The Castle of Water and Woe

by Steffanie Holmes

  Arthur pulled over next to the white dome, and turned to me in confusion. “What are we doing out here, Maeve?”

  “I’m surprised you don’t know, since you stalked me for so many years. I spent more time out here than I ever did in church. Southern Arizona has some of the clearest skies in the country. You can get perfect seeing – that’s how well you can view the stars – about 350 nights a year. This area we’re standing in is a certified Dark Sky Sanctuary, which means no one is allowed to build anything that has any lights at night. The local astronomy clubs and hobbyists come out here for stargazing parties, and for the last couple of years I’ve done some research work for the Kitt Peak observatory, mostly on categorizing nebulae and galaxies—”

  “Did you bring me out here to show me some boring science shit?”

  I grinned. “It’s not boring. To me, this is the most beautiful place on earth. It’s also where I lost my virginity.”

  Satisfaction emboldened me as Arthur’s breath hitched. He smoothed down his beard. “I think this is going to be my favourite of all the stories I’ve heard today.”

  I hit him on the arm. Arthur laughed – a deep rumbling laugh from the heart of his belly. I focused my gaze back on the sky, picking out the familiar constellations and planets with a practiced eye, and continued.

  “It was to this guy, Andrew, in my astronomy club. We were the only two students from community college willing to be involved in the research, so we spent a lot of nights camping out here alone. I was the one who kissed him first, who kept pushing him to take things further, until finally we went as far as we could go. The sex was … nothing exciting. Nothing like the way I feel when you kiss me or when the others…” I trailed off, realising what I’d been about to say. I glanced back at Arthur, but surprisingly, he didn’t look angry at having my relationship with his friends brought up. He reached across and took my hand, rubbing his fingers across my knuckles, sending a shiver of desire down my arm and right into my core.

  I continued. “It wasn’t actually about the sex, or about Andrew or how I felt about him. It was the first time I ever really did something for myself, because I wanted to. I talked a big talk about going away to university and becoming an astronaut, but deep down I hated displeasing my parents. I was terrified that it would cause a rift between us, that eventually I’d have to choose between science and love. Having premarital sex was my way of showing myself that I could live my life on my own terms, and they’d still love me. Of course I never told them, so the point was moot, but that’s teenage logic for you.”

  “Why did you bring me here, Maeve?” Arthur’s voice strained.

  “Because we had to spend the night somewhere, and I wanted it to be here. And because…” I pointed up at the expanding cosmos that had sucked me in ever since I was a little girl, that had spoken to me of a universe so much bigger and more complex and fascinating and wonderful than I would ever be able to understand. “I wanted you to see what I see when I look up. You’ve seen a lot of sides of me on this trip, Arthur. This is another one. This is me, laying myself bare, the way you did the day you told me about your past.”

  “Maeve.” Arthur’s breath growled against my ear. I turned to face him, and he crushed his mouth to mine. Heat surged through my body, pulling me from my memories and dreams into his strong, protective arms.

  Our mouths sought each other, frenzied and hungry. The weight of all my history bore down on top of us, the expansive sky above like a blanket cocooning our bodies.

  Arthur’s hands fumbled at my sides. At first I thought he was trying to pull my clothes off, but then he unclipped my safety belt, threw me over his shoulder, and jumped out of the car. I giggled and squealed, my body alight.

  “Where are you taking me!” I cried, pretending to pummel his back with my fists. Arthur responded my sliding his hand along my leg, just brushing my mound through the thin fabric of my skirt. I shuddered, knowing he’d probably already feel how wet and aroused I was.

  Hang on, Arthur didn’t want this. He said he couldn’t be with me while I was with the other guys, so what—

  Arthur slid me off his shoulder, letting my ass slide up on the bonnet of the car. “I always wanted to do this,” he said, his mouth finding mine again. All my protests died in the intensity of his kiss. His hands slid up, pushing the fabric up, exposing my thighs to the starlight.

  Arthur leaned me back against the bonnet, holding me with one hand so I wouldn’t slide down. With the other hand, he popped open the buttons on my shirt, his hands caressing my skin while I tugged the fabric down my shoulders.

  Arthur laid a trail of kisses down my neck, across my collarbone, his lips scalding my skin in a way that was utterly intoxicating. The tip of his beard trailed across my chest, just touching my nipples through my bra, hardening them like pebbles.

  “I can’t give you the stars, Maeve,” Arthur whispered as he returned to my mouth, his voice hard with desire. “But I can make you see them like never before.”

  I tipped my head back, taking in the vastness of the night sky while his trail ended at my nipple. He took it into his mouth, nibbling slightly on the very tip. I moaned, my legs closing around his sides, trying to drag him closer.

  Arthur’s hands trailed up my thighs, pushing down my panties. He dived between my legs, his tongue insistent, his beard rubbing against my thighs, rubbing everywhere as he darted his tongue inside me, before circling it around my clit.

