by Ann Gimpel
As soon as the front door shut, he scooped Abigail into his arms and crushed her close. “I love you,” he said into her hair. “I’ll care for you and protect you always. You’ll never want for anything.”
She pushed back so she could meet his gaze. “Silly. The only thing I want is you. I’m falling in love with you too.” She shook her head and her eyes filled with tears. “Damn it!” She brushed them away. “I swore I wouldn’t cry, and just look at me. I’m the happiest woman alive today. Thank you for believing in me and for wanting me—in spite of everything.”
“Thank you for being you.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Now I suppose we ought to get inside. It was kind and thoughtful of Breana to do all this for us.”
Abigail nodded. “It was good for her too. A reminder life goes on after we lose things that are precious to us.” She took his hand and tugged him toward the steps. “Come on. Everyone wants to share our joy.”
Luke followed her into the house. No matter what happened next, he vowed he’d do his damnedest to be a good husband.
Abigail turned to him just inside the door. “We’ll be good to each other,” she murmured.
“You were inside my head.”
“Of course. Shameless of me, but I want to get to know all of you.”
“Get in here,” Sam shouted. “Food’s getting cold.”
•●•
Abigail ate and drank until she couldn’t hold another crumb. Luke’s energy warmed her and filled her with hope for their future. The harsh planes in his face had relaxed; he looked positively boyish and so stunning he stole her breath. She’d never seriously considered sharing her life with anyone, not for any particular reason, but she’d never met a man who felt right before. In a moment of honesty, she understood she’d quit looking for a life partner ages ago, and had done an extraordinarily thorough good job erecting protective walls around her heart. If it hadn’t been for Goody, she might not have dropped her barriers long enough to truly appreciate Luke.
Guess the goddess was watching out for me.
She glanced up, feeling the intensity of Breana’s gaze. “Thank you,” she told her. “For everything.”
“You needn’t thank me.” Breana nodded knowingly. “Seems like there’s plenty of gratitude on both sides.”
“What’s next for everyone?” Abigail scanned the room.
“Josh and me, we’re staying right here,” Chris said and grinned. “We’ll hook up with the enforcers that are already here and make certain there isn’t any more trouble.”
“We’ll help Bree figure out how to manage this spread,” Joshua said, and then added, “She’ll be able to utilize magic to do a lot of the chores, but when that doesn’t work, it might be useful to have some muscle-power close to hand.”
Sam blew out a breath. “I’ve been thinking about what’s next for me.” The corners of his mouth curved into a wry smile. “Don’t know as I’ve had any time off from anything in quite a while. Anyway, I’m heading for New Orleans. Left a special gal there a long time ago and I thought I’d look her up.” He nudged Luke. “Maybe you’re an inspiration.”
“If I am,” Luke said, “don’t go getting married without me as your best man.”
Sam snorted. “If she hasn’t latched onto someone else and produced a brood, it will be a miracle. I haven’t seen her for five years.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, brother.” Luke put out his hand and Sam grasped it.
“We’re going to San Francisco,” Abigail told the group. “I want to see my grandfather again before he dies.”
“Give my best to your gran,” Breana said. “She’s a fine witch, one of my mentors. You be sure and tell her if she gets tired of being by herself, I’d be glad to make her a place here with me.”
“I’ll let her know.” Abigail smiled her thanks. “You never know. She just may take you up on that.”
“Once we’re done in California,” Luke ran a finger through a bit of frosting on the edge of his plate and ate it, “we’ll head for my home west of Boston.”
“Be sure to check in with Coven headquarters in New York on your way through,” Joshua said. “That way if anything’s come up, we’ll have a way to let you know.”
“Sure.” Luke grinned. “No problem.” He quirked a brow. “We seem to have the eating and drinking and visiting parts out of the way. Would anyone object if I spirited my bride off somewhere a bit more private?”
Amidst whistles and catcalls, he hustled Abigail outside into a clear, sunny day and hugged her close. “What would you like, love?”
“What are my choices?” Her hazel eyes twinkled.
“We could ride into town and I could book us the very best room in Salt Lake. It’s a big enough town, I’m sure there’s a honeymoon suite somewhere.”
“Or?”
“We could retreat to the barn, or the downstairs bedroom inside, ’cept that might be a little close.”
Abigail laughed. “Witches have very good ears.”
“Yes, that’s come up a time or two.”
“I have a fourth suggestion.”
Luke drew her tighter against him. “Whatever you want, my love.”
“There’s a wonderful glade on the far side of the creek not far from here. I found it last night when Breana needed wild onions and watercress for what we were cooking. If you could make one of those magical tent things like you did in the barn…” She gazed up at him through lowered lashes, so desperate to have him, it was a struggle not to push him down into the dust of the yard.
Luke glanced at her still-bare feet. He’d put his moccasins back on before they’d gone inside the house. “Don’t you need shoes?”
“Probably. Let me run inside and get something.”
