away in the air. Marcus laughed nervously. “Well, I guess there must be a lot of static in the air tonight,” he said. What the hell was that? Was it me? Did she see those blue sparks? He hoped she did not get scared!

  But Lola did not look scared. She looked… curious, as her eyes wandered around them. It was as if she was trying to find the culprit hiding behind the beams above, or the corner of the fireplace. “Yes, that must be it,” she said, but in a way as if she was only replying to what he said automatically.

  And then she nodded to herself, as if she had thought the solution. But she was not going to tell him about it.

  * * *

  OF COURSE, Lola knew that what just happened was not as simple as static in the air. But Marcus would not be privy to the same knowledge that she had, so he would say it was just as simple as that.

  Following him up the wide staircase, she looked around to take in her surroundings a bit more clo
sely. It truly was a grand place and she found to her surprise that it was growing on her. She had spotted a sun room with reddish-brown tiled floor and wide-spanned windows, with French doors lining the south side. She would love having breakfast there.

  The door to the library was open and she glimpsed the paneled oak wall and another fireplace there, though it wasn’t lighted. She would have loved a tour of the place, and she could assume, with little sarcasm and a lot of anticipation, that with the way the weather was behaving, there would be time for that.

  “So Marcus, what do you think the chances are of us being out of here by Halloween?” she asked him in a teasing note. She was that comfortable with him now that she felt she could tease without offending him. It was remarkable. They must be kindred spirits.

  He seriously pondered her question. “Well, it’s difficult to say. It’s not looking so promising right now.” He threw a glance at her. “Why? Do you have some big plans for that day?”

  “Oh, I really don’t want to impose on you that long.”

  He smiled. “No imposing. It’s obvious I’m enjoying your company, Lola.”

  She found herself blushing. Really! It was embarrassing. “Well, it’s also just that it’s my birthday on Halloween. I’m a Halloween girl.” She rolled her eyes.

  “Are you serious?” Marcus said, stopping just on the landing of the second floor.

  “Yeah,” she said. “It’s ok, though.”

  “No, it is certainly not ok,” Marcus said, clearly distressed. “It’s your birthday, Lola. If we can’t get you out of here by then, I’ll make sure that you have as nice a celebration as I can manage.”

  “Oh, please don’t go to any trouble!” Lola protested. “I shouldn’t have even said anything.”

  But Marcus was already planning. “You would actually be doing us a favor here. Amie loves to entertain and she often complains that I don’t do nearly enough of it.”

  Lola laughed. “Really, huh?” She could not believe someone who looked like him could be an introvert. “Let’s see how it would pan out then.”

  Just as she stopped talking, Marcus stopped beside a set of beautiful ornate double doors. He opened them and stood aside so that she could enter.

  Reaching around her, he hit a light switch and the bedside lamps came on.

  Lola gasped.

  Chapter Nine

  LOLA GASPED.

  The room was enormous. It has a lovely four-poster bed and sitting area with a table and delicate-looking sets of chairs to match. There was also a fireplace that was lit, as well as an adjoining bathroom that had its door open so she could see a glimpse of the huge bathtub that would have made the Romans proud.

  She did not know exactly when Marcus had managed to light the fireplace, but he was putting another log on the fire now. Must be when he'd left her for a while to get the dishes back in the kitchen. She did notice that the staircase was accessible on the hallway. But still, he would have been very fast. The flames were giving off the glow that lent character to the oak paneling on the wall. It felt very welcoming.

  “Wow…” she breathed as she looked around. “Marcus, this is quite impressive.”

  “I’m glad you like it. I hope you’ll be comfortable. If there’s anything that you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

  “Yes, yes. Thank you. Goodnight, Marcus.”

  He took hold of the door handle and he looked at her and smiled. “Goodnight, Lola. Sleep well.”

  Then he closed the door.

  Lola stood for a while in the middle of the room, still feeling whatever tension that was left by their goodnights to each other… that ringing sensation that vibrated after his soft “Sleep well.”

  Then she smiled.

  There was something here, and she still could not identify what it was, but she knew she liked it. She looked at the bed again.

  And she was exhausted.

  Lola slept very well that night in spite of the weather. It was as if she was sleeping in her own room. She felt very much at home.

  The next morning, she awoke to the same weather and though she groaned, she found herself anticipating seeing Marcus again for the day.

  She and Marcus spent the entire day together. He gave her a tour of his mansion. They discussed every interesting spot, pored over all the books they both loved reading in his library, and even watched a DVD for a few hours after lunch. Her birthday was the next day. She had been born one minute past midnight. She knew that her father and friends would be disappointed that she was not back in New York to celebrate it with them, but in all honesty, she knew she would be happy to spend her birthday here in this mansion with Marcus.