  The heat of the bonnet warmed my back as I travelled in his attention. Arthur dipped a finger inside me, his own gasp as he felt the wetness nearly sending me over the edge. He licked me hard and fast, darting his tongue in different direction, keeping me guessing. He pushed a finger deep inside me, curling it over to rub at a spot that I didn’t even know existed, a spot that made everything ache and hurt so good.

  Arthur added a second finger, drilling them inside me while he flicked his tongue as fast as a hummingbird. There was nothing gentle about him – he was all brute force and hard muscle and desperate need. He sucked my clit into his mouth and my body fell to pieces. I cried out into the silent night. My legs closed around Arthur’s head, squeezing his ears, holding him in place while the orgasm rocked through me.

  I didn’t even have a chance to recover before Arthur lifted me behind the ass and dragged me forward to my legs were over the front of the bonnet. I sat up so I could reach him, dragging his fly down and freeing his cock from his boxers. Arthur fumbled in his wallet for a condom.

  “Found the bastard.” he grunted, tearing open the package and rolling it on. His mouth sought mine, leaning me back against the hot car as his hips shifted between mine.

  I raised my legs, wrapping them around his back, loving the feel of encircling his bulk. I arched my back as Arthur entered me, the thrill of doing this with him danced in my veins – I loved out here in the open air, with the whole of the universe as our witness.

  Arthur was so big it took him a few strokes to completely enter me. I tangled my hips up, trying to meet each of his thrusts. He leaned over me, smothering my lips in his, devouring me and intense kisses as he pounded into me.

  Arthur didn’t do anything half-assed. He fucked the way he fought – hell bent for leather. I kept my eyes open, relishing his hair falling over my face like a curtain, and beyond his head, the brilliant lights of the stars dancing above us. As I watched, mesmerised by the pleasure flowing through my body, the tail of a shooting star trailed across the sky.

  Dazzling. Electrifying. Our bodies moved together while above us, the great cosmic opera played on.

  I didn’t think it was possible, but Arthur thrust even faster, his fingers digging into my ass. Our bodies felt like they belonged together, drenched in sweat and dust and sadness.

  Arthur tightened inside of me, his breath coming out in racking gasps. He clamped his mouth over mine, and screamed his orgasm down my throat. I held him while the pleasure tore through him, and the intensity of watching his lose control sent
me over the edge, my walls constricting around him as my body spun off into space.

  He collapsed against me, his muscles slackening and breath rasping on my throat. My whole body shuddered one final time and fell still, sandwiched between his warmth and the warm bonnet.

  Okay, so that was amazing.

  But it wasn’t supposed to happen. Arthur made it clear back at Briarwood that he wouldn’t sleep with me because he couldn’t deal with the idea of sharing me. He warned me that I had to stop him. But I’d tried. I really had tried my best to respect that. It wasn’t my intention to take him out into the desert to break his will. This had been his decision. I’d just accepted it, accepted him.

  What does this mean for us? Does it mean that Arthur is going to be part of my … harem?

  FORTY-SEVEN: MAEVE

  BEEP BEEP, BEEP BEEP.

  I pulled one eye open. My back spasmed in protest. I gritted my teeth as I waited for my sleepy eyes to adjust to the golden light. Where am I? Am I inside a fire?

  But no. That golden light was a glorious Arizona sunrise splashed across the horizon. Violent fuschia and orange hues streamed across the sky. The fact that I knew the colours were caused by molecules in the atmosphere scattering the directions of light rays from the sun being close to the horizon didn’t detract from its beauty. In fact, knowing the science behind it only enhanced my enjoyment, as it did with so many things. Right now, the only thing disturbing my calm was the rumbling, snorting snore emitting from the blankets beside me.

  Yikes. Flynn wasn’t kidding about the snoring. I shook Arthur. He gave a loud snort and rolled over, dragging half the blanket with him. Right, time for a frontal assault. I grabbed his right ripple and gave it a twist. Arthur woke with a start, his head snapping up and a fist raising in front of his face to block an incoming attack. “Who’s there? I’m armed and dangerous.”

  “Calm down, Aragorn. There’s no one here except us.” I pointed to the time on my phone. “But we should probably think about putting clothes on. Kelly gets discharged in two hours, and I like to be there to tell her the good news.”

  “Right.” Arthur bundled up the blankets, reaching for his pants that were draped over the front seat. “And then it’s back to Briarwood.”

  Back to Briarwood.

  It’s weird. Being in America made me realise how much I’d changed in the short time I’d been in England. Our house, Ruby’s diner, the memories of Andrew and Kelly and my parents, the life I had here – it was all in the past. And there were parts of it that were amazing and parts of it that were awful. I never wanted to forget it, but I didn’t want to go back.

  I was ready to go home. Home to my castle, and my guys.

  “Do you miss the others?” I asked Arthur, trailing my fingers across his chest.