It took a few minutes longer than she would have liked what with everyone inquiring where the secret marital bed would be, but she escaped laughing into Luke’s arms and led the way to the wonderful glade she’d found. A few late season wildflowers grew there in defiance to winter’s chill, and the grass would make a soft bed. She wanted to make love outdoors to pay homage to the goddess. That it would put a little distance between them and the voyeuristic crew in the house helped too. Abigail cared about Breana and Chris and Joshua and Sam, but what would soon pass between her and Luke felt sacred, not something to be shared in any way, with anyone else.
Chapter Fourteen
Luke ducked under evergreen boughs and into the sheltered, sylvan glen she’d picked. “This is perfect.” He plucked a tiny blossom from a grassy knoll and added it to the flowers already in her hair.
“No. You’re perfect.” She was in one of those places where words didn’t come easily, so she just gazed at him, letting her deep need for him spill through her eyes.
“I hope you’re still saying that ten years from now.”
“If we take care of each other every day,” she said, feeling suddenly solemn, “the years will take care of themselves.”
“I knew there was a reason I loved you, beyond your considerable charms. You’re wise as well as beautiful.” He captured her hand in his and glanced about. “Where would you like us to be and I’ll build us a warm nest.”
“I’d thought over there.” She pointed to a grove of fragrant juniper trees growing in a half circle and tugged gently on his hand.
He hunkered where she’d indicated and summoned magic; the air glowed so enthusiastically, it was as if it were blessing their union too. Abigail started to sit, and then worried about her borrowed finery. Breana had been more than kind. It wouldn’t do to return her clothing with grass and mud stains. While Luke put the finishing touches on his spell, she took off the cloak she’d tossed around her shoulders on her way out of the house, thinking it might be something they could lie on, and set it down. With fingers that shook a little, she unbuttoned her skirt and stepped out of it. Next she removed her borrowed top. She hung the skirt and tunic over a tree limb to keep them out of the grass, and slipped out of her
chemise, petticoat, and pantalets.
“It’s been wonderful watching you undress,” Luke’s voice held a husky note, “but I’d planned to do that.”
She sank to the ground next to him, sitting on her cloak and pushed off Breana’s scuffed house shoes. “If I’d been rational, I’d have changed clothes, but all I could think about was getting off alone with you.”
Luke laughed. “Funny, that’s all I could think about too.” His gaze roved over her naked body; he licked his lips appreciatively and said, “I’m feeling overdressed all of a sudden.”
“How about if we do something about that?” She reached for the laces of his shirt. “This is really beautiful. Navaho?”
“Cree. Thank you. It was an indulgence when I bought it, but I fell in love with the color and the beadwork.” He shrugged self-consciously. “Guess I’m not as unremittingly masculine as I like to think.”
“You’re way more than enough male for me,” She chuckled. “Besides, if you weren’t a sucker for pretty things, you might not have noticed me.”
“Oh, I’d have noticed all right. A man would have to be dead not to.” He brushed his fingertips over her breasts and her nipples hardened, tingling in anticipation.
She reached beneath the shirt and pushed it upward. He gasped at the touch of her fingers on his bare skin and helped her maneuver the shirt over his head. He started to spread it on the ground, but she shook her head. “It’s too pretty. My cloak and your breeches will be plenty.”
Her throat was dry when she fumbled with the lacings of his pants. His cock was already hard, its outlines clearly visible beneath the buckskin. She pushed his breeches open, bent her head, and licked the head of his penis. It jerked against her mouth, so she wrapped a hand around him and circled his shaft with her mouth. She loved the taste and feel of him, and how he stretched her mouth as much as he stretched her pussy.
His hips bucked and he placed a hand on either side of her head to show her the rhythm he liked. The more she licked and sucked, the hotter she got. Abigail rubbed her thighs together, the friction almost enough to make her come. Luke pulled out of her mouth, breath coming fast, his tanned face rose-tinged with passion. “If you keep that up, I’ll come.”
She grinned at him with a smile that might have done Aphrodite proud. “That’s the general idea.”
“Except I want this first orgasm after we’re married to be something we share.” He grinned back. “I promise you’ll have years to…” his face reddened even further as he stumbled over words that wouldn’t be coarse, “…to do what you were doing.”
She crawled up his body and laid full length atop him, reveling in how perfectly he fit with her. She kissed him and he threaded his arms around her, hands cupping her ass, while his tongue slid inside her mouth. His chest pressing against her nipples made little zinging sensations shoot straight to her pussy, not that she needed to be any hotter. Sexual tension was so thick it intensified everything, every touch, every murmured endearment, until all she could think about was getting him inside her.
Abigail was just spreading her legs, when he broke their kiss and rolled her onto her back. He knelt over her and traced the lines of her body, pausing to tweak her nipples. He rubbed calloused fingers over her clit before sinking them inside her. She gripped his wrist and tried to tell him she couldn’t wait any longer, but the only thing that came out was a chittering moan.
He must have understood because he wrapped a hand around his shaft and guided it inside, trading it for his fingers. She was so wet, he could have entered her easily if he hadn’t been so big, but he took his time and let her stretch around him, supporting his weight with his arms. Once he was all the way inside, she wrapped her legs around his waist and placed her hands on his hips. He withdrew a little and pressed himself back inside; soon the slow half strokes gave way to bigger, faster ones as need drove him.