  Amie, Marcus’ housekeeper, was very surprised to see the accidental houseguest but she was also very delighted when she recovered. She made sure Lola wanted for nothing, then did her best to make sure they had plenty of time alone—she and Marcus had a laugh about it. The day was quite lovely in spite of the dreariness of the weather.

  But that night, Lola received an even bigger surprise when Amie served them a fancy dinner with her most favorite foods. So that was why she was quizzed so much by Marcus while they talked about a thick recipe book of classic home cooked meals that morning! Dessert was a huge chocolate crepe birthday cake baked by Amie, topped by cherries and toasted and candied hazelnuts. It was the most delicious cake Lola had ever tasted!

  She couldn’t believe it. But even miles away from home, this birthday turned out to be one of the best ones she had ever experienced.

  Amie had to retire before midnight. The older woman bade them goodbye as Marcus poured what remained in the champagne bottle into their glasses and they sipped it, talking about nonsensical things as they waited for her birth hour.

  When midnight arrived, Marcus held out his hand to Lola. “Come. You should be standing when the clock strikes on your birth minute, you know.”

  “Who says?” she asked, giggling a little.

  “Just me,” he said, also chuckling. “A kind of nonsensical thing that seems to make sense.”

  They both laughed.

  And then the clock struck midnight.

  They were actually still laughing then. Marcus looked down at her, and she knew he was about to greet her ‘Happy Birthday’.

  But something flickered in his eyes and before she knew it, he had leaned down and placed his mouth over hers.

  The kiss deepened very quickly into a passionate, soul-wrenching kiss, almost as if it was destined. It was the kind of kiss that possessed a momentum of its own, as if it was alive, and could not be stopped. She had never known a kiss could feel that way. Nothing in her life had prepared her for what she was feeling right then. Lola only knew that she never wanted that kiss to end.

  It was a feeling that was obviously and definitely shared by Marcus.

  Marcus, on the other hand, had not really intended to kiss Lola. How many times had he thought of doing so every time she would smile or laugh her kind of laugh that was so carefree? But he held himself in check because he did not want her to feel threatened. She might enjoy his company, but she was here because of bad weather and not of her own volition.

  But when he looked down at her happy face, it seemed the most natural thing in the world for him to do. He held her hands and looked at her lovely eyes, and he was going to greet her ‘Happy Birthday’, but suddenly realized that nothing could be more perfect for the moment but for them to kiss.

  And once his mouth touched hers, he never wanted to pull away.

  It felt like every lost piece of the many in his life clicked into place. He just knew that Lola was the reason he never found the right woman. No one had ever made him feel this way. So powerful and passionate were those feelings that he had felt her coming before she even arrived. Hence, those dreams about her. How could he ever let her get away after this realization?

  Without words, Marcus picked Lola up in his arms and carried her upstairs to his master suite. Lola never made a sound of pro
test as she let him carry her, and she kissed him back every time their lips mingled.

  And how grateful he was.

  He laid her on his bed and her hands pulled at his sweater so they could not part, so they could continue kissing. There was no doubt about where this was going as clothes were stripped off each other. Marcus’ naked body molded to Lola’s in perfect symphony. Hands explored each other’s bodies with desperate abandon.

  Neither of them was thinking of anything in that moment.

  They were only feeling.

  Chapter Ten

  MARCUS MOVED HIS mouth and tongue all over Lola’s neck and breasts, stopping to suck each of her pink raisin-like nipples until she moaned and writhed uncontrollably. Over and over, she breathed his name. Wanting to taste more of her and hear her call out to him again, he continued his oral path down between her thighs. Using the tip of his tongue to part the fleshy petals that concealed her pleasure core, he flicked small gentle circles around it until her thighs begin to shake.

  Her inner muscles contracted on his finger when he slid it inside her tight folds, seeking for the spot that he knew would give her more pleasure than she was already feeling. Then he began sucking her clit. He closed his eyes as he heard her tiny moans, her gasps, and he savored the way she would buck as he sucked and blew at her clit. “Oh Marcus!” she groaned as the first orgasm hit her. He sucked and used his finger until she was finished. She had a dazed but grateful look on her face when he finally moved back up her body.

  Feeling her hand wrap around his burgeoning cock, he pushed against her while kissing her even more deeply.

  “I want you inside me, Marcus,” she whispered to him as she parted her thighs and pulled his cock down to meet the opening of her slit.

  Marcus was beyond thinking at that moment. He only knew that he could feel the heat coming from her inner core and that he needed to be enveloped in that sexual furnace. Pushing inside of her, he did not stop until he was fully consumed by her wet, grasping inner muscles. She was tight, and so wet. He looked at her face and saw the truth. This was the very first time she'd been penetrated.