  “Not even a little.”

  Damn. “Well, I miss them all. Arthur, last night was amazing. Seriously, I wish you’d been here every night for scientific observations instead of Andrew.”

  “But?” he lifted a bushy eyebrow.

  “But … three days ago you made it perfectly clear to me that you didn’t want me, because of the others and what we were doing. What changed your mind?”

  “I never said I don’t want you.” Arthur sat up and pushed a cushion behind his head. “I said, I didn’t want to be part of your harem.”

  “But then…?”

  “I wanted to be the only one, Maeve. I wanted to be the guy to sweep you away and heal your pain. But being here with you, I realised that maybe I could still be that guy. I don’t have to compete with the others. I don’t have to win. Because having you in my life is winning.” He stroked his beard. “So, even though you want to keep doing stuff with the others, you can be my girlfriend, if you want.”

  “You mean it?”

  “I may not be able to do the … group thing,” he said. “At least, not yet. But I want you in my life, Maeve Moore. And trying to resist your charms was eventually going to burn down the castle, so this is the most logical course of action.”

  I wrapped my arms around him, my heart lifting. “Well, if logic is involved, I have to agree. I accept your offer, Aragorn. From now on, you can call me your girlfriend.”

  ***

  After Arthur’s announcement, we got a little distracted… okay, a lot distracted. We had to scramble into our clothes when a scientist came down the road to check the weather station. We sped out of Coopersville and arrived at Kelly’s room just as her doctor was leaving.

  “What’s the verdict?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light, even though my heart pounded against my chest. “Is my sister crazy?”

  “We don’t like to call anyone crazy these days, Miss Crawford,” he said. “But the answer is no. I’ve assessed Kelly and I don’t believe she’ll continue to be a danger to herself, provided she gets the support she needs from the good people in her life, like you. She grieving for the loss of her parents, and coupled with an undesirable living situation that has created escalating levels of stress she didn’t think she could handle. I’ve prescribed her with some mild sedatives to help her sleep, and given her a recommendation to a great psychiatrist. As long as she makes some lifestyle changes, she should be okay.”

  “That’s it?” I was half relieved, half incredulous. My sister tried to kill herself and they’re just letting her go? How did I know for certain she was cured? “She can go home?”

  He nodded. “I’ve advised her to find another living situation, and she may want to consider pressing charges. Of course, she’s underage, so her guardians would need to sign over custody or she’ll end up being cared for by the state. But I feel that judging by the severity of the situation and the supportiveness of your community, she should be able to find another guardian.”

  With $20,000 in the bank, she ain’t gonna need no guardian.

  I wrapped my arms around Kelly. “You’re going to be okay,” I said, but then I had a flash of her face from yesterday, and my heart plummeted again. “Aren’t you? I could stay if you want. We could move in together, get our own place, and you could—”

  “Don’t even think about it.” Kelly hugged me. “I’m going to be fine now. This isn’t what I want, I just wanted to escape that house and I… I think I scared myself as much as I scared you guys.”

  “I doubt that.”

  “I should have just told you what was going on. I should have told someone, gone to the police. But I was just so scared and broken. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “You weren’t thinking. You were in pain.“ I gestured to Arthur. “Someone much wiser than me once told me that you have to forgive yourself all the stupid things you do while you’re grieving. But you totally should have told me, because I would have been here much sooner to fix things for you. But, better late than never.”

  She looked at me with wide eyes and I grinned.

  “Maeve, what did you do?”

  “Nothing.” I beamed at her, even though my insides turned at the memory of the flames. “But you’re not going to have any problem getting out from under Uncle Bob and Aunt Florence. They’ve agreed to sign you over to a new guardian, whoever you wish. If you don’t want a guardian, they won’t come looking for you. In fact, they’ve even left a little parting gift in your bank account.”

  Kelly grabbed her phone and tapped frantically. Her eyes bugged out of her head when she saw the number. Yes! At least Uncle Bob can follow instructions. “No way. How did this happen?”

  “I can be very persuasive when my sister’s happiness is at stake. With that money, you can go anywhere and do anything, including college.”

  Kelly reached up and embraced me. Her fruity scent invaded my nostrils, and that lump rose in my throat once more. I hugged her back, my arms heavy with the weight of what I did and the love I felt for her.

  “So, Arthur and I have to head to the airport in an hour. Where can we take you?”

  She grinned. “Happy’s, please. After three days of hospital food I am
dying for a cheeseburger.”

  My stomach clenched at her words, but I struggled to keep an even face. “Mind your Freudian slips, girl. I have half a brownie cake in the car for you, but I guess you can get your own. After Happy’s, where will you go?”

  Kelly thought for a moment. “I think I’m going to stay in Phoenix a few days. I might get a bed at a youth hostel, go shopping, look at some college brochures, talk to some people who have exciting lives and passionate dreams.”

  “Are you sure that’s the best idea?”