Abigail’s gaze never left his face and body. His muscles bunched beneath his skin as he got hotter and hotter and his nipples tightened into hard, little buds. His green eyes blazed with heat as he thrust and retreated. She wanted to extend the moment, make it last forever, but her body betrayed her. A climax began deep in her belly and spiraled outward, almost catching her by surprise, its intensity so profound her vision grayed at the edges.
“You’re so beautiful when you come,” he gasped. “I could watch you forever.”
His cock got even bigger inside her, and his face contorted with ecstasy. “Stay inside me,” she begged. “Bless the goddess and our love.” She felt his release start in the base of his cock. It juddered inside her over and over, flooding her with hot semen.
Abigail pulled him down atop her and cradled him in her arms. She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt the moisture on her cheeks. Luke repositioned them so they lay facing one another. He traced a finger over her damp cheeks. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all. Everything is so right it’s scary.” She laid her head against his chest. “I’m happy. Happier than I’ve ever been, and it terrifies me.”
“Me too.” His voice rumbled against her hair. “I think the scariest part is when you love someone, it opens you to the possibility of losing them—sort of like with Breana and her child.”
Truth resonated and chagrin at her retreat from emotional commitments filled her. “That’s not a reason not to live, though.” She propped herself on an elbow. “Even if that’s sort of what I did, boxing myself off from anything I might care about, it didn’t make it right.”
“We have a lot of exploring and growing to do, both of us.” He pushed a strand of hair laden with crushed flowers behind her ear. “I can’t think of anyone I’d rather do it with.”
“That may be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
He drew her close again. “I want to spoil you, make you feel so loved you can’t even remember what it was like to be alone.”
Because she didn’t have words, she just snuggled against him.
•●•
The sun was well past its zenith when they woke in each other’s arms. “Guess we were pretty tired, huh?” She sat up and stretched.
“We had every right to be. Neither one of us has had much sleep to speak of in days. Before things heat up again, we need to talk about babies.” He nailed her with his emerald eyes. “If I come inside you as much as I expect we’ll be making love, you’ll conceive in no time.”
She inhaled raggedly, suddenly anxious, knowing this was the sort of question she should have asked before they’d gotten married. “Are you all right with us having children?”
“Sure, but I’m selfish enough, I’d hoped for a few months with just you and me.”
Abigail liked the sound of that. In a secret place inside her heart, one she only rarely visited, she longed for babies, a houseful of them. It had seemed so remote, though—since she’d have needed a husband, or some willing partner—she’d buried the idea deep so it wouldn’t bother her.
She let out a breath. “I can live with that. Maybe a year or so with just us, and then we can try for a family.”
“Sounds perfect.” He reached for her and she fitted her body to his, aware of heat growing between her legs. No question about it, Luke made her hot. The more she got of him, the worse she wanted him. Abigail straddled one of his legs and pushed her core against it.
He nuzzled her neck and said, “Let me pleasure you, love. I want you to lay back and tell me what you’d like and what you want more of.”
“Sounds decadent.”
“I’m hoping it will be.”
He strung kisses down her body, suckling her nipples until she arched her back and mewled with delight. He captured her clit between two fingers and worked it while he laved her nipples. A climax blazed through her. Before it was quite done, he lowered his mouth to the magical spot between her legs and began nipping and sucking. He slid two fingers inside her and pressed them against something that made her mad with lust. Even though it had n
ever happened to her before, she came again almost on the heels of her first orgasm. Shaking and crying, she writhed between his mouth and fingers.
When he kept on sucking her, she tugged away. “Please.” She had to swallow before she could say anything else. “I need a break.”
He raised his mouth from her for long enough to say, “No, you don’t. I know you can come again.”
He ran his tongue around her clit and pressed harder on that place inside her. Her body spasmed. Hips bucking, her pussy turned to molten heat as another climax spun her around and spit her out.
“No fair,” she sputtered. “You used magic. I felt it.”
“So?” He quirked a brow. “Since when is that against the rules?”
She slithered out from under him and pushed him onto his back. His cock jutted from his body, as hard as she’d ever seen it. Apparently what he’d been doing to her had heated his blood as much as hers. She knelt over his shaft and licked the length of it. When he groaned and thrust against her, she took him into her mouth and milked him with her hands at the same time. He buried his fingers in her hair, steadied her head, and thrust into her mouth. She’d been right about him being aroused. It didn’t take long before his cock swelled even harder and semen burst from it.
She swallowed every drop, enjoying the salty tang of him, before laying her head on his belly, with one hand still curled around his penis. Long moments passed while they got their breath back. He pulled her up his body, kissed her tenderly, and said, “We should go back to the house for a bit. It’ll be dark soon and I don’t want any of the rest of them worrying about us.”
“Maybe we could bury our binding cloth here where we made love.” She looked around for something to dig with and then felt foolish. “Guess we’ll have to use magic to make a hole.”
“I’ll do that before we leave. Glad you remembered it. And you’re right, this is a perfect place for it.”
